InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pack Law ❯ Beta ( Chapter 2 )

Pack Law

 

Chapter 2: Beta

 

InuYasha's flood of anger overrode his instincts. “What?!”

 

“Little brother,” Sesshomaru repeated, in his same low and slightly amused voice, “You are ready. You will be my beta.”

 

“I'm ready? For what?”

 

“Do not make me repeat myself again. You are ready to be named my beta.”

 

Narrowed golden eyes met calm ones, expressing more in that moment of silence than had every really been shared between the two half-brothers.

 

“Don't fuck with me, bastard. I'd never make beta, not at your castle. Do you honestly think your vassals would half a half-breed over them? I don't even know Pack Law.” InuYasha's voice was rough, but even he admitted there was an underlying hint of desperation there. `Damn it, no. I don't want this! Maybe once… why would he want me at his side now, of all times?'

 

Sesshomaru lifted a perfect eyebrow. “You have instincts; you've relied on them subconsciously for awhile now. Do not delude yourself into thinking I have not had my eye on your rag-tag pack as you've assembled it. The miko is a fine alpha bitch.”

 

InuYasha snorted. “Don't ever let her hear you say that. She'll purify your sorry ass into pretty pink sparkles.” A smirk crawled onto his face, “Then again… go ahead and try it. I could use a good laugh.”

 

“You do not deny it? Your pack, your bitch? You acknowledge you are alpha.”

 

InuYasha looked in the direction where they could hear his friends preparing for the night. “I'm alpha over a pack of humans, bastard. You know damn well the only ones who possesses any knowledge of Pack is Kirara and the runt, and even he only knows instinct `cuz his parents were slaughtered. He only follows because I'm bigger, stronger, and `cuz Kagome mothers him.”

 

“For one who insists he knows nothing, you have accomplished much.” The quiet admission halted InuYasha's thinking in its tracks. `Did that asshole just compliment me?'

 

“I…” InuYasha trailed off. Really, what do you say at a time like this? When your older half-brother, with whom you share an uneasy, unspoken truce, comes back into your life, proclaiming you ready for a fate you had thought eluded your grasp a century ago? It was all too much. “I already have a quest, damn it all. We're still looking for the fucking shards. What, would you have me give that up? Give up my pack and race to your side as if I've just been sitting around, waiting for you?” His anger grew. “Kami, Sesshomaru. Why now?!” He all but howled the last line in desperation.

 

“This Sesshomaru has made mistakes in the past.” The confession, so unlike the cold, stoic brother InuYasha had grown to know, sent a jolt through the hanyou's brain. “Father's blood flows through your body. You are strong. You are stronger when you have your pack at your back. No, I would not see your pack leave. Nor would I step upon your honor in fulfilling your duties. You will not be chained to the castle. However, you will be my beta. I shall be Inu no Taisho, and you will be at my shoulder.”

 

“Oh I will, will I? You make it sound like I have no choice. How do you expect me to lead a pack from `your shoulder', asshole?”

 

Were Sesshomaru anything less than perfect, he would have sighed, perhaps kneaded his forehead with slender fingers in frustration. But Lord Sesshomaru did not show outward signs of irritation often. “I said I would not have you leave your pack. I would not require you to join me in my home for longer than a few days at a time. You have much to gain from this deal.”

 

InuYasha snorted. “Gain? Like what? I don't need your home, bastard. I'm accepted in the village by my forest. I'm alpha of my pack. I already have a strong sword. What could you give me?”

 

“It is not what I could give you, but what I could provide for your pack that should be of interest.”

 

InuYasha was stumped. What could Sesshomaru possibly do for his friends? “Keh. You mean you won't attack us? Go ahead. We can take you.”

 

Sesshomaru lifted the corner of his mouth into a snarl. “Whelp, you overstep your bounds. You acknowledge your pack is human. Humans succumb to the passage of time. Humans are frail, sicken, and eventually turn to dust. This Sesshomaru offers a deal. Join me as beta, and be a strong sword-arm for me if necessary. In return, I shall infuse my youki with yours into talismans. Your pack will be protected.”

