InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Home ❯ III ( Chapter 3 )

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

"Ohayo, Inuyasha."

Gold eyes blinked rapidly into blue eyes before everything registered. "Kouga!" he shouted, shoving the wolf prince away as he stood up on the bed.

"AHH!" Kouga called out, and sucked in his breath as Inuyasha shoved right where his wound was.

Inuyasha's eyes widened when he realized what he just did. "I'm..I'm sorry, Kouga. You startled me," he said, walking up to the wolf to inspect his injury.

Kouga stepped backwards as Inuyasha moved forward. "What, what are you doing, Inuyasha?"

"Inspecting your damn wounds, what else?" he growled.

Kouga's turn to blink. "Why would you want to look at them? Why are you here anyways? And why were you sleeping in MY bed?!" Kouga now shouted, growing angry as things he hadn't realized yet hit him.

Inuyasha sighed as he stopped about a foot from Kouga. "Shippou and I were in the area, so we figured we'd stop in and say hi. We were greeted quite warmly with spears at our throats and threats of being eaten. Right when I was about to tear into your clan, Ginta and Hakkaku came running through carrying you. I brought you to your bed and drew the poison out, cleaned you up, put some medicine on you, and wrapped you up."

Inuyasha sighed at having to go through all the details of why he was here, but the wolf was unconscious through it all so he had no choice. "After you were sleeping comfortably we left you to heal and sat out front. In the middle of the night I came in to grab some blankets for the kit and I, and found you whimpering in your sleep, you wimpy wolf. You were cold and had a fever, so, I laid next to you to keep you warm. Thus, here we are," he said, arms opening to accentuate the end of the story.

Kouga stood still for a moment, taking in all what Inuyasha had told him, and nodded more-so to himself about understanding everything he heard. Inuyasha watched him nod and then raise his arms. He cocked a brow at him in wonder.

"I give you permission to look at my laceration," Kouga said defiantly.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes at the wolf prince and began to untie the wraps. The wound looked better, but would still take another day or two until it was completely healed over. If Kouga had been trying to fight more after he was struck, the poison had surely moved around some in his bloodstream.

Inuyasha heard a bustle behind him and turned to see a few guards standing nearby, eavesdropping no doubt. "You two!" Inuyasha growled, startling the guards. "Get me some fresh water and towels."

The two nodded and left the two alone once again. Kouga raised an eyebrow at Inuyasha as he rustled through a bag on the floor, intent on finding something.

"You've been here less than a day and you're already commanding my tribe?"

"Tch. They're listening because they know it is to help you, you damn wolf," Inuyasha said, looking up once he found his prize.

Kouga opened his mouth to say something, but the two guards had returned with the requested water and towels. Inuyasha nodded at the guards in thanks for their cooperation, then dipped a cloth into the fresh water and kneeled down in front of the prince. Kouga's eyebrows shot up through the air at seeing Inuyasha on his knees in front of him, and couldn't resist some teasing.

"Who would've ever thought: the great hanyou, Inuyasha, on his knees in front of a wimpy wolf prince," he sneered cheerfully.

Inuyasha glanced up for a second, then turned his attentions to doctoring up his so-called patient. He dabbed the wet cloth around the injury, then got a fresh cloth wet and continued the action. He figured it best to just ignore Kouga until he was strong enough to get a nice beating from the half-demon.

Kouga, on the other hand, was not enjoying being ignored. So, the teasing continued. "So Inuyasha, have you ever got floor burn before?" he asked with the click of his tongue.

Reaching for his bottle of ointment, Inuyasha glanced back up at Kouga. "I'm not even going to ask what you mean by that." He unscrewed the bottle and dabbed his fingers into it and began to spread the white cream on the wolf's skin. His nose twitched as he applied it; the odor was strong, and stung his sensitive nose.

Something on Kouga's body twitched as well, but not from the smell. The sight of Inuyasha on his knees, being almost kind to him, and his nose twitching in an almost cute way, was beginning to turn the wolf prince on. 'How is this even possible? It must be getting close to mating season!' he thought. But in reality, he knew that was quite some time away. 'I just haven't gotten laid in awhile,' he thought. Confirming this as his reason for being aroused while Inuyasha was in front of him, Kouga decided to just ignore his dirty thoughts until the hanyou wasn't inches from his throbbing member.

