InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter TwentySix ( Chapter 26 )

Chapter TwentySix

 

 

It hurt. He hurt. He hurt in places he didn't know he'd had and even twitching caused a whole new experience in agony for him. He was breathing, he knew that much, but Kouga really didn't want to open his eyes. As he'd first started to drift back to awareness, waking up to aches and pains that didn't seem to have any end, he thought maybe it might just be better to stay unconscious.

 

At least until he healed.

 

No, he didn't have that kind of luck and something touched his face, making him hiss. It was cold and damp, but it didn't feel like a threat so the wolf allowed it. The cool moist feeling brushed over his forehead and down his cheek, carefully wiping his skin. He supposed it might be blood they were trying to wipe away. He really didn't want to open his eyes anyway; his last memory was of Naraku's face, laughing at him as he ripped the jewel shards out of his legs.

 

Who wanted to wake up after something like that? It was only stubbornness that kept him alive in the first place.

 

The cool touch disappeared, and then returned again feeling fresher. This time it laved at his neck and upper chest, he could feel the wounds as it gently pulled at his skin. Who was caring for him? Ginta? Hakkaku? Someone had found him, felt sorry enough for a half dead wolf to wipe away crusted blood. His nose twitched, waking up more thoroughly than the rest of his senses, and Kouga cautiously sniffed the air.

 

He smelled dog.

 

The wolf's eyes suddenly shot open, his hand automatically reaching for whoever was tending him. A faint snarl wanted to come from his throat but he was too weak to do more than just put on a show. His head turned to the side, looking into a pair of startled young eyes.

 

"Who are you?" he croaked.

 

The girl didn't answer; she tried to pull her wrist out of his hand instead. First gently, then a little more insistently as he didn't release his grip. "Who are you?" he demanded in a louder voice, pleased that enough of his strength remained to keep his hold on the young girl. If she hit him or anything he'd probably slip right back to blissful unconsciousness, but until she did, he could put on a show of being strong and in control of himself.

 

"Answer me, girl!"

 

She stopped fighting him and met his eyes with a startled look. The girl looked scared all right, but not of him. Her lips parted slowly, her pink tongue slipping out to lick them anxiously. "Kaori," she murmured.

 

"And where am I, Kaori?" He needed to know whose prisoner he was; he needed to know why the place smelled like dog. The girl just looked at him, her hand hanging limply from his grasp with a wet cloth between her fingers.

 

"You're in the fortress, wolf-sama."

 

"What fortress?"

 

She blinked at him and gently eased her hand from his. The cloth returned to his face, wiping tentatively at his cheek again. "The fortress," she said again, her head cocked to the side. "It's never had any other name."

 

Well, that was a lot of help, he thought sourly.

 

Kouga sniffed again, looking her over. "You're inuyoukai." He must be in some kind of dog demon stronghold. He didn't know any inuyoukai personally; mutt-face the half-breed was enough for him. He knew they weren't friendly, hated wolves more than spoiled meat, and were generally so territorial and paranoid they hated having anything to do with other demons that didn't involve killing them.

 

This was not looking good for him.

 

Kaori leaned over him, tending to his wounds and gently wiping his chest with her damp cloth. Now that he was paying attention, it smelled of herbs and he wondered who had ordered her to take care of him.

 

"Listen, kid," he said, trying to sit up a bit. "I need to know what's going on."

 

"They thought you were dead. Makiko-san set me to watch over you," the girl said in a slightly sullen tone.

 

"You don't look old enough to be my guard," he said mildly, amused at the stiffness in her tone.

 

Her eyes flicked back at him and she went to dip her cloth in a basin. "The guards are outside," she said, getting less friendly by the moment. "If you try anything, they'll be in here in a second, wolf."

 

Yeah, she was inuyoukai all right. Every bit as friendly as dog-turd himself. "Who's Makiko?" he demanded, not about to let her run the conversation. "She your leader?"

 

The girl gave him a withering look. "Makiko-san is the head of household staff. She tells me my duties if that's what you mean."

