Hunted By The Wolf

Hunted by the Wolf

Chapter 14: Admission


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Must...have....water...
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It was only dusk as we set out for water. Even I
could smell the death clinging to our clothes and hair,
I'm not going to imagine how we all must have smelled
to the demon members of our party. Kagome tugged
on my sleeve gently, veering me from my thoughts
to the path Kirara had taken. I'd been doing that too much
lately; getting carried away and not paying attention
to my surroundings. Kouga was usually the one
occupying my thoughts these days, and I'd already
gotten hurt once because of it. Had to stop.


Couldn't die because I couldn't concentrate on
anything but that damn wolf. I peered out through
the bushes Kirara had crawled under. Water could
be heard, though it was only a tiny stream emptying
into a lake.
"Alright, Kagome," I said, shoving branches aside
and holding them for her to pass through. "Let's hope
no prying eyes ruin this bath. I could use one," I grimaced
taking a sniff at the fabric of my shoulder. She laughed
and set her soap down, disrobing. I followed suit,
couldn't wait to not be sweaty any longer. The water
was cold but clear for the most part, and the bottom dropped
off in the middle to darkness. I hated dark water.


It was a fear I'd always had, but could control if I had to.
As I said, I'm a coward. I dropped entirely into the water,
breaking surface to wash my hair. Kagome was
waiting, already doing so.
"So..." she began innocently. It was coming, I'd expected it.
"You and Kouga, huh?" Her smile was small, happy. I
blinked a few times, turned slightly away.
"Yes...I think so, anyway. He's kissed me a few times,"
I whispered, leaning in after looking around. I didn't
want just anyone to hear about this. Her mouth dropped
open and she giggled, splashing water at me.
"You kept that from me!? How could you?" she pouted,
though still good-naturedly.
"What do you expect? I didn't want Inuyasha knowing
until I was sure..." I dropped my eyes, thinking. "I'm still
not so sure about the way he feels. We haven't really
talked about it. He's been very sweet, and I haven't
wanted to talk it to death... You know, how the monk
and I did... I just wanted it to be okay, so I didn't
press the subject. But... I wonder.. I get the
sneaking suspicion now and then that I'm a
replacement.." I looked to her, and was surprised
at her expression. Her eyes sympathetic,
hurt.


"Sango..what would make you think that he wouldn't
want you for you?" She dipped her hair in the water,
keeping an ear up for my reply.
"He was in love with you for.. It's been at least
a year and half since we met him. Does love dissipate
that fast?" She shook her head.
"He wasn't in love with me, he just was, infatuated,"
she settled on the last word, nodding in agreement
with herself.
"And you should see the way he stares at you, Sango,"
she added with a grin, scouring a shoulder with soap.
I know then that I blushed. He was obvious, then, too,
and it wasn't just me.


It wasn't bad news, not exactly. She continued on,
the tone in her voice admonishing. "You know he never,
ever looked at me like that, Sango. To be honest I think
he only said and did what he did in front of Inuyasha
to piss him off." Oh.
"That would make sense, I suppose," I murmured,
sitting back, leaning against smooth rock. She nodded
and rung out her hair.
"I'm going back, okay? Inuyasha said he wanted to talk
to me when I was done," This raised my eyebrows.
"What do you think he'll say?" I asked, settling. I could
stay for a while, Kirara was there to keep an eye out.
"Who knows," she shrugged, toweling off on the
rock ledge. "I don't think its' anything too bad."
She paused, a wicked smirk playing on her face.
"No dog kids made of clay running around yet.."
"Kagome!" I sat up, sputtering. What had gotten
into her?
"That's bad, isn't it?" she smiled softly, looking
down at me. I had to laugh a little bit. None of us
but Inuyasha were especially fond of that clay
miko. She'd done quite a bit to our group that
hurt rather than helped, even went so far as to
try and kill Kagome on several occasions.


I couldn't exactly blame her for disliking Kikyo.
No on else really did.


"No. Just don't say that to Inuyasha.." I warned,
tugging tangles from the ends of my hair. She nodded,
standing.
"Oh never. He'd run off in a fit to search for her."
She sighed, looking to the forest. "Oh...you've got
a visitor." My face dropped and I spun around to
lift just my head above the rocks. Oh god.


Kouga was standing with his back to us, Kirara
watching him closely in her larger form, standing at his
side. She mewed to me once she realized she had
my attention, trying to say that it was alright,
he hadn't seen anything..yet...

"Can you...what the hell are you doing?" I demanded.
"Trying to see Kagome naked?" I growled as I pulled
at a towel to cover myself as he spun around. He
came forward, laughing, but stopped feet away
so that he could only see my head peeking
out over the rocks.


"No. I just want a bath as much as you did.
I smell like a grave now, Sango." He quipped,
crossing his arms. "And..I wanted to talk to you
when we were alone."
"Did I have to be naked?" I squeaked, ducking slightly.
He couldn't see me, but I knew he'd be able to
if he moved only a little closer.
"Does it bother you that much?" He turned to the
side, stared off at the winding stream that
dissappeared into the trees. I exhaled.


