InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Invitations to Trouble ❯ By Blood Betrayed ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty

Dawn came full and bright to the lands of ancient Yamato bringing with it a freshness that is the unique signature of a dewy morning. High in the mountains of the wolves it didn't hold quite the same promise of new beginnings.

Foul-tempered and bleary-eyed from having spent a better part of the night telepathically screaming insults at one another, Inuyasha and Kuroi were not in the best of moods.

The various frazzled nerves were not soothed in the least by the fact that the squabbling friends were just now waking up in each other's arms. Nothing puts a damper on a sunny day quite like finding out that you fell asleep curled up next to the very person who just the night before had made lengthy and disparaging remarks concerning everything about you from the way you were born to the way they personally hoped to do you in.

A ruby red eye cracked open and found itself scant inches from the tip of a puppyish nose. Upon realizing where she was, Kuroi had just one thing to say.

"Let go of me now."

The firm mouth beneath Inuyasha's twitching nostrils turned down in a frown at the hard words as Kuroi shoved the startled boy away from her and shot to her feet. Since she was better at masking her side of the link between them, Kuroi hid her sudden discomfort behind a nasty snarl and even nastier thoughts.

Two eyes of dark brown widened at the double assault but Inuyasha recovered quickly and responded to the less than gregarious emotions with just as much antipathy.

"Like anyone wants to sleep near an evil bitch like you?"

Rolling over onto his feet, Inuyasha settled his characteristic scowl into place as he watched Kuroi begin to pace. While he stretched out a minor kink, he noted that she wouldn't meet his eyes and that a very faint flush was making her pallid skin look splotchy. Recalling the last sight that had greeted his eyes before he fell asleep, he casually cleaned one ear and asked a question.

"So what's your plan for the day sis?" When she wouldn't stop pacing to answer, he simply mused aloud to cover his annoyance at being ignored.

"Let me guess. First you're going to try and ditch me so that you can get in the little quickie with Kouga that you must have been dying for but couldn't get because I was here?"

Now Kuroi stopped. As she stared at him in horrified disbelief, Inuyasha smirked knowingly at the blush that stole over her cheeks before facing away from her with a contemptuous snort.

"Feh. That's what I thought."

"Fuck off baka boy." Huffing once for the lack of anything better to say, Kuroi pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off a headache. "You do have to get out of here though."

Not expecting her to agree with his assessment so readily, Inuyasha's lips curled down in a sneer. "So I was right! You do want to be alone with him."

"Damn it baka boy! I swear if you hadn't just recovered from a massive head trauma, I would seriously consider killing you!" In order not to give in to desire to actually hit him, Kuroi folded her arms across her chest as she walked but paused by the doorway. A quick glance down at the sword that was still braced there made her turn to face him again.

"Do you want this back?"

"In a minute." Inuyasha replied gruffly. Shoving his hand roughly through his dark hair with a sigh, the young man continued to scowl at the floor. "I mean it's not like I can use the fucking thing the way I am now." Glancing up at her briefly, he moved his hand down to scratch at his neck. "Not that it's entirely your fault that I'm like this."

One hip cocked sideways as a snowy brow shot up. "Who bit who first dog-boy?"

Waving his hand dismissively, Inuyasha just rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, are you gonna try and ditch me for some 'alone time' with Kouga or what?"

Taking a deep and calming breath in order to ignore the mounting urge to throttle the boy, Kuroi pinched the bridge of her nose again. When she finally spoke her voice was tight and edged with weariness.

"The first thing that I am going to do is find Kouga and tell him that you're fine. Then I'm going to ask him to drop you off in a village as close to the cottage as he can get since we both know that the mansion and the shiro are completely out of the question."

Inuyasha's scowl vanished into a wide grin. "Oh no! Let him take me right to the front gates of the home of the Lord of the West. I would love to see the reaction something like that would cause!"

Kuroi wasn't fooled by that goofy smile. "Shut up baka boy. You just want to see him get shot."

"Can't I dream?"

"Not about something like that!!" Ignoring the brows that shot up over her heated response, Kuroi sighed deeply. "Since you would be in the most danger if your real identity was discovered it makes sense for you to get away from here as quickly as possible." Her breath tickled the inside of her wrist as Kuroi gave another ragged sigh. That catnap had done nothing to restore her flagging energy and to top it all off, her stomach was growling.

"I do want you to get out of here but only so you can be safe."

Inuyasha knew she was telling him the truth because despite the numerous times when he'd let his emotions override his better judgment, he was not as ignorant as many people thought.

Granted, at the moment he couldn't remember anything about the last two or so weeks other than vague impressions of the world around him coupled with brief moments of lucidity. Everything else past the fall from the tree was a blank.

Over the course of the night and in between some choice curses that he secretly thought Sesshomaru had taught her, Kuroi had managed to convey to him exactly how deep the shit they were in actually was.

Right now, Inuyasha thought it was a miracle that both of them could still breathe.