While in the process of re-wrapping Kouga in the bandages, Inuyasha was also having an inner-monologue with himself. He tried to school his features as if concentrating on Kouga's injury, rather than show on his face his inner turmoil.

'Tch. Go figure, the wimpy wolf gets me on my knees and he immediately gets turned on. He probably thinks I can't smell it since the medicine is so strong. What does he take me for? But damnit..why is smelling his arousal turning me on?! Gods, I can practically hear it pulsating through his loin cloth. Man, I need to get laid.'

Inuyasha, realizing he was at the end of the wrap, tied off the end of the cloth around Kouga's waist and stood up. He stumbled as he did so, since he'd been on his knees for longer than he was used to, and reached to steady himself by grabbing onto Kouga's shoulders. That would have been fine if Kouga had half the strength he normally had, so once Inuyasha grabbed him and pushed, Kouga's feet slipped from beneath him and the two came crashing down.

At least, that's what Kouga had expected to happen. He closed his eyes in anticipation of the pain he knew he would receive, but never felt the impact. He did feel, though, an arm wrapped tightly behind his shoulders, a body flush against his, and a leg between his. Kouga cracked open an eye to be faced with strands of silver hair. Inuyasha's head was pressed against his and Kouga had a moment of feeling protected wash over him. It was a nice feeling, he thought. No one had ever protected him before. Well, Kagome had. But she wasn't around any more. And at the moment, Kouga didn't feel sad about that like he used to be.

Coming out of his thoughts, Kouga heard, and felt, a shudder pass through Inuyasha. Kouga actually had a moment of panic rush through him if Inuyasha had actually hurt himself while trying to not injure the wolf demon. "I-Inuyasha?" he asked, fists clenching fabric and soft hair. His eyes opened wide when he realized he had thrown his arms around Inuyasha and was holding on to him tightly.

Kouga nudged Inuyasha on the back with his balled fists, still holding on to his shirt and hair. "Don't move," Inuyasha ordered gruffly.

Kouga stopped moving, but when Inuyasha didn't attempt to move them out of this position or say anything, he shifted his body under Inuyasha and he couldn't help but groan loudly.

"Nn..Fuck, I said don't move!" growled out Inuyasha.

This time, Kouga listened. He couldn't believe by moving that little bit would cause his body to react that much. His groin had pressed up against Inuyasha's, and the feel of it and even the thought of it made him flush with want.

So now what? They couldn't stay like that forever. Kouga felt Inuyasha pull his head back from where it was resting against his, and the two came face to face, nose to nose. Kouga was lost in those half lidded, golden eyes. His senses became aware of every little thing about Inuyasha. His breath coming out short and hot, mouth open just slightly, enough to see one of his pearly white canines. He even noticed a dust of pink across his cheeks. A loose strand of hair fell into his face, and Kouga couldn't help himself but to move it out of his face.

When Inuyasha dared to pull back and faced Kouga, he couldn't move. He was being absorbed by the deepest depths of blue he'd ever seen. Kouga's eyes could rival that of a raging ocean. He also mentally noted how rare it was to see Kouga blushing and how attractive it was.

'I can't bring myself to move away from him,' Inuyasha thought. Battling with his emotions, and almost giving into temptation when he saw Kouga's hand reach up and brush back one of his silver strands, he closed his eyes for a brief second to try to regain some control. When he opened his eyes, though, he saw Kouga moving his head forward, closing the small gap between the two.

'Oh Gods! I want to kiss him! His lips are so full and look painfully soft. Oh, the look on his face when his eyes are closed..screw it, I'm kissing him whether or not he likes it!' Kouga came to his conclusion and began to bring his mouth to meet Inuyasha's. He saw the hanyou's eyes open back up and stare back in surprise, but didn't fight against his advancement.

Less than an inch apart, the two were so close they were breathing in each other's own breath. Their eyes kept roaming over the other's face, confirming that neither were going to stop this. Gold eyes closed followed by a set of blue, their hearts racing at the anticipation.

'This is it!' Inuyasha thought.

'This is really going to happen!' Kouga thought.

Lips just about to touch...

"Kouga! Kouga! The Northern Tribe is here to speak with you!" came Ginta's voice from outside the cave, dangerously close.