 

“I protect my friends, asshole! I don't need your help!”

 

“You can protect them against the ravages of time? You think to stop time itself? Use your brains. Other than the kit and the two-tail, your pack will grow old and eventually leave you alone. I am providing them with a way to avoid that end.”

 

“What do you mean?” InuYasha was loathe to admit it, but his brother had a point. He had been alone for more than 200 years. Now, he felt secure with his friends… his family… his pack. Damn it, he had been so worried that Miroku might disappear into his kazaana; that Kohaku might turn on his sister… that he might fail to protect Kagome and Shippou. InuYasha hadn't stopped to think that even if they overcame their deadly enemy, his pack would eventually leave him alone again.

 

“Father connected your mortal mother to him shortly after he mated her. As long as he lived, your mother would not age. She was stronger, healed faster. Not immortal, nor insusceptible to illness, but less fragile than other humans. However… Father died in that senseless battle the night you were born. Your mother lost his protection, and fell ill years later.”

 

Bad memories were beginning to surface, and the hanyou shook his head. “Yeah, I remember. You're saying that… if I agree to… to help you, you'll connect my pack in the same way? Why? Why can't I do it alone? And why would you want to?” To say InuYasha was confused and frustrated was an understatement. Damn it, he preferred his brother the way things used to be. They would battle, both would be beaten around a little, and they would go their separate ways. Now Sesshomaru spoke of family, teamwork… things InuYasha had begun to think his brother had no concept of.

 

“This Sesshomaru grows weary of your questions.”

 

“I'm not just going to agree to something I don't understand!”

 

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. `InuYasha is thinking. This must be the miko's influence… he was never so methodical before. Yes, he will make a fine beta.'

 

The tai-youkai sighed but answered InuYasha's questions, a sign of his willingness to work with his half-brother. “You cannot do the binding yourself because of your human blood. Your pack showed their bravery in the battle against Naraku. The taijya was willing to face my wrath, was willing to strike down Rin to protect the monk. The monk would have forgone any pain and death to protect all of you. The miko has come far, and has power this Sesshomaru has rarely seen. Even the kit showed remarkable courage in accompanying Kohaku and Jaken to the battle. Your pack is powerful, and would serve the western lands well.”

 

**********

 

“What do you think Sesshomaru wanted?” Shippou gazed up at his mother as she began heating water for dinner. Kirara had gone hunting while InuYasha met with his brother.

 

“I'm not sure, Shippou.” Kagome slipped her ring onto her right hand and held it out toward the pile of wood Kohaku had built. After a second, a small ball of pink flame sparked the fire.

 

The miko had taken to wearing the ring on a chain around her neck with the jewel shards when she wasn't using it. The fact of the matter was that she just had too much power to handle right then. When she wasn't wearing the ring, she wasn't able to see auras. It was a great skill to have, but it gave her a headache after a while. Had she been trained from her childhood, she might have been able to regulate the flow. Nonetheless, she was thrilled with her progress.

 

Miroku looked up from his meditation nearby as Kirara flew into the clearing, a brace of rabbits clenched in her massive jaws. “I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Sesshomaru did not seem to have any negative intent when he came for InuYasha. And InuYasha's temper has lessened dramatically in the past few weeks.”

 

“You're right about that! He hasn't bopped me good in the past few days!” Shippou sounded awed when he reflected on the absence of the hanyou's temper.

 

Sango chuckled as she cut up Kirara's catch and set them to cook on sticks near the fire. “Are you complaining? I'd think you'd be thrilled.” Shippou nodded in the affirmative, eyeing the sack where he knew Kagome had packed more pocky. Kagome caught his stare.

