InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Just Say You Love Me ❯ Chapter 4

A/N: Everyone can thank GPPR for the update, since she drop kicked me into updating. So, everyone should go to h t t p : / / jazzcatnya. deviantart. com / (take out the spaces, usual drill) and vote for her delightful fan art of Mizuki and Seiji. All together now, class:

 

Thank you, GPPR

 

And now, without further ado, I give you the long awaited update. I'll have you know I completely rewrote this chapter three times before I got something that I could even stand to look at. It's still a bit short, but it's the length it wanted to be. I own nothing of interest or value.

 

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Koga carried his passenger as though she was made of glass while putting as much distance between himself and her rather irate father as possible. The abstract threat of an enraged taiyoukai at his den had suddenly become much more immediate, and he had to protect his pack as well as his new woman. `How do I get into these fucked up spots, anyways?'

 

The den looked exactly the same as always as he crested the rise along the valley where the pack had settled. It was a large cave, easily defended on three sides and within a bow's shot of a lake. Defending such an ideal location was a full time job, but Koga would settle for nothing less. His pack deserved the best. The pack in question was outside and enjoying a warm afternoon. A sentry had already spotted him and had let the rest of the group know he was coming.

 

“Welcome back, Koga!” “That was quick; did that hawk throw you out that quickly?” “What's wrong with Yuriko?”

 

The pack crowded around, brushing up against their returning leader in a happy mob while greeting him noisily. Yuriko managed a weak smile, overwhelmed as usual with the open and physically affectionate group. Everyone wanted to brush against Koga and reaffirm that their leader was back while checking on the hawk. They saw the little hanyou as a sort of long lost sister and definitely someone to worry about. Yuriko acted nothing like the rest of the hawks, with her impulsive behavior and rather volatile temper, and was perfectly at home with the wolves. The sole exception to her happy acceptance of the wolves was their insistence on touching. The hawks did not touch like this. Several hands brushed across her arms, and the four-legged wolves were touching her with their noses, whining softly.

 

“Back off, mutts.” Koga smiled, even as he growled the order. Unlike the hawk in his arms, he needed this. He needed this feeling of pack to be in balance. There was nothing like coming home and finding a happy, well fed group waiting to welcome him as their leader. “We can fuss over Yuriko later. Right now we're taking cover. Merkamou's on his way, and his pretty pissed.”

 

One of the wolves raised her eyebrow. “What did you do, Koga?”

 

“Why does everyone assume I did something?”

 

Another wolf piped up from behind him. “Because we know you!”

 

Koga gave everyone a glare. “Move it!”

 

The wolves ran to obey. In the end, he was alpha and they trusted him. If he said that danger was coming, he meant it. The impulsive youth that had kidnapped mikos had matured into a respected leader, even if he was still prone to being rash. Mothers grabbed their children and ran into the cave, while the pack's best fighters lined the entrance. Koga handed Yuriko off to one of his friends, ignoring her protests. “Take her inside and keep her there. Put her in my chamber. It's as far away from the entrance as you can get.” The wolf prince turned his attentions to the rise where the taiyoukai would put in his appearance.

 

“Sure thing, Koga.”

 

Yuriko was fighting to stay conscious, well aware that she should be stopping the fight that was about to occur, but her vision kept graying out. “Put me down right now!”

 

“Sorry, Yuriko, but right now Koga's scarier then you. You can beat the crap out of me later.”

 

“I am so sick of being carted around!” Yuriko blinked as a wave of dizziness hit, but still tried to fight.

 

Koga walked over, grabbing her wrist before she could try to punch him, or his friend. “Then go sleep so you can kick my ass after your father's done with me.” Koga bent down and kissed her quickly, distracting her before turning away to watch for her father.

 

Cat calls and whistles echoed from the pack that was watching the exchange. Yuriko was mortified, and provided no more protest as she was hauled away into the safety of the cave.

 

With Yuriko safely out of sight, Koga could finally concentrate of just what exactly he had gotten himself into this time. `He should have been here by now. What game is he playing?'

 

Moments passed, and still there was no sign of the hawk. The wolves shifted restlessly, becoming tenser as they watched the sky. They knew Merkamou. He had accompanied his daughter on several visits, and he was a jovial guest that they enjoyed entertaining. However, underneath the pleasant visits and stories, the wolves were quite aware of what he was. Merkamou was a taiyoukai in his prime, one of the cardinal lords of Japan. What had happened to make him their enemy was still a bit of a mystery, but the wolves were pretty sure it had something to do with an exhausted Yuriko being hustled into Koga's chambers. Several of the wolves exchanged knowing glances while watching for attack.

