InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Where He Belongs ❯ The Elder ( Chapter 10 )

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA!

A/N: The information on Ayame comes from the Inuyasha Wikia. (hehe) I've never seen the anime episode it's based on.

Also, I want to thank my beta, serena122189, again. She did an awesome job fixing up the end for me!

Chapter 10- The Elder

A smile cracked the craggy and wrinkled face of the elder wolf, Michinaga, as he gazed down at the infant in his arms, his fire-orange eyes, framed in sparse grey hair. Another strong cub born to a fine wolf couple, he thought warmly. He had known the parents since they were cubs themselves, and felt pride swelling in his silk clad chest. As one of the clan elders, he considered it his duty to raise the tribe up into strong and powerful youkai, a duty that he had been highly successful in so far.

Yes, his clan has flourished under his guidance, but it is not as easy as he made it look. He fought every step of the way, using his cunning intellect to mold his well-meaning, but ultimately helpless, clansmen.

He rose through the ranks of the old wolf tribe to become the most revered of all the elders. The old leader, Yorozoku, was rather old and weak himself, but Michinaga had made up for the Alpha's deficiencies through sheer strength of will alone. The other three elders always looked to him for the answers and the Alpha never made a decision without his input. In the old tribe, he held real power, as it should be.

He secured his position as the most powerful advisor with the death of the Alpha. Yorozoku was defeated in battle against the Great Oni, an ogre the size of a mountain. With his death, his granddaughter, Princess Ayame, succeeded the Northern Valley Wolf tribe.

Ayame, oh, Ayame, how he missed the child! She was so sweet, so innocent to the way of the world. Upon receiving the news of her death, it felt as if his very heart had stopped dead in his chest, the news having carried away all his happiness to the other side with her. She had been like his own grandchild, his own flesh and blood. He and his dearly departed wife were not able to produce an heir that lived past early childhood, other than the one that was sickly and weak, the child's bones bent and his breathing labored. This failure had been what the elder considered his one deficiency. Michinaga had to get rid of the child once he saw the poor dear would never be like the other strong cubs the clan needed. Dropped over the side of a cliff, he was… such a pity.

The dear princess, however, had been a strapping and beautiful child. After the unfortunate demise of her parents in a seemingly careless and random accident, her grandfather had permitted the young child to live with Michinaga and his wife. The elder had raised the future Alpha himself, in the mold of the perfect leader, one that would know his importance and heed his every word. He had loved her as his own and wanted only the best for her.

Things were going to plan, too. She grew up to become a competent and malleable Alpha and a fierce warrior. He had assumed his rightful place beside her as her most respected advisor. The one hitch in his plans was the alliance forged by her grandfather, one that formed when she was but a cub. The prince from the neighboring wolf tribe had saved her life, and the old Alpha promised her hand in marriage in return, the foolish idiot.

When she became of age, she pursued the alliance, and to Michinaga's chagrin, the fool rebuked her. He wanted a woman who could sense Shikon jewel shards, he had said. The brat was barely good enough for her as it was, and he had had the gall to deny the marriage! Whatever the case may have been, the Northern Wolf tribe was a clan of superior fighters, and the Northern Valley tribe would do well to join them. Besides strong cubs, the elder knew the combining of the tribes would mean great power if he could situate himself as the Alpha's right hand man, so he pushed his dear Ayame to continue to pursue the prince. Besides who was he to rebuke Ayame, a princess and Alpha, for a mere human girl. There was nothing that priestess could do to shine a light to his dear Ayame.

Finally, the child's persistence paid off. They came together and mated. Michinaga never liked Prince Koga from the start. He was rough, inelegant, and undignified. There was nothing special about him; he was not especially strong or cutthroat. To the elder, who thought a good leader should have control of all aspects of clan life, Koga's firm but light-handed leadership rankled on his sensibilities. He much preferred the prince of the Eastern Wolf tribe for his Ayame, who ruled his lands and people with an iron fist, but this matter was out of his control. At least the union to Koga would strengthen their tribe; strong cubs would get them the status they needed. After all, maybe with time he could change Koga's ways. It was not to be however.

What was the most enraging was that fact that the blasted brat veritably ignored his council of elders. He was rebuffed at every attempt to gain the new chief's ear. Oh, the Wolf Chief conferred with his council, but he did not work as Michinaga had planned. He did not listen to his council's every word and did not feel it necessary to refer to the council to make decisions. There was little chance for the elder to rise to the rightful place of power and influence he deserved.

Michinaga's friendly gaze turned to stone when his attention was diverted from the young cub to the commotion at the mouth of the cave. The Wolf Chief was hurriedly carrying that wretched hanyou through the caves, looking positively worried. He smirked when he saw that the beast looked much worse for wear. Blood stained his nest of white hair and was drying where it had poured from his nose. It seems that the beast finally got what he deserved.

