Hunted By The Wolf

Hunted by the Wolf

Chapter 12: Firewood

..............................
Finally some freakin'
nudity!

Pervs.
..............................


Kagome returned to us around noon,
of course, putting Inuyasha in a horrible
mood, having to wait and all. With her she brought
food and fresh first aid supplies, something
we were all fairly sure we'd need. Naraku
was rearing his ugly head, even if it was
through one of his minions, it reinforced his presence
somewhere we could get to him. Best bet, we'd
decided, was to move into the northeastern
area that Kanna had been found. It was
really our only connection, and when I thought
about it, an area we didn't venture into much.


"Eh, so...you think Kouga's still somewhere
around that cave?" Ginta murmured to his
companion. The two had been quiet for most
of the morning. As we readied to leave,
sentiment had began to change. One could
feel it in the air between all of us; tension.
The monk might have been the cause, though
I couldn't be sure. Not that I wasn't nervous
myself.. Would he act so differently
now that I'd hurt him? I hoped he wouldn't.
I prayed that the wolf wasn't one to hold a
grudge.

I tethered the katana to my waist,
taking cue to really get ready now that
Kagome had hopped onto Inuyasha's back.
Re-organized and mounted on Kirara,
Shippo and the monk rode with me into
the sky. The two wolves kept up fairly
fast, having to keep up with Kouga must
have some benefits. I sat Shippo behind
me, between the monk and I strategically. I'd
made a decision, and although I knew he
could sense my reluctance to be physically
near him and his behavior so far had been
acceptable, I wasn't risking it. The man was
still the lech he'd always been.


Two hours in, and the two wolf demons
tailing us finally showed signs of
fatigue. I leaned down to
suggest to Kirara that she rest, and the
cat was happy to oblige. Inuyasha
skidded to a halt as he watched us turn
and descend, allowing Kagome to clamber
down. Walking up to the hunched over
wolf demons allowed me only a moment
of their words.
"...Been through here..." one of them spoke
breathily.
"Kouga has?" I butted in, siding up to Kagome.
Hakkaku nodded, pointing somewhere south
east of where we were.
"The scent's maybe-"
"Eight hours old. But it's strong, like
he moved through here slowly. Where
the fuck's he headed?" irritated once more,
the hanyou growled. "He's not even
headed in the right direction. Probably lost,
the wimp." Ginta and Hakkaku frowned
at Inuyasha simultaneously.
"He doesn't get lost, Inuyasha. Maybe
he saw Naraku.." Ginta's face dropped
with worry. I hoped he was wrong.


"Let's fan out," Miroku said quietly. "None of us
will go far, and we'll try and stay the same
distance apart. Inuyasha," he spoke
with a jerk of his head. "You can hear
from quite a ways away, can't you?"


"Puh...of course I can."
"Well, then, take Kagome and move
north, Ginta and Hakkaku you go somewhat
south, and Sango and I will move between
the both of you." I gave the monk a look.
That was most definitely not happening.
"How about I take Kirara and you take
Shippo, Miroku. That way we'll cover
more land." I smirked at him, shaking
my head at his dissapointed sigh.
"Very well...I suppose if I meet a demon
Shippo will just have to protect me.."
The kit hopped on to houshi's shoulder,
nodding.
"That's right, but I'd take my chances
with a demon than a Sango with no witnesses,
Miroku." Shippo nodded, agreeing with himself.
I wasn't the only one that saw through
the monk's lecherous ploys. Still trying,
I thought. Maybe he hadn't taken
my meaning so well.


"Can you all shut up now? Let's go
already," the hanyou grumbled, hauling
Kagome onto his back once more. She
waved to us as they retreated.
"Yeah...better start looking.." Hakkaku
and Ginta loped off to the opposite
side of us, and Miroku bowed.
"Just yell my name if you run into
any ecchi's in the forest, Lady.."
Could hear the perv's laugh loud and
clear as he ran off, sweatdrop visible on
the kitsune's head.


"Come on, kitten. Let's find him and
knock some sense into him," I caught
her tiny body into my arms and picked
my way through foliage. "Again," I added,
pushing aside a branch. Downhill, this
was interesting. "Any weak spots in the
ground I should know about?" I asked her,
and she mewled. "Is that a yes?" She blinked
and hopped down, trotting off in a direct path through
sticky bushes. 'Great...' I unsheathed the katana
and swiped at them, remains of thorns flying past my
face. 'Lose an eye and I'll kill you, Kouga..' A bramble
became lodged in the fabric on my arm, and I tugged
it out, frowning. There, no more patch to hack through.
The ground was covered in spots with sand,
and the sound of rushing water drew me along
Kirara's tiny paw prints.


