InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pack Law ❯ Pack ( Chapter 3 )

Pack Law

 

Chapter 3: Pack

 

“INUYASHA!”

 

Said hanyou grunted as he slammed backward into a tree, cracking it in half.

 

“Hiraikotsu!” Sango hurled her bone boomerang at the bear youkai; the youkai growled and batted the weapon away as if it were a fly.

 

“Damn it! Kagome, where is the shard??” InuYasha was growing irate. The scent of fatigue poured off of his human companions, putting the hanyou on edge. They'd been battling this demon for over an hour. Everybody on their end had at least a minor injury, and the bear looked like it was more than ready for round two. The main problem was getting the shards out before the power had a chance to heal the beast. So far, they'd had little luck.

 

Kagome wiped the sweat off her brow as she squinted. “One in each front paw!” She grimaced as she knocked another arrow to her bow. She hated killing, but this bear had taken several lives while rampaging through nearby villages. Kagome blew the hair out of her eyes, muttering, “We need to distract it somehow… and subdue it.”

 

Shippou sat on the miko's shoulder, knuckles white as he wrapped her hair around his hands. He hung onto her arrows and handed them to her when she asked. He was there on InuYasha's direct orders to protect Kagome at all costs; Shippou wasn't about to fail his alpha. He heard Kagome's muttering and began to wonder what the miko had up her sleeve.

 

The monk seemed to have a similar idea. Kirara swooped down. Miroku hopped off to stand next to Kagome, muttering in her ear. Kagome's eyes lit up and she nodded, looking determined.

 

The bear growled as InuYasha shot toward it, swinging Tetsusaiga in an arc to hit under the ribs. The skin knitted itself neatly together as the youkai knocked the hanyou flying again.

 

The attack had been the distraction Miroku and Kagome had been hoping for.

 

“Now!” Kagome's hand glowed bright pink for a just a second before her power shot at the bear in a thin straight line. The ray of light splintered into various directions, eventually enveloping the bear in a net-like ball. The miko clenched her hand into a loose fist. The lights tightened around the creature. InuYasha brought his sleeve to his nose as the stench of burning fur began to permeate the air. Shippou hopped off Kagome's shoulder as her entire arm began to glow. Protection was one thing, but he didn't want to be purified in the process!

 

Miroku sprinted to the incapacitated creature, jabbing his shajoku into the ground right where the pink beam broke into pieces. He hoped it would help Kagome stabilize her barrier. “Kohaku! Pop out a shard!”

 

A chained scythe cut through the air, sinking into the back of the bear's left paw. A tug and a jewel shard flew free with a sickening pop.

 

Kagome began to sweat and shake as her control weakened on the barrier. It didn't help when the animal began to thrash around, maddened by the pain.

 

“Quickly!” The word was more a gasp than a shout. She brought up her second hand to cup the first, squeezing as though there was an invisible stress ball trying to escape her clutches. `Well, if I think of the bear as a fluffy ball…' It seemed silly the way her sense of wry humor strengthened as she weakened. `Must be InuYasha's influence…' Kagome grimaced at the stress as her arm began to shake.

 

“Hiraikotsu!” The second paw fell to the ground. The bear reeled back with a roar as Kagome let the power drain out of her arm. She slumped to the ground, spots dancing in front of her eyes. InuYasha let loose a volley of diamond spears, wiping out the bear.

 

Kagome focused blurry eyes on her hanyou for just a moment. Then everything went dark.

 

**********

 

“Shut it, Shippou!”

 

“Waaaah! You just wait until Kagome wakes up! She'll `osuwari' you for sure when I tell her you were hitting me!”

 

The air reverberated with InuYasha's growling. Kagome's first thought upon waking was that InuYasha's anger level was reaching critical, and fast. Her head still throbbed, though, and opening her eyes sounded like a fate worse than death. Sitting up seemed an even worse idea. `What happened to me?' Heck, even thinking hurt. She groaned.

 

Silence.

 

`Wow, even an `osuwari' doesn't get this kind of reaction. I must have been really out of it… what happened?' Kagome heard fabric rustling. A second later, light streamed through her eyelids. She squeezed them shut as the light sent bolts of pain straight to her temple. `It's so bright… it must still be daytime. I guess I wasn't out for that long, it was still mid-morning when we were fighting that bear.'

 

“Are you feeling okay, Kagome?” Sango's voice was quiet. Kagome heard water dripping. “You've been out for two days; we've been really worried about you! If it weren't for all of our injuries, we would have rushed you to Kaede's place.” A snort to Kagome's side let her know InuYasha was displeased with the fact that they hadn't. A wet cloth was placed over her eyes. The darkness was welcome.

