InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Knight Errant ❯ Chapter 21 ( Chapter 21 )

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. Kiyoshi, Tomoe, Aikiko, and Sashiko are mine, and I hope you enjoy them as they are encountered.

 

 

 

 

“I promise that I won't leave from the places I am safe until Koji is born.”

 

 

 

Of course safe could be considered a fairly broad term and everyone seemed to have their own definition of the word. Because of that Kagome got fairly used to having a companion with her at all times, whether it be InuYasha, one of “her” demon wolves, Sashiko or Kouga himself. Even the younger cubs and her kit Shippou got in on it, and she began to think that moments alone were definitely a thing of the past for her. Yet when she might have in frustration cried out about the restraint, her heart would not let her forget that they were all doing this out of love of her. Then late one night in their part of the den Kouga had held her and whispered to her another reason she had forgotten.

 

 

 

“They are demons Kagome and they treasure you, none of them wants to give up a single moment that they could have with you, because someday you will not be with us, and memories are all they will have.”

 

 

 

She had cried after he had said that, though she knew from the distress on his face that making her cry was the last thing that he had intended by his words, great wracking sobs that had made her shake while he held her and with that rich baritone voice of his crooned his apologies and his love in her ear. When she was finally able to breathe again without shedding more tears she took a deep shuddery breath and slid her arms around his neck to whisper against the hot skin of his throat. Kagome poured out to him all her fears and it both moved him and worried him that of all her fears her largest was that when she died he would let himself fade away from the world and not be there for their cubs.

 

 

 

He could not help the almost silly prideful smile that came over his mouth and he kissed her slowly then, a kiss that showed her not only his deep passion for his mate but the tender feelings under that as well. When she looked at him with those rich chocolate eyes and the question in their depths he smiled again and nuzzled his cheek against hers.

 

 

 

“You said cubs, like more than Koji.”

 

 

 

She laughed a little at that and he liked the sound of that laugh so much that he wished there were a way to have somehow kept it so that in the future he could take it out and hear it again. It was beautiful to him just as she was and she would always be, young and glorious as she was now or old and grey like that priestess Kaede in the human's village outside of the forest that was named for his former presence there. Because as much as he enjoyed the pleasures her flesh surely gave him it was her heart and soul that were the most beautiful to him, that she could love him despite that he was a demon and she was not. He realized something then and it struck him so deeply that he told her right away. It made her cry again but the tears this time were happy ones and he knew her well enough to tell the difference.

 

 

 

“My heart you will always be with me, I could never forget you.”

 

 

 

After that it was much easier for Kagome to feel the love in all the company she kept, the words he'd spoken to her always near the front of her mind. It gave her peace that she was making them happy not only by staying out of danger but by just sharing her thoughts and smiles with them. Yet despite all that trouble had been brewing virtually under the noses of their tribe of Yourouzoku. It started among those that had come in after the defeat of Urusue, in the gathering of the newer wolf demons that Kouga had so generously allowed to settle in his territory, though many of them were loyal to their new Tai-youkai. It started with a whisper that perhaps those shattered bits of the Sacred Jewel that the main tribe kept an eye out for so they could give them to Kagome could perhaps be put to better use, to make themselves personally stronger. After all Kouga himself was said to have two shards and they seemed to leave him unaffected.

 

 

 

Of course they did not know that when Kouga had found his shards the jewel had only recently been shattered and his shards were untainted. It was easy to point to him and think that any demon would have the strength to use such a boost in power that a jewel shard represented, easy to use him as an example and forget that Kouga was no ordinary Yourouzoku. Kouga was a Prince and a tai-youkai, he had been powerful and strong-willed before he came upon the shards and would be the same even were he to lose them tomorrow. In truth he hardly needed them at all, and if Kagome asked him to give them to her he would dig them out with no hesitation. But it was easy for those newer wolves and the few that had kept themselves apart after his mating with Kagome to speak of having shards to make themselves more powerful than he, because speaking was not yet the doing of the deed and with no misdeed there was no need for punishment.

 

 

 

In the end though, it might have been far better if Kouga had punished them for their foolish words. But he was a leader that believed in letting his followers have the sanctity of their thoughts, to have ideas that might turn out to be useful and further the interests of the expanding tribe, and he was now one to look forward to the survival of his tribe in the world as it changed. Let others mire themselves in the past and refuse to see what changes would sweep the world, let them be unprepared and their brethren swept away in those changes. His tribe would survive and his people would prosper. Yet for those unused to such freedom and protection after living under a more iron fist the freedom did not liberate, it created a fertile breeding ground for dissention.

