InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Source of Solace ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, etc. Rumiko Takahashi has that singular privilege. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

THE SOURCE OF SOLACE

WARNING! Dark imagery and lime, adult situations and issues. Foul language omitted on ff dot net.

CHAPTER SIX

Her first day on Kyouko was a wonder to Sango. There was so much to touch, so much to savor, so much to encounter for the first time in her limited experience. After breakfast, she had volunteered to clean up the kitchen. It was the least she could do to pay the hanyou back for his wonderful introduction to such glorious taste and texture as she had just sampled.

The familiar routine of washing and cleaning relaxed and soothed her. She felt almost sleepily content, but the large world outside was calling to her from the wide windows that opened above the deep marble sink. Thick woods encroached on three sides of the house, and the inviting blue-green shadows were whispering to her heart to come and discover what they held hidden in their mysterious depths.

Drying her hands, Sango went in search of Kagome. She found her in what the girl had called the “solar”, the room where windows took up the length of two walls. Kagome had a data-pad in hand, and was busy making lists. The girl blinked distractedly up at her when Sango softly asked permission to go outside.

Kagome stared at her in surprise, and Sango stirred uneasily. She should be getting used to those stares by now. Both Kagome and Inuyasha seemed to be giving her quite a number of them. But it made her feel like such a fool…

Kagome’s expression softened. “Sango, you don’t have to ask permission for anything. This is your home too, you know.”

Sango bit her lip. “Well, you might need me to do some work around the house. I wasn’t sure just what my duties would be.”

Kagome’s brown eyes were mischievous, though her tone was firm. “Consider this your first day off. Now go outside before you distract me!”

Sango wasn’t certain how to react to the threat in Kagome’s laugh, so she melted back into the hall as the other girl bent her head back over her data-pad. Deciding to take it as an order, Sango crossed the main room and out the front door.

For a long moment, she simply stood on the wide porch, drinking in the amazing world spread out below. The front of the house faced west, and the broad, sloping field rolled before her, the simple, hard-packed path that had guided them here winding slowly up from the lower hills. Her head turned as something chirruped from the shadowy forest, drawing her attention. Stepping down off of the porch, Sango followed the intriguing sound as if one drawn.

The emerald shadows soon enfolded her, and Sango became lost to the world around her.

This was what her soul had been thirsting for…

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It was late, and the sunlight had faded into twilit shadows by the time Sango finally emerged from the deep woods. She had finally been broken from her enraptured reverie by Kagome’s anxious call, and the irritated growl of her hanyou mate. Sango had not wandered far, there was so much to see and experience that she had not needed to. She had found the source of that intriguing call, a small, feathered creature she recognized as a ‘bird’, and even touched the rough-hewn bark of the growing resinwood trees that had been cut and sanded down to form the walls of her new bunkroom. Their scent was so much stronger, and she had spent some time just drinking it in.

Reluctantly turning away, Sango hurried back to the clearing. Kagome’s welcoming smile turned concerned as she emerged from the thick brush, and Sango stared down at herself in confusion. Dirt smeared the front of her once-clean uniform, and there were tears in the so-called indestructible fabric that she had not remembered acquiring.

White claws pulled a leafy twig from her long, tangled hair, and Sango shied away from Inuyasha, who had suddenly appeared at her side. He just grinned at her, fangs flashing, and sauntered past his startled wife and into the house. Kagome came running down the porch steps to scold her, saying she had worried when Sango had disappeared all day. Sango felt terrible and apologized profusely. Kagome only hugged her and told her not to pay any attention to her stupid fears. She just wanted to make sure Sango was okay.

Sango suddenly wrapped her friend in a tight hug of gratitude, surprising them both at the unusual display of emotion. Kagome laughed, and pulled another twig from her hair. “You’re never going to get all that out, you know!”

Sango flushed, wondering what she must look like, dirty and torn, with leaves in her hair.

“You look wonderfully alive.” Kagome said with her strange accuracy for Sango’s innermost thoughts. Sango’s surprise must have shown, because Kagome smiled, and explained, “It’s your eyes. They show everything you’re thinking.”

Sango’s look of chagrin sent Kagome into a fit of the giggles. Taking her hand, Kagome pulled her up the porch steps and into the house behind her, where inviting smells made Sango’s mouth water and her stomach rumble in anticipation.

Dinner was a repeat performance of breakfast, where Sango surprised even herself at how quickly she cleaned off her plate, and the second one Inuyasha silently fetched for her. Kagome couldn’t quit giggling, and Sango’s flushes of embarrassment even took the sting out of Inuyasha’s irritated scowls at the pair of them. Kagome’s teasing of her mate had Sango smiling faintly as the pair of them fought over inane things they both seemed to enjoy quarreling about.

As before, she offered to clean up the mess, and Kagome sighed with satisfaction. “Thank you, Sango! You don’t know how much I hate washing dishes, and Inuyasha, while a great cook, hates cleaning up the mess even more than I!”

Sango was glad she could help in such a simple task. Cleaning up the kitchen was hardly repayment for all that she owed the raven-haired girl.

She was tired, worn out and blinking sleepily over the last dish as she aligned it in the drying rack with the others. Inuyasha and Kagome had settled in front of the great fireplace in the main sitting room, the hanyou busily working on his flat-screen computer, his mate content to snuggle against him and play with the ends of his silver hair.

Sango could not suppress a yawn, and she bade them a quiet good night. Kagome returned her soft smile and waved at her airily to not bother. Sango left them alone, seeking her own room.