 

"So who is really in charge of this place?" Kouga wasn't going to start a fight until he knew exactly whom he was dealing with. He knew he was stubborn and arrogant, he was proud of that. But he wasn't an idiot about survival; he never would have lived as long as he had if he didn't know how to think.

 

"The lord of the fortress is Sesshomaru-sama," the girl said primly, wringing out her wet cloth in the herbal solution.

 

"Sesshomaru?" he said incredulously, sitting straight up in bed. "Dog-shit's fucking brother?"

 

She was quick. Kaori leaped across the room and slapped him hard in the face. "That's Sesshomaru-sama to you, wolf! And do not speak of the hanyou-sama like that either. If you want to live you'll be respectful in this place."

 

"Damn, girl," he said, rubbing his already bruised cheek. "You got a dog demon's temper."

 

"And you stink like a wolf," she said archly. "Don't your people bathe?"

 

Insults too? Hadn't he been through enough? Kouga decided to bide his time and wait to see what was going on. "We bathe," he assured her. The girl looked like she didn't believe him. He cocked his head at her.

 

"You gonna tell them I'm awake?"

 

She was gathering up her things, marching to the door before looking over her shoulder. "They know already. Do not try to leave this room. Wolves are not welcome here."

 

Friendly little wench, nice to know where mutt-face gets his personality. Then it hit him, if Inuyasha was here, so was Kagome. He grinned, laying back on the soft bed and wondering how sympathetic she'd be to his injuries and his pain. Kagome had always taken care of his hurts and wounds, no matter how it pissed off the half-breed.

 

It didn't look like they were going to kill him just yet and honestly, Kouga wanted to know why he was here when the last thing he'd seen was Naraku tearing the jewel shards from his legs. There would be answers. And Kagome.

 

oOo

 

Ginta crouched in the brush, staring down at the wide idyllic valley below. Hakkaku was next to him, sniffing the air.

 

"I know Kouga is here someplace," he muttered, looking at Ginta. "I swear he's alive."

 

"Kouga's too tough to kill easy," Ginta answered loyally. They'd followed his scent this far, only to have it fade again. Now they were deep in inuyoukai territory and both wolf demons were well aware of the stakes. Dog demons would kill them on sight most likely. Still, they were loyal, and neither of them so much as considered going back and abandoning Kouga.

 

He would never abandon them.

 

"This place stinks of dogs," Hakkaku said at last, nervously searching the area. They wouldn't abandon Kouga, but they wouldn't do him any good by getting themselves killed either. "We'll have to be sneaky.”

 

"We'll have to be lucky," Ginta answered. Lucky if the dog demons didn't catch them and roast their bodies over a slow pit. He'd heard a lot about how vicious they were, not civilized like wolves that cared for their packs and families with a fanatical loyalty. They only killed to feed their pack and defend their young.

 

Rumor had it that inuyoukai killed for the pure pleasure of it, warring constantly among their own. Ginta didn't honestly understand that idea. All wolves were brothers, comrades. You wanted the other packs to be behind you in a pinch, you didn't fight with your own.

 

"Let's sneak down after nightfall," Ginta said at last, seeing Hakkaku nod in agreement. Then we'll follow that main road and see where it takes us. If we don't pick up Kouga's scent again, we'll just keep low until we do."

 

"As long as we keep out of sight, the stupid dogs probably won't find us." Hakkaku looked out over the horizon. "They won't find wolves that don't want to be found."

 

"Really?" A deep voice startled them both, drawling the word like an insult. Hard claws suddenly took both wolves by their throats.

 

"Looks like we have ourselves a couple trespassers, boys!"

 

oOo

 

"On yer feet, wolf," the guard, growled, looking at Kouga like he'd just messed his own den.

 

The wolf demon gave him a quick grin. "Oh, so you guys finally decided to take an interest in poor little me? I was beginning to wonder when somebody would."

 

The guard grunted and looked away. "Just get yourself together, Sesshomaru-sama wants to see you."

 

Kouga raised an eyebrow and started to shrug back into his armor. "Good," he said shortly. "I want to see him too."

 

"Then yer an idiot," the guard said with a smirk. "He ain't in a good mood since you were dropped in the courtyard."