The wolf and dog demon both looked wide eyed at each other, and Inuyasha pulled back with all his strength, bringing the wolf with him as he stood. He looked at the wolf, and then at the mouth of the cave as Ginta and Hakkaku came running in, followed by a few of the wolves.

Kouga sighed as he saw the Northern Tribe members following close behind. He took a seat in his carved throne of sorts, and waited for the meeting to begin. He looked at Inuyasha who shoved his hands into his haori and stood to his right. He glared dangerously ahead, as if daring anyone to make a move against the wolf prince.

Kouga couldn't help but smile at how protective Inuyasha was being of him. He couldn't fathom as to why just yet. Perhaps because he didn't have Kagome to watch after anymore? But he did have the kit, so that should be enough, right?

He turned to say something to Inuyasha right when the Northern Tribe's speaker approached. "Prince Kouga, we have come to discuss with you about arranging a marriage with our Princess Ame."

Kouga immediately blanched. So did Inuyasha. No one seemed to notice, or no one seemed to care. Kouga had forgotten about his promise to wed the Northern Tribe's Princess in order to help the rise of a stronger wolf tribe since the destruction of the Northern's years earlier by Naraku.

"Princess Ame has been wanting to meet you for quite some time, and looks forward to being your mate for life," the dark haired, dark eyed wolf demon said happily.

"When does she want to meet him," Ginta asked cautiously.

"She requested his presence immediately."

"That's ridiculous!" shouted Inuyasha. "He's getting over an injury, he can't travel yet!"

"Kouga, I advise you to tame your dog," came the snide remark from the spokesman.

"Fucking mangy wolf, you better watch what you say!" Inuyasha growled, his fists down at his sides, balled up in anger.

"Kouga, I think it's time you put a muzzle on your guard dog!" growled back the wolf demon.

"Fu--" the hanyou started, but was interrupted by a demanding Kouga.

"Inuyasha, enough. Thank you for your concern, but it is my duty to go visit the Princess of the Northern Tribe," he said defiantly, his eyes though betraying his emotions. Looking back at the unwelcome visitors he said, "We'll leave tomorrow. We shall discuss further arrangements after dinner. Right now, I'd like to rest, so please leave." He waved off the entire cave of wolves and demons alike with the flick of his wrist.

They all bowed to him and retreated outside to set up teams to search for food and start the fire for breakfast. Kouga sighed audibly and Inuyasha turned his attention back to the young wolf prince from watching the pack walk out.

Kouga glanced up to face Inuyasha and saw the hanyou look at him blankly. "Don't look at me like that," he sighed again.

"Like what? I'm not looking at you like anything. Do what you want. I'm taking the kit tonight and we're continuing our journey!" Inuyasha growled, turning away from Kouga, heading back to his pack long forgotten on the stone floor.

Kouga watched as Inuyasha gathered the medicines and wrapping and stuffed it into his bag aggressivley. "What'd the medicine ever do to you?" he asked, jokingly.

Inuyasha glared back up at the wolf, "It got me closer to you than I ever wanted to be!"

Kouga's eyebrows shot up at hearing that. He really hadn't expected a reply, and now it kind of hurt. Doing what he usually does when he's upset, Kouga shot back, "Good riddance! You almost had me lower my standards on a mate...ALMOST!!

Inuyasha had been crouching to pick up his things, and hadn't moved after hearing Kouga's remark for a long, silent minute. He then slowly rose with his bag, turned to Kouga and stared at him for a long hard moment, eyes glaring daggers into his soul. The sharp points of the dagger hurt Kouga, seeing those eyes, sad yet dangerous.

"Inuyasha..I'm..I'm sor-" he started.

"Save it you damn wolf. I'm out of here. Nice seeing ya!" he yelled, his words dripping with saracasm. Inuyasha threw the bag over his shoulder and walked towards the mouth of the cave.

"Wait!" Kouga stumbled towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and Kouga fell into his back, clutching his shoulders to stay standing, head between Inuyasha's shoulder blades. "I'm sorry. I am just so confused now. My emotions since I woke up this morning feel like they're on a river rapid. I don't know what I want right now, but I do know I don't want you to leave." Kouga waited for Inuyasha to say something, but when he didn't his anger flared up again. "Heh, or I could just be yearning for a couple last good fucks before I'm married off," he sneered.

"Tch. Whatever wolf. I'm done with this. I'm done with you," Inuyasha said, taking a few steps away from Kouga.

