InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Catch a Falling Star ❯ i have had my ups and downs ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

Inuyasha dropped lightly from the tree branches where he'd snuck after returning with Kohaku; damned if he was going to let Kouga nose around Kagome, no matter what the wimpy wolf had said about her that night after finishing things off with that bastard Naraku. "Hands off," he said again, backing up the warning with a low growl before turning his attention to Kagome.

Her expression was one of surprise, though he didn't know whether it was at his reaction to Kouga--that, of all things, shouldn't be unexpected--or the fact that she occasionally considered his lurking about her snooping. "Inuyasha!" He tried to ignore his appreciative notice of how appealing she looked as her ears perked and she smiled--so it wasn't his reaction to Kouga, then--and took hold of his sleeve. "I'm glad you're back. When did you get home?" Wait. She hadn't been ignoring me; she hadn't realized I was there at all? He stared down at her, brows pulling together in a frown that masked the confusion of his thoughts. Even though he had been downwind of her, even if he had been quiet, she should have noticed his youki. Then again, she hadn't marked Kouga's presence, either, until that raven had called out; and after that it had looked as if she were tracking Kouga's noise. What the hell? Kagome drew back at his frown and let loose her clasp on his sleeve, uncertainty in the puzzled quirk to her brows. She was just like a puppy sometimes, so transparent were her feelings. "Inuyasha, Kouga-kun wanted--"

"I heard." He cut her off, irked by the speed with which she'd slipped into championing that wimpy wolf and his fucking problems. Though he had told Kouga--damnit. "What is it?" he asked Kouga, knowing he sounded rude. Kagome made a little sound of protest--at his tone, most likely. But if the wolf couldn't handle it, he could leave and go bother someone else. Beg Sesshomaru for help, maybe.

Inuyasha's mouth tightened in a firm line as he suppressed a smirk at the thought; he'd like to see that happen. Kagome shifted beside him. She could read him too easily sometimes, and with her shaper senses, was getting better at it. Though she didn't respond just the same as he'd expect her to; a year ago, even this past winter, she would have made her reaction clear with an elbow to his ribs, but now--

He stifled the thought as Kouga said, as obnoxious as ever as he looked between Kagome and Inuyasha, "You're the problem. What the hell is up with you, dog turd, that you haven't mated her yet?" Kouga grinned tauntingly at Inuyasha, his blue eyes intense with challenge. "Can't handle a strong bitch? Or maybe you tried, but she wasn't interested?"

Inuyasha's ears laid back, a growl scratching in his throat as he arched his fingers, claws tense. "You . . ."

Kouga glanced at the scarlet-faced and stuttering Kagome, then looked back at Inuyasha to drawl, "Maybe I ought to change my mind and make her my woman after all--"

Inuyasha ignored Tetsusaiga at his waist to lunge, arm swinging towards Kouga even as the other male dodged nimbly from the hanyou's path. "Fucking wolf," he snarled, twisting out of his lunge to spring after the wolf again. Even without the shikon shards, the youkai was a swift opponent, still quicker the almost any other youkai but Sesshomaru. And Kagura, maybe, whatever had happened to her. His ears turned forward as he began to move more aggressively. "Stay--away--from--Kagome--asshole--" Each word was punctuated with a clawed swipe, though only one of those landed when Kouga mistimed an attempted kick to Inuyasha's gut. Though the kick missed, his claws scored, however, ripping through the cloth and skin of Inuyasha's shoulder.

The hanyou sneered, fangs flashing. He blocked another kick, grabbing hold of the wolf youkai's leg and twisting, throwing his own weight to lend force to the slam that sent Kouga skidding across the earth before fetching up, heavily, against a tree trunk. Inuyasha exhaled shortly, satisfied, some of the tension easing from his ready crouch as he watched the wolf to see what Kouga might try next.

"Inuyasha, please . . . " Damn if the bitch was going to ask him not to hurt Kouga.

Inuyasha straightened, glaring over his shoulder at Kagome. She stood at the edge of the clearing across from him, hands twisting together, unhappiness in the set of her shoulders and her scent. "Fuck! He should be keeping his nose to himself." A sudden unease speared through him, impelling him to add with a blustery suspicion, "Unless you want him hanging around you like that."