 

 

 

There had come a few times that Kouga, along with Ginta, Hakkaku, and Koichi had to break up trouble near the borders of their territory that they had trusted patrols to the new wolves to take care of. The fight that happened then upset all of the wolves but none more than Kouga, he knew of course that there would be adjustments each time they accepted outside wolves and Yourouzoku into their territory and that those adjustments might make for some uncomfortable scenes, but he had never really expected this sort of dereliction. Wolves were by nature very territorial and that these had let such an important duty as patrolling the borders to keep dangers out and away from the cubs and females in both dens simply go undone spoke badly of them to him. He did not blame the females or cubs nor did he want them to be without the protection of their mates, but he had to draw the line at some point lest they put the whole territory in danger.

 

 

 

This last confrontation had been the worst and some of his loyal pack had been injured this time. The sight of Koichi's white hair matted with blood had brought out Kouga's rage in full and when he had transformed to his true demon wolf self those that had caused such problems for him realized the magnitude of the mistake they had made. How rare was it now that any breed of youkai produced a Tai-youkai? How often had the elders commented on how magic seemed to be fading in the tribes of the Yourouzoku? Yet here was proof before them that the magic was yet possible for the wolves to have, that there was still strength in the breed. Too late they realized what they had thrown away when they chose to stand against Kouga, more than the safe haven he had so freely offered them. They had thrown away the chance to serve one worthy of respect who would give his all to protect those under him.

 

 

 

Such was the shame felt in the aftermath of the fight that those Kouga and the others had not killed in battle left without protest. They were sent with an escort of course, the last thing Kouga wanted was a repeat of the battle they had just fought that might involve innocent wolves. Kouga went back to the den with the injured, hoping that they would be able to save Koichi's life. He was a strong wolf and his healing worked fast enough to stop the blood from draining right out of him, but he was badly hurt nonetheless. Kouga dreaded the look that would be on his sister Sashiko's face when she saw her injured brother, and he had never been more proud of her than in that moment when she first saw him being carried up to the caves. She had let out a low sound between a whine of denial and a low howl of pain, but then firmly took control of her grief and used all she knew to help save his life.

 

 

 

Kagome had come fast when she had heard they returned and the color had drained from her sweet face when she had seen all the injuries. Her help had proven invaluable to them then, as it would take all of Sashiko's skill to save her brother and that left her with no time to bandage up the rest. Kouga insisted that all the others be seen to before she was allowed to help him though her eyes would seek him constantly to assure herself that he was there. He had wanted to go back out to make sure the wolves he had sent to escort the troublemakers out of their land had no trouble doing so, but Kagome insisted that he stay home in the den with her and her gentle voice was enough to convince him that he was more needed here. Despite their victory they had almost lost several key wolves and it had them all in a somber mood, Kagome was right that they needed to see Kouga, needed to know he was still strong and able to defend them.

 

 

 

Kouga had actually fallen in a light doze where he sat, the small shut down giving his youkai healing time to take care of the wounds he had gotten, as he'd assured Kagome they were really minor compared to what had happened to Koichi. He could not be sure later on what had woken him but he slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to see where they had been tending Koichi. The young wolf demon slept on, his sister still holding his hand as she slept curled next to him while his niece Aikiko crept up towards his side, Shippou holding her hand and whispering encouragement to her. He knew of course that she had exhibited a talent for the rare Yourouzoku magic, but he was not sure just what she and the fox kit he'd taken in were planning.

 

 

 

He got his answer soon enough when she knelt down next to her Uncle and he couldn't help the small smile that curled his lips when Shippou knelt with her and carefully wiped her tears from her cheeks. The kit had squared his shoulders bravely and Kouga heard him whisper that if something went wrong he would take all the blame for it. Then Aikiko closed her eyes to concentrate and the pale glowing began at her tiny fingers and covered her hands until she opened her eyes and laid those hands near the worst of Koichi's wounds. Kouga sat up fully then though he was not sure what he should say to them and then Koichi stirred and his eyes opened, his hand reaching up to touch Aikiko's cheek before he fell back into a healing sleep. She slumped over and Shippou caught her though she was nearly his own size he was strong enough to keep her upright.

 

 

 

“There Aikiko, see? I told you that you could help because your heart said so.”