"Where will you go?" the wolf called.

"Where ever the road may take me and the kit. To find a good lay!" He shrugged his bag back up on his shoulder and walked out.

Kouga stared after Inuyasha until the last of the silver strands disappeared down the mountain. He sighed heavily and returned to his bed. 'I really am a wimpy wolf. I can't even confront my own feelings. Feelings that have been there since the beginning, when we first met.' Kouga turned on his good side, and reached behind him to grab at the blanket Inuyasha had used the night before. He pulled it over him and brought it up to his nose. He took a deep breath and let the scent of the hanyou wash over his entire being. Every cell in his body tingled at the unique smell that was Inuyasha. Wild flowers, steel, and something else Kouga, after all these years, has yet to figure out. He smiled fondly for a moment before his eyes betrayed him and he fell asleep quickly.

Inuyasha walked out of the cave and scanned the area to find the kit. He found him over by Ginta and Hakkaku with some of the wolves, playing some sort of game Shippou undoubtedly taught them.

"Inuyasha! Want to join in?" the red-headed kitsune asked, turning slightly with a, well, fox grin in place.

"Get your things, we're leaving now!" Inuyasha glared, telling Shippou that there was no room for discussion.

The kit was used to Inuyasha and his ways much better now that he and the hanyou have been traveling on their own for so long. He smiled and thanked the wolf demons for playing with him, and they thanked him for showing them the new game, saying they'd show Kouga how to play on their journey tomorrow.

No one noticed the slight flinch come from Inuyasha at that statement; no one except Shippou. The young fox easily picked up on Inuyasha's emotions, and he could tell the dog demon was pretty upset at the moment. He rushed off to grab the rest of his belongings and joined Inuyasha at the edge of the cliff before they descended down the mountain, down by the waterfall, and back where they started at the stream.

Inuyasha found a large rock that was shaded by an over-hung tree, and landed over on it, and laying back. Shippou joined him and got out some of his ink and paper to begin drawing like he usually did while Inuyasha slept. He didn't know exactly why Inuyasha stopped here, it was still morning and they hadn't gone very far from Kouga's cave. Unless, of course, Inuyasha didn't want to distance himself from the wolf demon just yet. Perhaps he hoped Kouga would come for him. Why? Shippou had a feeling.

Early that morning, before the sun had begun to creep up from the horizon, Shippou woke to use the bathroom. Once he returned and the sleepy haze had left his brain and found that his usual sleeping partner was missing, he went inside the cave to find Kouga and Inuyasha lying close together, both looking quite peaceful. He smiled down at the two fondly and took his place back outside the cave.

He knew something must have happened that morning between the two, because he saw how Inuyasha reacted during the meeting with the Northern Tribe. He had been hanging in the back listening. So, Shippou knowing how both of the two demons acted when around each other, he knew words must've been passed and neither was up to apologizing. He sighed as he continued his sketch of Inuyasha lying on the rock in front of him, asleep. He then added a sketch of Kouga from memory next to Inuyasha. Both with that same look of contentment that he had seen earlier that morning. A look he would never forget. A look he might never see again if the two didn't speak to each other after this.

The sun had reached its highest point in the sky by the time Shippou put the finishing touches on his sketch of his friends. He saw Inuyasha stir so he gently tucked the picture and the rest of his things in his bag. He sat back and looked down at the flowing stream and watched as trout swam by. He pulled out one of his toys that he used his fox magic to turn into a pole with a hook and caught two fish quite quickly, and set to work to make he and Inuyasha some lunch since they skipped out on breakfast.

Inuyasha stood and stretched his body, letting each bone crack as he flexed. He yawned, and smiled when he saw Shippou using his fox magic to start a fire for the fish to cook over. He walked over to the kit, made a fist, and soundly knocked the kit on the head. "Why'd you let me sleep so late? We could've covered a lot of ground by now."

"Mmm, sorry Inuyasha. I didn't know what you wanted to do, and this is such a nice spot. I got a lot of drawings done here," Shippou said while cleaning the fish before throwing it over the fire.

"Show me them after we eat?" Inuyasha asked, sitting next to the kit.

"Of course." Shippou smiled at the demon.

