InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Knight Errant ❯ Chapter Four ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any of the other inhabitants of the fine story of Rumiko's that we all know and love.

“Oi, wench. It's about time you got back, we have Jewel Shards to find!”

Ginta and Hakkaku blinked, clearly confused. What on earth was this Inu-hanyou going on about, Jewel Shards and calling onee-san `wench'? Ginta held up a finger in protest, trying to make a statement while Hakkaku narrowed his eyes, and Kouga's low growl rolled out over the small clearing. The sky was so blue, so perfect with clouds dotting overhead like fluffy blessings on high, and Kagome did a slow burn. One could almost see it start as she realized that none of them but InuYasha was now looking at her, and somehow she found what he said incredibly rude. Part of her secretly liked how Kouga and his two wolves were standing up for her, this was a first for her to have protectors like this, but part of her was almost hurt that when she returned all the silver haired boy could say to her was about the shards they had to hunt. Her voice suddenly rang out angrily into that sweet blue air.

“Is that all I am to you? A … a… SHARD DETECTOR?”

For a moment there was total silence. InuYasha's mouth hung open a bit, and upon introspection he realized that perhaps he should have worded his speech to her a bit differently. He was gruff, but he had lived in and around a human village protecting it for the last fifty years and he knew better than to speak to a woman that way. But it was almost like that fifty years hadn't happened the moment he was in her presence, he didn't understand the feelings he was having and the pull he felt towards her, Kikyou's reincarnation, and it made him impatient and a bit rude. Because whatever Kagome was, it surely was not only that, though his thought was interrupted by Kouga's full laughter and the quieter snorts of his two wolven followers, and he could have sworn he heard the one with the Mohawk mutter `She told you' in a singsong fashion.

Kagome turned her back on him, her voice sweet as she continued to talk to Kouga like he wasn't even there! It made him growl a little, and then he stopped, wondering just why he was growling about it. Kouga had introduced her as his woman after all, and his scent clung to her like a second layer, reinforced by how often he casually touched her. Part of it was maybe that he just recognized her because who she had once been, so he tried to convince himself that that was all it was, could be. He wanted to take back those words that made her think that she was just a shard detector to him though, because no matter what, that was just not true. Just what she was to him, he didn't know.

He looked up with a slightly forlorn expression, almost like he'd lost something he didn't even know he wanted, when his golden eyes caught her chocolate gaze. She was looking back at him over her shoulder and he knew then that she had somehow forgiven him, at least for that. It made him feel worse about it, looking away because he'd been caught, and he missed her own slight distress because he seemed so sad to her. Kouga's warm deep voice drew her back though, and they moved back towards the village discussing their plans. Kouga wanted her to come back to the den of his pack, to meet the rest of the wolves so that they could know her as Ginta and Hakkaku did, just in case she was ever in trouble they could help find her. He also wanted to help get rid of those predatory Birds of Paradise before even one more life was lost to them. He was torn, in wanting her to be at his side yet thinking perhaps it was too dangerous. Plus there was her promise to fulfill, and he wasn't sure yet how he felt about her traveling around with that dog, all alone.

He didn't think that he'd try anything to say, take his woman from him, though he felt a growl thrum in his throat at the thought, startling his two wolves into looking around for a threat. Her voice said his name, carefully, softly, and he felt her little hand on his arm. He hadn't realized that he'd been staring a hole in InuYasha until that moment, and he shook himself out of it, to give her a reassuring smile.

“I'm sorry, Kagome. I was just thinking.”

In the end, they had split up. Wolves going to work on their plan while Kagome and InuYasha would go to seek out shards to fulfill her promise to put right what had been broken. They had some moderate success, until they had come upon the first real stumbling block in their path. InuYasha had an older brother, a full youkai where he was only half, and he had come to them seeking something he insisted that InuYasha had. Strangely enough that had proven to be true, though it had taken trickery to expose that truth, the demon's servant posing as InuYasha's mother finding out the secret that was buried so deep that even its holder hadn't known it. In his eye had been hidden a Black Pearl, and that Pearl was a gateway to the hidden place in which his father's grave lay.

