Later on, through the helpful mother of the rescued children, Koga discovered that they were not in the house itself, but in a shed in the back of the house, formerly used to keep chickens. She brought them food against the wishes of the village but with the permission of the headman, sneaking what she could under the voluminous skirts of her kimono. Every day Inuyasha and Koga heard the familiar soft knock on the door, and opened it quietly to the kind woman who had no doubt saved their lives. She could not give them information of their friends, only they were on trial for malicious arson for the demons’ sake. She was unable to bring medicine, which would require the help of the local medicine woman, even though the persistent begging of Inuyasha and Koga brought tears to her eyes. As she looked at Courtney’s prone form, gasping for life breath, they slid down her face and landed on the dirt floor. She had to turn away to stay strong- if they knew she was sneaking in aid to the enemy, she would be shunned and cast from the village. The fire still burned in the hearts of the villagers, hatred clouding their judgment and infecting their minds- all they knew is that the demons must have killed their kin.
One harsh day, Inuyasha discovered something horrid- the burns were infecting, keeping Courtney’s natural demon healing tendencies from working. Courtney sweated under his fingertips, her pain amplified thrice by infection and fever. He could not move her- her screams of agony were too much for him and Koga to bear. They could do nothing but cover her in bandages made from Inuyasha’s white undershirt, hoping for mercy. There she stayed, sweating and mumbling from the fever, her pain making her delirious.
Koga was silent, his jaw set ever since Courtney had woken up. Her head lay on his lap as he stroked her hair quietly, his jaw tight, his eyes spelling hatred and doom for the villagers. He seemed as a statue, moving only to make Courtney more comfortable or beg supplies from the woman. He was past tears now- righteous anger and fear kept him tense as a bowstring, the fire in his eyes hot enough to burn the village thrice over again.
They suffered silently for nine days, the conditions growing more appalling as they retreated into themselves and each other. Rats swarmed the small hut, and in the heat of the day the air grew heavy and hot, seeming almost roasting. At nights, after they had sweated profusely, it was bitterly cold, air coming in drafts from chinks in the walls. They had little to no water and the little food the woman brought to them. After three days of agony, Courtney slipped into unconsciousness, her screams quieted by the comfort of unhealthy sleep. After seven days, her breath was ragged an uneven. By day nine- she was dying. Her breath was light and almost nonexistent, kept only there by help from Koga if her breath stopped, breathing life into her lungs little at a time. He held her hands softly, stroking them with his thumb as he watched her chest rise and fall, watching carefully for weakness. His cold blue eyes held no more fire- only a soft sadness as he watched his woman die. As he watched her, his jaw tightened and he jumped up suddenly, startling a sleeping Inuyasha. Angrily, he roared at the hanyou, sadness choking the heat of his anger as he scratched the air with his claws.
“WHAT ARE WE DOING? How can you watch her die and we do nothing? We have to get out somehow- run, find a priestess, we CAN’T JUST STAND AND WAIT.”
Inuyasha rose, his long silver hair lank from days of abuse, his eyes resigned from the misery of seeing someone he cared for slowly die in front of his eyes. He simply reached down, wrapping his kimono top that served as Courtney’s blanket tightly around her. She breathed sharply from subconscious pain, and he quickly withdrew. When he determined that she was still unconscious, he picked her up carefully and held her body tight to himself as he checked her neck- and there it was. The locket. As unscarred as before. He tucked it back into her burned and tattered t-shirt, and closed his eyes. He did not respond to Koga, but simply looked at her face, which had not been burned in the fire. He wiped away a smudge with his thumb, and then cradled her once more. “Lead the way. I’ll keep her safe.”
Koga opened his mouth to argue, hackles raised- but then he caught sight of the hanyou’s face. Inu has a single tear- all he had shed- running down his skin like a glittering diamond. Koga quietly closed his mouth and nodded. “Hm. I’ll meet you in the village. Get her to Kaede today- she won’t make it past sunset if we fail.”