We'd moved into a small valley, trees clearing towards
the shore a wide river. Gorgeous.
"Mew.." I could see her ahead of me, daintily
trotting through two trees. I followed, but
hung back at the treeline. Whoops.

There he was. SHIT. I'd walked in on him
bathing..in the river...naked. I clapped
a hand over my eyes and took a few steps back,
seperating my ring and pinkie to peer out from.
Nothing too dirty..just him from the waist up,
really. Oh, I'd spent entirely too much time
with Miroku. I 'ugh'ed in disgust at myself and
turned around. I would not revert to
leering at him while he bathed. I didn't
need to, I had more pride than that.

"Ach!" I coughed out as I was spun around roughly
and pinned to a tree.
"Get a good view, hunter?" Oh my god. He'd caught
me. His wet hand gripped the side of my neck,
his body entirely too close to mine. I'd forgotten
the sound of his voice, deep and arrogant as it
sounded... I blushed, looking to the side.
Had to distract self from half naked, wet,
boy...too close, too perfect...
"Don't worry," I suddenly smirked, eyes
tearing up to his, and I willed them to stay there.
Damn his stupid arms and chest! His free
hand gripped a length of fur around his
waist, covering anything that would've made
the situation a hundred times worse. Eyes!
Stay focused! I remembered that I'd been talking.
"You don't need to be embarrassed," I raised an
eyebrow. "I didn't see anything." I
chortled at his face.
"W-well..if you had then you'd know I had plenty
to be proud of," he said, sneering at my jibe.
Such a male.
"We've all been looking for you, so hurry up
and get dressed." His face was so close to mine,
entirely too close, his legs grazing my thighs.
The jerk.
"Can I go now?" I asked, trying to look bored.
"You're getting me all wet," The smirk appeared
at this, and I almost slapped myself.


I knew my cheeks reddened, and then
burst into flame when he next opened his
mouth.
"That's the idea," he growled breathily,
his lips now next to my ear. His hand
had dropped to my waist, claws
dragging against fabric roughly. Gulp.
Oh my god, what if they came looking
for us?
I did the only thing I could; his grip
so slack, I snatched the fabric he
held around his waist and took off,
refusing to turn around. Though I must
admit, this was quite hard. I was curious,
alright? If the rest of him had been any
indicator, then whatever had been under
that fur until I snatched it would've been
flawless. No wonder the idiot
had such a big head. Heh. Not that
I'd know.


His shout of protest and surprise was the
best part, really, and I flew up the hill
as fast as I could. Getting caught by a naked
Kouga just wouldn't do, not yet. I wanted
him to want me, and I wanted to hear him
say it. What did he think, it was going to
be easy? Not with this taijiya.


Purely by coincidence (and luck) I burst into
a clearing that held Miroku and Shippo
trying to start a fire. I hunched over my
knees trying to catch my breath. Kirara
trotted up, giving me the eye. The little
brat. She'd known he was naked in
that river, had she turned against me too.
I glared at her, and tossed the length of fur
to cover her completely. Kirara fought
her way out, her head popping up
indignant. The mewl was angry, but cute
nonetheless. Miroku and Shippo froze,
watched the exchange with puzzled
expressions.

"What's the ah.." he motioned
to the fur, which I picked up and
dropped next to me on the log I sat down
at. "...any luck?" he finished, shaking
his head.
"Er.." I almost laughed. "Yes and no,
you'll see.." I said quickly. Face red,
always red. Miroku raised an eyebrow
and returned to his fire.

"Gave up so soon?" I asked, leaning
back. I was hungry. I wondered
when the others would get here. Miroku
smirked, nodded. I guess he
wouldn't really be that interested in seeing
Kouga again. Don't blame him.
Inuyasha stomped into the clearing,
his hands at his sides.
"What the hell am I searching for that idiot
for when you're all lounging around here?"
Our eyes were tiny slits directed at the hanyou.
"Sango found him." Miroku said blandly,
returning to his work. Inuyasha groaned.
"You couldn't have yelled that out to me?"
My smile must've given something away.
"You catch him at a bad time or somethin'?"
Hah. You could say that. But a lady
never tells. Inuyasha sniffed the air a few times
and then looked down to the fur beside me.
"Hmmph," he crossed his arms and leaned back against a tree,
watching Kagome intently as she crossed to him and leaned
against his shoulder.


