InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Love ❯ Chapter 24 ( Chapter 24 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter 24


Kouga knew he was in trouble. He wasn't stupid. He was a demon. A wolf demon and they mate for life. He should have known with the way that he wanted Ayame something was bound to happen. He never expected these results though. Since the moment he marked her he had started to feel things. Odd things. At first confused him when a wayward feeling would push at him. Like when he was chasing Ayame through the forest. He was so very angry at her for putting herself in danger and suddenly he became afraid. All of the skin on his body had prickled and a cold sweat had appeared. As soon as these feelings hit they went away. Kouga had blown it off until suddenly he had felt a trickle of relief flood his mind. Then joy. Where were these thoughts coming from.

After he had attacked Inuyasha trying to find his mate and things had calmed down. He again wondered about his wayward emotions. Were they somehow tied to Ayame. They had not truly mated because she had not marked him in return. Could his own mark on her be causing this. How could that be possible. At no point had he ever heard of a possesion mark causing this sort of reaction. Kouga could feel his body drifting into sleep. Giving in he gave his mind a rest and slipped into darkness to regain his strength. After all tomorrow he needed to start his hunt for his missing mate again.

A soft sob woke him. Opening his eyes Kouga found himself in a grey forest. Trees, grass, even the mist in the air were all grey. What the hell was this place and how did he get here. When he fell asleep he had been with Inuyasha's group. Hearing the sob again Kouga followed the sound. Making his way through the forest he came upon an astonishing sight. Ayame was straight ahead of him sitting on a fallen tree. Her head was bowed and her shoulders shook as she as she cried. Kouga could feel his heart twist in his chest. Walking slowly towards her Kouga called her name. She did not acknowledge his presence. He tried again as he reached her side and moved to put his hand on her shoulder.

As his broad palm made contact with her delicat skin he was suddenly bombarded with images, thoughts, and feelings from the girl. This sudden explosion in his mind forced him to his knees. His skull pounded as he tried to make sense of everything. He could see himself telling Ayame that he loved Kagome and he could feel a bone deep hurt at his words. He saw himself laughing in the next and he could feel a lightness in his chest that brought a smile to his lips. These were her thoughts he suddenly realized. Each image was from her point of view and with each one he could feel what she felt and know what she thought. Images kept streaming into him. In each he was a major part. He wondered what was making her cry.

As he thought this suddenly he could see himself making love to Ayame. He was swamped by her desire for him. It was an overwhelming sensation to feel his own body and hers at the same time. His cock was hard between his thighs as he replayed thier mating. He could feel each little shiver her body gave. He knew just what she felt when his tongue had began to taste her. Kouga thought he would combust when he felt what she felt as he came inside of her. Pounding into her pulsing depths. He relived each pleasurable second in agony. Then the scene changed. There before him lay his own body. He could feel how looking at him made Ayame's stomach tighten with desire she couldn't name. He watched as his hands moved to stroke himself. He relized it must have been the smell of her desire that had spurred him to react in his sleep. He could feel the wetness dripping from her as she continued to watch. When he saw his self begin to cum through her eyes he felt her hit the floor with her own release. Here things became muddled.

Kouga could feel her panic but couldn't tell what it was from. He watched as she gathered her torn things and ran from him. Only one thought seemed to echo during her desperate flight from him. She thought that he did not love her. He could feel the ache of her wound and feel her exhaustion as she had finally found shelter. He knew from her thoughts that she considered herself safe. She had masked her scent. As she settled onto the cave floor he relived her thoughts with her and could have howled in anguish as she thought about the moment she took the blow meant for Kagome. How could she think such a thing. Every part of her brought him joy. He would be lost if she died. Her thoughts were still roiling through her brain and he finally came to the crux of her thoughts.

