Inu Yasha hugged Catriona tightly to his body, burying his face in her hair while she buried her face in his chest. �I came as soon as Ginta came to me,� he said, removing his face from her hair after he had inhaled enough of her scent to be satisfied. When she rose her head up & brought her eyes to his, he kissed her forehead softly & ran his fingers through her hair.
�Thank you for coming here Inu Yasha,� Catriona spoke, rubbing his right ear softly. �I really appreciate it.�
�I appreciate it as well Inu Yasha,� Koga spoke from the side of them, his eyes watching the Inu hanyou closely.
Inu Yasha & Catriona turned their gaze to Koga, Inu Yasha�s eyes narrowing slightly as the urge to kill the youkai rushed through his blood; his blood began pounding in his ears as rage built up. He felt as though he could see Koga shrink back when he began growling deep within his throat, but he didn�t care how scared of him Koga might end up. He deserved it.
Catriona watched Koga�s ears move back slightly as he rose to his feet & Inu Yasha let go of her, rising to his feet from the kneeling position he had gotten into when she basically jumped onto him. She watched as Inu Yasha�s ears went back, pressing against his head as his lips curled back, exposing his fangs exposed which glistened in the sunlight. She looked up when she realized the snow had stopped falling & the cloud producing the flurries were gone, but there was still a tame wind blowing around them. She looked back to the ookami youkai & the inu hanyou.
�I was informed that you allowed Isamu to be killed,� Inu Yasha growled. �You were foolish enough to take him with you on a hunt when it was nearing the snake youkai were still in season.�
Koga curled his hands into fists at his sides, glaring at the hanyou that dare spoke to him in this manner. �I did not allow him to be killed,� he growled back. �I told him not to attack, but he didn�t listen to me.�
�But you will still stupid enough to take him out on a hunt during the season!� Inu Yasha snapped, his hand resting on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga.
�Inu Yasha, stop!� Catriona shouted, getting Koga�s attention & Inu Yasha�s. Inu Yasha looked at her with complete confusion. �Inu Yasha I hold no grudge against Koga because he feels bad about the matter, just as Ginta & myself,� she spoke as she stepped between Koga & Inu Yasha, making it so Inu Yasha couldn�t attack Koga without attacking her.
�Catriona move out of the way. I came here to kill him off & take you back to Totosai�s cave with me until Sesshomaru lets us know he wants you back at his castle.�
Catriona narrowed her eyes at Inu Yasha, her ears moving back slightly, annoying her a bit since she held no control over her ears. �Inu Yasha if I have to I will stay in front of Koga until you leave these lands, but you are not going to kill Koga when he is being punished enough.�
�How? How is he being punished enough?� Inu Yasha growled, looking at Koga.
�He is still living. Inside his head, he will always have the knowledge that my son, under his protection, died. That thought will always haunt him, it is still tearing him apart.�
�How can you defend him when he is the reason Isamu is dead, Catriona? If you were any kind of protective mother, then you would want him dead just as bad as I do.� As soon as the words had escaped his mouth, he completely regretted what he had said & how it sounded. �Cat-�
�Don�t say anything Inu Yasha,� Catriona interrupted him. Both hanyou & youkai could smell the scent of salt as tears flooded Catriona�s eyes from Inu Yasha�s words. �I think it�s best you stay away from me for a while.�
Koga watched Catriona begin to shake & he was unsure if it was from anger, mixed emotions building up, or if it was from the cold. -Probably mixed emotions & the cold,- he thought as he put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her then at Inu Yasha, his lips curling back. He didn�t growl because he didn�t want to upset Catriona more than she already was, but he did expose his fangs at the hanyou & let his eyes go red for a moment. He gave Catriona�s shoulders a light squeeze of comfort before he licked his lips, closing them tightly, keeping his blue eyes on Inu Yasha.
�Inu Yasha, you have no right to talk to her about being a good parent when you have no pups of your own. Therefore you have never experienced her kind of pain,� Koga spoke as Catriona pushed back against him, a sign he understood as a request for him to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a protective manner, as if he were protecting a pack member, before he spoke to Inu Yasha again. �Every night since Shi no Kami took Isamu�s life, Catriona has cried herself to sleep in her bedding. Kagome has even allowed me to lay with her some nights as a comfort.�
�If you end up hurting Kagome over all of this-�
�I won�t!� Koga snapped, interrupting the hanyou. �Kagome knows her friend is in great pain, worse at night because now she has the reminder of how alone she is here, so she told me to sleep in her bedding if she needs it. I didn�t have to ask & neither did Catriona; it was all Kagome�s idea.�
By now there were tears rolling down Catriona�s cheeks but instead of only pain in her eyes, anger & pain were together in her stare. Inu Yasha sighed & removed his hand from the hilt of Tetsusaiga before he grabbed the sword he had Totosai forge for her, removing it from his obi & tossing it at her feet; he watched as the wrapped sword sunk into the snow from the force of its landing.
�What is it?� Catriona asked, unable to tell what the cloth was concealing.
�It�s a sword, called Inmetsu,� he answered. �I had Totosai forge it for you so you could protect yourself incase you should ever find yourself alone.�
Catriona looked at Inu Yasha, her gaze moving up from the sword. �Th-Thank you,� she spoke, her voice coming out as hesitant.
Inu Yasha looked down, then to the side. �Do you want me to leave or do you still want me here?� He asked, not looking at her.
�I still want you here Inu Yasha, but I just think you should stay away from me until I can forgive you for what you said,� Catriona spoke as Koga removed his arms from her waist when she began to pull away from him.
Inu Yasha nodded & looked up at Koga who gave him a scowl before jerking his head in the direction of the caves, a sign for him to go in without him. When the hanyou was out of eyesight, Koga turned Catriona to face him, their eyes meeting. �I�m sorry for what he said & how he acted towards you, Catriona,� he spoke softly, lowering his head slightly, guilt of Isamu�s death sinking in once more.
�I should be the one apologizing to you Koga,� Catriona whispered. �He came here & treated you that way because of me. Koga, ignore him; it�s not your fault Isamu is dead, okay?� Koga nodded & she continued. �He had no right to talk to you like that, he just thought he did, okay? I know for a fact that you told my son not to attack that snake youkai, but he didn�t listen to you so it�s not your fault. I�ll have a talk with him tonight after everyone has had a chance to eat, alright?�
�Okay Catriona. But you come to me if anything goes wrong...