InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Invitations to Trouble ❯ True Friends? ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five

Kiso stood framed in the doorway, staring grimly down at one massive hand. In the main room behind him, Aka put aside the basket of vegetables and flowers she had gathered in the garden earlier to touch him lightly on the arm.

"Big brother, what is it?" Bright pink eyes scanned his face, which had paled from its normal deep cerulean-blue to a more washed-out shade. He looked sick, and his voice sounded as though he was going to be violently ill.

"Aka, where is Midori?"

Everything in his manner suddenly made her feel as nervous as her little sister Ki. Normally the more level-headed of the three siblings, she was irritated when she stammered, "M-Midori is visiting with the Lady Shinaki today. She'll be back soon though."

He still didn't look up from his hand and he was too tall for her to see what he held. Wryly, she shook her mental fist at her eldest sister's choice. 'Ten feet tall sis, you absolutely HAD to marry a ten foot tall youkai!'

The massive fist curled shut with a crunching sound and Kiso strode into the house. "When she gets home, call me." Curious, Aka raced after him as he made his way through the house.

"What is wrong big brother?" When he stopped before a locked closet, she peered up at him in anticipation. His expression had hardened until it was impossible to read, but he wouldn't answer her. As much as he loved his new little family, Kiso wasn't sure if he trusted himself to give a decent explanation.

Staring at the old wooden closet, he felt that it held enough of an answer for them both.

Without a word, he pulled a thin chain from around his neck. On it hung an old, rust speckled key. Still silent, he stared at it a moment before he inserted it into the lock. The old neglected metal screeched in protest, but it turned.

"Big brother?"

"Just come get me when she arrives Aka. I'll be by the waterfall." Seeming to brace himself for some task ahead, he reverently pulled open the doors.

Aka felt the blood drain from her face when she saw the contents of the closet. 'No, not now! Midori and he are so happy!' Tears welled up and spilled down her suddenly pale cheeks. Sinking numbly to her knees, she wailed "Big brother…this is not fair!"

Reaching a hand into the closet, he said gruffly, "I know."

{}

"Nicely human..."

Snuggled into her beloved's arms, Kuroi murmured the phrase again happily. The husky purr brought a smile to Sesshomaru's face as he coasted over the ground on the way home.

'I hope that Kagome and Inuyasha have managed to resolve their situation in an equally...satisfactory way.'

Veering around a low hill, he slowed and landed outside the cottage. Yellow eyes hardened as he noticed the lack of a door. 'Something has happened here.'

The smell of wolf hit his nose like and invisible fist. 'Ookami.' A low rumble started in the back of his throat as he headed warily to the entrance. Setting Kuroi on her feet, one hand tightening where it remained on the slim body it rested against. Sun bright eyes flickered briefly down at his wife, 'At least she has some protection.'

Despite the knowledge that she could physically defeat even swarming packs of youkai, it still eased his concern that she was wearing his haori. After their reconciliation, he had shredded the 'tainted' robe with relish and taken her to a nearby stream so they could both bathe. After another leisurely session of lovemaking, he had clothed her with his fire-rat robe. Right now, he was still privately delighting in the way his scent surrounded her.

'Let the wolf try and touch her now.' Stepping inside he tested the air, but could discern no smells of battle or death. The lack of those violent odors relaxed him a bit. Not by much, but some. Kuroi lifted her face and looked around as well. "What happened?"

"I do not know, but it seems that the wolf did not leave after we did. I cannot smell Kagome and Inuyasha either, they have not been here recently." Peering down at her, he asked calmly, "Can you sense Inuyasha?"

Sometimes, she was still amazed by how accepting he was of her link with his brother. Kuroi closed her eyes and concentrated. "I sense him, but it's...odd. I've never felt this from him before." Shaking her head ruefully, she looked around again.

Aside from the missing door, there didn't seem to be anything wrong or damaged. Moving away from the arm draped around her, she headed back outside. When he followed, she turned and said quickly, "Go towards Kaede's village and look there. They may be near the God Tree. I'm going to check out a spot where Koinu and I used to meet at in the forest."

Drawing close to her, Sesshomaru brushed his lips across her forehead. "If you see that wolf..."

"I'll run, scream, or knock his block off." Putting on a bright smile, she watched him rise into the air and depart.