 

 

 

Kouga had never been more proud of either of the children and resolved to let them think they had gotten away unseen, though he would share what they had done with Kagome and Sashiko in the morning. Aikiko was a rare blossom indeed it seemed and all it had taken for that blossom to bloom was the soft encouragement of a fox demon kit. It had Kouga in a mood of introspection when Kagome came to him and curled up at his side to lay her cheek against his leg with a gentle sigh and his hand had automatically come up to cup her cheek and stroke her raven dark hair. He told her of what he had witnessed and he could feel in his own heart her pride and warmth as he did so. Perhaps other leaders might have cast out such an orphan despite the pleas of a female that wanted to keep him because he was not a wolf, but Kouga had not made that mistake.

 

 

 

He had seen what was worthwhile in the kitsune and knew that nurtured by Kagome he would grow to become a fine demon and it was most gratifying to see that his strange ideas bore fruit in the fashion that they did. Kouga was male after all and what male did not relish the thought that he had been right even when others might have doubted him? It was easier than he expected to tell Kagome what he'd been thinking, words that might have come haltingly from him in the past always seemed to flow when he was with her. He was still very much the headstrong Yourouzoku he had always been, but she had given him the confidence to listen to his own heart just the way Shippou had encouraged Aikiko to do.

 

 

 

Weeks later Kouga still had to deal with those wolves that had been cast out, though none could have predicted the terrible fate that was to be theirs. They had been for the most part cast out of the pack mind, the small raids for food by and large ignored as not a threat despite rumors of a possible plan to attack the main den. Those wolves that had left in shame now seemed to have let it eat at them in resentment, forgetting that they had brought that shame upon themselves. It was far easier to blame Kouga than to admit they had failed him after all, the only true surprise had come when Hayao had left their number to join the outcasts. He had gotten into a heated argument with Ginta over a jewel shard that they had taken from a rogue forest demon, Hayao had wanted it for himself despite Kouga's decree that all such items be immediately taken to his mate for purifying.

 

 

 

Even having seen with his own two eyes that the shards corrupted the demons that used them Hayao felt he was strong enough to overcome that, that he could be like Kouga and use the power of the shard without succumbing to its evil lure. Ginta knew that this was not true, Hayao was weak and sometimes greedy though for the most part he had been the best wolf that he could be, should such a one as he gain a shard it would spell certain disaster. Hayao had taken it as a dire insult but knew he was not strong enough to defeat Ginta or Hakkaku and take it on his own. He left the lands that had been his home since his birth with a vow to return as a conqueror, but that was not indeed how it happened. Hayao returned all right, but it was as a beaten and dying wolf demon who crawled up to his former Prince on his belly smelling of foul miasma and arterial blood.

 

 

 

Even Kouga in his anger had taken pity on Hayao and let him speak, let him know that his last words were heard by his former tribesmen. Blood bubbling on his lips he told the tale of the wolves who had gathered up at a ruined palace only a few days travel from the territory Kouga held as his own, and with tears runneling the blood on his cheeks he swore that the wolves had wanted to only honor Kouga's pack and wished his forgiveness so they gathered an offering for him only to be slaughtered by the creature inhabiting the castle, slaughtered the way the humans that had lived there had been as well. He held out his hand towards Kouga despite the growls and snarls of Ginta, Hakkaku and surprisingly Kagome who had blushed becomingly when Kouga stared at her with that look that belonged only to her, the look that told her how much she was loved and desired.

 

 

 

“I will be careful.”

 

 

 

He bent to examine what lay in Hayao's hand and one black brow lifted in a bit of surprise. It was a rather large shard of the Jewel they sought after, about the size of both of the ones he had in his legs if they were fused together. But there was something wrong about it, the color was dark and not just in the fashion of the dark tainted shards that they had given to his mate in the past to purify. He couldn't quite put his finger on what the difference was though he knew he didn't want Kagome to touch it. She had extended her hand so she could purify it almost automatically and he held out his hand to stop her when he felt a stinging pain in his right arm. It was sharp enough to make him snap at Hayao and Kagome exclaimed in horror because she knew that shard had been tainted before it was shoved into her mate's arm.

 

 

 

Feeling something akin to panic she grabbed his forearm and tried to purify it through his skin without purifying him in the process. But it was almost like the thing kept moving and the more she tried the more Kouga howled in pain, though he kept the arm still so she could try. Her upset had Ginta and Hakkaku panicking as well and finally Kouga shouted at them all while more of the pack began to gather to find out what had happened.

 

 

 

“ENOUGH!”

