Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. :Evil Smirk: But one day…

Chapter 8: Problems

Makoto laughed as Kita tightened her arms around his neck and squeezed herself as close to him as she could. He ran and leaped into the branches of trees, scurrying from one to another like a hyperactive squirrel. He flew through the air, finally coming out of the forest and into the flower covered meadow just outside of the village. The late afternoon sun was just reaching the treetops as his skidded to a stop in the tall grass on a hill overlooking the huts. A few humans were still scurrying about; the women bringing in the protesting children and the last of the wash on the lines, the men putting their tools away for the day and bringing in wood for the next morning's cooking fire.

Makoto was use to sights like this, but Kita was curious and a little on edge. He could tell by the slight change in her scent when she looked down at the village. Makoto set her down in the grass and joined her, leaning back with his arms folded behind his head, allowing the fading sunlight to caress his face. He and Kita had done everything he could think of, in just one day. After the dip in the fishing pond, he took her to Goshinboku and the Bone-eater's Well. They traded stories, what Kita had heard about his Okaa and Oyaji and Makoto would tell her the true story. It was amazing how much she knew, and Makoto wondered if the 'legend' of his parents would last forever, since they weren't even dead yet and already had a legend.

After that, Makoto figured Kita would like a dip in the hot springs, then on to InuYasha's forest for a quick walk down his secret paths, all the places he liked to stay when he wanted to be alone, a small clearing where he picked a few extra herbs to dry in the hut later for Kita's wounds, then a brisk run back to the village. Now he was going to show her the sunset over the village. It was always a beautiful sight. Even InuYasha had said it was amazing, as amazing as watching the sun go down could be to InuYasha, anyway. Kagome loved this spot. As a kid, Makoto remembered many nights, mostly on his human nights when he couldn't sleep, all four of them would just sit and watch the stars as they shone one by one through the darkening sky.

"Makoto…" Kita stated in awe, "it's…it's beautiful." She was looking over the village now, the yellow sun just visible in the horizon accompanied by the pinks, oranges, reds, and the blues darkening overhead. The first stars started to shine just above them, with the partial moon becoming brighter as the sun dimmed.

"Um hum. Beautiful." Makoto wasn't looking at the sky, though. He was watching the colors dance across Kita's facial features, her emerald eyes glowing in their awe and her ebony hair reflecting the sparking stars. Her smile, the first true smile that he had just seen for the first time, was more radiant that the full moon. Her wolf-ears were slightly larger than his dog ones, but nonetheless they only added to her beauty. Makoto found them especially cute when they twitched or flicked, listening to the sounds of the night. Cute? What are you thinking! You don't like her! She's a wolf, and you know how they are. Are you really going to fall for another of Akina's kind? He took one more glance toward the wolf-hanyou. Her left ear flicked toward him. He sighed. Yep. You are falling for anther one.

But what was he going to do about it? She was obviously determined to leave as soon as he let her go. Why did she want to leave so badly? Could he possibly change her mind? "Kita, when Okaa-san heals you, do you have to go? I mean, where will you go? What will you do?" Makoto saw her muscles tense with the question.

"I can't stay. I-I have things I've got to do Makoto." Kita dropped her head. It had been the best day of her life. For the first time she felt…normal. She wasn't hated. She wasn't despised or mistreated. She was…welcomed. She had fun. Makoto had shown her unforgettable sights, had given her hope for herself. But, she knew it would be impossible to stay like she wanted. There was still the spell to consider, and the fact that Makoto didn't know her like he thought. He didn't yet know who she really was and all the things she had done. If he did, he wouldn't want her to stay.

"Why can't you, Kita? What things do you have to do?" he was pleading for a truthful answer.

Kita unconsciously rubbed at her neck and sighed. "There are things you don't know about me, things you wouldn't understand. If you knew, you wouldn't want me to stay. I've got other things to do than to stay here…with you. I'm not free to make the choice."

"What do you mean by 'not free'? Kita, let me help you. If you're in trouble, tell me. Me, Okaa, Oyaji, Oba, Oji, Shippou; we'll do anything we can for you. Please, just tell me."

"I- I can't, Makoto! I can't tell you! Please, just let me forget about if for awhile. I just want to forget…"

Makoto shook his head and sighed. "You can trust me, you know." He grinned. "I won't bite…not too hard anyway." Kita giggled and leaned back in the grass. A low rumbling came from the inu's stomach. "We should get back to the hut. I'm starving."

"Okay, how about you catch and I cook tonight. I don't really like just sitting around while you do all the work."

"Sounds good to me. Getting a little tired of my cooking, aren't you?" he replied with a faults sense of disappointment in his voice.

"It's just…different...from the way I'm use to, that's all."

Back in the hut, Kita fiddled with the fire and put the pot of water over the flames. She took the meat from the birds Makoto had brought back and sliced them into the water, adding herbs and spices that she had found in the hut to her preference. She put another pot on the other side of the fire and filled it with water and rice. Makoto hovered over her shoulder, sniffing and watching as she placed one last ingredient in and covered the pot with its lid. "It'll be a few minutes." She said.

