InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Solstice ❯ Chapter 4 - Seriously? What! ( Chapter 4 )

Solstice

Notes: 10 pages | 7,250 words – Okay, here's the next chapter of Solstice! For the time being, Kagome is referring to Inuyasha as Inu-chan so you'll see that quite a bit here~.^ If something is seen through his perspective, I've used his name. Anyway, don't wanna bore you with tons of AN so go read now!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters thereof. Even though that is the case, please don't steal my plot, concept, or story out of respect for my creative endeavor as I would not do this to anyone out there.

- l - l - l - Change of scene, time, etc.
'Thoughts/dreams' will be in single quotes (IE: ' ')

Chapter 4 – Seriously? What!

Five weeks. Already five weeks had gone by since the winter solstice when everything had gone completely haywire and they were all reduced to living in an attic. Tensions were high as Miroku's plan to make them invisible had yet to bear any fruit. It's not that they hadn't tried to catch one of the possessed creatures, they were trying to approach them with caution because they didn't want anyone hurt in the process. Not only that, but they had seen some strange men dressed in furs that they would see running around outside of the building at times.

Because of their strange garb of brown furs and what looked like armor on their upper bodies, they had been confined to their little prison a lot lately. They weren't about to risk approaching these strange people without knowing more about them. Because face it, not many Japanese men wore their hair as long as Sango's in a high ponytail and had brilliantly blue eyes like the man they had seen earlier that day. Not only that, but these strange men were nearly always accompanied by large, brown wolves that seemed to do take commands from them.

Sango had a feeling he knew that they were there in the attic because he had studied the building for several minutes without turning away and the only thing that had seemed to snap him out of it was a long, low howl heard from a distance echoing out of the forest. He had left shortly after that, disappearing in a swirling vortex of air created by the speed of his feet across the ground. Since then, everyone had been on high alert and were getting a little anxious about leaving.

Sango herself wasn't so sure about leaving the mountains just yet. Against her better judgment and what her fellow occupants said, she and Miroku still had hope that Kagome was alive and safe somewhere. She would send up a prayer for her best friend every day, pleading for some sign that Kagome was still among the living. Miroku seemed grim about Kagome's fate. While he never openly said that he felt Sango's hope was irrational, she could feel his doubt when she spoke of finding Kagome. Kagome's kidnapping rested heavily on Sango's shoulders and, though Miroku tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't shake that weight of responsibility from her mind. She had brought Kagome here, she had taken her into the forest, and she hadn't protected her when that wolf broke in.

"We need to leave now!" Tetsuyo hissed angrily as he glared at Miroku with bloodshot eyes.

"It's not wise to leave a spot that we're secured in when we've had visuals on them." Miroku said calmly as he sat cross-legged on the floor with several long strips of paper spread out on the floor in front of him. He had found an old fashioned calligraphy set somewhere and had been praying and writing strange symbols on the papers for some time now. Even Sango wasn't sure what he was doing, but the papers looked like the sutras Kagome's grandfather would slap on Miroku's cursed hand every time he felt to urge to grope Sango's butt before the old guy got sick and ended up in the hospital.

"You saw the same thing we saw!" Sachiko hissed, disagreeing with Miroku who she had trusted explicitly until she had started getting more confident by being included in the recon teams that went out. She and Tetsuyo had gotten into trouble on one such trip as they tried to go further out than normal and had found a family of angry-eyed foxes living in one of the guest rooms. She managed to, surprisingly, grab Sango's rucksack from the floor and Kagome's big, ugly yellow napsack in the process. Miroku and Sango had been forced to bail them out of this situation when they'd discovered, by the amount of yelling, how far from the attic they had gone.

While Sango was glad to have a change of clothes and her favorite pink eyeshadow back, it was hardly anything to risk lives over and Sachiko now sported a long, red line down her cheek from a swipe of the father fox's claws which would likely leave a scar.

Sango had managed to mix a few of the chemicals together she'd found in the closet and sprayed a concoction that kept the foxes at bay long enough for them to get away. From Sango's perspective though, she didn't feel they would have attacked if they hadn't felt threatened. Their posture was defensive and Sango had seen a tiny, green-eyed baby fox hidden behind the legs of the mother that peeking up at them. Their nest had been disturbed so they had been forced to protect their young one, something neither Tetsuyo nor Sachiko had noticed.

