InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Survival of the Pack ❯ Battle of Wills ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: I was re-reading this story after I had neglected it for some time and found this unusual sensation. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed writing it and thus decided that I must continue it. There will be lemons, eventually, but for now I'm quite content to play with the characters. Oh and to let you know I am using 24 characters from the story and none of them are `evil' in the sense that they are the bad guys. ^.^ Now won't that complicate things, ne?

Warnings: None.

Chapter 3

"Do we have enough to buy the net?" asked a nervous Sango. She unconsciously rubbed her arms, not liking her surroundings. She was wearing the same outfit from the night before with a few slight modifications. For instance, her hair was down to cover her pointed youkai ears, sunglasses were fixed over her slitted eyes, and a sable jacket was wrapped around her waist to hide her brown tail.

"Yes," came the male reply. Miroku was standing besides her, looking at the net. He too wore sunglasses, with the hood of his cloak drawn up. This of course caused people to stare at him like he was some freak. After all, humans no longer wore cloaks except for the occasional festival. "It costs three silver thistles. We have enough to buy one of those tarps too. We could use it to keep out the water spray from the falls."

Sango nodded her head slightly, inching away from Miroku's wayward hand. "You grope me in this store, Miroku, and I'll cut off that hand of yours," she hissed.

Miroku quickly withdrew his hand, grabbing the net, as he wandered over to gather up the dark brown tarp. With the two items he wandered over to the clerk's desk to buy the items. He laid the things on top, as the burly looking human rang up the purchase.

"That'll be sev'n silvar this'es."

Miroku handed over seven silver thistles, while Sango picked up the two purchases.

"Thank yous and comeths again," came the clerk's monotone farewell.

"And people say youkai can't speak human well," muttered Miroku.

Sango stood to the right on the sidewalk, the two purchases rolled carefully under her arm. "We should go collect Kouga and the cubs. I don't trust Kouga enough to let him watch over Souta and Shippou in a human town."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "They were going to the ice cream parlor when we had headed in there." He started walking down the street, avoiding the moving vehicles. He would never understand why humans would want to ride around in metal objects all day long instead of feeling the freedom of a nice walk. In any case, a walk was certainly less pollutant than these monstrosities.

Sango rolled her eyes and headed over to a pedestrian walkway. She didn't want to tempt fate with humans that tended to crash those things more than they actually drove them. Besides, it was less suspicious if one took the walkway than one strutting across the roadway. But no one ever said Miroku was smart about concealing his identity either. Case and point why the cubs were never left in his care. Kouga was a little better, but the best was Rin when it came to watching over the clan in the human world. Kagome was too different to feel comfortable in the human world, unless it was her time of the month. She also tended to complain about wearing a hat to cover her ears.

Sango rolled her eyes at the sound of a screeching break. She stepped onto the walkway, ignoring the stares people were directing to another individual down the roadway.

"Watch where you're going jackass!" yelled an irritated driver.

"Back at you, moron!" snapped Miroku. He strode around the vehicle, ignoring the other drivers staring at him in wonder and a little fear. They apparently believed that Miroku was either blind or suicidal. In either case, no human wanted anything to do with him, and allowed him to maneuver around their vehicles as well. When, at last, the renegade youkai finally reached the safety of the walkway, the vehicles began to move again.

~~ ~~ ~~

"I'm glad Kagome agreed to let us come into the city. I really love ice cream," said Shippou. He was wearing a long charcoal jacket, since it was cold out today for humans, over his outfit. He wore small shoes to hide his feet, sunglasses, and a knitted black hat to cover ears and most of his hair.

"Nee-chan would have let us anyway. With the meal we had the other day, I think she wanted a break from all of us. Besides, with that new clan around, we had to buy some supplies to protect the den," said Souta. A pitch-black baseball cap, turned backwards, was on his head to hide his ears.

"Yeah, but where did we get the money? I mean, if we had so much human money we could have been eating their food and not starving," whispered Kohaku in an undertone. He wore a brown jacket around his waist to hide his tail, and a sable bandanna tied in his hair to cover the tips of his ears.

Kouga, lounging back in the booth across from the three cubs, replied, "You have me to thank for that. Speed of the hand is sometimes a really useful trick." He wore a brown trench coat to cover any of his unusual features with a wide brim hat fixed on his head.

Souta's eyes widened. "Nee-chan's going to yell at you. She doesn't like it when you steal things from other people."

"Its not like we can earn the money on our own, dimwit," snapped Kouga.

"I'm not a-"

"Hey guys," came another voice.

The group turned to see Sango and Miroku standing besides the table.

"Are we going now?" asked a frowning Shippou.

"As soon as you all are done with your treats. Kagome-chan will start to worry if we take too long."

