Hunted By The Wolf

Hunted By The Wolf

Chapter 10: Domino Effect

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I hope you really liked the
last chapter, it was actually
pretty hard to write. I know
how complicated things have
gotten, and well...

They're not gonna get any
easier.

Because I'm something of a
sadist and that's how I like it! ;)
Hahaha. Enjoy!
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I am a coward. No amount of training or
exterminating demons in the very maw of defeat
will ever change that fact. I wanted to run away,
to leave Kouga to wake up and find us all long
gone. His anger frightened me, though not as
much as his pain. Katsu's soul was lost, permanently.


I did not blame Miroku for this, but Kouga would, at first.
The best plan was to have Miroku gone when the youkai
woke from his 'nap.' I didn't want the concussion I'd probably
given him to go to waste, nor did I want the blood of either
anywhere near me. This was getting difficult and confusing.


I curled up against the tree that houshi'd nearly lost his
life against and I watched. I wanted to run away,
never face this thick headed, arrogant wolf again. His
face was peaceful in sleep, resembled nothing of the
furious demon he'd been hours ago.

Inuyasha and Kagome hadn't gone far, or so they'd said,
in case Kouga was still angry when he woke. Kagome bandaged
Kirara and then gone off to scavenge for food, which, to be
honest, I was extremely grateful for. The monk stuck around
for a moment, most likely worried about my well being
when Kouga woke. It had been uncomfortable, both
of us unsure of what to say. My heart went out to
him, really, it did...but I've never been one to know
when to say the right thing. Or even what the right thing is.


He'd gone off to meditate, and I didn't blame him.


I crossed my arms over my knees and drew them up
to my chest. He would be furious when he woke up.
Particularly at houshi, and then at me for denying him
his 'revenge.' The only revenge he could possibly get
was to kill that little demon slave of Naraku's, and
free whatever was the left of the souls she'd stolen.
The little monster.


Even Kagura had a conscience, being one of the most
deadly and destructive youkai Naraku had spawned,
the guilt in her eyes gave her away. She did not
enjoy what she had to do, and I absently hoped
that Kouga would forgive her eventually
for all of the horrible things she'd been forced to do
against him.

But that little demon bitch Kanna; she had no consciousness,
much less a soul with which to feel guilt. She
would be destroyed for this, that you could be sure of.

I tucked my chin into the cradle of my arms, showing
only my eyes to him when he awoke. I was exhausted,
but I didn't want to leave him knocked out in the middle
of the forest with no one to watch over him, or me for
that matter. I leaned back, trying to get comfortable.


I understood Kouga's anger. Katsu had been his brother,
most likely the one he looked up to as a child. To be unable
to put your loved ones to rest once they passed on was
infuriating, left you feeling impotent and useless, and in this
case especially Kouga had been helpless to change things.
We could've all died, very easily.


Was this what Kanna did when she was absent from Naraku's side?
I myself had rarely seen her. Only a handful of times that
he'd appeared to taunt us had she been present, unnerving to see
a child with such dark powers. That mirror of hers was her source
of power; it would need to be destroyed before she could. I would
take relish in the act.


I was exhausted, had been from my run in with the saimyoushou.
I didn't want to leave him or myself unprotected, but maybe
if I just close my eyes for a second...


It could have only been minutes until I felt a hand
shaking my ankle. I sat up quickly and rubbed
my eyes, opened them to meet brilliant blue.
"What happened? Were we attacked?" he growled,
up on his elbows. A clawed hand went to
the side of his head where I'm sure a nasty
headache originated from. I shook my head,
looked at the ground.
"Well?" he ground out, wincing.
"I knocked you out." His face dropped. "I couldn't
let you just kill him, Kouga. He'd only done
what he thought he had to do in order to
save us." Kouga sat up roughly and turned
away from me, a sneer evident in his mouth.


"He deserved whatever he got," he spat,
crossing his arms.
"You know that's not true," I said softly, resting
my head on my fist. "Naraku, on the other hand,
does." Not that this would cheer him up, but
I had to make him see what he already knew in his heart.
His actions had been grief-driven, something I
definitely understood.


"Please, Kouga," I whispered. "Don't take it out
on houshi. He would never do something
so deliberately to hurt you. The wind tunnel
was probably our only chance at stopping
that thing, and we're alive.." His face whipped
in my direction, anger apparent in the lines.

"So now my brother's soul goes to a purgatory
in..well..wherever that fucking thing goes to, instead
of being used up by Naraku?" I shook my head.
"I don't know where it leads to, I doubt even Miroku
does. But Naraku will not use your brother's soul
to fill his sadistic needs. I promise you that much."


He was silent for a few minutes, staring hard into
the forest.
"Do whatever you want," he said finally, rising. I felt
my stomach drop.
"What will you do?" I asked meekly. He was leaving.
"Kill that little demon witch." he ground out before
he took off. Well...that was that...


I sat, unsure of how to sort out the cacophony of
emotion that battled in my head. I had enjoyed his
company, for the short time it lasted. Maybe that's
all it had meant to be, a transitive thing, not meant
to actually mean anything..which, to be honest,
I figured most things didn't.


