A/N: No, I'm not dead…although I'm guessing that any of my original fans (if I have any left) probably want to kill me. I don't blame you at all. Life has been a real battle over the last few years- I won't go into detail because it will only depress you. It's no excuse anyway.
But I had a big birthday last week, and I've decided to get my life back on track. One of my top priorities is to get this story completed. It isn't fair to those of you who have stuck with me through all of this for me not to.
I can't promise weekly updates like I used to (or even biweekly)- I started this story when I was in college and had more free time. Being in the working world has changed my perception on things and I do have other responsibilities, but I'm not giving up. I'm going to dedicate time to this story and get it completed as soon as possible.
There's going to be a small hint for the next chapter at the end if you're interested. Now here's chapter 27, finally…
Chapter 27: Unwelcome Guest
Ginta and Hakkaku hadn't taken five steps before a dark voice echoed from the shadows of the forest.
"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise…"
All eyes zeroed in on a tall figure walking out of the woods. His lips were pulled up in a half-smirk and his eyes were a cold, hard silver. The wolf demons snarled at the intruder.
"Dokubutsu," Riko snapped, "how dare you show your face around here?" Ginta and Hakkaku took protective stances in front of the two females. "Boys, go get Kouga and Ketsueki, now!"
Hakkaku nodded at Ginta, who suddenly raced off back towards the castle.
Lady Riko rose to her feet and stood next to Hakkaku, further shielding the weakened priestess from Dokubutsu"s cold, dark leer.
Hakkaku glared and snarled, "You are not taking Kagome. Kouga beat your sorry ass the last time, and he'll do it again. And this time, I'm going to help- you won't survive this battle." Sincerity rang in every word. The first time the coyote demon had attacked, Hakkaku had known next to nothing about their foe. But now, he knew what to expect, and he planned to fight his heart out to defend Kagome- his Alpha, his best friend, his sister.
Dokubutsu's harsh chuckle pulled him from his thoughts, "How pitiful, risking your neck for a pathetic human, you're just as brainless as your leader. Protecting such a weak creature is just a waste of time…then again, the wolf is the most idiotic of the canines, so I shouldn't be too surprised. Now, hand over the wench. It's pointless to fight me, you'll only lose."
"Y'know you're really starting to piss me off."
"Oh no, I'm terrified," the Northern Lord mocked sarcastically, "What are you going to do, pup? Nip at my ankle? Pee on my leg? Give me a break."
"Okay, how does your jaw sound?" Before Dokubutsu had a chance to react, Hakkaku rushed forward and punched him dead in the face, sending him reeling backwards., "That's what I'll do," the wolf demon growled as he stood over the coyote's body which was splayed out on the ground.
Dokubutsu sat up and rubbed his jaw, trails of blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He laughed, "Well, I'm slightly impressed, mongrel. You would've made a fine warrior one day. Too bad you aren't going to live much longer."
The coyote demon quickly shifted and used his leg to swipe Hakkaku's feet out from under him. The poison master stood over Hakkaku's sprawled out body, arms crossed with his lips pulled up in a devilish smirk. He grabbed the hilt of his sword.
Kagome groaned and lifted her head just in time to see Dokubutsu draw his weapon on her brother.
"Hakkaku!"
Her scream startled the coyote demon enough for him to nearly drop his sword. A sudden crack filled the area and the Kirikizu went flying through the air, getting stuck in a tree trunk twenty feet away. The wood sizzled and turned a sickly shade of purple.
"Back the hell off!"
Ginta took off like a bullet back towards the castle, taking half the time it took to cross the field the first time. He raced down the corridors, nearly running into the wall twice.
"Hey, Gin…ta…?"
He rushed past Kin and Namaiki, who glanced at each other before following on his heels. Ginta burst through the door of the Great Hall.
"What on Earth is goi-"
"Kouga, there's trouble! Its Kagome," the gray haired wolf panted, "Dokubutsu is back!"
A chorus of low, predatory growls echoed in the room.
"What is that bastard doing on my lands?!"
"He's after Kagome again," Ginta explained.
"The hell he is!" Kouga cursed as he headed for the door. His second in command grabbed his wrist as he passed by.
"Kouga, there's something else. Kagome mentioned something before I left…she said 'the potion is working'."
Kouga's eyes grew wide, "What?! The potion is taking effect now?! It's too soon!" he let out a glass-shattering howl before shooting out of the room at breakneck speed, Ginta hot on his heels.
He cut Ginta's time almost in half as he followed Kagome's sweet scent to the forest. The two of them were already a quarter of the way across the field by the time Namaiki, Kin, and Ketsueki made it out the castle doors. Kouga and Ginta arrived just in time to see Hakkaku get knocked to the ground.
Kagome's scream caught Dokubutsu off guard, giving Kouga the perfect opportunity. He lunged forward, undetected, and kicked the weapon out of his hand.
The other wolf demons arrived on the scene to find the Northern Lord cradling his injured hand, glaring daggers at Kouga.
"Hakkaku, Ginta!" The two lieutenants jumped into action, crouching into defensive stances in front of a very weak Kagome. She looked up at her protectors worriedly, "Hakkaku, are you okay?"
Hakkaku's lips twitched, trying to fight off a smile. Even in such a condition, she was still concerned about others. He glanced behind him and gave her a small, reassuring smile, "I'm fine, Kagome. Don't worry about me. You just relax, and we'll take care of everything." Ginta looked at her and nodded in agreement. Kagome smiled back at them, exhausted, and still in pain.
Namaiki, Kin, and Ketsueki looked on with awe (and surprise in Ketsueki's case), shocked at how such a tiny human could make such an impact on three powerful wolf demons.