 

"Dropped?" Kouga gave the guard a curious glance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

The dog demon grinned, showing a mouthful of sharp fangs. "You'll find out, wolfie."

 

Kouga scowled, following the guard out the door. He looked with some interest around him. Bare stone walls, carved passages. The place stank of age and time; Kouga had never seen anything like it.

 

"Hey," he called to the guard. "What is the place, this fortress?"

 

"You are in my home. This place is the heart of my territory, the homeland of all inuyoukai clans."

 

Kouga turned to look as Sesshomaru came out of a dark corridor, moving like pale ghost wrapped in shadows. "Tell me what Naraku did to you," the demon lord said.

 

The wolf rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Kouga's insolent tone.

 

"I know he took your jewel shards," the daiyoukai said, a faintly amused look in his eyes. "Serves you right for relying on such a corrupt source of power."

 

"That's all a wimpy wolf like him could manage," another voice sneered.

 

Kouga spun around and glowered at Inuyasha. "I knew I smelled something foul," the wolf snarled. "I thought it was just all the fucking dogs here, but you're ranker than the rest of 'em put together."

 

The hanyou scowled, folding his arms across his chest. "Looks like all Naraku left of you was your mouth, Kouga. If you'd just wanted your ass kicked I coulda helped you out with that."

 

"I do not have time to stand here and listen to your childish insults," Sesshomaru snapped, fixing his brother with a glare of pure annoyance. "I want to find out what Naraku is planning."

 

"And you think that moron is going to help you?" Inuyasha asked in an incredulous tone. "Near as I can tell the only thing he's good for is stinking up the place."

 

Kouga's fists clenched in fury. "You got a lot of nerve talking about anyone else, mangy mutt."

 

"You got something you wanna say? You want me to finish what Naraku started?" Inuyasha snarled.

 

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, his hand going to pinch the bridge of his nose. He felt a massive headache coming on and that headache's name was Inuyasha.

 

Apparently, his brother managed to work his unique brand of charm on everyone he met and the youkai lord felt a passing sympathy for the wolf demon. He stood for a moment longer, listening as his brother and the wolf continued to trade insults ranging from personal hygiene to nasty implications regarding the sizes of their manhood. Finally, he couldn't tolerate another word and his patience snapped like dry kindling under a scorched summer sky.

 

"Shut up!" he roared, using a brief flare of his youki to shake the air around him.

 

Inuyasha and Kouga stopped, turning to stare at Sesshomaru, their argument quite forgotten. The sound of footsteps came running towards them, the door slammed open to admit a startled looking Jano. He looked around the room for a moment, obviously searching for the cause of his lord's outburst.

 

Sesshomaru sighed. "Yes, Jano?"

 

The bodyguard took a step back. "You bellowed, my lord?"

 

"It was the only way to distract these idiots from their incessant babbling," Sesshomaru answered acidly. Swiftly, he placed himself between Kouga and Inuyasha, looking at the wolf with a simmering impatience.

 

"I want answers," he growled. "Since Naraku has seen fit to throw your worthless hide in my fortress, I demand to know the reason."

 

Kouga backed up a few steps, not liking having mutt-face's brother that close to him. He didn't like inuyoukai; he especially didn't like having a powerful daiyoukai close enough to threaten him.

 

"What makes you think I know why he did it?" Kouga said defensively.

 

Sesshomaru pointed a long finger at the wolf. "Where were you when Naraku captured you? Were you within the borders of this territory or outside it?"

 

"He probably doesn't even know," Inuyasha said in a dark aside to Jano. "Long as I've known that damn wolf he's been fucking useless."

 

"You shut your hole," Kouga snarled, turning on the half-breed again. "Why are you here? I thought your brother wanted to kill you, since when are you all friendly?"

 

Inuyasha started to answer but Jano's hand flew up and smacked him on the back of the head. "Maybe you should leave this interview to your brother?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

 

Kouga scowled at the floor. "We were about two days run outside your territory," he said at last. "I heard that Naraku was in the area and decided to go after him."

 

"And where did you find him?" Sesshomaru asked, an impassive look on his face.

 

The wolf scratched his chin. "We didn't find him, he found us. My men and I had found a slaughtered human village, but no sign of that bastard."

