The Captive
folder
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
8
Views:
2,394
Reviews:
35
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
8
Views:
2,394
Reviews:
35
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter 8: Torment and Introspection
Same disclaimer
Pairing: Sango/Kouga
”inner musings”
Chapter 8: Torment and Introspection
In the darkest recesses of a cave,one one figure sat immobile. His head bent and his knees raised to his chest, he was the very picture of anguish. It had been three days since she had walked out of his life; three days since he had become lost in the dank prison of his mind. His men despaired at the very sight of him. Their once proud leader was nothing but an empty shell. He seemed to have lost all will to live. He refuse to eat the food brought before him, he refuse to train, he refused to do anything but think of her!
Kouga would sit for hours on end, his nose buried in the soiled kimono she had worn, drugging himself on her fading scent. At night, he would curl up under the animal skins of his bed, trying to capture the last lingering threads of her body heat.
Silently, diligently, Ginta watched over his grieving leader. Somehow, he felt responsible for Kouga’s pain. The moment the cowl was removed from her head, he had known that Sango’s presence at the encampment would end in disaster. Ginta was no foolish cub; it had become clear to him, long before Naraku’s defeat, that his prince and the taiija were attracted to each other. It was only a matter of time before this attraction matured into something more.
At first, he had feared that the demon slayer would be the one hurt as a result of this. Either Kouga would reject her to pursue Kagome or he would take her as his mate but only out of obligation. Unbeknownst to the others, Ginta had a great respect for the taiija. He was familiar with her fight to avenge her family and to release her brother from Naraku’s control. He admired her for her courage and determination; she had fought for those she loved in the same way the women of the clan fought for their loved ones. Ginta had no whish to see the slayer heart broken. However, he could never have foreseen that she would be the one to walk away; he could not have guessed the effects her leaving would have on Kouga.
But now, has he gazed upon the prostrate form of his prince, it was another, more immediate problem that plague him. One of the border guards had just rushed into camp; Inuyasha was on his way to the settlement.
- “My prince...” Ginta voice broke the eerie silence that reigned in the cavern. “Inuyasha has been spotted near the river. He his quickly making his way towards the camp.”
Kouga did not move, he gave no visible signs that he had heard Ginta words. Desperately, the younger wolf grasped his leader’s shoulders, forcefully shaking him, trying to bring him out of his dazed state.
- “He has come for her my lord. Will you go out to meet him?” Still no reaction. “Get a grip on yourself Kouga! Inuyasha his almost here. Do you want me to prepare the men?”
- “No”. Kouga’s voice was nothing but a raspy whisper. “Let him come.”
- “What? Let him come and kill you?” Ginta returned harshly.
He could not; he would not believe that his prince would accept defeat so easily. Kouga had not been deterred by Kagome’s apparent indifference. He had pursued the young miko with the same single-mindedness he applied to every aspect of his life. Why was he so willing to give up on the demon slayer? The gods only knew that she was worthy of his devotion. Rising to his feet, Ginta gave into his frustration.
- “So that’s how it’s going to be now? You acting like some whipped cub just because the woman left you. Very well, stay there! Let him kill you. Maybe that’s what you deserve, because you certainly never deserved her.
Had he known what had prompted Sango’s departure from the camp, Ginta might have been more willing to indulge Kouga in his self-loathing. He might have taken the gentler approach. But the fact was, he was greatly perturbed by the drastic change the slayer’s departure had operated in his prince. He simply didn’t know what to do to bring him out of his depression.
- “What would you know about it?” Kouga growled. “You weren’t there; you don’t know what I did.”
- “I know that the Lady Sango loves you. I know that you love her. And I know that you didn’t do anything to stop her from leaving.” Steeling his resolve, Ginta went in for the kill. “I know you we’re too afraid and too weak to stop her.”
At these accusing words, Kouga could not suppress his natural brash temper. Springing up from his prone position he launched himself at the smaller demon. Wrapping a clawed hand around his throat, he slammed him to the ground.
- “How dare you speak to me like that? I am your prince; you will address me with respect!” Kouga spat.
- “Respect? Why should I respect a man who doesn’t fight for what he wants?”
