InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Red Riding Haori ❯ Part 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Red Riding Haori

Part 3

 

Inuyasha sat crouched in a tree, his back against the trunk as he overlooked the wood cutters camp. So far the day had been uneventful. The men had worked hard, though they kept a weary air about them. Inuyasha approved of this, his respect for the men growing. Still, he was frustrated.

 

He had been looking for a fight today, especially after what had happened at the well. He'd hoped the demon would continue with its routine, planning to ambush it. He wanted to know why the demon was in his territory, stealing patches of it from under his nose. But more importantly, he wanted to know why the demon had been watching Kagome this morning.

 

He didn't like the thought of anyone watching Kagome.

 

Inuyasha was unsure of where things were headed with the village girl. He knew where he wanted them to go. He wanted her to stay with him, to be with only him. Her smiles made him light, her temper kept him on his toes, while her determination fascinated him. He'd long ago made his choice about her. He just needed to know what her choice was.

 

With a quick extension of his legs, Inuyasha was bounding from tree to tree, beginning yet another round of the area. He scented the air, looking for the now familiar scent of the invading youkai. The normal scents of the forest reached his nose, along with those of lesser, none threatening spirits and demons. The stench of the demon he sought was not among them. He soon returned to his resting tree and took up his previous position, this time pulling his sheathed sword to rest in his lap.

 

He stared at the worn scabbard, running a clawed hand over it as he growled, his frustration growing by the moment. The youkai hadn't shown, and the work day was almost at an end. He couldn't risk letting the demon live another day. Already almost half his territory had been taken, and the possibility of a human getting hurt or eaten mounted each time it came close to one. Today it had been watching Kagome.

 

Inuyasha's stomach clenched. Perhaps the demon hadn't left the village. What if it had stayed near the village, keeping down wind so as not to alert him to its presence? What if it was stalking her right now? He could never forgive himself if he wasn't there to protect her and something happened. He shook his head at the thoughts. No, she would be fine as long as she wore his haori…. Wouldn't she?

 

With his worry slowly consuming him, Inuyasha didn't notice the approaching demon youki as soon as he should have. It was only when the blur became visible that he sensed the familiar aura, and then only sat in confusion as the little ball of fur attached itself to his chest with a wail, the undisguised reek of fear surrounding him.

 

“Inuyasha!” said Shippo, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

 

“Shippo?” His voice was gruff as he looked down at the kitsune, uncomfortable with his wailing. “What's goin' on? You should be at the village, with Kagome.”

 

“Oh, Inuyasha!” Shippo said, “You have to hurry! It's the demon, he's a wolf, he… he… and Kagome took a basket to her Obaa-san and…Inuyasha, he's gone after Kagome.”

 

Inuyasha went still as all of his fears were realised. Kagome was in danger. He'd been right; it had shown a particular interest in her. Why, he wasn't sure, but that didn't change anything. She was in trouble and alone and-

 

Shippo wailed as he was conked on the head by the fist of an enraged hanyou.

 

“Idiot! Why aren't you still with her?” Inuyasha said, a growl in his voice.

 

Shippo rubbed the bump on his head. “I had to come get you! You moron!” He began to pout. “She made me leave, I didn't want to…”

 

Inuyasha wasn't listening anymore, having stood and slid his sword into place. He took hold of the kit and moved him to his back.

 

“Forget it, we have to go.”

 

With that he took to the trees leaping from one to the other in rapid succession. His mind filled with a mantra, silently asking that Kagome be alright; that she stay safe until he could get to her.

 

He was part way to the little hut in which Kagome's grandmother lived when the scent of fresh human blood reached his nose. Worried it could be Kagome, Inuyasha descended from the trees, hitting the ground with a graceful thud, crouching to absorb the impact. He looked around the dense undergrowth and sniffed the air.

 

“Inuyasha, I smell blood,” said Shippo in a whisper from his shoulder.

 

“Ya.” His eyes narrowed as he moved toward a bush. “Me too….”

 

Just beyond the bush, at the base of a tree, lay an old woman with an eye patch. Her shoulder was covered in blood, the material soaked in it. Her good eye was closed, her skin pale. She looked like she was dead.

 

Inuyasha moved a bit away from the body and began to dig a trench.

 

“What are you doing?” Shippo asked, confused by the hanyou's actions.

 

“Diggin' a hole for her,” he said with a grunt, yet another clump of dirt spraying out behind him.

 

“Ye will not be burying me, hanyou. I am not dead yet,” the old woman said, her voice a croak as her eye cracked open.

