InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets of the Heart ❯ After the fight ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter 09: After the fight

 

I'm loving this fanfic so much I'm hooked up with writing more and more chapters every day. Since it's summer vacation here, I've got tons of time when I'm home. Keeping you from the story? Pay me no deed and go for it!

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha… but now I own two very good characters in my fanfic!

 

 

Inuko felt a bit dazed due to the strength of the blow that the neko youkai had hit in her stomach. The wall at her back had cracked and created a sort of slight cave, it had indeed being a strong blow. She was sweating now, her body slick and bright under the sun. She felt wonderful, even if pieces of her hakama were amiss in both her top and legs and the remaining straps were bothering her a bit. he was in better shape than her, his clothing completely untouched and only a bit sweaty.

 

“Grr..” not looking at him she grabbed the sleeves of the kimono and yanking them, teared them apart leaving her arms exposed completely, doing the same with the part of the legs that was under her knees she failed to catch the amusement that crept in his features.

 

He was enjoying this as much as he hadn't in a very long time. She was splendorous, powerful and agile, not as fast as him but that was probably due to lack of training. He could tell she was not used to fighting and much less to dodge blows. Mostly all of his punches and kicks connected to her while he skipped hers with little effort, if he hadn't done so, he would have being in serious trouble. How could her guardian, not mate because he could smell her unmated, leave her unguarded? He wasn't planning on letting her go, no matter whom he had to fight.

 

“What are you waiting for, neko-chan?” The soft bet send him on the edge again, if she knew how much his desire crept when she said things like that…

 

“I'm enjoying the landscape, honey” at what point had they started calling each other sweet names, maybe mockingly maybe sarcastically, he couldn't tell, but he was getting the catch of it.

 

The short phrase got Inuko enraged and she lunged herself towards him her claws raised to rip and clash. He clasped her wrist and swung her above his head. She wriggled in the air and landed on her feet, crouching and helping her balance with her hands on the floor. He gasped; she had looked just like a cat for a split second.

 

Standing she shifted her weight to each foot before doing a zigzag motion at high speed, she couldn't recall when or where she had seen such thing done, the memory slipped her grasp each time she had it almost there. He zigzagged in reverse motion to hers, almost at grazing distance. Her face unguarded, he could have punched her in the face but he was afraid she would get hurt and he had no intention of hurting her.

 

After he avoided every one of her slow, but powerful, punches she stood motionless for a couple of seconds, observing him. He was faster than her, and he wasn't even tired of avoiding her. Was she so slow? So bad at fighting that he could win without trying?

 

She felt useless, her pride deeply hurt. She jumped high this time, her kick aiming at his head but he dodged backwards and let her slip catching her by the waist and clasping a hand to the nape of her neck and forcefully grasping her hair, brought her face towards him.

 

She was breathing hard, almost panting and he felt like panting too, but for very different reasons. She looked so hot, blazing almost; her heat seemed to be attaching to him, her enticing scent making him even more aware of her presence.

 

His other hand rested on her waist, her legs were at his sides making her position strained and unnatural. Letting go of her hair he smoothed it and started stroking the long tresses.

 

“Stop that!”

 

“Why?”

 

“Please, stop” she felt her knees weakening. She hated that, she wanted to feel the rush of the fight, the adrenalin flowing through her veins. She pushed him backwards and hit his chest with her elbow.

 

“You are a tough creature, but you see… I can't loose”

 

“Neither can I, this is my fight!!”

 

“I'm sorry, precious, but you won't win”

 

“You can't defeat me!”

 

But before she finished the sentence he was upon her. The punch he delivered into her stomach doubled her, the muscles surrendered to the strength of the blow. A blackness entered the corners of her sight. Slipping into his arms she felt how her conscious dissolved into nothing but thin air. The enveloping darkness was the only thing she could hold on to.

 

 

 

“Open your eyes, little one” the purr on her ear tickled her and her ear responded flattening itself towards her scalp.

 

She growled, there was a gurgling sound around her and the rich smell of fresh water mixed with strawberries. She didn't know this place but the scent of neko youkai's lingered everywhere.

 

Cracking one eye open, the light that exploded before her was so bright it forced her to close her eyelids in annoyance.

 

“C'mon, dear, you'll miss the whole day like this”

 

His mocking voice penetrated her senses like a stab. Flinging herself upwards she run out of his reach but not before directing a quick kick that connected to his jaw and send him toppling backwards until the wooden wall stopped him.

