Hey guys! Bean's writing this intro!
Why, you may ask, do i want this bonus chapter? Easy: things are getting darker and I wanted to relax you guys, my faithful readers...and add suspnse.

Chibi edit: Hey guys! Just wanted to let you all know when this takes place. Before the last chapter took place, there was a month where nothing was going on that was crucial to the story, just the gang going about their daily lives and such. It is during that month that this chapter takes place.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: ChibiBean does not own nor claim rights to Inuyasha or any of its characters nor do we own the lyrics by Relient K. Thank you.

BONUS CHAPTER
Koga and Serena
"Something tells me this is going to make sense,
Something tells me it's gonna take patience.
Something tells me this will all work out in the end."
–Relient K; 'The one I'm waiting for'

"Kya!"

"Ow!"

Serena placed her foot on the fallen Koga's chest. She looked down at him, a cookie in hand. "Are you quite done yet?" she asked in a bored voice. "This is the third time this morning already and I'd like to eat my lunch in peace."

Koga looked up at her, sweating hard and panting. "Damn…you."

"Here," she said as she shoved the cookie in his mouth. "Do something good with your mouth for once and eat."

Serena sat back down at the little picnic she'd been having by the lake before Koga decided to interrupt her.

Koga struggled to sit up and dismally ate the cookie. He sat there for a second, pouting, before grabbing for another. Serena giggled to herself. She waved her hand, a blue spark or two flew from her fingers, and water flowed out of a canteen to her mouth. She drank some of it and let the rest flow back to its container.

Koga watched thoughtfully. "Hey," he said through a mouthful of cookie. "How come you barely give off any sparks when you do magic? Those other witches give off showers of sparks when they cast spells." He swallowed and smirked. "What, are you defective; weak?"

Serena pointed a finger at him and a single white spark flew at him, hitting him in the forehead and knocking him over.

"No, idiot. I've been practicing with magic since I was little. The others don't know how to control their powers as well as I can. You see, our magic is influenced by emotions. Without proper control, our powers can get out of hand when a strong emotion is felt. Also, the others depend on their emotions to cast magic. I've learned to summon my magic no matter how I feel with minimal effort. Seeing as I'm not forcing the magic, just calling it, I don't get a giant burst of energy. That's what the sparks are: energy."

Koga sat back up, rubbing his forehead where the spark had hit. "Oh. How about colors? I saw blue when you were getting water, but white just now."

"Color changes due to emotions or what the power is doing. Blue was for my control over water and white was pure energy. Blue can also mean happiness and white is caused by serenity."

"Heh, you're stronger than I gave you credit for." Koga smiled at her in spite of himself. Serena stared at him for a moment and blushed. She looked at the sandwich in her hands and gave it to him without looking at him. "Here. You'll get sick eating only cookies."

Koga took it, confused by Serena's strange behavior; his fingers brushed her hand as he took it. Pink and purple sparks erupted from her hands. Koga looked at her in concern. "What do those mean?"

Serena looked at her hands and gasped, causing more sparks to come showering forth. "Nothing!" she squeaked. She quickly stood. "You can have the rest. I just…there's somewhere I have to be. Bye, Koga!" She took off running towards town.

Koga shrugged and bit into the sandwich. Just then, Kagome walked by. Koga was by her side in seconds. "Hey Kagome. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Oh, hey Koga," Kagome said in surprise. "Where's Serena? It's strange to see you without her anymore."

"Oh, the witch? Who knows where she went. Kagome, you're not jealous are you? You know I love only you. That girl means nothing to me."

Kagome smiled. "You really are dense, aren't you? You can't even see what's right in front of you." She walked away, laughing to herself. Koga stared after her in confusion.

Twenty feet away, Serena was huddled behind a tree, silently crying and black sparks pouring from her hands.

Life continued normally for the next few days, Serena running from and beating up Koga, only there wasn't any laughter and she showed no mercy.

One morning, they were running through town. Just ahead, Serena spotted Kagome and frowned. She ran past and slowed slightly, expecting Koga to stop and talk to the priestess.

To her and everyone else's amazement, Koga ran past. He simply waved and shouted, "Hey Kagome!" It sounded more like a friendly greeting than a proclamation out of love. Serena tripped and nearly fell over. Koga took that moment to attack, but Serena recovered herself and got away in time, trailing pink sparks in the wind.