 

 

 

He tenderly disengaged his arm from Kagome's hands, one hand slipping up to caress her cheek to show her he was not angry with her, a kiss pressed to her forehead despite the pain he was in. No one seemed to notice or care as Hayao slumped fully forward and expired, the foulness of his scent was enough to keep even the four legged demon wolves away from the corpse of their exiled pack brother. Kouga raked his free hand through his hair, the tie that held his ponytail flinging off with the motion and he turned towards InuYasha who had just joined them.

 

 

 

“We need to go find out what happened and we need to see where this thing came from so we can get it out of my arm. I'd try to dig it out but it feels like it keeps moving.”

 

 

 

Kagome wanted to come with them and protested bitterly when Kouga insisted that she stay behind. She was scared and didn't want to listen to the better reason of her mind or Kouga's words, her heart told her that her love was hurt and that she needed to be with him. She did not disguise her tears when they parted and even knowing that he would be with InuYasha and Miroku as well as his best uninjured wolves was little comfort to her as she watched them from the entrance to their home. She could not put away the feeling of disquiet nor the anger she felt at the further betrayal of her mate by those rogue wolves, though she did try as she knew her moods were also felt by the cub that grew within her.

 

 

 

It helped a bit when Shippou came to sit with her, and where Shippou was would of course be the sweet Aikiko. They proved to be good company though they could not gain a true smile from her, they did at least ease her heart a bit, for a small while. Now while Kagome's spiritual abilities grew each day she had not been a subject of true precognitive dreams or visions up until that point, if she had there might have been no comforting her at all for the things that were about to happen to her mate and her friends. She had drifted off into a bit of an uneasy sleep when she suddenly woke up with a soft cry, her hand up to cover her mouth as two sets of large innocent eyes looked up at her in alarm.

 

 

 

“Get … get Sashiko! I need her!”

 

 

 

Shippou had run for all he was worth to find the wolf demoness healer that was Kagome's closest female friend, almost terrified that Kagome wanted her because something was wrong with his little brother Koji. The kitsune already had a fierce devotion to the as yet unborn cub, in his mind he thought of him as his baby brother and he wanted nothing bad to ever happen to him. Aikiko had stayed behind to hold Kagome's hand, trying to soothe her as well as she could. Kagome's distress had been sensed by those demon wolves that had declared their loyalty to her, the leader of that group coming up to lay next to her with a soft whine and a push of his muzzle to gain an absent minded stroke of his fur. The motion comforted both and when Sashiko ran up nearly breathless Kagome's words spilled out about what she had `seen' and felt as she woke. Such was her sincere belief in what she had learned that she was able to convince Sashiko to gather up a group of wolves to take her to Kouga despite his direct orders otherwise.

 

 

 

Kouga's group had gathered Sango to go with them on this hunt as in all likelihood there would be demons to slay and every hand could be used, even one that Kouga did not yet fully trust. Miroku was most pleased to see her as well, the evidence of which even now reddened his cheek where she had slapped him. InuYasha rolled his eyes at the display, a knowing glance traded with Kouga afterwards. That lecherous yet cunning monk would have quite an uphill battle if he were choosing that demon slayer as a target for his affections. Despite the minor delays the group actually came quickly enough upon the ruins of the palace, a chill creeping over Sango as she took it in. There was something very familiar about it to her though the idea would not come clear in her mind as if something had placed a block on her thoughts each time she tried to remember where she might have seen the place before.

 

 

 

The heavy wooden gates hung askew and one inner gate was shattered as if a giant fist had blown it inward and into kindling. There were bodies of slaughtered guards and soldiers near those ruined gates and the stench of death was high in the air. The foulness threw off the sensitive noses of the demons and InuYasha lifted a sleeve of his red fire-rat haori to cover his nose. A shuffling sound caught their attention even as a strange pulse seemed to push out over the courtyard and into Kouga, centering on the arm where that false shard had been placed. He stilled completely then as his inner power coiled in a confused state, a very odd expression on his face as the others turned to him.

 

 

 

A lash of searing pain went up his arm and he howled, agony writ on his features as a dusky purple glow began to come from under the skin of his forearm. Sweat popped up on his brow and he gnashed his teeth enough to cut his own lips, barely bringing himself under enough control to order everyone to stand away from him. A will not his own sought to impose itself upon him but his power and mind fought back viciously though each time it struck that purple glow grew in intensity until the pain was nearly enough to break him. He tried ripping at his own arm to remove the source of the pain, the agony now blinding his intellect and allowing the primal Yourouzoku full sway over his body.