 

`Two days??' Kagome licked her lips. Her mouth was so dry, she was sure she wouldn't be able to speak. She felt a clawed hand lift her head slightly. A few seconds later, a few drops of cool water trickled into her mouth. “T'ank you…”

 

“Shhh. Do you have a headache? Miroku says you probably just overdid it.” InuYasha's voice was softer than she had ever really heard it. “That, and blood-loss.” Hs voice was a bit harder now and quickly moving back to normal. “Are you COMPLETELY stupid? That bear youkai almost took your head off… did you even notice how much you were bleeding?”

 

`Bleeding?' Kagome realized her arm was in a sling, and vaguely recalled the bear slapping at her. He must have caught her in the back as she spun away. `I probably didn't feel it because of the adrenaline rush.' Kagome cast her mind elsewhere; thinking about the injury made it hurt. “The shards?” InuYasha huffed as she ignored his ranting.

 

The young woman heard a tinkling noise to her right as Shippou pressed the bottle of jewel shards into her uninjured arm. At the same time, she heard Miroku's shajoku jingle as he moved closer to her. “Here. I couldn't purify them like you can, but I've managed to keep them from corrupting any further.” Luckily, she didn't require the use of her powers to purify; her soul was clear enough to wipe any darkness from the shards. She placed the fragments with the others in the bottle with a minimum of fuss.

 

Silence stretched over the campsite again. Kagome was content to slip back into an easy sleep; everybody was recuperating from the battle, it was obvious they wouldn't be moving that day.

 

**********

 

`I need to talk to them.' InuYasha hated it when the group was quiet. It gave him too much time to think. To think about Kagome, the way she felt in his arms the night before they'd taken on the bear… the way she had slipped off to sleep so trustingly as he protected her… the way he even managed to catch a couple hours nap in her soothing presence. She had filled out in the year they'd known each other, she'd become a beautiful young woman.

 

He snorted at the trail his thoughts were taking him, shaking his head. `None of that. The lech got enough laughs that morning when I carried her back to camp. Who knew he'd be awake so early?' The memory of the jabs the monk had made throughout the day brought a flush to the hanyou's cheeks; he lowered his head so the others wouldn't see. `Damn, I really am going soft. How often did I use to blush around other people?'

 

Once he had control over his face again, InuYasha glanced up at his companions. Sango and Kohaku sat near Kagome. Both were crushing herbs Kagome had brought with them, preparing to tend to wounds later. `Kohaku's so quiet. I know we've told him it was Naraku pulling the strings, but he'll never really get over killing his kin. Would he want to live an extended life with that knowledge?' Kohaku's face would always have a shadow that nobody could lift. `Would Sango want a longer life without him?'

 

Miroku's staff jingled lightly as the monk sharpened the edge of it. `What about the monk? He's just now really realizing he's not going to be sucked into that hand of his; would he be willing to live longer?' His sharp eyes caught Miroku's “covert” glances at Sango's backside as she leaned forward to dribble some water into a paste she was making. `Keh. He'd probably stay if she did.'

 

Shippou was curled nearest Kagome, looking more like a growth on her side than a kit. `He'll live long anyway, with us to fend for him. Kit'd probably be delighted to be formally adopted, though.'

 

Decision made, InuYasha stood and stalked to Sango.

 

“We need to talk. Just you and me. Miroku?” The monk looked up. “Keep an eye on Kagome. We won't go far, but yell if she wakes up and needs anything. Kohaku?” The younger taijya turned his full attention on InuYasha. “Make sure the lech keeps his hands to himself.”

 

InuYasha and Sango stepped away into the surrounding forest. `She's taijya. She's got the most youkai knowledge; it'll be easiest to talk to her about it first. Plus, her answer will probably be the deciding factor for Miroku.'

 

When they were far enough away from the group to not be heard, InuYasha motioned for Sango to sit. Leaning against a tree, he stared at the woman. She met his gaze calmly. `She trusts me. All of them do. They trust me to make the right decisions, to stick with me.' The sudden realization helped InuYasha get over his fear of rejection and get straight to the point.

 

“Youkai live a long time.” `Okay, maybe a little too straight to the point,' InuYasha thought the second the words left his mouth. Sango lifted an eyebrow at him in what only Kagome could have described as a `No shit, Sherlock' expression. If Kagome swore, which she didn't. As it was, InuYasha felt stupid and turned his head to avoid Sango's slightly amused look. “Humans don't.” Sango sobered.

 

“That's true… what's this about, InuYasha?”

 

“What do you know about packs? About youkai and Pack Law?”

 

The question caught Sango off-guard. She found herself lost in thought for a moment as she tried to answer. “Well, father said the smartest of demons form packs, or bands. Like Kouga and his wolves, there's a Pack Leader, or two, and they're generally the ones that call the shots.” She shrugged, “I guess you could say we're a pack. You're inu-hanyou, and the strongest, so you'd probably be our alpha. Kagome keeps us all together and is like a mother to Shippou, so she'd probably be considered our alpha female to any youkai, right?”