To have the son of the leader of the opposing side as well as the wife of his second in command sitting in the heart of your home territory would be a prize without measure in Gorotsuki's eyes. Inuyasha understood that if the ookami taiyoukai knew that both he and Kuroi were right within his slimy grasp, the bulbous lord wouldn't hesitate to press the advantage to the fullest.

Staring down at his useless nails, Inuyasha also understood that of the two of them Kuroi was the only one still capable of protecting herself.

'Not only is Cuckoo not stuck being an ordinary human, she's actually a soldier. She's been trained to do things like this.' When Kuroi passed by him his eyes fell on the scars that covered the palms of her hands.

'And she'd damn near kill herself to keep me safe.'

Oh yes, he knew that what Kuroi was telling him made a lot of sense and that she had crafted quite a well-thought out plan. There was just one irksome detail that stood out like a mammoth flaw in his mind.

"There is no fucking way I'm letting that wimpy wolf touch my ass!!" Managing a low growl, Inuyasha let his eyes slide towards the barred door as though he could sense the presence of his hated adversary.

"Just because you're smitten with that lip-happy idiot, it doesn't make me want to pound his face in any less."

The water skin shot across the room from Kuroi's hand with a honed accuracy. "How many times do I have to tell you that he kissed me?! I couldn't stop Kouga because I was holding your fat-head at the time!"

Imposed humanity and being comatose for the better part of a month must have seriously affected Inuyasha's reflexes because his duck to avoid the skin moved his head in such a way that it hit him square in the face instead! While clean, the leather had been very old and the sac gave a sickly "poomph" as it burst all over him.

Even as he peered through the sodden strands of his hair at the gaping girl, Inuyasha didn't let up in the least. "I felt you enjoy that kiss woman. I doesn't matter if he was the one who kissed you first, you are not supposed to get all googly-eyed for someone who isn't your mate!"

"Don't you think I know that baka boy?!" Realizing that their shouting might have be overheard, Kuroi dropped her voice to a low whisper. "Look you blockhead. Talk through the link or I'll kick you again and this time I'll personally make sure that it takes longer to heal because I will keep kicking until my knees wears out." A smirk had to be fought down when the young man quickly complied with the terse order.

Not willing to admit that the threat had more power to frighten him than she could imagine, Inuyasha angled his lower half away from the smug girl. 'I'm only doing this so that I won't have to see that wimpy wolf's face sooner than I'd like.' came the defensive thought. Lifting his hand to his face, Inuyasha traced the raised flesh that ran up across his forehead.

'Damn. What hit me anyway?'

After picking up a small jar from beside her forgotten bedding, Kuroi squatted in front of him with a quickness that startled the young man. 'The correct question Inuyasha would be "What did you hit?".' A hand shot out to grab the protesting boy by his hair so she could rub a small daub of the mildly-scented ointment over his reddened scar.

'The answer would be that you hit an ookami with shoulder spikes big enough to take down wild boars at full charge.' Lightly smacking the growling former hanyou across an uninjured part of his head when he fought her ministrations, Kuroi continued to tend to the angry flesh above his eyes.

'You have got to leave here Inuyasha. As soon as possible and by yourself.'

'Alone? Hell no!' As adamant as ever, Inuyasha sat still to give her better access to his face. That, and to avoid another smack. 'If I go then you're coming with me woman and that's final.' He might have been upset with her and more than a little unsettled by his new transformation but Inuyasha was not leaving his best friend behind.

Especially not with Kouga.

'I can't go Inuyasha and you know why. As strange as it may sound, this is the perfect opportunity for me to do what I do best and that's gather information for my lord.' The previous edge of exhaustion gave way to a steely determination that barely managed to mask her reservation. If she had been in the room with anyone else the hidden emotion would have gone unnoticed.

However, Inuyasha was not anyone else.

Reading her expression easily, he snorted as he pulled his head back a bit. 'Don't be stupid Kuroi! Doing something like this is way too dangerous no matter what the reason.'

'It's my duty Inuyasha. Lord Yamatsu might be "dad" to you but he is my liege and I am still his vassal.'

Black bangs flew as Inuyasha shook his head hard. 'No, you're his daughter-in-law not to mention the future Lady of the West so I'm pretty sure that you're exempt.'

Now it was Kuroi's turn to frown deeply as she wrestled his head back into place. 'Sit still or my foot flies!'

Instantaneous cooperation was once again achieved.

'No matter what I might have become in the last few months, I am still a soldier who serves in his army. Both the North and Western Lands are at war so that pretty much overrules everything else! A soldier serves. Without question and without hesitation.'

Inuyasha gave a rueful grin at the outburst. 'Sesshomaru would tie you up and lock you in a dungeon if he heard you say that.'

'Yeah and I love him too.' Now the stroking fingers became feather-soft as Kuroi traced the thick scar up to where it disappeared into his jet-black hair. 'Why is it that you keep trying to die on me? Gods, there was so much blood when I finally got down the tree to see about you.' A brief memory of another night filled with despair and terror flashed through Kuroi's mind and made her chest constrict tightly.