Stumbling out of her dirty and torn coverall, Sango barely took the time to pull her sleeveless gray top over her head, not bothering to pull on the shorts that went with it. Both were standard sleeping attire provided by her work detail on Station Nine. Peeling back the thick covers on the window-side of the enormous bed, she slid in with a sigh. The faint hint of resin from the cured woods of her walls reminded her of the deeper forest, as well as the dancing perfume of various flowers that Kagome had thoughtfully arranged in a vase on one chest. Sango tumbled down into dreams, a soft smile curving her lips as she curled on her side, the pearly shade of moonlight kissing across her cheek as her eyes closed in sweet repose.

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The first moon of Kyouko had set and the second and third had not yet risen to make their twin journey across the darkened expanse. Only a handful of stars sprinkled the night sky, the rest obscured by the clouds that had rolled in behind him.

Kouga hauled his single carry-sack over his shoulder as he closed the skimmer’s door with a faint click. Even the sleek silver lines of the graceful ship were hidden in the enfolding darkness. His eyes adjusted to the familiar surroundings, and he paused to breathe in the untainted air around him. A chill-edged breeze played with the long ends of his hair and stirred the trees of the forest beyond.

The silence was broken by a purely feminine giggle, which turned into a soft moan. Kouga’s sensitive ears twitched, and his fangs flashed in a wolfish grin as he glanced up at the darkened second story of the cabin in front of him. Much as he would like to let Inuyasha know he was here, he was not so crass as to interrupt the hanyou from his rather pleasurable pursuits.

Certain of his welcome, and more than familiar with the place that had once been his own, Kouga slipped in through the front door with barely a sound. There was a slight pause upstairs before another soft gasp feathered the heavy silence, and he knew that Inuyasha had heard him, taken his scent, and dismissed his presence as too unimportant to interrupt the more pleasant attentions of his mate.

His eyes had adjusted enough to the shadows to make his way past the main room. An overwhelming scent of perfuming flowers filled his nose, which twitched. His heightened senses were sometimes too sensitive, and the cut flowers masked any other odors he might have been able to detect. With long strides, he stepped past the open space and slid back the door stealthily to the room he had always preferred over the more opulent one upstairs.

The irritating flowers still plagued his keen senses…had Inuyasha’s mate put the damn things in every room of the house? With stealthy movements, not wanting to disturb that mate or bear the consequence of Inuyasha’s righteous wrath if he did, Kouga slithered out of the jacket and rumpled silk shirt he had not bothered to change before undocking the neat little skimmer from Yoro. Casually tossing them on the nearest chest, he pulled off his shoes before hooking his claws on the waistband of his denims, ready to slip them off.

He froze, bare-chested and muscles tightening over strong, wide shoulders, as he suddenly realized he was not alone. Was it the soft whisper of faint movement on satin sheets, or the faint scent that now reached him through the masking stench of flowers that gave it away? He didn’t care, he just knew that there was a human onna in his room, and it took him a moment to recognize the particular fragrance of her.

~Sango.~

He froze, not wanting to wake her up. He remembered how she had heard him in his apartment, as few ever could, even though he had moved with the stealthy silence of a youkai predator. But she seemed deeply asleep, and her breaths remained slow and even, undisturbed by his presence.

He should pick up his crap and go, leaving the girl to her rest. But he knew how lumpy and hard that damn couch was out in the main room, and he didn’t want to startle Kagome should she decide to come down and use the only san-unit available in the small cabin. Inuyasha would have his head on a platter if he should scare his little mate, and hell, there was plenty of room on that bed for the both of them. With how deeply the onna was sleeping, she would not even know he was there. If the girl Sango woke up, he could easily hear her and wake up ahead of time to reassure her he wasn’t there to ravish her like some damn youkai hentai. It would be better for all of them if he just stayed in here.

Or that was what he told himself, making absurd excuses for reasons he refused to consider.

He decided to keep his denims on, no use scaring the girl with ideas that he wanted to do more than just sleep. He had had little rest in the past two nights, first dealing with the strange onna who was sleeping so soundly now in his bed, the second dealing with all the stupidly irritating and mundane aggravations he had to before departing for the planet. He had intentions of staying down on Kyouko for some time, and had to make sure that his little trading empire on Yoro could function without his claws at the helm…

The onna was curled on the side closest to the window, a dark shape muffled in blankets. There was still a vast expanse between them as Kouga gingerly settled himself on the other side. The mattress creaked slightly at his weight, but the girl didn’t even stir. Slipping the covers up to his waist, Kouga crossed his arms behind his head to provide a firmer pillow. His blue eyes contemplated the shapeless mound across from him for a long time, her distinctively feminine scent stronger now than the stinking perfume of wilting flowers or the faint pine-scent of the treated resinwood used for both walls and furniture.

He watched as the second and third moons rose, making a wispy silver-pearl patch across the stone floor as clouds swirled over them, until the clouds won the battle against the light, and the room was darkened once more. Closing his eyes, he allowed his body to relax, and the darkness took him as well…

Something was tickling his chest, and Kouga stirred in irritation. Opening his eyes, he realized that the sky had lightened as the first tentative touches of cloudy dawn peeked over the dark gray blurs of the forest outside the open window. The predawn air was downright chilly, and he uncrossed his arms to hitch the covers higher on his chest, still not ready to move from the warmth of the bed.

