InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Written in the Stars ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 4

Amber glanced around as they made their way through the dense foliage the next morning, heading north toward the neko tribe's mountain. “Hey, Izayoi,” she murmured to her friend, quietly so that Inusouta and Masao couldn't hear.

The raven-haired beauty turned her eyes toward the human-again girl. “What?”

“What's your opinion on those wolf twins?”

Izayoi nearly choked on air. “Opinion?”

Amber winked. “I thought Jiro was really cute.”

“They're identical- how can one be cuter than the other?”

She shrugged slightly. “I have a thing for green eyes, I guess.”

The now-human hanyou flicked a glance back at her brother, who was deep in conversation with the taijiya. “Yeah… I like Taro's blue ones better though…”

The two girls nearly collapsed in a fit of giggles. Inusouta and Masao didn't seem to notice, or at least, didn't seem to care. “I knew it! You were attracted to that hentai wolf, weren't you, Iza?” Amber asked in a hushed whisper.

Izayoi gave a huff. “There's nothing wrong with being a lecher as long as you ask permission first,” she replied with a saucy grin.

Amber's jaw dropped. “You really are bad, aren't you?” she giggled.

“You have no idea.”

Abruptly two whirlwinds appeared, coalescing into the subjects of their discussion. “If we have no idea of how bad you are,” Taro began, lifting Izayoi's hand with the intention of giving it a seductive lick.

“Then you must be truly delightful indeed,” Jiro finished, lifting Amber's hand in the same manner. Both girls flushed at the handsome wolves.

Inusouta finally noticed the two intruders. “Oi! Get your paws off my mate!” he growled as he rushed forward.

Jiro gave Amber a wink as he stepped back. “Hai, sir,” he said gallantly, placing a hand over his heart and bowing. “It's just that you obviously weren't protecting her, so I thought I'd step in and do the job correctly.”

Taro gave his twin a lopsided grin. “As well as the other job he can't seem to do correctly, right?”

“Hai. Getting this lovely kitsune with cubs would be a marvelous task indeed.”

Inusouta pulled Amber away from the green-eyed wolf and proceeded to stare him down. “I thought your father told you to stay away from us or he'd neuter you.”

“He did say that,” Taro said, delicately placing a loving lick on the back of Izayoi's hand.

“But we came to warn you,” Jiro finished, staring right back at the inu-hanyou in his face.

Masao stepped forward, concerned. “Warn us? About what?”

“The neko tribe,” Taro said, rubbing the lump that Izayoi had created after he had licked her hand.

“What about them?” Inusouta prompted through gritted teeth.

“They're attacking and killing all humans that approach their mountain. None have escaped,” Jiro explained seriously.

“And Father and Mother, not to mention Minako, were worried about the four of you being human right now and trying to get that shard back,” Taro finished for once.

The four humans exchanged a glance. “Well, how do they feel about hanyous?” Amber asked logically.

The twins gave an identical shrug. “Most youkai don't like them, but the nekos may be more tolerant of hanyous than humans.”

The three hanyous turned to Masao. “That would make you their next meal,” Amber informed the young man with a wink.

The taijiya gave a Miroku-like sigh. “I suppose I have to stay behind then?” Kirara mewed.

“No,” Inusouta replied, pulling him along. “We're doing this together or we might as well go home.”

“We're coming too,” Taro piped up.

“Someone has to protect the ladies,” Jiro added, flashing Amber another wink.

Inusouta stepped between the wolf and the kitsune. “Stop that. She belongs to me.”

Izayoi heaved a sigh as she shifted to hanyou form. “Can we just do this? We don't have time for your silly jealous rages.”

Her brother gave her a cool look that radiated indifference. “I am not jealous. She is already my mate- what is there to be jealous of?”

Jiro winked as he leaned closer to the inu-hanyou. Amber had already shifted to her hanyou form as well and had begun to walk away, side by side with her sister-in-law, her long golden tail swishing gently behind her. “Green eyes, mate,” the wolf whispered with a grin, pointing to the aforementioned orbs. “Kits love `em.”

Taro thwacked his brother upside his head. “Baka! Blue eyes are more manly! Green eyes belong on a girl!”