 

"A slaughtered village?" Inuyasha burst in, unable to keep himself quiet. "Where? When did it happen? Why..."

 

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said in a dangerously calm voice. "Shut up or leave the room."

 

Kouga snickered as Inuyasha's face darkened with anger. The hanyou stalked away, looking out the window but muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like fucking prick.

 

The youkai lord looked at the wolf for a moment, holding his gaze. "A slaughtered village, but no sign of Naraku? What purpose?"

 

Kouga shrugged. "Damned if I know. It didn't look like any death I'd ever seen before. Someone took their time killing those humans, pulled them apart slowly for fun. Not Naraku's style really, he doesn't waste his time killing if there's nothing in it for him."

 

Sesshomaru looked up and met Jano's eyes, not having to say a word. "I'm on it," the bodyguard said, a quick snarl of anger crossing his features as he left the room.

 

Inuyasha scowled, pacing back to stand in front of Kouga. "If Naraku didn't do it, who did?"

 

"Why you asking me, dog-face?" Kouga snapped. "You think I got some inside on how that bastard's mind works?"

 

"How did he capture you, Kouga? What are you hiding from us?"

 

The wolf flushed, glaring at Inuyasha for a moment before looking at Sesshomaru. "Not sure," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "We left the village as we found it, headed west. We hit the forest just before nightfall. I wanted to be under some kind of cover when we made camp and I wanted to put some distance between that village and us. Something attacked me. That's all I remember."

 

"Something?" Sesshomaru looked curious. "Explain."

 

Kouga threw up his hands in frustration. "I don't know, goddamnit! I just know that I didn't even see it; I never had a chance to fight it off! For all I know my men are dead, I woke up with that son of a bitch cutting my legs open. And I was beat to bloody hell, that much I do know."

 

Inuyasha scratched his head. "You don't remember getting the shit beat out of you? Come on, wolf-turd. You can do better than that."

 

"Bite my ass, mutt," he snapped back peevishly. "I said I don't remember it. I just remember..." his eyes wandered out of focus for moment, forgetting about the two dog demons in the room. "He was laughing."

 

"Naraku?" Sesshomaru asked quietly.

 

"No," Kouga breathed. "The other one. The dark one who caught me." The wolf turned visibly paler as the memories started to wash over him. "He working with Naraku, but I don't think Naraku has him under control. I think he wanted to eat me or something, because Naraku had to talk him out of it long enough to get the shards out of my legs. The smell of blood was making him crazy."

 

"What was he, did you see him?" Sesshomaru demanded. Perhaps this was the source of dark anger he'd been sensing. All across his territory he could feel the menace growing, lusting for inuyoukai blood. If Naraku had created some foul new abomination, loosed it upon his land, his people, he was going to pay dearly for that mistake.

 

"Some incarnation," Inuyasha muttered, not liking the sound of it. "Just like Naraku to make something so bloodthirsty he can't control it. He doesn't care who he destroys as long as he gets what he's after." The hanyou looked back over his shoulder at his brother before turned his golden gaze on Kouga.

 

"What kind of monster did he make this time? What did it look like?"

 

Kouga seemed to snap back into himself, shaking his head to clear it. "Wasn't a monster," he muttered thickly. "It was...a dog demon."

 

oOo

 

Sango paced back and forth, restless. She wanted to know what was going on, wanted to know why Naraku had come to the fortress. Is he after Kohaku again, she wondered fretfully. She didn't understand why she couldn't relax, it seemed like her blood was burning in her veins.

 

Quietly, she'd asked Kagome if she thought she looked ill, but the girl had just laughed at her.

 

"You don't look sick, Sango! In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you look better. I'd swear you're glowing or something."

 

"Ah," Miroku said in a contemplative tone. "The glow of a satisfied and happy woman. I really should compliment our host."

 

Sango just blushed and smiled, passing off Miroku's suggestive remark. The monk yawned widely, leaning against the wall with a tired look. "Don't let me interrupt your conversation," he said, closing his eyes and relaxing. "I could do with a bit of rest myself."