'So much blood and pain.' An old terror that she had thought was behind her reared back in full force and made Kuroi's hands tremble slightly. 'He wasn't moving. I couldn't help him again.' Although the actual thought was carefully shielded, some of her deeper emotions still leaked out into the link.

Inuyasha stared at Kuroi for a moment before grabbing her hand in his own and holding on to it. When he didn't say anything for a while, she began to fidget nervously under his probing gaze.

'Inuyasha?'

Deep brown eyes that she kept expecting to brighten to amber only narrowed a bit while they watched her closely as though searching for something only he could see. By now the silence was getting to be more than a little unnerving. Fed up with her friend's enigmatic antics, Kuroi attempted to stand up and pull her hand free from his grasp. She quickly stumbled and fell against the damp young man when the vise-like hold didn't loosen in the slightest.

'Inuyasha!'

'Do you like him?'

Kuroi stared up at Inuyasha from the awkward position she'd fallen in and blinked at his almost hesitant query which contrasted so badly with the thunderous scowl on his face. 'What are you talking about now?'

Using her free hand to try and move away again, she stopped when her actions earned a warning growl. Inuyasha repeated the question as he used his other arm to straighten her out without releasing her trapped wrist.

'Do you like Kouga?'

A brief attempt to probe his thoughts made her eyes widen a fraction because the block on his side of their link was perfect. 'When the hell did he learn how to do that?' Confused and a bit wary, Kuroi shifted her legs so that she was seated more comfortably in front of him.

'Not in the way that you keep hinting at baka boy.' No longer attempting to move her trapped limb, Kuroi stared at it instead. As she noted the marked differences between his hand and her own, she finished her explanation.

'I will admit that the kiss took me by surprise. After the way that you and Kagome described Kouga, not to mention that whole thing at the cottage, I was honestly expecting him to be a horrible combination of you and Miroku.'

Inuyasha gaped in indignation. 'How in the fuck did you come up with that kind of conclusion?!' As he fumed his free hand traveled up and down Kuroi's spine in soothing circles that threatened to put her to sleep. Fighting the comforting hand as she glanced at him through heavy lids, the young woman gave a wry grin.

'Well you're stronger than a lot of full youkai that I've met and you have to admit that Miroku does come on a bit strong with the ladies.' She gave a short laugh when her compliment mollified the proud hanyou enough that he let her wrist go. Inuyasha wasn't about to let her get up though and the heavy arm that snaked around her waist testified to that.

Kuroi wondered if he even realized what he had just done because his face didn't hold a trace of anything other than his usual expression. 'Okay. I'll give you that, but you still haven't answered my question Cuckoo.'

Nicknames. Kuroi closed her eyes and wished that she could let herself fully relax against Inuyasha. 'So you're back to my nickname Inu? I wonder if you think that makes everything alright between us now? I'm sorry to say that it doesn't.' This time she kept a tighter reign over her stray thoughts while she answered.

'Instead of the insane ookami hell-bent on mating with everything around him, I found Kouga to be kind of sweet and seriously overprotective.' Her lids fluttered open as she tipped her head back to stare at Inuyasha. 'He reminds me of you in that aspect.' A finger came up to halt the tidal wave of insults that she could feel building.

'You're both strong leaders and damned good fighters who would lay down your lives for those you care about.' Tugging on a thick lock of the boy's hair, she smiled at the half-hearted growl she got. 'But he could definitely give Miroku lessons on how to chase after a girl. I don't think I've truly been alone this whole time unless I escaped here to my room.'

Now a small frown played across Inuyasha's face as though he was struggling to recall something that danced just outside his memory.

'Wait...didn't he try to come in here one night?' When she blushed deeply in surprise the previously playful growl dropped dangerously. 'Did he touch you?!'

'NO!' Punching him lightly since she was unsure how much damage he could take in his human form, Kuroi hissed softly at Inuyasha. 'Damn it you are worse than Sessy sometimes!'

'No, I am going to be a helluva a lot worse than Sesshomaru because he's not here but I am!' Lifting his burning eyes to the sword by the door, Inuyasha gave a small snarl. 'I may not be able to transform the Tetsuaiga but it's still a sword and every sword has a sharp point.'

'Oh I give up!' Kuroi wiggled free of Inuyasha's arms easily and got to her feet with a growl of her own. 'Baka.' Resuming her previous pacing, she shot the young man a glance every now and then.

'Look. I'm grateful that Kouga helped me look after you and kept most of the other ookami from turning you into nothing more than a fond memory of leftovers!' Only a low rumble met her quip.

Kuroi gave a faint smile to Inuyasha as he watched her, but it changed to another sigh as she rolled her eyes over his thunderous scowl.

Her next words came out more carefree than she really felt. 'If I concentrate really hard then I can forget that he drooled on my neck a few weeks ago. The fact that I'm currently pretending to be his missing mate would have slipped my mind if I also hadn't been caring for my previously vegetative, but now cranky and ungrateful friend at the same time.' Stopping directly in front of Inuyasha, she cocked her head to the side with her hands on her hips.

