A/N: Reall-Goodchild – Ooh yeah! Koug/Aya rox, duuuude! NefCanuck – Ehehehh. I just find it amusing, that's all. After all, he does live down the street with my friend (long story/inside joke), so I can't really help doing these things to 'im in me fic, yennoe?

Anyhoo, forgot to add this in last chappie, but chapter five was mostly about introducing Sessy, Rin, Kuri, and Mai. They're gonna be pretty important characters. Yop, yop. ('Yop' is my twisted version of 'yep' or 'yup'.)

Oh hey! Remember in my last author's notes from chapter five, I said this would have a load of flashbacks? Well, I lied. I'm changing my idea so it's more… interesting… Ehehehehhh…

And just for your information, this chapter is starting a flashback. It's also mostly about our favorite wolf couple.

Revised (yes, on WordPad) on December 30, 2005.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Ah, but in my dreams…

- - -

Chapter Six: Blossom

'Ergh. I hate wolf summer school. What's there to learn? It's just a waste of time, I sa- OW!'

She rubbed the back of her head and twisted around in her chair.

She spotted, a few rows back, a boy wolf about her age covering his mouth and pointing. She could tell he was laughing. Then she looked back down to the ball of paper on the floor next to her chair. She glared back at the boy who, as soon as he saw her glower, shifted his eyes a bit and twiddled his thumbs while softly whistling. She turned back around, still angry, mumbling incoherent curse words under her breath.

But she was interrupted.

"Ayame? Ayame. Ayame! AYAME!"

The red headed girl quickly sat up straight and put on her most innocent look. "Yes, teacher?"

"Recite the main duties of a proper wolf youkai."

"Ye-e-e-es, teacher," she huffed. Ayame took in a deep breath, and then exhaled. "The main duties of a proper wolf youkai is to, one, find a mate. Two, claim that mate yours. Three," she started, using her most monotone and bored voice, without really trying," don't disappoint your parents by not giving them eleven or more grandchildren because they might–"

The teacher ticked an eyebrow.

"Will shun you for the rest of your adult life."

"Very good Ayame."

Ayame rolled her eyes. 'Oh yeah. Nothing to learn. It's not like I don't have my parents to bug me about boyfriends…Isn't that more than enough? I'm only 11 years old for crying out loud!'

- - -

'Lunch. The only time of school that I can really enjoy myself… Woot…'

Ayame sat down by a small round table and put down her tray. She looked up to the other wolves eating hamburgers noisily with their friends. 'Ugh. Filthy murderers. Eating other creatures. Disgusting... Ah well… Too bad Sango's not a wolf… She'd make this way more fun.' She sighed and went to sipping her soda, when all of a sudden someone sat down his tray across from her.

She glanced up and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Shouldn't you go on and sit by your lonesome self yet again today?" she said sarcastically with a nonchalant tone.

"Look who's talking." He plopped down in the chair.

She stuck out her tongue.

They both ate without speaking. The silence was not awkward, however, they were both happy to have each other's company, but careful not to admit it by smiling or blushing. Ayame took another sip of her soda and looked up at the boy. They both had no friends in the wolf school they were forced to go to by their parents.

"Kouga?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you do it?"

He looked up from his meal. She looked into those pale blue orbs of his.

"Do what?" he looked down the edge of the table, attempting to avoid her bright green eyes.

"Taunt me. Mock me. Tease me. Why do you do it?"

"What? You mean that paper ball thing today?"

She nodded slightly.

"Dunno, just bored I guess."

She threw down her empty can onto her tray. Then she stood, picked up her tray and stomped off past the doors to outside while smoothly flinging her foam tray into a trash can.

The doors slammed shut. Everybody looked at Kouga.

"What'd I do?"

They all rolled their eyes and went back to eating.

'Ugh. Filthy murderers. Eating other creatures. Disgusting... Ah well… Too bad Sango's not a wolf… She'd make this way more fun.'

- - -

As soon as she went out the doors, she counted to ten, inhaled, and exhaled. Her head was down and eyes slightly closed, trying to relax. She stood there for a bit and vented her anger silently. 'The nerve of that Kouga! Ugh! He has no respect whatsoever for anybody other than himself! That self-centered jerk… Why I could just…' She shook herhead and took in another deep breath. Head still lowered, she turned on her heal and walked back slowly towards the large wooden doors.