"Come out, come out wherever you are Koinu." Chanting the phrase like a mantra, she turned and raced for the heart of the forest. Trees whizzed by as she ran beneath the thick, green canopy. Sesshomaru had often chided her for her speed, saying that she was an adequate runner at best. He had stopped when she'd outraced his desirous reach one night.

To her, running felt like the closest she would ever come to matching the young lord's majesty in flight. As the wind whipped through her unbound hair, she smiled longingly, 'You are a glory to behold my love.' Soaring over a small ravine, she slowed and paused in a tiny meadow. 'And one day, you're going to bloody well teach me how to fly!'

The woods around her appeared empty, save for the small and constant sounds of nature. She felt that she could have been completely alone in the dense heart of the rambling forest, but she knew better.

"Koinu. Come out now." The short statement was issued more like a command than a request.

"Kuroi." Dropping fluidly from a nearby tree, Inuyasha stalked slowly towards her. "You and I need to talk."

Seeing his stony expression, she felt her heart wither slightly. 'He knows. Oh please Koinu, don't hate me because you know I can't lie to you.'

When he stood before her, she took a deep breath, "Please, let me explain Koinu..."

"Don't call me that!!" The harsh outburst made her flinch, as did the hands that closed about her upper arms. "Please don't call me that Kuroi. I can't…I don't want to hear that name from your lips right now."

She knew he was confused. Kagome had told her about the conflicts that had plagued him constantly while dealing with her and his feeling for the resurrected miko, Kikyo. Inuyasha was never very adept at handling emotional turmoil between those he loved.

"But..."

"NO!" Grabbing her chin, he forced her to meet his eyes. "He loves you!! That snowy bastard had never let his guard down for anything or anyone!!" Unspoken was the phrase, 'Even me.'

The honey gold eyes were dark with pain. "Because of you, I have my brother back. I don't want to lose him." The fingers tightened as he fought to control his hurt, the rage simmering beneath the surface making his eyes darken further. "I don't want him to go back to what he was Kuroi."

Icy eyes clouded over in sadness as she looked at him. Inuyasha pushed aside whatever he might have felt as he looked into them. His brother was whole again, and his best friend might have betrayed them both.

"Tell me the truth Kuroi, because so help me, I'll kill both you and Kouga to save Sesshomaru's sanity."

He was telling the truth. She could feel it through their link as well as see it in his eyes. "Then kill me Koinu because I guess I'm dead either way, aren't I?" Not being the response he'd expected, he let her go. Straightening, he looked at her levelly.

"I said don't call me that."

Deceptively slender fingers clenched into fists as Kuroi fought the impulse to deck the hell out of best friend. "Do you wake up in the morning with a plan to go ape-shit the first time you think one of your friends might have kept a secret from you?" Going over to a tree to put some distance between them, she leaned against it and watched him. "I didn't tell you for a good reason Inuyasha."

"You're in love with Kouga?" His words carried the sneering disgust he felt at that moment. She growled at him and spat back, "If I didn't love you, I'd cut your tongue out for saying that shit. I don't love Kouga, I love Sesshomaru."

"Then why didn't you tell him about that fucking wolf? Or at the least told me!" The pain was receding, but the betrayal still felt too fresh to ignore. Kuroi sensed it.

"Because I thought I couldn't. And from the way you're behaving, I think I was right."

"Why? We are supposed to be friends, or doesn't that mean anything to you?" He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. Of all the people to question about the bonds between friends, she should never need to be asked.

The tears that built and fell marked how accurately the sting had hit. "I can't believe how naive I have been about you this whole time Inuyasha. I guess I should have known better, huh?" Pushing off the tree, she came and looked him directly in the eyes. "I mean, for you this friendship has only lasted what, twelve years or so? Way too soon to just believe in someone, huh?"

"Kuroi..." This time, the wounded feelings were pouring out of her, flooding through their link and threatening to suffocate him. Trying to close himself off to it only stemmed the tide a fraction.

"What Koinu! For me it has been seventy years!!" Her smile was faint and bitter, "Makes it a little lopsided, doesn't it?"

He tried again, because he was drowning in her pain. "Kuroi...Cuckoo..."

"You were my world Inuyasha!! All I did was watch over you and try to free you from that fucking arrow! You know how I feel about you and you still had the gall to ask me that shit? You are a real bastard sometime Koinu, and it has nothing to do with your legitimacy." He flinched inside at the brutal words, but she wasn't done.