 

She looked around, it was a Japanese style room, with the futon she had recently vacated on the center, a few pots arranged with flowers in what appeared like very stylized ikebana and a picture, maybe drawn in ink, of the Fuji mountain and a few cherries blooming around. It was quite cozy, pillows spread in the corners with lots of candles on the floor and on indentations on the walls and lovely paper doors with bamboo leaves drawn in soft green shades.

 

“So much for a good morning…” he commented, not even bothering to stand and reaccommodating in a sitting position over the pillows of bright colors.

 

“Where am I?! Where have you brought me?!”

 

“Hush, I've brought you home”

 

“This place stinks of neko youkai!”

 

“Indeed, it's the neko youkai palace you are in, so it's rather appropriate for it to smell that way”

 

“Don't mock me! Why am I here!?”

 

“Because I fancied you to be” he paid her no deed and it got to her nerves easy enough.

 

“And who the hell are you to do something so selfish? You never asked me whether if I wanted to come here or not!”

 

She grabbed him by the collar of his kimono, yanking him upwards. Surprised slightly by her strength he chuckled, bringing his hand to her wrist and squeezing it, making her release him unceremoniously dropping her grasp and flinching in pain. Massaging the sore spot with his hands he brought her toward the pillows.

 

Having no chances of escaping his hold she let go and sat at his side, a bit lower, at his knee's height. Slowly, so slowly, she began relaxing. The pillows were so soft and plushy she felt like purring. Stop. Where had that come from?

 

“I do what I want, when and where I want to, since I am Koharu” his softly voiced sentence brought her back to the present state.

 

“That is not exactly illuminating”

 

“He is our prince, the heir of the Neko Clan” a husky female voice came through the door.

 

“Please come in, Maeba-san”

 

“Yes, my prince”

 

An old lady with fluffy black years pretty much like hers was kneeling on the outside side of the paper walls. Her hair graying and her eyes cast down, looking only to the floor she looked very fragile. Her kimono was very elegant, and heavy, Inuko thought, watching the long sleeves fall at her sides. Cream basic colors with white and grey bamboo leaves printed on the base and a black obi with silvery moons and creamy clouds falling in a wide ribbon at her back.

 

“Have you brought my lady's clothes?” Inuko was left speechless, was he referring to her? What the fuck?!

 

“Yes, here they are, just as you requested”

 

“Good” he signaled a corner for her to leave them there. She did as requested and then went outside after deeply bowing to him. When she was kneeling outside almost closing the panels, she stopped, doubting. “Yes?”

 

“If I may speak, my prince, the young princess it's not happy with your… er… choice. And the king wants to have a look at it himself”

 

“First of all, she is no thing! You old hag!” he lifted and stomped almost as if he were to hit the old woman but he stopped in his tracks when she bowed almost kissing the floor. “Second, whatever they think doesn't concerns me, since before a prince I'm a youkai and I take my own decisions. If they want to see her, let them come if they dare angering me”

 

“Yes, I'll let them know that.”

 

“Leave”

 

He sat once more at her side. Shifting his legs around her and petting her head softly.

 

“Why did you defend me? You don't know me”

 

“But I want to know you, and I won't let anyone hurt you or annoy you, never.”

 

“I need to find my pack…” she fought back her tears. “I want to go to them”

 

His heart clenched when he saw her beautiful eyes water with tears but if he wanted her for himself he had to play his act well and take her away from any attachment she might have to her inu-youkai pack.

 

“I tried finding them after I brought you here but there was no sight of the kitsune or the mononoke… I'm sorry.”

 

“I need to find them! You don't understand!”

“I'll use all of my resources to find them. I've got thousands of servants roaming the forest right now, there's no chance we don't find them sooner or later”

 

“Why would you do that? You kidnapped me, fought me and brought me here as a prisoner!”

 

“I did so in my right. You were an intruder in my land!”

 

“I did not know! Do I have to be psychic?! There was no fucking sign to tell!”

 

“Signs? Don't you know that youkai land is marked with scratches on the trees and other marks as such?”

 

“I... didn't know” she was so pretty, the soft blush spreading all over her cheeks.

 

“You said you were part of a pack, weren't you?”

 

“I was not raised like that. I… don't know much of youkai traditions”

 

“I guess then, that our little fight before was your first one then. Quite impressive”

 

“Thanks…” he chuckled, she was so lovingly naïve and at the same time very untamed and wild. He wondered how was her story, how could she not know of youkai things being a youkai herself?

