Underneath The Hunter's Moon

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys. Please feed the muse, and keep her happy. *sorry guys...just an edit. I was working on another fic as well, and when I came over here to finish this chapter, Ayame followed. I have corrected it and apologize.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Sango heard the terrified scream and was quickly on her feet. Inu Yasha rushed past her and began running in the direction that Kagome had taken, and did not notice that Kikyo and Miroku were right behind him. Both prepared to fight and concerned for the young miko whose scream could have chilled the hottest blood.

When they finally came upon the hot spring, Inu Yasha skidded to a halt and growled viciously. He saw the large, dark creature bending over Kagome's prone body; its claws covered in dark-red blood. The creature stood to its full height and snarled at the trio, and then flattened its ears to its head, its fangs glistening in the bright moonlight.

Without a second thought, Inu Yasha unsheathed his sword and prepared to attack the creature, but suddenly, the creature jumped straight up into the air and disappeared into the heavy thicket of branches. Inu Yasha was about to go after it, but Kikyo held him back.

“No.” She said, her tone urgent. “We need to see about Kagome. We don't know what that thing was, nor did it look like anything I have ever seen.”

Nodding slowly, Inu Yasha sheathed his sword and moved over to where Miroku was crouching down, examining Kagome's wound. The monk looked relieved and he said, “It appears that the creature did not kill her, but simply wounded her pretty good. The only wounds she has are deep scratches on her legs and a bite to her shoulder.”

Inu Yasha examined the wound and gave a sigh of relief. The bite to her shoulder was not that bad and would probably only leave a small scar. The rest of the wounds looked worse than they actually were and he wondered why the creature didn't do anymore damage than it did. Perhaps Kagome had startled it when she bathed and it was simply aggressive because she scared it.

However, those questions would have to wait. They needed to get Kagome to a healer and the hanyou groaned when he realized that it would be a four-day trip to get Kagome to Kaede, but only a day trip to get to Kouga's den. Damn it....he was hoping that he would not have to endure the cocky wolf.

But, no matter how much he disliked the wolf, he was more concerned about helping Kagome and for her, he would endure the flea-bitten wolf. So, with his decision made, he bent down and picked up Kagome, and began walking back to the camp. He noticed that Kikyo was holding an unconscious Kirara in her arms.

“What's wrong with her?” Inu Yasha called, over his shoulder. When Kikyo didn't answer, he stopped and turned to find his woman glancing up into the trees where the creature disappeared to. “Kikyo? What's wrong?”

“That creature is unlike any I have seen, Inu Yasha. It held the appearance of a wolf, but stood as a human or youkai would. Because I have never seen any like it, I can't say for sure if it won't come back after Kagome now that it knows her blood.” Kikyo said, worry laced in her voice.

Snorting, Inu Yasha turned and began walking again. “Well, if it does come after here, I'll be ready. It won't like what happens to it.” He scoffed.

As the group faded out of sight, the creature growled low in its throat and allowed the hanyou's words to process through his mind. Clearly, the only true power the hanyou held was in his sword, or else he would have attacked with his claws.

Though the moon was now covered in clouds, he did not revert back to his original form. When the moon was clear in the sky, it made his people vicious to any who would dare intrude upon them. But, while he relaxed for the few precious moments that he had, he felt a twinge of remorse for attacking the frightened young woman. It was not his or his people's way to harm innocents, but when they were in the middle of the moon madness, it could not be helped. He decided that once daybreak came, he would send one of his wolves to watch over the girl and inform him if she should begin the change. He hoped for her sake that she would remain human, but since he had bitten her, he knew the chances of that were poor.

With one last glance in the direction that the group had gone in, he jumped from his hiding place and began to run swiftly towards his den. He had to get back and make sure that none of the others made the same error that he had on this night.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Kagome's wounds were bandaged and she was placed in her sleeping bag while the others stood watch. Sango checked Kirara over and was relived to see that she had only been knocked out and that no permanent damage was visible.

Inu Yasha continued to pace, muttering words that made Kikyo quickly cover Shippo's ears, despite the fact that the kit had already heard them many times before. The hanyou clearly blamed himself for his friend's attack and huffed when Miroku said, “It was probably an accident, Inu Yasha. It looked like an animal to me, so Kagome was probably in the wrong place and the wrong time.”

