At this rate…the story may very well be finished by next month. *laughs*
~End of Days~
By Alpha-Parvani
I originally planned on only staying with the wolves for a week at the most…I shake my head and laugh now when I remember that. I stayed for as long as I wanted…
Almost two decades.
I might as well tell you everything that happened during that time…
I loved the wolf den. Simple as that. It was spacious, comfortable… and the wolves were like a family. They treated me like I was one of them. I remember asking Koga about that…
I was sitting on the shore of the pool in front of the waterfall entrance to the huge cave, tossing rocks in. Shippo was inside, playing with a few of the wolf pups his age. I never noticed Koga approach until he tweaked one of my ears. I jumped slightly, looking at him in alarm. He laughed and sat down next to me. He was covered in sweat and dirt, panting just a little.
"Just get back from the hunt?" I asked as I quickly looked away from him. 'What the hell is wrong with me!? He's…Koga. Why do I…feel like this?' I frowned. Koga was oblivious to my discomfort.
"Yeah. Caught enough to feed us for a while." He waved his hand in the air. "The whole pack." A grin on his face enhanced the slightly boyish look to him. I gave him a tentative smile. His grin faded. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?" There was a hint of panic in his eyes. "You…don't want to leave, do you?"
I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head, laughing. "Silly ookami. I don't plan on leaving for a while…" I leaned back to rest on my elbows. He positioned himself on his side, on elbow on the ground, his hand supporting his head. "Then what is it?" I hesitated, trying to think of a reasonable answer. I couldn't tell him about the weird feelings… I remembered a question I had intended to ask. "Why did the wolves accept me so easily?"
He looked at me like I was stupid. I quickly explained. "Well, I mean… I'm a hanyou first of all…and I'm not even a wolf. I'm a dog. Not to mention you and I always fought and nearly killed each other." He smiled at me. I'm glad I wasn't standing. My knees probably would have given out. I felt like a teenage girl.
He rolled onto his back, arms behind his head. "You're part of the pack now, Inuyasha. You fought along side us against Naraku. Also, you're a friend of mine. The wolves are pretty compliant. I told them you meant a lot to me and they decided you were to be treated as they treated me." I felt my cheeks heat up. 'I mean a lot to him?'
Koga continued to be oblivious. I wanted to bash him on the head with a rock, just to make him realize…
I found myself soaking wet suddenly. I was underwater. It took me four seconds to assess… the stupid wolf had pushed me into the lake. I went back to the surface, sputtering and spitting out water. Koga was on the shore, roaring with laughter. I grinned and silently snuck up to him. He didn't notice until it was too late.
I jumped on him, soaking wet. He cried out in protest, trying to push me off. I laughed and ran my claws in a feather light caress down the inside of his arm. He bit his bottom lip, smiling, closed his eyes tightly, and squirmed. "You are ticklish!" He opened one eye, looking horrified. "Inuyasha, n-" I grinned and started to tickle. He burst out laughing.
We were laughing for nearly ten minutes. Then we calmed down. I rolled off, laying down beside him. He was still laughing quietly. I grinned at him. It was then that we noticed the dark clouds on the horizon. "Storm." He murmured, sitting up. I followed suit, smiling softly. "I love storms." He looked at me strangely. I shrugged. "I dunno why." He just nodded, then stood up. I looked up at him as he offered his hand. "Can't have you getting sick, Inu. You're soaked." I blinked, then smiled a little, taking his hand. He pulled me to my feet and led me into the den.
He never let go of my hand.
That night, I wore wolf furs. It felt strange, but my clothes were still drying. Snuggled deep into a thick blanket, I sat in a corner near the waterfall that allowed me to see the storm. My hair had been pulled back into a braid by one of the wolf females. I had refused but… she talked me into it. Told me that Koga would like it and winked at me.
She also commented that she'd never seen anyone's face match the color of an ichigo*.
A soft noise alerted me that I was no longer alone. I looked away from the storm, my eyes meeting those of Koga's.
A very sleepy, muddled, half-naked Koga.
I squeaked and my ears went back in alarm. He yawned and rubbed one of his eyes. "Wha're doin' up still?" He asked me, slurring slightly in sleepiness. (A/N: Dare ya to say that five times fast! *laughs*) I forced myself to shrug. "I already told you earlier. I like storms." He nodded and sat down heavily beside me. I blinked and looked back outside, praying the dark kept my blushing hidden.
We sat in silence for several minutes, the only noises being the waterfall, thunder, and the gentle fall of rain. I was still thinking when Koga suddenly slumped against me. I looked at him, startled.
He was sleeping.
I wanted to laugh, but I didn't like the thought of disturbing him. He'd been hunting all day…no doubt he was exhausted. I sighed softly and managed to unwrap part of the blanket from me so I could move. Then I carefully stood up and rested Koga against the wall. I folded the blanket and set it aside, hoping it wouldn't get soaked. Bending double, I slid my arms under Koga and lifted him, grunting quietly under his weight. He mumbled and snuggled against me a bit more. I could feel myself turning a darker red.
I carried him all the way to his bedding and lay him down gently. He yawned and turned over. There was a slight tug on my hair, but I thought nothing of it as I turned to go. I took a step.
My head leaned back at the sudden pain.
Looking over my shoulder, I realized that Koga had a handful of my white mane. My eyes widened. 'Shit… how am I supposed to sleep?' Of course, the sleeping wolf didn't worry one bit, nor help me. I reached out and tried to pry his fingers open.
Nothin' doin'.
I ended up having to settle on the fur pelts a foot or so away from him. I figured I wasn't going to sleep, but found myself quickly drifting off at the soft sounds echoing around the cave.
When I woke up, Koga had the audacity to ask me what I was going on his bed.
Stupid ookami.
He deserved that punch.
~~~Wee! I'm having fun again! *spins in circles* So what'd ya think? *coughs suddenly* Y'know… I was typing this, and the more I typed of the tickling part… I realized… if you hadn't known that Inuyasha was tickling Koga, it would seem like they were… doing something else, wouldn't it? *sighs* Maybe I'm just imagining things. It is nearly midnight…anyway, R&R!
~Alpha-Parvani
*ichigo---- strawberry