Purple Petals

Disclaimer & Author's Note: I am aware that the last chapter was sad, and this one will be as well. And I hope to be able to prove my point to B-chan lol. Chapter 11 could have been better, simply because I know my own abilities. Heh. You'll see what I mean in this one. I'm really gonna try to go all out on it heh. Same old same old too, I don't own the Inuyasha cast.


Chapter 12

Twenty minutes later, the group still hadn't moved from the very same spot as Kouga muttered softly to his mate, smoothing his hand through her hair as the others stood by silently. They'd never felt so helpless in their entire lives.

Sango and Kagome felt horribly for the two wolf demons, neither girl being able to express their sorrow into the appropriate words. Their tongues stayed tied, unable to speak what was coursing through their minds at that moment.

Miroku muttered a prayer for the pups, his demenor calm and serious, his mind tracked solely on seeing the pups' souls to rest. He felt it was the only thing he truely could do, and it was only appropriate.

Ginta and Hakkaku were beside themselves in grief. The two stood staring mournfully at the wolf pair, unable to express how deep their sorrow truely was for their prince and princess.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he watched in silence, his face a stone mask absent of any emotions at all. Inwardly, though he himself could never bide his pride long enough to admit it outloud, he felt awful for Kouga. It wasn't that the two canines hated each other, they may have disliked each other to an extent, but their rivalry was in a different sense of the word. Kouga wasn't his nemesis, he respected him for the fighter he was, with or without the jewel shards.

But there was nothing anyone could do or say that could offer any true condolance to the two of them. Perhaps that was what was the most difficult about it. This was by far the lowest Naraku had sunk yet. Inuyasha's drive was revenge for the wrong wrought between himself and Kikyo, but he had Kagome by his side at least. And Miroku's desire to live and would have that once Naraku was dead and his wind tunnel was sealed. As far as Sango, though Kohaku was the last of her family, as long as he was alive, there was hope to get him back.

But this was beyond words, beyond anything else. There was nothing that could bring back Kouga and Ayame's pups. And that was what made it the hardest to deal with.

"Come on Ayame, we'll help you clean up." Kagome said softly, her and Sango walking over to the red head's side, and gently lifting her to her feet as Kouga stood up himself, clenching his fists at his sides. He needed to get his anger out somehow, let out his frustration, pain, and anguish, without putting anymore fear in his mate.

Nothing mattered to her anymore. She felt cold and numb, she barely even heard their words. Ayame vaguely recognized gentle hands lifting her to her feet by her arms, but she didn't pay them any attention. Her mind was blank, no though daring to enter her tormented mind. With her lack of response, Kagome and Sango looked at each other worriedly, but decided to hold their tongues.

"There's a hotspring not far from here. In that direction." Inuyasha said, nodding his head in demonstration to the two girls. With a greatful nod, Kagome reached down, grabbing her bag. "Don't be too long. And take Shippou with you."

"Hai." Kagome murmered as the little kitsune leapt unto her shoulder before they all disappeared into the forest.

Five minutes passed in silence between Kouga, Inuyasha, and Miroku. Then ten. Then suddenly Kouga's resolve snapped, pivoting on his heel and smashing his fist into the closest tree. Miroku and Inuyasha stayed silent as he began his assult on the wooden opponent, his fists connecting dead on target relentlessly trading one fist for the other, his growl loud and steady, his eyes blazing, his fangs bared.

"God damn cowardly honorless son of a bitch! Filthy half human piece of shit! KUSO!" Kouga shouted, panting at he froze, his chest heaving as his right hand still stayed embedded in the trunk of the now splintered and shattered bark. ".....That asshole...." His voice was so low and broken, it even caused a flash of concern to dart across his face, though only momentarily.

"That son of a bitch.....he will pay for this....even if it kills me." Kouga declared, his voice steady and unshakedly calm.

"Kouga..." Miroku began, his tone hesitant and cautious. "You have my deepest condolences....but rushing off to your death won't help anyone right now."

"Keep your damn pity to yourself human! I don't want it!" Kouga snapped, glaring coldly at the monk.

