Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, I'd be rich and famous! Sadly, I'm just a simple, un-famous fangirl.

Updates: Summer's finally here! I'll continue working on 'No Way Out' as much as possible, but you're gonna hafta to bear with me. I'll try to update every Thursday, and if I'm lucky, maybe even on a Tuesday or Saturday(Don't you just love funky little work schedules?). Please, don't like, gang up on me or something if I fall behind, 'kay?

No Way Out
 Chapter 5 - Meeting Kouga

I opened up my eyes to this strange new voice. I looked up, only to see a wolf youkai standing at the other edge of the spring.

"Uh... Do I know you?" I questioned.

He smiled, shaking his head. "No."

"Then go away and leave me alone." Why hadn't I noticed his scent before now? And if I didn't realize he was here until now, did he just arrive, or was he here before I got in?

I looked back up at him. "Who are you, and how long have you been there?" I demanded.

He laughed heartily and sat down at the edge of the spring, opposite me. I began feeling a little self-conscious. "I'm Kouga. And no worries, wolf-girl. I haven't been here long enough to see you naked." He grinned, and I rolled my eyes.

This Kouga... Was he the youkai that Kagome and Sango mentioned earlier? "Turn around."

"Eh?"

"I said turn around." I huffed. "It's bad enough you've seen me in this spring."

"I haven't seen much..." He grinned.

"I don't care! Just turn around so I can get out and dressed before I burned."

He shrugged and turned around. I quickly hopped out of the spring. While getting dressed, I stared at his back. He may've listened to me earlier, but he might not now...

I finished pulling on my dress before I talked again. "So, what's a wolf youkai such as yourself doing all alone out here?"

Kouga didn't turn around, but answered from his position. "I could ask you the same, hanyou."

I froze while pulling on my boots. He slowly turned around, and I stared at him. "H-how did you..."

He laughed. "You're forgetting so quickly? Your scent." I blushed. I had forgotten. "I also smell Inuyasha on you," he laughed again. "So the mutt finally found himself a hanyou to cuddle with, instead of that mortal, Kagome. She can be my woman at least!"

I stared at him, blushing furiously. "I am SO not with Inuyasha. We just had a fight over ramen."

Now it was Kouga's turn to stare. I shrugged, smiling. Kouga isn't that bad looking...

I sat down on the edge of the spring, next to Kouga, when he asked me one of the most hurtful questions I thought possible.

"What tribe did you originally come from?"

I winced. He looked at me and frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay." I smiled weakly. No matter how mad I was at my tribe, I had to talk about them sometime. "I was shunned from the Eastern Wolf Tribe. The tribe that my mother came from."

He stared at me. "I'm from that tribe."

I stared at him. Jeesh, a lot of staring going on tonight. "You can't be serious."

"But I am," he growled. "That makes you the last female in our tribe, even if you are a hanyou."

I shot up. "Nani! What do you mean, 'last female!'"

He looked away. "Our tribe was massacred recently. Only I and two others survived."

I stared at the ground. "That's terrible."

"It is." He grabbed my hands. "It will be up to us to regenerate our tribe, my woman."

I jumped up, falling into the spring. "Nani!"

He started laughing. "We need to make our tribe again."

"But you don't even know my name! How the hell do you expect me to do that!"

He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and climbed out of the spring. I shivered, hugging myself, and sat down again. Great. This is my only article of clothing, and now it's wet. To make matters worse, it was still dark out, so it wasn't like I could just lay in the sun to let it dry.

I sighed, and out of nowhere, Kouga wrapped his arms around me from behind. I raised my eyebrows after the initial shock. "What are you doing?"

"You looked cold. I thought I could warm you up."

I smiled slightly, knowing he couldn't see my face. "As long as nothing happens, I'm fine."

I could feel him nodding. I leaned back, and set my head against his chest. "By the way, I'm Bumi."

I always thought that Kouga was from the Eastern Wolf Tribe. If I'm wrong, please, PLEASE correct me. I dun wanna be mauled by rabid fangirls or fanboys saying I got it wrong. And I'm sorry if I wrote him OOC. At least I tried, right? -weak smile-