The ticklish sensation returned, and he brushed at the irritant with an impatient hand…only to feel his claws tangle in it. Looking down, he saw that it was the ends of the onna’s black hair feathering against his chest. He followed the long sweep of her hair and stared at the girl who now faced him.

She had turned in her sleep, away from the colder touch of the chilly air from the window, and was now facing him, her body curled up in a huddle of blankets so that only the slight oval of her features were exposed. She must have instinctively sought out his warmth in the expansive bed, and though she did not touch him, she was near enough that he could make out the soft ripples in the fabric of her pillow as her slow, even breaths whispered across it.

Her skin was pale, her sharp, thin features relaxed in sleep. The red tattoo across her upper eyelids was only a grayed shadow against the darker line of her lashes, which were incredibly long and thick. Her black hair, still confined somewhat in the tail she always kept it in, was feathered across the mattress between them, the tips just barely touching his chest and stomach. Unable to resist, he touched the ends with a light claw. The light was brightening, and he could make out delicate brown hairs among the fine ebony. Her hair was tangled, and his fangs flashed in a grin as he realized she had a briar, of all things, caught in the thick black length.

Careful lest she rouse, he used his claws to comb out the annoying little bugger. With infinite patience, he untangled one strand after another with a gentle touch, all so that he would not wake her up. He could just imagine her reaction to that.

When she didn’t stir under his careful ministrations, he took the time to remove a few bits of leaf caught in the smooth ripples. He was surprised at the texture, he had not known an onna’s hair could be so tantalizingly soft…

The door slammed open with such force it bounced back in its tracks. Amber eyes blazed as Inuyasha nearly snarled, “Just what the fuck do you think you are doing, you mangy wolf?”

Kouga closed his eyes in an exasperated sigh as he felt the other side of the bed pitch. There was a half-gasp and a muffled thump, and he opened his blue eyes up to see the blankets abandoned and the onna slide back into the corner, kneeling in a purely defensive crouch, her fingers groping at her side as if searching for some type of weapon.

Surprised at the maneuver, Kouga sat up and stared at her, his black brows drawn down in consternation. Inuyasha, too, was staring at her in surprise, Kouga’s presence forgotten.

The girl crouched, her legs bent but prepared to whirl away from the corner if the need arose. One hand was held out, away from her body in a claw-like gesture, the other gripping at her waist for a hilt that was not there. Her brown eyes were wide and wary, the sleep-rumpled ends of her hair cascading down her tense shoulders and back. Her outfit left little to the imagination; the sleeveless top hugged her thin frame, her underwear doing little to hide the white expanse of muscle-tensed thigh that was exposed to the hip. The chilly air had pebbled her breasts under the light fabric, and Kouga grimaced as he felt himself tightening in healthy response.

Both males stared at her in appreciation, but it was Inuyasha who finally blinked away his surprise and rounded on his friend, his growl loud enough to wake the dead. “You damn wolf. What do you think you’re doing?”

Kouga smirked. “Well, I was sleeping.”

“In here.” Inuyasha’s voice was flat, almost as if he couldn’t believe the ookami had that much gall.

Kouga pulled back the covers and slid out of bed, blue eyes amused. “Yes, in here.”

“Sango?” Kagome peeked around her mate’s bulky frame, brown eyes wide as she took in the scene before her. Kouga hitched his low-riding denims up with studied nonchalance, trying to adjust himself with discreet innocence. Sango nervously stood up as Kagome slid from her mate’s side.

“Are you both crazy?” Kagome rounded a glare on both males, snatching a sheet from the bed to drape over Sango’s shoulders. “It’s cold in here. Come on, Sango-chan. I have something more…uh…warm…that you can wear.” Keeping her hands on Sango’s shoulders, Kagome steered her past Inuyasha’s cross-armed glare. Sango threw a last, confused look over her shoulder at Kouga, who had a faint, sardonic smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

As soon as the pair disappeared, Inuyasha rounded on his ookami friend. “What in all that’s fucking wrong with the world were you doing in here?”

Kouga matched Inuyasha’s cross-armed stance, though he relaxed easily against the hard wood of the wall behind him. With a droll tone that did not hide the faint steel behind it, he said, “Didn’t I tell you? I was sleeping.”

“In here.” Inuyasha repeated himself, in the same flat tone.

Kouga shrugged. “The couch is lumpy.”

“The couch…” Inuyasha’s eyes blazed gold. With an abrupt movement, his curled fist came flying for Kouga’s head. Kouga, expecting it, dodged and grabbed the hanyou’s fist in his own. Golden eyes blazed into icy blue, and the hanyou nearly snarled. “You damn bastard. I won’t have you play any stinking games with that particular onna. She’s Kagome’s friend, and is under my protection. You’ll keep your filthy claws to yourself, got that, you stinking wolf?”

Scarlet touched the edges of Kouga’s vision, and he fought to keep his instinctive rage back. “Look, Mutt-face, it’s not like that. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Sango.”

“No?” Inuyasha snarled, challenging his old friend in a way Kouga didn’t like but could not help but understand. Inuyasha had found him in quite a compromising situation, and knowing his past like no one else did, the hanyou couldn’t help but think that Kouga would only see the young woman as an easy conquest.

But he didn’t, and Kouga’s voice had a bite as he replied, his blue eyes steady on his friend’s, “No.”

Inuyasha grunted, accepting Kouga’s word. Kouga relaxed, though he kept his fist around the hanyou’s, wary of retribution. He didn’t expect Inuyasha to let it go at that, and he was right.