Before he could reply, Kagome began thrashing around in her sleeping bag, and started to claw at her neck.

“So hot.” She whispered, her face pale and her forehead glistening with sweat. When Inu Yasha grabbed her hands to keep her from clawing herself raw, she began to shriek and struggle against him. Finally, he got tired of fighting her and yanked her out of her bag. Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap and held her tightly to prevent any further physical conflict.

Looking up, he saw that both Kikyo and Miroku were nodding and Sango quietly asked, “When are we leaving for Kouga's? He knows this area. He can tell us exactly what it was that attacked Kagome.”

Inu Yasha nodded. “We leave out as soon as the sun is up. I'm gonna carry her. I don't trust her not to hurt herself since she can't seem to keep from scratching at her neck.” He agreed.

The others grew quiet and watched and the young miko continued to moan that she was hot and renewed her struggles. It was going to be a very long night.

At daybreak, Kagome had finally settled down and drifted off into a deep sleep. Tired, Inu Yasha gently handed her to Sango, who placed her on the now wide-awake Kirara. The fire neko seemed to be fine and purred when her mistress lovingly stroked her soft head.

Sango climbed on behind Kagome and waited while Miroku took his place behind Sango. Shippo jumped onto Kikyo's shoulder and rolled his eyes when the hanyou snapped that they were wasting daylight and that he wanted to get this visit to the flea-bitten wolf out of the way.

However, if they thought that their journey to Kouga's was going to be peaceful, they were sorely mistaking. The familiar sounds of squawking drew the group's attention and soon, they were graced with the sight of Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin.

Shippo and Rin were great friends, and started to play together whenever Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha would fight. So, when the little girl saw the kit, she squealed and ran towards Shippo, knocking Jaken over in her frenzy.

Sesshomaru watched as his ward spoke with her friend and then narrowed his eyes upon his half-brother.

“What are you doing here, Inu Yasha?” He demanded, his golden eyes trained on an identical pair before him.

“What's it to you, you arrogant prick?” Inu Yasha returned, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. But, before he could draw the sword, Sango snapped, “Would you please not do this now? Kagome is sick and we need to get her to Kouga, remember?”

Gritting his teeth, he removed his hand and then pointed at his brother. “You're lucky that we have to go see that smelly wolf, or else I'd be handing your ass to you right about now.” He snarled.

Jaken bristled at the hanyou's blatant disrespect to his lord and screamed, “Do not speak to Lord Sesshomaru in such a way, you filthy mongrel.”

“Enough, Jaken.” Sesshomaru said, his tone regal. When his retainer bowed, Sesshomaru moved forward, and stopped beside the unconscious miko. Without asking permission, he reached down and allowed his hand to move underneath Kagome's chin.

Lifting her head, he took note of her paleness and narrowed his eyes when the scent of a wolf hit his nose. “Like Rin, this girl has been attacked by a wolf.” He said.

“No shit.” Inu Yasha snapped. “But, what we saw standing over her was no ordinary wolf.”

Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome once more, and then turned to Jaken. “Behave yourself. We will travel to the wolf den with the young miko. Rin cares for her and she has protected Rin when I could not. Until she is well, she is under my care.” He proclaimed, earning a scream of outrage from his brother.

“What do you mean, she is under your care? Kagome is my responsibility.” Inu Yasha raged. He watched as his older brother turned slightly, his nose up in the air and cringed when Sesshomaru replied, “And what excellent care it has been. Your charge was attacked, and since you did not brag about it, I can assume that you did not kill it, so now this creature is running around, free to come back after her. Where you have failed, I will not. Now, let us go.”

As they walked, Inu Yasha could be heard muttering curses and insults to his elder brother that caused Shippo and Rin to giggle behind their hands. Both knew that the brothers could not kill each other. It would be dishonorable. But, they were not opposed to insulting and sparring with each other when the urge hit them.

There were times in the journey that Kagome burst into tears and began whimpering that she hurt so much. Sesshomaru stopped the group shortly before lunch and examined her wounds. He ordered Jaken to retrieve some herbs to help ease her pain, and watched with narrowed eyes as the toad wandered off, muttering that he could not understand why his lord cared so much about pathetic humans.