The others nodded and began to finish their ice cream.

~~ ~~ ~~

Kagome slowly slunk into the clearing, just as the moon rose up into the sky. She was taking soft breaths, trying to catch any animal scent other than the dead animal that was in the clearing ahead. She knew he was out there, he had to be, but where? Maybe he thought she wasn't going to show and just left the animal there. She rolled her eyes. No, he was there. She glanced around before finally coming to stand before the dead animal. She touched the animal with her boot, but kept her eyes and cross bow trained on her surroundings.

A movement was heard, but it was too late for her to do anything. He was down on the ground behind her in an instant. Before she could turn around, his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, as the other clawed hand grabbed her crossbow to prevent a launch. "You aren't very good at stalking your prey."

She calmed her racing blood and steeled her tone to wash away any of the shock of being caught so off guard. "How long have you been here? I didn't sense any movements in those trees."

He smirked, his arms tightening ever so slightly. "Long enough to wait for you to stalk your loud self through the forest." In the next moment he lowered his head to the crook of her neck to take in her scent.

Kagome was angry, which only increased the blush that was already forming on her face. She contemplated how to kick his... A chill ran down her spine when she felt his nose hover just above the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She had to stifle a giggle as his silver hair ticked her face and neck. She knew what he was sniffing for, but a part of her wanted to smack him upside the head for over stepping his boundaries. He, in reality, had no right to be doing what he was. He was not a Black wolf, he was not pack, and he most certainly was not her mate. Still she let him take in her scent, even if she didn't understand why.

"Did you actually eat anything?" he asked in a deadly tone.

Kagome's jaw moved slightly as she stiffened at his tone. He was angry... no furious, at her. "I..."

"Baka. If you don't eat tonight, I will personally shove food down your throat tomorrow." With that parting grace, he released her and took to the trees, disappearing from the clearing.

Kagome collapsed to the ground at the sudden loss of support and warmth coming from the White wolf hanyou. Now, more than ever, she wished her parents were alive so that she could talk about the things that were going on. She was utterly confused with her behavior toward the White. She had never even let Kouga that close to her, let alone allow him to chastise her like she was a pup.

She clenched her claws before stalking over to the dead animal. Like he would force feed her if she didn't eat enough. He wouldn't even dare.

~~ ~~ ~~

"Brother, you and I need to talk," Sesshoumaru stated, as the infuriated hanyou entered the camp.

"Can't it wait?"

Sesshoumaru paused in his retort at the tone emanating from the hanyou. In those few words, his brother had conveyed all of his anger, frustration, weariness, and... helplessness? Sesshoumaru sighed and stalked away from his brother. There was no point in telling the halfling to stop his pursuit of the Black wolf hanyou. At least for tonight.

Sesshoumaru was actually not that adverse to the idea of his brother having a hanyou mate, since he believed all half bloods deserved to be polluted together. His problem actually stemmed from the fact that Inuyasha was completely unaware of what he was doing. Ignorance is bliss, but entirely stupid. He was going to end up causing more problems in the long run.

Sesshoumaru wandered out of the camp a ways, searching for a place to sit and contemplate his thoughts. After his discussion with Kaede the night before, he had come to a conclusion that both hurt his authority, but would be overall a better solution to this problem of his brother. She had told him point blank that if he didn't want to kill his sibling, then he must not interfere with the hanyou choosing his own mate before solstice. This, of course, would cause a great stir in the pack for just thinking about such an allowance. However, if he didn't let the hanyou choose now, he would choose later and damn the consequences.

Personally he would rather his brother choose a mate before the solstice. Sure he would have to deal with the tension that would be brought down on his head, but he needed his brother. He would never admit it aloud, but Inuyasha was an invaluable asset to the pack. He was a strong hunter, fighter, and care taker of the young and old. It was his human heart that allowed the hanyou to be so patient with the cubs, even better than most of the women.

Sesshoumaru gracefully sat down upon a small boulder. Of course, Inuyasha always put on the front that he hated the young ones. He couldn't fool the children, though. It was a sixth sense for cubs to know which adult to turn to for aid. Sometimes it was their parents, but often it tended to be the most childish of the adults that the children clung to. Inuyasha was as much a child as the cubs, always bending and breaking the rules to fit his own perspective. And he, Sesshoumaru, continued to allow such insubordination.

A snap of a twig brought him out of his thoughts. He turned his cold eyes toward the source, narrowing them to see clearer. Darkness coated everything in inky polluted shadows that it almost hid the small crouching figure from view. He drew out Toukijin, one of the two swords he carried, and held it ready for an attack. He then carefully smelled the area to pick up the scent of the intruder. A soft herbal fragrance of sage and rosemary intermixed the spicy scent of wolf, told him all he needed to know.