The two sat in relative silence during their meal, and then took a dip in the stream to wash up before they continued on their journey. As usual during their dips, Inuyasha dunked Shippou's head under water for a second, letting the red-head come back up sputtering. No matter how many times he's done it now, Shippou was never expecting it. He couldn't tell if he just let him do it because it was something brothers would do, or if he just let his guard down because he thought Inuyasha would grow out of tormenting the kitsune.

He patted the kit fondly on the back to make sure he got out all the water, and then would give him a cheeky grin in return of the scowl on the other end. A daily routine that Shippou never tired of, truly.

The two dried off and sat back up on the large rock from before. "Will you show me now, Shippou?" Inuyasha asked. He was quite proud of the kitsune and his artwork. He was always good at drawing, since the day Kagome brought him over those kray-owns or whatever she called them. Kagome brought him over a large supply of art material to keep up his gift. And as the years went on, he became a master at art. He could do pretty much anything, and he had a photographic memory which helped him on his journeys when he'd come across something beautiful, but they couldn't stop there for very long.

Shippou pulled out a few of the sheets he had worked on, purposely placing the one of Inuyasha and Kouga on the bottom. Inuyasha looked through each one, studying them. He really loved Shippou's work, and would give his honest criticism, which always ended up being, "Brilliant!" "Breath-taking!" "Never stop, Shippou!" Shippou would always turn the same color as his auburn colored hair from head to toe after the compliments.

The kit did a few sketches of the waterfall and stream from different angles, and a close up of a bird. Detailed to the very last feather. Inuyasha was putting the second to last photo behind his stack to reveal the last photo. And he just sat there. Staring.

He finally began, "Shippou, what is the meaning of this?"

"Ah..um..well I sketched you sleeping here and you looked..empty..lonely. So I thought putting Kouga beside you would give you that look again," he finished softly.

"What look?"

"That look," Shippou said, pointing to the drawing.

"Tch. When have I ever made that face?" he said, shoving the sketches back into Shippou's hands.

"Never."

"Exactly!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"That is..until this morning.." Shippou said softly.

Inuyasha's sensitive hearing picked it up easily, of course. "What do you mean by that?"

Shippou put his drawings away and shuffled his feet on the stone before answering. "This morning, I found you laying with Kouga, and you both looked exactly like that picture. Both wearing the same content-filled expression on your face. It was rare, and it was beautiful. And you know my memory does not fail me, Inuyasha. That was exactly how you two looked."

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not interested in him. And that's FINAL!" He grabbed his things and started to walk off to wherever.

Shippou sighed and followed. Perhaps, he should've waited a bit longer in showing him the sketch. Either way, he knows, and it's up to Inuyasha what will happen next. Shippou jogged a bit to catch up with the hanyou, and the two walked in silence until night fell. They came across a village they had helped in the past, and were welcomed to stay in the shrine.

After dinner was served to them, Shippou began, "Do you have a destination this time, Inuyasha?"

"Hn."

"We have traveled east today. Shall we go north tomorrow?"

"Hn." Inuyasha finished his meal quickly and went to sit out on the front steps of the shrine. He looked up at the stars and just lost himself.

Shippou sighed at Inuyasha's coldness, and began to prepare their beds. He would come around eventually. Shippou talked to the elder of the village for the majority of the night until he had excused himself for rest. He bid Shippou and Inuyasha well wishes and breakfast would be served in the morning. Shippou thanked the man graciously and bowed to him as he left.

Shippou settled in his bed and just turned over when he heard Inuyasha enter the room and take his place in his futon. Shippou stayed, still not wanting to bother Inuyasha anymore today than he already had. Soon after, he passed out, wishing the hanyou well.

Inuyasha sat on his futon for awhile, watching his kit's breathing even out to show he had fallen asleep. He waited a bit before standing back up and walking back out to the front of the shrine's steps. He sat back down on the steps and took to looking at the stars again. It kind of put him in a sad place, but a peaceful place.

He always felt the stars were once great beings on earth, humans and demons alike, who had made an impact on the world and were now watching over those they left behind. He wondered if his father was one of those stars, shining brightly, directing the hanyou in the right directions. He always figured if he was up there, there would be another star placed right beside it, touching him with its glow, lovingly. That... that was Inuyasha's mother. He smiled at the thought.

"Lead me in the right direction otou-san, okaa-san," he pleaded. He leaned back on his arms and looked at the sky as a whole. A single star blinked rapidly for only a second, but he saw it. That star... was the North Star.

