InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unexpected Endeavors ❯ The Deal: Day 5 ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Unexpected Endeavor

scottishfae

A/N: I noticed some of my chapters are smaller than others; I'll post small chapters with larger chapters (to be nice).

Arc 1: The Deal

Chapter 6: Day 5

The sound of flesh and fur hit the ground, followed by the pained whining of the wolf that had been dropped as Koga stood, dumbfounded, at the news his tribesmen had just delivered. “What. the. fuck?!” Koga exclaimed. “Where are you getting this information? There's no way Kagome would agree to that. And, where the hell was Inuyasha-baka during all of this?!”

The wolf prince began to pace. His kinsmen watched warily. “What are you going to do?” Hakkaku asked.

“Well, I can't just sit around and let this happen. I had a claim first, that bastard--Taiyoukai or not--can't just take her!”

The other wolves echoed the cry. During their short, and occasionally repeated, interaction with the shard hunting group, the pack had found themselves fond and attached to the strange miko. Humans were rarely kind to them, especially after being kidnapped by their leader.

“Are we going to head out?” Ginta asked.

Koga nodded. Hakkaku and Ginta sighed. They were getting sick of these little adventures. It didn't help that their fearless leader always left them behind as he ran ahead at speeds neither could match. “Let's go,” the prince called.

Koga carefully maneuvered himself downwind of the village. The last thing he needed was to alert Inuyasha (or Sesshomaru, should he be in there) of his presence. He needed a chance to talk to Kagome first; to try and talk some sense into her. Then he would tear the hanyou's throat out for even letting her get into this situation.

He approached the hut of the village miko. Kagome's scent was strongest there and he knew that was where she stayed when not travelling. Though, Kagome's origins were still a mystery to the wolf prince. Koga often wondered where she was from; her clothes and behavior were so completely foreign to anything he had encountered before. Not to mention that, on several different occasions, the young miko had mentioned having family, but they didn't seem to reside in this village.

Walking into the village proper, Koga noted how unalarmed the humans were about is presence. The old miko, Kaede--if he recalled correctly--came out of her hut, an empty herb-basket in hand, and looked at him sharply. “What can I do for you, ookami-san?”

“I'm looking for Kagome.”

“Oh? What business do you have with her?”

The wolf stopped in front of the old woman. “I've heard some disturbing rumors, and I hope to have them confirmed a lie.”

Kaede nodded. “Walk with me, I must collect some herbs from the forest. You can be my escort.”

Koga frowned. “I'd prefer just to talk to Kagome.”

The old miko ignored him and walked off towards the forest. Koga waited a moment; it didn't appear Kagome was in the hut, so he had no choice but to follow. “The rumor you heard, was it about Inuyasha's brother?”

“Yes!”

They had reached a green patch, and the old miko bent down to inspect the plants. She picked a few that seemed to be at the correct stage of growth. Groaning at her creaking bones, she stood once more when she had finished.

Kaede refrained from laughing when she looked over to the wolf prince. Koga stood, impatiently, in front of her; looking as if he was going to explode at any minute if she didn't continue. “`Tis true,” she finally relented.

And Koga did as he unconsciously threatened: he exploded. Expletives were thrown, loudly, everywhere. Two trees fell from an angry volley of kicks. And then he finally turned his attention back to Kaede and demanded to know what had happened.

Kaede, ignoring the outburst--and quite use to them having put up with Inuyasha for so many years--walked further into Inuyasha's forest.

“How the fuck did this happen?” Koga yelled as he followed.

“I do not know all of the details,” she lied.

“Where was Inuyasha in all of this?”

“I do not know.”

“And where is Kagome now?”

“She, Miroku-san, Sango-san, and Shippo-chan, left to find Sesshomaru-dono further West. I believe Kagome-san wants to secure a promise that Sesshomaru-dono will help defeat Naraku.”

Koga sniffed the air. Kagome's scent was weak at best; so she had left a day or two ago. “And where is Inu-baka now? I suppose sitting on his ass as usual--the useless piece-of-shit.”

“I'm right here, asshole,” came a growl from the tree canopies.

The hanyou jumped down and landed quietly on the forest floor. “Now, what were you saying?”

There was a popping sound generated from the displacement of air from inhumanly quick movements. Inuyasha reacted to the sound first, and found himself against a tree. The hanyou had managed to get one arm up to bugger Koga's arm from completing his choke hold. “Why did you let this happen?”

“I didn't! Why would I let her do this?”

“And yet she agreed to it.”

Inuyasha laughed. It was dark and shallow; completely devoid of all humour. “Listen to you,” he began. “You know absolutely fuckin' nothing about Kagome. You jump in and out of her life everyone once in awhile and try to claim her, but you don't know her.”

“Shut up. Of course I do!”

“No, you don't. If you did, you would know there is nothing in this world that can stop Kagome from something she's set her mind on.”

The wolf and hanyou continued to face off; neither saying a word. Eventually, Kaogme let go and backed away. “Fine. Whatever. But you still have one thing to explain to me, before I go and find Kagome.”

Inuyasha stretched his neck and shoulders; waiting for Koga to continue.

“Why the hell are you here and not with Kagome and the rest of your friends?”

Inuyasha glared and looked away. “None of your damn business.”

Behind Koga the forgotten woman chuckled. “I believe Inuyasha was too busy sulking in the Goshinboku to travel with his friends,” she replied.

“That's not it at all, you hag!”

Koga snorted. “At least I know that, once I can convince Kagome that this alliance with Sesshomaru-dono is a bad idea, I won't have any other challengers to take her as a mate.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I'm saying that since you obviously don't care for her that much, that my claim should be easily accepted.”

Anger is an excellent motivator, and it was Koga's turn to find himself against a tree. “Fuck you!” Inuyasha growled.

“No thank you,” Koga responded flippantly.

If there was anything the two youkai had in common was their arrogance. And their affection, spoken and not, towards a certain young miko.

“Once again, you don't know anything.”

Inuyasha pushed off from the other man. He flashed a toothy grin to Kaede before speeding off into the forest--Westwards.

“How very kind of you to bait your rival like that,” Kaede commented.

“How clever of you to lead me upwind so that he could find me.”

The old miko smiled at the wolf; feigning ignorance.

Koga rolled his eyes. There was just something weird about the people who lived in and around Inuyasha's forest.

The wolf didn't waste time before running westward himself. He, however, chose to take a different route than Inuyasha; hoping that his speed would help him catch up with Kagome first.

Unexpected Endeavors

Arc 1: The Deal

Chapter 6: Day 5