I was so very tired still. There, I could sleep, maybe..
I heard two sets of quickly moving footsteps coming
towards me, and lifted my head expecting Inuyasha
and Kagome to appear. Maybe they'd heard
Kouga's voice.


Instead, I was met with two very winded wolf youkai,
both bending and holding their knees as they
caught their breath.
"Taijiya-sama..what are you doing here?" The mohawked one
asked, breathing heavily between words.
"Yeah, where'd Kouga go? We've been tryin' to find
him for days..." the tinier one ground out.
"Ginta, let her talk..." Mohawk grumbled. These two
were always showing up at the oddest times.
I'd wondered where they'd been-normally they were
glued to Kouga's side..er..trail.


"It's kind of a long story.." I pushed my bangs out of
my face and leaned my head back against the bark.
I didn't want to tell them anything. Kouga could if he
really wanted to disclose all of the extremely personal
things we'd all witnessed. I wondered, though...
"Either of you know anyone named Katsu?" Their heads
rose in unision, eyes huge.


"Why!? Did you see him or something?" I shook my head.
Well, that wasn't entirely true...
"I'll..um..let Kouga tell you." I rose, moving to walk the
direction I'd seen Kagome and Inuyasha go, until
the two wolf demons had run up to me, sniffing like
hungry dogs.
"Heeeeyyy... You smell like Kouga.." The one I supposed
was Ginta drawled, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah..the jerk kidnapped me for a few days, thinking
I was Kagome. Again," They shook their heads
at this.
"He, uh..sometimes he doesn't look or..y'know..think..
before he does stuff..."
"But uh...why do you..smell..like him?" Mohawk asked,
crossing his arms. "And what does Kagome say about
all of this.." he gestured at me. HOW RUDE!


"Hey, you little jerk, lets' get one thing straight! Nothin'
happened between me an' your fearless leader, so don't
go assuming things!" I turned away in a huff and walked
off, furious at their assumptions. I didn't even touch the
jerk!

"Hey! Hey wait up!" The two came jogging up, putting
their hands up in supplicaton.
"Could you tell us which way he went at least..?" Their
eyes were pathetic, pleading. I frowned and jerked
my head in the direction he'd taken off in. They
bowed and loped off, leaving me with my thoughts.


What now? I hugged my own shoulders, suddenly
realizing that it had been a long time since I'd been alone, other
than that day Kouga had left me in the cave. I'd gotten
used to his presence, I suppose, and it left me feeling
a little weary towards solitude. Frankly, it left too much time
to think. I called out for my companions, hoping that we
could go back to the village for a few days and gather our thoughts.


"Kagome! Inuyasha! Where are you guys.." I murmured,
sighing. The two came a short while later, bearing fruit.
Oh, I was so happy! I suppose it showed, because they both
looked relieved at my reaction.
"Where'd the monk run off to?" Inuyasha asked, taking a huge
bite out of a melon. I shrugged, more interested in the pears
they'd come bearing.
"We should find him soon, I want to go home for a few days.."
Inuyasha growled between bites, but protested no further
to her desire to leave him for a few days. He'd changed
so much in the time I'd known him. Before, he would have
thrown a fit at her mention of leaving his side, but I suppose
she'd proven to him over and over again that she'd
return.


Even if he did deserve to get left.


We searched for Miroku for an hour, though he came
to us in his own time. He looked better, much less
pained than he had before, and I just had to wonder
what had put him at ease as he was.


"Ready to rest?" I asked, trying to keep my tone
light and simple. Everything I wasn't feeling, in other words.
He nodded to this. "Let's get walking then. We have a ways
ahead of us without poor Kirara." And so we set off. It
didn't take us as long as one would think to cover ground.


Much too long for the silence that engulfed us, however. There
was too much to think about, none of it welcoming. Conclusions
eluded me for the moment, mostly thoughts centering
on that damn wolf demon. He'd dissapointed me.
In all honesty, I had wanted him to stay. Just for a little while,
until he could feel somewhat alright again about his brother. I'd
been willing to be there, just to listen, because he'd
gained my respect over the last few days. Gained nothing
else in your opinion? Like the way he looked at you,
or the memory of his body contoured against yours in that
cave?

Unbidden. Unwanted. But I was bored. Not a one of us
was talking, and Kagome carried the now conscious Kirara
in her arms, opting to walk instead of being carried by Inuyasha.
I tried to think about anything, anyone else, but it was to no avail.


All I could think about was how rough his tongue had been at the apex
of my shoulder. Had his intention to be to do this?


I wouldn't doubt it. He was an arrogant, self assured jerk that thought
that most every female wanted him. Hah. Not Kagome, that was
for sure. I glanced over at her, to see if she was as deep in thought as
I was. Damn. Damn boys. There was a lot I wanted to talk to her
about.