"Now your brother is my life, my heart and reason for being on this earth! I would die for either one of you and you can't even give me the benefit of the doubt?!"

"Why does Kouga think that you're his mate?" Unwilling to touch her just yet, he moved a few paces away. His thoughts were grim as he looked at the grass beneath his feet. 'I love you more than you could ever know Cuckoo, but I think that I want my brother beside me more. I just never realized it until I thought I'd lose him again because of you.'

"Damn you Inuyasha." The hiss was slow and dark.

Startled, he snapped his head towards her. 'Shit, she must have heard that.'

Her face was livid, the tears making pale tracks down her cheeks. "When you thought he had hurt me before, you would have killed Sesshomaru if Yamatsu hadn't stopped you. Two months go by and suddenly your world is bright and shining because your brother doesn't try to beat you senseless anymore?" The sarcasm in her words stabbed out at him. Kuroi was practically seething.

"One smile from the future lord to his adoring baby brother and you would roll over like a bitch without a second thought. All in your eagerness to hand him the head of your best friend because you never learned to cope with your own emotions? The sad thing is, that it's all based solely of the word that fucking ookami!"

Hard and tight, her accusation brought a flash of guilt and shattering realization. 'I actually believed that wimpy wolf over her?! Gods help me, I am a real bastard aren't I?'

Changing his tone, he came forward and laid his hands on her tense shoulders. "Kuroi, why would Kouga think you're his mate?" When she made no move to stop him or step away, he pushed aside the top of her robes.

'Koinu, I won't lie to you. Please, trust me.' beneath his fingers, he could feel the nervous tremor running through her.

'I trust you Cuckoo. I'm sorry, you know I'm a blockhead sometimes.' Slowly, he bent his neck down and sank his teeth into the supple skin over one bared shoulder, dimly noting the lingering scent of his brother around her.

Kuroi whimpered and leaned into the contact, relief shooting through her at the tangible act of his acceptance. Gently licking the flecks of blood away, he queried her through their link once more.

'Tell me the truth Cuckoo. Why does he think you're his mate?'

Her voice was thick with tears and confusion, "Because, I think I am."

{}

Sesshomaru landed and headed directly to the old miko's hut. The scent of Kagome was both the freshest and strongest there. Pushing aside the reed curtain, he looked in and saw his sister-in-law nursing a cup of tea. Kaede was no where in sight.

"Kagome, where is Inuyasha?"

Not looking up, she replied a bit too brightly, "Somewhere in the forest. I think he wanted to make sure Kouga had really left."

Gracefully pointed ears pricked at the tone. 'She is lying. Something here is amiss.'

"Little sister, where has my brother gone?" Pitched lower, the question made her sigh.

"He's waiting for Kuroi, in the deep woods."

Curious, Sesshomaru offered her his hand. She took it and got to her feet. "He needed to talk to her alone, before he talked to you."

Walking her outside, he felt a twinge of panic. 'What is so great that the two could not use their link to discuss it?' Recounting Kuroi's words about Inuyasha's side of their union feeling strange, the apprehension grew. 'Something is definitely wrong.'

"Little sister, hold on." Before she could object, he swept her up and took to the skies.

{}

Jaken dodged another splash from the wet, pink toddler sporting a stubby black tail. It would have worked if the purple and blue children hadn't tackled him from behind, knocking him into the large tub.

Breaking the soapy surface with some choice curses, he shrieked irritably, "Who's idea was it to have me baby-sit you heathens?"

"Mama's!!" All three squealed happily in response. The retainer sighed and climbed out. Yeah. The new Lady Shinaki.

'A bride is supposed to be chaste and pure, not widowed and raising a mixed brood of little monsters.' Wringing his robes out, he continued to mutter a few colorful phrases under his breath.

Behind him, the children grew strangely quiet. Turning to check on them, (more for fear of reprisal if they drowned while in his care than from real concern), he found himself facing three solemn faces.

The youngest, a three year old purple hanyou named Tama, looked at him with large, adoring green eyes and asked softly, "Will Jaken be our friend?"

About to retort that no true youkai would lower themselves by consorting with half-breeds, Jaken paused. Everyone of them was watching him silently, waiting almost hopefully for his answer.

'I think they're serious!'

Trying to look as dignified as his lord Sesshomaru, he simply replied, "Wash behind your ears, Tama-chan."

{}

Kouga sniffed the vest he'd found a short while ago, wincing at it's pungency. 'Brat needs to bathe more.'