Kouga raised himself to hands and knees, shaking his head and dislodging some of the leaves that had fallen there with his impact against the tree. "Dog turd . . ."

"Baka!" Kagome yelled, stamping over to Inuyasha and glaring up at him as he moved to face her. "You know that's not what I meant!"

Her voice held the undertones of a growl in it, the former smoothness of her voice roughened; Inuyasha found himself wondering, for a wild moment, what she'd sound like when mating. What noises she'd make. Gods. Inuyasha angrily wrenched his mind back on track, snapping, "You're mine. My pack. He can't come here and--"

"Dog turd, have you forgotten who you're fighting with?"

Inuyasha half-turned towards Kouga as Kagome yelped, her voice pitched high with distress, "Kouga-kun, don't!" The wolf, who must have used his leverage against the tree to add more force to his run and the kick being aimed at Inuyasha, grunted and wrenched his weight about mid-air to alter the path of his kick, landing past Inuyasha.

As Kouga tried to catch his balance, Inuyasha saw an opportunity and pounced. He and Kouga crashed to the ground, Inuyasha atop Kouga. Both were snarling openly at each other as Inuyasha shifted, seeking to pin Kouga's legs and arms. Inuyasha sat heavily on the wolf youkai's thighs as the two grappled with one another. Kouga, having caught hold of Inuyasha's rosary, twisted it chokingly tight about one of his hands; Inuyasha grabbed at the wolf's wrist, digging in his claws in an attempt to loosen Kouga's hold.

Unable to jerk his head out of the way, he ignored the stinging blow that cracked against his cheek to pound his own fist into Kouga's midsection. If he could just knock a little breath out of the youkai . . . he hit again. And--there. Kouga wheezed, Inuyasha ripped the hand free of his rosary and slammed it to the ground, catching the other hand as Kouga aimed a clawed swipe at Inuyasha's ears and pinned it, too. The growl in his throat raised, rattling fiercely as the two youkai exchanged glares. Kouga heaved, trying to throw Inuyasha off, but his pinned arms and legs robbed him of enough leverage to do so. Inuyasha bared his teeth, the volume of his growl increasing.

A hand touched Inuyasha's shoulder, Kagome's scent wrapping around him. "Inuyasha." Inuyasha stiffened, refusing to break gazes with Kouga. His ears twisted back towards her instead. "Don't hurt Kouga-kun, please. He's a friend."

Kouga finally looked away from Inuyasha, turning his face to the side and falling silent. "Wasn't going to," Inuyasha replied in an annoyed tone, releasing the youkai's wrists and sitting back. As Kagome let go of him--damn--and stepped away, Inuyasha stood, satisfied, and turned his back on the wolf to say to Kagome, "Anyways, we're done now."

Kagome looked from him to Kouga, now standing and dusting himself off, and back again. "You were . . ."

Inuyasha shrugged, running a clawed finger under the rosary to straighten its askew fall. The cuts from Kouga weren't worth bothering about; they'd mend quickly enough, and his haori, too. "Keh. He's fucking not going to make comments about you anymore, so--" arrogantly, now, "what would I need to kill him for?"

"Shit," Kouga said indignantly. "I let you win this time, dog turd. Just so you wouldn't do something to make Kagome angry with you. I could kill you if I wanted. Five hundred years from now you wouldn't be able to kill me, even if you fought every day between now and then."

"You couldn't kill me," Inuyasha said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest as he strolled cockily across the clearing to fetch Kagome's forgotten basket. "You wanted me to help you."

"I wouldn't, but I could," Kouga insisted, glaring.

Inuyasha adopted an expression of superiority, shoving his hands up his sleeves after handing the basket to Kagome. "You couldn't. You wanted me to help you, wasn't that why you showed up here again?"

"You're just like your brother sometimes," taunted Kouga, coming to walk beside Kagome as the three headed towards the village by way of the grass-grown trail--little more than a deer track, really--winding its way along the edge of the clearing.

"That asshole! Fuck off." Inuyasha hastened his pace a few steps in front of the others to emphasize the fact that he was the one leading them towards the village, then slowed to walk between Kouga and Kagome; no way was he going to let that wimpy wolf walk next to her.

"Dog turd."