"Come here, Black." A prolonged silence from the figure told him that the Black wolf refused the order. He sighed and reluctantly made a show of sheathing the sword.

The figure finally moved, crawling slowly on the ground, revealing it's head into the gray colored clearing. Slowly, it moved to a standing position, silver dagger hilts glinting at the waist of the figure. The figure ran a hand through shoulder length hair, avoiding the small side ponytail on the right side of the head.

"So we meet again."

Rin nodded her head, her eyes shifting around for a quick exit. She was already late returning to the den, and needed to hurry up this encounter. She was already in for a long lecture for returning late, which was made worse by the fact that she would return without any food. Not to mention that she had just been spotted by a White. "This day just keeps getting better and better," muttered Rin, sarcasm thickly lacing her words.

Sesshoumaru moved forward, surprised that no scent of fear was added as he came closer. She really wasn't afraid of him? His own clan members trembled when he came near them, worried that death was near at hand for them. He believed it was his cold composure that threw them off kilter so badly, but still he hated it when others showed their fear. Not to mention that fear smelled like week old spoiled meat.

Rin held her ground. He showed no threat to her, but he was wasting precious time. As he strode forward, she felt a small rise of panic. She had to leave, now! She waved her hand to stop his approach. "I must go."

Sesshoumaru paused. He could see the panic rising in her as he had approached. Not to mention that her hand was shaking slightly. Still he could smell no fear on her, at least directed toward him. He cocked his head to the side, raising a finely carved eyebrow. "Go, then."

Rin sagged in relief, quickly moving toward the forest, her front still facing the other. "Gomen nasai."

"Do not apologize to I, Lord Sesshoumaru of the White Wolf clan. However, tell your chieftain that I request an audience with her and her clan."

Rin's eyes widened. "What?"

Sesshoumaru, whom was already walking out of the clearing, paused and turned his head ever so slightly over his shoulder. "Evening after next we shall meet. Tomorrow night you shall tell me where to meet them." And then he was gone.

Rin stood there frozen, digesting that last piece of information. He had actually ordered her to meet him tomorrow night! Her eyes widened as she turned and raced off to the den. How would Kagome react to this news. Better yet, what would she say to Rin meeting him again tomorrow night? She would do best to ignore that piece of information when she relayed the message.

~~ ~~ ~~

"They want to meet us?" asked Sango, slowly, as she slurped her soup up.

"Yes," Rin replied. She was currently sitting next to the brown, glad to not be in trouble with the pack. Then again, she wasn't the only one to return back late. In fact, Kagome was the last to arrive, with her successful kill slung over her shoulders. She also smelled like that other wolf from the night before.

Kagome was currently drinking plain broth, having refused the fresh meat on purpose. She knew it was a poor idea, but she really wanted to know what the hanyou would do tomorrow, knowing that she hadn't really eaten anything. It was foolish to do so, already low on food as is, but she wasn't going to be bullied by that jerk.

"Kagome-sama?"

Kagome looked up from her musings to glance at Miroku. "Yes?"

"What is your decision?"

"My what?"

Rin rolled her eyes while the cubs started laughing. She knew that their leader hadn't been paying attention. She worried that the lack of food was starting to block out all other thoughts except hunger. "Are we going to meet with the White Wolf Clan?"

Kagome took another swallow of broth. "I suppose we should. It is only polite since they asked to meet with us first. I guess we could send Kouga to ask about-"

"Iie! I am not going into the fucking wolf camp! It's bad enough I have to listen to you in the first place!" snapped Kouga.

"I'll go, Kagome-sama," replied Rin. "After all, I was the one that was confronted by them tonight."

Kagome snorted, suppressing the urge to prove to Rin that she wasn't the only one who had an encounter with the other pack. She glanced at Rin, wondering if that was a good or bad idea. Rin had been the one to relay the message, and she hadn't been harmed by the being either. That was always a plus. Sango and Miroku tended to knock out all enemies without asking questions, which made contact with others difficult. Kouga lacked... well everything involved in intercommunication with other species and packs. As for herself, well she and her `guest' tended to hit and run, without really getting anywhere.

On the other hand, Kagome did not want to send her closest ally into enemy territory. Okay, so they weren't really enemies. The White hanyou was actually providing food for her clan, not that she was going to admit having to rely on someone else for a change. And there hadn't been any real serious injuries inflicted on either clan.

Rin's heart plummeted. Kagome wasn't going to allow her to go. She was taking too long weighing the possibilities. Did she really not trust her enough to send on an important mission? Was she really that useless? The people of the original Black clan, the Yoru Clan she had come from, had thought so. Rin blinked her eyes, to prevent any tears that might threaten to fall.