Shippo had definitely passed through this area, but his tracks were well over an hour old. Dashing off into the trees, the young man passed a small hill. A scent in the air froze him in his tracks, making him create shallows grooves in the dirt as he skidded to a halt.

"It's her!" Shooting out into the clearing, he bent low and sniffed the ground. Her scent filled the air, teasing him with it's freshness. 'She was here, right here and I missed her!' Upset by the narrow margin that had separated him from his happiness, he rose to leave.

A small burst of color caught his eye. It was a scrap of shredded blue fabric. Picking it up as if it were a fragile treasure, he brought it to his nose.

Yes, it was her. No one else smelled like her. Closing his eyes, he let the scent take him back.

}

"Kouga, we found a youkai! We found a youkai!" Yelling excitedly, Ginta nimbly raced up the mountain path to find his friend and leader. Flanked by two large wolves, Kouga watched him approach.

"What the hell are you babbling about now Ginta?" Digging in one ear, he waited for the breathless young man to reach him.

"Hakkaku and me were down in the woods near the river and we saw a strange youkai by the water!" Wide-eyed, Ginta whispered conspiratorially, "It's a girl too."

"And?" Taking a seat on the ground, Kouga scratched absently behind the furry head that plopped into his lap. He noticed a flea with annoyance. 'Time to bathe the wolves again.' While not particularly concerned with the hygiene of the animals, he didn't want any of his pack to die from an infected bite.

Disappointed that his prince didn't find the news as spectacular as he himself did, Ginta pouted. "But she's pretty Kouga." Fluffing the black tuft at the front of his head, he mused aloud. "Even the other guys Hakkaku sent down there said so. I thought it was really funny since they tried to get a kiss from her and she started beating them up." He gave a burst of innocent laughter. "You know how Intu, Mimo and Tsuki are around a pretty girl. They looked really funny though when she started fighting back and winning."

A cloud of dust met his words. "Kouga?"

The ookami youkai was gone. Intu, Mimo and Tsuki, despite their stupid names, were the strongest fighters in the pack next to him and his lord. 'If this girl is whipping them at the same time, I have got to see this.'

Racing to the river where Ginta's scent trailed off the sharpest, Kouga pulled up short when the sound of raucous laughter met his ears. 'That doesn't sound like they're getting beat up.'

Mildly disappointed at the thought of having come all this way for nothing, he headed around the bend and past a small brace of trees. Once clear of the foliage, he tilted his head to the side.

'Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?'

Intu was face-down on the ground, pinned at the neck by a pale knee. Mimo's face was pressed sideways into his friend's back and Tsuki was tangled around him in a way that made movement impossible. On top of the whole pile of fur and entwined flesh was a silver-haired goddess, laughing her head off.

Grinding the lovely knee harder into Intu's spine, she said nastily, "Thought you could just jump on a girl alone in the middle of the night and not have a fucking problem?!" With a sharp twist on Tsuki's arm, which was already at an awkward angle, she asked slowly, "What have we learned today gentlemen?"

Tsuki snarled deeply, "That when we get up we're gonna kick the shit out of you bitch! Then I'll take my sweet time working that little ass of AARRGHH!!"

The twist ended in a snap that signaled a broken bone. Kouga winced in sympathy. 'Dumbass never could think past his pants.'

He watched the girl's face. Crimson eyes burned like twin flames in the moonless night. Her voice, light and airy before, took on a harder edge that made him shiver involuntarily. "I said, what have we learned?"

Quicker on the uptake with his friend's massive and now useless limb dangling in his face, Mimo squeaked, "Not to bother a lady alone in the dark?" The pressure eased as the young woman leapt nimbly away.

"Correct!" Walking back over once they had disentangled themselves, she surprised the large man by rubbing him fondly over the head and ears. "What a smart ookami you are!" A pleased purr slipped out before Mimo could catch himself.

"Hey!" Jerking away from the touch, he frowned, "You are supposed to be scared little girl!!" Indignant, Mimo huffed and drew himself up to his full and imposing height of seven feet. The girl giggled and gave him a rib-cracking hug. "I like you!!"

Deciding that the insanity had gone on long enough, Kouga cleared his throat, instantly becoming the center of attention. Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, he said, "Intu, Mimo. Take Tsuki back to the lair and get that arm set." Blue eyes zeroed in on the still smiling girl. "I want to talk with this intruder."

