InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Under a Crimson Sky ❯ Corruption ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha and all of Rumiko Takahashi's characters are not mine! Wakarimasu ka?

A/N: I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Oh and by the way I just wanted to say, I'm not sure if a female wolf is normally called a "bitch" but I used it anyway. I know it's a term used for a female dog but thought since dogs descended from wolves it was alright to use it in this case. Now enough jibber jabbering, on to the story…

Corruption

Bright hues of red, orange, and purple stained the evening sky as the sun slowly began its descent beyond the horizon. Kagome knelt by an ice-cold river, quietly washing her dirtied school uniform and blood sodden rags. A faint streak of crimson disturbed the otherwise pristine water, silently making its way downstream. It had been a long and exhausting day for her. Twelve of Kouga's tribe had been wounded in a small brawl against the Southern Tribe, four severely. She had treated them all in just six hours, without taking breaks.

As usual, the fight ensued over a female. A young male of low status belonging to Kouga's pack had forced himself onto a bitch in heat he found in the woods the previous night. Clouded by deep lust, he neglected to realize that she was the sister of the leader who ruled the adjoining tribe. The moment her howls of distress pierced the sweltering night air, several males from her pack answered the call. Naturally being territorial, they quickly came upon the scene, angrily tore his body off of hers, and laid him to waste.

This time it was the young male's howls of pain which filled the night air and in turn was answered by his pack, Kouga being amongst them. However, the wolf prince proved to be to be much more than they bargained for. The battle was ended swiftly, leaving the few remaining conscious members of the Southern Tribe retreating back to their den, wounded slung on their backs, and tails between their legs.

Kagome sighed at the blatant display of the young male's insolence. Kouga had told her once that wolf clans never mated with bitches of rival clans, preferring to sire pups of their own blood.

"The wolves of the Southern Tribe actually thought they could kill Kouga and endanger his pack? Obviously they underestimated his strength…a fault on their part", she thought aloud while rinsing her school uniform.

After the washing was finished, she carefully drew an arrow with a rope attached and expertly fired it at a nearby tree. As she was tying the other end of the rope to the tree beside her, resulting in a crude clothesline, a hand slowly crept around her waist, startling her and involuntarily causing her to scream. After her momentary shock her reflexes kicked in and she rapidly turned to slap the cause of her distress across the cheek, leaving a red handprint in its wake. A reflex she had learned well through instinct as a result of traveling with Miroku for over a year.

"Owwww…..KAGOME….it's only me!!!" cried Kouga as he vigorously rubbed his cheek, a devious glint in the corner of his eye.

"Gomen Kouga-kun, you shouldn't creep up on me like that! You know I'm already anxious as it is with this jewel around my neck!"

As she spoke, his liquid sapphire eyes lowered to settle on the almost completed Shikon no Tama which seductively dangled between her breasts. He grinned when she noticed where he was looking and with one swift movement, drew her body close until their hips were almost touching.

"Woman, do you have any idea how vulnerable you are out here all alone! Any youkai within five ri would have been drawn to your aura and ravaged you senseless by now if I hadn't come to the rescue!"

"Ahemmm..Kouga-kun, I think the only youkai I have to worry about ravaging me around here at the moment is you!"

She suggestively winked at him to which his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Kagome-chan! What in the name of Kami would ever give you that idea? He cooed innocently, a look of offense painted across his flawless face.

"Well for one, your hand is groping my ass and you have that glint in your eye." She retorted knowingly.

He chuckled and slowly released her, "I'm merely checking for any injuries that's all! Honestly Kagome, do you really think so little of this wolf?"

She giggled and purposefully bent down to pick up her belongings, leaving an obviously aroused wolf youkai to watch the show.

"Woman, do you have any idea what you do to me?" He huskily breathed in her ear.

"Course I do, or else it wouldn't be as much fun!" She replied, a deliberate smile playing across her lucious lips.

She slowly made her way back up the trail leading to the den after she hung up the wash; a certain wolf prince dreamily following behind, heated images flashing through his mind.

"MATTE INU-YASHAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" screamed the demon exterminator whose voice was fading into the distance between them.

A faint blush colored her cheeks at the familiar touch which roamed her backside. The threesome was riding on the neko youkai's back, Sango at the head and Miroku sitting behind her, hand gently groping her backside whilst a nervous kitsune desperately clung to his shouder for dear life. Inu-Yasha heard the far-off scream of "HENTAI!!!" followed shortly by a resonating "THWAK" before turning a corner alongside the cliff.

His aggravation was steadily growing. We have NO time for this! It's already past dusk and I'm still three ri away from that mangy mutt's cave. Baka humans! Kami…I wish they would hurry it up already, they're so slow sometimes!

