Ch12
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot and the characters that don't seem familiar.
As Kouga led the surrogate mother and daughter, along with that annoying wolf (now don't get the wrong idea, dear readers, Kouga loves wolves because if he doesn't then he'll be hating his own kind, it's just that that blue wolf seems to enjoy infuriating him), he couldn't help, but look back every few seconds and steal glances at the adult female. He had never seen anyone like Usagi before and couldn't help but felt that there's much more to her then she lets on. But instead of the distrusts he would usually fell about these suspicions, he couldn't help but feel that mysteriousness being what brings his interest on her.
"Is there something you wish to ask me?" Usagi asked, "You've been watching me since we started walking."
Kouga's face turned bright red. He had though he was being discreet and felt embarrassed to be caught from his spying. He ignored the snort coming from Suicine as he quickly turned his head forward. "I was just wondering about something," Kouga said, pretending that nothing was wrong, "Like what exactly is your relationship with the mutt? You must be pretty close to call him 'Yasha-kun' and not get killed unless…" He stopped abruptly as his eyes widened."
"Unless what?" Usagi asked.
"That filthy mutt is two-timing Kagome," Kouga shouted. It completely slipped his mind that he had called the reincarnated miko by her name rather than with the usual possessive pronoun.
"Yasha-kun and I don't have that type of relationship," Usagi said, smiling.
"I'm gonna tear him apart, limb from…what?" Kouga said, turning around, not really hearing what she had just said.
"Yasha-kun and I don't have that type of relationship," Usagi repeated, "We are close, yes, but not in that sense where're I'm going to be his mate. That place is already reserved for Kagome-chan."
"Oh?" Kouga couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief coming over him. When he realized what he just conspired within him, he quickly turned back around and hurried to the cave.
Usagi entered the cave behind the waterfall and saw several brown wolves lying around, enjoying their rare break from running for once on a full stomach. "The survivors from Kagura's annihilation of the group," Usagi said softly. Kouga turned to her with a questioned look on his face. "Yasha-kun told me how she manipulated you into thinking he killed your clan and that's the reason why you're targeting Naraku."
"Wow, that mutt sure told you a lot," Kouga said, sitting down. He watched as she placed the child on top of Suicine to pull out a pallet and replacing Kohana on it. "That guy is usually so secretive about himself. I had to be there just to witness him turn into a ningen to find out the time."
"The night of a full moon," Usagi said.
Louga's eyes stared in shock at the fact that this girl knew one of the secrets InuYasha would rather die than admit. He was about to question her when two voices were heard, shouting, "Kouga!" The group turned to the entrance to see two ookami youkai walking exhaustedly towards them.
"Ginta, Hakkaku, what took you guys so long?" Kouga asked.
"Why did you have to run so fast for? This was our first break so why can't you just slow down for once?" Ginta asked.
"Hey, what are these guys?" Hakkaku asked, pointing to the extension of the pack.
"They're friends of Kagome and the mutt," the leader replied, "This is Usagi, Kohana, and that furball over there is Suicine."
"Friends of Kagome-neechan?" Ginta asked. "Is she a ningen or a youkai?"
Loud clash of thunder was heard as heavy rain fell abruptly in the area. Usagi watched as Suicine cuddled close to Kohana to keep her warm with a smile. "It seems like you were right about the rain, Kouga," usagi said. She stood up and walked over to the entrance of the cave. "I hope yasha-kun and the others are able to find shelter," she said.
"You call InuYasha 'Yasha-kun'?" Hakkaku asked with Ginta adding, "And managed to still be alive?"
Usagi laughed and said. "That's nothing. I once called him fluffy when he came back home after getting caught in the rain and he just brushed it aside." Kouga smirked as he watched admiration grow on his two subordinate's faces. "I am probably the only one he'll ever allow to do any embarrassing thing to him and get away with it," she said, hurrying over to sit with her new friends. Kouga's ears perked up as the idea of blackmail popped up in his head. "Once I was making a girl kimono and had him wear it as a model. He made such a pretty girl."
Ginta and Hakkaku felt their jaws dropped open when they heard that, no doubt Kouga would probably try to use that against the hanyou. Curiously, they glanced over to Kouga and sighed, "Knew it," when they saw an evil smirk and glint in the eyes of a person thinking of a plan to torture someone.
/-/
"AACHOO!" Everyone turned over to InuYasha, who was rubbing his nose and sniffling. "That's weird," he muttered.
"You're not getting sick, are you?" Sango asked. She leaned slightly forward and looked at the hanyou worriedly.