“I know.”
“After fighting her out of the village, I will go back for Kagome and the others- don’t worry. Kagome will be safe with me.”
It wasn’t a tease- it wasn’t a challenge- it was a promise. Inuyasha broke his eyes away from Courtney and looked up at Koga silently. A cheeky grin came to his face as he took tighter hold of Courtney. “I’ll meet you there- wolf.”
Koga clapped him on the shoulder and grinned also, a fang flashing in the dim light of their prison. “I’ll beat ya there- mutt.”
Koga took a deep breath and laughed, kicking the door down in a shower of splinters.
“THE DEMONS ARE ESCAPING, KILL THE OTHER- ugh!”
A sucker punch to the face quieted the guard on duty, knocking his head against the wall behind him. However, the alarm was out and they could waste no time.
As villagers swarmed around, brandishing torches and whatever weapons the could grasp as a moments notice, Koga let out booming laughter, throwing Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha, who caught it one handed, tucking it quickly in his belt. He turned to Inuyasha brandishing his claws, pointing at the forest in the distance. “Go! Save her or I’ll make sure she won’t be the only one dead at the end of the day!”
Inuyasha wasted no time heeding Koga’s instruction, jumping onto the shed rooftop and dodging the arrows aimed at him and his cargo. He dodged a spear from a determined soldier, but wasn’t as lucky when he felt an arrow strike his right shoulder. Ripping it out quickly and painfully, he jumped quickly into the shelter of the trees, leaving the battle behind him.
~-~
Meanwhile, back in the village, it was all Koga could do to keep from killing all the villagers for their mistreatment- and possibly Courtney’s death. However, he pushed the thought of her from his mind as he battled his way to the castle, his fists and feet sending bodies flying as he ran to the main house. Avoiding a near miss from a javelin and breaking a katana with his bare hands, he jumped over the unconscious villagers and landed on the roof, too quick for the missiles shot at him. He slammed into the roof, causing a cave in and several screams coming from the inside. He landed on the floor forcefully, sniffing for Kagome’s scent. She was…she was… in the next room. He fled out of the ruined area, and ripped open the rice paper screen next to the door. There lay Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo huddled together, avoiding the shards of wood that flew from the broken frame.
They all looked up and gasped, gazing on the hardened ghost of their former wolf ally. He was thinner and dirtier, his long, elegant ponytail matted where Courtney’s blood had mingled with dirt and his own tears. His eyes seemed hollow and lifeless, showing a hunger and want for revenge. Kagome stood up slowly, reaching a hand out to Koga fear, her voice quavering. “K-Koga..?”
He brushed aside her hand, addressing the room in a quiet, yet commanding tone, “We’re escaping, now. Inuyasha has Courtney and they’re on their way to Kaede’s village. She’s…she’s,” he swallowed hard but kept his tone, “she’s dying. We’ve been shoved in little less than a hovel where her wounds infected and stayed open. We need to get out NOW. Kagome, do you still have the medicines from your time?”
Kagome nodded.
“Good. Now let’s go. Kirara and your weapons are two rooms down. We’ve no time to waste if she is to live. Now MOVE.”
As they ran to retrieve their weapons, Koga noted with a hint of jealousy that their room had been adequate if not elegant, and the humans seemed to be clean and well fed. A wound Miroku suffered had been tended to- clean linens wrapped his shoulder. Remembering the ripped up shirt that had served for Courtney’s bandages, Koga growled harshly, a guttural sound in the back of his throat. So this was a case of discrimination- the demons and mortals. Shippo got by on his looks, probably transformed into a human. Snarling, Koga turned on his heel and followed the humans into the armory.
In the armory, all types of reunions were taking place.
“My jewel shards!” cried Kagome, reaching into her bright yellow bag.
“Kirara!” called Sango, sprinting over to a large iron cage holding a mewing two-tailed kitten.