An hour or so later, Koga had lost track of the woman and was wandering around the village. He happened upon Azurine and Sadie who were practicing their magic, tons of sparks flying.

"Hey! I got a question for you two."

The girls stopped and looked over at him.

"What do pink and purple sparks mean?"

Azurine looked at Sadie and back to the wolf demon. "Why do you want to know?"

"Serena's been giving them off a lot lately," he said, rubbing his head. "She said she normally had good control over her sparks but she's been sparkling non-stop lately."

The two sisters looked at each other and giggled in excitement. "Sorry, Koga. You'll have to figure it out on your own," Sadie laughed.

The two ran off before he could protest, leaving him there to think. That night, Koga couldn't sleep. Serena kept flashing before his eyes. He growled. "Why won't that stupid witch leave me be? Why do I keep seeing her? I don't understand!"

"Koga, I know you're there. I can hear you." Serena frowned. "It's been long enough. If you've got something to say, please just say it and go back to where you came from." She had been practicing archery and was at three bull's eyes in a row. She lowered her bow and shouldered her quiver.

Koga leaped from the tree he'd been perched in and landed several feet behind her. "Shut up! I don't have anything to say to you." His sleep had been disturbed the past few nights with thoughts of her and he was irritable with the lack of sleep. Even more maddening was that he didn't know why he kept thinking of her. Folding his arms, he looked away and added, "You're just a stupid witch. What do you know?"

"Obviously more than you!" She scrubbed at her eyes. "Why do you have to be such and idiot?" Her hands were pink, again.

"H-huh?" Koga examined her back curiously. Her shoulders were shaking. I made her cry?

"Well…what are you waiting for? I'm sure Kagome's waiting for you. Go to her."

"But…"

Serena looked back at him, tears streaming down her face. "Go and die for all I care! Just leave me alone!" She spun around and ran.

Koga, astonished at her outburst, stared after her. "I've never seen her cry before. Yet, she was still able to keep her black sparks in check, but the pink ones were there again. What do they mean? What emotion could be so powerful that it would show like that?" He thought back to all the times the pink sparks appeared and it slowly dawned on him.

"She's right; I am an idiot. I should have guessed what they meant. Pink: it's…I've got to find her."

A moment later, he was running, desperately looking for her.

Serena was leaning against InuYasha's tree, her arms wrapped around herself. "I don't know what to do," she mumbled to herself.

As she leaned her head against the cool, rough bark, she let vines quickly grow around her, a single yellow spark emitting from each hand. Keeping her eyes closed, she let the vines grow tighter and tighter, pinning her there.

"What?" Koga whispered to himself.

"I wonder," Serena said softly, for once not noticing Koga's presence, "how InuYasha felt, pinned here for 50 years."

Using the powers of wind, Sarah sent an arrow and her bow into the air from where she had discarded them at the base of the tree. Fifty feet away from her, the arrow nocked itself in the bow.

"Anything," she whispered. "Anything has to be better than this. She bowed her head.

The bowstring snapped and the arrow was loosed, flying at an incredible speed.

"NO!"

Serena's eyes shot open in shock. This wasn't supposed…he wasn't supposed to…

A few drops of blood splattered across her face as her vision cleared dramatically. Koga's face was inches in front of her own.

"You FOOL! You complete fool!" Koga spat, arrowhead protruding from his shoulder. "Whatever happened to me dying?"

"Huh?" Serena murmured, still shocked that she'd been left unharmed. "Koga?"

"What would I do if you off and killed yourself?" he yelled angrily. "What the hell would I do, huh? You moron! You complete idiot!"

"B-but, you hate me."

"Do you really think I'd stalk you like this if I hated you?" He pounded his fist an inch into the dark wood of the ancient tree. "God, Serena, for a smart woman, you sure are stupid." He sighed and stepped away. "Not like I'm one to talk," he mumbled to himself. "Anyway, untie yourself and get this stupid arrow out of me."

Serena did as bidden. "This may hurt a bit."

Koga nodded, already pale from the pain. "I can take it."

Serena's embarrassment worked to her advantage as she numbed his shoulder. Koga shivered at the sudden loss of feeling.

Serena carefully snapped the head off of the arrow and walked behind him. "So…still want to beat me up?"

"Would we be the same if I didn't?"

Serena slowly pulled at the arrow's shaft. "I suppose not. Goodness, I didn't know my own strength. And what will happen once you've hit me?"