'Does that answer your question?'

'Sorry.'

Kuroi did a double-take. 'Are you sure that you feel like your old self Inu? That apology came awfully fast considering the shit you called me last night.' Kuroi folded her arms across her chest and leveled her best glare at Inuyasha who returned the gaze.

'If I recall, I wasn't the only one tossing out bad names! Besides, I said I was sorry.'

'And I'm serious Inuyasha!' Kuroi's hands shifted so that they rested on her shoulders. 'Are we going to keep doing this twisted dance of ours where you don't trust me and then call me a bitch or whatever else you creative little mind can come up with right before you turn around and give me some lame ass apology to make up for it all?' When he still wouldn't look her way, Kuroi went to the door and grabbed the sword.

Holding the battered scabbard in her hands she whispered aloud, "If this is how things are going to be between us Inu, then I think that I'd like to get off the boat before we hit the next waterfall."

"I'm sorry."

Kuroi tossed the sword to him before throwing her hands in the air and turning away in sheer frustration. Her tail accidentally slapped him across the face but she was too far gone to notice.

When Inuyasha sputtered oddly from a stray hair in his mouth she whirled back to face him.

'So you think this is all funny?!'

Deep brown eyes widened as Inuyasha shook his head. Kuroi stomped over and crouched down to look at him.

'This isn't funny Inu! Nothing about what you've been putting me through for the last month has been humorous in the least!' The young man started to say something in his defense but she cut him off.

'Every time we get together I keep winding up in the exact same place with you. I love you and damn near follow you to hell and back right before I wind up looking after you like you're a little kid!' Kuroi dropped her head and growled in irritation as she grabbed a fistful of her own hair. 'Why in the hell are we even friends? I should just adopt you from Lord Yamatsu and actually make you my child.'

A dark eyebrow twitched sporadically above an evil gaze at her sarcastic words. 'Lack of sleep must have seriously messed up your head Cuckoo for you to say something like that.'

'No it hasn't damn it!!' Kuroi fell fully to her knees and struggled not to cry as the creeping fatigue steadily ate away at her remaining emotional stability. The previous night had been the last straw in her mind.

'I've been completely alone this whole time Inuyasha. Do you know what that's been like? Can you even understand what I've been going through up here?' Silver hair fell forward over her shoulders and spilled across the floor between them as her head dropped forward. 'It was just like that night fifty years ago Inu. You needed me then and I stayed right by your side, just like I did here. Except that here there was no one that I could trust to help me and I've been scared out of my mind because any little mistake could have killed us both!' Wrapped across her waist, Kuroi's fingers clenched into fists as she held her breath to keep from screaming.

'Oh god I am so tired Inuyasha. I am honestly just tired of this whole thing with you and your distrust of people because it's killing me that you can't believe in me. I just want this to stop. I want you to be a real friend to me Inuyasha.'

Lifting her eyes to him, she bit her lip to stop it from trembling, 'Nothing and no one in heaven or earth will ever make me stop caring about you and wanting to keep you safe or happy.' A single tear escaped to trail treacherously down her cheek. 'But you have got to start trusting me for more than three goddamn minutes a day!!'

Drawn hypnotically into the outer reaches of her spirit by depth of her feelings, Inuyasha swallowed reflexively as he tried to find a suitable answer. 'I do trust you Kuroi...' Reaching out to her, he brushed the solitary tear away with the pad of his thumb before the shadowed eyes beneath his bangs closed as if in pain. 'I just can't stand being like this.' The blunt fingers flexed as though recalling phantom claws while he lifted his pensive face to his friend.

'I have never, ever had to deal with being human for more than a few hours a month. Now there's a chance that I might be like this for the rest of my life!' With a small moan, he let his head fall back as he leaned against the wall. 'I know that's no excuse for taking my frustrations and fears out on you but I can't protect you Cuckoo. Right now I'm more useless than I've ever been in my life and it is seriously bugging the shit out of me knowing that you'd be safer with that damned ookami than with me.'

Any resentment that had been building within Kuroi was momentarily halted, but it did not fade. Inuyasha had hurt her far too deeply this time for her to simply brush it aside with a smile.

She knew just how stubborn and proud he was and admitting something like that must have damn near killed him. Scooting over to sit next to him, she stroked the side of his cheek with a finger.

'So you think that Kouga's stronger than you, huh?' The reaction to the barb was as instantaneous as it was predictable.

'Fuck no!!' Inuyasha tried to shove his arms into his sleeves but found the task hard to do since he wasn't wearing his fire-rat haori. The realization that his beloved coat was missing only served to irritate him further. 'If I was back to normal I'd wipe that shit-eating grin off Kouga's face just for touching you!!'

Stiff knuckles cracked loudly in the small space as visions of a battered and defeated wolf youkai arose in Inuyasha's mind.