Holding his injured arm, Tsuki growled menacingly at her. "But Kouga. I want to take her head off!" Before the prince could object, the large youkai charged her.

Never losing the bright smile, the girl jumped straight up and delivered a roundhouse that snapped Tsuki's head back and sent him skidding a good distance across the ground. A fading moan marked his passage into unconsciousness. Rising to the tips of her toes, she ruffled Mimo's shaggy head as he gaped at his prone friend.

"Now he should be less trouble for you to carry, ne?" All he could do was nod mutely.

Once the two had gathered the limp body between them, they left with one last encouraging look at their leader.

For his part, Kouga was still watching the girl. "Oi woman, who are you?"

"Just somebody passing through here. Who are you?" Completely unconcerned, she knelt to get a drink of water. Her lack of fear intrigued and annoyed him.

'Time to show this this bitch who's boss.'

"I am Kouga, son of the Ookami no Taisho Gorotsuki. You woman, have harmed one of my pack. State your name so I can use your lifeless body to warn others not to mess with the deadly wolves of the north." Immensely pleased by the sound of his speech, he was undone when she giggled again.

"Hey bitch, that's not funny!"

Pressing a porcelain smooth hand to her stomach, she only laughed harder. Stalking forward, he grabbed an arm and spun her around to face him. Up close, her eyes sparkled like jewels and he realized something. 'That idiot Ginta lied. She's not pretty, she's beautiful.' The hand she laid on his chest to push him back seemed to burn, but in a pleasant way.

Her voice was still filled with her earlier humor. "Look at it from my point of view milord. If you know my name, then you get to tell everyone that your three biggest, baddest youkai were defeated by a solitary girl." Rosy lips curved upwards on barely contained mirth. "I don't think that would help the reputation of the fearsome wolves of the north, do you?" At that, the laugh broke through and she all but collapsed against him, quivering from her amusement.

Idly, he wondered where in the speech he'd gone wrong. 'I'm tough, I can fight and I know other youkai are intimidated by me, so what is the deal here?' Glancing down at the giggling girl pressed against his chest, he wanted to know, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

The giggling slowed to the occasional chuckle as she wiped smoky silver lashes. "Should I be?"

"Hell yes!" Sweeping his arm around, he attempted to flip her onto the ground. She smoothly evaded his hands by ducking beneath the limb and then used his own momentum to knock him forward into the river. Breaking the surface and sputtering, he glared at where she was rolling on the ground in more merriment.

"Damn it, this is not funny!" He caught his breath when she seemed to materialize right in front of his face. 'She's fast! I didn't even see her move.'

A slender hand pushed aside the dark strands of his sodden hair, dainty claws making his skin prickle warmly as they lightly brushed down to touch his face.

"Prince of wolves. Proud and wild as the mountains you call your home. Running free beneath the heavens with only the wind for a companion. I am not a threat to you or your pack." Her voice was low and as soft as her touch. "If those baka boys you call pack mates had just left me alone, there would not have been any need for a conflict. They would still be running through the woods, just as they were before."

Swallowing convulsively to relieve the sudden dryness of his throat and mouth, he found himself staring at her.

'She is not afraid of anything.' He thought the tiny fangs that gleamed when she smiled at him were exceedingly cute. 'Strong, beautiful, and she fights like a demon. Absolutely wonderful.'

Climbing from the water, he never took his eyes from her face. "Be my mate."

Blinking, she looked around and then pointed to herself. "Me?"

Kouga shot forward so that he was stretched out completely on top of her. The cold river water that soaked her clothes made her shiver. "You." He could feel her heart pounding through his armor, and he knew his was racing as well. 'She's so soft for someone so strong.'

Fisting his hands in the silky mass of shimmering hair, he angled his head and kissed her. In her surprise, she gasped, allowing him entrance to her mouth. Groaning, he dipped his tongue lightly past her lips, moving his head back and forth to savor each moment.

She tasted like wild honey, sweet and unbearably hot. One of his teeth accidentally nicked her lip, causing the sharp tang of blood to mingle with her flavor. The groan sharpened to a throaty growl. It excited him, making the wolf in his soul eager to mark her as his own. He could feel his own blood rushing in his ears, pulsing through his body and pooling in his groin, which rocked reflexively against her.

She whimpered at the contact, and for the first time that night, he could smell her fear.