No, not quite as bad as Miroku.
"It's not like it's something I won't see eventually,"
that damn smirk appeared, and if I wasn't naked
I would've reached up and wiped it off of his face.
"Oh, you think so?" I readied to splash him.
"If you want pups ever, then yeah.." he laughed.
"Or do they not teach you about that in demon slayer
school..?" I turned red. The jerk.


Pups? With me? Maybe I didn't need to question
his motives but...that was a little fast, wasn't it?

"What's wrong?" he asked, voice suddenly concerned.
I propped my head up on my arms on the rock, still
in the water from the ribs down.
"Nothing.. I didn't want to, but..maybe we should talk
about this..us.." I was uneasy. This was not something
I did well. He gulped audibly.
"What's there to talk about?" He asked quietly,
eyebrows raising just a little bit. Shit. Don't ruin things,
Sango.


"I...do you still care, about Kagome I mean?" His face
hardened somewhat.
"That's what this is about?" His shoulders alone told a story;
they were rounded forward, and he hunched over protectively.
I'd hit a nerve..
"I'm not a piece of shit, Sango. I'm not the monk.." He looked
at me sideways, eyes narrow and cold. Ouch. Now he'd hit a
nerve.
"And what about you and him? Do you have to stand so damn
close to him all the time?" My jaw dropped.
"What the hell are you talking about, Kouga?" I slid back
into the water. Time to dry off, I figure, so I dried off my upper
half and wrapped the towel around myself as I stood.
"Help me out of the water, please." His eye twitched,
though I saw a smirk threatening him. He moved quickly,
and I figured he would take my hand.

Of course not.

His hands slid down to my ribs and he lifted me easily, placing
me only a few inches from him. I could feel his claws
through the thin fabric of the towel. Being as embarrasment-
prone as I am, his claws became snagged on the cloth.
"Hey!" I cried, moving to cover myself in case the towel really
fell away. He laughed, holding it closed.
"Don't worry," the jerk snickered, re-securing it around me.
"I didn't see nothin'," I know he saw the burn in my cheeks.
Didn't he get why I couldn't handle this yet?

My scars. There were ugly, deep gouges in some parts of my
skin; just part of my chosen life. If he was disgusted
by the sight of them, I don't know what I would do..
He was staring off now at the horizon, searching for
something.
"I'd wanted to get her alone to say that I'd leave her alone.
I'm not stupid, hunter. I know she's always been in love
with dog face, and who was I to butt in?" He looked
down at me now, his eyes much softer than they'd
started out.
"Especially when you were in front of my stupid ass
the whole time.." I shivered, but not from the water
clinging to my legs. His lips brushed against mine
as he spoke, soft caress of breath mingling with mine.
"You done with the monk?" he whispered into me, and
it was almost too much. Somehow, I managed to nod
slowly, and I struggled to keep my balance when
he pushed his lips to my own.


Gods, the way he felt...


The wolf held me against him with a hand pressed
onto the small of my back, and I nearly did
fall over when he moved back and then to my
neck.
"What..is it..with you and that spot?" I whispered,
grasping a bicep. I felt the smile against the skin
at the apex of my shoulder.
"Just figuring out where to mark you once you let me,"
he growled. Oh.


I jumped as he dragged his teeth down to my collarbone.
He wasn't making this easy; I wanted this. Wanted him.
But it wouldn't do to get caught rolling around
on the forest floor. I would stop him before things
went too far. I think.


I regretted the gasp as soon as it left my lips. His knuckles
had grazed the outside edges of my breasts, and his mouth,
hot and amazing, was at the swell. I wanted him.

He pulled away, though, and I almost yanked him back to me.
He smiled rakishly, breathing hard when he pulled me against
him almost roughly.
"You're making this waiting thing really hard," he growled
softly into my ear. We were flattened against each other, and
I could feel him against my stomach. Oh. He wasn't kidding.


"Cold bath," he sighed, pulling away slowly. "Get dressed,
Sango, because if you don't soon I won't let you," I nodded
dumbly, turning away as he began to disrobe. Where the
hell had I left my clothes? I didn't care.

The sound of rustling fabric and thick armor falling to the ground
piqued my interest. He wouldn't know, would he? Hentai!
I knew it! 'Shutup!' I hissed to myself, turning my face
just slightly. I wanted to see, see what I'd done to him.
Laughing blue met mortified black. He'd caught me, again.

"How is this fair!?" he demanded as I spun back around.
"You get to peek at me but I get nothing?" There was
humor in his voice, but I still wanted to die. Wait..
"You were supposed to stay turned around too, wolf,
so don't get self righteous on me.." I grumbled,
gripping the front of the towel. That was a close one.


No reply except for the splash of water. I exhaled,
loosening the fabric. I turned to the lake, making
sure he wasn't peeking at me. Nothing. He
was under the water somewhere. I dressed
quickly, fastening the neck clasp on the hunter's
uniform when he finally came up for air.