She had gotten very creative with her various weapons and had several different concoctions she kept hidden about her person when she went out of the attic. She had a couple of liquid concoctions she'd encapsulated in some small glass bottles she could smash on the ground and create a noxious haze that would fill the air. She also had several powders she'd mixed up that made the eyes water and burn that could be flung in the faces of their attackers, not to mention the mixture that would work against an animal with a sensitive sense of smell like a wolf. She'd also created a few abrasive acids for if all else failed. She could cause physical damage as a last resort, she was reluctant to use those for the chance that she'd piss off the attacker and make things worse. Oh the joys of being a chemistry major! And to think all of these mixtures were made from common household cleaners and a few industrial grade cleansers in a few glass bottles and some heat to boil off the liquid.

"Look, I agree with Miroku." Sango said calmly as she pushed a lock of loose hair behind her ear. "We need to wait until everything outside calms down. It will be safer for us to move when there aren't any of them moving around out there."

"It's best to move now while they're distracted!" Tetsuyo snapped angrily as his voice raised in volume.

"Quiet!" Sango hissed in anger at his outburst. "They obviously have a good sense of hearing! Do you want them to find us before we even make a decision?"

"We may never get an opportunity like this again!" Sachiko growled back as her face flushed red with anger. "Their attention is drawn away from us right now, we need to take advantage of their distraction."

"Wolves aren't the only thing we have to worry about, unless you've forgotten!" Sango argued back, her anger peaking as they argued against Miroku's decision. While it was a democracy in their attic, they would tend to listen to his suggestions, especially after he saved Tetsuyo and Sachiko from some reckless behavior they'd displayed, least of which was their tendency to sneak off with a few bottles of sake and come back tipsy and obnoxious. "Besides, the wolves may be spread over a large area and might see our leaving. That's not a good thing in their obvious agitated state!"

Neither Sachiko, nor Tetsuyo had anything to say to this pronouncement as Tetsuyo just stood there with a blank expression and Sachiko's mouth opened and closed several times dumbly with no words coming out. Miroku had remained silent during this whole exchange as he lifted one thin sheet of paper at a time and closed his eyes with one hand raised with his fingers pointed at the ceiling and his palm flat. Sango wasn't positive what he was doing seeing as how she wasn't raised on a Shinto Shrine like Kagome, nor a Buddhist Temple like Miroku. Not that Kagome had ever taken any interest in being trained as a shrine miko or even learn to the history of her home. Then again, since Kagome was relatively young she had been working to help provide for her family.

"I think it's time to test my theory." Miroku said calmly as he slid the small stack of papers into the pockets of his jacket.

"Miroku?" Sango questioned as she looked at her friend strangely. He hadn't even spoken to her about what his theory about the possessed animals was, nor who he thought the strangely-dressed men were they'd seen in the side yard of the resort, not even to her. He seemed unsure himself, but his resolve seemed to stiffen when he saw the men earlier since they'd remained in the open for longer than usual.

"I'll take a small group with me to test it out." Miroku said as he rose to his feet with a grim yet determined look on his face. Sango mirrored this look as she nodded her head, letting him know that she was in.

"I'm going too." Sachiko stated simply as she stepped forward a step. Tetsuyo wobbled forward as if to take a place next to Sachiko, glaring darkly at Miroku to whole time.

"You've been talking about your little magic trick for weeks, yet you've showed us nothing!" He said angrily as his eyes narrowed on Miroku. "Why should we pass up our opportunity of escape because you think you can do the impossible?"

"It's not impossible." Miroku said simply as a small smile touched his lips. "One test and I'll know if my theory is correct. I read in an old scroll at the Buddhist Temple I grew up on about the monsters you see in old ink sketches. The scroll was hidden under a small trap door in the basement of the temple. If I hadn't spilled the oil from one of Mushin's old lamps, I wouldn't have found it. Someone took some time to hide it away because there were seals plastered all over the inside of the trapdoor to conceal the aura that surrounded it. The same aura I felt on the wolves and those men out there."

Sango raised a delicate eyebrow at him. He had never told her about a hidden scroll he'd found, nor what it contained. She glared at him for holding out on her, and he gave her an apologetic look when he caught her glare. She had thought that they were closer than that, but apparently he was still just a player after all. If he had put his full trust in her, she would have found out about his secret scroll and his suspicions as soon as these possessed animals attacked.