Kouga could not deny it. He hadn’t fought for her. He’d almost struck her, and that fact had scared him more than anything else ever had. He was afraid of the effect Sango had on him; petrified that she could make him lose control like that. And so he’d let her go, because it was the easiest thing to do.
- “Leave me alone.”
Slowly, he let go of Ginta’s neck. He felt drained. Sitting down, his back propped against the rough wall of the cave, Kouga retreated back into his own misery. He would wait for Inuyasha there.
====================================
Sango slumped to the ground, exhausted. She didn’t know how long she had been walking. One day? Two? Three? It didn’t matter. She didn’t care. Stepping out of a’s a’s cave, she’d put one foot in front of the other and had not looked back. But the further away she got from the Yourouzoku camp, the harder it was for her to take the next step.
She’d said it was the right thing to do, said it was better for the both of them if she left. However, right and wrong didn’t exist out here. With her sore body stretched out on the cold and dirty ground, her entire world was reduced to the deathly chill gripping her heart. She could barely breathe; her lungs rejected the sweet forest air around her. She wouldn’t move, her brain refused to command her limbs into motion. Numbed by fatigue, she questioned and she doubted.
Why had she left? Why had she been so stubborn? His face pressed to her stomach, he’d appeared so heart broken, so sincere. He’d begged her to stay; he’d even offered to make her his mate. Why couldn’t she accept him? Why couldn’t she get pass her idiotic jealousy? Why? Why? Why? What was she so afraid of?
He cared for her; he’d said so himself and she believed him. He worried about her, about her safety and her wellbeing. And he was attracted to her; he couldn’t keep his hands off her, he was constantly pressing his body closer to hers while he slept. Why wasn’t that enough? Affection, concern, attraction, it was more than any other man had ever offered her.
After Miroku left, before she was taken captive, Sango had envisioned entering into a loveless marriage for the sake of continuing the taiija blood line. Why was it that she was amenable to marrying a stranger, but could not bring herself to mate with Kouga? Why did she rebel at the very notion of it?
- “Because you love him.” A melodious voice, a voice that existed in the farthest recess of her soul, whispered.
- “Yes, I do love him. So why can’t I be with him?” Sango’s cry of anguish pierced that muffled atmosphere of the forest.
- “Because he can’t love you. You’d spend the rest of your life in fear, always wondering if he was thinking of her.”
- “But in time, he would forget about her. He would come to do more than just care about me; he might even learn to love me.” She was sure of it. Out of sight, of mif mind. That’s how it was supposed to work. With Kagome mated to Inuyasha, Kouga would be forced to let go of her and she would be there to catch him. He would have to fall in love with her.
- “No, he won’t.”
- “Why not?” She refused to admit defeat.
- “You won’t let him.”
- “No!” She screamed. “ Kagome, its because of her that he can’t love me”
- “Kagome is irrelevant. What he feels for her is irrelevant. All that matters is what you think, what you feel. And you will never believe that he loves you.”
Was that true? Did she think so lowly of herself that she refused to accept that Kouga could love her? It made no sense. She’d always been the strong one, the confidant one. She was the one others depended on. When had she lost herself? When had she abandoned her self-worth?
- “Then what should I do?”
- ”Go home! Leave it all behind you. Go back to your village, rebuild it, honor the memory of your people and forget…about Kouga, about Kagome, about all of them. Go home Sango.”
_________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Ah! I’m finally back with a new chapter…even if it is a short and depressing one. It took me a long time to get this one out ‘cause I really didn’t know how I should proceed with the story. Should I dabble in the emotional turmoil and than skip along to the happy ending? Or should I wallow in the characters tortured minds? As you can see I chose option number two and it certainly wasn’t easy. I had to revisit all my bad break-ups to w thi this chapter…something I generally try to avoid doing. Hopefully it was worth it and you guys will stick around for the rest of this story. I don’t know how long it will take me to write the next installment…work is a real bitch and sucking up all my time…but I GUARANTEE it will not be 3 months!
To FrustratedPhoenix: Thanks for the review. Kouga/Sango might be a bit extreme but I think they are defiantly worthy of the occasional fic. I’m really glad you like this story and maybe you’ll feel inspired to write one of you own. I’d love to read it if you did.
To Sango fan: Sorry I kept you waiting, but I’m glad to see that you enjoy “Meant to be”. And don’t worry, while trying to get over my writers block for this story I started working out some ideas for a few other fics. But that’s for latter…one thing at a time.