The hanyou’s left fist came out of nowhere to sock the ookami lord right in the gut, making the breath whoosh out of him in surprise at the strength of the blow. Blue eyes seeped red anger for a moment, and Inuyasha watched silently as the ookami battled back his responsive fury. Kouga regained his wind, and rubbed at the tight, sore muscles of his abdomen. He gave the hanyou a grudging look of respect even as he growled low with warning menace, “Maybe I deserved that. Just don’t ever do it again, dog-boy.”

“Gods, but that felt good.” Inuyasha grinned, rubbing his sore knuckles.

Kouga only grunted, but the air was cleared between them. Inuyasha clasped his friend’s bare shoulder with a friendly air. “C’mon, wolf. Let’s go catch breakfast.”

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“There.” Kagome stepped back to survey her handiwork. She couldn’t stop the grin that split her face as Sango self-consciously hitched up her pants, which kept sliding down her leaner hips. She and Kagome were roughly the same height, but she was not as curvaceous as the other young woman.

“A belt will help.” Kagome said practically, and went to fetch one.

It did, and Sango gave her friend a grateful smile. Kagome gave her the once-over, and sighed. “It’ll do, but I really need to see about getting you some decent clothes.”

“Kagome, you don’t need to do so much for me,” Sango demurred.

“Nonsense.” Kagome waved any protests aside. “What are friends for? Besides, I can’t stand seeing you look like a frump. It looks bad on me and Inuyasha.”

“Oh.” Sango felt guilty for putting Kagome out so much.

Kagome noticed the girl’s expression, and threw her arms around her. “Oh, Sango! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it, truly I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking, and the words just popped out. I am so sorry!”

Sango blinked. “Kagome-chan, you don’t have to apologize to me. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. Please don’t think I’m upset by anything you ever say to me. You are my dearest friend, my only friend, and I owe so much to you. You are the one who gave me back myself, and I can never repay you for that.”

It was Kagome’s turn to blink. “Huh? But it wasn’t me who woke you up. It was Kouga grabbing you, wasn’t it?”

Sango smiled, she could not explain to the earnest young girl that it had been her presence onboard the Eminence that had first crept through the fog-induced uncertainty of Alteration. Her presence, and her friendship.

“Speaking of Kouga…” Kagome’s expression darkened. “Are you sure you’re okay, Sango? He didn’t…uh…do anything, did he?”

Sango blushed, and ducked her head. “No. And you shouldn’t be angry, Kagome. He might not have known that I was there…”

Kagome snorted, a surprisingly unladylike sound for the feminine girl.

“It’s his room, you know.” Sango offered weakly. “Ginta told me.”

Kagome shook her head, even while a smile crept across her lips. “I can’t believe you’re defending him, Sango. You continue to amaze me with just how sweet you are. If it had been me, I would have been ready to kill him---with a dirty, rusty nail.”

Sango just shook her head. “You’re wrong, Kagome. You are the sweet one. There are things you don’t know about me, things I don’t even know myself, things that only hint to me that there is much I would rather not know…”

“Nonsense!” Kagome replied. “That’s just your hunger talking. We haven’t even had breakfast yet. Come on, if I know Inuyasha, he’ll have something ready for us soon enough.”

Even as Kagome dismissed her fears, Sango wasn’t so sure. But she gave in, and dutifully followed the other girl down the stairs.

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“That’s gross.” Kagome made a face at the dripping carcasses left hanging above the sink.

Inuyasha just let out a gusty sigh of impatience for the foibles of his somewhat dense mate. “Where the hell do you think meat comes from, Kagome?”

Kagome knew full well where meat came from, but she retorted just to irk her easily irked mate, “Everybody knows it comes from the grocery store.”

Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look, actually thinking for a minute that she really believed that. Kagome giggled.

Inuyasha could be so dense sometimes!

With a mock scowl, the hanyou’s claws whipped out to pull her close and nibble one ear in retribution. Kagome sighed with sensual enjoyment, but jumped as a rather dry voice behind her interrupted the loving moment.

“Should I leave you two alone?”

“Damn wolf,” Inuyasha muttered darkly under his breath as Kagome whipped around with an over-bright smile on her face, though her cheeks were stained with a blush.

“Uh…good morning, Kouga. When did you get in?”

Amusement flickered deep in the light blue eyes. “Last night,” he answered, casually leaning against the other side of the long bar that divided the kitchen from the sitting area.

Kagome flushed, belatedly recalling this morning’s fiasco. “Er…yes.”

“Are you done teasing my mate?” Inuyasha growled. “I could use some help cutting up breakfast, wolf.”

Kouga smirked. “You mean, the breakfast I caught? You’re getting too slow, old man. You’re out of practice. If it weren’t for me, we’d all be eating scrambled eggs.”

The ookami added a twitch of disgust for emphasis as he easily made his way around the counter to pull one of the fresh kills off of the drain. Moving around the cupboards with easy familiarity, he soon had a chopping block and knife set up in preparation. With a few deft flashes of the heavy blade, he had separated the rabbit-like bush-tail into large quarters. He reached for the second one to repeat the performance.

“That was only a lucky catch, you cocky bastard.” Inuyasha replied, cracking open the eggs Kouga despised but which his wife preferred.

The two of them continued to bicker as Kagome looked on in amusement. She looked up when she heard Sango come into the room from using the san-unit, and smiled by way of greeting.