"Where are you from, anyway? I've never seen anyone cook like that."

"Osaka."

Makoto's ears perked and he turned his full attention to the she-wolf. "Osaka? That's over 200 kilometers away. What made you travel so far?"

"The wolves…in my pack," Makoto could see a twinge of fear flash across her face, "they…didn't like the idea of a hanyou in their pack,…so I left. Heh. They all liked their food raw. I couldn't stand that, so whenever I could I just cooked for myself."

"Must be our human blood. Oyaji and I prefer cooked food, but Akina and the wolves don't. Shippou likes cooked food, but that's just because Okaa-san spoiled him as a kit."

"Wolves? Th-there's a pack near here?"

"Yea, their harmless though, for the most part." Makoto desperately wanted to change the subject, so he turned his attention back to the boiling pot. "Hey, is it done yet?"

Kita lifted the lid and took a quick sniff and tasted the contents. Satisfied, she nodded and fixed two bowls of rice, pouring the meat and broth on top. She looked to Makoto expectantly as he took a good sized bite. Without a word he woofed down the rest of the bowl and helped himself for more. Kita smiled and took to her own bowl with a little less enthusiasm than the inu.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Shippou, I'm tired! Can't we just stop here for awhile?" Tani's short hair bounced around as Shippou carried her through the forest. She held a sour look on her face from all the traveling they had done in just a few long days. Kagome had made Shippou and the others promise to get back to the village as soon as possible, and with her more than stubborn okaa's-boy mate he had gathered her up and took off before she could even get a bite to eat before they left.

"Yea, Outou-san, can we please stop? I'm tired." Yumi called from her mother's lap on top of Kirara.

"Come on you two, it's only just up ahead. Not like you're doing any of the walking anyway, Tani."

"Shippou, so help me when we get back…" Shippou loosened his grip, causing the girl to slip a little on his back. She was about to rebuke when they finally reached the familiar path to InuYasha and Kagome's hut. Tani let out a relieved sigh. A few more minutes and she would be back in the village, in her own hut, sleeping in her own bed; after a quick dip in the river of course. She knew Sango probably had the same idea. "Home, home, home!" she chanted in a sing-song voice.

"Not yet, woman. Have a little patience. We've still got to find Makoto."

Tani pouted. "Can't you tell him tomorrow?"

"It won't take long Tani. We go in, we talk, we leave. You coming or not Miroku? Sango?"

"Eh, I think we should retire back to our own hut, Shippou. Yumi seems to be just on the verge of sleeping, and it doesn't take all of us to talk to one hanyou." Shippou snarled and mumbled under his breath. Miroku cocked an eyebrow at the youkai. "Surly you can see my reasoning, Shippou. After all, the children do come first."

"Yea right! You just use them as an excuse. Go on and go home. Me and Tani will tell Makoto."

"Thank you, Shippou." Sango replied.

"Whatever." The groups turned their separate ways; Miroku, Sango, and the girls back to the village and Shippou and Tani cut of to the second path that led to his parents' hut. The sky was almost completely black, only a very fine sliver of moon shown through. One of Kagome's concerns was that Makoto would be by himself during the new moon, and he knew she would still be worrying over Makoto, even if he was here with him. That's just how Kagome had always been, even when she was hurt she was worried about the others first. Tani's breathing became shallow; her chest slowing it's breaths as she silently fell asleep against Shippou's back.

A few minutes later, they were in sight of the hut. It was completely dark inside, no fire going in the pit as it usually was, especially after dark. He slid open the front door and peered inside. It was quiet. It looked as if no one had been in there the whole day. Shippou shifted Tani's weight to one side and scooped her into his arms, making his way to InuYasha and Kagome's room and placed her on the bed. He brushed a thin layer of hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear, giving a quick nuzzle to her neck and closing the door once more. The first thing he did after that was check Makoto's room to make sure he really wasn't there. Except for his futon and a few other items the room was empty.

Shippou sniffed. His senses could pick up on Makoto and the wolf-youkai, so she was still staying here. The smell was weak, at least since the morning hours. That baka pup. Where did he run off to now? And with that she-wolf as well. Shippou pondered as he started a fire in the pit. He'd just have to stay in the hut until Makoto returned, whenever that would be.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Makoto! Get back here!" Kita hobbled toward Goshinboku and circled it, looking up in the branches. "Makoto! Where did you go, you baka!" She had been with Makoto for six days and the two hanyou had gotten to be close friends. Makoto left early that morning to hunt and had yet to return. Kita had gotten up and set out to look for him, going to the places she knew he liked to stay at times. Giving up, she slumped against the trunk of Goshinboku and crossed her arms, sighing as the breeze blew past her. She flicked her ears, listening to the sounds of the wind in the trees, the early morning birds singing their songs, some small animals scurrying through the underbrush. Her eyes slowly drifted closed.