 

Inuyasha stopped and straightened, a glower covering his face. “I ain't burying you, old woman. You have no scent of death. But I'm in a hurry; I have a demon to kill. You'll have to wait here till I can come back and help you. You should be safe covered up; your scent won't travel as far.” Inuyasha turned back and resumed his digging.

 

Kaede watched him thoughtfully. “Ye are Inuyasha? Ye seek the demon that has entered your territory seeking to take it from ye, don't ye?”

 

He glanced at her as he continued to work. “Ya. What of it?”

 

The old woman nodded. “He is after my granddaughter, Kagome. He seeks to make her his mate believing it will legitimately give him claim to your territory. Do ye know why he may believe that?”

 

Inuyasha froze, wide eyed. He couldn't breath, couldn't think. Had his heart stopped? The demon wanted Kagome, but not for food. He wanted Kagome, sweet, innocent, fiery Kagome. His Kagome. Why? Why was the demon suddenly so interested in her?

 

A sniff came from beside him. Shippo had hopped from his shoulder and was now staring at the ground as he toed the earth. “It's cause of the haori.”

 

Inuyashas' fist connected with the kit's head, sending him wailing to Kaede at the abuse.

 

“I gave Kagome my haori to protect her, runt!” Inuyasha said, a vein throbbing at the suggestion that he had put Kagome in danger.

 

“Your intent may have been to protect her, but to every demon in the area it's a clear declaration of your intentions towards her, dummy!” Shippo said, his cheeks still wet, “You don't know anything, do you? Do you realise the danger your ignorance has put Kagome in?

 

Before Inuyasha could reply, or come after the kit as he seemed to be considering, Kaede spoke up, her voice filled with concern. “Am I to understand ye have intentions for Kagome?” she asked, “and that this is why the demon wolf pursues her?”

 

Inuyasha looked away from the old woman, casting his glower onto the forest. If it was true, then he had put Kagome in danger. The one thing he had been trying to avoid, he had caused. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

 

“If ye do have intentions towards my granddaughter, then I ask that you hurry. The demon planed to use me in order to get to the girl, but I fear that even though I managed to flee, he will not be dissuaded from his goal. Ye must be sure we are rid of him for good.”

 

***

 

Kagome stood outside the small hut, taking in the clearing surrounding it. She could see her grandmothers' garden and noted that it would need weeding before she left. Some of the herbs looked like they could be picked for drying as well. The birds in the trees and the wind rustling the leaves reassured her that the demon, Kouga, had not followed her.

 

When she looked toward the door, a cold chill she could not explain chased its way down her spine. She adjusted the flowers and basket, taking in the clearing once again. She touched her finger to the throbbing of her shoulder. Nothing looked out of place.

 

With a smile at her own silliness, Kagome made her way to the doorway, pushing the mat aside to let light in before it fell back into place behind her.

 

“Obaa-san?” she said gently.

 

She could see her grandmother sleeping on her pallet, an old kimono being used as a cover drawn close to her head. A small smile graced Kagome's lips. She would let her grandmother sleep while she prepared some tea. Spotting the kettle, Kagome knelt by it, placing the basket and flowers to the side. She hadn't even filled it with water when her grandmother's movement and mutter drew her attention.

 

“Obaa-san?” Kagome said softly.

 

She was answered with another murmur, which caused her to frown. Fevers caused people to talk in their sleep. It was dangerous for old people to have fevers, they were already naturally weak. If it was indeed a fever, she would have to stay with her grandmother to see her through it. Worried, she moved to her grandmothers' side and reached over to feel her forehead, checking if the flesh was overly warm.

 

She couldn't quite figure how she ended up on her back. She could recall a biting pain in her wrist as it was grasped, but the rest was a blur. Now she lay pressed to the futon, her hands held down to either side of her, a grinning, dark haired wolf hovering above her. Her eyes widened and she began to tremble, causing the wolf to growl as her body shook against his.

 

“I knew you'd come to me, little red.” He shifted so that he was now straddling her hips, pressing her down as he continued to linger over her, his face millimetres from hers.

 

Fear gripped her. “What have you done with Obaa-san?”

 

He grinned, a wicked gleam entering his eyes. “You think I ate her?” The frightened whimper that caught in her throat confirmed this. “Don't worry, she lives,” he said, his warm breath caressing her lips.

 

Panic tightened in her stomach as he shifted, holding her arms down even as he managed to pull the haori from her. Her breath came in frightened pants, her eyes shifting all around her as she searched for escape.

 

“No,” she gasped, struggling now, trying to shake him off of her, “Don't do this, I don't want this!”