It had hurt and angered Kagome that his brother would use an image of his dead mother against InuYasha, that hurt and anger helped to sustain her during what happened next. She was frightened, but then who wouldn't have been, confronted with such a being as Sesshoumaru? He was tall, seeming to tower over his brother and Kagome felt so small in his shadow even as she had been upset at his actions. She had never seen eyes so cold, even though they were golden the way InuYasha's were golden, yet they held no warmth that she could see, no real emotion. There was a moment of curiosity when he had seen her there in the tomb with his brother, but what might have happened then she would never know as InuYasha's rage had drawn his attention. It all seemed to be about a sword that their father had left InuYasha, a sword that Sesshoumaru could not draw from where it was placed. What was more surprising was the fact that neither could InuYasha, despite what the flea Myoga had thought.

It had been Kagome to draw it out, and she would never forget that moment. Her soft `Oops' echoing in the tomb which was the very bones of his father's remains, and the brothers had turned nearly as one to gaze at her with surprise. She saw him, Sesshoumaru, in his silk clad splendor and stern bone armor gaze at her with golden intensity, his silver hair long and just as silken as it looked like it must be, saw the widening of InuYasha's own golden eyes as Sesshoumaru's hand and claws began to glow a sickly, poisonous green. It had to have been the sword that protected her, she reflected afterwards, once they had escaped from the bones and InuYasha had fought and defeated his older brother in his full demon form, a dog of gigantic proportions, white haired and marked with the same crescent on his forehead. For Sesshoumaru it had been an unexpected defeat and he had left minus one arm, and for Kagome she had been left with the words that would not leave her mind.

“Shut up and let me protect you!”

She didn't know if she should be ashamed by it, the fact that she had wanted for a moment with all her heart for it to have been Kouga to say it. She missed him terribly, and as they sat in camp on the way back to the village, she looked up at the full moon overhead and was overcome with the urge to howl at it like a sad, lonely wolf. It didn't sound even remotely like a real wolf, except there was a haunting quality to it that sounded like tears, and it was not a full throated sound but a very small one. She had blushed hotly after doing it, avoiding the stare that InuYasha sent her over the fire, perplexed at her actions, and she would have sworn she heard him mutter, calling her stupid. Her arms were crossed and rested on her knees, and she gazed up at the stars and the moon, ignoring her friend … friend? Since when had she thought of InuYasha as a friend? Examining that thought she discovered that it was true, though further examination of that revelation stopped when her inner senses warned her of something.

There were two things it told her, that growing inner sense that she wasn't quite sure yet what to call. One, it told her that a demon with a strong yokai was headed towards the camp at a very high rate of speed, and two it told her that along with that the demon had Jewel Shards. It made her heart speed up, thumping almost painfully in her chest as she leapt to her feet, her small hand raised up before her, fingertips just under her chin as she turned towards that rapidly arriving presence. It was as if her intense longing for him had summoned him, it had to be Kouga, and she refused to believe that it was another demon. She held out her hand towards InuYasha when he asked her what was wrong, and she murmured to him in her soft voice.

“Kouga is coming.”

The stars were behind her, the dark of the night sky like a rich skein of velvet that might envelope the entire scene, the light of the moon shone on her hair and in her chocolate eyes as she made that sure pronouncement, and for the first time in the time since he had met her, inwardly InuYasha did not think of her as Kikyou. Instead he felt almost a longing in his own heart towards this strange girl that he had grown used to traveling with alone. He trusted her, which was something that was hard won if at all, yet she had seemed to gain it so easily. But it was more than that, and he knew it as he drew in the scent of her that the breeze brought him. Mixed with the delicate smoke of the campfire, the scent of her hair and skin was intoxicating and it was surely all her own. He wanted her to say his name the same way that she had just said Kouga's, and he did not want to honestly examine why he'd want that. It could not be love. Even if it was, what would she want with him, a mix blooded creature when a full demon loved her too? It took him a few moments to realize what he'd thought, and then he snarled, catching Kouga's scent on the wind. Loved Her Too.

He knew he was lost when he heard her happy little laugh as the tornado that Kouga traveled in came into view, the dust settling and revealing the wolf Prince. The expression that was on that face tore open InuYasha's heart, because he knew that what the wolf felt was just as true as what he'd admitted to himself not a moment before. He turned away a bit, cradling the sword Tessaiga though it was no comfort. He just couldn't watch, because he'd have to admit more things to himself than he was ready to deal with.

“Did you hear me?”