Kouga squared off against the Northern Lord, "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time? Or do you need your ass handed to you a second time?" Kouga growled, crossing his arms over his chest angrily.
Dokubutsu glared at him, "That last time was just a fluke…and you got help from your precious little priestess. It's time for you to say goodbye to your human pet, Kouga. She won't be with you much longer."
Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku outright laughed, "You honestly think I'm going to let you get away with threatening my mate like that? Stupid idiot…" the prince muttered as he slowly began advancing towards Dokubutsu.
"Mate?!" The Northern Lord hissed.
Ketsueki's jaw dropped, 'Mate? Where did this come from?' "Kouga, son, what are you talking about?" his voice was low and shaky, the shock and confusion still fresh.
Kouga replied to his father, though his eyes never strayed from the coyote. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice, "Father, I really don't think now is the time to be discussing this. Let me take care of this trash first, and then we'll talk about my relationship."
Ginta and Hakkaku quietly signaled Kin and Namaiki over to cover them as they took their places flanking Kouga on each side.
He glanced at each of them, giving them pointed looks which they ignored, "Guys…I can handle this piece of garbage on my own."
"We know that, Kouga," Hakkaku responded, "but we love Kagome, too. She's one of our best friends."
"She's family, and we take care of our own," Ginta added, "Besides, we can't let you have all the fun."
Kouga grinned at his two friends before turning back towards Dokubutsu, "Here's your one and only chance to save your pathetic hide. Will you run away with your tail between your legs, or are we gonna have to kill you?"
The Lord of the North straightened his posture, spat out a little blood, and chuckled condescendingly, "You honestly think you can defeat me? I'm insulted."
"Really? You should be honored. Don't worry. We'll make it fast." With that, the three demons split up.
Kouga sprinted forward and rammed his shoulder into Dokubutsu's stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him flying backwards into a giant boulder. The poison master hit the rock hard and fell to his knees, coughing up more blood. He stood on shaky legs, only to be knocked down again with a blow from Hakkaku's roundhouse-kick. The coyote demon's body didn't even reach the ground before Ginta landed a swift, hard kick to his chest, sending him tumbling across the grass. He rolled onto his side, barely able to move.
Ginta and Hakkaku each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him to his feet, restraining him with his hands behind his back. Kouga sauntered over to the defenseless coyote demon, grinning wickedly.
"I told you to stay away from my woman. This is what you get for not heeding my warning." He cracked his knuckles and gave Dokubutsu a glare that finally struck fear into his cold heart. Without a second thought, Kouga decapitated the Lord of the North with one swipe of his claw- a slash so fast, there wasn't even any blood spatter.
Kouga's attention immediately turned to his mate, who was once again lying unconscious on the ground. He quickly ran to her side and sat down, pulling her gingerly into his lap.
"Kagome, Love, can you hear me?"
Kagome's heart rate was slightly elevated, her breathing erratic, and her body temperature was plummeting.
Kagome? Kagome?!"
"Kouga? What the hell is going on?" Ginta and Hakkaku exclaimed in unison as they knelt on either side of their leader.
The prince's eyes never left his mate's face, "The reason it took so long for Kagome and I to mate was because she was worried about me. Once she passed on, she didn't want to leave me alone for so long, since wolves mate for life. On the night of our mating, Kagome drank a potion that was supposed to give her immortality. I got it when I went on that journey from that flea demon's story. The potion seems to be taking effect…but it wasn't supposed to start working for another few weeks."
After one strong, short convulsion, her eyes sot open and searched frantically for the most important person to her.
"Kouga!" Her arms grasped at the air blindly in front of her. Kouga took one of her hands and pressed it to his cheek. "Kouga," she sighed and cupped his face. His warm skin felt nice against her chilled fingers.
Her smile faded into an intense look of concentration. "Kouga, I need to tell you something. I'm—" The wolf prince pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. "You can tell me later. You need to rest now."
Kagome adamantly shook her head and pulled his hand away from her mouth, letting it rest on her stomach.
"No, I need to tell you now. I've been trying to tell you for weeks," she smiled up at him. "Kouga, we're going to have a baby." Kouga's expression went from concerned, to shocked, to overjoyed in less than a second. A brilliant smile lit up his face. "You're pregnant?" he confirmed. Kagome nodded slowly.
"We're going to have a baby," he repeated to himself. He grinned at his two best friends. "I'm going to be a father!" he choked.
Ginta and Hakkaku grinned back at him.
Kagome let out a glass-shattering shriek as a pain like being stabbed by thousands of icicles shot through her body. She curled closer to her mate and wrapped her arms around herself. Kouga gently pulled Kagome to his chest, mindful of the small life growing inside her.
Once her body relaxed and her heart calmed the young priestess let out a wide yawn, looking up at her mate sleepily.
"Rest, my love. Kami knows you're going to need it." She nodded and closed her eyes as her head rested against his shoulder.
Kouga stood, careful not to jostle her, and smiled proudly at his family. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing like a madman.
His mother seemed to be the only one who was at least partially composed- she was the only one without her mouth hanging open, at least.
He turned to look at his two most trusted friends, "I think we'd better get going."
Ketsueki quickly shook himself out of his stupor, "Kouga, I want an explanation. Now."
The wolf prince glanced down at the sleeping woman in his arms.
"Later," was all he said before he, Ginta, and Hakkaku disappeared into the lush foliage.
A/N: Ok, so she FINALLY told him! Thank God, that has been weighing on me for so long. Again, I apologize for taking forever to post this. The next chapter is about ¾ done, but I'm not going to promise any timeframe for the next posting. I have a LOT on my plate at the moment, but I'm not giving up.
Next Chapter…the Transformation…