Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feelings for a Fox ❯ Chapter 17

{/…/= Youko's "talking"}

{*…*= Kurama's "talking"}

Kurama's POV

~Chapter 17~

So there we were, having a nice quiet moment when this crazy dog guy comes along yelling at me to let my mate go. As if he had anything to say in the matter. I pushed Kagome behind me and grabbed a seed from my hair, allowing it to transform from a rose to a whip in a smooth almost languid motion. Kagome was trying to talk to us but my attention was focused on the strange male. He seemed protective of Kagome and I didn't know for sure what kind of claim he had on her. If it was one that was stronger than my own I would simply have to kill him because that is intolerable.

*Stop that!*

/Stop what?/

*Stop putting words into my head! I don't need your stupid instincts getting in the way. He couldn't possibly have a stronger claim than we have. We're her mate.*

/Correction, we are her ALMOST mate. And if anything stands in the way of her becoming COMPLETELY our mate its going to be him. Kill him quickly before he can try to steal what's ours!/

*You don't know that!*

/Do you want to take that chance? Kill him! Killhimkillhimkillhim!/

*Shut up! Just how lucky do you think you'll get if you kill her friend?*

/Er…/

*Exactly. Now stop distracting me. This guy is charging us, you know that right?*

I dodged to the side and ducked his wild swing. Where the hell was he hiding that thing anyways? Huge ass sword like that, I couldn't possibly have missed it before. Unless I missed it because I was arguing with a certain someone.

/Don't blame me for your blindness. To your left!…Good job. Although I gotta tell you, I didn't see it before either. There's no way BOTH of us could have missed it./

Well that's a relief.

/Of course if we're trying to keep him alive we really can't use the whip on him directly./ Youko whispered slyly.

*Your such a smug bastard you know that?*

I struck out with my whip. He jumped backward, rebounded off the hillside, launching himself toward me. I narrowed my eyes.

Show off.

I leapt into the air, flipping over him. I jumped again as soon as I landed, twisting around in the air. His blade passed directly through where I was standing when I landed on the flat edge. I quickly ran along his blade while he tried to regain his balance. Before I reached him I retransformed my whip so that the thorns weren't there but so that I still had my whip coiled in my fist. When I was within reach I backhanded him. He rocked backwards from the blow. The fact that I had charged my arm with ki probably added to the overall impression my fist had made on him.

I know I almost always use my plants when I fight, rarely relying on physical force really. But since no else is around I can go ahead and admit it. There's something incredibly satisfying about bitch slapping the shit out of my potential competition.

/That's the spirit!/

*Quiet you.*

I jumped into the air, releasing my whip with a snap. I was aiming for the wrist holding the sword but he recovered more quickly than I had anticipated and my weapon wrapped around the base of his blade. He jerked his weapon around. This caught me off guard so I started flying toward the ground. I'm sure the impact would have been painful but I transformed my whip back into a flower with a thought and rolled with the impact. I came up in a fighting stance when I rolled to my feet.

Quick check. No broken bones. There was a rock where I had landed and that was going to leave a mark but other than that and a slightly sore shoulder I would be fine. Still that was going to cost him.

So now all that was left was figuring out how to get back at this guy with the admittedly severe limitation I put on myself. I glared dangerously when I saw his self satisfied little smirk. I raised my hand to subdue him with my new whip when I felt a new energy.

My head snapped around when I caught that scent. Like Kagome's but laced with the stench of death and decay. If I had been in my youko form it would have been intolerable and my ears would definitely be laid back. I glanced back at the inu wondering how he was handling it. Ugh! He didn't even seem to notice it!

/How wrong is that? Has he forgotten what he is? Only scavengers appreciate such a stench!/ Youko was disgusted by the thought of voluntarily aligning with such an abomination of nature.

*I know what you mean. She's definitely not natural. She must be the being Rin told us about. Kikyo wasn't it?*

/Who cares? She's making my skin crawl! Fuck the dog, let's kill HER!/

Before I could respond she released an arrow at Kagome.

Youko went crazy, practically clawing at my mind to get out. I felt my world going red. I was severely tempted to let him loose but I felt an echo of Kagome in mind. That pulled Youko up enough that I was able to shove him to the back of mind while we tried to trace the feeling.

/Do you think she even realizes that she warned us off? She wants to handle this herself... /

*Enough that she opened her emotions to us. We should respect that... *

/Yeah... Do you think she knows she deepened the bond with that move?/ I raised my brow at his eager tone. I could just picture his tail wagging in my head.

*You never give up do you?*

/Not really, no.But watch the mutt. If he makes a move to interfere on that corpse's behalf we take him down, no questions./

*Agreed.*

"Kikyo! What are you doing?! Why did you attack Kagome?!" The inu asked the undead miko.