'After that, I'd pull out his eyes for looking at you. Yeah. Maybe I should cut his balls off one at a time for kissing you...'

Kuroi raised a silver brow as she leaned away from the cackling figure beside her. 'You know what Inu? From the way you talk about me sometimes, there are days when I wonder which brother I'm actually mated to.'

Slowly turning his face towards her, Inuyasha's mad laughter stopped as the warm brown eyes with a curious ring of gold inside their depths focused on her.

'That's not hard to figure out Cuckoo. You're my brother's wife and you have his heart and share his love. At the same time you're my friend and you have a part of my soul within you and you share yours with me.'

Getting to his feet, Inuyasha pulled her up beside him and laid his arms lightly around her waist as he looked tenderly into her eyes with a warm smile.

'The answer is that in a way, you're a mate to us both.'

'Aww Koinu. Only you can think of things that are insanely creepy like that and manage to make them sound sweet.'

'Oi! What do you mean by cre-ow!!'

A hard whap upside Inuyasha's head had him momentarily seeing stars and effectively broke up the reverie that encompassed the two of them. Swearing fluently under his breath, Inuyasha turned with Kuroi to look into the face of one very upset ookami.

Kouga glanced meaningfully at the arms draped around Kuroi's waist and growled low in his throat until she moved away from the man holding her. It was up to Kuroi to move because not only could she tell that Inuyasha wouldn't have willingly done so, she'd actually felt his grip tighten the second he'd laid eyes on Kouga!

'Stay calm Koinu and quite frowning at him like that!.' Her hasty warning cut off the challenging growl that had been about to escape from the young man's throat. However, his look of extreme disapproval stayed firmly in place.

It was all Kuroi could do not to yell in frustration because her best friend was going to fuck up in one instant the thin cover she'd been hiding them under for two weeks.

'Quit looking at him like that baka boy! You're supposed to be a regular human remember? Well normal humans are usually scared or at least awed when they find themselves in the presence of a fearsome youkai.' Kuroi silently prayed that the subtle jog of memory would get through her friend's thick skull.

Some of it must have seeped in because Inuyasha lost a large part of his scowl but the look he was giving Kouga kept the ookami growling far longer than necessary.

'Fearsome my ass.' Inuyasha thought mockingly as the hand at his side balled into a fist. 'Even if he kills me Cuckoo, I just want to get in one good hit to knock some of the pretty off his face.'

'Inuyasha!!'

Kouga was unaware of the silent exchange going on around him as he swept into the room. As soon as his feet crossed the threshold the air within the small space was filled with the palpable hum of Kouga's youki which caught Inuyasha totally by surprise.

'What the fuck?' Blinking rapidly to clear his sight as he stared openly at Kouga, the young man wondered when his rival had gotten so powerful. Just the act of standing still was sending out waves of quiet strength that were nearly driving him to his knees!

'How did Kouga get so strong Cuckoo?' Angling his head a fraction, Inuyasha glanced his friend. 'Did he drink something while I was under or what?'

'Not that I know of since I was otherwise occupied with the monumental duties of feeding you and wiping your ass.' The way Inuyasha flushed and coughed in acute embarrassment brought a genuine smile to her face.

'Honestly though, Kouga hasn't changed since we got here Koinu.' Kuroi laid a hand on her friend's arm but quickly removed it when another growl sounded. 'You're just sensing him the way humans see youkai.'

That bit of news made him frown anew. 'You're kidding? Is this really the way humans feel around us?'

A pair of cool ocean blue eyes openly appraised Inuyasha, then just as quickly dismissed his presence before settling back on Kuroi. The hanyou-turned-human was sorely tempted to whip out the Tetsuaiga and use it to forcefully change an opinion.

'Why the hell didn't I notice this before?' Deep brown eyes watched the ookami closely as Kouga bent his head to talk softly to Kuroi. Cursing the lack of enhanced senses that would have easily let him hear the conversation, Inuyasha still wondered about the wolf's abilities.

'Since the fuzz-head can usually keep up his end of a fight I know that Kouga's not a hopeless wuss but the amount of power coming off of him right now is almost obscene!' The ookami in question shifted on the balls of his feet with an inborn fluidity that was making Inuyasha feel like a bumbling fool in comparison.

'Like I said, obscene. Am I only now noticing his power level because I usually had some of my own youki to cover it? Was mine actually so great that it could mask his that well?' Inuyasha watched on in silent contemplation as Kuroi accepted the two steaming bowls of food that Kouga had brought with him.

When she offered one to him, Inuyasha shook his head slightly and took a secret delight that Kouga looked affronted over the refusal. A mild flash of annoyance made his eyes narrow though because the ookami sought a quick peck from Kuroi as a reparation for the meal.

Tetsuaiga stayed sheathed only because Inuyasha calmed himself with more soothing visions of wolf-oriented torture and death.

'Then I guess Kuroi was right about me being stronger than most full youkai.' The realization brought a small grimace to his face but he smoothed his features into a mask of neutrality.