He saw the moment where she suddenly realized that thier mating was not a dream. He saw as she looked at the proof on her skin and was ripped apart by her thoughts. She thought that he was just using her to get satisfaction until he could have Kagome. He became surronded by her anger. It grew in her until the heat turned into a cold thing that froze her heart in her chest. He watched the rest as she sensed him and started to run again. Helplessly he watched her fight like a wild thing against threats in her path. He saw her indecision to join Inuyasha and his companions. He saw her joy when she was reunited with Kya and felt her relief as Kirara took to the air carrying her far away from him. Suddenly the images were gone and he knew that she had passed out. Looking up he saw that he was still on the ground and Ayame was still crying before him. He could feel a tug and knew that his body was trying to wake up in the real world. He tried to speak and reach for Ayame when suddenly he was thrust back into reality. Above him stood Inuyasha.

"Wake up and come eat." Inuyasha said.

"Damn it did you have to wake me up." Kouga growled in frustration.

"Yeah I did asshole. You were growling in your sleep and looking like you wanted to shred something."

"Shit. Guess I should tell you thanks then."

So saying Kouga had stood and made his way to the fire where the others were already eating. As the meal was done the others started to break camp. Kouga watched as Inuyasha looked at each of his friends.

"Well guys I guess that we should head back to the old hags." Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha Kaede is not an old hag." Kagome yelled.

"Keh. So you guys want to go back or what." Inuyasha questioned and was answered with a chorus of yes's. Turning to Kouga he said, "So you going to head back to your pack now. That's where your two friends went when you took off."

"If you don't mind I think I will follow you to this village." Kouga said.

On the way he had asked Kagome about her village when she said she needed to go home. He couldn't say that he was very surprised when she said she was from the future. The girl had always been different. You could look at the way that she dressed and tell that. The way she described everything was vivid and mind boggling but he stored the information away so that he could process it later as the need arose. It was only 500 years away and he would still be a young man at that point. The information would be useful. As they reached the village Kagome had seperated herself from the rest to reach the portal that would take her to the future. The rest continued on to the village.

People stopped to greet them and ask how the search was progressing. Miroku and Sango answered all of their questions as Inuyasha led Kouga to the home of Kaede. When they reached her hut Inuyasha yelled out to announce his presence. An old voice called out to tell them to enter. As they passed trought the entraceway they entered the dim little hut to see a wizened old woman sitting near a fire.

"Hey old lady this is Kouga. He will be staying with us for awhile." Inuyasha said as he moved to a corner of the room to sit.

"Hello Kaede-sama. It is nice to meet you." Kouga said as he bowed before the old woman.

"It's nice to finally meet you to. I have heard much about you in the past years." Kaede told the wolf.

"I am sure that none of it was good. Please be assured that I am not here to cause any problems. Inuyasha and myself have reached an understanding." Kouga said.

"Well that is good to here. You are welcomed to our village."

Just then Sango and Miroku entered the hut and found places to sit near the fire. Kouga leaned against the wall near the door and watched as the monk and slayer filled Kaede in on everything that had happened since they had been in the village last. As they reached his part of the story they glanced at him to see if they should speak. Kouga shook his head in permission. No sense in trying to hide anything. The woman had eyes and could tell that Ayame and Kya had not returned with the others. When the tale finally drew to a close everyone noticed the lateness of the hour and decided that it was time to eat the evening meal. As they began to pass out bowls of some kind of stew Shippou came in from playing with some of the village children. Kouga joined the others near the fire to eat his meal. He listened to the others talk amongst themselves and wondered what he would sleep that night. As the meal drew to a close he stood and gave Kaede his thanks for the meal. Moving outdoors he made his way into Inuyasha's forest to find a place to sleep. Finding a small clearing with a well nearby he decided that this was as good a place as any. As he moved to lay down on the dew laden grass he heard someone approaching. Turning he saw Inuyasha making his way into the clearing.

"You know none of them realize why we have trouble staying indoors with them." Inuyasha said as he moved to Kouga's side and sat down.

"How can they none of them possess the same senses that we do." Kouga said as he followed Inuyasha's lead and sat down.