He was being rather lenient in his affections
with her these days, wasn't he? He wasn't even
embarrassed. I smiled, and returned to watching
Miroku. Maybe an hour passed, and a haggard
Ginta and Hakkaku stumbled upon us.
"Hey...did you guys give up?" One asked,
face hurt.
"No. I found him." I smirked and waved the fur, dropped
it back down. Like a trophy. I was sick.


What had the damn wolf done to me? I pondered,
perking up at the sight of finished ramen.


As I reached out for a bowl, two hands darted
out of the bushes behind me and fur was
gone in an instant. We all froze, blinking
a few times. An indignant and weary Kouga
slunk out of the bushes a moment later and sat down
across from me.

"What's that all about?" Ginta whispered loudly
to Hakkaku. I tried hard not to laugh. Really.
I did.


I took a bite, opening my eyes innocently. I wasn't
saying anything. Of course, the one person you
never really want in a situation like this was the first
to open his mouth and opt, for once, to ignore his food.
"What'd you do to make her steal your skirt, wolf?" A moment
of silence swept over the group. Kouga's face was
dark, and I feared the worst for Inuyasha. 'Skirt...that
was overdoing it a bit much.' Inuyasha and Miroku
began shaking with laughter, but I could clearly see Kouga
getting pissed off. This would not end well.


"You need an ass-kicking, dog shit?" Kouga stood up,
fists at his sides.
"Not as bad as you apparently need one, wimp..." Inuyasha
growled and took a few quick steps towards him. No.
This was the worst time.
"Knock-it-OFF!" Kagome cried, and hopped in front of Inuyasha.
Good. I didn't want to do it. He tried to move around her, but
she put a hand on his chest. "Don't make me say it," she
pleaded, peering up into his face. He grimaced and huffed,
taking one last glare at Kouga before darting up into the
branches of a tree.


I turned my attention back to the wolf demon. He was
staring at me, an amused expression on his face. I
looked down, away, anywhere but at him. He sure
did cause a lot of trouble, I thought, and finished
eating before anything else could ruin the meal.

"Alright, why were you looking for me?" Kouga finally
asked, crossing his legs where he sat on the ground.
Kagome spoke up, leaning forward.
"Has Naraku appeared to you?" He shook his head.
Alright. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"Have you..found anything that could lead you
to him?" Her eyes were wide with hope, and maybe
a little bit of fear. He bit his lip for a moment,
staring hard into the fire.


"YEAH!" He suddenly yelled, sitting up.
"I caught the reflection of a mirror a coupla
times in a tree. I think that little witch was
watching me or somethin'..." He cast a meaningful
glance my way, the side of his mouth
twitching. Perv. I sighed and sat back,
glancing up to where Inuyasha listened
from. Poor Inuhanyou. I knew how odd this
was, trying to accept Kouga's presence as
an ally instead of rivalry over Kagome.


Not that Kouga still hadn't come on
a little strong in the cave to Kagome.
That still bothered me, but I'd let it go. I'd
put up with a hell of a lot more from the monk
before Kouga'd ever come into the picture.
One time could be tolerated, as long as
it didn't happen again.


That was psycho, wasn't it? To assume
that he was mine. But he would've tried
something at the river had I not stopped him,
right? I thought so.


"Along what direction, wolf?" Inuyasha
hopped down and plunked down next
to Kagome, equally as rapt.
"Erm...I was further east, so coming back
along the southwest route I took." Southwest..
towards the village? I narrowed my eyes.
Why was he coming back this way? And..
did that mean he'd turned around at
the point we'd caught his scent? He glanced
nervously up at me, and upon our eyes meeting
he swallowed and his gaze ripped back to
Inuyasha.

"There's some pretty desolate areas back that way,
and.. Some burnt out villages from not too
long ago. Looks like Naraku's work, but it's
not like I can tell. You know how human
factions are sometimes. They just kill each
other.." My mouth opened to yell at him
for this, but I stopped. He was right. He
was absolutely right. Naraku didn't like
to dirty his hands unless it was extremely
intimate torture of his victim. Mass destruction,
he normally didn't involve himself in. But, having
seen more of it myself, including my homeland,
I would know. I would know Kohaku's touch.