 

He chuckled. His tongue slipped out and grazed along her jaw seemingly meant as a calming gesture. It only caused her anxiety to spike. She twisted her head to the side, scrunched her shoulders up and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make herself as small as possible. She sensed his distraction when he pulled back, his hands leaving hers, shocking her enough to open her eyes and look at him. Was he having second thoughts?

 

The demon sat atop her, staring down with narrowed blue eyes. His hands had not completely left her, one rested on her obi covered stomach, while the other clenched the red haori he had pulled from her.

 

“I have spoken words of ritual. I have tasted your blood and found it pleasant. I am strong and will be able to provide for you and our young. You have no reason to turn me down Kagome…mate,” he said, his voice confident though the tilt of his head suggested confusion.

 

She unconsciously rubbed her arms where he had held her. “But, I don't know you, I don't…there's no…” Tears came unbidden to her eyes. “…how can there be love between us?”

 

His fingers curled over the obi and tugged at it as his predatory eyes continued to study her. She gasped at the movement and her hands fluttered to his to try and pull them away.

 

“What does love have to do with anything?” he said and then lifted her by the obi, forcing her to sit up even as he continued to straddle her. “This is but an exchange of claim to territory.”

 

With a tug at her back, the knot of the obi came undone, the red sash slithering loose. The material slid between his fingers, allowing her kimono front to loosen, exposing pale flesh to his gaze. She trembled beneath him and when her hand moved from his to clutch her front closed he couldn't hide his smirk. He took one end and pulled the obi completely from her, letting her fall back to the floor with a shocked cry, her hands griping the only barrier that protected her from him.

 

Tears slid down her cheeks as he leaned over her again, his hands gripping hers and prying them from the material. A hand slid under the rim of the kimono, only to push it aside, exposing a creamy white breast to the cool air and the heat of his gaze. Kouga pushed the other aside, revealing its twin. His nose nuzzled into the valley between them, taking in the scent that was her, his tongue slipping out to taste the saltiness of her skin. He ignored the press of her hands against his shoulders as she tried to dislodge him. Her struggle had as much impact on him as a moth's wing as it brushed by. Her sobs were again like music, calling him to continue, to win her over.

 

Kagome gasped in alarm as a hot, moist mouth enveloped her breast, only to cry out in shock and pain as fangs grazed hard enough to raise welts. The other was handled in a bruising manner, his finger and thumb pinching at the pink nipple till it was pebble hard and darkened from the rush of blood beneath the surface. She was distressed by the reaction of her body, by the boldness of his hands and by what she knew was yet to come.

 

A whimper surfaced in the back of her throat and she found her words again, pleading to be released. “I'm not ready for this! I'm too young! Please…Kouga-sama…don't….”

 

A growl rumbled in his chest. He looked up at her from where he'd been torturing her breast. “Not ready?”

 

With a quick shift he was no longer straddling her, but pressing her thighs apart as he brought one of his legs between hers. He brought his thigh up against her, pressing it to the curls that hid her heated core before rocking against her. The sudden pressure had her shivering and trembling as liquid heat pooled in her abdomen.

 

“You feel ready to me,” he said as her slickness covered his thigh.

 

“But not for you!” she said, her voice high with her frustration and fear.

 

Kouga continued to rock against her, even though his face darkened at her words. He was getting tired of her refusal of him. “You would prefer the mutt?” he said with a growl.

 

Kagome's body was tense; the sensations rushing through her from his thigh against her were frightening in their foreignness and intensity, her over heated body making her mind fuzzy. His words echoed through her head and she briefly wondered if her feelings would be different if it was Inuyasha above her now and not the wolf.

 

“Inu-” Her voice caught as Kouga pressed particularly roughly against her, causing the pressure to build, making her squirm under him, digging her nails into his arms. “-yasha…”

 

An angry growl ripped through him as her halting words reached his ears. Though he could smell her arousal, could see the glaze of desire in her eyes, she still fought him, her arms straining against him, still trying to push him off. He would not risk losing her. His own body ached for hers, having become hard when he first scented her approach to the hut. He already knew she was ready for him, her wetness apparent on his leg. He could imagine her tightness surrounding him, pulling him in even as he buried himself into her. And all she could think of was the mutt.

 

With a sudden sense of urgency the wolf shifted from her and took hold of her hips. He flipped her over onto her stomach, her alarmed cry filling the hut.

 

Kagome's eyes were wide with panic, she couldn't see the demon behind her, she didn't know what he intended, but could feel his rage radiating off of him. She tried to scramble away, her hands clawing before her, trying to pull herself forward. His hand clamping down on her neck made her still instantly, her cheek pushed painfully into the futon as he pressed her down. His other hand slid under her hips, lifting her and forcing her knees to support her, spreading them apart so he could settle between them. His now uncovered hardened length rested between her cheeks as he tucked her bottom against him, rubbing against her as he shifted above her.