 

When Merkamou appeared over the rise, he was walking alongside a fuming kitsune. The wolves looked at each other, completely confused, while Koga crossed his arms and turned his glare up another notch.

 

Shippou saw the wolf prince and his den, but the little hawk there were looking for was conspicuously absent. He started to march faster, pulling ahead of his lord. “Where the hell is Yuriko?”

 

“Inside, sleeping.” Koga let one hand fall to his sword. “Away from selfish little brats.”

 

The kitsune gathered himself to charge, but felt the wind start to toss his hair around. Wisely, he decided to take Merkamou's threat seriously. He stopped, matching Koga's glare with one of his own, and took a spectator's position in the exchange.

 

`I wish that my mate was alive to see this. It would have amused her greatly to see the devotion her daughter has inspired, and she would have taken great delight in beating the wolf to a bloody pulp for his presumptions.' The Southern Lord shoved the errant thought away, focusing on Koga's latest defiance. “And why have you hidden my daughter in your den? Do you wish for me to destroy your pack? Bring her back out immediately.”

 

“She's resting. She couldn't even walk here, so I'm keeping her ass inside and resting whether she likes it or not.”

 

Merkamou cocked an eyebrow, his forced calm losing its grip as the situation escalated. “You are forcing her?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, she'll beat the hell out of me later, but it's for her own good. She can't even defend herself against the new litter we have right now. She's going to get herself killed trying to jump in between us.” Koga rolled his eyes. “But she'll probably break my arm again for this one.”

 

“She may not have the opportunity. We have unfinished business, and you are not helping your case by locking my daughter up against her will.”

“You're really an overprotective, stubborn bastard. You know that, right?”

 

The hawk slammed his opponent to the ground, digging his talons into the wolf's throat. “You are an arrogant, dominating idiot.”

 

Koga hauled back and slammed his elbow into Merkamou's nose, making the taiyoukai's grip loosen. He followed it with a hard shove that knocked his opponent away and leapt to his feet. “Actually going to get your own claws dirty this time, Merkamou? Not going to rely on your special taiyoukai powers?”

Merkamou smiled, his eyes flashing crimson as blood trickled down his face. “I will enjoy tearing your heart out with my bare hands.”

 

“Have to get there first.”

 

The taiyoukai charged again, his fingers itching for the feel of tearing flesh and blood. Koga ducked and slammed his shoulder into Merkamou's stomach, his feet creating trenches in the dirt as he absorbed the force of the impact and drove the hawk to the ground. Something in his shoulder snapped, but Koga ignored it in favor of aiming a blow for his opponent's bleeding nose.

 

Merkamou twisted, the punch grazing off of his cheek while grabbing the back of Koga's neck. Blood ran under his talons as he used his grip to haul the wolf off of him. His other hand fisted and slammed into the wolf's face, causing his cheekbone to break and cutting the skin open. The wolf kicked out and landed a hit on Merkamou's chest. The hit was enough to loosen the taiyoukai's grip and buy the wolf his freedom. He immediately spun, landing a spinning kick on the stumbling taiyoukai and throwing him back.

 

The taiyoukai was up in an instant, slamming into the wolf and pinning him to the ground again. One hand pinned the wolf down by the throat, the other punched through his chest, shattering ribs and nearly reaching through to the ground. Koga snarled and sunk his fangs into the arm while it was still trapped within his own body. He twisted and ripped through the muscle with his teeth, shaking like a terrier on a rat. Merkamou punched him in the jaw to make him release, pulling his arm away.

 

Koga was in agony. Merkamou grabbed him by the hair, lifting his head up and glaring into his eyes. “You have lost. Yield.”

 

“No.” The prince swung again, trying to punch the taiyoukai in the nose where he was already injured, but the blow was blocked. Ignoring the pain, Koga yanked his head loose. Merkamou was left with hair and some scalp in his talons as the wolf grabbed him by the throat with his fangs, trying to rip through the arteries.