Sango came forward hesitantly, and Kagome noted with approval that her pants, held up by the belt, stayed in place and not down her hips. The white cotton blouse Kagome had provided her only enhanced the paleness of her skin, but it was better than the horrible coveralls the girl usually wore.

She definitely had to get Sango some clothes…

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sango asked shyly, coming to stand beside Kagome, who was content to sit and watch her mate and his ookami friend do all the work.

Surprisingly, it was Kouga who answered her query. Arching a black brow, he said, “Can you stomach cutting up meat? Real meat?”

Sango looked at the bloody mess with curiosity, not repugnance.

“It’s simple.” Inuyasha said, his gruff voice gentler than usual as he fetched down another block for the girl to use. “Just cut the meat into sections about this big.” He made motions with his hands as Kouga scooped up a double handful to land with a squishy plop on the block, making Kagome shudder.

“Sango, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” She said, making a face.

“It’s okay, Kagome. It’s not icky or anything.” Sango replied in a distracted voice, easily separating the larger pieces.

Kagome scowled at the two males, who grinned.

Wiping the blood from his claws, Kouga handed the girl a sharp knife, hilt first.

Sango took the knife with a curious look on her face, wrapping her slender fingers around the hilt and testing the balance and weight of the blade. With a slight shake, she seemed to come back to herself, and got to work, deftly separating the larger portions of bloody meat into the approximate size Inuyasha wanted.

Inuyasha and Kouga exchanged a telling glance between them, and Kagome frowned over their particular behavior. Inuyasha avoided her eyes, busying himself with serving up breakfast. For a time, the homey scene settled, and Kagome forgot their strange actions as she took a deep inhalation of the delicious aromas rising over Inuyasha’s stove.

“Rare.” Kouga ordered, sliding his finished cuts into the pan kept hot and ready for them. The meat sizzled and snapped in its own juice, and Inuyasha just growled as he flipped bits over, searing all sides.

Sango finished her labors, and Kouga dumped the tidy pile into the same pan over Inuyasha’s scowled protest. “Damn it, wolf. I like my meat cooked, not just scorched.” Deftly picking out the pieces Kouga preferred rare, he piled them on a nearby plate, allowing his own meat to cook longer.

“That’s cause you’re half human, mutt-face,” Kouga retorted. “No appreciation for the right way to eat meat.”

His fangs flashed. “Fresh.”

Inuyasha just snorted his disgust.

Sango was too busy setting up the table to pay heed to their nonsense, so Kagome went and helped her. Just as she poured the last water glass, Inuyasha announced that breakfast was ready.

“About time.” Kouga groused, helping to haul their plates from the kitchen to the table. Kagome had thought they would seat themselves as they had before, but Inuyasha deftly insinuated himself beside her, plunking their plates down and ignoring the silverware to pick his plate clean his preferred way, with his claws. Kagome had despaired long ago of ever teaching him anything remotely like table manners, but she noticed that Kouga was eating his food the same way, so maybe it was a youkai thing.

Sango, who had deferentially waited to seat herself after the others, bit her lip as Kouga straddled the bench across from Kagome and Inuyasha. He put her plate down beside him, and even patted the empty space with a teasing glint his blue eyes.

“Don’t worry. I don’t bite.”

“Much,” Inuyasha muttered, and grunted when Kagome’s elbow jammed into his ribs at Sango’s widened brown eyes. “Damn it, wench…”

Kagome’s smile was over-bright. “Go ahead, Sango. You don’t want your food to get cold.”

Sango gingerly took her seat, picking up her utensils and scooping up the eggs she now recognized. This morning, Inuyasha had added some of the more tender bits of meat she had helped carve up, properly cooked for human sensibilities. Included were some pieces of fruit that Kagome could not name, but which tasted sweet on the tongue, almost like cinnamon and apples but with more juice than a true apple would have. It was a curious pink color, with a deeper red skin. As before, Sango was quite impressive in how quickly she could clean off her plate, and it was becoming a habit for Inuyasha to automatically fetch her a second helping. She wasn’t the only one; both males had healthy appetites, and even Kagome allowed herself a small additional serving of eggs and redfruit.

Sango was done before anyone, though Kouga was sopping up the last of the meat’s juice with a bit of bread. He glanced at the empty plate, and said bluntly, “Damn, woman, you can eat.”

Sango blushed, looking embarrassed, but Kagome noticed that the ookami seemed more impressed than shocked. His blue eyes held approval and something else as he looked down on the black-haired girl beside him.

Kagome blinked.

And then she grew abruptly thoughtful, and a secretive, almost triumphant smile flickered over her pursed lips as she studied the pair across from her with sudden intensity.

Inuyasha frowned, giving his wife a suspicious glance out of amber eyes.

Kagome merely smiled serenely.

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Kouga had been in the middle of repairing some rather torn nets for Inuyasha’s use when Kagome purposely came to find him.

He glanced up as the young onna cleared her throat, though he had felt her presence long before she had come into view of the small shed where he worked. Still, it didn’t do good to let one know just how keen his senses were. Ningen, in his experience, were often startled by the fact and seemed frightened by it.

Though he thought idly that there was little that could truly scare Kagome.

“Hiya, Kouga.” Kagome seemed a little too bright and cheerful as she greeted him, and Kouga’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. A wry expression flickered over the girl’s features, but was quickly suppressed, as her smile grew wider.

“Can I help you, Kagome?” Kouga asked, instinctively wary but courteous with his best friend’s mate. Besides, he rather liked Inuyasha’s feisty wench for herself, and what could Kagome do that would ever truly affect him in any way?