 

"Why don't you rest in your own room then?" Sango asked, sighing. They were gathered in her room now, even Kohaku and little Rin had joined them. She noticed that her brother seemed to have adopted a protective nature around the little girl, as if he thought of her as a younger sibling.

 

That amused her, wondering what that meant her own relation to the child would be. What was Rin to Sesshomaru anyway? A ward, a member of his household? A daughter? Sango smiled at the idea of Sesshomaru letting the child call him father and shook her head.

 

And what does that make you, she asked herself, her eyes going to Rin's dark head nestled against Kohaku's shoulder as they looked at one of Kagome's strange books. This one was a thick volume of pictures, some brightly colored, some in black and white inked drawings.

 

Sango sighed and caught Kagome's eye. "Do you want to out on the balcony for some fresh air?"

 

The girl nodded, putting away her schoolwork. "Sure, right now I feel like I could fall asleep next to Miroku myself."

 

"You're more than welcome to," the monk murmured, not opening his eyes. "I promise to be a complete gentleman."

 

"Only because he's too sore to grope," Sango muttered.

 

Kagome chuckled and went outside with Sango. The breeze was warm and the sun was bright overhead. Around them, she could see a vast expanse of open land, stretching in a wide ribbon of green and gold, dotted here and there with clusters of flowers. In the distance, blue and violet mountains towered, capped with dazzlingly bright snow and half hidden just beyond a faint mist. "

 

“What a beautiful place," Kagome sighed, leaning on the cool smooth stone of the balcony. "It makes you feel like nothing bad could ever happen here."

 

"Peaceful," Sango agreed. Unfortunately, that feeling had to be an illusion. Naraku had come here, come to this fortress and thrown Kouga's unconscious body at them like a challenge. Sango frowned, wondering what Sesshomaru intended to do about it.

 

Somehow, she couldn't quite see him being easy with the whole thing. Then again, there was the matter of the crack in the wall to consider. She had to laugh, wishing she'd seen that part of the confrontation if only to glimpse an insight into the brothers' strained and difficult relationship.

 

She glanced at Kagome; the girl had her eyes closed as she enjoyed the warm gentle breeze. "So he was upset about the wall?"

 

"Furious," Kagome murmured. "I think they would have started beating on each other if Jano hadn't distracted their attention."

 

Sango was sure of it, knowing that her lover had to be absolutely enraged that his half brother had unleashed the Tessaiga in his domain. Not for the first time, she wondered what was really behind their mutual hatred. Was it just that Inuyasha was half human? If so, what the hell was she doing in Sesshomaru's bed? Did he truly hate humans so much, just making exceptions for one who caught his fancy?

 

She shook her head. No, that wasn't it. Whatever else anyone might say, including Inuyasha, she sensed something special between her and the youkai lord. Who would have thought he had the capacity to be so tender, so gentle? He didn't have to make her feel so special and safe, she was sure of it. If he'd just wanted to use her for his own pleasure, hers included, she thought she'd know. Wouldn't she?

 

She glanced over at Kagome and noticed that although the girl's eyes were open now, there was a faraway look to her gaze, something pensive and not quite understood. She leaned closer, her shoulder brushing Kagome's.

 

"So..." she said, not sure of how to broach the subject.

 

"Yes," Kagome answered, smiling faintly. "Just...yes, Sango."

 

The exterminator leaned on her elbows, her dark hair fluttering over her shoulders in the breeze. "I'm not nosy, Kagome. I truly don't want to invade your privacy."

 

Kagome grinned, looking back at her with dancing eyes. "But you are curious. I seem to recall you not wanting to talk to me about certain subjects."

 

Sango could dare blush and did so with a duck of her head. "I know, I was just scared you wouldn't understand. So if you don't want to talk, I won't pry."

 

The other girl sighed, running her hands along the smooth railing. "Actually, I need to talk. You're probably the only one I can talk to, Sango. I feel awkward now, around him. I don't know why."

 

She tipped back her head and studied the bright sky. It seemed bizarre they'd be worried about things like this when Naraku had just reminded them that there were much more important matters to consider. "You feel awkward? Like you've done something wrong?"