He could not help the cold feeling, however, at the question of why he had been brought back to the caves. Surely, if the hanyou was properly beaten and shunned then the brute would have been left where he fell in defeat. The cold feeling only warmed into the fire of wrath when he saw the bound and beaten group of wolves he had sent after the disgusting animal being ushered in none too gently by the chief's Betas.

He had known that the creature was manipulative, but he was still just a hanyou. Could he possibly have the power to overcome the Wolf Chief? He must be using that despicable magic that he had always heard of hanyou possessing. Hanyou were reportedly weak beings that relied on their magic to trick unsuspecting youkai into giving them their riches. It was obvious to Michinaga that that is what was going on here.

This excuse of “the bond” that the Chief had given the Council of Elders was clearly a front for the control the hanyou had over the chief's mind. The fiend had cast his magic on the chief after he had killed Michinaga's precious Ayame. He inserted himself into the Alpha's House in order to take the poor dear's place and take control of the clan. It was almost an ingenious plan… except Michinaga was too smart for that monstrosity. He knew better.

Clearly, the Wolf Chief's mind was far too under the influence of the hanyou's spells. He would have to go further to extract this evil from his clan. He knew that with the chief so deep under the magic, he would have to be covert and handle things from behind the scenes, or else he would be seen as challenging the Alpha and that would just not do. His plan to beat the problem out had clearly failed. He saw that the varmint had roped the Alpha and his Betas to fight off those brats that were barely out of cub hood, he had sent out after him. The elder could see that he was thinking too small. He needed to get serious about this hanyou problem. It was for the good of the clan, for the good of all decent youkai, and for the good of dear Ayame's cubs. He could not have them corrupted and weakened by a wretched half human whelp that played at being a youkai.

IKIKIKIKIKIKIKI

Koga rushed inside the mouth of the cave. Inuyasha's body lay limp in his embrace, his head lolled over his arm, smearing blood on his skin from the open wound on the back of his head. It stained his snowy white hair and covered the lower half of his face. The blood flow from his nose had ceased and the bone and cartilage had already begun to heal, the blood darkening and hardening on his lips and chin. Through his unconsciousness, his pup held tight to the hilt of his sword, which rested across his chest. Koga was sure it was a defensive mechanism that had been beaten into him countless times when he was younger.

The ookami ignored the concerned gasps and dark glowers of the wolves he passed. They could wait for their explanations. For now, he needed to care for his pup and his injuries. All this and more passed through Koga's mind as he ran into the bowels of the caves to the hot springs.

Once there, he kicked over a few lengths of fabric, left as drying cloths for bathers, and bunched them in a dry corner of the cavernous hot springs. Gently, he set the unconscious hanyou on the floor, using the drying cloths to cushion his head and shoulders. Slowly, so as not to jar him unnecessarily, Koga untied Inuyasha's obi and untucked his hitoe and new kosode from his hakama. He smoothed them down his shoulders, caressing the soft skin over the toned muscular arms, and pulled his hands from the sleeves. The inu whimpered softly in distress when the action accidently tilted his shoulders, causing his head to roll to the side over the still open wound.

“Ah, sorry, Pup,” Koga cooed softly, making sure to take his other arm out more carefully. He gently pulled the garments from under him. He folded the fire-rat robe beside the hanyou; it would clean its self. The white cotton kosode, he bunched up and carried over to the water. Steam rose up from the water as he dipped the fabric. He crawled back over to the inu and began to clean his face of the dried blood. He rang out some of the water from the cloth and let it drip down his chin and neck, breaking apart the crusted blood before wiping it away. He tenderly bathed Inuyasha's face, neck, shoulders, and chest, licking the sensitive skin in comfort when Inuyasha would give off a pained whimper.

After rinsing out the bloodied cloth, he returned to the hanyou and propped him up, settling his face in the crook of the ookami's neck while he delicately probed the wound on the back of his head. The bleeding had stopped and the skin was knitting together already, but Koga's concern was the cracked bone underneath it. That would take a bit longer to mend.

He tentatively pressed his finger to the area. Inuyasha moaned low into his neck and clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword. No, it was not shattered or depressed, just cracked. That was good; the healing would be much more quick and simple. It would not need to wrapped, just cushioned while he slept it off.

Koga wetted the inu's hair and scrubbed the blood from the silky tresses. After that, he laid the inu back on the cloths. He stripped himself of his armor and grabbed up Inuyasha's kosode to scrub them clean of blood. Once that was completed, he gathered the bits of clothing and the hanyou in his arms and made his way to his rooms.

The cubs were still with the Omega out in the forest. That must have been where Inuyasha was going to when this all happened. Koga sighed as he placed his sleeping puppy on their furs, adjusting his body so that he was lying on his side and not aggravating the wound on the back of his head. Inuyasha just did not deserve half the crap he went through. He saw that now.