'The nerve of that Kouga! Ugh! He has no respect whatsoever for anybody other than himself! That self-centered jerk… Why I could just…'

- - -

He felt guilty. He didn't know why. He didn't do anything wrong, did he? 'I better go apologize anyhow.' He stood up and picked up his tray and trotted towards the trash can nearest to the exit doors. He flung his tray towards the trashcan. Buuut… It landed on the ground. He was a couple of feet ahead of the mess when he noticed it. When he did, he stopped in his tracks. 'Shit! Aaah, real smooth, Kouga. Real smooth…' Everyone looked at him and giggled.He picked up the tray alone, with bits of food still scattered on the ground, and dropped it meticulously into the trash in the most dignified manner he could. (Yep, this never happened to me before... Ahem...)

As he walked past the cafeteria area towards the doors, he smacked his forehead. 'Stupid! Clumsy…!' and pushed his way past the door.

Bump.

"Hey! Watch it, punk!" a girl's voice shouted.

"You watch it, lady!" he retorted, not thinking at all.

Ayame looked up. "Oh. It's you…"

'I better go apologize anyhow.' 'Shit! Aaah, real smooth, Kouga. Real smooth…' never 'Stupid! Clumsy…!'you

'Oh shit…' thought Kouga. "Listen, Ayame. I just wanna apolo—"

"Save it." She held up her hand and huffed back into the cafeteria, leaving behind a very guilty Kouga.

- - -

Ayame looked up at the tall trees lining the narrow street where she was walking. She turned to breathe in the fresh summer air. After this month she would be attending junior high school. 'At least during the school year I won't have to go to that damned wolf summer school… And I won't see that Kouga anymore…' She closed her eyes and let the oncoming breeze cool her off. She heard the slight rustle of the tree blossoms.

But then she heard a rustle louder than any old breeze could do. She swiftly jerked around. She caught a slight shadow passing. But other than that, she only saw a small pile of pink blossoms behind her. She eyed them suspiciously, and then turned back around on her way home.

When she entered her house, she went straight to her room. She fell softly onto her bed on her stomach. The red-head pulled her face into a flower shaped pillow, and screamed.

She screamed at how horrible Kouga could be to her.
She screamed at how rotten Kouga could be to her.
She cried at how horrible and rotten Kouga could make her feel.

When most of her frustrations were out using the quite successful method of screaming-into-a-pillow, calm and still slightly wet from her tears, she sat up on her soft bed.

But then, the doorbell rang.

"Ayame! Could you get that? My hands are full!" she heard her mother's voice shout.

"Yeah, yeah…" Ayame mumbled as she wiped away her tears on a teddy bear's ear.

She walked down the steps. She passed the kitchen where her mother was quickly making a dinner large and special enough to serve as a banquet. Ayame went to the door and opened it.

She saw Kouga.

"Look, Ayame, I just wanna say I'm so—"

Slam. She closed the door in his face.

Knock knock.

Ayame growled and opened the door for the second time.

"I only wanna apol—"

Slam… again.

"Wow, that damned girl can hold a grudge…" he mumbled.

"What was that?" Ayame violently flung the door open, hands on her hips, fire in her eyes.

"Huh-"

"Well?" She tapped her foot and huffed.

"N-n-nothing, nothing… Nothing. Never mind…"

Ayame glowered at him as he turned to walk away. He glanced back one more time at the closed door.

Knock knock.

'At least during the school year I won't have to go to that damned wolf summer school… And I won't see that Kouga anymore…'

'Ugh. He just never gives up, does he?' Ayame huffed yet again, whilst reaching for the doorknob.

"Kouga! You arrogant little –"

No one was there. Ayame looked from side to side, searching. She shrugged when she found no one. As she was about to turn away, she spotted a pink blur from the corner of her eye. She looked down.

A Sakura blossom placed gently on top of a folded piece of paper.

She picked the two items from her doorstep and went inside, delicately kicking the door shut. She opened the small piece of paper. In it, she found three hastily scribbled words.

Ayame,

Sorry.

- Kouga

She smiled. She glided up the staircase, holding the not in one hand, cupping the blossom in the other, staring back and forth between them.

"Ayame, are you all right?" her mother asked.

She paused for a moment and turned around.

"Never been better."

- - -

Entering, her room, she looked out her window. She spotted Kouga walking under the trees nearby. His head was turned in the direction of a Sakura blossom on the tip of a low branch. He reached for the leaves, and then his hand came down as he stared at his palm – or whatever was in it. After his hand came down, Ayame noticed the Sakura blossom gone, and the branch bouncing slightly. After Kouga looked at the mystery item for a moment, he shoved both hands in his pockets, and continued on his way.