 

Kagome felt utterly helpless and exposed. She cried out in frustration and fear, sobbing as she renewed her struggles. Her neck was released only to have his fangs sink into her back above her shoulder blade. Pain erupted from that spot, fogging her mind as she chocked on her scream. Her hands fisted the material of her kimono below her, tears streaming down her face. His fingers pressed against her slick centre and a whimper erupted from her as he slid one in. She screamed and bucked as he slid another in, forcing her open, stretching her painfully.

 

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening!

 

Inuyasha…

 

***

 

Inuyasha raced through the forest canopy, his mind centred on one thing, one person. Kagome. He had to get to Kagome.

 

He'd left Shippo with the old woman after putting her in the hole and covering her up. He'd told him that what he may find when he reached the hut would not be suitable for the kit and what he would do to the demon would be equally unsuitable. He'd softened the blow to the kits pride at being left behind by pointing out that Kaede would still need protection, just in case hiding her was not enough.

 

A scream not far ahead of him had the blood draining from his face. His heart dropped into his stomach even as the bile rose in his throat. It was Kagome, he could smell her now. And with her scent came that of the demon wolfs. Anger and fear consumed him as he took the final few leaps before he entered the clearing holding the hut.

 

He moved the mat covering the doorway aside with such force that it came off its hanging and crashed to the floor. Light streamed into the darkened hut, Kagome's sobs filling his ears as his eyes took in the sight before him.

 

The wolf was bent over her, his fangs in her back holding her in place. Blood trickled from the wound, mixing with sweat. One hand held her hip while the other was pressed up against her dark curls, fingers disappearing inside of her. His lower half was exposed, his obvious arousal pressed against the curve of her bottom, while armour still covered his chest. He couldn't see Kagome's face but her distressed cries and sobs told him all he needed to know.

 

The demon wolf's eyes had flickered to him at his entrance and now he disengaged his teeth from Kagome's back, causing her to cry out again. Blood, her blood, trickled from the corner of his mouth and coated his lips for only a moment before he licked them clean. His ice blue eyes evaluated him even as a growl erupted from Inuyasha, finally alerting Kagome to his presence. With the weight of the demon removed, she was able to push herself up some and turn. Her face was a mask of fear, wet with tears and sweat, curling tendrils of hair plastered against her skin.

 

“Inuyasha…” Her eyes showed pain, but also hope at seeing him.

 

He moved towards her only for her to be grasped by the wolf and pulled up against the length of his body, his hand on her neck, forcing her head to the side. He watched Inuyasha, his gaze daring him to make a move as his lips whispered across her exposed neck, teeth nipping at her skin. His other hand drifted across her body, over her breasts and stomach to the apex of her thighs where he once again submerged his fingers inside of her. She cried out again, struggling even as he tightened his hold.

 

“You will back off mutt and let my mate and I continue as we were. This is my land now; I have taken your alpha female. I have proven I am the stronger.”

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome said her voice beseeching and filled with fear.

 

“Fuck that! You wanna prove you're stronger, you fight me you stinking wolf!” Inuyasha said, cracking his knuckles, his lips pulled back in a challenging snarl.

 

The wolf's eyes narrowed as he acknowledged the challenge. His hands moved possessively over Kagome's body as he removed them from her and placed her behind him. He licked his fingers clean of her juices as he gazed into her eyes.

 

“I apologise for the interruption, Kagome.” He took a strand of her hair in hand, caressing it between thumb and palm. “Let me take care of this nuisance, and then we shall continue.”

 

Inuyasha growled fiercely at the wolf's taunt, but felt satisfaction as Kagome curled her legs up to hide herself, shying away from the wolf's touch. Her eyes darted to his over the wolf's shoulder and he gave her a reassuring nod.

 

With a displeased frown, the wolf turned back to Inuyasha, taking up his fur pelt and wrapping it about him once again as he stood.

 

“I am Prince Kouga of the Wolf Demon Tribe. I accept your challenge for mate and invite you to make the first move,” he said clearly, holding his head high, his chest puffed out proudly.

 

Inuyasha gave an arrogant, “Keh” before he moved in quickly with a killing blow. As his claws came down on the wolf, he suddenly found only air there, the momentum of his attack carrying his fist down and into the floor boards, splintering them.

 

He looked over his shoulder at the sound of a derisive snort. Kouga stood on the other side of the hut, leaning against the wall with arms crossed.

 

“You're going to have to be faster then that if you want to beat me, mutt.” The wolf taunted with a grin.

 

***

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! O_O I likes reviews! Please review!