 

"Not exactly," Kagome confessed. It was hard to put into words, even to Sango. She'd always wished for an older sister, sometimes feeling a bit lonely for such companionship. Souta was so much younger than her; there were a lot of things about her life in the Sengoku Jidai that she just couldn't share. She had no idea if she'd even tell her mother about what had happened with Inuyasha. There was already a lot she had to keep to herself and she wasn't sure what her mother was going to think.

 

It was one thing to run around with a temperamental half demon, another thing entirely to be sleeping with him.

 

"Did he...say something?" Sango asked hesitantly. Inuyasha's mouth was a constant source of conflict between him and Kagome, him and everyone else for that matter. Sango fully understood that Sesshomaru, whatever else he was, was the tactful brother. It wouldn't have surprised her to find out that Inuyasha said something extraordinarily stupid at an intimate moment.

 

"No," Kagome said glumly. "That's just it, he didn't. It was...it didn't go perfectly. I mean," she blushed hard. "We got it figured out eventually, but no, he didn't say anything dumb."

 

He cried, she thought, her whole body flushing. There were tears on his face and Inuyasha never cries about anything. She'd been moved by it, touched beyond belief.

 

"He said he loved me.”

 

Sango couldn't help it, she was thrilled by what Kagome said and reached out to hug the younger girl. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered. "I knew he loved you, I always knew."

 

"Then why do I feel so weird?" Kagome asked, burying her face in Sango's shoulder. She felt hideously guilty, like she'd failed Inuyasha. Sango sensed her friend's distress and gently pushed Kagome away.

 

"I think you're just scared," she said quietly. "Are you afraid you don't deserve to be happy? Are you afraid that now that you finally have what you want, something is going to take it away?"

 

"That's exactly how I feel," Kagome blurted out. "What if something happens? Naraku is still out there, we're always in some kind of danger because of the jewel. What is something happens? What if nothing happens? Will we stay together if I go home? How can we be together if we live in two different worlds? Will...will my family be okay with it? I couldn't stand it if they weren't but I can't just choose who I love best."

 

"Hush," Sango murmured, rocking Kagome against her. "Don't tear yourself up like that, don't take away the happiness you've got. If there's one thing I understand after losing everything, it's that it's stupid not to appreciate what you have. I made that mistake once, I won't make it again."

 

"Is that why you want to be with Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, gently breaking their embrace. "Sango, I won't judge, but I worry about you. He's...he can be very scary."

 

"I know," Sango answered, looking into the distance. The sun glistened gold against the walls, reminding her of his eyes. "I know that, Kagome."

 

"He tried to kill me once," the girl said softly, not wanting to hurt her friend, but feeling like it needed said. "I've seen him do some awful things to Inuyasha."

 

Sango didn't answer, just rested her hands on Kagome's. "I know what he is, Kagome. I've always known from the first time. I'm a demon exterminator. I shouldn't love him, but I do."

 

"Why?"

 

She shrugged, her arm slipping around Kagome's shoulders. "I'm not sure," she mused. His touch, his whispers, and the way he calls me from my own soul. "I'll take whatever he can give me," she said slowly. "I think we need each other."

 

oOo

 

Ginta and Hakkaku sat perfectly still. They'd been bullied and dragged by a patrol of four dog demons, cuffed and kicked along the way. Now they found themselves prisoners in some kind of fortress. The whole place stank of inuyoukai, but they were relieved to be still alive.

 

In fact, Ginta would have thought the dog demons would have dealt them more abuse than they had, instead gruffly ordering them to a small room and slamming the door behind them.

 

It was the waiting that was hard to take, not knowing why they were being held. There had to be some explanation why they hadn't been killed outright and left to rot in the sun. Dogs didn't have a reputation for being merciful. They could only assume that some kind of torment was waiting in the future.

 

When the door finally opened, Ginta and Hakkaku felt their hopes for a peaceful or painless end of the matter die. The inuyoukai stared down at them, contempt glittering in his coal-black eyes.

 

“So,” he sneered. “Since when do lowly wolves like yourselves dare invade this territory?”

 

“We were lost,” Hakkaku answered promptly.

 

“Please forgive us, dog-sama,” Ginta added in a contrite voice. It was worth a shot.