That sicle's work I could recognize anywhere.
I sighed, suddenly tired despite the presence
of the setting sun. "I'll know if Kohaku did it,"
I said, wrapping my arms around my shoulders.
I know. I know it's a childish gesture, but
sometimes when I think about him..nothing
else makes me feel more secure
than the physical act of holding in all that
pain...

I stood up. "So we'll check them out tomorrow."
Traipsing off into the trees, I called over my shoulder,
"Going to get firewood."


Oh. If Kohaku was being forced to run around, just
randomly kill off entire villages... My eyes
watered, and I walked faster away from the
people I loved. I hated letting any of them see
me like this. On the occasion, however, it just
got to be too much. My little brother was being used
as an assasin, and the very thought made
my heart bleed. My hand gripped the rough
bark of the tree I leaned on for support,
and I sobbed as quietly as I could. Hah.


I wouldn't find any firewood at this rate. I
tried to stop shuddering, tried to think of
anything else... But those eyes,
once alive and perfectly enthralled with
everything new life offered to him on a daily
basis, those eyes were dead now...vacant
of feeling or remorse..

Both of my hands gripped the tree, and I wept hard
for the first time in a while. For a girl that
had buried her entire life, and nearly been
buried with them, I sure broke easily at the
mention of my little brother.

My spasming shoulders stopped, and I dumbly
lifted my head to turn around. Kouga.

He was gripping either one gently, kneeling
behind me.
"Stop," he pleaded softly, pulling me back
towards him. Panic. I didn't want him to see
me like this. Was that the only condition
he'd ever see me in, weak? It seemed to be
all I showed to him. I sniffled, tried to pull
away. This was too much to deal with right
now. His fingers tightened around my shoulders,
and he sat down behind where I knelt. I was
weak.

Kouga pulled me slowly into his lap and began to nuzzle
my ear and throat with his lips. The crying stopped
on its' own. Who could when this man was showing
such attention to you?

The ache at the back of my throat did not dissappear,
but it did lessen. I sighed, leaned back against
him.
"You must think me so weak," I murmured, swallowed
as I stared up at the darkening sky.
"Why would I?" He asked, taking a deep breath
with his face in my hair. He was so odd..
"All I've done the past couple of days is get hurt
and break down." I laughed bitterly. "What kind
of warrior does that?"


He didn't reply for a moment, his lips grazing the
shell of my ear. I shivered as he snaked both
arms around my stomach.
"One that doesn't lie to themselves.." he whispered,
and then his mouth was on the side of my neck.
My breath caught. 'His mouth is so hot..' I thought
absently, and put a hand up around his head as
he curled himself around me.

I wanted to touch his hair. I always wondered what
it felt like. Would it be coarse, or smooth and
slippery? It was nicer than mine, I already knew that.


Oh. Not that I had time for such trivial thoughts.
Kouga's hand had come up from around my
waist to the clasp at my throat. He undid it slowly,
tensed up. He was waiting, waiting for me to
protest. 'I should stop him..' Shut up and
just let him show you...


The clasp came undone and my breathing
quickened. This was getting interesting..
His claws moved slowly into the opening,
tips lightly grazing against my skin. I jumped,
and I felt a smile against the fangs at on my neck.
His fingertrips traced up to where his mouth
was, and he pulled down on the fabric, replacing
his hand where it had been on my collarbone,
pulling his fingers across my skin. I wasn't
afraid yet. Not uncomfortable...I knew I should
stop him, but I couldn't...not when he was
being so gentle.


His mouth. Kouga's lips were
at the point on my shoulder where there
had been a wound days ago, and the skin
was still extremely...amazingly...sensitive.
I shivered, and his arm around my waist
tightened. He wasn't making this easy
for me. I liked this.


He had to care. He had to. Or was I a fool?


Was this all in fun for him?


The hand inside my collar was moving south as
his kisses became hungrier against my skin.
The first touch of claws at the top of my breast
made me jump. I made a small noise in my throat,
worried about his intention...


He froze up, and pulled his hand away to rest
it on my shoulder. I exhaled.


I am a coward.


He pulled me slightly in his lap to face him sideways,
and I kept my head down. I couldn't meet his gaze.

He must think me such a prude.

The claw tipped fingers curved underneath jawbone
to lift my face to his, his other arm around my back.
He watched my eyes for a second, seemingly afraid.