"Yeah. I can handle our little group ok but the smell and sound of the rest of the village bothers me. Can't tell them that though because the just wouldn't understand. It would be an insult. So what was going on this morning."

"I was dreaming."

"Must have been one hell of a dream."

"I don't know how to explain it. I was dreaming of Ayame but it was more than that. I felt what she felt. I knew what she thought. What I saw brought me no comfort. When I marked her I think some kind of link was made between us. For the past week I have felt things at odd times. I know that it is her that I feel through the mark now. Have you ever heard of this happening."

"Shit. Can't say that I have. Then again you have to remember that most demons won't come near a filthy hanyou like me so how would I hear these things. I know that I will mark my mate when I find her but what I know is all instinct."

"Damn. I am sorry I forgot. Just so you know it has never bothered me. I have always respected you for being such a tough fighter. Like I said I only gave you a hard time because it was fun to piss you off."

"Keh. You did a good job of it too."

"So how long do you think they will stay gone."

"Don't know but Kya better come back soon. Bitch shouldn't have left like that."

"I know what you mean. I am worried about Ayame. I haven't felt anything from her all day. This absence of her feelings is making me nervous."

"Tomorrow you should ask the old lady about that. She is a miko and might be able to explain why you are feeling this tie to Ayame."

"Yeah I'll do that. Well if you don't mind I think I will stay here and try to rest."

"Sure see ya in the morning baka."

The next morning Kouga had made his way back to the home of the miko Kaede. After eating a bowl of rice for breakfast Sango and Miroku had excused themselves from the others to help the villagers. Shippou left shortly after to go play. With only the old miko, Inuyasha and himself in the hut Kouga tried to figure out how to approach the miko about his dilema. Inuyasha solved the problem for him.

"Hey old lady Kouga has a problem and needs to see if you can help him."

"I will help in any way that I can." Kaede said.

"Good see he ahh... Shit maybe you should explain this to her yourself. I'll just go outside."

"You don't have to Inuyasha. Maybe something in what is said will help you later on." Kouga said thinking about his conversation with Inuyasha the night before. "Miko-sama. Where to begin." He heaved a sigh.

"Just start at the beginning."

So he did. Kouga explained how he truly felt about Ayame. How he had loved her for years but was unable to act on it. He told Kaede how he had felt when he saw his mate fall to the demon. The rage and sense of failure. Kouga explained how he had marked Ayame to save her life and how he had ran off to protect her. The next part was harder. He actually blushed as he explained how he had tried to attend to her wounds and ended up mating and remarking Ayame. Kaede listened to it all as he told her how Ayame ran and the feelings he began to have. Finally, he told her about his dream and the things that he saw. As he finished Kaede sat silently.

"So what do you think this means. Your a miko so I am sure that you know that there are different types of marks. What I did would be considered a possession mark. A true mark between mates involves both marking each other and creating a bond between souls." Kouga said.

"Hmm. This is unusual. If you don't mind I must touch you and look into your soul." Kaede said to him.

"If you think that it would help be my guest."

"Please relax. I will have to touch you to help the link."

Kaede rose to her feet and walked over to where Kouga was seated. Kneeling at his side Kaede took his face between her palms and closed her eyes. Kouga watched as her eyes twitched behind her lids. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she continued to sit motionless for many minutes. Finally he felt her palms slide away from his face and her eyes opened. She gave his a quizzical look before she stood and moved back to her original seat away from him. Kouga could see her trying to form her thoughts before she spoke. She looked him in the eyes before she decided to speak.

"I am not sure how you did it but somehow you have tied a small part of your soul to hers. True mates are soul bonded and share thoughts and emotions freely through that bond. What you have done should be impossible."

"So your saying that this part of my soul is picking up her thoughts and feelings."

"Yes. It is not strong enough to catch her thoughts while she is awake but in sleep if you are calm you should be able to slip into her mind. Her emotions are simple and easily come to you with the bond. That is all I can tell you I am afraid."

"Thank you miko-sama. You have given me much to think about. One last question please. I have not felt her emotions for two days. Do you think that she is ok."