"Far too long I have been incomplete. I cannot tolerate it any longer even for your sake Inuyasha," she declared in her cold voice as she descended from the rocks, her next arrow steadily trained on Kagome. So this is Inuyasha. He's a smart one. How can he not pick up on the bad vibes between these two? And Rin had hinted that Kagome had a thing for Inuyasha, at least before Kikyo had entered the picture.

/I told you we should have killed him./ Youko muttered.

*And I told you why we shouldn't.*

/Yeah, yeah./ he grumbled. I tensed up as I returned my attention to the proceedings. I wasn't sure who was the bigger threat at this point, but I was more than prepared to launch myself at anything that threatened Kagome.

"And I've done it all while being a single mother."

"I WON'T LISTEN TO YOUR FILTHY FALSEHOODS ANYMORE!"

I missed what had been going on before, but I'm taking it that was rather a soft spot that Kagome poked with that observation. They both released their arrows in a rather terrible display of power. Then again, maybe it was just terrible to me because I knew what would happen to me if any of it touched me. Hideously painful death that would turn me into a pile of goo aside, it was still very impressive to look at. Very pretty. Kind of like standing next to a fire works booth that someone's just tossed a match onto. Moving away now. Don't mind me.

And then it was suddenly over.

All that was left was a pile of clothing pooled around a pile of ashes. But when it was done she didn't look happy. And she didn't return to my side. She went to him. I felt like she had struck me. What?! Kagome wants to bring him back to Japan?! Him in the same area as me?! While I'm trying to get my mate? And she's looking concerned about him! I snarl dangerously as I watch her hovering over him. What about me?

She avoided my eyes as I walked toward her. I even paused in front of her hoping she would acknowledge me. She didn't beyond waiting for me to pass through the opening she created. I narrow my eyes thoughtfully. I'll give her the space she wants for the moment but we are definitely going to discuss this later.

And she's even managed to block us from sensing her emotions! I honestly don't think I would be so upset at the moment if she hadn't deepened the beginning of our link and then slammed a wall up as soon as this Inuyasha guy made the scene. And Youko isn't helping here. He's vain, even for a fox, and he really hates to be ignored. Especially by someone whose undivided attention he feels should be focused solely on him. Us, I should say, since we are a package deal. He's currently holding a conversation with himself that probably shouldn't be repeated... in any type of society. Oohh that one was nice. Do you think I could pronounce that with human vocal cords?

/Doubtful./

*The world is against me. Even the more interesting curses are denied me!*

/Stop whining at me, I'm too busy feeling scorned and rageful to care about you at the moment./

"Hey Kurama?"

"Yes Kagome?" I kept my voice carefully neutral as I answered her. I noticed that her attention was focused to the west.

"Could you do me a favor? Take Inuyasha back to my mother's house, and pick up your friends. Bring them back here."

"You're coming with me," I informed her. I don't think she was paying me any mind.

"No, I'm going ahead. I want you to hurry back and catch up though," she answered absently.

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself!" I may be upset with her, but that's no reason to let her go off and get herself killed. Women have no sense of self preservation when it comes to battle.

"Don't worry about me. I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself for a bit."

"Fending for yourself," I repeated dangerously. Oh don't you give me that brilliant smile like that's going to make me forget that you're planning on running off into demon lands alone. Intolerable.

"Well obviously. Kurama look at Inuyasha. He doesn't need this right now. Now if you hurry, you can have him at my house and then be back before I even find what I'm looking for. Now be a dear and go on."

"Why don't I go ahead and you take him back to the ningenkai?"

"Because you obviously can't feel what I'm sensing at the moment which means I'll be able to find it faster than you would be able to. So go on now. Inuyasha! Kurama's my friend and he's taking you to my house. I have an errand to run but I'll be back home tonight ok?"

One of us isn't making much sense at the moment. I have a suspicion it's her, but I can't really find any logical argument to her reasoning. Aside from the obvious I'm not at all happy about it thing of course. I give her a considering look before nodding briefly. She's not planning on backing down and it'll be quicker not to waste time arguing with her. She smiled, thinking she'd won. She opened another portal and gestured us through. I waited until after Inuyasha passed through. This time however I didn't allow her to ignore me. When I stood in front of her I grabbed her chin and forced her gaze up to mine. Her eyes were startled as she looked up me. When I spoke it was in a very low commanding voice.

"I'm allowing you to have your way this time." She looked prepared to yell at me when she understood what I meant, but I continued before she could say anything. "If you get hurt while you are off trying to save the world by yourself, then you will answer to me. And I will be forced to punish you as I would anyone who damages something that I claim as mine. Are we understood?" She stared at my mouth since I allowed a bit of fang to flash as I spoke the last. However I really didn't feel like listening to whatever she tried to say next so I crushed her lips beneath mine. I smiled against her lips when I smelled the sudden change in her scent. I scraped my fangs over her bottom lip in an almost playful nip. Then I slid through the portal without a backward glance.