Was he afraid? Afraid I'd be angry or sickened by what
he'd just done? The idiot.

No more thoughts, then. His lips. That's all there was.

His against mine. This was chaste, simple. It felt
like only a second, but I'm sure it was longer. He pulled
away slowly, swallowing, a small amount of air escaping
from between his lips. I loved his face.


It was amazing to see his face so near mine in the bright
dusk, the moon huge and giving off plenty of light.
He smirked softly.

"Now, why were you crying?" he asked. I reddened, hoping
he'd forget about it. Why ruin the moment?


"Tell me..or I'll steal your shirt." he demanded,
pulling me closer to rest my head under his chin.
I tensed. This was so very intimate. Did he know?
Did he know how this made me feel?

But he wouldn't let go, so I had no choice but to relax.
"Erm..." I swallowed, the lump in my throat returned.
"My little brother, Kohaku.." Don't cry, baka. Don't
cry. Why the hell are you so emotional tonight!?
"He's...Naraku uses him. He's got jewel shards in his
back and Naraku uses him to do his dirty work..he's just
a kid you see," I grimaced. No. Don't you dare cry.
I stopped, took a few deep breaths.


"He's why I fight. None of it's his fault. Naraku
was the one that slaughtered our village." Kouga was
rocking us back and forth gently. Heh, did he think I
was a baby? He was so funny.


I breathed out and turned my face towards
his chest. This...this was nice. I didn't mind
it at all. Kouga ran a hand through my hair.
Felt so nice.

"Well...I guess we do have a lot in common.
Makes sense.." I lifted my head to look
him in the eye.
"What makes sense?" I asked, pulling away
slightly. No, he wouldn't have it. His arms
encircled my own and he put his face
down close to mine.


He knew how to make a girls' heart jump into
her throat.

"It makes sense..." he began, and then kissed
me again softly. Only a brush of his lips against
mine..the bastard. He was teasing me.
"...why I find you.." Once more, this time
longer, and I could feel his fangs through his
lips. "...so...damn hard to resist..." he whispered,
and pulled my face against his.


I was going to die. He was going to be the death
of me. My muscles burned in excitement where
I pressed against him, and he held me gingerly.
This, this was what I'd wanted.


His mouth was against mine, hungry once more.
I felt his mouth open slightly and then his tongue,
testing my bottom lip. I may be new at this,
but I wasn't stupid.

I returned the favor. And his tongue against mine
was amazing, my stomach doing somersaults in
its' place. The voice of reason berated me, telling
me that I barely knew him, that this was wrong
and that you spent months thinking you were in
love with one man, but when another comes along
you're suddenly sucking face in the middle of
the woods?

Thankfully, the other voice piped up. Like I said,
prude, shut the fuck up and enjoy it...


Maybe I was going crazy. Maybe this wolf
had driven me there..

His fingers in my hair trailed down to the beginning
on my spine and then to the small of my back..
Where he stopped. I almost laughed. Good boy.


Kouga slowed and softened our kiss, my first
real one, and pulled away with a sigh.

"I'm not gonna rush you, Sango.." he said,
smiling softly. "No matter how hard it is..."
I nodded, unsure now of what to do.


What did this mean? I moved to sit up,
and Kouga joined me, brushing off his legs.
"I suppose we'd better get back...I'm sure
they're all talkin' plenty of shit by now.." he smirked
proudly, crossed his arms.

"Well..could you...not brag about it just yet?"
I asked sheepishly, hoping he wouldn't take
it the wrong way.
"Why not?" he frowned, pulling back slightly.
"It's ours," I said simply, reaching out to put
a hand on his bare arm. Almost shivered.
His skin.


He watched me for a moment.
"Alright...but only if you promise to rip
my clothes off again." He pulled me to him
and bit softly on my lip. Grrr...the jerk!


He laughed and pulled away, whistled
as he made his way a few feet in front of
me, back to the campfire.


We only made it halfway back when a thought
hit me between the eyes.

"Oh shit!" I said loudly, stopping dead in my tracks.
He was there in a second, eyes darting around
for the cause of my alarm.

I smacked myself in the head.

"We forgot firewood," I said sheepishly. He groaned.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
I expect reviews, and lots of them.

Was this bad? Cheesy? Completely unsexy? I want
to know!

Hehe...sorry, no lemon yet. Wait for it.
:)