"It'll be a team of three going out." Miroku explained as he began walking toward the trapdoor. "It'll be me, Sango, and Sachiko."

"Oi! I'm going too!" Tetsuyo broke in angrily as he grabbed Miroku roughly by the shoulder. Miroku glanced back over his shoulder and quicker than anyone could see, grabbed Tetsuyo's hand and twisted him around so he was held in a sleeper hold, his eyes bulging out in complete surprise.

"Not with the smell of sake on your breath." Miroku said coldly as he glared down at the older man that he held tightly. Tetsuyo fought feebly, but Miroku was younger and stronger and wasn't being obscured by the effects of alcohol so his efforts were in vain. "If you try to bring anyof that sake when we leave here, I'll dump you on the side of the road to fend for yourself." He said darkly, as he tightened his hold momentarily in a threatening manner before he released him all-together. Tetsuyo stumbled forward and landed in a heap on the floor, panting and cursing under his breath as he tried to find his feet.

"Ryo, you're in charge while we're gone." Miroku said as he directed his attention to the solemn teenage boy that stood protectively in front of Umi and her children. He had become very quiet over the weeks and had become increasingly protective of the children, wanting to make sure they weren't separated from their mother like his father had been taken away from him. He still seemed to blame himself for Kagome's disappearance, but seemed determined to make up for it by growing up and protecting the children and their mother.

"You're putting the kid in charge?" Tetsuyo growled out as he managed to stumble into a cross-legged sitting position on the floor.

"Unlike you, Ryo is sober and alert so he'll be more effective in event of an attack." Sango said coldly as she glared at the drunkard in their midst. She already had all of her poisons hidden on her but still placed conveniently enough that she could pull the proper one at a moment's notice. She picked up her metal-tipped, double-ended spear that was leaning against the wall by the trapdoor and stopped behind Miroku. Sachiko had already hoisted her makeshift weapons and the three were preparing themselves for their most recent mission, knowing that this particular mission held a much larger level of danger than their normal recon missions.

"We all stick together. Sango, you watch our backs. Sachiko, you have the sides, I'll lead. If I say to stop, hide, or run for it. You must do what I ask immediately without question." Miroku explained as he turned to the two women standing determinedly behind him.

"If you say run, there's no way in HELL that I'll be leaving you behind." Sango said as she glared at Miroku, a frown marring her beautiful face.

"Sango, I'll leave you behind if you don't swear on your brother that you'll do exactly as I say." Miroku said as he glared right back at her, his jaw set.

"And lose you too? I don't think so!" Sango snarled right back at him as she took a step forward and poked him in the chest with her pointer finger.

"If something goes wrong, I won't chance losing you!" Miroku said sternly as he grabbed her hand that was poking him and held it gently, giving her a reassuring squeeze. His eyebrows were knit together in worry and his face was less than a foot away from hers, his violet eyes boring into hers. Sango felt her cheeks warming at the concern she saw painted across his face and knew she was blushing. A soft smile touched her lips as she squeezed his hand back gently.

"You'd be a sitting duck without me, Miroku." Sango said playfully as she tried to force the blush from her cheeks. "You're not getting rid of me that easily... Oi... where is your hand?" She finished as she gave him a dry look when she felt a hand rubbing across her rear.

"Ah, he he he." He laughed sheepishly as Sango's pointer and thumb closed on his hand and pinched, twisting lightly as her eyes narrowed on him.

"All right, I'll ditch if you get in trouble, lech." Sango said dryly as she pulled her other hand free from him and walked over to the trapdoor, ignoring him as she began to undo the latches on the door. Miroku laughed sheepishly as he rubbed his cheek that was sporting an angry red hand-print.

- l - l - l -

A low growl sounded in the back of Inuyasha's throat as he tightened his hold around his mate, noting her rapid heartbeat and shaking body. He could smell her fear as well as sense it through the special bond his mark had created. He didn't think she was aware of the connection just yet, but he had been from the moment he had laid his claim to stave off that mangy wolf. Her scent surrounded him in a cloud and his anger grew from the shear terror he could feel rolling off of her in waves. He wasn't sure if he would be able to protect her from the pack this time... last time they had all been trapped in their animal forms, this time they would all be in their true forms and he knew the leader of the wolves had regained his form weeks prior so had had time to re-acclimate himself to his powers. Inuyasha would also be horribly outnumbered and trapped in a small space with only one exit large enough for someone larger than a dog to leave through.