“Good, my wards are all still here!” mused Miroku.
Koga leaned on the doorframe, snarling as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. “There’s no time for that! We’ve got to get going! Grab your stuff and let’s go!”
It was too late, the guards were there. Koga turned to the guards, snarling, rage and hurt built up in his soul. He remembered his girl on the ground, wrapped in Inuyasha’s kimono for warmth. He remembered the heat of the day and the deathly chill of the night. He remembered hearing her scream in pain, the one instant that he touched her charred skin. He remembered the soft kisses of life when he breathed air into her lungs. He remembered- and he was angry. He clenched his fists, his long nails digging into his flesh as he pictured her. His eyes began to glow a bright red, his nails extending into deadly claws. A guttural snarl that he did not recognize ripped from his throat, flowing into a long, drawn-out howl of anger and despair. He grabbed the closest guard, snapping his spear easily and digging his claws deep into the man’s chest. He heard the scream of the guard, and chuckled darkly, “You know what? I heard that same scream as she died…” He leaned in closer, baring his fangs as he dug his claws in even deeper. “You took the life of my love away- now I’ll take yours.”
Howling in defiance, he threw the guard against the wall, challenging the other guards to take a step further. He looked at the blood on his claws, and laughed, throwing his head back. It was not a mirthful laugh- more like the laugh of a madman. He advanced on the fallen guard, and lifted him up with one hand. The man had tears running down his face, begging for mercy at the hands of the angry wolf demon. “Now tell me I started that fire! SAY IT!”
The man merely whimpered, and started struggling as much as he could. “P-P-Please, I-I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, I-I-I didn’t kill anyone.”
“LIES!”
Koga shoved him against the wall roughly, then gestured his claws, pointing one finger at the man’s throat. The long claw rested against the man’s throat, pressing dangerously on a vein. Koga pressed his face closer to the guard, barking wildly, “Then WHY was I locked in a HOVEL with MY DYING WOMAN while YOU rested in peace at night? COULD YOU NOT HEAR HER SCREAMS? Could you not hear us begging for mercy, food, medicine, anything?” His voice was steely hard, a rasp of desperation edging his madness. His nail pressed even harder on the guard’s throat, his comrades too enthralled in the scene, terrified witless of the mad demon in their midst. Koga closed his red eyes, and opened them to slits. “Those who stood around and encouraged her suffering is as guilty as the person who imprisoned her. So DIE!” His fist reached back, preparing to pierce the guard’s throat.
“KOGA!”
Koga stopped his claw less than an inch away from the sobbing guard’s jugular. He turned slowly to the source of the noise, his ruby-red eyes glowing, his breath ragged as he glared at its author- a terrified looking Kagome. She reached for him, placing a gentle hand on the forearm strangling the man. Grasping it firmly, she calmly rebuked him, “Let him go, Koga. Let’s go. Let’s go. Courtney will be fine.”
At first, he did not even seem to recognize the girl who he had formerly courted, his vision clouded by a red fog. Koga looked back at the man and then Kagome, the red fading slowly from his eyes as he registered his actions. “Ka-go-me?” He looked at the man once more, and saw the blood staining his claws. Promptly, he let go, the frightened man thumping to the floor. As if he couldn’t see her, he looked beyond into the opposite room, seeing the petrified faces of Sango and Shippo. Finally, he looked back at Kagome, and nodded numbly. “Let’s go.”
The soldiers seemed stunned- they didn’t move as the group fled out of the large hole created by Koga’s entrance. Koga gathered Kagome in his arms, holding her bridal-style as Kirara carried Miroku and Shippo. When he jumped and reached the roof, he nodded up to Kirara, barking out directions. “Sango! Meet at Kaede’s hut.”
Sango nodded, and Kirara took off, dodging the arrows and spears of the still warring villagers. Koga jumped deftly off the roof to the road, his speed unnatural as he hit the ground running, the cyclone soon a dot on the road.