 

 

 

His guttural growls and snarls resembled no real language either human or demonic though the group could pick out words here and there which boded no good for the group that loosely surrounded Kouga. All that he knew now was pain and then there came a sudden moment of relief filled with a noxious whisper.

 

 

 

“They are the source of your pain, they killed your packmates and brethren, look you now Prince of Wolves and see the killers, you must avenge the wolves. You must avenge them now.”

 

 

 

Startled cries came from Miroku and Ginta as the corpses of the wolves that had been exiled shuffled into view, the stink of their bodies nearly as horrid as the miasma that swirled farther into the palace like a path leading towards corruption. They had no choice but to attack the zombie wolves as the wolves had no compunction about attacking them and InuYasha's eyes desperately sought out whatever force might be controlling the bodies, hoping that it would be similar to a demon wyrm charmer in that the mind in charge must be close in order to use the power.

 

 

 

Kouga's howl rolled out over the courtyard and stunned them for a moment in its depth and bass intensity, even the corpses seemed to hesitate in the face of the rage that was expressed in that sound. The unseen puppeteer making them dance felt a shiver of fear dance down her spine and wondered if not for the first time if she was merely to be a sacrifice in an experiment of her master's. The creature that could convey his sense of power in that sound was beyond her own ability to destroy, she knew it deep inside, he was truly a Tai-youkai in fact not rumor. But she had her orders and must obey, so with a flick of her will she made the corpses renew their attack upon InuYasha.

 

 

 

It was all they could do to fight off the dead as well as Kouga and it was only a matter of time before one of their number fell to the onslaught. They did not want to injure the maddened wolf-prince, though they were at a loss as to how they were to stop him without hurting him. Miroku swung his staff and downed a zombie only to have to leap back with those near-inhuman reflexes of his to avoid the slashing claws of Kouga's hands, scraps of his robe fluttering in the increasing wind that was making the detritus of the shattered gates scatter over the stones of the courtyard. He did not want to open his kazaana knowing that the miasma would surely be sucked into it along with whatever poisons were flooding the unholy bodies of the dead wolves but he was beginning to see less and less of choice as the fight wore on.

 

 

 

He heard a curse from his right as Sango fell under the combined onslaught of a pair of zombies while she dispatched a third and his Shakujo staff was thrown to take them out and off of her, leaving him with only his ofudas and fists for weapons. The spells were effective against the zombies but he did not have many of them, and finally he yelled at the group to step back as he prepared to remove the prayer beads that bound his curse. He would have to pray that he would have the control to take in the enemies and not Kouga, Kagome would never forgive him if her mate was injured no matter how desperate the circumstance. Well perhaps that wasn't true, she might forgive him but he would never forgive himself for giving her that kind of pain.

 

 

 

“Miroku no!”

 

 

 

A gasp came from InuYasha and Kouga stilled his attack on him, his hand upraised and wreathed with cutting shadow as the other had fisted in the fire-rat haori, his head swinging in a vicious targeting arc as the voice cut through his misery and pain and stilled the foreign whispers in his mind. Rage was still there under the surface, goaded by the poisoned shard in his arm, rage fueled by the disobedience as well but in the end he stood there shaking as her sweet scent came to him in the darkness. He was drenched in sweat, blood, and darker fluids from the zombies that had been torn apart around him but she was there and her hands were sure as they stroked his tangled black locks back from his agonized face, that warm gaze of hers locking onto his almost blank with pain blue eyes. With an apologetic look she bit her lip and he watched a tear roll down her cheek before she suddenly grabbed his wrist and plunged the dagger Sashiko had given her into his forearm.

 

 

 

Only InuYasha suddenly grappling him kept him from hitting her out of shocked reflex though in his right mind he would rather have died than struck her, yet another thing he owed the hanyou for. The fight continued around them unabated as Kagome found the poisoned shard with her fingers and yanked it out of his arm, fingers soaked with gore which kept the poison that had been eating into his flesh from burning her skin. She threw it from them with a disgusted cry and wrapped her arms around Kouga's waist and sobbed, her cheek pressed to his filthy armor. She knew that he would be very upset with her so she wanted to hold him while he would let her and give herself the strength to take whatever harsh words would come her way after the battle. Yet she had not been able to keep herself from coming, not after what she had felt.