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

After a final, good yank, the arrow came loose, throwing Serena backwards. Regaining her balance, she went back to him and healed up his wounds.

"All better?"

Koga nodded silently.

After a moment of silence, Serena turned. "I guess…it's getting dark…I'll see you tomorrow."

Koga nodded again and looked back at her. "Meet me here?"

Serena nodded and left.

The next day, she did not return.
Or the day after that.
For a long week, Koga waited for her. He exerted the most amount of patience he had ever had. Finally, he decided to find out what had happened.

Koga pounded on the hut door. "Serena!" he yelled. "Get out here! Explain yourself!"

Sadie answered the door, Azurine behind her. "She can't, Koga," Sadie said softly. "She's sick."

"What? She's okay, right" Neither of the girls spoke. "Right?"

"Koga, about a week ago, she was helping a small settlement of Europeans relocate to a nearby area. She caught…a very deadly disease. It's known as the Black Plague. It's in everyone's best interest if you let her alone."

"And let her die here? No way!"

"She barely wakes anymore. Just let her go."

"I can't." He pushed past them.

He found Serena buried up to her nose in covers. "K-Koga?" Her voice was weak. "Sorry I'm late." She tried to laugh but ended up coughing. Even under all of the blankets, Koga could tell she looked sickly.

"What now, Serena?" he said, trying to sound calm. "You just seem so intent on dying anymore.

She chuckled lightly. "Yeah, but now there's no way to stop it."

I wish I could.

"You can hit me now, if you want," she offered.

"Nah, I'll wait 'till you can fight back," he insisted.

Her eyes crinkled and he knew she was smiling. "I won't be getting better."

"Don't say that!" he yelled, too quickly.

"It's not likely I'll live," Serena admitted.

"You will get better and…and you'll like it! You're not dying on my watch!"

Serena nodded, slightly delirious. "Okay, Koga…" she drifted off, mid-sentence, and her eyes closed in slumber.

"I can't lose you, now," he mumbled. "I love you, damn it!" He turned and walked to the door. "I'll be back," he whispered to her slumbering form.

"Did he come today?" Serena asked as eagerly as she could manage three afternoons later.

Sarah, on duty, shook her head.

"Where is he? Why can't he come? He said he would, right?"

Sarah nodded.

Serena sighed. "I guess…he didn't want to be bothered anymore."

The days passed, long and sorrowfully for Serena. Feeling your life slipping away is a painful business.

Meanwhile, Azurine's morning sickness grew worse; Sadie and Yukito had started their own child, for they had been together far longer than Miroku had let on; Sarah's stomach grew larger by the day and there was still no sign of Koga.

At last, Serena began to pass. She felt hot, salty tears in her eyes. He's not coming, ever.

Azurine sat beside her all that night and into the gray morning.

Koga burst into the hut. "Where is she?" he gasped. He looked like he had been running full speed, non-stop, for days and was ready to collapse, which was a fair description of his absence.

Azurine looked up sadly. "Almost gone. She won't be waking again."

Koga pulled a pouch containing a small golden flower from his waist. Kneeling beside Serena, he blew the pollen off of it and into her face so she inhaled it.

Almost instantly, the color returned to the girl's face. After a few more minutes, her eyes blinked opened and she looked around. Seeing Koga, she quickly sat up. "Koga!" she beamed. "You came!"

"I came, I saved." Koga pulled her to her feet and, finding that she had regained most of her strength already, he whacked her lightly on the head. "I conquered."

"Well, congratulations. You've hit me. Now what?"

"This." Koga bent down and kissed her, holding her tightly, and now together, they'd never been happier to be alive.

Chapter End

There ya go! Squeee! Wasn't it great? I love you koga!

Serena: Mine!

Chibi: Sorry. Anyway, Bean's got this note at the end of the chapter and I don't know if she still plans on doing it, but I'll put it up anyway.

Bean: Azure realizes that little golden "Amaranth" flower is perfect as an ingredient in th ephilosopher's stone. Unfortunately, the forest from which Koga took the flower was cut down in 1993. Oh, irony.

Blooper:

Serena: You know, Koga. You do realize I wasn't going to kill myself, right? The arrow was going to hit a vine several inches thick. The most I would have gotten wasa pinprick.

Koga: WHAT? You are a horrible woman!

Serena: giggle