“Why yes, Kouga, yes you can.” Kagome said ingeniously, sitting down next to him on the workbench. Kouga cocked a brow up as the onna suddenly assumed a rather worried expression. She even started wringing her hands, and Kouga didn’t know whether to be wary or amused.

“You see, Kouga, I’m worried. About Sango.” Kagome’s brown eyes stared earnestly into his, her voice threaded with deep concern. But her scent betrayed the lie, though it wasn’t exactly a lie. It was just that Kagome wasn’t as concerned as she would have him believe. But there was a trace of worry in there, as well as some inexplicable emotions he could not name.

The other brow rose, and Kouga waited impassively.

Undaunted, Kagome went on with her artful display. “You see, Sango went off into the woods some time ago and hasn’t returned yet. I mean, I really shouldn’t worry. She spent all day yesterday in the forest, and was fine. Inuyasha told me she would be all right, as long as she stayed close to the house. But you know Sango. She has such an adventurous spirit…”

Kagome trailed off, as even she realized that that particular statement was a bit of an over-reach, even for her. But Kouga didn’t appear to have heard that last little sentence, for he was frowning, and his black brows had come down in what could only be called a frown.

Kouga had heard the onna, and definitely that rather outrageous prevarication at the end. But there was actually something in Kagome’s speech to be truly concerned with, though the onna didn’t appear to know just how serious Sango’s solitary trek into the deeper forests could be. There were strange creatures out there, dangerous creatures that a young girl raised on the shielded, sterile world of ship and station would never recognize as dangerous.

And that particular onna was quite a tasty little morsel…for some wild animal bent on a mid-day snack, of course.

Kouga abruptly stood, dropping the nets he had held in his claws so that he could curve his hands around his mouth and call to his four-legged brothers. If any one could find the young woman’s whereabouts, it was them. They were always lurking near, somehow sensing his presence whenever and wherever he happened to show up on the planet.

Kagome was staring at him with wide brown eyes as his howl lifted across the clearing. His cupped palms magnified the sound, so that it reverberated further out than his normal volume. There was a sharp thud from the innards of the cabin, and Inuyasha came whipping out the front door as if his tail was on fire---if he ever had a tail. His gold-amber eyes searched immediately for his mate, and seeing her safe, if stunned, beside the ookami, he scowled while stalking over to them.

“Inuyasha.” Kagome looked a little faint.

“What the hell is going on?” Inuyasha demanded, ignoring her.

“Kagome says Sango is in the woods.”

“Yeah, so?” Inuyasha crossed his arms in his normal, belligerent stance.

“Well, this forest isn’t as cleared as you think it might be, mutt-face.” Kouga replied, steel sharpening his voice.

Inuyasha cocked a black brow. “So why are you still standing here, wolf-breath?”

Kouga gave his friend a wry smile, before turning and putting the hanyou’s barb to action. Taking a few strides for measure, he leapt into the woods and was gone before Kagome could even blink.

Kouga called to his brothers as the shadowed growth closed in around him. Easily dodging around any obstacle in his path, he extended his stride, feeling his muscles stretch and an almost euphoric sense overtake him. It had been a long time since he had stretched out his legs and felt the wind against his skin, a wind he created with his own swift passage. He let the exhilaration distract him for but a single moment, before stifling it under his concern for the girl wandering so innocently amid the forest which held its secrets, both compelling and sinister, close to its breast.

He heard a faint, howling answer to the right, and veered in that direction. He was surprised by how far the girl had hiked into the woods, and his apprehension added length to his stride. He snapped through a veiling stand of young trees and brush, feeling branches pull at his rather impractical clothing and twigs and leaves break off as he passed. He burst into the open meadow, his feet thudding to earth.

The girl, who had been stretched out on the ground under a blanket of late flowers and the branching shelter of a large oak, sat up abruptly at his noisy entrance, looking around with confusion. She froze, but her eyes were on the shaggy brown forms who had come out of the far side of the clearing, rather than on him.

To his amazement, she actually got to her knees and made a soft greeting to the milling pack of wolves that had their attention divided between her and their ookami lord. One of them whined, and the girl actually made a coaxing noise and started to crawl forward on her knees. Two of the wolves, wild ones, pulled their lips back from their teeth to growl warning, but the girl seemed to not have heard.

Kouga was at her side in flash. “Stay still.” His voice was harsh and loud even to his own ears as a clawed hand clamped down hard on the stupid onna’s shoulder. She threw her head back to look at him, smothering a faint hiss of shock at his abrupt appearance.

But Kouga’s eyes were focused on the small pack of wolves that milled uncertainly on the other side of the field. He snarled, and their heads came up, ears cocked in his direction. With a string of short barks and guttural sounds deep in his throat, he put them in their place. The two wild ones who had growled at the onna belly-dropped to the ground in submission and whined apologies.

Kouga barked a command, and the wolves crept close, their tails wagging tentatively, their heads lowered and manner cautious as they came nigh.

Kouga’s claws tightened on the girl’s shoulder. “Let them take your scent.” He ordered. She twitched under his hard hold, but he snapped out a warning, “Or they will consider you fair game for dinner. Got that?”

The girl froze and Kouga grinned toothily at the smell of fear and surprise that threaded the girl’s distinctive scent. Good. Now maybe she would obey him.