His chest rumbled pleasurably as her jerky movements to get away from the chilly wetness made her body rub against his. When he reached down to stroked her breast through the thin fabric, she arched sharply in a move that would have tossed him aside. He foiled the attempt by bracing himself with his arms, managing to stay put. At her small sounds of confusion, he murmured against her mouth, "You are magnificent."

"Get off me...please." Parting her legs, he thought she had accepted his advances and eased back some. She surprised him by angling her feet back so that they were almost beneath her thighs, arching up harder and tossing him successfully that time.

Panting, she growled at him when he moved towards her. "Back the fuck off!"

"Calm down and agree to be my mate." Standing, he purred slightly at the lingering warmth on his skin from her body. The girl just glared and backed away. For the first time, he notice a large silver tail that had slipped out from beneath her kimono.

"You're a dog?!" Not entirely put off, it did make him wonder what the pups would look like though. Giving her an indulgent smile, he waved a hand. "There's no shame in something you can't help koi. I can overlook it."

An ivory brow twitched. "FUCK YOU WOLF!" Leaping straight up into a tree overhead, she took off into the night. Kouga smiled as the night air caressed him with the smell of heated emotions.

The prey was afraid and fleeing.

A fang flashed as he smirked. "Never run from a wolf, girl." His blood roared through his veins, making him suddenly feel more alive than he ever imagined possible.

Taking off after her, he marveled anew at her speed. 'If I didn't have these shards, I doubt I could even keep up with her.' Jumping a hill, he angled sharply to the left in hopes of catching her where the trees thinned a bit. It didn't work.

She made the ten foot hurtle from one slender branch to the next without missing a beat. Kouga almost stumbled from shock.

'I have to have her.'

The call of his blood was getting stronger, driving out most coherent thoughts other than marking her. Outlined by the wan starlight, the world took on a ruddy tint as he felt himself slip further into his youkai nature. Legs pounding as he ate up the ground, he saw his chance.

Just ahead, the trees ended completely and the uneven ground was littered with loose gravel and small rocks.

Scarlet and azure eyes gleamed expectantly, waiting for her to stumble. When the small cry sounded, he pushed forward faster, managing to catch her around the waist from behind before she could get away. The blood had him firmly in its grasp so he didn't hear her scream as he drove his fangs deeply into the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder.

She howled in pain, whirling to deliver a lightning-fast right cross to his jaw. Pain flashed white-hot as he felt his head collide with a distant tree trunk. Slipping into oblivion, he was unconcerned.

This night she had been marked as his mate, and he would find her.

}

A new scent broke through the one belonging to his lost mate.

Sesshomaru's.

'Now that I think about it, that pretty boy's scent is all over the place!' Incensed by the thought of another male touching his mate, he growled dangerously.

"First I'll find the brat. When I take him to Kagome, I'll deal with the dog."

{}

Approaching the cottage again, Sesshomaru landed lightly and set Kagome on her feet. On the short journey there, she had reluctantly filled him in on Kouga's claim. Needless to say, he had been very quiet.

"Go inside little sister."

"But Sesshomaru." Placing her hand on her belly, she asked, "What will you do now?"

He looked at her blankly before turning away. "What I must, little sister. Only what I must."

{}

"Say that again?"

"About 25 years ago, Kouga found me and he bit me." Eyes cast down, Kuroi fidgeted nervously and awaited any scathing remarks. It didn't come.

"Did he do anything else?" Seated on the ground after his unusual apology, Inuyasha scratched his neck in confusion. 'I thought they did something recently.'

Kuroi smacked him over the head. "Damn it, pay attention Koinu! He BIT me!" Lifting her hair, she pointed to the smooth and unblemished curve of her neck. "Right here, where Sessy said male youkai bite to confirm their mates."

Rubbing the forming bump, Inuyasha cursed the sudden strength of the link and looked at her neck. No old bite wound was visible, but that wasn't a real surprise. Kuroi healed faster than most full youkai he'd run across, with no scarring. Even as he watched, the shallow bite he'd just given her was starting to close.

Maybe it was another kind of mark? "Did he mate with you?"

WHAM!!

"No baka!! I might be open about sex, but I can't believe you actually asked me that!" Mumbling sourly, she ducked her head to hide a growing blush. "He did try though. I think the blow to the jaw and then hitting his head against a tree may have knocked him out."

"Really? Who would imagine..." From his seat on the ground, Inuyasha watched her pace back and forth in obvious agitation.