Kagome blurted out, a blush dusting over her nose and cheeks with soft pink as her gaze went up to the moon, remembering that urge to howl at it, and how lonely she had felt when she'd done it. It simply was not something that she'd ever imagined herself doing, but then what part of this whole adventure was? Going back in time via a magic well, where the things her grandpa had told her about were really true and really real, it was so like a dream that she would have pinched herself to see if she was awake, save for the pair of strong hands that held her own. He made it all real, the warmth of his skin on her own slightly chilled hands, and it could never be a dream because of that. He gazed at her with such a serious expression, releasing one of her hands to let fingertips drift over one of her cheeks, brushing a lock of her black hair back from her face. He had heard her, she saw that in his blue eyes, no matter that it was not a full throated cry but the softest of howls.

“The moon told me you sang to her about me.”

She blushed a bit deeper, gaze shyly averted at his unexpected poetic turn of phrase. She still didn't know why she'd been moved to do it, but now she was glad that she had even though she lightly protested, more because she felt she had to than because she wanted to. InuYasha had put more wood on the fire and then jumped up into a tree, he knew that Kagome was safe with Kouga but something would not let him just leave them alone. He had sworn to protect her, hadn't he? Surely it was just that. Thoughts of the hanyou that had been her companion during the search were far from Kagome's mind just then, as Kouga sat down with her in front of the fire. He'd missed her, that much was obvious though she wished for a moment she could know what he was thinking. He let her get settled on her sleeping bag before he sat down behind her, for a moment he was distracted by the strange material but wrote it off to some sort of magic item. After all, hadn't he watched his woman vanish into an empty old well?

Kagome was nervous as he settled in behind her, stiffening just a bit as his legs framed her own and his arms came up around her. She felt out of her depth, having never been the object of affection for any boy in her class that she was aware of, and now here she was with the handsome wolf Prince that had already declared her as his woman. She listened as he told her of what he had been doing while they were apart, his breath warm on her cheek as he spoke, and he inhaled her scent with each breath. She relaxed while she listened to him talk of the plans to defeat the hated Birds of Paradise, interrupting to ask him softly if he thought that they had gotten more powerful lately, and if so could it be because of a Jewel Shard? He was silent for long moments, and she could tell that he hadn't thought of that before she'd asked it. She felt him finally nod slowly, before he rested his cheek against her shoulder.

“You could be right, Kagome.”

She felt her heart swell in her chest, and of their own volition her hands came up to rest on his and she smiled softly. Her thank you was soft, though the tenderness of the moment was ruined a bit by the derisive snort that came somewhere from above in one of the trees close by. She sighed loudly then, but then Kouga's lips nuzzled her cheek and she felt a fresh blush explode over her skin and suddenly it didn't seem so important to yell at InuYasha for being so rude. Kouga hadn't just forgotten her while he was away, and a small part of her could admit finally that she had feared that the dark haired blue eyed boy would have done just that, going home to his pack and finding a demon wolf girl to fall in love with instead. While she still wasn't totally sure just how she actually felt about Kouga herself, she knew that she felt something or she wouldn't have missed him the way she had. If she stopped and admitted it to herself, there hadn't been a night that passed while they were apart that she hadn't lain awake at least awhile and thought about him, hoping that he was safe and that she would soon see him.

Now he was here, and finally she felt warm and right. Having him hold her like this made her almost forget about sleeping on the cold ground instead of a soft warm bed, bathing outdoors in a hot spring or river instead of a nice porcelain bathtub, eating whatever InuYasha could catch that she could cook up supplemented with what little food she'd brought with her this time instead of nice home cooked meals made by her mother. There was a lot she could admit to missing about her own time, mostly the luxuries that she'd always taken for granted, but deep down she knew something else now. She knew that no matter how much she missed home and family that when she was back there she would simply long for this, the moments that Kouga's arms were around her. She spoke softly with him then, telling him of the things that she had been through with InuYasha, and what had happened with Sesshoumaru, and she was startled when he'd growled, but quickly moved to soothe her when she was worried she'd said something wrong. It was just that he had wanted to always be the one to protect her, and there she knew that her want for him to be the one to say it was not so far off a wish, if she were just able to tell him so.

The warmth of the fire and his skin lulled her, and she leaned her cheek against the firm muscle of his bicep, her chocolate eyes drifting closed as his deep voice spoke to her of all he planned to do to make his pack's home safe, and what was more his plans to unite some of the smaller tribes under his leadership and protection. He trailed off after she had stopped making small noises of listening and encouragement, speaking her name softly near her temple and he realized that she had fallen asleep in his arms. That brought a small smile to his lips, and he leaned back against a tree behind them and settled down to rest himself. It had been a long trip to get to her, and while part of him was still alert enough to be considered on watch, it was true that he also allowed his guard to drop a bit. Let that InuYasha guard the camp, he had the only important thing here sleeping in his arms. Surely she would tell him soon, that she agreed to be his woman.