As the group ate their lunch, Jaken prepared a tonic for Kagome and watched as Inu Yasha fed it to her. The young miko gagged and cried as she fought against the people who were holding her. When it was gone, Kagome was released and immediately flipped onto her stomach and began to retch.

The adults stood back and watched as the little miko slowly began to calm down and didn't notice that she had lifted her head a bit and was looking straight at Rin. The little girl paled when she saw the red tint to Kagome's eyes, but when the miko blinked, the red tint was gone and Rin thought that perhaps she had imagined it.

“Rin!” Jaken squawked. “Come along. It is time for us to begin traveling.” When Kagome was picked up and placed back on the neko, Rin slowly moved towards Shippo, but did not tell him what she thought she saw.

The group made its way once more towards the den and by the time nightfall began to arrive, they were greeted by the sight of a very large tornado, heading their way.

“Great.” Inu Yasha grumbled. “Here comes the big, bad wolf.” He watched as the tornado moved closer and when it finally came to a stop, he rolled his eyes as the wolf youkai cheerfully said, “Yo!”

Sango quickly climbed off of Kirara. She watched as the wolf began to sniff the air and then allow his lips to curl back into a snarl. “Why in the fuck is my woman injured, mutt-face?” Kouga demanded, his blue eyes narrowed into little slits.

Before Inu Yasha could snap a reply, Sango quickly said, “It was an accident, Kouga. Kagome was taking a bath and both she and Kirara were attacked.”

Kouga glanced at the slayer and gave a curt nod to indicate that he had heard her. He walked over to Kagome, ignoring everyone else while he examined Kagome's wounds. He could smell wolf on her. It was strong and he knew that for it to be that strong, the wolf must have gotten his blood mixed with hers, somehow.

Lifting the injured miko off of the large neko, Kouga began to walk away and then over his shoulder, he said, “Come on to the den. I can get her to a healer faster if I go on ahead.” Before anyone could muster an answer, he was gone and the only evidence that he had been there was the large cloud of dust that he left behind.

“Arrogant prick.” Inu Yasha muttered and then glared at Miroku when the monk grinned and said, “It's nice to see Kagome in the arms of the one who loves her.”

Kikyo smiled and shook her head. She knew that her love still harbored feelings for her reincarnation, but that didn't bother her, since he was actually lusting after her, just in a different body. It was a confusing situation, but she knew Kagome didn't see the hanyou in a romantic light anymore. Not when her feelings for the wolf youkai were confusing her. Kagome was about to fall head over heels in love with the romantic youkai, and she could think of no better creature to care for her incarnation.

The group quickly made their way to the den and were greeted by a very somber Ginta, who was standing with his new mate, Suni. The dark haired wolf was patting her mate's arm and softly said, “Kouga is with Kagome. She has a pretty high fever and the healer doesn't know what is causing it.”

Kikyo stepped forward and calmly asked, “Kagome was attacked by a creature that held the appearance of a wolf, but stood on two legs. Do you know of any such creatures?”

Suni's face hardened and she clenched her fists. “Yeah, I have heard of them. There is a large tribe of them at the edge of Kouga's territory. They are outsiders, and have only been permitted to stay because they have not caused any trouble for us.” She said, but then broke into a grin. “But, now that they have attacked our prince's intended mate, Kouga will chase them off, for sure.”

“We don't know if it was a member of this new tribe that did this, my love.” Ginta said, his tone reproachful. “Kouga will probably go to their leader and demand answers. Until then, we are not going to go and start a fight with them.”

Ginta offered the travelers food and when the kit and small girl-child had their fill, Suni offered to take them for a bath and then to place them in the pup dens. Rin cast a frightened glance at her lord, but Shippo quickly said, “I'm here with you, Rin. And, Suni is really nice.”

Suni cocked her head in confusion, and when Ginta leaned over and explained why Rin was so scared, she growled and snapped, “That fool. No wonder the child has such a fear of wolves.” Glancing at Rin, Suni bent to her level and softly said, “I'm sorry that you were hurt by Kouga's wolves. But, I would really like you to meet mine.”