His ear twitched as he heard the boulder shifting that hid the main entrance of his cave. He had a small hidden entrance he had used, but there was no way he or his mate would be able to fit out of it. There was only one thing he could do, defend his mate and try to run as soon as he had the opportunity. They would have a much better chance above the ground than confined in this cave.

Decision made, Inuyasha scooped his mate up bridal style and jumped out of the water, landing softly on the bank. She turned frightened, doe eyes up at him and opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her by holding one clawed finger up to his lips to indicate she shouldn't make any noise.

"They'll be here in a minute. Go hide in the dark portion of the cave." Inuyasha stated calmly and quietly as he picked up the white robe off the bank and slung it around her shoulders. "Stay hidden and I'll handle them. I'll come find you when I can."

She nodded her head in understanding, her bright, hazel eyes wide with fear and brimming with unshed, fearful tears. He ran his lips over hers lightly to try to ease her fears, just a feather light touch that brought a light flush to her cheeks but made his beast growl in satisfaction.

"Go quickly, I'll protect you." He assured her as he set her on her feet and urged her to head into the dark to hide. She stared at him imploringly, asking with her eyes that he go with her so he flashed her a toothy smile to reassure her. It seemed to work as she turned away and began picking her way quickly around the small ledge that ran next to the doorway and back into the dark. When he was confident that she was far enough away, he turned and headed for the dim sleeping chamber, his intentions set in his mind. There was one thing left in his ancient hideout that time had left untouched, one thing that could mean the life or death of his mate, who's sweet scent had driven him crazy from the first time he'd caught a whiff of it in that human dwelling he'd saved her from.

If he hadn't pulled her from there, the others would have continually attacked until they got her, so he had done the only thing he could think of... He'd broken in himself and dragged her away so he could hide her, marking her as his intended in the process to give her an added level of protection. Any that were weaker than him would leave her be for fear of his wrath, but that didn't protect her from those as strong or stronger than him. Hence the reason the leader of that flea-bitten wolf pack had been continually searching for her.

He dashed into the bed chamber and tipped the battered basket over, spilling a pile of red fabric onto the floor of the cave as a grim look crossed his face. 'I hope it will be enough.' He thought to himself as he extricated the pants and held them up.

- l - l - l -

Kagome was scared. No... that was an understatement. Kagome was absolutely TERRIFIED. She stumbled through the dark, moving quickly but unable to see where she was going so would inadvertently trip over something or step on sharp rocks that quickly had her feet aching. She had a feeling by the sticky, wet sensation she noticed with each step that they were bleeding from her blind dash through the dark. This was definitely a disadvantage to her because she was sure that the wolves would be able to follow the scent of her blood right to her so fear propelled her forward even faster, making her stumble every few steps and pant from the effort.

She felt exposed and defenseless without Inu-chan at her side and an unnatural fear of the dark seized her as she splashed through a shallow stream of ice-cold water, eliciting a gasp of surprise and displeasure at the frozen kiss of water splashing up her legs. She shivered as she pushed on through the dark, slowing down in case she fell into a pit in the floor or fell into a deeper stream than the trickle she had nearly tripped into. She could hear howling echoing off the stone walls inside of the cave and fear seized her chest once more. He was right, they were here and this time she was facing them alone. He had been injured pretty badly the first time he had defended against them when he'd rescued her, what if he wasn't able to this time? She would be wolf-chow!

Kagome kept going, slowly now as she trailed her fingers along the wall to her right. She had never gone this far back and soon found herself bending nearly double as the ceiling began to dip down. She could tell she was a good distance away and she heard echoed voices yelling and curses echoes off the stone walls around her, blending in such a way that she was unable to tell anything besides the direction the voices were located. All words were lost as the sound waves bounced off all of the irregular surfaces of the cave.

Her fingers met open air as she took a few more steps and Kagome reached her hands out blindly to judge the distance of the gap in the wall. She discovered the hole was about three feet wide and just tall enough for her to slip under the top. She felt the wall behind her several feet and croached down in the corner of the little nook she'd found. The sounds of a struggle had ceased and Kagome could only hear a few male voices echoing from a distance as she huddled in the corner, terror and dread filling her entire being. She shivered from the cold as she pulled the wet robe closed as tightly as she could while she shivered uncontrollably. She felt alone and afraid as she hugged her body, trying to physically hold in her fear. Without Inu-chan by her side, she felt exposed and vulnerable.