 

“No candy before dinner, Shippou. I don't want you spoiling your appetite!” She paused for a moment, and then flushed. “Oh, I sound like my mother!” A bit flustered, the young woman turned from the group to hide her reddening face. “I'm too young to sound like Mama!”

 

Miroku chuckled at the young woman's discomfort. “What do you mean, Lady Kagome? You technically are a mother to Shippou here. What do you mean, you're too young? Were you born in this era, you'd probably already have a family.”

 

Kagome looked scandalized. “I haven't even started high school yet! There's still college after that, if I want to go…”

 

“What's coll-edge?” Sango questioned.

 

“More schooling she doesn't need!” The group heard InuYasha before he stepped into the area lit up by the flames. “Your mom said you didn't have to go if you didn't want to, you know.”

 

Kagome nodded; impressed and pleased that InuYasha had remembered that particular conversation. “That's several years away yet, and I'll have to do well in high school first. What did Sesshomaru want?” She began filling cups of ramen with water, eyes sparkling as she saw him take an appreciative sniff.

 

InuYasha looked away. “Nothing too important.” He grabbed his food, but surprised his friends when he sank down next to Kagome to eat rather than jumping up to the tree he had been sitting in.

 

`How do I offer the others a youkai lifetime?' InuYasha inhaled his noodles as he pondered his new problem. `Miroku and Sango want pups. Sesshomaru says they can have talismans, too, but will they make that decision for them? What do I do with Kagome?' Sesshomaru's words came unbidden to his memory.

 

“You must decide if you will take the miko as your mate. A mate connection will be easier to forge into a talisman than forcing a barbaric mark onto her. She may be alpha female, but you would be wise to claim her formally.” InuYasha turned a shade of red to match his haori. Who was Sesshomaru to tell him what to do? Worse, though, he had a point. Kouga had been around not a week ago, sniffing around and letting everybody know that he was ready to take “his woman” to the mountains with him. As usual, Kagome wouldn't let InuYasha fight him, and instead informed Kouga that she needed time to re-collect the jewel shards.

 

“InuYasha? Hellllooooo?” A hand waved in front of his face; he instinctively reached out a clawed hand to catch it.

 

“What, wench?” He realized belatedly that Kagome had asked him a question. She looked miffed as she pulled her hand out of his grasp, though her cheeks reddened a bit as she ran her fingers through his.

 

“I asked if Sesshomaru had said anything about that bear youkai. These are his lands, right? Wouldn't he have heard something?”

 

Red and gold glinted off of silver hair as InuYasha shook his head. “He didn't say anything. We'll take care of it in the morning.”

 

“Lady Kagome, you should meditate tonight.” Miroku fell into his `teaching' tone. “Find your center and allow your power to flow through you. It will enhance your sensitivity.”

 

Kagome nodded. “InuYasha? You don't want me wandering off… but I need some place quiet to sit.” Unlike Miroku, she still found it difficult to slip into meditation when there were distractions. Shippou was usually the largest one, and it was too much to hope the kit would slip off to sleep and leave her with enough time.

 

The hanyou agreed to let her go sit in at the edge of a nearby field. A few seconds after she got up, he took to the trees to follow. He made sure to stop and scowl at Miroku, who had a lecherous grin on his face.

 

“It ain't like that, bouzu. She needs protection.” He missed Sango's knowing smile as he left.

 

`Does she want to go with Kouga?' InuYasha couldn't help dwelling on the encounter with the wolf youkai prince as he hopped from tree to tree, tracking the miko stealthily. She didn't “osuwari” me last time we met; but then, I backed off when she told me too. The monk said I need to start listening… does she even notice I'm trying?

 

**********

 

`InuYasha's been almost nice to everybody lately… it's kind of disconcerting.' Kagome wrinkled her nose. `You're supposed to be meditating, not thinking about InuYasha!' She drew a deep breath, twisting the ring on her finger as she tried to blank her mind.

 

Her focus on “nothing” lasted all of five seconds.

