InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Uptown Girl ❯ Chapter 52 ( Chapter 53 )

Suikotsu exited the bedroom, satisfied with Koga's recovery from hypothermia.

 

About twenty minutes previous…

 

He did his initial assessment of the unconscious wolf before being able to rouse him from his slumber. As his blue eyes opened, Koga took a deep breath of air, praying that it had only been a dream that he'd jumped into the freezing lake and nearly drowned. He recalled his last images of the humanoid looking creature reaching out to save him as he turned his attention to the kind eyes of the doctor.

 

“What… where am I?” he asked, still unsure of where exactly he was as he looked carefully around the room, taking in the wooden beams of the ceiling and the furniture.

 

Gray eyes met azure ones as Suikotsu replied, “You're in a cabin not far from the lake you jumped into earlier. From what I've been able to understand of the situation, you are a very lucky wolf.”

 

Koga's eyes flashed wide as he thought, “It wasn't a dream!!! I actually jumped into that damn lake and nearly drown?”

 

Seeing the look cross his still slightly blackened eyes, Suikotsu replied, “If it hadn't have been for Jade and Ban you would have died out there. She pulled you to safety and warmed you as best she could before I got here.”

 

“Jade… Jade's here?” he asked in a mere whisper. He sat up in the bed, letting the blankets and sheets pool at his waist as he held a hand to his head from the sudden movement.

 

Suikotsu smiled as he checked the wolf once more, clearly relieved that he was awake and moving around. “You should take it easy, Koga. There could be some residual side effects of hypothermia that you may experience, but overall you look healthy as a horse, save for the slightly blackened eyes,” he replied as he put his instruments away into his black medical bag.

 

“Oh… those… I got them a few days ago. Now that my sense of smell is back, and I can smell that mouth-watering steak dinner, my stomach is growling something fierce,” he replied as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, only to realize that he was completely nude. With eyes even wider, if that was possible, Koga looked toward Suikotsu as he asked, “Where are my clothes?”

 

Suikotsu looked back over his shoulder as he replied, “I'm sure that Ban and Jade removed them to get you warm and dry. We brought up a duffle bag from your Bronco. I'll bring it in a minute.” He walked out of the room, leaving Koga to think about all that had happened in a short period of time.

 

Present time…

 

“Damn it wasn't just some horrible nightmare. I could have died out there, never to see my beloved Jade again,” he thought as he hung his head in shame. “Damn my heroic nature for getting me into such predicaments. Now I owe my life to not only Jade, but a complete stranger that I've never met! Ban… Ban… I wonder if he means Bankotsu from the ranch?” he thought as the questions began to fall like water from his mind, near panic virtually engulfed him as his mind reeled from the fact that both Jade and this Ban person were at the lake together. “What the hell was she doing up here with another man, alone by a lake in the first place?” he thought wildly. “She wouldn't… couldn't be cheating on me yet again… could she?”

 

Suddenly Suikotsu returned with the worn out duffle bag, tossing it on the bed as he saw a near look of panic upon the wolf's face. “What seems to be the problem, Koga?” he asked kind of getting a sinking suspicion that he knew what it was.

 

Looking toward the kind doctor, Koga replied, his voice shaking from the fear that the answers would reveal, “You said that Jade and Ban saved me. Who is this Ban that you mentioned?”

 

Leaning against the dresser, Suikotsu replied, “Ban is my youngest brother… Bankotsu Temerario. He's the ranch foreman of the Hacienda El Matador.”

 

Koga's eyes shot wide as the information seeped into his head, it was the guy that he'd given a ride up to the ranch when he'd first gotten here. “Is he still here?” Koga asked, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart.

 

“Yeah… he and my other brother Jak are sitting in the living room watching the news, why do you ask?” he questioned, afraid that his services for medical attention were to be utilized yet again that evening.

 

Rummaging through his duffle bag for a pair of baggy sweats, Koga replied, trying to keep the rage from his voice, “I wanted to thank him for helping to save my life. Is there any of that wonderful steak that I smelt earlier left?”