 

InuYasha was appreciative to hear Sango refer to him as alpha. His one concern with her had been her knowledge of where everybody stood in the group. They had to all see him as alpha, or this plan would never work out. Nobody in Sesshomaru's domain would respect a human alpha male. He wouldn't admit it, but he was also pleased to hear her refer to Kagome as the alpha female. “Keh. Close enough. What do you know about Pack Law?”

 

Sango was quiet as she tried to recall anything her father had told her. “Mainly that it's based on instincts and survival. For example, if we were all youkai, Pack Law would dictate that we do what you tell us to, because you're in charge. I think father once said that most species of youkai had a tai-youkai leading them, a sort of alpha over all alphas. Wasn't your father Inu no Taisho? If I remember correctly, your brother would be next in line…” Sango trailed off, eyeing InuYasha speculatively. “Are you thinking about challenging for Inu no Taisho?”

 

Shocked, InuYasha shook his head wildly. “Hell no! Me? As if any of the tight-asses in the West would look to a hanyou in charge.” He snorted at the idea. “They'd try to kill me in a heartbeat.”

 

Sango gazed at him. InuYasha seemed almost nervous. `What is he thinking?' After silence stretched for a few moments, she sighed. “InuYasha, why did you call me out here?”

 

More silence. InuYasha cleared his throat, looking away, and then hunkered down to stare Sango in the eye. “Sango, if you could… if you could have an extended lifespan, would you?”

 

Sango stared back. “What? Like a youkai's, you mean?” InuYasha nodded. “I… well, wouldn't that mean I'd have to mate with a youkai?” She flushed, wondering if InuYasha was insinuating what it sounded like.

 

InuYasha's eyes grew wide as he shook his head again. “No! No, that's not what I'm suggesting. No! I mean…” he looked away, “We're a pack, like you said. Sesshomaru came to me and told me he wants me as beta when he formally takes Inu no Taisho status and moves into father's castle in the West.”

 

Sango was shocked. “Sesshomaru? Wants you as beta? That's a lot of responsibility, InuYasha. Would you do it?”

 

The hanyou shook his head, but then nodded. “It was something I wanted, once. I thought it'd make me belong, feel like a real family. But we're pack; we're a family, right?” Sango nodded with a small smile, encouraging him to continue. “I don't want to lose that. Sesshomaru thinks we're strong, and he'd like to formally take us in for the West. That way, we'd still be able to hunt for shards and stuff…” InuYasha trailed off. “Thing is… mother died when I was young. I don't want to lose you guys, too. I know it's selfish, but I want to keep you guys with me.”

 

That was one of the longest speeches Sango had ever heard from InuYasha. She was touched that he wanted them with her, but saw a major loophole in his thoughts.

 

“InuYasha, I'm human. Miroku, Kohaku and Kagome are human. You'll live for a long time past when we die.” It was blunt, but honest. She didn't want to promise something she couldn't give.

 

“I know,” he replied, and looked her straight in the eye. “But Sesshomaru says there's a way to tie you four to me and him. Your lives would slow with the power of our youki. It's not like mating, but you'd be stronger and heal faster. I know Kohaku has a hard time dealing with what he did to your clan… this would give him time to make reparations for that. I know you and the lech want pups,” he grinned as Sango turned bright red, “and we'd extend the same protection to them, too. They'd be pack, too.”

 

Sango looked toward where they had made camp. “Have you mentioned this to Kagome? To Miroku?”

 

InuYasha shook his head. “Feh, I thought I'd mention it to you first. You're a hell of a fighter, Sango; we could really use you sticking with us. Miroku probably won't if you won't…” Sango blushed again, “And… Kagome's… different. I have to think about it.”

 

"Damn! Ouch!"  Sango had grabbed one of InuYasha's forelocks.

 

Frowning, she pulled him to face her. "I won't do it if you're not going to suggest the same to Kagome."

 

InuYasha pulled his hair from her iron grip, glaring. “I didn't say I wasn't going to ask her! I said I had to think about what I was going to ask her!”

 

Sango smiled, eyes widening at the insinuation, then nodded. “Good. Do I have to give you an answer right away?”

 

InuYasha shook his head. “Nah, you can think on it for a bit. Not too long, though, Sesshomaru's not exactly known for his patience.”

 

Sango agreed, and the two walked back into camp. InuYasha's thoughts were already on how to explain everything to the monk. It would be harder, for sure… Miroku didn't understand Pack Law at all.

 

`Aw hell… and what the fuck am I supposed to tell Kagome?'

 

A/N:

 

I'd like to give a shout-out to everybody who's left me reviews so far! I hope you're all enjoying the story - I know there's not a load of action yet, but I really want to make sure my lead-in is solid. I went into this story with a solid beginning and a solid ending, but was still a bit fuzzy in how to get our characters from point A to point B. Luckily, I had a brain-wave a few days ago, so hopefully I'll be cranking out the next few chapters.

Up next: A trip to the future! Kagome makes a shocking discovery!

 

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