'Shit, that means I really do have Sesshomaru to thank for making me so strong and that bastard will never let me forget it if I say one word of thanks to him.'

By this time Inuyasha noticed that Kuroi was doing an admirable job of keeping a smile plastered on her face while dodging Kouga's hands which seemed to have multiplied into a number that would scare off an octopus.

'Having fun sis?' A smirk tugged at the corners of Inuyasha's lips as he watched her grab one hand only to have another find its way to her waist.

'Not particularly Koinu.' She said lightly while making sure that both of the creeping hands were removed and kept at a safe distance. 'He thinks I'm his mate remember?'

'As long as you remember whose mate you really are.'

'By Enma's balls!! You and Sesshomaru really are brothers.' Faking a sneeze that let her scramble away to the corner of the room under the excuse of looking for a handkerchief, Kuroi kept up the pleasant demeanor under Kouga's watchful gaze. 'Both of you are as possessive as misers with a bag of ryo.'

'Ah, but both you and Kagome are worth your weight in gold so pardon us for being greedy.'

Kouga followed right behind the fleeing girl and took both her chin and the cloth in hand. Ignoring her startled look, he gently tipped her face up so that he could wipe her nose with a playful tweak.

Although Inuyasha would never admit it in a million years, he had to acknowledge that the wolf had some style.

'Now that was cute. He still found a way to get right up next to her even though she practically ran across the room to get away from his ass. Real slick.'

When one of the playful hands started heading southward, Inuyasha decided that it was time to put an end to this game.

"Oi, wolf! I think the lady wants to be left alone."

Kuroi groaned as though she'd been socked in the gut but the sound didn't halt the ookami as he slowly rose to respond to the challenging tone.

"Excuse me, ningen?" Kouga stressed the last word as though it had left an inexcusable taste in his mouth.

Digging in his ear with an air of ease that he wasn't feeling, Inuyasha pursed his lips. "I thought youkai had a good ears so maybe all that fur from your ratty headband is clogging something." The groan got deeper. "I said that the girl would like to be left alone."

'Koinu I swear to God that I will personally skin you alive if you don't shut up!'

'Trust me sis.'

Kouga's eyes squinted in disbelief. "Look here Puppy-boy. The only reason you're still breathing is because you saved Kenami's life and you're a friend of hers."

"A friend? Is that what she told you?" Sauntering over to where Kuroi sat, Inuyasha easily pulled her onto her feet and wrapped his arms firmly around her waist from behind. Two disbelieving pairs of eyes widened when he planted a warm kiss on the back of her neck and grinned smugly at the gaping youkai.

"Didn't she tell you? She's my wife."

{}

Stretched out on a tanka between four men, Lord Sesshomaru instinctively snarled in his unconscious state. Somewhere, someone was touching something that belonged to him.

}

After watching his son being borne away to a tent for treatment, Yamatsu now found himself faced with a brand new problem. Namely the girl calling herself Niambi's daughter!

"Mother!" The pale girl raced forward into the circle of the stunned woman's arms and hugged her tightly. The dulcet voice was brittle with a misery that had been transformed into hope. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Kenami?" With her arms shaking slightly, Niambi clutched her child to her and returned the embrace wholeheartedly. "Oh Kenami! I was so worried about you!"

Porcelain fingers brushed over Niambi's cheeks before wrapping around her neck. "You're real mama! You're actually real!!"

"And overjoyed to see that my little sun drop has found her way back to me at last!"

"I won't run away again, I promise!! I'm so sorry I scared you okaasan, but I was captured and I couldn't get away." The heart felt words were muffled since the girl's face was buried in Niambi's shoulder. "I tried to escape so many times but I couldn't get away."

"Captured?" Moving the girl back, Niambi took in the fading bruises that covered Kenami's neck and trailed down into the collar of her kimono.

Hazel eyes blazed dangerously. "Who hurt you?"

Clutching her fingers before her, Kenami lowered her head in shame. "If I tell you he'll kill me. He swore he would kill me!!"

A rage unlike anything she had felt before took the goddess firmly in its fiery hold. "Who hurt you otome? Who did this to you?" Pearly tears of light stole down her smooth cheeks as Niambi pulled the clearly frightened girl close once more and openly wept. "Who did this to my baby?"

Scratching his chin in utter confusion, Yamatsu tried to sort out the scene before him and not feel more uncomfortable than he already was. 'I didn't know that Hizashi had a child!' Taking in the trembling girl's silver hair and tail with a glance, he frowned deeply. 'And why does she look like Kuroi's altered state? Is she an inu youkai?'

The girl's last words drew his attention though.

"Someone has been holding you hostage?" Infuriated by the thought of something so shameful happening in his lands, the noble lord straightened his shoulders as both mother and daughter turned to look at him.

"If what you say is true, then I give you my word as a lord that I will hunt down the fiend and kill him."