"You will go," came Kagome's reply, her eyes fixed upon Rin.

It took a moment for Rin to realize Kagome had meant her. She was going! She was to be the diplomat! Rin couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "As you wish, Kagome-sama."

"But if you do this, Rin," came Kagome's warning tone, "That means you will have a great responsibility. You need to find a place to meet them, what weaponry is allowed, who is allowed to show, and what is expected as a peace gift. It all lands on your shoulders. If anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong the punishment will fall only on your shoulders. Is that understood?"

Rin nodded. "I will make you proud of your clan, Kagome-sama."

It was then that Kagome smiled. "Good. Now, how was the city?"

At that, the cubs jumped in with exaggerated stories of the trials and tribulations that occurred in obtaining ice cream.

~~ ~~ ~~

"I'm not letting you drop down on me like last time," called out the female Black wolf hanyou. "I know you are here White."

"No duh, bitch," came the insolent reply, as Inuyasha entered the clearing, for once on the ground instead of the trees. He strode forward, ignoring the weapon that was cocked and trained on him.

"I don't think so, White." She released the arrow.

Inuyasha cursed, dodging the arrow and tackling the girl to the ground. "Is that anyway to thank the one who's providing your clan with meat? Ungrateful bitch."

The girl wiggled trying to get free of his hold. "No more disrespectful than you ordering me around and insulting me at the same time."

"Keh." Inuyasha quickly leaned his head forward to sniff at the junction of her neck again. This only caused the girl to move around, struggling to get out of his grasp.

"Haven't you even heard of `bubble space,' jerk?"

The hanyou smirked, his gold eyes flashing. "Nope." He took another quick sniff. A low growl emanated from his belly. She hadn't been eating enough. There should have been a change in her scent by now. She was obviously eating the scraps of the food, while her clan was eating the true bulk of the meat. Stupid girl. "I thought I told you to eat," he growled out.

The girl rolled her brown eyes, ignoring the sudden butterflies in her stomach. "I did."

"Not enough to count. Lucky for you, I brought a nice size snack."

"Snack?" she muttered weakly. He wasn't really going to force feed her, right?

Inuyasha smirked as he rolled off her, departing to where he had left the food for her clan. He picked up the large beast and tossed it into the clearing, then reached down to pick up a small hare. It wasn't much, just a snack in many respects, but enough to feed the girl reasonably. He turned back toward the girl, who was currently crouched down and ready to flee. He smirked. She didn't seriously think she would get away from him, did she? He, of course, ignored the fact that she had once gotten away from him once before.

"It's not cooked," Inuyasha said, as he approached her with smooth, calculated steps, "but it will still serve it's purpose."

"And that would be?" Kagome asked, slowly.

Inuyasha flashed a grin, showing fangs, before he jumped toward her.

Kagome yelped as she tried running away, only to be forced down to the ground. She struggled to get away, but one strong arm easily dragged her right back to him. She dug her claws into the ground, only to find that he was still stronger, this time using both arms, and leaving deep scratches in the ground.

"This would be a whole lot easier on you, if you would stop struggling. I'm not going to poison you."

Kagome growled, bucking her hips to push him off. She was answered by a deeper growl that sent goose bumps over her skin. He was, once again, angry with her. In the next moment, she found herself flat on her back, with the enraged hanyou straddling her waist. He looked almost feral, his ivory hair whipping in a multitude of directions, his gold eyes glinting, and his fangs bared. Kagome gulped as she replied with the first thing that came to her mind. "Have you noticed how we tend to end up on the ground every time we meet?"

A short pause followed, before both parties started to laugh. It was short and enough to break the stiff tension that had fallen on the two just moments before. Inuyasha rolled off of her and tossed the rabbit at her. "Eat."

Kagome nodded, sitting up to eat. Inuyasha had retreated from her a few paces, but watched her closely to make sure she ate all the meat within. When she had finished, he stood and departed without a word. Kagome smiled slightly, whispering a soft thank you, before picking up the other meal and heading back to den.

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Translation and Pronunciation Guide:

Nee-chan- (neeh-chahn) Slang for big sister.

-chan- (chahn) Typically this is used for people who are friends or of close relationship like family.

Baka- (bah-kah) Fool, moron.

Toukijin- (Toe-key-gin) Two Ways to take this as: Benevolent Winter or Advance in Battle. Sesshoumaru's second sword forged by the Oni (demon) that destroyed Tetsusaiga in the anime and manga series.

Gomen nasai- (goh-mehn nah-sigh) I am very sorry (formal).

-sama- (sah-mah) Typically this is used at the end of a name for someone of a higher rank or older than the person.

Iie- (Ee-eh) No.

Yoru- (yoh-roo) Night, evening.