"It's no problem if he is since Kagome-sama has a lot of medicine with her," Miroku said. His brown eyes gleamed as his hand slowly inched towards his favorite part of a woman's body, only to get hit on the head with the large boomerang.
Sango glared at him as she shouted, "Can't you think of anything else to do besides molesting me!"
"Molest you? Why, I'm doing nothing of that sort," the monk said. He smiled almost in an intelligent manner as he continued, "I was merely appreciating the beauty of a woman's body."
"Appreciating, my ass," InuYasha said, shaking his head.
"Sorry, but I only appreciate a woman's body, not a man's, InuYasha," Miroku said. He then glanced up and down curiously. "Unless you're really a girl in disguise, then I don't mind," he said, rubbing his hands together.
InuYasha froze for a second before jumping up into one of the trees surrounding the roadsides. "What the fuck is your problem?" he shouted, "I'm a guy and I don't like it when a guy comes on to me!" Everybody just started to laugh, completely ignoring InuYasha's mutter of how he hates it when people would compare him to a girl, thinking of a time when he was a child.
(Flashback)
"Aneue!" InuYasha shouted, running into the modest but large home of his sister. In his arms were fruit picked from the forest. He entered the house to see Usagi, only sixteen and still oddly unmarried, sitting by a porch that overlooks the waters. In her hands were a pale red girlish kimono and a sewing needle. "Aneue, I brought some fruits for you," he said.
Usagi looked up from her work and smiled gently at him. "Arigato, Yasha-kun," she said, "I hope you didn't run into any trouble."
InuYasha shook his head with a bright smile on his face. "Nope!" he replied happily. He gently dropped the fruits next to his sister and sat down on the porch, swinging his feet over the ledge. "That's a really pretty kimono, aneue, who's it for?" he asked.
"For the lord's daughter," Usagi replied, "She's turning five this week so I'm making this for her." She spread out the cloth as she asked, "Do you like it?" InuYasha nodded his head excitedly, to him anything his sister made was beautiful. Usagi placed a hand on her cheek as she sighed. "Too bad all of the children are busy today. I really wanted one of the girls to model in it for me." She glanced over to InuYasha as an idea popped in her head. "Yasha-kun, can you put this on for just a second? I want to see how it'll look."
"But that's a girl's kimono," the small child whined. Usagi just looked at him, wondering his point. InuYasha pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a boy!" he stressed out.
"It's just for a second, Yasha-kun," Usagi tried to reason with him.
"NO!"
"I'll teach you how to fight."
As tempting as it sound, the hanyou only shouted, "NO!"
"I'll make you toys to play with."
"NO!"
"I'll teach you how to hunt."
"NO!"
"I'll make you your favorite foods for a week."
"N…for a week?" InuYasha asked. Usagi nodded, causing him to ask, "Anything I want?" She nodded again with a smile. The small child looked down in consideration before looking up and nodded excitedly, completely forgetting that he would be dressed like a girl, only thinking about all the delicious treats he would get for a week.
Usagi giggled and held up the kimono. "Great, now take off your clothes and put this on," she said. She noticed that the dog ears on top of his head all of a sudden droop down in realization of the humiliation he would face, but the thought of his favorite foods caused him to stubbornly comply to the agreement.
(A few minutes later)
Usagi squealed at the hanyou garbed in the pale scarlet kimono. "Kawaii!" she said, hugging her brother tightly. "Why couldn't you been born as a girl?" she asked, snuggling to the annoyed hanyou. She pulled away with a dreamy look in her eyes. "It's almost as if your body was built for a girl rather than a boy," she said, sighing.
"Aneue," InuYasha complained as he struggled against her embrace, "I'm a boy! Not a girl!"
"Well, one can dream, can't she?" Usagi asked, laughing, "Now come, I believe that there are some dumplings with your name on them waiting in the kitchen." The minute he heard about the food, he jumped up and ran for the cooking area, completely forgetting to change out of the outfit. Usagi giggled and said, "He's just like a dog. Now I know what to do when I want to dress him up, award him with food."
(End flashback)
And that was the first time he was dressed as a girl, but it definitely wasn't the last. No matter how many times he made a vow to not fall for Usagi's plea of dressing him up, his resolve always disappear the minute she mentions food. Damn it, she got him completely trained like a dog. InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest as he pouted. But no matter how embarrassing the things she did to him might be, she was always there for him.
When his mother died and left him all alone in a world hostile to hanyou, Usagi was the one that took him in, caring for him like a son or the younger brother he was to her. She completely disregarded her dream of being married and having a family of her own, just so she could look after him. He could never deny her of anything since he had no right to in the first place, after all, he was the reason why her dream died out and not just her dream, but her as well.