"The scent goes this way." A male voice echoed off the walls, growing closer at an alarming rate. Kagome tensed as her heart stuck in her throat and pushed herself up further against the wall. Her cheeks were moist as tears streamed down her cheeks and she was too scared to stem that flow.

"Hurry up, this place reeks of mutt!" An arrogant voice rent through the air, considerably farther away.

"Okay Kouga!" The first voice replied in a loud yell that made Kagome's ears ring from the close proximity and the echo. She knew he was very close even if she couldn't see him in the dark. A low sniffling sound filled the air and she wanted to scream and run away, but had no where to go. She covered her mouth to keep from whimpering and giving herself away. Maybe she had stumbled around enough in the dark to not have left a clear path to follow? ...or not... Kagome let out a shrill shriek that was silenced as a hand clamped down over her mouth before she could make a peep.

"Calm yourself." A gruff, male voice whispered in her ear. She felt an arm snake around her waist and pull her gently from her hiding place before something soft and warm was dropped over her head that hung around her shoulders.

She was unable to tell what it was or who it was in the pitch-dark of the cave, but the voice was familiar and so was the sensation she felt when it's owner was near. An arm was wrapped around her shoulders and led her out into the dark, keeping a gentle pressure on her shoulders as they slipped through the darkness. She felt some of her fear alleviated as she walked with the man leading her through the dark and felt suddenly safe.

"Hold." He whispered again, his lips grazing the shell of her ear and sending a chill down her spine from the warmth. She gripped the fabric that had been draped over her wet and shivering form and pulled it closed in front of her, reveling in the feeling of warmth that quickly spread through her frozen body. She could hear some snuffling and growling up ahead as she was pressed into her savior's chest.

The feeling of calm she got around him wasn't the only familiarity about him. His scent was the same! Kagome had noticed early on that the only times Inu-chan smelled like a dog was when his fur was wet. Most of the time he smelled husky and of trees and the forest with a hint of sandalwood. That's why she didn't panic when Inu-chan scooped her up and crept silently through the pitch dark.

She grabbed on to his shirt and bunched it in her fists, pulling her face into his chest for added comfort. While she felt safe with him near, she was still terrified of the wolves and could hear them from various directions. It was easy to assume that they took the forms of humans too judging by the voices that echoed through the darkness. She could feel him moving swiftly through the darkness while he tightened his arms around her.

"How the hell have you not found her yet?" A harsh male voice growled out nearby, making Kagome tense at the close proximity. She felt Inu-chan tighten his arms around her protectively and found herself being reassured as she stamped down the fear bubbling in her stomach.

"We're looking Kouga." Another voice replied, sounding perplexed. "They've been here for a long time so there aren't any scent trails. Their scents are everywhere."

"She's bleeding, that scent should stick out even in this cave!" Kouga snapped back angrily and Kagome flinched as she heard flesh hitting flesh nearby and what sounded like someone falling onto the stone. "Find her and kill that damn mutt!"

Inu-chan started walking again, this time away from the voices and toward the lit area of the cave. Kagome could hear his footsteps quicken on the moist stones and gripped onto his shirt tighter. It was now perfectly clear to her that they were looking for her! Her suspicions had just been confirmed and she felt her anxiety begin to rise again. What could they possibly want with her? It was apparent they didn't need toeat her like Inu-chan had said earlier to steal her life energy since they had already regained their forms, so why could they possibly still be after her? Was it personal because Inu-chan had defeated their leader saving her? It just didn't really make sense to her.

"Hold on tight." Inu-chan's rough voice whispered into her ear and she was forced to cling to his arms as he took off at an alarmingly fast pace! She could hear his feet slapping on the ground, making wet splatting sounds as the lighted area grew in size.

"Get them! They're headed for the exit!" A male voice rang through the cavern and Kagome could feel Inu-chan's chest rumble with a low growl.

"Do not get separated, mate." Inu-chan's voice growled out, his breath sounding haggard from the speed he was running at. Kagome frowned at the way he addressed her and lifted her face to glare up at him, able to see his eyes flash golden as they caught the light.