 

The hawk lord slammed his fist into the side of Koga's head, driving him to the ground in a heap. The wolf's eyes were not focusing correctly as he was rolled over by the irate hawk. Merkamou grabbed him by the shoulders, his talons digging in to the skin as he glared into the blurry eyes. “You have lost. Release her.”

 

Koga blinked slowly. “No. She's mine to protect, even from you.”

 

Merkamou shifted one hand to circle the wolf's throat. “She is not yours. She never was.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“You will die for taking her against her will, and I will enjoy listening to your last breath.”

 

The wolf smiled, his voice nothing more then a whisper. “Knew you would. Doesn't matter. Couldn't have lived much longer without her, anyways.”

 

The prince hit the ground. He blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. It took him a moment to focus on the hawk still crouched over him, staring at him like he was a very odd and frustrating puzzle. “What the hell?”

 

“You knew you were going to die.”

 

Koga was suffering from blood loss, a punctured lung, a shattered cheekbone, and at least one concussion, but he somehow suspected this conversation would not make anymore sense if he was completely healthy. He continued to blink slowly at the hawk. “Yeah. Not a goal or anything.”

 

“And you still took her.”

 

The wolf slowly shook his head. “Been too long since you had a mate.”

 

Merkamou hissed. “What does that mean?”

 

“You forgot. They're worth dying for.”

 

“Of all the things. . . “ The taiyoukai slowly stood, looking at his shredded arm. “And I wanted to kill you so very badly. I was so close.”

 

Koga continued to stare. “Huh?”

 

Taking a deep breath, Merkamou looked down at the barely conscious wolf. “I will not kill you today, Koga. You sorely deserve it, and I would truly enjoy it, but I did tell my daughter that I would let you live. It looks as though I must stand by my word on this.”

 

The wolves were starting to murmur in the background, and Koga started to feel hope that he would live through this.

 

“I give you permission to court my daughter, Prince Koga. Of course, if you ever hurt her, I will rip each of your limbs off slowly, and then drop you into the ocean.”

 

Koga's heart leapt, even as the world started to spin dangerously from the adrenaline leaving his system. “What's the catch?”

 

“She is a treasure worth dying for. Treat her as one.”

 

The world was going dark, but Koga no longer cared. It had all been worth it. “You've got a deal, Merkamou-sama.”

 

----

 

Yuriko stretched slowly, luxuriating in the feeling of being in a pile of soft furs. `I had almost forgotten how good this feels.' Her eyes focused on the stone walls around her, trying to puzzle back together just how she had ended up in Koga's den. When the memories came back to her, she suddenly flew up into a sitting position, looking around wildly. She had passed out not long after being hauled into the cave. Her father had been on his way, and Koga had been waiting for him outside.

 

“Welcome back, Yuriko-chan.” Shippou was leaning against the wall, watching her.

 

“Shippou-kun, what happened? Where is Papa? Is Koga okay?”

 

The kitsune looked away, growling. “He'll live.”

 

Yuriko scrambled free of her bed, frantic. “He will live? What did Papa do to him? Where is he?”

 

“He's probably still passed out in the main chamber. They were cleaning him up when I came in here to check on you.” Shippou meet her gaze, his green eyes dark. “What the hell happened, Yuriko-chan? He kidnapped you!”

 

“He did not really kidnap me. Not completely.” Yuriko hesitated, lingering when she saw the emotions playing across her closest friend's face. “He was worried about me.”

 

“He. Kidnapped. You. He took you without your permission. That's what kidnapping is!” The kitsune surged to his feet, starting to pace. “I've never been so worried or pissed in my life!”

 

“Shippou-kun.” The part of Yuriko's heart that had been in love with Shippou for most of her life fluttered.

 

“He shouldn't have taken you like that! He had no right!”

 

“If I would have fought him, he would have let me go. He only wants what is best for me! He is my friend!”

 

“He thinks he's a lot more then that, in case you didn't notice.”

 

Yuriko blushed at Shippou's comment. “Well, I did notice. But he would never hurt me.”

 

“He better not. He's damn lucky to be alive right now.”

 

“Nani?” Yuriko spun towards the entrance of the chamber. “I have to check on him.”

 

Shippou stepped forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her back around. “Why are you defending him? You deserve better then some barbarian.”

 

“Do not call him that, Shippou-kun. He is not a barbarian.”

 

“Sure acts like one.”

 

“You are not acting like yourself, Shippou-kun. What is going on?”