 

The dog demon scowled, his long black hair swinging over his leather-clad shoulders. “You actually expect me to believe that bullshit? You weren't looking for Kouga?”

 

“He's alive?” Ginta burst out before Hakkaku's elbow rammed into his stomach.

 

“I mean,” he said weakly. “Who's Kouga?”

 

The inuyoukai snorted, shaking his head. He leaned against the wall and pulled out a sharp dagger, absently cleaning his claws. “Either you know him or you don't,” he said, his voice deceptively mild. “What's it going to be, boys?”

 

“Yeah, we know him,” Hakkaku muttered at last, glaring at Ginta. “We were following his scent.”

 

Smirked at them, the inuyoukai started to toss his knife in the air and catch it again with an easy over handed grasp. “I believe you,” he answered, noticing the way their eyes followed the blade. “Doesn't mean that makes it any better for you. You're still trespassers here.”

 

“What are you going to do to us?” Ginta asked.

 

The dog demon caught the blade one last time and fingered the sharp edge. “Haven't quite decided,” he said, a playful tone in his voice. “Wolves are lousy, smelly vermin. The only reason you're still alive is I'm pretty sure you'd smell worse dead. What do you think?”

 

“We'd definitely smell worse dead,” Hakkaku answered.

 

Ginta nodded enthusiastically. “Is Kouga still here?”

 

The dark haired youkai blinked at him. “I never said he was,” he snarled, a threatening glare evolving slowly in his eyes. “How do I know you aren't lying, were you sent to spy on this fortress? Maybe you aren't with Kouga at all, it could be that you work for Naraku.”

 

They gasped, looking horrified. “That freak? Never!”

 

The inuyoukai darted forward, taking each of the smaller wolf demons by their throats. He shoved them hard into the wall. “Tell me why I should believe you,” he snarled viciously. “Give me a reason not to slit you open and I'll think about it.”

 

“Oh Jano, stop it already,” a new voice said coldly. An inuyoukai female with braided hair had entered the room, carrying a tray. “You know perfectly well they aren't lying. Quit being such a damn bully.”

 

He dropped them, turning around to glare at the woman. “Makiko, I'm in the middle of an interrogation,” he rasped, sounding furious. “Don't interfere. They could be spies.”

 

“They're exhausted, scared and half starved,” she snapped, putting her tray down in front of them. Ginta sniffed hopefully, it smelled like food, really good food and his mouth started to water.

 

The woman glared narrowly at the inuyoukai male. “Can't you find anything better to do with your time?”

 

The dog demon leaned against the wall, his expression grim. “Not at the moment,” he said sullenly, sending an irritated look at the two wolves. “You might as well eat, boys. Makiko will hold you down and force feed you if you don't.”

 

His eyes flicked back to the woman, who was preparing to leave. “We need to talk,” he said in a hard tone.

 

“I have nothing to say to you,” she hissed back.

 

Jano's expression flickered. “Too damn bad, I have things I want to say.”

 

Makiko turned around and went over to him, glaring up at him with pure dislike. “You've said enough and you've done enough. What makes you think anything you have to say will mean a damn thing to me?”

 

“Depends on what I say,” he said in a soft voice, a gentle look in his eyes. She just stood there a moment longer before turning away. “Makiko,” he said, catching her arm.

 

She whirled around, hitting him hard in the face and blood trickled from the long scratches her claws opened in his cheek. “Don't touch me,” she snarled. “Don't you ever touch me again!”

 

Ginta and Hakkaku stared in open-mouthed shock at the angry woman as she stormed away. Jano didn't look angry, just a little sad and thoughtful. The wolves sat still as mice, wondering if he was going react to her words or her blow, if he'd turn and take it out on them. The inuyoukai shook his head suddenly, as if clearing it of depressing thoughts and strode to the door, a fierce smile taking over his face.

 

As he reached the door, he turned to look at the two vastly confused wolf demons. “She's in love with me, you know.” Then he winked and shut the door behind him.

 

“If that's how dog demons love, I'm surprised any of them get born,” Ginta said softly, turning to look at his friend.

 

Hakkaku grunted. “No kidding.”