 

 

 

In her heart she had suddenly known that if she were not at his side that Kouga would die. She had known it as if the words had come blasting into her brain and the strength of that conviction was enough to have Sashiko and a few of the other wolves bring her to where Kouga had gone on Hayao's descriptions. They had believed in their human Princess, believed that she had been touched with a true seeing and their love for her was such that they could not bear to watch her suffer or allow her to set out on her own. Their numbers were a welcome addition to the horrific fight, and were enough to tip the balance in the favor of the living wolves to the extent that the puppet master finally revealed herself.

 

 

 

Kouga had cradled his Kagome against his chest while Sashiko hurriedly bound his wounded arm, it would take more than just his demonic healing to fix this wound it was certain. Even Sashiko was unable to do more right then save close it and wrap it and she knew it would heal into a terrible scar. Kouga was lucky however, in that he would not lose the use of his arm or his hand though it was sure from the tainted look of the wound that he would have a hard time purging himself of the poison that was yet harming him. Kagome was tugging him away from the combat with shaking hands as InuYasha felled the last of the zombies with Miroku's aid when the source of the destruction here stepped forward into the courtyard of death.

 

 

 

She was elegant in her bearing, dark locks upswept and pinned with two feathers decorating there and lovely jade earrings to accent her delicately pointed ears and her eyes were a gorgeous clear ruby which well complimented her exotic looks. Her kimono was of three rich layers in the style of a dancer and her pale narrow feet were perfectly bare as she strode towards them yet gathered not a speck of dirt or gore upon them. In her graceful hands she held a fan and her voice carried well in the air despite the fact that she did not shout. A pleasant contralto it made one want to listen to her words no matter how horrific the setting or content and what she spoke was indeed horrifying.

 

 

 

“How very sad that the rumor of a great Prince of Wolves was just that, a rumor after all and a waste of my time here tonight.”

 

 

 

There was a pause and surprisingly it was InuYasha who raised the first voice in defense of the wounded Prince.

 

 

 

“And who the hell are you to say shit about Kouga?”

 

 

 

She drew herself up and in her graceful hand the fan snapped open and the wind picked up even more, fluttering the silk around her body.

 

 

 

“I am the wind sorceress Kagura. I am also the death of you all.”

 

 

 

A slight wicked smile came to her lovely painted lips and they parted with slow fascination from one another as that contralto voice suddenly rang out.

 

 

 

“Dance of Blades!”

 

 

 

The wind that now hurtled towards them was shaped like curved blades and cut through or damaged deeply what they struck. InuYasha's sword was lifted in time to deflect a pair of them that would have struck Kagome while she was held by Kouga, and even in his weakened state he had whirled with her to protect her with his body. He would rather die than see any harm come to his mate or cub, and he pressed her into Sashiko's arms as he turned towards Kagura to level a shaking finger at her.

 

 

 

“You killed these rogues which I'd cast out and while this disgusts me I would've let you live. But when you direct yourself towards what's mine, you mistake me. I am Kouga, Prince of the Wolves and I won't allow this.”

 

 

 

The strain of reaching for his inner power should have killed him right there, as weak as his body was from the fight and the virulence of the poison, but Kouga pressed his will and with Kagome's life at stake it was worth the risk to him. The shadows rushed through the courtyard disrupting Kagura's renewed control of the more whole of the dead wolves. Her Dance of the Dead halted as her lips pressed tight in disapproval, she had been assured with the poison tainting his blood that he would be unable to achieve his purer youkai form and yet here he was transforming and it was his massive paw that made the ground shake as he took a determined step towards her.

 

 

 

His growl reverberated with power as his hackles raised, the silken ruff of mane-like fur at his neck and shoulders rippling as he moved. Inadvertently she took a step back as she was not quite ready to face an enraged Tai-youkai despite his weakened state but she would do as she was ordered, she had no choice. She raised her arm to prepare to unleash her strongest attack when Naraku's sickening voice came into her mind and she could not help the smirk that came to her when she realized that Naraku had been surprised that Kouga had been able to transform while under the influence of the poison. She was not ready to leave the fight but she was not the one in command so instead of her vortex attack she sent strong gusts of wind instead and pulled a feather from her hair and tossed it up where it expanded to a size in which she could step up into it.

 

 

 

“Worry not, little Prince. We shall meet again.”