Niambi gave a start that shifted rapidly into an expression of disapproval. With a pointed look in the Inu lord's direction she took a shaky breath and shook her head, "No. This is not your problem Yama and it is of absolutely no concern to you."

"That is where you are wrong Hizashi." Yamatsu stepped closer to Kenami and took one of her hands in his own, noting with sorrow that the nails were ragged and filthy.

'The bastard didn't even have to decency to let her wash her hands. What kind of monster would do this?'

"Lady Kenami, I swear to you here and now that because you came to harm within my lands, I will personally execute the one who caused this unforgivable transgression."

"D-do you mean that milord?" Daintily dabbing at her eyes with the torn corner of her sleeve, Kenami turned limpid eyes the color of fresh blood towards the taiyoukai. "Would you actually do that for someone like me?"

"Someone like you?" Paternally patting the hand he held, Yamatsu gave her a gentle smile meant to calm and reassure. "You are the daughter of one of my oldest and dearest friends. To restore your honor is the very least that I can do to make up for all that you have gone through."

Kenami's head lowered to stare at her bare feet as they shuffled in the dust. "Do you honestly mean that Lord Yamatsu? Will you make a true meiyaku? A pledge that cannot be broken?"

A hand covered in hardened leather slapped resolutely against the armor covering his heart. "Aye. I give you my word and I will not go back on it, no matter what." With a softer tone he inquired, "Can you at least tell me the name of the one who did this to you?"

"Hai." Lifting a trembling hand to point towards the distant tent, the frightened girl swallowed hard. "It was the one calling himself Lord Sesshomaru."

{}

"Wife?"

Kouga considered himself a reasonable kind of guy in any situation so he handled this new development with his usual self-restraint.

He turned a murderous gaze upon the smirking ningen who was laying a claim on his woman and smiled coldly. "Because I love you Kenami, I swear that he won't feel a thing when I rip his head off."

Without another word, he lunged straight for the throat of his newly awakened rival. Kuroi rapidly jumped up and blocked his claws with her own.

"Kouga no!!" she screamed.

Although she was insanely strong in her own right, Kuroi was nearly knocked aside as the ookami tried to get at Inuyasha and tear him apart.

"I just found you koibito, and there is no way in hell that I am letting you go now." Tilted blue eyes started to bleed crimson as the hum of youki rose to a fevered pitch that set Inuyasha's teeth on edge.

"I will not lose you again Kenami and especially not with some worthless ningen!!"

"Who the hell are you calling worthless you wimpy wolf?!" Now the Tetsuaiga was drawn, although the chipped blade stayed in its unimpressive state. "Try saying that shit to my face you flea-bitten bastard!"

"Oi! I don't have fleas Puppy-Boy! For your information I just took a bath last night!" Blinking quickly, Kouga stopped mid-rage and pointed a finger at the squinting human. "Whoa. Did you just call me a wimpy-wolf?" The red faded from his eyes as Kouga's jaw dropped along with Kuroi's stomach.

"Wait a damn minute."

'Koinu you have totally screwed us both.'

'He doesn't know a thing. Trust me sis.'

As a dreaded realization filled the prince's eyes, Kuroi wished that she could.

{}

"Sesshomaru?" Paling visibly at the news as his eyes fell on Niambi, Yamatsu repeated the name as thought he could somehow change who it belonged to. "Sesshomaru?"

"Hai milord." Kenami tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her body around to fully face him. When she did so Yamatsu could clearly see the multiple bruises and signs of injury that covered the girl.

"I was bathing in a pool when that man accosted me and began calling me by a stranger's name." A fetching blush stole over her face at the next admission, "I will admit that the sight of one so handsome was not completely unwelcome. When he asked for my aid in finding someone that he cared for, I was more than happy to comply."

The sharp scent of salt in the air signaled the fall of fresh tears. "But when we went to the home of his brother, he seemed to go mad! He began screaming and cursing at me as though he blamed me for some misdeed that I had no part in! When he tied me up and cut me with a knife of light, I begged him to let me go." Kenami's pale fingers pressed together as Niambi wrapped her arms around the shivering child.

"H-he laughed milord." The voice that came from the milky throat seemed as fragile as the girl herself. "He laughed when he made me scream." While Niambi simmered in her ire, Yamatsu fought not to be physically ill.

"Oh my god."

If ever there was a point in the past that he wanted to believe in his son's innocence, now was that time for Yamatsu. However the damning evidence covering Kenami's body as well as the strong scent of Sesshomaru that still clung to her skin all attested to the boy's guilt.

"Yamatsu." It had always amazed him that a woman who embodied the wonders of the sun above could managed to sound so very, very cold. The flat sound of her voice made him flinch inside. "This goes beyond any repentance."

Taking a look around the quiet camp, Niambi gently moved her daughter aside as she walked over to the stricken lord. When the girl made a sound of distress her mother gave her hand a quick squeeze and an encouraging smile.

Still tearful, Kenami watched them both with a small tremble in her lower lip. "Okaasan? I do not want to stay here. I'm just happy to be with you again."