Pairing: Sango/Kouga
”inner musings”
Chapter 8: Torment and Introspection
In the darkest recesses of a cave,one one figure sat immobile. His head bent and his knees raised to his chest, he was the very picture of anguish. It had been three days since she had walked out of his life; three days since he had become lost in the dank prison of his mind. His men despaired at the very sight of him. Their once proud leader was nothing but an empty shell. He seemed to have lost all will to live. He refuse to eat the food brought before him, he refuse to train, he refused to do anything but think of her!
Kouga would sit for hours on end, his nose buried in the soiled kimono she had worn, drugging himself on her fading scent. At night, he would curl up under the animal skins of his bed, trying to capture the last lingering threads of her body heat.
Silently, diligently, Ginta watched over his grieving leader. Somehow, he felt responsible for Kouga’s pain. The moment the cowl was removed from her head, he had known that Sango’s presence at the encampment would end in disaster. Ginta was no foolish cub; it had become clear to him, long before Naraku’s defeat, that his prince and the taiija were attracted to each other. It was only a matter of time before this attraction matured into something more.
At first, he had feared that the demon slayer would be the one hurt as a result of this. Either Kouga would reject her to pursue Kagome or he would take her as his mate but only out of obligation. Unbeknownst to the others, Ginta had a great respect for the taiija. He was familiar with her fight to avenge her family and to release her brother from Naraku’s control. He admired her for her courage and determination; she had fought for those she loved in the same way the women of the clan fought for their loved ones. Ginta had no whish to see the slayer heart broken. However, he could never have foreseen that she would be the one to walk away; he could not have guessed the effects her leaving would have on Kouga.
But now, has he gazed upon the prostrate form of his prince, it was another, more immediate problem that plague him. One of the border guards had just rushed into camp; Inuyasha was on his way to the settlement.
- “My prince...” Ginta voice broke the eerie silence that reigned in the cavern. “Inuyasha has been spotted near the river. He his quickly making his way towards the camp.”
Kouga did not move, he gave no visible signs that he had heard Ginta words. Desperately, the younger wolf grasped his leader’s shoulders, forcefully shaking him, trying to bring him out of his dazed state.
- “He has come for her my lord. Will you go out to meet him?” Still no reaction. “Get a grip on yourself Kouga! Inuyasha his almost here. Do you want me to prepare the men?”
- “No”. Kouga’s voice was nothing but a raspy whisper. “Let him come.”
- “What? Let him come and kill you?” Ginta returned harshly.
He could not; he would not believe that his prince would accept defeat so easily. Kouga had not been deterred by Kagome’s apparent indifference. He had pursued the young miko with the same single-mindedness he applied to every aspect of his life. Why was he so willing to give up on the demon slayer? The gods only knew that she was worthy of his devotion. Rising to his feet, Ginta gave into his frustration.
- “So that’s how it’s going to be now? You acting like some whipped cub just because the woman left you. Very well, stay there! Let him kill you. Maybe that’s what you deserve, because you certainly never deserved her.
Had he known what had prompted Sango’s departure from the camp, Ginta might have been more willing to indulge Kouga in his self-loathing. He might have taken the gentler approach. But the fact was, he was greatly perturbed by the drastic change the slayer’s departure had operated in his prince. He simply didn’t know what to do to bring him out of his depression.
- “What would you know about it?” Kouga growled. “You weren’t there; you don’t know what I did.”
- “I know that the Lady Sango loves you. I know that you love her. And I know that you didn’t do anything to stop her from leaving.” Steeling his resolve, Ginta went in for the kill. “I know you we’re too afraid and too weak to stop her.”
At these accusing words, Kouga could not suppress his natural brash temper. Springing up from his prone position he launched himself at the smaller demon. Wrapping a clawed hand around his throat, he slammed him to the ground.
- “How dare you speak to me like that? I am your prince; you will address me with respect!” Kouga spat.
- “Respect? Why should I respect a man who doesn’t fight for what he wants?”
Kouga could not deny it. He hadn’t fought for her. He’d almost struck her, and that fact had scared him more than anything else ever had. He was afraid of the effect Sango had on him; petrified that she could make him lose control like that. And so he’d let her go, because it was the easiest thing to do.