"But he bit me just before that!" Playing with the ends of the haori, she nibbled on her lip again.

Two arms pulled her quickly down as she passed him, causing the loose robe to partially slip off the other shoulder. She ignored that when a warm tongue lapped playfully along her cheek and jaw in puppy licks. Rumbling mildly, Inuyasha informed her, 'Sorry Cuckoo. You're not his mate.'

'What?' Wiggling away from the ticklish wetness, she couldn't talk aloud because she was laughing too hard.

Inuyasha didn't stop, he simply moved his attention down her neck and back to the shoulder where the indention he had made was almost gone. Annoyed, he broke the skin again to renew it. She made a small noise of discomfort, so he used his tongue to soothe it, bringing fresh giggles.

'Canine youkai do bite to mark their mates, but I think that you have to bite back for it to be permanent or recognized.' Satisfied that the area was clear of blood, he stopped licking and tucked her under his chin as well as pulling the haori more securely around her.

Sighing, he let the connection swing wide open again, marveling at its intensity. 'I thought you and Sesshomaru talked about that?'

'Not too deeply, no.' Curling back to snuggle against her friend, she smiled and freed a hand to rub one of his ears. 'Silly puppy! Thank you.' Inuyasha rumbled louder at the contact, and she asked shyly. 'So we're not mates?'

With a rude snort, he laughed aloud and said mockingly, "Shit no! The only mate you have is your dear, sweet Sessy-pooh!"

"I believe I warned you that I would rip your head off if I ever heard that name passed through your lips again little brother."

They both froze at the tone and shared the thought, 'He is going to kill me.'

{}

Sesshomaru would have been lying to himself if he said he was not jealous. He prided himself on having a code of almost brutal honesty in all situations and in this case, he felt no differently. He was jealous as hell.

Having only recently gotten back into his mate's good graces, it was a bit of a shock to hear that she was supposedly mated to another, and then to come upon her draped loosely across his brother's lap?

Quite frankly, hearing the name 'Sessy-pooh' uttered aloud had to have been the last straw.

"Move away from her now Inuyasha." Glaring daggers at his brother's flushed face, he waited until they both had risen to their feet before approaching. True to his word of protection, Inuyasha moved to stand between them.

"Sesshomaru, wait..."

Ignoring the underlying plea in the short request, he swept by his brother and grabbed his wife by the arm. Kuroi made a small noise when he spun her around and pushed the heavy, silken mass of her hair aside.

No mark.

"The ookami claims to have mated you, something I find highly unlikely since I know for a fact that you were untouched before wedding me." Kuroi felt her face pinking at the personal admission, but said nothing. Inuyasha wondered where his brother had mastered the art of being an unfeeling bastard.

Slipping his arms around her waist, Sesshomaru slowly pulled her back against him. Smooth and calm, his voice betrayed none of his thoughts or emotions.

"Understand, I had hoped to avoid this since I believed my claim through human means would be sufficient. I see now that I have erred in my judgment." Tracing the milky column before him with a thumb, he continued.

"I will have to rectify this situation at once Kuroi."

Inuyasha felt icy fingers run down his spine. 'Cuckoo, he sounds like he did before he met you. This doesn't look good.'

'I know, but there's something odd about it. Like he's trying not to feel anything right now.' Her words sounded watery as her dread began to build. 'I can't see Koinu, what's he doing?'

'Looking at your neck like dinner.'

'Encouraging.'

"You are bleeding Kuroi." Neither of the silent figures offered a response to the statement. Scenting her blood, Sesshomaru looked closer and let his nose lead him to the healing wound. He huffed at the fleeting smell of his brother on her skin.

Another pack bite.

He glanced over at his brother's worried face, which was flushing over the discovery of the new bite. Sesshomaru had to fight the smile he felt building. 'Warding off the big, bad wolf in your own way Inuyasha? Amusing.' He continued to stroke Kuroi's neck, contemplating what he was about to do.

Kuroi was shivering. 'Koinu, what is he about to...AAHH!'

The last thought broke off with a cry of surprise as she felt a familiar mouth clamp down on the back of her neck. For one moment, her body stiffened in blind panic as the present and the recently resurrected past merged in her mind with awful clarity.

To the side of them, Inuyasha froze and then hissed as he fell to his knees. 'Holy hell, this HURTS!!'