Her discomfort in the cave was self-evident. She was not as
frigid as I, I thought pitifully. She didn't pull away from Inuyasha,
so it had to just be that Kouga didn't appeal to her, that his
attentions really were unwanted and she was just too nice to
object. It had to be. But I couldn't wait to ask her.


I knew it now. That damn wolf had done something to me
with his careless actions, and I had felt jealousy when he'd
been trying to achieve just that by putting his arm around Kagome.
I'd thought he'd felt something for me, though now...now I suppose
it was just the situation. Yes. That's all it could be.


"Would you stop sighing already?" Inuyasha whispered caustically
at me. My eyes widened. Had I been? Oh, what an idiot I was.
"Sorry," I said, shutting my mouth. They knew. They knew that something
was wrong, whether it had to do with Miroku or Kouga, they most
likely couldn't tell.

Miroku. He was alright for now, his usual facade unfaltering. I wanted
to ask him how he was, but I already knew the real answer, the one
he wouldn't give me.

He wasn't okay. But I could do nothing for now. I wasn't really that
content right now myself. What future did I really have with houshi?


One at all. No. Didn't feel like it. Of course I enjoyed his friendship,
when he wasn't grabbing my ass that is, but any real romance?


It was laughable. Our situation denied us of that luxury for the most part.

Yet, I'd gotten it. For someone in my position, those past days with
Kouga had been more than romantic. If I had let them, they'd been
downright intimate.


And somewhere deep inside, I'd wanted more. I couldn't help myself,
I knew that I'd sighed loudly, because Inuyasha hopped into the trees,
irritated. Kagome snickered, covering her mouth with her hand.
Miroku offered to take Kirara, and walked further ahead of us.
Even he could be intuitive sometimes.


"So...what is it?" she asked, nudging me with her shoulder. I looked
down, suddenly embarrassed. Come on..it'll be easier to tell her
than it would be to tell the wolf..

"Just..thinking." I stated simply, quietly.
"Don't give me that, Sango. Something's bothering you," she leaned
in conspiratorially. "Is it Kouga?" I looked up at her, gave one nod.


"I'm more confused now than I was before," I started slowly, crossing
my arms. "I don't think he really meant to come off as he did to me...
and I sort of feel like an idiot for making something out of nothing."
I said quickly, before I could stop myself. She blinked a couple of
times.
"Did something happen? Something...bad?" she asked, turning
towards me.
"No, not really." I sighed. No. It hadn't been bad at all. Not
in the physical sense.
"What makes you think you're making something out of nothing, then?"
She smiled brightly, always the optimist. I smiled weakly.
"He does love you, right? I think he's proclaimed it enough.."
She shook her head, biting her lip.


"He thinks he does. Two different things, that's all. Sango, do
you care about him?" That was the question, wasn't it?
We made our way through the forest, meeting with cleared
rice fields. Open air. Countryside. Worst possible place
to be when you didn't want to think.
"It bothered me, seeing his face so haunted. His poor brother..."
She nodded, looking at the ground. The sun was getting
low, we'd had a busy day.


"You know...the only reason he didn't get pulled into
that horrible black hole was you." I looked at her, surprised.
"How do you mean?" I asked, skeptical.
"Well..." she was smiling. She knew something I didn't. "He
was in this daze, and then he heard you scream and you
should've seen him, Sango! He looked terrified for a moment,
and we all were. I thought we'd lost you.." she said sadly,
changing emotions as one would clothing..."But he saved you!"
...and just as often. How could she be so flippant? Exuberance
I suppose. And innocence. Not to say that Kagome
didn't have her dark moments, or had seen quite a bit
of death.


We all had.


"Yes...that's twice now.." I murmured, pulling my hair down
in front of my shoulder to pull tangles out. "Doesn't necessarily
mean anything though. We've all saved each other's lives..plenty
of times." I was sure of it. It didn't mean anything. Did it?


"C'mon Sango..when Inuyasha has saved my life, I know
that he's looking out for me, and he always does. It's..
not the same. You know I'm right," she whispered excitedly.


This was teenager Kagome coming out. I forgot sometimes how young
she really was, that she would not be married at all at her
age in her time. Here, she would have five children by now.


Sometimes, that demon-less world appealed more than this one.
No unreadable bastards wolves to confuse things more than they
already were.


"Inuyasha, let's camp for the night," Miroku called out, stopping at a glade
not too far from us. Off of the main
road but still on the forest side of the road, not the rice fields. It would
work nicely for our purposes. And so we stopped,
Kagome leaving me with a mischievious smile, to
ponder everything she'd said.


Was she right? Could he possibly give a damn about me
more than just fixing his mistake? He'd kidnapped me,
meaning to get Kagome. It had just been an accident,
so why should I think that it would mean anything...anything
at all?


The nightly routine began, and soon we were all asleep, all except
for me. Despite my exhaustion, all I could do was search
for clues that he cared, at all. Even just a little bit.


And it really, truly, became admittable. I wanted him to care.
I wanted him.


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Alright, reflective and action-starved,
but the first step is admitting you have a
problem!

So be prepared, because Sango
always gets what she wants!