While effortlessly dodging some falling rocks, the remainder of the group still far behind him, an arrow unexpectedly streaked past. A familiar scent wafted under his nose, his amber eyes opened wide in shock. He knew this scent and its owner but hadn't smelt it in over half a century. Perplexed but intrigued, he let his nose guide him into a nearby forest and stopped dead in his tracks as he approached a clearing. Silently leaning against the trunk of an ancient cherry tree was none other than the fallen miko, Kikyo. Inu-Yasha was shaken at first but slowly began making his way towards her, strangely drawn by her presence.

"Kikyo? I thought…demo…this cannot be! I saw you with my own eyes sink into the bowels of hell! And you scent…you smell…like the living…"

Surprisingly true to his word, Naraku had fashioned Kikyo a human body with the aid of several Shikon shards. The tainted Shikon shard embedded in the hanyou's neck however needed to be, in a sense, activated by Kikyo's touch in order for him to be manipulated. This was a result of the barrier which surrounded it. Even Naraku couldn't simply control him through mere thought; the shard needed to be constantly physically influenced in order to corrupt Inu-Yasha's mind.

The startled hanyou couldn't believe his nose; all his senses were telling him she was human. In the place of clay and earth, Inu-Yasha could sense the sweet but faint perfume of chrysanthemums which had captivated him 50 years ago. A soft but deceiving smile played across her thin lips as he neared. She tugged at his fire-rat haori and drew his shaken form into an embrace.

"Hai my beloved Inu-Yasha…I..I..am living once again. I escaped the depths of hell to be with you, and only you. I couldn't exist knowing that I would suffer all eternity without ever feeling your touch again. I could not obtain peace knowing that…"

"Kikyo" Inu-Yasha sighed as he drew her closer and gently rested his chin on her head.

She began to sob in his embrace and roughly grasped his shoulders, her slight white hands clenched with fervor. After a few moments, Inu-Yasha began feeling lightheaded and fell to his knees. His head rested on her stomach as his hands still held her lower back. She took this opportunity to silently place her hand on the back of his neck, drawing him firmly to her.

The disoriented hanyou closed his eyes buried his face in her robes, hoping for this feeling wash over him…but it never came. An intense power suddenly surged through him; he braced himself against Kikyo's abdomen as she wickedly smiled. His amber hues opened wide with pain, his head was throbbing under her touch. She lowered her chestnut brown eyes to meet his gaze.

It is done, I can feel his heart restricting in my grasp. His soul is changed, he is mine at last!

Inu-Yasha roused and slowly raised his knees off the ground, his eyes held a blank emotionless look. Kikyo seized the moment and grasped his face in her hands.

"Inu-Yasha…I'm glad you finally came to your senses and decided to join me."

"It was stupid for me to have waited for so long, Gomen…I was clouded by Kagome's influence…demo…no more." His former self had melted away leaving a puppet whose strings were cleverly manipulated by the woman standing before him.

"Good. Now I have a task for you…now that we are together again there is no reason for Kagome to still retain the Shikon no Tama. It is rightfully ours, you must pursue her and regain it."

"Anything you say Kikyo, my love…"

"Nee-chan! Kagome!!!!! Come! Come and see what we found!!!

The boisterous pups crowded around her the moment she entered the vicinity of the cave. Kagome broke out in laughter and glanced over her shoulder at Kouga. He simply smirked back and left her to their devices, intending to use the distraction to start supper.

After an hour or so of rambunctious play with the pups, their mothers howled for their return.

"Okaa-san!!!! Nooooooooo!!!! Kagome isn't gonna be here much longer!! Onegai!!!! Please let us play with her for 5 more minutes!!!!" whimpered several young pups in dismay. Yet their cries fell upon deaf ears as they were obediently led back into the den by their respective mothers.

Kagome sighed and took this time to walk to the edge of the cliff. The stars twinkled brightly above her, as a majestic full moon came into view. Kouga stood at the mouth of the cave and stopped, not wanting to disturb the moment. He was entraced by the picture painted before him. Her ebony hair danced and shimmered in the cool breeze, he saw her shiver and could see tiny goose bumps form on her perfect skin. Kagome felt she was being watched and slowly turned around just to end up in the wolf prince's arms. He took off his fur wrap to cover her delicate shoulders. His chin resting on her head while his muscular arms wrapped around her narrow waist. She shivered, but not from the cold, and let herself melt into his embrace never wanting this moment to end.

"Kagome" he breathed in her ear. "We should go inside love, I have dinner prepared and don't want it to get cold."

She gently kissed him on the side of the mouth. "Domo Kouga-kun, dinner sounds wonderful right about now…"

He nodded and led her into the mouth of the cave; their forms dissolving into the shadows, oblivious to what was soon to come…

A/N: Sooo what do you guys think about my fic so far? I just wanted to clarify…I'm NOT an IY/Kik fan ok (no offense to all the Kikyo fans out there)? This story isn't really meant to be a pairing between them; her manipulation shouldn't be mistaken for love. It's just all part of the plot. So refrain from using flames please! LoL! Love ya'll! Review if you feel up to it…= D

ja ne, beautiful-cherry-blossom