Title: Koga's Heart

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Inu-Yasha. Okay?

Warnings: SPOILERS on the episodes concerning Koga.

A/N's: Please, pleas REVIEW!!! Yay!


Chapter Two - The Start of the Chase
Koga glared at the female form that had gracefully illuminated the nighttime with a femimine charm. The wolf felt a surge of anger rise up in him. She stood there, her eyes shallow and emotionless. She looked weak - how dare she be weak in front of him. After leaving the Clan, because she wanted a better life... After claiming that the Clan had meant nothing to her... She had stood so proud and mighty when she had always corrected him, years and years ago. And now! She dares to be weak in front of him! After all those years of putting up with her corrections and insults! After all those years of no contact! After all those years of ignoring Ohaku and the others and him! After all that...

"Koga...," she whispered. Even her voice sounded weak. Koga felt his face go hot. He was furious. How dare she come back now! How dare she be weak!

After all that Kagura had done unto him and his pack, the one who was spared from the torture and malice of Naraku - she has the nerve to come back looking so weak....

"Well, well, well..." Her voice had suddenly become stronger. Koga felt his anger lift a little. Maybe she wasn't that weak. She seemed to have done all right - after all, she was alive, something he wasn't expecting. And besides... she still was his little sis...

Koga rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering exactly why he was angry at her at all. She had left, because she wanted a better life. The fact that she didn't care about the Clan made him angry, but now she had come back. That should be a comfort to him.

But... as he looked at her... he could feel the wrath consuming him again. He was angry because she had the nerve to come back. And he was also enraged (though he'd never admit openly) because she had never said good-bye.

"Where's my father?" she asked, looking at him with a certain boldness in her eyes.

Koga stepped back. Didn't she know Kiseki was dead? He had thought she had known.

Koga opened his mouth to tell her the news of Kiseki, but she beat him to it. She stammered, "I mean, w-where is...uh...Ohaku?"

He raised an eyebrow at her and jerked his head over at the slumbering demon.

"Oh..." She walked over to where Koga was sitting, and lightly floated down to the grass. She stretched out and laid on her stomach. "So, what's been happenin'?"

Koga noticed that she had bruises all over her delicate arms. The blue kimono she was wearing was frayed and ripped and the silver-threaded dragon that was embroidered on her left shoulder was dulled. His eyes followed up her shoulders, pass the curving of her neck, up to her cheek, and ending at her autumn colored eyes. The leader expected to be locked in a stare with her, but, instead, found that she was looking at his injured arm. The scar on it was from the Birds of Paradise. An odd look was coming onher face. Curiosity? Amusement? What was it? Her eyes were twinkling. He knew that the wheels in her head were turning. What was she thinking?

"Was the proud Koga beat?"Amusement.

"Me? Beat? Yeah right, puppy," he growled, turning his head to look at Ohaku, avoiding Ko-Muzai's eyes.

He heard her snicker coldly. Koga ignored her. She must know, he told himself. Why else would she be asking? Why would she care about my wound?

"Are you telling me the truth, Koga?" Ko-Muzai's voice was way too silky for her to be really concerned.

Damn her. Koga began writhing in his seat.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Koga? You wouldn't be ashamed of that wound? Did that inu beat you?"

Koga turned sharply to face her. Ha! She knows!

Ko-Muzai laughed, seeing him so furious. Koga went beet-red, swiftly averting his eyes. She was getting to him and she knew it. And she was enjoying it. Such a brat!

"How -Do -You -Know -THAT?" he huffed, his eyes bulging.

"News gets around," she told him, shrugging. "Did you really love her?"

Koga looked at her. Ko-Muzai's face had gone soft and her eyes weren't as cold. She looked angry, but in a gentle way. What was she feeling...?

"Kagome is brave, loving, and could see things others could not," he said casually. "She is worth much more than any demon wench."

"Why'd you let her go, Koga? Why did you let that hanyou get her?" Ko- Muzai didn't sound superficial this time.

She cares, realized Koga.

"If you loved her, why did you let her go?" she asked again. "Why did you just stand back and let her leave you?"

"Because Inu-Yasha is the one she loves," whispered Koga, thinking out loud.

"You loved her so much, you let her go with the man she chose?" Ko- Muzai said, summing up his last reply. "Koga, Koga, Koga..."

She was smiling, even though the moonlight hinted at a soft tear trickling down her left cheek. Was she crying? Why?

"You have a good heart, Koga," laughed Ko-Muzai sorrowfully, wiping the tear away. "You have a really good heart."

"Huh?" Koga noticed that the outspoken childhood friend he had once known was suddenly silent. Her eyes were sparking, though. Koga suddenly realized the emotion he was seeing in her. Is she ... jealous? Jealous, now that was a word he never thought he'd describe her as.

He remembered back...

A younger version of himself was laughing at an enragedfemale youkai. She had twigs in her black hair and her cat tail was raised up, showing her anger.

"Neko! Neko! Neko! Neko!..." trailed on the young Koga.

"I AM NOT A NEKO!!!" cried the outraged cat-youkai.

"NEKO!!!" hollered Koga.

"NO!!!" screeched the girl.

"CAT!"

"NO!!!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!...YES!...YES!" he sung between fits of laughter.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!"

SLAP!

The memory ended with a staggering Koga with a bright red mark on his left cheek.

Koga unconsciously felt his cheek, where years ago she had slapped him. She had been adopted into the pack, and Koga had never let her forget that she was a feline demon. Of course, she had had her ways of dealing with the insults.... The results of Koga being a jerk usually were he being found unconscious. She was a really fighter.

"You need to go find her... You love her!" Ko-Muzai was staring fiercely into his eyes. "And she'll love you, once you confess your heart to her."

Koga stood up and looked out across the land. Blushing, he asked, "Will you help me, sister?"

"Of course, moron!" Ko-Muzai cried harshly, leaping up. "Do you think that I'd just let you loose on some poor girl? NO WAY! We gotta court her the right way, not your way! Let's go!"

Ohaku sighed and opened his eyes. "Can I come, Koga?"


To Be Continued...