 

He fingered her chin and brought her face up while with his other hand he directed her waist to come up, leaning down into the plushies he placed her half over him, supporting her weight with his own chest. She was visibly shocked not knowing how to react to the discreet action. So, she reacted wildly to rushed actions but was left mildly shocked by slight little gestures that were not so easily declared as cross-liners, perfect.

 

Inuko felt disorientated, this guy was becoming too familiar with her for her taste but when he touched her she felt unable to react, her stomach clenched and some deep wild instinct told her to yield to him. To his maleness, to his rudeness and protectiveness, to his orders and at the same time argue with him, prove that he was powerful enough to win, powerful enough to keep her. It made no sense at all, all of those encountered thoughts that clouded her mind. She felt very warm in his arms, very comfortable almost forgetting the rest of the world.

 

“Tell me your name, pup”

 

“Inuko”

 

“I'm Koharu, Inuko-chan”

 

“Koharu-san”

 

“No, only Koharu” he corrected leaning to the side and sifting his weight to be supported by his own arms.

 

“Koharu”

 

“Yes, now my love, put those clothes on for me”

 

“Why? My clothes are fine”

 

“They are dissolving around you, and I don't want anyone seeing so much of you”

 

She shrieked running behind the panel to change when she saw how her hakama had reduced to some straps covering her top barely and her not even reaching to her knees. She had argued with him in so little clothing! Oh, God, if Inuyasha knew of this he would be in a full rage!

 

She unfolded the clothes, they were pitch black. The kimono had dark pink cherry blossoms on the bottom with grown branches intertwined and going upward in the sleeves. The obi was deep purple, almost like the color of his eyes with silver sparks and golden prints in the shape of tiny flowers. The inner kimono was the most pure white she had ever seen, it felt silkily over her skin. She tied it on with great care. It fitted her perfectly, almost like a glove. Having preferred lessen clothes, this were so beautiful she could not complain.

 

When she went out he almost whistled but he stopped himself before it escaped his mouth, it was better not to tell her yet how wonderful his clan's color fitted her, since she would receive the compliment hissing like a mad cat. Eventually she would be delighted to hear his compliments.

 

“How is it?” her soft question gave him the small pleasure of knowing himself right. She was already demanding he complimented her if he was silent. Quick learner, oh yes, like when she fought him, mimicking his movements in an unconscious way seconds after seeing them.

 

“Lovely”

 

She sat at his side, a bit far for his taste but in a lovely demure way, her legs poised under her and her body leaning forward. Tipping her hair to the side he slid closer, she flinched out of his grasp.

 

“You have light scratch here”

 

“Oh!” she tried to grab it but he stopped her hand in his own.

 

“Don't, let me heal it”

 

“No, it's okay, I heal fast”

 

“You do?” It was only a rhetorical question, of course she did, all of her wounds were healed, there was no scratch on her neck he had only wanted to observe the curve of her nape and the roots of her straight silky hair. She was amazing, so innocently oblivious of her own youkai powers.

Inuko was feeling slightly uncomfortable, his hand still poised at her neck. She could almost feel the tension rising in the air, what the hell wanted this guy?

 

“Koharu, I… er…”

 

“Don't say anything. You are hungry. That's perfectly understandable. I'll call for someone to bring the food here. Do you like fish? It's our specialty, or you rather have red meat?”

 

“I'm not hungry” but her stomach choose that perfect moment to growl quite loudly. “Well, maybe a bit”

 

“So, fish or red meat?”

 

“Don't you have some fruit? I'm feeling very hot, and something fresh like that would be nice”

 

“Mmm, so demanding in your host's house…”

 

“I'm sorry! That's right, er..., whatever you have will do!” she turned red from the roots. She had been so rude!

 

“It's okay, I was kidding” he bent forward and almost touching her lips whispered, letting the air graze them. She shivered in a pleasant way. Puzzled at her own reaction she turned to the side avoiding his eyes and cocky smile.

 

“Wait for me here, I'll bring the food to you”

 

“Okay”

 

“Do I have your word, Inuko, that you won't try to run away?”

 

“Yes, you have my word”

 

He turned and went out. Left alone to think was not how she wanted to be at that precise moment. He had made her feel things she had never knew in so little time she felt dizzy just from recalling them. Fighting, the urge to get lost in her instincts was so strong and it felt so fucking good she only wanted to do it again. When the panel slipped she thought he had being really fast but another one entered. The scent was spiky, this youkai wanted to fight real bad. Good. This was good.

 

 

A/N: Waaaaa! She's in the neko village were they were headed in the first place, when will Inuyasha come to her rescue? What does Koharu really want with her? Read more to find out!