 

 

 

The need for vengeance burned strong within Kouga but it was perhaps a good thing that Kagura had made her escape because it was clear that he was unable to hold his transformation for much longer after she fled. The shadows unraveled around him in a living wave and soon there lay on the courtyard stones a shivering and exhausted Kouga, the sky adding insult to injury by choosing that moment to open up in a sudden downpour of stinging cold rain. Kouga's vision faded in and out though he knew that Kagome had come to lift his head to rest in her lap, her tears making him struggle to stay conscious just a while longer. He turned his head so that his ear rested against her gently swelled belly, the dual heartbeat of hers layered with his cub's soothing him and letting him finally close his eyes to rest while they gathered up the wounded and got them all out of the rain.

 

 

 

It was too risky to move them with the weather like it was so they made do with clearing out an outbuilding to stay in until they could leave the charnel house that the ruined palace had become. Kagome was able to keep herself calm until the wounded were all comforted and then she lay herself down between Kouga and the wall he was close to and curled up with her back to the room and sobbed as quietly as she could. She knew that when Kouga came to his senses that he would be angry with her as she had deliberately disobeyed him in coming after them. She also knew that he would listen to her reason for doing so, and she knew that had she stayed that her vision of sorts would have been right and he would have died of the poison that had been tailor made to kill him. But it did not ease the burden of her heart in that to reach that realization she would still have to face his anger.

 

 

 

At first only Sashiko and InuYasha were awake enough to hear Kagome's suffering and each felt moved to comfort her, but she had placed herself away from where they could do so, they would have to disturb Kouga to get to her and neither of them wanted to do that. Even so InuYasha rose up to go to the girl that he still did love only to have Sashiko gently hold him back with a light touch on his wrist. She shook her head and indicated that he watch, and sure enough Kouga stirred enough to draw his sobbing mate up against his chest to comfort her even while he was in his healing induced sleep. He murmured her name into her ear before he gained a bit more wakefulness, his uninjured hand smoothing over her shoulder and back in small comforting circles. His deep voice was quiet as he spoke to her, words that should not have had an audience but he was not about to let his love suffer if he could help it.

 

 

 

Kouga told her that while he was displeased that she had not obeyed him that he trusted her enough to know that she would not have done so on a whim, that there had to be a reason and that he would listen to it once they were safe at home at the den. That he trusted her as well as loved her made Kagome's tears slow and then stop, and she held herself as tight to him as she could and still be comfortable and not aggravate his injured arm. They slept that way while the rain drummed on the roof and sluiced down the cracked outer walls, the storm finally dispersing near dawn as the weary wolves and their friends for the most part slept.

 

 

 

Miroku had taken up watch and had been joined by a restless InuYasha though neither of them spoke much about what had happened. What little they did speak showed that they were of like mind as to just who was behind this strange wind youkai Kagura, there was little doubt in either one that it must be Naraku though they were unsure just what he wanted or hoped to accomplish by attacking Kouga's wolves even indirectly through the outcast rogues. Why stir them up unless he was wanting to measure just how powerful Kouga had become? Miroku mused that it surely could not simply be just that, perhaps he was measuring all of them to see how loyal they might be to the rising Tai-youkai of the Yourouzoku.

 

 

 

“Keh.”

 

 

 

InuYasha's slightly dismissive snort was enough to make Miroku chuckle but he felt that he was on to something with that line of reasoning. Naraku was one that knew what the weaknesses of those he chose to target were, after all he had known what his grandfather's greatest weakness was and used it against him with dire effectiveness. It was a pattern with that evil creature, not only to be smart and vicious in his attacks but to know his enemies better than perhaps they knew themselves. It made him a deadly foe to have but even he would eventually slip up and Miroku only prayed that they would be there to catch him in that mistake and dispatch him.

 

 

 

After all that defeat would be the only way to save his life and of course Miroku had a vested interest in staying alive. He had no desire to see his own young child watch as he was pulled into his own kazaana as he had seen happen to his father. It had been a hard lesson and if not for Mushin there to hold him back he might have been drawn in during that horrible moment and there would be one less foe to stand against Naraku. He sighed almost imperceptibly and he saw one of InuYasha's mobile ears swivel to pick up the sound though his friend did not ask him what was bothering him. A human might have but InuYasha did not, figuring that if the monk wanted to talk about it that he would if he trusted him enough.

 

 

 

After dawn broke they would be moving back towards the Den as quickly as they could to get the wounded back where they could heal in safety and to better see what could be done for Kouga's terrible wound. His fever had risen during the night from his body and power burning through what it could of the poison but he refused to make them stay in that ruin one more hour for his sake. Later perhaps they might return to burn it as a way to cleanse the site of the evil memories that had become its legacy but for now they would quit the place. Kouga also took the gamble of trusting Sango, she had fought valiantly and shown no sign of still serving Naraku so he allowed her to finally accompany them back to the Den instead of sending her back to Kaede's village alone.