There once was a time when he would have found it funny to see the hanyou get his ass handed to him in a fight. Not now, however, now, the pup was his responsibility, his family. Koga remembered the fierceness of the hanyou in action. He had successfully taken on five wolves alone and came out the victor. He did not even pull his sword on them even though he had every right to drive those wolves from the pack for their insolence. He was a kind caretaker, a creative thinker, a brave defender, a good hunter, an honorable clansman, and a mighty warrior. Inuyasha made a wonderful ma…- er- family member. The Wolf Chief was proud to have him by his side.

Koga pushed a strand of hair behind the inu's ear and let his knuckles graze his rounded cheek briefly. His pup was also one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen, and he was growing more so every day. Koga growled deep in his chest in pleasure when he remembered the brute force he saw that the inu wielded with his body. His intensity and fortitude was intoxicating to the Alpha, and his demon bathed him in lust and desire to dominate and take him for his own.

Koga shook his head, attempting to rid his mind of the hazy glaze of his demon's hunger. He needed to retrieve his cubs from the Omega and put them to sleep, and then he would be able to come back to his pup and lay with him. He knew his inu was young and he would have to take things carefully.

IKIKIKIKIKIKIKI

Inuyasha opened his eyes and blearily looked around. The caves, he was back in the caves. He was back in his room.

What happened? The last thing he remembered, was burying his claws in the stomach of one of measly wolves who cracked him over the head with a log. Damn, that must have been one hell of a hit if I can't even remember what happened after, he thought. He stiffened at the next thought, however. Wait a minute! Did I pass out? Did I lose?

Inuyasha began to panic his breathing picking up and becoming short pants. No! I can't be forced out! Not again!

A weight tightened around his waist, and growl vibrated against his back. “Oi, Pup. What's the matter with you?” Koga mumbled sleepily.

Inuyasha froze, and then he spun around to face the ookami, almost pushing him off the furs in the process. He stared at the wolf, which he had disturbed from his sleep by his panicked distress.

“What happened” Inuyasha growled in confusion.

His wide golden eyes searched the ookami's for an answer, but the wolf only looked back with eyes half lidded in sleep and a puzzled expression. As if he was trying to figure out why the pup he had been holding so comfortably in his arms suddenly thought it was a good idea to push him out of their furs.

“Shush, Pup. Cubs are sleepin',” Koga, whispered as he became a little bit more awake, “I think that hit to the head knocked the demon out of ya. When Ginta, Hakkaku and I got there, you were already in your demon form.”

Inuyasha's face scrunched in his effort to control his panic. Oh Gods, I killed them all! I gotta get out of here!

He sat up and flung the furs back. He scrambled out of bed, searching for Tetsusaiga. He was afraid and so close to crying out his grief, Koga sat up and furrowed his brow in puzzlement. “What's got into you all of a sudden pup? Come back to…” Inuyasha cut him off.

“Well I guess I'll be going, now. I'll come around every once and a while so the little squirt can feel better through the bond,” Inuyasha announced, hooking his sword in his obi and looking anywhere other than the Wolf Chief. “Thanks anyway, for being so decent about this and everything.”

“What?!” Koga exclaimed jumping up to stand in front of the inu completely awake now and his cubs the last thing on his mind. “Where do you think you're going, fleabag?”

“I'm clearly not wanted here and I know from experience not to wear out my welcome,” Inuyasha cringed as the ookami menacingly stepped forward. He backed up giving ground before his Alpha. His ears fell back submissively as his back hit the wall and he turned his face away. He knew the wolves would be mad and Koga would be no exception. He would stand here and take whatever Koga dished out. After all, he deserved it. “And in my demon form I know I must have killed them all and shamed your House. I'll just get out of he-.”

Inuyasha could not finish his sentence as Koga grasped a handful of hair and yanked his head back, forcing Inuyasha to present his face to the Alpha. The wolf's lips descended to the inu's in a crushing and possessive kiss. Inuyasha gasped at the unexpected action.

Koga took advantage of the innocent gasp, and slipped his tongue between the soft pink swells of Inuyasha's lips. His mouth watered as he drank him in, letting his tongue explore to its heart's content. He traced the hanyou's sharp fangs and slid their tongues together. Inuyasha tasted so good, so sweet, it was as if his mouth was made for him.

Then Koga broke the kiss, remembering why he had stopped the inu with a kiss in the first place. “You're not going anywhere. You're mine,” Koga breathed possessively, his arms coming up on either side of the inu to keep him from moving. His eyes glowed, daring the inu to say or do otherwise.

“Yours?” Inuyasha asked, his eyes clouded in pleasure. Suddenly, they cleared before realization bled into them.

“H-hey! What the hell was that?” he panicked reaching up to shove Koga away from him, his face turning a dark shade of red.

Wanting none of that, Koga leaned forwards his hands moving to stop Inuyasha's, pinning the smaller inu fully to the wall as he crushed his lips to Inuyasha's once more stopping any more protests.

Inuyasha mewed softly in confused pleasure at the assault on his mouth. Oh Gods!

“Mine.” Koga growled again. He backed away to give the inu a chance to breathe, his eyes glowing in promise. He would make it so. His inu would not try to leave him again.