 

“Knowing Jade, she made up plates for the both of us. I'll get yours out if you'd like and get it reheated,” Suikotsu offered as he moved once more toward the bedroom door.

 

Koga looked up from his duffle bag as he replied, “That'd be great. Thank you. If Jade's out there could you send her in here?”

 

“I'm sorry man, but she headed off to bed before I got out there earlier. I'm sure that she'll be here in the morning,” Suikotsu replied as he saw Koga's face change from slight hope to crest fallen. He quickly went into the kitchen, grabbing up the two plates of food from the fridge, noticing that they weren't that overly chilled before setting them in the over, to warm up.

 

Koga emerged a few minutes later from his bedroom, wearing just a pair of black sweats that hung loosely about his hips. His long silky black hair had been pulled back into its customary pony tail, trailing down his back. He looked about the small kitchen then the rest of the first floor of the cabin as Suikotsu continued reheating the food. Koga saw the two men sitting near the stair case, leading to the upstairs and Jade's room he assumed. When his eyes settled on Bankotsu, his blood began to boil once more, chasing what remained of the cold from his body.

 

“So this is the guy who's been spending time with my Jade! And to think when he talked of his `ex' girlfriend that we were talking about the same person!!! This is just to freaking much!” he thought angrily as he moved toward the two men, his nose just a twitching as he clearly identified Jade's scent in the cabin, as well as that of the men as well.

 

 

Jak's eyes widened slightly at the tan, lean, well muscled man moving toward them. He admired the flames that he saw in the piercing blue eyes as well as the hardened look upon his face. His eyes roved from Koga's rugged face to his well muscled chest to his defined abs, before wandering even farther down his sweat covered waist and legs. Once Koga had reached the two, Jak asked, rather huskily, “Is the rest of you that toned, handsome?”

 

Taken aback by the somewhat effeminate male, Koga shook his head as he tried to grasp what Jak had asked. “I beg your pardon?” he asked slightly confused by what the stranger on the couch had said.

 

Moving off the couch, practically purring with lust, scent thick with arousal, Jak replied, “I'd asked if `the rest of you that toned,' handsome,” as his fingers swept across Koga's chest, causing him to shiver under the touch as well as the thoughts that went with it.

 

Taking a step back from the obviously gay man, as he moved the offending appendage from his body, Koga growled, “I don't swing that way, mister, and I'd recommend that you don't do it again.”

 

“Oh… now that's not nice to threaten me,” Jak said with a slight pout upon his lips. “Too bad I'm not the one who had found you, I'd have really shown you a really good time,” he continued saucily as he licked his lips as the wheels of his mind began to go into overdrive as his devious thoughts went through every possible situation that he'd love to get Koga into.

 

 

Ban was slightly amused at the uneasiness of Koga under the blatant hitting on that he was experiencing at his brother's hand. “Hell, even Jak wants the wolf. He can have him for all I care, as long as it allows me to have Jade back,” Ban thought as he continued to watch the exchange. With a slight chuckle Ban turned back to the news as Koga eased his way toward a chair near the television, as far away from Jak as possible.

 

Koga turned his eyes toward Ban as he caught the chuckle. “What's so funny?” Koga inquired a slight edge to his voice as his eyes landed on the foreman.

 

“The look on your face when Jak was hitting on you, my friend, was priceless,” Ban replied with a smirk upon his face as he shook his head.

 

Taking a hard look at Ban, Koga replied, “I didn't think that was very funny, but then again taking another man's woman isn't funny either. Is it?”

 

“How would I know? I've only seen Jade and her grandmother on this ranch in the last few months and I don't recall either of them having a ring on their finger,” Ban spit back, his azure eyes falling upon Koga in flames as they began a battle of words.

 

Koga growled as he replied, “You know damn good and well that Jade's mine. My mark is upon her neck, claiming her.”

 

“Doesn't mean a damn thing to me, I don't read `wolf'. Besides she's got so many damn scars on her body that I could lay claim to her as well in that case,” Ban shot back his fists clenched as the verbal battle continued.

