It was oddly quiet, she thought. Though it could have been just her perception. After all, to go from the noisome bother of Naraku's palace to the no-nonsense quiet of the skies was quite a difference. And no saimoshou, oddly enough. The bastard must have been too busy cleaning up after this latest incarnation's death.

It had been, indeed, a messy situation. The awkward, violent lumbering of the boar-like demon had brought it to the attention of the Inu-tachi almost immediately. Whilst it had not been an easy battle for the hanyou and his companions, neither had it ended well for Naraku. He had put a lot into this particular 'child', and it would be awhile before that lost strength was brought back.

The perfect chance, of course, for her to slip away undisturbed.

So now she flew through the skies, her eyes scanning the forest below her for anyone who could amuse her. As luck would have it, she could see a dust devil moving along at an alarming rate. Without doubt it was that wolf, the funny little one that still harboured a grudge against her.

Casually, she flew down just enough that the youkai could catch her scent. The results were instantaneous – and ridiculously droll. He came to a faster stop than she would have thought possible at that speed, and snarled at the playful wind-witch.

"You little bitch…"

She smiled wickedly.

"I have been called that," she agreed capriciously. Kagura hovered just out of reach. He leapt at her, and she flew up and around to bob nearby.

"Come, now, why so cross? I thought you'd be glad to see me…" she baited. Kouga, his rage pricked by her mocking voice, took it.

"Glad! Why the fuck would you think I would be glad to see you? You killed my pack!"

She tutted, overjoyed to find such an eager playmate.

"It always comes back to that, doesn't it? Can't you let anything go?"

He hissed at her in a low voice, his eyes gleaming, but she didn't hear him. The sudden buzz of a lone saimoshou caught her attention, and she frowned. Damn…looked like playtime was over. A flick of her fan sliced the scout in half, but reinforcements would be following fast.

"I'm afraid I have to cut this short, my darling. Perhaps the next time we meet you'll be feeling less sour," she taunted. On a sudden, wicked impulse, she leaned down and kissed him on the nose.

What happened next happened too fast for either of them to understand.

As Kouga registered the butterfly kiss that she was leaving him with, he grabbed her arms and dragged her off of the feather, slamming her against a tree. His lips descended on hers with bruising certainty the moment she hit the bark. His tongue parted her lips fiercely, and she found him alarmingly close and was unable to do anything about it (her wrists being, after all, pinned above her head by his vice-like grip).

But before she had even the time to realize that he was, indeed, kissing her, he had released her and stepped away as if she burned him. He looked disgusted.

This was her chance. A flick of her fan sent him flying away from her, and she mounted her feather, leaving the area swiftly. Kouga sat there for a long moment, staring at the tree as if the image of what he had done was imprinted on the bark.

Neither of them slept that night, both being disturbed by this new sort of war.

---

IMPORTANT: For those of you who wish to come here and bother me about the 'situation' regarding Kagura, I already know. And I don't care. This particular short would not leave me be, so I had no choice but to write it. Sometimes that's just how it is. And I know it's not the most probable situation in the whole world…but see explanation above.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha. But I don't.