The nearest wolf, the pack’s leader, dropped to his belly just a few feet from them, whining and wagging its lowered tail with a hopeful expression. Kouga, exuding alpha dominance, growled his assent. The wolf crawled forward and paused at the onna’s knees.

“Keep still.” Kouga growled to her, and made a low noise in the back of his throat. The wolf sniffed, and the girl sat as still as a statue. With growing courage under the ookami’s watchful eye, the wolf stepped closer, sniffing the girl over like he would another wolf, memorizing her scent. His jaws opened, showing jagged rows of sharp teeth, and he wrinkled his lips back in approval. Kouga could feel the girl suppress the will to flinch away as the wet nose and the sharp teeth that came with it started twitching across her face and hair.

Suddenly, a pink tongue lolled out and swiped up her pale cheek. The girl could not stop herself from rearing back, and Kouga barked a sharp reprimand. The wolf fell to his belly and whined, his ears flat.

But the girl surprised him. Instead of cowering away, she actually laughed, an unexpectedly rich sound. One hand came up to her wet cheek, and she remarked softly, “That tickled.”

Tickled?

Kouga relaxed, blue eyes amused. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting go. He called the other wolves closer, certain now that the girl, though out of her mind for not being scared, would be fine with their clownish behavior. Now that their leader had taken her scent and accepted her, the rest of them would follow, and he need not worry for her safety.

And now that the neighboring wolves had Sango’s signature, he could send along a watchful escort whenever she happened to take it back into her head to go traipsing out alone in the woods again. He was, however, prepared to give her a thorough lecture on how to do so both safely and smartly.

Because he didn’t doubt that there would be a next time…

He dropped to the earth in an easy cross-legged sprawl, and allowed the whining wolves to greet him as well. Excitedly, the four-legged brothers crowded round their alpha lord, rubbing noses and taking swipes at his hands and chin. He allowed them their display, scratching ears and ruffling fur until he heard a slight yelp from his side, and his head snapped around, growling off the playful young wolf who had put his front paws on Sango’s shoulders and knocked her slighter weight back into the grass. Two others pounced on her, attacking her shaking head with playful swipes as she giggled and tried to roll over and dodge wet, drooly tongues.

Kouga snarled a second command, and the wolves fell back whining with tails between their legs. They were young, yearlings only, and not as attentive as the older members of the pack. Already, their leader (and probable father) was growling deep in his throat with admonishment.

“Oh, don’t be mad at them.” Sango said, her brown eyes lit up to an almost cinnamon color. “They were just playing.”

Kouga liked that the young onna was defending his wolves to him, their ookami lord, but discipline must always come first in the pack. He growled a command, and the pack leader wuffed in ascent. With a sudden motion, the whole band were on their feet and loping back toward the woods, where they melted into the deep foliage.

Sango had rolled over on her belly, looking after them with a wistful air. “Do they have to go?” She asked.

“Yes.” Kouga said simply, and left it at that. He had sent them off to take up sentry around the small meadow, not wanting to leave the quiet spot just yet. Sango, too, didn’t seem intent on leaving. She rolled back over to lie on her side and propped her head on one hand. Kouga was surprised by how different she was acting from her normal, almost timid behavior. Her question, coming out of the blue as it did, surprised him as well.

“This is your planet, isn’t it?”

“It is the Clan’s, yes.” Kouga answered, his blue eyes searching hers. But there seemed no ulterior motive there, just shy curiosity.

“It’s beautiful.” The girl said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of pine-scented, earthy air. Kouga hid a grin. Simply put, and simple truth.

“How did you…the Clan…find such a beautiful place?”

Kouga surprised himself by answering her. “My grandfather was the first to claim this planet for the Ookami Clan, and named it Kyouko, for the strength of the mountain.”

“The strength of the mountain.” Sango’s voice was soft, reverent. “It’s beautiful.”

Again, simply put and simple truth. This onna was more complex than he could have imagined. She already had more understanding than even Ayame, with her birth on this place of unspoiled beauty and wild nature that called to the ookami and stirred deep in their blood when they stood on the soil of their homeworld, ever could.

Now why the hell had he even thought about that selfish little wolfling? Ayame far preferred the amenities of technology to the wilds of her birthplace. She had even admitted to him that she hated the very wilderness that he craved. Yet another reason the deluded, power-hungry female would never have been able to become his mate.

“What made you decide to open Kyouko up for colonization?” Sango interrupted his wandering thoughts, and blushed for her daring.

Kouga again surprised himself by answering easily, “It’s not. Only the southeastern continent, what we call Seppan in the old tongue, is open for settlement. The rest of Kyouko is forbidden to ningen. It’s is sacred to the Clan, and I will not have it despoiled by men.”

“Oh.” Sango rolled up into a sitting position, her back to him, their easy camaraderie abruptly broken.

Kouga frowned, feeling like an ass but saying nothing. Slender fingers brushed across the grass beside her, combing through them as if seeking comfort. Kouga studied her bent head, and the long tail of midnight hair that hung in mussed tangles down her cotton-clad back. Pale green stains smeared the white fabric, and she had broken grass stems in her hair. Without thinking, he reached out a claw and plucked one from the top of her ponytail.

Sango’s head whipped around in surprise at the unexpected touch, and Kouga shrugged, more at himself than at her, and held up the broken green stem in explanation.

The girl colored---damn, but she could blush easily---and her fingers combed through her long hair, missing most of the small green bits that clung stubbornly to the tangled tresses. Kouga chuckled, and moved closer to her.