 

Standing suddenly from his chair, Koga retorted, “Let's have Jade finish this then.” He moved toward the stair case only to be blocked by Ban barring the way with his body.

 

“I don't think so mister. She's upstairs sleeping right now, exhausted from saving your sorry ass from the lake. Jade said that `no man will grace her bed' and I mean to enforce it,” Ban replied, glaring daggers at the wolf.

 

Placing a hand upon Ban's forearm, Koga moved to push past him as he replied, “She's my fiancée, the love of my life, and I mean to see her, to thank her properly for her saving me. Now get out of the damn way or I'll be forced to hurt you.”

 

“How the hell could you love her like you claim if you scarred her?!” Ban demanded as he batted Koga's arm away from him, connecting solidly with his chest.

 

Koga's eyes went wide at the contact, then narrowed as he growled out, “That's none of your business. Now move aside.”

 

 

As their voices continued to raise in anger, afraid that Jade would be awoken from her well needed slumber, Jak moved swiftly from his spot on the couch, leapt from a chair and vaulted over the railing, landing on the steps behind Ban as he pulled the handle of his bull whip from his waist, loosening it's length from his slight waist. With the whip coiled in his hand, Jak glared at the two rivals as he ground out between clenched jaws, “Shut up! You'll wake up Jade and I'll be forced to use my Serpiente Azote,” as he shook his hand holding the whip at the two men. “And I'm going to enjoy every last minute of it,” he continued with a look of pure lust in his eyes as he saw the looks of shock cross their faces.

 

Ban whipped around to glare wide eyed in horror at the implications of his own brother. “You wouldn't… on your own brother?” Ban practically shrieked.

 

“Oh but I would, right across your tight cute little ass,” Jak replied as he flicked his whip grazing Ban's arm slightly, leaving a thin trail of red blood in its wake.

 

Jerking his arm protectively toward his body, Ban backed off the stairs, as he shot back, “Damn it Jak!!! That hurt!”

 

Unfazed by his brother's outburst, Jak replied, “There's more where that came from. Now I'm going to bed upstairs, seeing as I can't trust the two of you to keep Jade alone. I warn you not to even think about coming up the stairs or I will enjoy slicing you into little bitty pieces.”

 

Ban glared at his brother as he demanded, “Where the hell am I suppose to sleep? That's my room you're taking over!”

 

With a jerk of his head toward Koga, Jak replied, “Jade seemed to find him comfortable. Why don't you give it a try?”

 

Ban just glared at his sadistic brother knowing that any reply would only goad Jak more. He turned toward Koga as he asked, “Want a beer?”

 

Knowing that getting past Jak looked nearly impossible and not really up for a fight right now, Koga replied, in slight defeat, “Sounds good. Besides it smells like my dinner is warm enough to eat.” As if on queue, Suikotsu moved the plates of warmed food to the dinner table as Ban moved toward the refrigerator and Koga took up his fork at the table.

 

Jak watched as the three men sat at the table, each engrossed in their food and drink. With a shake of his head, Jak quickly wrapped his Serpiente Azote around his waist as he ascended the stairs. He quickly poked his head into Jade's room to see if the earlier commotion had awakened her, but what he saw brought a smile to his lips.

 

Lying across the foot of her bed, the television blaring in the back ground, Jade was sound asleep. With her arm stretched out above her head, being used as a rather impromptu pillow, Jade softly snored as she finally let herself fall into sweet oblivion.

 

Jak moved stealthily into her room, covering the distance from the door to the bed quickly. He scooper her up into his arms, before placing her back in the bed, pulling the sheets, blanket and quilt up to her chin. Reveling in the warmth of her bed, Jade rolled on her side giving Jak her back as she snuggled deeper into the pillows. With as smile upon his lips, Jak reached over her back and placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek before he left for his own reward of a warm bed and devious thoughts of the handsome piece of wolf flesh down stairs.