"Wimpy wolf." Inuyasha started to feel bored. Somehow, exchanges with Kouga always seemed to reach the name-calling level pretty quickly. It made him feel like a bratty pup. He held back a sigh.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kagome said, leaning forward to look from Inuyasha to Kouga, her brows crinkling together anxiously. "Inuyasha, you weren't going to hurt him? And, Kouga-kun, you let Inuyasha win? I don't understand. It didn't look to me like either of you were faking."

"Faking! Keh, bitch, I could have killed the wimpy wolf if I'd wanted to," Inuyasha scoffed, but inwardly puzzled over Kagome's response. It hadn't been apparent to her, what they had been doing?

"Would have, not could have, dog turd."

"Keh!"

"Kagome," Kouga said slowly. "What . . . did it look like to you?"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip as she thought over her reply, making Inuyasha wince inwardly. If she weren't careful, the bitch would bite herself. He lowered his gaze, appearing to study the path before him as he divided his attention between listening to Kagome and sneaking looks at her feet, small and white like lilies in the grass. "I don't know . . . I guess it looked like you two were fighting--Inuyasha sort of started it--and then Inuyasha pinned you to the ground, and then you two stopped."

"I didn't start it! The fucking wolf started it," Inuyasha protested, shooting a glare at Kouga. Fuck. Now Kagome was thinking he'd tried to pick a fight with her precious wolf. However, he couldn't help adding, "Not that I didn't want to kick his ass."

Kouga sneered at Inuyasha. "Dog turd." He paused, as if thinking a minute--Inuyasha snorted to himself: Kouga, thinking?--then continued, "Kagome, this area is Inuyasha's territory, and I'm an intruder here, right?"

"You're a friend, Kouga-kun. Friends aren't intruders," Kagome said firmly.

"Well . . . " Kouga scratched his head uncertainly with a finger, shooting a demanding look at Inuyasha, which he ignored; he'd let the wolf stumble his way through an explanation, and then supply more correct answers as he wanted to. That was what Miroku did all the time to make himself look more intelligent than everybody else; it should work just as well for Inuyasha now. "Maybe among humans," Kouga conceded. "But I'm a youkai, and Inuyasha's a youkai, and he's claimed this area as his territory. He didn't ask me to come; that makes me an intruder. And then I did something he didn't like around his--around one of his pack. If he hadn't done something about it, he'd not be any good as a pack leader. See?"

Inuyasha studied Kagome covertly from the corner of his eye. This is it, he thought, alert to every nuance of her body and scent. This is what had been off about her ever since she'd changed, why she wasn't reacting to things as he'd expected. Damn it for taking so long to be clear; and damn that wolf for having provided the situation to make it clear.

"Maybe I understand why you were fighting, then," Kagome said after a moment, "A pack leader has to be able to make sure his pack gets treated as he wants, right?" She nodded without waiting for a reply, obviously feeling the rightness of the answer. "Otherwise he wouldn't be a good protector of his pack." She paused, ears twitching as a stricken expression crossed her face, making Inuyasha wonder. But instead of giving any explanation, she took a breath and smoothed her expression, saying, "I don't understand why you stopped, though."

"Well--I agreed with what dog turd wanted."

Kagome shook her head, slipping one hand through the loop of her basket handle so that she could walk with her arms crossed. "But you didn't say anything. Neither of you did."

"He didn't have to. He looked away, after I'd pinned him." Inuyasha supplied the answer, worrying the situation over in his mind. This was definitely it; fuck and damn. She probably didn't have any idea about how to listen to what her instincts were telling her, or what they meant. Shit. How the hell was he going to teach her about instincts?

"Aa. I let him win."

Inuyasha curled a lip in a silent snarl at the wolf. "Let, hell."

"Eh-he he," Kagome inserted nervously. "Kouga-kun, how's your pack doing?" Inuyasha let her change the subject, since she seemed bound to interfere if he tried knocking some more sense into Kouga; anyway, it gave him another chance to think the situation over if she were busy quizzing the wolf.

Kouga's pride was apparent in his voice. "Tsumeko had pups this spring, three strong ones. They're just about ready to learn to hunt. Though it's not all well," he added, sobering. "It's about that--"

"Oiiiiiiii! Inuyasha-sama!" A young boy's voice rang out from beyond the path's curve ahead.