Indeed, through the link he shared and had unknowingly re-forged twice, he could feel the razor sharp teeth puncture her flesh as if it were his own. Slapping a hand to his neck in an effort to alleviate the pain, he gasped when felt another sensation rocket through him.

Desire.

Eyes widening, he took choppy, shallow breaths as he fought the heady rush. 'Oh hell no!! I am NOT going down that road!'

Struggling to his feet, he roughly yanked on his brother's shoulder and snarled, "Sesshomaru, get the fuck off her!"

A deep growl met his outburst, and he could see the red gleam mounting in his brother's eyes as Sesshomaru slipped readily into his youkai state. Kuroi moaned and he felt the bite deepen, bringing her both pleasure and pain, which echoed straight into him.

'Cuckoo, I might love him, but I am not going to screw my own brother through you. Fight his ass!'

Wrapped in a fog of pure sensation, Kuroi was having a problem of her own. She was on fire.

'I can't! This isn't like when we make love, and I didn't feel this when Kouga bit me either. It's too hot Koinu! It's just so hot!'

When a delicious cramp seized her across the stomach and hips, she cried out and collapsed weakly against the arm encircling her waist.

On his end, Inuyasha was looking around desperately for a big stick. 'I can't use the sword, Cuckoo's too close.' Pushing down on the link as hard as he could helped some, but he could still feel what she felt. 'I'm getting aroused and nobody's even touching me. I should have stayed home and let these two duke it out on their own.' Frustrated by the unsuccessful effort of finding one simple piece of wood, he howled inside, 'Shit, why are there no sticks in a fucking forest?!'

He decided to try a bluff.

"Cuckoo, when I hit him, run." Proclaiming the bogus threat aloud had the desired effect. Snarling and dripping blood from his mouth, Sesshomaru whipped his head around to face what he perceived as a foe. The pleasure abated on his end, but Inuyasha knew for a fact that Kuroi was too unbalanced to move. When the bloody mouth moved to resume its exquisite torture, the hanyou had to quickly think of something else to try.

Time for a different tactic.

"Sesshomaru, you are turning me on." Face flaming as he spoke the grudging words, Inuyasha waited for the statement to sink in and prayed to die before they did. His brother's head snapped back as though he'd been struck. The crimson faded as yellow eyes turned suddenly wary.

Still holding his mate upright, the older sibling backed away slowly. "You have said a lot of things which I have found either highly disturbing or extremely distasteful over the years little brother, but that has quite effectively topped them all." Cleaning his lips, Sesshomaru mimicked his sibling's earlier motions and lapped up the blood on the back of Kuroi's neck. "However, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I don't believe I love you that way.

"In fact, I think you should go make up with your mate immediately Inuyasha."

Cheeks burning, the hanyou ground out, "Fuck you ass-wipe, that's not what I meant! Ugh!"

He was driven back to the ground by an echo of the tightness throbbing within Kuroi. She bit her lip in order not to whimper aloud. Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha did it for her.

As he felt the ghost of his brother's tongue trace heated patterns on his skin, Inuyasha fought both his growing erection and revulsion at what was being done to him. Still attempting to get Sesshomaru's full attention, he rasped, "Look dickhead. You're effecting me through the link!"

'Cuckoo. Help me out, for the love of god. Make him stop.'

Panting and breathless, she gasped, "I-I can't, it's burning me up inside. I'm too hot Koinu." Curving sharply backwards, the sudden movement knocked her mate aside and she screamed.

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Kagome shot the small youkai trying to creep up on her to smithereens, before turning her attention back to the dinner simmering before her.

"I really should have asked him to replace the door before he left."

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A/N: Hmm, I don't know where the hell I'm going with this one. For those who don't understand the tub scene between Jaken and Tama, the use of 'chan' on the end of someone's name is a term of affection towards either women or children. Why don't I use it everywhere in my story?

Because I'm lazy. No, seriously, I just didn't want to.

For those who are wondering about the odd habit Koinu seems to be developing for biting and licking Kuroi, well, it's really not what you think. She's his pack mate and that's what is inu instincts are telling him to do to her. I can see the skepticism from here…

Ever wrestle with your dog and it nipped you and then licked you? Same thing.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed so far, you are the greatest! Keep going for the introduction of a new villain! (or is he?)

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"What are those?"

"Peanuts, I think."

"You think? Where'd you get them?"

"From the guy who said the other stuff was chicken."

"…"

"What?"

"I hate you…"