~*~*~*~*~*~


Kouga woke late in the afternoon by one of his wolves gently nudging him. He rolled over onto his back, still clutching tightly to the blanket that still held Inuyasha's scent so strongly. He brought it over his head while he stretched and took another deep breath to savor the smell.

'I am such an idiot. Why did I say those things to him?' he thought to himself. While he slept, he had dreamt of Inuyasha. From the day they first met, through all the battles they'd shared against each other and with each other. The name calling they did every time they saw each other. He had a lot of fond moments of Inuyasha now that he was able to relive them through his dreams. And knowing that there was no threat of him being killed now that Naraku was slain.

He pulled the cover back down and sat up. He folded the blanket Inuyasha had used and placed it off to the side for further use when he noticed his laceration didn't hurt as much anymore. The damn mutt actually did a good job. He stood and headed down to the stream to get a bath before his clan began shoving food down his throat. It had been since the day before that he ate last, and he actually was kind of hungry. But a bath did sound nice, even though he knew it would wash away the smell of Inuyasha against his skin.

He sat down on his favorite rock along the stream. It was the largest of the rocks and was shaded by a large branch that hung over. He laid back on it, and he could swear he smelled the hanyou some where. He sat up and stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed a few times. He smelled the embers of a fire burning out, and cooked trout. He lowered his nose and he could smell the hanyou again. He got on his hands and knees, and embarrassingly enough, he smelled the rock. Kitsune and hanyou. No doubt about it. He pin-pointed the spot he knew the kit sat and where Inuyasha had been laying. He placed his hand over the spot where he sensed Inuyasha the strongest, and smiled fondly at the memory of this morning. He truly was an idiot for saying such rash things. Inuyasha had been nothing but a good friend, taking care of him. And... and.. there was definitely something there after their little fall.

Kouga sighed as he stood. He draped his legs over the side of the rock into the stream and began to wash himself, taking care to not wet the bandages, because, Inuyasha wasn't here anymore to take care of him so they could not be replaced.

After he finished, and dried off, he crawled back over to the spot where Inuyasha once was. He laid down next to it, draping his arm over the Inuyasha he wished was there, and dozed off.

An hour later, he awoke hearing Ginta and Hakkaku calling for him. Once he sat up, they had just walked up. "We've been worried, Kouga," Hakkaku stated.

"Please, come back now so you can get something to eat," Ginta pleaded.

"Sorry to worry you guys, but you should know better, I can take care of myself. I just dozed off," he said, gathering his things and walking back towards his home.

The two gave each other knowing looks as they could definitely smell Inuyasha and Shippou in this area. The two were his most faithful followers, so it was only natural they would know their leader the best. And right now, Kouga was most definitely interested in Inuyasha. And they would do anything in their power to help him in any of his conquests; land or love.

Realizing that Kouga had left them, the two ran after their Prince. "Kouuuga!"

Back at the cave, they presented Kouga with lots of meat and drink to help him get better. He ate only a quarter of what they sat in front of him. He just couldn't eat. He just kept thinking of Inuyasha. And tomorrow. Oh how he dreaded tomorrow. It was better for him to get it over with than to wait it out. Perhaps, if Inuyasha was to show up, he would try his best to get out of it. He knew the only way to do so was if the Princess refused him, and then he could refuse her after, and that would be that. They could just sign a treaty instead. But it was custom: marriage before legal action. Just made it more simple. No gathering of all the leaders, no discussing this and that. No signing. Just a simple "I do." and that was it. The two clans would be connected and that was that.

Kouga sighed as the Northern Tribe entered to discuss traveling plans for the next morning. The wolf prince sat back in his seat and half-heartedly listened as they droned on about this and that and about the Princess. Her likes, dislikes. He really didn't care. But then, perhaps he should listen. Could come in handy later. He then asked questions. This made the tribe more loose and free with their answers. Letting the Prince of the Western Wolf Tribe, who was wanting to, learn about their princess was a good thing.

After about an hour or so of learning as much as he could stomach, Kouga bid everyone good night and took his place in his bed. He reached over to where he left his blanket and found nothing. "WHAT?!"

Ginta and Hakkaku came rushing over. "Kouga, what's wrong?" Ginta asked.

"The blanket, that was folded right here, where did it go?" he asked, searching his entire area for the precious cloth.