- “Leave me alone.”
Slowly, he let go of Ginta’s neck. He felt drained. Sitting down, his back propped against the rough wall of the cave, Kouga retreated back into his own misery. He would wait for Inuyasha there.
====================================
Sango slumped to the ground, exhausted. She didn’t know how long she had been walking. One day? Two? Three? It didn’t matter. She didn’t care. Stepping out of a’s a’s cave, she’d put one foot in front of the other and had not looked back. But the further away she got from the Yourouzoku camp, the harder it was for her to take the next step.
She’d said it was the right thing to do, said it was better for the both of them if she left. However, right and wrong didn’t exist out here. With her sore body stretched out on the cold and dirty ground, her entire world was reduced to the deathly chill gripping her heart. She could barely breathe; her lungs rejected the sweet forest air around her. She wouldn’t move, her brain refused to command her limbs into motion. Numbed by fatigue, she questioned and she doubted.
Why had she left? Why had she been so stubborn? His face pressed to her stomach, he’d appeared so heart broken, so sincere. He’d begged her to stay; he’d even offered to make her his mate. Why couldn’t she accept him? Why couldn’t she get pass her idiotic jealousy? Why? Why? Why? What was she so afraid of?
He cared for her; he’d said so himself and she believed him. He worried about her, about her safety and her wellbeing. And he was attracted to her; he couldn’t keep his hands off her, he was constantly pressing his body closer to hers while he slept. Why wasn’t that enough? Affection, concern, attraction, it was more than any other man had ever offered her.
After Miroku left, before she was taken captive, Sango had envisioned entering into a loveless marriage for the sake of continuing the taiija blood line. Why was it that she was amenable to marrying a stranger, but could not bring herself to mate with Kouga? Why did she rebel at the very notion of it?
- “Because you love him.” A melodious voice, a voice that existed in the farthest recess of her soul, whispered.
- “Yes, I do love him. So why can’t I be with him?” Sango’s cry of anguish pierced that muffled atmosphere of the forest.
- “Because he can’t love you. You’d spend the rest of your life in fear, always wondering if he was thinking of her.”
- “But in time, he would forget about her. He would come to do more than just care about me; he might even learn to love me.” She was sure of it. Out of sight, of mif mind. That’s how it was supposed to work. With Kagome mated to Inuyasha, Kouga would be forced to let go of her and she would be there to catch him. He would have to fall in love with her.
- “No, he won’t.”
- “Why not?” She refused to admit defeat.
- “You won’t let him.”
- “No!” She screamed. “ Kagome, its because of her that he can’t love me”
- “Kagome is irrelevant. What he feels for her is irrelevant. All that matters is what you think, what you feel. And you will never believe that he loves you.”
Was that true? Did she think so lowly of herself that she refused to accept that Kouga could love her? It made no sense. She’d always been the strong one, the confidant one. She was the one others depended on. When had she lost herself? When had she abandoned her self-worth?
- “Then what should I do?”
- ”Go home! Leave it all behind you. Go back to your village, rebuild it, honor the memory of your people and forget…about Kouga, about Kagome, about all of them. Go home Sango.”
_________________________________________________________________________________
A/N: Ah! I’m finally back with a new chapter…even if it is a short and depressing one. It took me a long time to get this one out ‘cause I really didn’t know how I should proceed with the story. Should I dabble in the emotional turmoil and than skip along to the happy ending? Or should I wallow in the characters tortured minds? As you can see I chose option number two and it certainly wasn’t easy. I had to revisit all my bad break-ups to w thi this chapter…something I generally try to avoid doing. Hopefully it was worth it and you guys will stick around for the rest of this story. I don’t know how long it will take me to write the next installment…work is a real bitch and sucking up all my time…but I GUARANTEE it will not be 3 months!
To FrustratedPhoenix: Thanks for the review. Kouga/Sango might be a bit extreme but I think they are defiantly worthy of the occasional fic. I’m really glad you like this story and maybe you’ll feel inspired to write one of you own. I’d love to read it if you did.
To Sango fan: Sorry I kept you waiting, but I’m glad to see that you enjoy “Meant to be”. And don’t worry, while trying to get over my writers block for this story I started working out some ideas for a few other fics. But that’s for latter…one thing at a time.