"Yes. From what you told me she had a hard time when she ran. You also said that you thought that she had passed out. I think that she must be exhausted and simply sleeping to regain her strength. Worry not. I think your mate will be fine."

"Thank you again." Kouga said as he stood and made his way out of the hut. He could feel Inuyasha behind him.

"So now you know. Feel any better." Inuyasha asked the silent wolf.

"Hmm." Kouga grunted.

"So why did you want me to stay in there."

"You said last night that all you knew was instinct. I thought that it might help to hear it discussed. Not sure how helpful it was though. I can't figure out how I tied my soul to hers."

"Hey don't worry about it. Want to grab the runt and take him hunting."

"Sure."

They had tracked Shippou down and they had watched over the kit as he killed his first rabbit. The kit was so excited that he had been included with the men that they had decided to take him hunting with them from now on as well as start training him in defensive skills. That night Shippou couldn't shut up about all of the things he would like to learn. As Kouga and Inuyasha began to leave the hut to find a place to sleep for the night the kit had grabbed onto the bottom of Kouga's leg. He begged to go with them. Inuyasha grabbed the kit by the scruff of his neck and placed him on his shoulder. Parting ways in the forest they said they would meet up again the next morning.

Kouga had not dreamed the night before. Trying to calm his mind he reached for Ayame in his thoughts. He could not find her. He tried all night and still nothing. The next morning he met Inuyasha and Shippou and spent another day training. Inuyasha and he took turns working with the kit. The day passed quickly and it was time to take a break and join the others for the evening meal. All three cleaned up before entering Kaede's hut. Upon learning that it would be just a little longer before the meal would be served the kit went outside to play while the others all sat around relaxing for a moment.

They had not been sitting there long when Kagome had entered the hut with the kit. She had asked if they were ready to go telling them she did not have much time to spend in the past before she had to return home. Inuyasha on hearing her explanation told her to just go home and come back in a month when she was done. Before the sentence was finished Kagome was already out the door and gone. Poor Shippou could only complain about how she had forgot to leave his ninja food. The others just continued with what they were doing before she had came in. Dinner was a quiet affair until suddenly Kouga recieved a surge of emotion from Ayame. He gasped loudly as he felt fear pour through him. Just as quickly the feeling was smothered in icy rage.

"Kouga are you ok. What's the matter." Inuyasha questioned.

"I'm not sure. For a second Ayame was scared and then she got mad. Hold on let me concentrate."

Kouga tried to clear his mind as he pictured Ayame. Sure the old lady said that the tie was not that strong but hey if he had somehow bond his soul to hers maybe by will alone he could find out what was wrong. Suddenly he was filled with answers and he didn't like it one bit. He tried to see where she was or pick it from her brain but he could not. Either she didn't know or somehow a part of her knew that he was intruding on her thoughts and blocked the knowledge from him. Opening his eyes he cut the link and looked at Inuyasha.

"Well I can tell you that Kya and Ayame are both fine. Kirara will be staying with them indefinetly. Also if Ayame had her way I'd be dead right now. She found out."

"What the hell did she find out." Inuyasha asked.

"Apparently she didn't realize that I had marked her until now. She's really pissed off."

"Shit. I guess that means they aren't coming back anytime soon. So what should we do now."

"Don't know. If I saw her thoughts correctly she wants to stay gone at least two weeks."

"Why two weeks."

"Well a possession mark only lasts a week unless it is renewed. I think that she wants to stay gone two just to be on the safe side."

"Hmm. She may stay gone longer than that. If she is truly waiting on your mark to fade." Kaede said to Kouga.

"Why do you say that miko-sama." Kouga said.

"Well as I said you have tied your soul to hers. I think that it may make the mark permanent on her. Oh it will not be as noticeable as a true mating mark but I think that some sign will still be visible. Of course I could be wrong."

"You might be right. If that is the case she will not be back for sometime to come. Maybe I should just go back to my pack."