"Kouga don't take it out on us. We're not the ones that murdered your pups." Inuyasha said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You fucking dog! You don't know anything! I don't want to hear anything from you, not now, not ever!" Kouga snarled.

"Kouga! You stupid fleabag! Think about someone other than yourself for two minutes! Think about what your mate is going through!" Inuyasha growled.

"It's not just emotional pain Ayame had to deal with Kouga. Physical as well. Psycological and mental. We understand you are hurting right now, but so is she." Miroku said softly.

"Damn it Kouga, she's broken. Almost literally. Didn't you even LOOK at her?!" Inuyasha shouted.

"Shut up!" Kouga snarled, baring his fangs. "I just lost my first litter of pups to that bastard. I don't expect you to understand what the hell I'm dealing with, either of you! So shut the fuck up!"

"What about Ayame?! You think this is easy on her?! Shit Kouga, think about it! Naraku set you up, both of you! He knew you would mate her, and he knew she would get pregnant. That much is obvious. But you're overlooking what she's got to be going through. For all she knows, your relationship was all a sham. It was all an illusion. IT WASN'T REAL!" Inuyasha shouted firmly.

Kouga froze, his blue eyes wide, his mouth parted in shock.

"That's not true! I love her!" He snarled.

"I know you do fleabag. We both do. But SHE doesn't, or in the very least, she's having her doubts. You can't blame her, females are especially emotional about this kinda shit." Inuyasha said, folding his arms over his chest, his hands in the sleeves of his hanori.

"Kouga, you have to talk to her. It will be difficult, but if you don't, Naraku will succeed in driving a wedge between the two of you. If you love each other, prove it by how much you love each other." Miroku said.

Kouga nodded silently.

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"Come on Ayame, you can't keep it bottled inside, it isn't healthy." Kagome murmered, rubbing her friend's shoulders in attempt to assure her. Sango sat on the edge of the hotsprings, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched the two silently.

"Come on Ayame. Talk please. Something. You can't keep going on like this." Kagome said, handing her the white towel from her bag. She sighed as she at least took it, and wrapped it around her now clean body. "Ayame-"

"I can't believe I was so stupid...."

"What?" Sango asked, looking up at the two.

"I can't believe I ever thought I deserved to be happy. I don't. Why would I think this would be different?" Ayame murmered softly, her voice so low it was barely a whisper.

"Ayame...come on, don't think like that. It's all Naraku's fault, it's not yours. We'll get him for this, I promise." Kagome said.

"I can't be happy. Everytime I am, something bad happens. I'm not meant to be happy."

"Ayame! Stop talking like that! Is that what you think? You're letting that bastard win! You can't do that!" Sango shouted, surprising even Kagome.

"But...it was all a trick....I....he used to me get to Kouga. It was all a trick...if none of this had happened at all...Kagura had never attacked me....then Kouga wouldn't have had to look after me...he wouldn't have been around me when I went into heat...and we....wouldn't be mates."

"Ayame...even if the circumstances where because of what Naraku did, it doesn't change anything. You love Kouga, he loves you. It would have happened on its own, you and him. I know it." Kagome said with a soft smile.

"How can I be sure?"

"That mark on your neck." Sango said, nodding her head at her. "Youkai have different mating traditions, and if I remember correctly, wolves in particular mate for life. And they only mark the mates they wish to be with for that lifespan. Circumstances are circumstances Ayame. Facts are facts. And the fact is, Kouga loves you as much as you love him. You shouldn't ever doubt that." Sango said with a soft smile.

"...Thanks...both of you. Really. I don't know what I would have done if you two weren't so nice to me." Ayame said with a weak smile.

"What are friends for?" Kagome asked.

"Is that what we are? We're friends?" Ayame asked as the other two nodded.

"Of course. Girls gotta stick together right?" Kagome asked as Ayame wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"I just wish...I could have at least known...what they would have been...we didn't get to even know....we didn't get to name them....our first litter...and we don't even get to keep them....its just...not fair." She breathed softly, a tear slipping from her eyes and falling to the ground at her feet as Kagome and Sango came up and wrapped their arms around her, hugging her and offering their support and understanding as she cried her pain and sorrow unto their shoulders.

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