Jiro growled and pounced on his brother. The two began to fight, rolling around in the dirt. Masao sighed as he and Inusouta walked away. The inu-hanyou shifted to his own hanyou form as he stuffed his hands inside his dark blue haori sleeves. “Baka ookami,” he muttered as they left the brawling brothers behind.

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“Oi! We've got some live ones here!”

Two male neko youkai hurried over to where the lookout was standing. He pointed down at the approaching females.

“Finally!” one of them exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with glee. “We've found some females!”

“Maybe our clan won't die out after all,” the other replied, looking hopeful. “Someone better fetch the boss or else he'll be pissed.”

“Gotcha,” said the third, immediately turning around and racing up the mountain.

The remaining two nekos gazed down at the two females. “That silver-haired one looks absolutely delicious,” the lookout commented.

“Those ears- you think she's hanyou?”

Shrug. “Possible. But why be picky when two gorgeous females with youkai blood show up at our doorstep?”

The second guard glanced up from the approaching girls. “Uh, oh,” he muttered, narrowing his cat-like eyes. “They've brought others.”

“Others?” the lookout queried, glancing in the same direction as his companion. Sure enough another hanyou- this one with black hair and ears to match the silver female- and a human male riding the back of a great two-tail youkai cat were following the two girls. “Damn! You think those are their mates?”

“Who knows?” the guard growled, flexing his claws. “They're as good as dead anyway. There's too many males around here as it is.”

“But if they've got mates already…”

“Use your nose, baka! Do either of them smell like they're carrying kittens?”

The lookout flushed. “No… so I guess they're both up for grabs.”

The guard nodded. “Even that two-tail… she's gonna be fair game, too. Not my type, but there are others…”

“We'll just have to dispose of the meddlesome males and then we can have our way with the three females, right?”

“You got it.”

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Izayoi and Amber glanced around, concerned. “Don't you think we should've come across someone by now? A guard… a lookout…”

Four male neko youkai appeared out of midair and landed lithely on the ground, effectively surrounding the two girls.

“An ambush…” Izayoi added wryly as she sized up her opponents.

“Amber!” Inusouta cried out when he saw his mate being effectively restrained and yanked away. He ran forward only to be knocked backwards by a surprise attack from two more nekos.

“Inusouta!” the kitsune called back, struggling against her captors. Izayoi growled and cracked her knuckles in a familiar way.

“Get your paws off my sister!” she snarled as she slashed ineffectively at the remaining two nekos. They simply smirked and dodged her inexperienced attacks, racing forward to capture her in the same way as Amber.

Masao nudged Kirara. “Go, Kirara!” he yelled as the cream and black feline leapt forward, intent on rescuing the inu-hanyou.

Another neko knocked the taijiya off the cat while two others managed to wrap a rope around her neck and body. The one stood guard over Masao with his claws at his throat as the other two pulled Kirara away. “Where are you taking her?” he asked angrily.

The neko pricked Masao's neck with his claws- just enough to draw blood. “Silence, ningen,” the youkai hissed, the slits of his pupils contracting to thin lines. “Your death will be forthcoming. For now, we take your females to our boss.”

The girls were now out of sight and Inusouta had effectively dealt with the remaining neko youkai, which had kept him occupied while the others spirited away his mate and sister. He whirled and kicked the last neko standing over Masao into a nearby tree. “Bastards,” he growled as he helped his friend to his feet.

“We have to save the girls,” Masao pointed out. “But how are the two of us going to fight all those neko youkai? I don't have my father's Kazaana and my skill with Mother's Hiraikotsu is still mediocre. And as powerful as you are, my friend, I don't think you can destroy a hundred youkai with one stroke of your swords like Tetsusaiga.”

Twin whirlwinds appeared behind them, dissipating to reveal the identical ookami youkai, looking none the worse for wear after their brawl. “We're here to help,” Taro said, his blue eyes narrowing.

“No one takes our future mates and survives,” Jiro added.

Inusouta bonked the green-eyed wolf on the head. “Dumbass! Amber is my mate- not yours! If you want to help us, quit calling Amber your mate!”

The twins exchanged a glance. Taro shrugged. “Don't look at me. My eye is on his sister, not his mate.”

Jiro sighed. “Very well. What matters now is the girls' safety. We have to get them back, regardless. Right?”

“Hai,” came the unanimous response.

“Let's go, gentlemen,” Inusouta said, turning toward the mountain, ready to do some damage.