As Kouga said this he hung his head in defeat. How would he handle this situation with her so very angry with him. It looked like he had finally suceeded in pushing her away for good. Maybe he should just give up.

Inuyasha could see the defeat clearly on Kouga's face. It did not sit well with him. For so long the two had acted like enemies only to find out that they could be friends. Inuyasha had been enjoying the last few days spent with the wolf. The two got along well and Kouga was fast on his way to be his best friend. He felt like he had to do something to help out a friend in need. Suddenly a plan began to form in his head. Turning he could see the sad look on Sango's face as she looked at Kouga.

"Hey Sango. Didn't you say awhile back that you wished that some work could be done in your village to repair the damage done."

"Yes I did. I would like to work on the perimeter wall and maybe some of the huts." Sango said.

"Well here is the perfect oportunity. Looks like no one will be back for at least a month. Why don't you do it now."

"Hmm your right. This will give me plenty of time to get a good start."

"You know it wouldn't be safe to send you on your own. Since the rest of us aren't doing anything I think that we should all go. Besides just think of all the work that could be done if you had help." Turing to Kouga he addressed him next. "So what do you say wolf. Want to go help rebuild a village. Looks like you got nothing better to do."

Kouga looked at him like he had grown another head. Did he really want to help the slayer rebuild her village. It would keep his mind off of Ayame. Yes there was merit in the idea. He liked this group and enjoyed his new found friendship with Inuyasha. Yeah it was a good idea.

"Sure. Sounds like a good idea. I guess if you guys want to we could go tomorrow and if you want get scared I can carry you all on my back in my wolf form." Kouga said.

"Alright then it is all settled. Let's all get some sleep and tomorrow we get to ride the big wolf to the slayer village." Inuyasha laughed.

"Dog breath don't try to make me sound like a household pet like you."

"Aw does if hurt the little wolfies feelings when I tease him."

"Fuck you."

"You'd love to asshole."

Kouga eyes got big and he could only sputter in exasperation as no suitable comeback came to him. Everyone was openly laughing at this point even Kaede. Miroku had tears in his eyes as he held his belly. Seeing this Kouga stood and left the hut. Thier laughter followed him for a long way.

The next morning dawned bright and the group met in front of Kaede's as soon as everyone had a bite to eat. Things were packed quickly and everyone said goodbye to Kaede. Inuyasha made sure to remind her that should Kagome look for them to let her know they would be back in a months time. If Kya and Ayame returned to send Kirara for them. Finally they all moved outside of the village to the clearing by the bone eaters well. This was the best place for Kouga to transform so that no homes would be damaged by the large wolf body. Inuyasha had never had time to watcha humanoid demon change to its transformed state. Usually they were so busy fighting him he always missed this part. He watched closely as Kouga stood away from them.

As they all looked on Kouga's eyes began to tint red and they air appeared to shimmer around him. Suddenly it was like his body went through a rapid mutation. At one time hair sprouted all over, claws elongated, his face changed and he just got bigger all over. The whole group could only stare in wonder at the spot where Kouga once stood in his humanoid form. Now there was a huge wolf in it's place. They watched the wolf stretch his head to the sky. When he looked back down his eyes were blue once more. As they all continued to stand motionless the wolf began to growl at them. The sound vibrated through the air and scared the humans. Inuyasha and Shippou began to laugh. Sango and Miroku watched in wonder as Shippou ran to the wolf as it lay down on the ground.

"Inuyasha are you sure that it is safe to approach him." Miroku asked in concern.

"Miroku that is still Kouga. You knew that he was going to transform. What are you and Sango worried about." Inuyasha looked at them in exasperation.

"Well the last time he looked like this he wanted to tear our heads off."

As Miroku said this Kouga began to growl again. Shippou and Inuyasha both shook thier heads in agreement and laughed again. Kouga continued to growl at the two other demons. Finally it seemed as if the conversation came to a close as Shippou started to climb onto the wolf's back.

