Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for this absurd adventure... especially for the one who likes doing things his own way. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.
Chapter 25: New Management
Kouga wasn't surprised that Kagome started muttering to herself as soon as they were back on the trail. Chit-chat seemed to come as naturally to her as breathing. What's more, he could hardly call her foolish for rambling on; he'd relied on himself for company for too many years. Still, I better not be in for a day of whining. However, Kagome surprised him; despite her uneasiness and her injuries, she wasn't complaining. She's giving herself a pep talk! Stealing a glance at the woman trudging along with her head down, he made a decision. He wheeled and waited until she almost collided with him before announcing, "I'm changing how we do things."
"What do you mean?"
"We're stuck playing that dog's game, but we don't need to follow Sesshoumaru's step-by-step instruction manual to survive." Folding his arms across his armored chest, Kouga scornfully declared, "He can tell me where and when to who to fight, but he can't tell me where to piss."
A little color seeped into Kagome's pale cheeks. "There's plenty of bushes. Just pick a tree or something?"
"That was just an example," he snorted, amused by her reaction. Pulling out their map, Kouga pointed with one clawtip. "We're here; the next campsite is here. We're supposed to arrive at the second designated battlefield tomorrow afternoon." He tapped a red dot that seemed to lie halfway up the island's volcano. "Instead, we'll take a little detour. I'll hunt. You'll sleep. Then, we'll show up early... check things out before we have to face the next opponent."
Kagome shook her head in confusion. "Won't it take all day just to get to the campsite?"
"For a human on foot? Yup. But I'm not human." With a flash of fangs, he leaned closer to boast, "And I'm fast."
End Note: This chapter was written for the Live Journal community fanfic(underscore)bakeoff and their Secret Ingredient for July 2011—Foolish. Posted on July 31, 2011. 300 words.