 

`I wonder what Sesshomaru wanted?' Kagome let her mind wander again. She'd learned the hard way that when her mind was swamped, there was little she could do to dam up the flow of questions. She wondered how Miroku got through his hours of meditation. `InuYasha looked troubled when he came back from the meeting with his brother, but he looked… thoughtful, tool. It's strange how much he's changed since the first day we met.'

 

Kagome looked down at the ring on her hand, smiling again. `Would the InuYasha I first knew have given me a ring? I'm sure he didn't mean it like most guys in my era mean it when they give girls a ring… He can't possibly understand engagement rings. He had my bow re-fitted, but I could tell he wanted to give me something special. She giggled at the idea of telling her friends that her “violent, two-timing boyfriend” gave her a ring. Giving up meditation as a lost cause, she flopped back to gaze up at the stars.

 

And jumped when she came face to face with two golden eyes.

 

InuYasha gave a fangy grin. “Meditation, huh? Looks more like a lazy wench taking a nap to me!” There was no sting in his voice, though, and Kagome thought she actually heard a touch of… playfulness?

 

She cocked her head at him. `I could drown in his eyes. He's so… unguarded lately. It's weird…'

 

“Oi! What are you staring at?”

 

“You.” Kagome said. She flushed a few seconds later as her response connected to her brain. `Shouldn't my brain be telling my mouth what to say, not the other way around?'

 

InuYasha chuckled at the disconcerted look on her face. “You're more tired that you let on.” `Why was she staring at me?' He saw her shiver as the breeze gusted. Normally, he would have whipped off his haori and offered it to her. Tonight, though…

 

Kagome gasped as InuYasha bent down and pulled her up against his chest. She was sure he could hear her heart beat, it was pounding so hard. He settled his chin on top of her head, wrapping his arms around her. “Oi, why didn't say you were cold?” Kagome didn't answer, trying unsuccessfully to figure out what to say. He tried again, “What are you thinking about?”

 

It took a moment for Kagome to find her voice. “You've changed.”

 

InuYasha wasn't sure if she meant it as a compliment or not. Hesitantly, wondering if he really wanted to know, he asked “Is that good?”

 

“Do you remember how we met?”

 

“How could I forget something like that? You woke me up, freed me… and bound me in the same night.”

 

“I'll remind you that it was Kaede who actually put those beads on you.”

 

“Yeah, but you said the word.” `The beads aren't what I was talking about, wench.'

 

“She told me to!” Even the arguing was light-hearted. Kagome sighed contentedly, leaning back into InuYasha to stare up at the stars. “Besides, you were trying to kill me, remember?”

 

InuYasha buried his nose in her hair, relishing in her nearness. “You still think that, after all this time? Do you really think I would have killed you?”

 

“Nah,” Kagome mused, “I think you were missing on purpose. You're too powerful to have missed me if you had really wanted to catch me.” She grinned as his chest swelled a bit at the compliment. She continued as she felt him nod against the back of her head. “And I don't think you've changed all that much. You just let a softer side out more often. I like it,” she admitted shyly. She admired the way the starlight flickered off her ring. She tugged off her necklace and strung the ring on it. It settled next to the small bottle of jewel shards, tinkling lightly.

 

InuYasha had never felt so comfortable. `What is this wench doing to me?' He couldn't even form a half-hearted complaint about her saying he was going soft. She snuggled back against him; he tightened his arms a bit more as she looked up at him.

 

“Do you mind if we stay like this a little longer?”

 

`We can stay like this forever…' “Keh. Can't have you getting sick.”

 

She just smiled and rested her cheek on his shoulder. Kagome always heard his thoughts through what he actually said. His ears twitched as he took in surrounding noises.

 

The miko fell asleep in his arms.

 

They stayed like that until morning.

 

A/N:

 

Okay, a bit of fluff with some extra-sweet frosting on top for now… I know I'm going really slowly in this. I promise things will be picking up soon, I just want to have everything set up carefully before I crash head-long into things.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.