"Look Kouga says if you want to get there by dark to come on. He isn't going to wait all day for you to get over your fear. He also wants to remind you that the last time you saw him transformed his mate had just had an arm punched through her gut while being poisoned." As he finished telling them what Kouga had told him to Inuyasha too climbed onto the wolf's back.

Sango looked at the wolf closely before grabbing Miroku's hand and dragging him towards the wolf. As she reached it's head she watched one big blue eye blink at them. Reaching out slowly she touched him gently on the snout and rubbed her hands in his soft fur. Making up her mind she turned to Miroku and motioned him to get on. Once they too were on his back Kouga stood and his massive paws and growled once. Inuyasha had just enough time to yell hold on before the beast sprang into a run. The wind whipped through thier hair and they were on the way.

They traveled at this pace all throught the day stopping only long enough to take natures call. As the sun began to set they reached the abandoned demon slayers village. Stopping short of the gate Kouga lay on the ground for the others to dismount. Shippou was the last to get off as he snuggled into Kouga's soft fur. As his little feet touched the ground Kouga shifted back to his humanoid form. Stretching Kouga looked at the little kit that was tugging on the bottom of his fur wrap.

"That was fun may we do it again." Shippou said. "It was almost like riding on my dads back."

"Well we might." Kouga said seeing the faint sadness in the kits eyes as he thought of his father.

"I too would enjoy it." Sango stated as she opened the gate to the village. Turning to look at the others she bowed formally and stated, "Welcome to the taijia village."

That night passed quickly as they found a mostly intact hut to set up in. Dinner was a meal of cold rice they had brought from Kaede's and then they all went to sleep in preperation for the next day. At dawn they were all awake and ready to go. Shippou was given the task of collecting water for the day and the others inspected the perimeter wall. It didn't take them long to see how much work needed to be done. The wall itself was not in very bad shape. Only two spots really needed new wood. It took no time for Kouga and Inuyasha to fell a couple of trees and bring them back to repair the wall. A job that would have taken Sango herself at least two and a half weeks to complete was done in a little over half a day. They ate another meal of cold rice before Inuyasha, Kouga and Shippou went fishing for the evening meal. Sango and Miroku stayed in the village to see where to start next.

Thier evening meal passed pleasently as they were all filled with a sense of accomplishment. They talked over all of the work that needed to be done inside of the village. Most of the huts had been destroyed years ago. What was left had suffered in neglect and ill weather. There was alot of work to do. Sleep came easily to everyone and the next morning they decided to start at the front of the village and work thier way back. They would take each hut one at a time repairing what they could or totally rebuilding the structures. They ate a peaceful morning meal before getting started. Each person worked hard and at noon they broke off to have a meal. After lunch they started again, working for a few more hours before calling it a day. Once again the demons of the group went to hunt. When they returned the meal was started and everyone broke to get cleaned up after a hard days work. That night they all talked about the day retelling funny events that had happened while they worked before finally going to bed.

They passed almost a month in this fashion until suddenly they realized they were done. The last building had been repaired. There was nothing left to do. Sango was the first to notice. She and Miroku had stepped away from the hut they were working on to get a drink of water. Hearing Kouga teasing Shippou she had turned to look at them. Her eyes passed over the newly constructed buildings until they found her friends. Thier was Shippou running from Kouga to jump on Inuyasha's head as he tried to hand a mat on the doorway of the hut they were working on. Turning full circle it hit her. That was the last building. It was done. For a moment she couldn't breathe as she saw it the way it had once been. Full of warriors strong and true. As her vision blurred she blinked her eyes. Feeling something wet on her face she reached up to her face only to realize it was tears. Something in her chest lurched. Looking at her friends she realized they had done this for her. They had came here when they didn't have to and helped her to rebuild a dead village because it was important to her. She was important to them. Looking at them she knew that this was her family. They had been drawn together through adversity and created a bond. Who would have thought that a demon slayer would call demons her family. Wanting to tell them how much they meant to her she took a step only to trip over her own feet. Before she could hit the ground strong arms caught her. Through the tears now streaming down her face she saw the prayer beads concealing Miroku's wind tunnel.

