Preview from last chapter:
The hanyou looked at the grinning tiger, "Did you really think I'd embarrass you by speaking loud enough for mortal ears? Please, Inu-san, I'm not that cruel, Ookami-sama, though, she is."
"Tora?"
"Hm?"
"Do you remember when you asked me if I loved Kagome?"
"Hai, of course I do. How could I forget a conversation like that? I cussed at you."
Looking from Kagome to Tora, Inu-Yasha spoke softly as his eyes looked fatigued, "I finally have a straight answer for you."
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Chapter Twenty-Four:
Kouga's Achievement
Raising an eyebrow questioningly, Tora asked, "Do you now? Do tell."
"Not here," the hanyou replied with a shake of his head, "I'm not... comfortable with talking about it here."
Tora nodded, "All right. Where do you want to go and where should we take Kagome-san?"
Inu-Yasha had to think about that for several moments. He hadn't remembered that she was there. As he looked over at her, he saw that she was still watching their two friends. He couldn't believe what he saw in her eyes as she turned to smile at him. In fact, he wouldn't even admit to himself that he had seen what he thought he saw. No. There was no way that that... look could have been there.
But it had been. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, Inu-Yasha couldn't deny what he'd seen with his own two eyes. It had been there, whether he liked it or not.
And he liked it. A lot.
None of that really solved his problem though. He needed to talk to someone, and he needed to talk now. But he couldn't have Kagome there, no. So what else to do?
"Tora. I want you to sit here and wait until Venita-sama is done, okay? When she's rested, could you tell her to come see me? I'll be in the God Tree, all right?"
Blinking, the tiger nodded dumbly, "All right. I can do that. What about Kagome-san, though?"
"I'll take her back to the village and then Lunia-sama can deal with her."
"Don't forget Sango-san, too. Those two could keep even Ookami-sama busy. Especially Sango-san. Ookami-sama's already thinking of trying to get her and Miroku-san together."
"Is she now?"
"Hai," Tora nodded, not wanting to let slip anything of her plots against her current targets, "Sama-sama's just evil like that. She's like a double agent in a way. She makes her 'victims' believe that she's their friend, but she's busy plotting against them behind their backs in her free time."
Inu-Yasha nodded, Tora's words not really sinking in, "All right, well, have her meet me by the God Tree. I'll see her then. Right now, I'm gonna take Kagome back."
"All right, have it your way." Tora shrugged, watching as the hanyou bound off toward the village with the miko on his back, "Dummy. I basically just told him that Sama-sama was plotting against him and he doesn't have a clue. Ah well, it's his downfall, I guess."
Turning back to keep an eye— or two, for that matter— on his friends, Tora saw that Venita was lying upon Kouga's chest, her head turned away from the peeping tiger.
"Koishii?" Venita asked, still trying to catch her breath.
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Kouga smiled as he wrapped his arms around his love's waist, "Anything for you."
"Jai ferne tao, mera Otama."
"Jai ferne tao auner, Otama."
Lifting herself high enough so that she could look into Kouga's eyes, Venita's own eyes were wide, "You... you..."
"What?" Kouga asked, face puzzled, "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, no! But, you just spoke in the language of the Inside."
He blinked, "I did?"
"Hai! I told you that I loved you, and you replied in the Inside tongue!" She exclaimed as she hugged him, "I'm so proud of you!"
"You are?"
"Of course I am! Your pronunciation is better than that of some of the Inside demons, it's wonderful!"
Kouga was stunned. He'd never seen Venita so happy, unless she was plotting something with either Lunia or Tora, usually both.
From his place in the bushes, Tora couldn't help but smile.
"So, Kouga-san, you're starting to speak the language of the Inside, eh? And it obviously makes Ookami-sama happy, so I wonder what would happen if I began to teach him? It couldn't hurt to try. He must see how happy it makes her, and it has been a while since she's spoken it, so yes. That shall be my 'after dinner task'. In fact, I do think I'll start on that tonight. Just kinda pull him aside and start teaching him within the safety of the men's bath. Even Ookami-sama doesn't bother two men bathing. One, maybe, but rarely more than that."
So pleased with his idea was he, that Tora didn't even notice when Venita and Kouga fell asleep. When he finally did notice, he smiled softly, amazed at how peaceful they looked. Climbing into a tree, Tora decided he would wait until Venita woke before he dragged her off to go see Inu-Yasha. She needed some sleep after what she'd been put through. The whole 'mate-turned-brother' thing... something Tora deeply regretted. Even though he argued that it had to be done for a short while.
Nodding at his decision, Tora leaned against the trunk of his chosen tree and wondered just what Inu-Yasha wanted to talk to Ookami-sama about, and wondered about the hanyou's answer pertaining to Kagome-san. Telling himself that no matter what, Ookami-sama would prevail in getting Inu-Yasha to love Kagome-san, Tora smiled and kept a close eye on his friends, wanting to make sure no harm came to them in their time of rest.
((April 7, 2005)) A/N: Hello! So sorry that it's taken so long for me to update! I've just got writer's block on all of my stories & I just can't think of anything to unblock myself! Even my precious Oreos have failed me:mumbles: damned bite-sized ones…… grrrrr
Anyways, I hope that you've all been doing well… I know I'm better & over my asthmatic bronchitis, (thank God!), but yea…. next step, writer's block! I will cure it! It'll just take me a while……… :cries:
Thank you for your kind reviews! I love you all! Thank you alatero for your kind words!