“Allow me.” He said, claws held out for her permission.

Sango gave him a wary look, her brown eyes searching his face, which he kept expressionless. Let her take his offer as she wanted. After a long minute, she nodded, and turned her head forward, so that her black hair hung long and rippling down her back.

Kouga was careful, making sure to only touch the various grass stems that festooned her hair. The girl’s shoulders were so tense he was afraid she might jump up in fright if he dared anything else. Still, he couldn’t resist gently brushing out the silky tresses with his fingers as he finished, allowing the fine, midnight strands to fall through his claws and noting that the occasional brown strand was more noticeable in true daylight than early dawn.

She shifted uncomfortably from one hip to another, her turn to break the spell, and he let her locks fall. Kouga breathed in her earthy scent, and sat back to put a bit of distance between them, more for her comfort than his. Her fingers were back at the verdant carpet, plucking nervously, and he said off-handedly, again more for her benefit than giving a good damn, “You aren’t the only one with leaves in your hair.”

He flipped his own black tail over his shoulder to grimace at the bits of leaf and twig his long hair had gathered up. Sango turned around to see him tug at a thorny briar, his expression sour.

“Allow me.” She said, eager to return what she considered a mere favor on his part. A black brow rose, and she dropped her gaze, flushing. “It’s only fair. I mean, you helped me…”

“Okay.” Kouga interrupted her, amusement glinting deep in his blue eyes. He kept his expression carefully blank, not wanting to scare the timid doe off.

Sango turned around fully, so that she faced him. Putting out a tentative hand, she gathered the fine black strands, not as silky at hers, more wiry but still soft to her questing fingers. Kouga watched her, as she became intent on her task. He had a number of briars in the heavy length, and she scooted closer to him as she concentrated on pulling them free without hurting him. She was gentle, and thorough, and her distinctively feminine fragrance hung in the air around him, making the blue of his eyes deepen as he watched her.

She combed the long strands out when she was finished, much as he had done, almost as if she could not help herself. She allowed the black hairs to fall softly to his shoulder and chest, and looked up at him, blinking as she realized just how close she had come while pulling the debris from his ebony tail.

Kouga’s expression was inscrutable, the clear blue of his eyes intent as he gazed down at the young onna who drew him in such a surprisingly easy way. Her eyes were wide, the lashes thick around the deeply brown iris that held touches of honey and cinnamon in their depths. Her soft lips were parted, and her breath caught as the blue deepened in his expression. He could tell by her scent that she was not unaffected, and he drew closer, wondering what those soft pink lips might taste like if he were to just brush his mouth across them to sample their very texture…

She trembled, and that was what stopped him cold. She had already experienced far too much at a youkai’s hands to ever trust another, and he broke the intensity between them by abruptly rising to his feet.

“We should go.” He said, his voice cold.

The girl ducked her head and busied her trembling hands brushing imaginary grass stems from her pants as she got to her feet. A pitiful ploy, it hid nothing. But he turned away from her, his expression wry.

“We should go before the others come looking for us.” He said, stepping into the trees, not waiting for her to follow.

“Yes.” The girl managed that much, to agree with his words and surprise them both with how steady her voice was, though the confusion and fear in her scent spoke volumes to his ookami senses. The sun had gone behind clouds once more, and the air grew chilly as the green shadows deepened and grayed. She shivered, and Kouga could not honestly say if it was from the air or from him…

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Inuyasha made certain that that damn wolf spent the night on the couch this time, lumpy as it was. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if the damn ookami slept on the stone floor---Kagome would skin him alive if he were to let what had happen this morning happen again. Besides, if Kouga was that damn uncomfortable, he had more than enough credits to just go and buy his own damn bed.

Inuyasha couldn’t put his finger on it, but he had the sneaking suspicion that something had happened between the strange girl and his ookami friend out there in the woods. They came back, both unusually quiet…well, it was not so unusual for Sango, but Kouga was acting damn weird, just grunting at the hanyou’s pointed jibes. He kept looking at the young onna, though he tried to hide it. Kagome, too, had been rather mute, and looked almost guilty as they all sat down to dinner. Inuyasha had gotten fed up with the whole lot of them, and gone to bed, waking only when his wife came in to join him. He had taken out his frustration in some healthy exercise, in which his wife had willingly joined.

He thanked the Stars that he and Kouga had planned on rising early this morning and going for a day-long hunt in the wild forests that surrounded the lonely cabin. It would be good to take out his tensions with some good sport, and he was looking forward to it. Kouga had been right yesterday, damn his unctuous ass, he should not have missed that stupid bush-tail. He hadn’t been out hunting in far too long, and wanted to polish up his skills.

He crept out of the room without waking his wife, who was dead to the world, until she finally chose to wake up of her own accord. He found Kouga waiting for him in the living room, his expression dark and the circles under his eyes telling the story of a night spent uncomfortably tossing and turning.

Inuyasha grinned. Served the wolf right, lumps and all!

Kouga just growled and stomped out the house, picking up the small carry-sack and belt-knives he would need for the day along the way. Inuyasha followed suit, and in the pale dawn-light asked Kouga which way he wanted to start out.

The wolf merely snapped a reply, and Inuyasha demanded, “What the hell is wrong with you this morning, wolf-boy? You’re acting like an (butt). More so than usual.”

Kouga snapped back, “Do you have to make that damn bed creak all fucking night long?”

Inuyasha rounded on him with a growl, only to laugh outright at the wolf’s sour expression.

It was priceless.