Kouga was beneath the water from the shoulders
down, his hair floating loose around him. Damn
his hair. He was beautiful. I blushed, waving
shortly before turning to return to camp.


I was definitely going to hear about this from
the rest of them.
"Shoulda stayed in here with me!" He called,
and I quickened my pace. Jerk was teasing me.
I knocked myself on the head a few times.
'Nothing wrong with a bath, now is there? I could've
stayed...' And lost your self control...can't
have that now can we?


I was crazy. The others largely ignored my entrance
into the clearing, night settling on where they'd set up
camp. Kagome sat with her back to the tree Inuyasha
lounged in, and he was staring down at her. They
were so funny, acting as though no one else noticed..

The two wolves kept stealing glances at me, and I could've
sworn I heard a whisper or two..which quickly stopped
at the cold glare I gave them. I wasn't some whore
their leader had just picked up, you know? I didn't
deserve to be talked about as such.

I knew the wolves liked Kagome, had readily
accepted her as their leader's mate, especially after
the episode with the birds of paradise..

But I wasn't Kagome. I was a demon slayer, and
even if I didn't have any inclination to off these
two, it still pissed me off that they were acting
so rudely. It hurt.


I dropped down to stare at the fire.
"Anyone feel like real food?" I asked, grimacing when
my stomach shifted loudly. It'd been a hard day.
"Like what?" Shippo asked, crawling onto my shoulder.
"I want meat," I said weakly, looking to where the hiraikotsu
sat against a tree. Ginta and Hakkaku jumped up.
"We'll go!" They yelled in unison, and took off.
Okay.


What was it with these wolves? Inuyasha snickered,
and dropped a lazy hand to hang off of a branch.
"Got something to say, Inuyasha?" I asked coyly,
leaning back. He shook his head, and his attention
moving to the rustling bushes where Miroku emerged.
"Where'd you go, Miroku?" Kagome asked, shifting
in her spot. His eyes flickered up, and I could see
the worry in his face.
"Those bodies.. There's something wrong with them.
I just.." he looked into the fire as he sat across from me.
"There's something so odd about all of this. Isn't there?"
he asked, looking up to me. I shifted my head.
"How do you mean, other than the pointlessness of
their deaths.." I added bitterly.
"Why weren't they all just burned? That building was
burned before those bodies were thrown in there.
Whoever did this took the time out to put them
all in the same place." His omission of Kohaku's
name was noted. I know what he meant. It was
unusual.
"What are you sayin', monk?" Inuyasha pushed himself
up.


"They were being saved for something," Kagome whispered,
her eyes wide. Inuyasha tapped his foot impatiently
against the branch.
"Ok, got that, but what for?" Miroku was
staring hard into the flames, completely still.


"Let's just..keep our guard up tonight, shall we? I didn't
want to camp so close to that village, but we
were all so tired.. Inuyasha, you and I should
take turns staying up tonight." His voice was quiet,
which bothered me. He knew something but kept
it to himself.


My thoughts were interrupted by the appearance
of two bruised wolves, dragging some type of
bloodied elk between them.
"What the hell happened to you?" Inuyasha
asked, smirking.
"He was a fighter," Hakkaku stated sorely, rubbing
his backside. Hahaha! There was a piece of
cloth stuck to one of the animal's horns!

"I'll clean it, you two might hurt yourselves," Inuyasha
hopped down, and dragged the thing away.
Kagome looked relieved. That dog demon really
did look out for her, even if he said stupid things
sometimes. Knowing how much blood and gore
bothered her, he refused to expose her to any
more than necessary.


Hanyou didn't irritate me nearly as much as he once
did. Not for now, anyways.

Soon, we had food cooking, and I was extremely
grateful.
"Thank you, you two," I said happily, flashing the
wolves a smile. They nodded, Ginta's black eye
accentuating how much they'd gone through for us
all. "Sorry you had to run into such a mean elk,"
I added, walking away. Didn't want to laugh at
them, not after they'd done this for us, for me.


Kouga appeared, sniffing the air.
"Alright! Who brought real food?" He saw
Ginta's black eye and started laughing. Of course
the jerk couldn't hold himself back. Luckily he
said nothing, making his way to sit next to me.


The night was quiet excepting bugs and the occasional
wolf howling in the distance. Absently, I wondered
if it was the one who'd saved my life a few days ago.
Kouga let nothing on, ignoring the sound. I appreciated
this, appreciated the quiet and the companionable jibes
that made their way through the campsite.

I wanted this. Only one thing threatened being able
to spend my life with these people around me; Naraku.

And Kohaku was absent. No, I wouldn't allow myself to grow
sullen. Couldn't, not with Kouga around.

Tomorrow we would run into more trouble, for we always did.
For now I was content with my head resting against this
shoulder, my rag tag family near, and no bodies left to bury.

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Yay happy chapter!

I know, I know..Sango's an idiot. But
I don't think it would be very like her
character to jump into things so soon, you know?
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