"My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!" She hissed out as she glared up at him. She was really getting sick of him calling her mate, what was he? Australian or British or something? They were the only ones she knew that called their friends mate in normal conversation.

"Now's not the time, onna." He growled back, his eyes never turning to look at her as he scanned the area in front of and behind them as he sprinted toward the entrance. Kagome didn't argue as she saw the green light shimmer across the hot spring and could hear the waterfall splashing down into the pool of hot water making steam waft across her face.

The shouting grew louder, echoing weirdly around the cave and making the words indistinguishable as the sound bounced and blended together in a piercing way that hurt even Kagome's normal human hearing. She looked up at Inu-chan and noticed his eyes were narrowed and jaw was set as his ears laid flat against his head, obviously trying to protect his sensitive hearing.

Then they were running along the ledge toward the doorway into the main chamber, the glowing vines blindingly bright after being emerged in the pitch blackness for such a long time. She saw bodies to the side and she was splashed by hot water as some of them jumped in next to them and tried to cut them off. She could hear growling close at hand and screamed loudly as a large, brown wolf charged with his jaws open wide and his deadly teeth glinting brightly. She watched in amazed shock as Inu-chan balled up a fist and sunk it into the side of the wolf's face, sending him flying into the water with a splash.

In a blur of lights and fur, they were suddenly in the main chamber and only a few feet from the exit. Kagome's grip tightened in anxiety and anticipation. She'd been cooped up in this cave for a month with no fresh air and no knowledge of even the time of day. What was it like up there? Were her friends and family still alive? The whistling of wind in her ears died abruptly and she felt herself jerk forward as Inu-chan stopped abruptly. His low growl made her skin prickle as she picked her head up and looked around the main chamber. There were two brown wolves blocking the entrance that were flanking two men with odd hair and wearing furs around their waists with old fashioned armor across their chests. They were both holding long spears with a metal point on the end blocking their path.

"Move damnit! Or I'll rip your fucking throats out!" Inu-chan growled out as he set Kagome down and pushed her behind him protectively.

"You have to go through us!" The man with a white mohawk said as his spear quaked a bit in his hand. Kagome noted that he had pointy ears and raised a confused eyebrow. 'What is he, an elf?' She thought dimly as she took in his appearance. She looked him up and down and compared him to Legolas from The Lord of the Rings and shook her head in denial. 'No way is HE an elf! He's not tall, fearless, or HOT! Though Inu-chan...' She felt her cheeks warm at the half-formed thought and shook her head to banish it from her mind. Now wasn't the time to think about how incredibly sexy the man standing protectively in front of her was.

"H-hand over the human and w-we won't hurt you, mutt!" Mr. White Mohawk said, his voice cracking as he brandished his spear at Inu-chan. With a growl and a swipe of Inu-chan's claws, the spear lay in splinters on the ground.

"Out of my way or that'll be your face, wolf." Inu-chan growled out angrily as he dropped into what was clearly an offensive stance. 'So they're wolves... guess it's kind of obvious now.' Kagome thought sheepishly as she noticed for the first time the long tails that swished behind them nervously.

"Kouga! Hurry!" The companion of the mohawked wolf, a wolf with gray hair and a black spiky bangs said, brandishing his own spear nervously.

"Humph, you two are pathetic. Can't even take on this little half-breed mutt?" An arrogant voice rang through the room, followed by a rush of air from behind Kagome. She turned around and gaped as she saw a tornado flying toward her, the term half-breed already dispelled from her mind.

"What is going on?" She shrieked as she clung on to Inu-chan's sleeve, the red material of the shirt he'd draped over her head fluttering in the wind caused by the freak windstorm that was inside the cave. A terrified shriek ripped from her throat when she felt her feet leave the floor and a strong arm wrapped around her waist before she was flung over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I'll take the miko, inukoro." A arrogant voice stated from near her head. She found her face staring at an armor-covered back with a long, black ponytail hanging down and brushing against her face.

"Check her neck, that's my mate, yaseokami!" Inu-chan's angry, rough voice growled out and Kagome could hear his fingers crack as she shoved against the body holding her.

"Let go of me!" She yelled as she kicked her feet and beat against his back with her fists. She didn't get any reaction out of him aside from a hard smack to her ass which was in the air. "How dare you?" She screeched indignantly as an angry blush filled her face.