Niambi cupped the face of her daughter with her hands. "I am glad to have you back as well, but I must speak to the Lord." Sliding her eyes towards the waiting taiyoukai, she said in a voice filled with finality, "This will not take long, I promise."

Yamatsu secretly wondered how often his life would flash before his eyes that day.

With the small act of comfort attended to, Niambi got right down to business. From within the folds of her cloak she pulled out the roll of parchment as her face hardened into a mask of ferocity.

As she moved closer, Yamatsu braced himself for a fight that he knew he could not win. "Hizashi..."

"Silence!" Niambi looked up at him with a barely checked rage. "The reason that I even came to you was because I'd received this scroll over two weeks ago. I came to find out the truth about the girl in the painting who was standing next to your son Yama."

Before the revelation of his son's grievous misdeeds, Yamatsu's curiosity about the scroll might have been peaked. As it was, the lord felt that all of his waning strength was needed to simply keep himself standing erect.

"A scroll?" Swallowing did nothing to relieve the aridness of his constricted throat. "What about the scroll?"

There was a rustle as the paper in question was unfurled and a slender brown finger pointed at the painted couple.

"I had gone to the mansion to find you but I found Shinaki instead. She told me of the supposed identity of the girl in this painting." With a snap of her wrist the paper was flung contemptuously to the ground. "But I should have known that she would lie to me in order to protect her new husband! On this day my trust and friendship have been doubly betrayed."

"What?" Wide golden eyes darkened in confusion. "No, wait!" Holding up his hands in self defense, Yamatsu brought one up to cover his eyes as a second sun began to manifest before him. "What do you mean?"

"You both lied to cover your own sins Dog! She lied about Kenami to protect you and you lied to me in order to protect your own son!" Her voice was raw with both hurt and betrayal as Niambi gathered her child in her arms once more. Small puffs of heated air billowed out from beneath her feet as she slowly rose off the ground.

"I will not forgive this Yama, and I will never let you forget it." Wrapped in the ample folds of cloth, Kenami was lost from his sight as the goddess ascended higher into the rosy sky.

The pale eyes of diamond light never wavered although they filled quickly with righteous tears. "Because I know what it means to lose a child Yama, I will give you one week to say your farewells to you son. After that, his head will hang outside the gates of my castle until only the memory of his beauty remains upon the bone."

Horror struck the heart of the valiant lord and drove him to one knee as it knocked the very air from his lungs.

"No. No!! Niambi you cannot kill him!! At least let him make amends for the wrong he has done!" Holding his hand before him in supplication, Yamatsu stumbled forward after the retreating figures.

"Please! Don't kill my son!"

Silky brown lids closed over the frigid gaze as Niambi disappeared from view, letting her sultry voice to drift down from the morning sky like a deadly rain.

"I will not kill him at all. According to your own oath Yamatsu, your son will die by his father's hands."

}

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A/N: Okay I'm back!! Super sorry that I took so long to update but I was posting pictures in my art accounts. (Deviant, Media miner and FanArt Central).

*sigh*

It is so hard to keep track of projects some days.

"Bakani!!!"

"Who the hell is it now?" Bakani Banana leans forward to see a very angry young woman heading her way. "What is it Kuroi? I'm busy with the readers."

"Busy my ass!" Enraged and seeing every color of the rainbow including red, Kuroi braces both hands on her hips as she glares at Bakani. "Who the fuck gave Koinu the bright idea to say that I'm his wife?! In front of Kouga no less!" Waving her arms in the air, Kuroi is nearly screaming. "Are you insane?!"

"Insane? Me?" A pair of dark brows wiggled as Bakani smiled wickedly. "What's wrong Cuckoo-chan? Have we wandered into a bit of trouble?"

Pale blue eyes narrowed viciously as Kuroi stomps away. "You are an evil and vindictive bitch Bakani. Evil!!"

"Takes one to know one Kuroi!!" With a devious laugh, Bakani Banana tosses back her head and shouts to the heavens, "I warned them, I warned them all!!! Kukukuku!!!"

"None can oppose Mistress Bakani Banana! No one can stand up to the Impossible Fruit!!"

*ahem*

Oh wait, I almost forgot. Peek down and say hello to Ba and Ka. They're back!

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Ka: While I am thankful for the introduction, I would like to point out that I'm not here of my own free will Mistress Bakani.

Ba: I said I was sorry.

Ka: I was happy where I was but thanks to a certain person I can never return there again.

Ba: I said I was sorry!

Ka: I don't care how sorry you say you are because it won't change the fact that you turned our entire planet into a giant chicken!!!

Ba: …

Ka: What do you have to say for yourself now?

Ba: Well it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't invented that machine in the first place!

Ka: …I…hate…you…

}

Next Chapter:

Time to visit the mansion once more and check in on the rest of the Inu-pack that isn't screwing themselves over in dangerous ways.

Who shows up and reveals Kiso's past?

Not who you think.