"Sango what's wrong. Did you hurt yourself." Miroku asked in concern. Sango only reply was a sob which made her cry harder. Years of pent up emotions were suddenly let loose at one time. Hearing her sobs the others came running.

"Monk what the hell did you do to her." Inuyasha yelled.

"I assure you I have done nothing. I was turning to offer lady Sango a drink when I saw her stumble. As soon as I touched her I noticed that she was crying and asked her why. She never answered me. I don't know what happened to her."

"Sango are you ok. Come on you need to talk to us."

Sango continued to sob burying her face in the monks robes as her body shook with the force of her emotions. She tried deperately to get herself under control. Finally the tears began to subside and the sobs turned to small hiccups. Sitting up she wiped her eyes before looking at her friends and giving them a watery smile. They all looked at her funny.

"Lady Sango what happened." Miroku said as he took her hand.

"It's done. The village looks just like it did before the demons attacked us. I'm sorry for scaring you all. It's just I looked up and suddenly I realized that it was finished. I could see it as it was when I was a girl. Then I realized that even though that life was gone now the kami's had granted me a new family. You guys. You are my family now and I feel blessed to have each of you." Sango said as she squeezed Miroku's hand.

"Damn woman don't scare me like that." Inuyasha said

"I'm sorry it just hit me all of the sudden. I hope your not offended."

"Keh I should be. I can't belive that your just now figuring out that we are family."

"We are." Shippou said.

"Damn you too. Can't belive this. I guess you didn't know either Miroku." he asked and Miroku shook his head in confusion. "You know I could expect this from the humans but I at least thought that Shippou would have realized that we are pack. Pack is family."

"So you consider us pack." Sango said.

"Yes I have for sometime. Hell even the wolf is extended pack now."

Everyone looked at Inuyasha in surprise.

"What why are you guys looking at me like that."

"Well I guess I speak for all of us when I say that we never expected this. Oh don't look offended. I guess that we all should have realized sooner. Excluding Kouga for a moment the rest of us have been together for a long time now. None of us have any family left to speak of. We fight, laugh, cry,eat, sleep and live everyday with one another and never realized that is what a family does. Not until this moment. I think that we are all stunned by the gift we have been given." Miroku said.

"Well dog boy I think that you have shocked everyone enough for one day. What do you say that we give them a second to catch thier breath." Kouga said as he began to run out of the village.

"Hey who you calling dog boy. Wait up you ass."

The next two days were spent just enjoying the camraderie in the group. Everyone spent time teasing each other and just taking a much needed break. At the evening meal on the second day they decided to head back to Kaede's. It was time for Kagome to come back and it was time to start the quest again. That night after the Miroku, Sango and Shippou were asleep Kouga and Inuyasha walked around the village enjoying the beautiful night that nature had given them.

"So Kouga I didn't want to bother you before but do you still feel Ayame."

"Yes. Not as much as I did before but sometimes I feel things from her. I haven't seen her thoughts since we left the old miko's home."

"Hmm. You think that's a bad thing."

"I'm not sure. Inuyasha I know what you did by bringing me here. I had been contemplating going back to my pack and trying to let her go again. You got my mind off of the potential problems by bringing me here. Most days so much else has been going on that I didn't have any time to worry. Being here has given me time to calm myself down and think. I know trying to get Ayame to trust me will be hard. She probably won't belive that I mean it when I tell her that she is the only one I want to be with but I have to make her belive it. I chose her years ago and I won't back down now that I have her again. I'm not going to let anything stand in my way. Ayame is mine and I plan to keep her for a long time."

"That's good. You got a plan."

"Hell no any ideas."

"Not a one sorry."

"Shit guess you better get the monk to pray for me. Looks like I am going to need all the help I can get."

Inuyasha began to laugh. Kouga couldn't help but join him. Thier laughter rang for a long time. In the hut you could see the monk, demon slayer and kit smiling in thier sleep.