"Quiet human!" The wolf holding her firmly in place snapped in annoyance.

"Like hell I will! Put. Me. Down!" She snarled as she'd finally had enough and had completely snapped. Who the hell did you think he was to smack her on the ass like she was an unruly child?

"Shut the hell up woman or I'll let the wolves have you!" Kouga snapped angrily as he smacked her ass again, harder this time, the sound ringing through the cavern.

"Take your hands off my mate, you bastard!" Inuyasha snarled dangerously as he dropped into a low crouch, his eyes flashing red as rage began to fill his entire being. His vision began to go out of focus and the only thing that he could see was the raven-haired woman who bore his mark collecting the scent of a filthy wolf that had taken her away from him.

"I see the mark, but you haven't mated her properly. She's still up for grabs." Kouga said confidently as he smirked down at the silver-haired dog-man. "Maybe I'll decide to take her as MY mate, your mark will disappear in an hour once she's been properly mated."

Kagome's jaw dropped open and she momentarily forgot to struggle against the pony-tailed wolf. It had just dawned on her that Inu-chan had been calling her mate for a completely DIFFERENT reason than she had thought! It wasn't because he thought of her as a friend or a companion, he meant to actually MATE with her as in a term for breeding! She felt her face flush a brilliant scarlet at the realization and couldn't help the embarrassment that welled up and threatened to engulf her entire being. 'I can't believe I didn't realize he meant THAT!'Kagome thought to herself as she brought her hands up to hide her face. It only took a few moments for the embarrassment to dissipate and be replaced by anger.

"Wait a minute!" Kagome snapped, drawing all attention to her. "You all think you can choose who I'M with?" They looked at her completely unabashedly, not really understanding what she was even talking about or why she was angry.

"Shut it, bitch! I've laid my claim already, release my mate, NOW!" Inuyasha growled out threateningly. It was the rule of their kind, if a male laid claim to a female he had first call on her unless a stronger male was able to best him in a fight to the death. Then the female would go to the winner of the battle. "I've already beat you once, return my claim!"

"Humph! You think that was a fight? Please, I let you win that one, inukoro!" Kouga growled back as he tightened his hold on Kagome's waist, making her wince in pain.

"That hurts you know!" She hissed out as she again tried to shove her way off of his shoulder. "Put me down! I don't belong to either of you!"

"A bitch should know when to shut the hell up." Kouga growled out as he dropped Kagome to the ground in a heap. She groaned in pain as she pushed herself up off the ground and rose up on shaky legs. She pulled the red haori down over her back and slid her arms through the holes to free her hands. She was still afraid, but anger overshadowed the fear by this point. Who were these two jerks to decide who she was with? She trusted Inu-chan but that didn't mean she was going to have sex with him... I mean come on? She'd only found out he wasn't an actual dog today! ...even though he was really sexy and had the body of a god...

She shook her head to banish the memory of his naked body as she laid pressed up against his sculpted chest, equally as naked, their skin dripping wet with his hands sliding across her hip... 'Damnit!' Her inner voice growled as the mental image just kept shifting poses so she could see much more than she wanted to at the moment in her mental photo gallery. Her face was bright red and her heart we beating rapidly as she tried to think of something completely unappealing that would drag her mind up out of the gutter! 'Miroku wearing a tutu! Miroku in a tutu!' Her mind screamed frantically as she tried to picture one of her best friend's dressed in drag to rid herself of the sexy image of Inu-chan laid out with his hands behind his head and one leg propped up, revealing all of his equipment...

"I'll kill you this time, yaseokami." Inuyasha growled out threateningly as he took a step toward the human woman that stood on wobbly legs next to the leader of the wolves. A sweet scent assaulted his nose coming from Kagome, but he ignored it as more there were more pressing things for him to focus on at the moment.

"Go ahead and try, mutt!" Kouga snapped as he grabbed Kagome's wrist and yanked her roughly toward him and flung her back into one of his pack mates. Kagome squeaked in surprise at the sudden move and found herself, once again, flung unceremonious over the shoulder of one of the wolves behind the blue-eyed leader.