Ayame turned around. She opened her nightstand drawer and tenderly placed the note and flower into it.

The girls turned, starry-eyed, to a blushing Ayame.

But on the other hand, the guys turned with wide-and-confused-eyes to a very red Kouga.

"Duuuuuude…" uttered Inuyasha and Miroku incredulously.

"Ayameee! You never told us that version before!" Kagome squealed, happily poking Ayame in the arm at 100 miles per hour.

Ayame made an amused face at her friend.

"Yeah, but you know what I've never… ever… ever, ever, ever heard before, Kagome?" Kuri ticked an eyebrow.

Kagome stopped her poking. While Ayame rubbed her bruised arm, Kagome tilted her head to on side. "What?"

"How you and Inuyasha met. I've never heard the story. Must've been… magical…" Kuri leaned forward, elbows on knees, chin in palm, smiling.

"Yeah right. 'Magical' is the complete opposite of what really happened," Sango snorted.

Kagome eyed Sango.

"It was on the first day Kagome cam—" Sango started, but was cut off.

"Oh look at the time! We better get going! Nice meeting you Kuri. You too Sesshomaru! Bye Rin!" Kagome grabbed Sango's wrist and ran out the door, leaving Ayame behind.

"And I'm the one with the car… I am soo taken for granted," Ayame mumbled as she lazily picked herself from the couch and dragged her feet to the door, "Bye everyone."

The ones left in the two-story apartment stared at the door for a while.

"Riiight. So Sesshomaru, you got a tie Inuyasha can borrow?" said Kouga.

- - -

"Kagome? What was that all about?" Sango asked.

"I just don't want them to hear the story… It's uncomfortable…" Kagome shivered slightly.

They went to wait for Ayame at her the green vehicle.

"Why? They won't care if they hear it. It wa—"

"It makes me uncomfortable for me to hear it…"

"Oh… Well it's no big deal, I mean I get that almost every day. You just gotta give 'im what 'e deserves," Sango said confidently.

"Easy for you to say. I'm not that violent."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yo!" Ayame shouted, turning her friends' heads.

"Took ya long enough, Ayame!" Kagome said putting her hands on her hips.

"I've been standing here saying your names over and over and over and you just now realize I'm here." Ayame said matter-of-factly.

"Oh… Well let's just get going!" Kagome motioned for Ayame to unlock the little green car.

- - -

"Duuude --" Inuyasha said.

"Don't," Kouga responded dryly.

Silence.

"Dude --" Miroku said.

"Just don't," Kouga cut off.

"Dude, what was with the flower?" Inuyasha said quickly before Kouga could interrupt him in mid-sentence.

Kouga glared at the hanyou.

"Aw, does our widdle flowergirl wanna keep 'is flowers to 'imsewf?" Inuyasha teased while Miroku chuckled quite loudly at the thought of Kouga skipping around with a basket of daisies, but then shook his head and shuddered, realizing the image was quite disturbing.

Kouga just growled and concentrated hard on the road to ignore his friends' laughter. He noticed some pink over near the sidewalk.

- - -

"Ayame! Watch out!" Kagome screamed, grabbing the steering wheel from the passenger's seat.

The wolf swerved to her right, then her left, then right again, then back to normal. She had almost driven into the next lane, thinking about a certain memory. Her eyes had been dazed, her friends barely noticed, though. Horns of other drivers honked and beeped while Ayame shook herself from her dream.

"Ayame? What's the matter? You almost hit that other car, yennoe," Sango bent over, leaning one elbow on the driver's seat.

"Huh? Oh, naaah. I'm fine. I'm good. It's all good. It's aaaaall good…" (A/N: Heh. I always say that.)

She sighed once and looked out the window, but keeping one eye on the road. She saw pedestrians walking past, talking and laughing with their companions. A few flower bushes and newly planted trees occasionally sprang from dark soil. Ayame looked to the pink that dotted the leaves.

'They're going to be in blossom soon,' she thought.

Without realizing it, she let her hands slip away from the wheel and swerve yet again to the side, receiving a few loud angry honks.

"AYAME!" both her friends scolded.

"Whoops, my bad…"

She sighed dreamily.

- - -

A/N: Mostly about Ayame, if you haven't noticed. I also decided to hold off a certain flashback until later… (Grins evily) Ahem. And sorry for the typos. Whenever I rush, I misspell. Darn this evil curse'd fact… (Shakes fist)