Inuvember:

Koga

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Koga just didn't understand it. He was a strong, rather handsome specimen, even if he did say so himself. He could easily punch through rocks and trees as if they were mere paper.

So...why in the world would Kagome ever prefer to be with Inuyasha, a stinky mutt with no sense of respect? Not to mention he was a half-demon! What kind of rational-thinking woman would ever lower herself to be with someone like that?

What could she possibly see in this mongrel? He scratched his ear with his foot, he smelled like something that hadn't bathed in months, and his eating habits were horrible!

...Well, okay, Koga couldn't talk since he was the best at eating politely, himself, and he mostly ate dead carcasses, but still!

What could that mutt possibly give Kagome that Koga couldn't? If she had just said the word, the wolf demon would whisk her away and make her his queen. He'd provide her with all the finest pelts and give her a nice soft bed and made absolutely sure she'd want for nothing...and that was just the start. He could only imagine how many children they'd have: 2, 3, a dozen at least!

He could give her everything that that mutt couldn't give her!

At least...that's what he thought, at first.

As time went on, he began to see why it was that Kagome chose Inuyasha over him.

It was just another regular day and he was out scouting with the remainder of his pack. Ginta and Hakkaku went off on their own to get some food so he knew they wouldn't be back for a little while. As Koga stood on the mountain ridge, that's when his nose detected that sweet scent of vanilla, roses, and strawberries.

He grinned with a glinting fang poking out of his lip. His woman was nearby.

Soon, he dashed off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake and picking up some flowers along the way. As he got closer, however...he soon saw she was not alone.

As always, that mutt was right by her side, sitting beside her on a log. They were talking about some such thing, but he couldn't quite hear them. He ducked underneath the bushes and leaned in for a closer look. As long as he was downwind of the mutt, he wouldn't be detected so easily.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha asked.

"Have you ever thought about...what your future might be like?" Kagome asked, causing him to blink at her owlishly.

"M...my future?" he asked. "Err...well..."

"Yes or no," Kagome answered. "I'll be fine with what you say."

"Well...not much," Inuyasha replied. "The only thing I ever think about is defeating Naraku..."

"And after that?" Kagome inquired, and suddenly, Inuyasha's ears drooped.

"Well...after that...I don't really know," he muttered.

Koga quietly snickered to himself. Of course, the mutt never thought about the future like that. Once Naraku was dead, that would be it, right? There'd be no need for Kagome to be around him, anymore.

That would be his chance.

"Well...what about you, then?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hmm..." Kagome hummed as she tucked her arms underneath her legs and closed her eyes. "Well...I see myself in maybe...4 or 5 years with an important job...but one that doesn't take me away from life."

"...Yeah...I think that sounds right," Inuyasha nodded. "What else?"

"Well...I'm married," Kagome replied, and instantly, Koga saw the mutt tense.

"Really?" Inuyasha asked. "And...what's he like? Your husband?"

"Well," Kagome began, "he's...strong..."

Koga quietly nodded his head as he pointed a thumb at himself.

"And brave..."

Koga nodded his head again.

"And he has...white hair..."

Koga's eyes snapped open before he looked at his ponytail. His hair wasn't white...there weren't even little gray streaks in it, yet!

"And these cute little ears that I'd like to rub..."

Wait a second...

"Uh...wait a minute," Inuyasha said as a blush formed on his face. "You mean...me?"

"Of course, you!" Kagome replied. "Who else do you think I'm talking about?"

"But...well...why me?" Inuyasha asked, looking utterly flabbergasted.

"Why not you?" Kagome asked as she leaned closer to him.

"Well...it's just..." Inuyasha muttered...before he sighed. "Sometimes...I think maybe you'd be better off with somebody else...someone who could actually provide for you."

Koga smirked, again. That's right. She would better off with someone who could actually provide for her, like him.

"But I don't want anyone else," Kagome spoke, causing Koga's eyes to go wide. "I just want you."

"...Even if...I can't give you a lot?" Inuyasha asked as he looked away for a moment.

"I don't need a lot of things," Kagome said. "Just you...because you see me for who I am, not what I do...and you don't treat me like some object to be won."

"Yeah...unlike that bastard Koga," Inuyasha muttered. "Always coming around, shoving his nose where it doesn't belong."

Koga wanted to growl at that...but...as he heard Kagome talk, suddenly, something started to sink in. Kagome didn't want to be treated like a prize and she definitely didn't want to be someone put on a pedestal either. She wanted to be seen as an equal...just like how Inuyasha saw her.

Koga always boasted about how he wanted Kagome to be his woman and how he would give her everything...but it meant nothing if she wasn't happy.

Inuyasha made her happy because he loved her as a person, not as an object. That's why she loved him so much...and that's also why she would never return Koga's affections.

Heaving a quiet sigh...the wolf dropped the flowers and turned and quietly stalked away into the forest. At that moment, Inuyasha's nose twitched as the wind shifted, and he glanced over his shoulder, warily.

"What's up?" Kagome asked.

"...Ah, nothin'," Inuyasha shrugged. "I thought I smelled that mangy wolf for a second."

"...I see," Kagome said as she glanced back at the forest, smiling as if knowingly.

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