"Hey! Put me down, I have feet you know!" Kagome snapped as she fought against her captor. Another wolf-man came behind the first and grabbed her wrists before twisting them both painfully behind her back. She fought and kicked and bit any of them that came close enough as she tried to wiggle her way out of their grasp. It took four of them to hold her in place long enough to tie her elbows behind her back, while they let out some rather nasty curses when one of them caught an elbow to the gut or a foot to the face. They first tried tying her wrists together, but she was able to wiggle her way free before they could tighten the bindings, so they tied her elbows together behind her, pulling her arms back painfully far and eliciting a cry of pain from her throat as the cords bit into her flesh.

She could hear growling and cursing nearby and knew that Inu-chan and the leader of the wolves must be fighting. Even though she was angry that Inu-chan had decided on his own that she would be his mate, she was still rooting for him to win. Even though he wasn't a dog anymore, he was still her friend, after all. Besides, she knew that Inu-chan was protecting her, these wolves were unknown to her and even through her anger, she still felt afraid of them. 'I think I liked him better as a dog...' Kagome thought to herself as she heard the raunchy curses that were steadily flying out of his mouth. Kagome felt herself placed on her feet and a rope was tied around her throat like a collar.

Kagome glared at the wolf holding the rope, but chose to ignore him as she turned to see what was happening between Inu-chan and the wolf leader. She gasped as she saw the carnal nature of the battle that was ensuing nearby. She could see blood stains all over Inu-chan's white shirt and it flowed freely down his left arm. The wolf leader had several smaller cuts on his arms and neck, but didn't appear to have any serious injuries. As she watched, Inu-chan lunged forward and the wolf dodged easily with an amazing burst of speed that far out-stripped the silver-haired dog man that he fought against.

"Move, bitch!" A sharp voice snapped as there was a violent jerk on the rope, making it tighten painfully around Kagome's neck. She felt her air cut off momentarily and swiveled her eyes back to the wolves that were tugging at her, heading single-file up and out through the entrance to the cavern.

"Inu-chan!" Kagome cry was cut off by another sharp tug at her leash and she was forced to follow after the pack of wolves. She could hear cursing louder than ever behind her before there was a loud crash and the cave began to shake violently, making Kagome lose her balance and fall painfully to the rocky floor.

"Hijin-ketsusou!" Inu-chan's voice cried out and Kagome watched from her place on the floor as blood-red, sickle-shaped blades flew through the air toward the wolf leader. Her eyes bulged from her head as the wolf dodged and the blades made contact with the wall and shattered large chunks of stone from the wall, sending another shock-wave outward as the ground violently shook beneath their feet.

"Shine, inukoro!" The wolf's voice echoed through the air before Kagome could cry 'watch out', the wolf had run behind Inu-chan and brought his hand forward, claws glinting in the dim light. She heard a grunt of pain from Inu-chan and her heart stopped beating as tears stung her eyes. She stared in rapt shock and terror as she saw said clawed hand protruding from Inu-chan's chest stained red with his blood. Her protector's eyes were wide with shock and she felt herself falling forward as she pulled away from the wolves holding her captive and running toward him on shaky legs.

"Inu-chan!" She shrieked as tears stung her eyes and streamed down her face, blurring her vision. "No!"

::FIN::

March 3, 2012

Notes: Okay, sorry if the end of this chapter seemed rushed. I knew how I wanted to end it, but like the last six paragraphs were painful to write for some reason. The rest of the chapter just flowed out without ANY difficulties! Anyway, I did a once-over read-through before I posted so I hope I caught most of those nagging little typos and grammar/spelling issues that have slipped through before. As always, please review! Even if it's just to say 'Hey, love the story, peace!' Anyway, until next time!

Translations: Just thought I'd put a few of the words I used in this chapter. I watch subtitled anime so these are some of the terms/phrases pulled from the Japanese series.

inukoro: dog face, dog breath, mutt face (this is what Kouga always calls Inuyasha in the series)

yaseokami: wimpy wolf (this is what Inuyasha always calls Kouga in the series)

Hijin-ketsusou: Claws of Blood/Blades of Blood, this is Inuyasha's claw attack that he mixes with his own blood.

I'll probably use more of the Japanese names for attacks and weapons and whatnot because I just think they sound better personally. I'm not a fan of using random Japanese words during conversations (IE: characters saying 'Gomen' or 'Arigato', etc.) so I'll most likely ONLY be using it for attacks and weapons. Though I may through in a few words like 'onna', 'oyagi', 'oi', and maybe a few others.