 

The kitsune sighed and let go of Yuriko's arm. “I'm worried about you. I don't ever want to be scared like that again.”

 

“You know he could not have gotten me out of the palace if I truly did not want to go.”

 

“Funny, Merkamou-sama said the same thing.” Shippou grinned before becoming sober again. “Why him, Yuriko-chan?”

 

Yuriko leaned against the wall, her escape delayed. “Why not? It is not like I have had suitors breaking down the palace gates.”

 

Shippou moved so that he was standing just in front of her. “There are other options, besides him.”

 

That small, traitorous part of Yuriko's heart fluttered again. “You do not want me. You said so yourself.”

 

“No, I said I didn't see you that way. Five years ago.” Shippou reached out to tuck a stray feather behind Yuriko's ear. “Things change.”

 

“No. You do not simply get to announce that things change.” The hawk pushed him away, moving away from the wall so that she could pace. “You cannot say that you only wish to be my friend and then change your mind!”

 

“What do you want? You brought it up, and then I started comparing all of those ladies at court to you, and they just couldn't measure up. None of them are like you.”

 

Yuriko's eyes turned bitter. “I thought that you liked them that way.”

 

“Would you listen to me?”

 

“No. I am going to go find Koga and make sure that Papa did not actually kill him. Then I am going to check Papa to make sure that he is not seriously injured. Then I am going to go calm down. I will not talk about this with you until after all three of these things have happened.”

 

Shippou turned his head away. “Fine. We'll talk about this later.”

 

Yuriko brushed past him, moving down the tunnel that connected Koga's chamber to the rest of the cave. Her head was spinning, and she was running away from Shippou at least as much as she was running towards Koga and her father. Each step was faster then the previous one, until she was dashing down the tunnel, her eyes frantic. The handful of wolves still inside of the den looked up when they heard her approach, and stared at her when she skid to a halt.

 

“Oh, no.”

 

Koga was lying on a fur in the middle of the dirt floor, unconscious. There were bandages wrapped around his chest and shoulder, and one side of his face was a swollen mass of bruises and cuts. His breathing appeared labored, and the bandages on his chest were stained red. Yuriko approached slowly, her hand to her mouth. “Koga-kun. I never wanted this to happen.”

 

The old wolf watching over the prince snickered. “Maybe he got some sense knocked into him.”

 

“I doubt it.”

 

Yuriko spun around to see her father leaning against the side of the cave. His throat and arm were bandaged, but he was upright and he was smiling at her. “Papa! What did you do to him?”

 

“Oh, do not worry yourself about me, aijou. I will heal. Thank you for your concern.” Merkamou gave a dramatic sigh.

 

“I am glad to see that you will live to fight again, Papa. All right? Now, what did you do to Koga-kun?”

 

“Nothing too serious, daughter. He will live.”

 

Yuriko settled against the wall next to her father, her eyes on the injured wolf. “Are you sure?”

 

“Hai. His head is much too thick for him to die so easily.” Merkamou winced as he set his injured arm around his daughter's shoulders. “Your prince has sharp teeth. So, do you think you have caused me enough trouble for one day?”

 

“I am not sure. We shall see what mood Shippou-kun is in when he emerges.”

 

“Of course. It is not enough that one male has kidnapped you, but you will also insist on having a jealous kitsune after you.”

 

“This is not my fault.”

 

“I suppose not. It is not your fault that you inherited your mother's charm, and tendency to attract trouble.” Merkamou smiled at his daughter fondly.

 

“I believe you were the one called troublemaker, Papa.” Yuriko leaned against her father's side with a sigh. “What happens now?”

 

“When the wolf awakens, he has my permission to court you.”

 

Yuriko's eyes went wide, staring up at her father. “Really? You actually gave someone permission to court me?”

 

“He made a convincing case.”

 

The little hawk's eyes went back to the unconscious wolf. “What did he do? How could he convince you?”

 

Merkamou chuckled. “I do not think it is my place to say. You can ask him for yourself when he wakes up. Besides, I am sure you will both have much to talk about. Since you are his woman and all.”

 

Yuriko looked back up at her father's amused expression. “I will add that to the list of things that I must revenge once you and Koga are both healthy again.”

 

“Of course.” Merkamou's arm tightened around his daughter. “As always, aijou, whatever you wish for is yours.”

 

“Arigato, Papa.”