It came to him in that half aware state that perhaps she was too young to understand just what he meant by calling her his woman, perhaps she thought that was all there was to it? Yet her innocence spoke to him, in the shy glances she gave him and the soft blushes, and that little howl she'd made to the moon. She had no idea what it meant to be his woman, the woman of the Prince of the wolves, and he knew that he'd need to be patient with her. But with her scent drifting into his nose and her body warm against his, he knew that he'd take all the time she needed to teach her what it meant, and hope that in the end the same forces that brought them together would show her that it was right to say yes, and they could love for as long a time as they were allotted to be together. He wanted to rush, to push her into deciding, she was only human after all and compared to him would age so quickly, leaving him with nothing but her memory and fate willing their hanyou cubs to keep him company while he waited to see her again, but like anything worth having he would spend the time it took to do it right. Kagome deserved no less.

The rest of the night proved still and quiet and Kouga woke to one of the most satisfying feelings of his entire young life. He stretched just a bit, wondering at the weight against him when he looked down and had to smile. There curled against his chest was his woman, peacefully sleeping still, and his hands were gentle as they moved through her dark hair to softly caress the long strands. He moved her a little in his lap so that he could remove his armor, and then scooped her back up against his chest. If he hadn't been so tired himself last night he'd have done that before, and he murmured an apology to her even while she slept, hoping that she wouldn't be too stiff from sleeping against him. InuYasha had been moving about, more wood added to the fire and water put on to heat, but as Kouga tilted back his chin to sniff the air he knew that the hanyou wasn't too close by. Hunting perhaps, but that didn't bother Kouga, it gave him more time alone with his woman by his reckoning. Time that was precious as it was, because both of them had so much going on, and he didn't want to waste a second of it.

Warm supple lips pressed to her forehead, then the closed hollows of her eyelids, and the softest brush against her lips, a warm sigh of his breath across her face making her stir in his arms where his moving her had not. He was almost regretful as she began to wake, she had been so beautiful sleeping in his arms, and then she murmured something that set his heart to pounding in his chest.

“Mmm … Kouga, I dreamed that you kissed me …”

He chuckled softly, the backs of his fingers moving gently, restlessly over her features.

“Did you want me to?”

Her chocolate eyes fluttered open, the backs of her hands lifted to rub the sleep from them, the trusting sweetness of that gesture making the corners of his mouth curve up in a slight smile, and then she answered him, still not quite awake, softly she said yes. Kouga was many things, brash, bold, stubborn, even over confident at times, but despite a certain lack of observation that he sometimes succumbed to he was not stupid in the slightest. So he kissed her, though it was not the sort of kiss he longed for. He wanted to plunder her lips, take absolute possession of her, but he knew she was an innocent and he treated her like that, and what was more he treated her like she was the most precious thing in his world. His lips were warm and firm on her own, a nearly chaste kiss in that while the tip of his tongue traced her lips gently and skillfully he did not press inwards, did not take more than what her simple innocence offered him so trustfully.

It was her first kiss, and while it was not under the stars while fireworks went off over head to light up the sky it still shot a thrill through her the likes of which she had never known. The closest thing she could compare it to was going on a rollercoaster when she was younger, the way bubbling excitement rose in her and lit her nerves awake. A tiny gasp came from her when the kiss was over, and her fingertips lifted wonderingly to touch her lips, and her eyes seemed to shine with that certain pleased gleam that women knew and girls did not. Her fingertips moved to touch his lips then, and she smiled before nestling her head against his chest. Now that was the way she could get used to waking every day! They spoke softly afterwards about how that soon she could come to the den and meet the pack, perhaps she and InuYasha could even help them destroy the Birds of Paradise. That thought pleased Kagome, that she could be useful to Kouga and his wolves, and she nodded and smiled.

From a bit away, golden eyes watched from the trees and a heart longed for the one thing that it wanted the most. Perhaps the words could not be placed in any reasonable or coherent order, yet the need and the want were tangible things. Mine, the want said, the need said. His, the reason said, the intellect said. It would remain to be seen which would win out in the end, in the final telling of the thing. Kouga's voice drifted over the camp, deep and warm in the early morning, pleased with the first kiss he'd shared with his woman, more sure of calling her that than ever.

“We should leave soon. It's still a long way to the cave.”

A/N: Ha! First kiss and things are moving forward now. Don't worry, Shippou will be joining us soon.