 

 

 

It was a risk to trust her but Kagome had felt that she deserved the chance to prove herself and if his mate felt her heart was true then he would do no less than give her that chance. She'd gone through much and had not let her personal tragedy break her as yet, and Kagome held out hope that she would be able to heal her inner wounds and continue on with a worthwhile life. Of course that her own need for revenge against Naraku meshed well with their own goals was felt to be a good thing and perhaps that so many of them wanted the same thing would help them all gain it without letting it destroy any of them in the process.

 

 

 

They all had good reasons to want Naraku stopped. Sango for the deaths of her family and village, InuYasha for Kikyou, Kiyoshi for his lost Yukiko and unborn child that had died with her, Miroku for his Grandfather, Father, and himself who would die if the curse were not removed. Now Kouga wanted him destroyed because it seemed that he might target his family, his wolves and his beloved mate because of her search for the shards of the Jewel that she had shattered. She did not deserve to live in fear and anxiety, to wonder if her pack and cubs were safe. She deserved to be happy and that was all Kouga wanted deep down. So perhaps with all of them working towards that singular goal of stopping the evil that was Naraku they would be successful and all of them would have futures clear of that heartbreak and loss of the past.

 

 

 

Elsewhere:

 

She was delicate, petite and well formed, a girl who seemed to be no more than nine or so dressed all in purest white. From the pair of white lilies that adorned her equally white hair to the white sandals that she wore on her pale feet she was colorless save for the dark voids of the irises of her eyes. In her small hands was a mirror that glimmered in the low light of the room, the frame made of the bones of her creator and in that mirror was held her magic, the magic of the void. She stepped forward into the room to stand before her master though she showed him no real deference and her utterly still expression did not change. Her lips barely seemed to part to allow her toneless soft voice to emerge which made her speech seem all the more eerie.

 

 

 

“He has survived the poison.”

 

 

 

She lifted her mirror up to better allow him to gaze at the image it showed of the far away demon and it was true that while he was pale he had survived and would recover fully. Naraku lifted his hand to dismiss her, she had been given her orders of what to do after she showed him the results of his current plot and he was quick to send her about her business. She and Kagura would get him what he wished or he would punish them and that is the way things should be. What failed him was of no use to him though he would never fail to learn from the outcome whether it was in his favor or not. To do less would be wasteful of resources and that was one thing that Naraku was not. Each demon that died in his service served a purpose even if that purpose was not clear to his enemies.

 

 

 

Kagura was the first of his incarnations to face his enemies with reason. She would prove to be a useful focus for the rage of the wolves for what had been done to their brethren, and perhaps they would focus more on punishing her than seeking him, or perhaps not. He would not doubt though that the Prince of the Wolves would travel far out of his way to chase her for his revenge and that possible obsession could prove more useful to him than the original deaths themselves. Useless creatures were what those rogue Yourouzoku had been in life but in death and as zombies they had become useful tools.

 

 

 

That was exactly what he viewed other beings in his world, as tools either useful or to be used up and discarded. All existed for the sole purpose of gaining him what he desired whether they were aware of that or not. He would have it no other way even if he had retained more of the humanity he had so easily sacrificed to gain the power he had. Even Kikyou would prove to be no more than a tool for him in the end, used to weaken and destroy the hated InuYasha. His human heart would protest that he supposed, for despite its darkness and evil there was love in that heart yet for the woman. Twisted and vile it was still love and he would have to keep tight rein on that heart lest it lead him into foolishness for the sake of a priestess who was now no more human than he was.

 

 

 

He rose up from the mat which he had been resting upon while he thought and his low voice summoned a figure waiting in the shadows for new orders.

 

 

 

“Kohaku, you will come with me and then you will seek out my enemies and deliver my message to the one they call Sango. She will give me what I wish or I will kill you. You will tell her that, and then return to me.”

 

 

 

Kohaku's dead eyes did not react to the words that predicted his death nor did his hollow voice bring any words of protest.

 

 

 

“I will do as you say, Master.”

 

 

 

AN: This chapter sure took longer than I expected to finish but here it is! I hope you all enjoy it. Next chapter will reveal what it is Naraku wants from Sango and Sesshoumaru has decided it is better to break the Tessaiga than allow InuYasha to continue to wield it.