Suni signaled to her black wolves and watched as the large creatures surrounded Rin. The largest of the wolves moved forward and gently began to nuzzle her face, earning a surprised giggle from the child. Suni smiled and asked if Rin would like to have the black wolves sleep with her. When Rin nodded, Suni announced to her pets that it was an early night for them and that they, too, needed baths.

When the female, wolves, and children were gone, Kouga finally emerged and he did not look happy. He walked to the group and shook his head. “The healer has calmed Kagome down, but she is in so much pain that there isn't an herb that will help reduce it. I want to know what attacked her.” He said.

Sango repeated what she told Suni and Ginta, and watched as he looked into the distance. “I knew that I should have run them off. The elders told me to leave them be, but look at what has happened. Well, tomorrow, I am going to their leader and demand that they leave my territory and I am also going to demand the fucking wolf's head who harmed my woman.” Kouga snarled.

“Hey, shithead. She isn't your woman.” Inu Yasha snapped, anxious to put the arrogant asshole in his place. He was pretty happy to see Kouga's glare, but then froze when Sesshomaru said, “You call the dead miko your woman, yet you have not mated, either. So, why is it that you may call her 'your woman' when the wolf cannot?”

Kouga smirked. “Yeah, puppy. Why is that?” He demanded. He was waiting for the response, but a loud scream was heard and he took off at top speed. The group tried to follow, but was stopped by Hakkaku.

“Don't!” He said, his tone urgent. “Kagome was attempting to hurt herself and had to be tied down. By the way, I didn't know that she was hanyou.”

The group stared at the mohawked wolf and finally, Miroku said, “Kagome isn't hanyou. She is human.”

Hakkaku lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. “I have as of yet to see a human snarl and speak in the tongue of a wolf. And, the fact that she has claws furthers my belief that she is hanyou.” He replied, his tone now stubborn.

Sesshomaru pushed past the peon wolf and followed Kouga's scent to a smaller den. Inside, there was a make-shift bed and several things that could have only been taken in human-village raids. He could see the wolf struggling to hold the miko down and had gashes all over his arms. As he got closer to the couple, he could see that the lower wolf had spoken the truth. The miko now had razor-sharp claws and was growling and snarling at Kouga and Kouga, it seemed, could understand every single thing she snarled at him.

Turning, Sesshomaru made his way back to the others and nodded. “It is true. It appears that this so-called wolf has infected your miko with something and it is causing her to act as if she were a wolf.”

Kikyo and Sango stared at each other, and Inu Yasha found a place to plop down at and think about what his elder brother had said. Everyone jumped when a loud howl was heard in the distance, as if it were an omen of things to come. Once again, it appeared as if they were going to have a very long night, but apparently not as long as Kouga's was going to be.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

He walked from his personal den and into the main den, where his followers were waiting on him. The wounds on his forearms were bandaged, and he shook his head at his stupidity for leaving the protection of the den the night before.

He motioned for his followers to be quiet and then calmly said, “I made a serious error last night and because of it, I believe that we have a sister out in the wilderness, transforming as we speak.”

One of the elderly women asked, “Are we going to go after her? The transformations are painful and she will need to be with people who will understand what she is going through.”

He thought for a moment, and then nodded. “We will find her and bring her here. I had one of the younger hunters follow the group, and when he returns, we can decide what to do from there. But, I also need to inform all of you that she will not be like the rest of you. When I attacked her, she dug her nails into my skin and managed to draw blood. I am quite certain that my blood dripped into a few of her wounds, thus making her unique.” He said.

“Basically, she will be just like you, only female. And, just as dangerous.” A large man said, his dark eyes trained upon his leader. When the nod came, his followers began to talk excitedly amongst themselves. They all knew how strong he was, and for a female to be among them who was just as strong, it would make them unstoppable.

But, this would have to be the last attack. He could not let his people go through the anguish that they endured in Romania. They would never be forced to leave this land. He would kill any who tried. And, he would find this girl, the one whom he violated and he would teach her, protect her, and shelter her. After all, she was now his duty. He could only hope that she found it in her heart to forgive him for the life he has sentenced her to.