"Uh..I think one of the guards picked it up earlier when straightening the place up. Why do you need that blanket, Kouga?" Hakkaku asked, eyes scanning the entire place looking for the lost piece of cloth for his lord.

"It's..it's just my favorite. Find it!" Kouga ordered.

Ginta and Hakkaku gathered some other guards and wolves in search of the blanket that would smell of Kouga. About 20 minutes later Ginta and Hakkaku entered the cave, finding it a disaster area, and a pacing Kouga. "Uh..Kouga, we..we think we found the blanket you were looking for," Hakkaku started.

"It smells of you faintly, but mainly Inuyasha. We figured this must be the one you wanted," Ginta finished.

Kouga marched up to the two and snatched the cloth from Ginta's hands. "Where was it?"

"Uh..it was over by the Northern Tribe's camp. We suspect they stole it since it smelled of Inuyasha," came Hakkaku.

"They don't like him, Kouga," Ginta added.

"Fuck the Northern Tribe and not liking the mangy mutt! He's my friend! They can just go shove a stick further up their ass for all I care." Kouga seethed.

"Kouga, we are behind you completely in whatever you wish. Just give us the word and we'll help you achieve your goals," Ginta bowed.

Following Ginta, Hakkaku bowed and added, "Let us help you in any way we can, Prince Kouga."

Kouga smiled at the two's uncharacteristic behavior and bowed back. "I give you both my word, I will never steer our clan in the wrong direction. I'll do only what is good for the tribe. Have faith in me, as I have faith in you."

Everyone smiled, and Ginta and Hakkaku bid Kouga a good night and went out for patrol. One thing about being injured, and being the prince, is you were given complete solitude in the cave to help recover.

He took the blanket and brought it up to his nose to inhale the sweet smell of Inuyasha, but to his annoyance, it smelled of him, but also of the Northern Tribe. He growled and tried to find a part of the blanket that smelled the least of the darker tribe. Finding a large enough section, he curled up with it and left it under his nose and began to drift off.

'I really am becoming obsessed with his scent,' he thought. 'I'm going to have to find him and have him taint another blanket with his addicting scent.' He smiled at the thought of Inuyasha sharing another blanket with him, and with one last flutter of his lashes, he fell sound to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning Kouga gathered a few belongings and, of course, his favorite blanket, and put it in a bag that he could carry on his back. Everyone ate a big breakfast and were instructed of their duties while Kouga was gone.

It was late morning by the time they departed, the Northern Tribe leading with Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku, two more guards, and four wolves in all following. They headed northeast and stopped once for a drink and a quick bite to eat. Night fell quickly and they set up camp.

They sat around a fire for awhile, Kouga more or less day dreaming than paying any attention to what the other tribe had to say. He eventually excused himself and undid his bedroll and brought out his blanket. He smiled as he brought the cloth up to his nose, quickly falling into a deep sleep filled with dreams about clothes made from the fire rats, and hair so long and so soft, the strangest of colors, silver.

Kouga woke the next morning, feeling quite refreshed, and was even a bit more friendly towards the other tribe as they gathered their things to continue their trip. They had only just left the camp when a very ominous feeling came over both tribes. Everyone stopped and circled the prince, weapons at hand, waiting for the enemy to approach.

A loud crash was heard, and a flock of large demon birds came from the trees swooping down on the wolf tribes. Everyone fought back the demons; they were not that strong, the wolves were just a bit out numbered that's all. Kouga, one who was never able to stay out of a fight, especially when his clan was at risk, jumped out of the circle of his comrades and began to fight along with them.

Things seemed to be going ok, but one bird ended up sticking a talon in the same spot Kouga's previous injury was. He screamed in anguish and fell back, gripping his side. And then, it was like Kouga was watching everything in slow motion. From the corner of his eye he saw a blur of red run through the trees, and something large, and silver, with fur came out of no where. He heard someone scream something. A feeling of a demonic surge roared through the forest, a pretty light flashed, and screams the demon birds made before their bodies were ripped into pieces was almost the last thing he remembered.

The last thing he remembered before passing out was the voice of someone he cared about, someone calling his name. He reached up to touch the face above him, but it seemed to move out of his reach. "Inuyasha," he whispered as his hand fell back down and his eyes closed as the pain finally took him to unconsciousness.

TBC...