"Looking for me?" Kita jumped to her feet at the inu's voice, causing her to land unbalanced on her already injured ankle and stumble back, only to be caught in Makoto's strong arms. The two fell backward to the ground. Makoto cackled at the still shocked looking face on the girl.

"You baka! What are you trying to do?"

"Awe, come on Kita. Can't I have a little fun?" She pulled on a length of his hair in response. "Oww, hey wench, that hurts!"

"Serves you right." She fidgeted until she was out of Makoto's grasp. "Where did you go anyway?"

"Just down the path. Okaa-san and the others should be getting back today. Shouldn't be too long." He turned to face her better. "You still going to leave?"

"Yea. I've got somewhere to be, you know that." Not that I ever want to leave here, to leave you. But, if I don't… She brought up her hand to rub her neck. If I don't…he'll kill me. His Okaa-san's a miko, maybe she'll be able to help. Maybe she can remove the spell. Makoto nodded sadly. Kita almost giggled at the pathetic look he had across his face which couldn't be described in any other way than a childish-pout. His bottom lip was slightly protruding, golden eyes glimmering and begging her to stay. Kita almost couldn't resist; she almost told him she would stay.

"Alright, so the agenda for today is: hunting, eat, swimming, eat, then I have to help out in the village and you need to rest, a run through the forest, bath in the hot springs, eat, then the sunset over the hilltop before going back to the hut for the night." Kita nodded in agreement.

"Sounds perfect."

At the end of the day, Makoto and Kita were sitting once again on the hilltop overlooking the village as the sun started to fade into the night. Kita's head was propped on his knees as he slumped against the tree. "Look over there! It's a rabbit. See it?" she pointed to a group of stars.

Makoto stared up into the night sky. "Nope, but I see a turtle. See, its head's right there. Or maybe its just a rock. Can't really tell from here."

"Mmm." Was Kita's only reply. She allowed her eyes to drift shut and snuggled into the leg of Makoto's hamaka. Soon she felt a hand rubbing through her hair and curve under her shoulders as the other snaked its way under her knees and she was lifted off the ground. She sighed, loving the warmth of being held so close to the inu. "Where we going?"

"Back home. Okaa-san's suppose to be there by now. I'm surprised Oyaji hasn't been out looking for us yet."

"Maybe they decided to stay a bit longer."

"Keh. I doubt it. If Oyaji and Oto stay under the same sky for too long they have a fit. I can just imagine how they're doing under the same roof together, especially with the pup on the way."

"She's pregnant?"

"Yep. Over three and a half months now. Five more weeks and I'm gonna be the big brother." Makoto smiled pridefully. As they approached the hut he saw a fire already burning inside. "Looks like they're here." He dropped Kita to her feet, still bracing her side. They walked in together.

"Makoto, it's about time! Where have you been for the past hour and a half?" Shippou was the only person visible. Makoto sniffed, realizing Kagome and InuYasha weren't there. Only Shippou and Tani.

"Where's Okaa? Did something happen? Is the pup alright?" he bombarded his brother with questions.

"Slow down, pup. She's fine, just a little cold. She worked herself a bit too hard as well, but she'll be alight. A healer came and said she could probably travel in a couple of days, so they'll be here later. And Okaa's having twins, so that's making Oyaji even more irritable to be around, so having a few more days without them will be a blessing, trust me." Shippou yawned.

"Hold on. Did you just say twins?"

"Funny, but I think that's the same phrase Oyaji used when Okaa told him. Except his jaw dropped a bit further than yours, and he didn't drool." Makoto wiped his sleeve across his mouth and punched Shippou's shoulder. He cackled and turned his eyes to Kita, who was looking at the floor on the other end of the hut. "So, this is the wolf-hanyou?"

"Shippou, this is Kita. Kita, this is my brother Shippou." She bowed but didn't advert her eyes.

Shippou took a quick look over her, taking in her injuries by their scent, also getting a whiff of something else. He glared at Makoto and grabbed his arm at the elbow. "Can I speak with you for a moment, outside?" Makoto nodded and followed the kitsune outside. "We'll be right back." Shippou stated before shoving the hanyou out the door.

"What's your problem?" Makoto yelled when they were out of Kita's earshot.

"Are you really that thick?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"That wolf has your scent all over her! Okaa and Oyaji were right not wanting you to go alone with her. What are you thinking Makoto? Akina wasn't enough for you? Had to go after another of her kind or have you just not learned your lesson yet?"

"Why do you always have to bring up her? Akina has nothing to do with me anymore, and she defiantly doesn't have anything to do with Kita so just shut up about it!"

"She a wolf Makoto. They're all sly and tricky. It's in their nature to only be loyal to their own pack, something you'll never be a part of and she'll never betray."

"Keh, shows you what you know. You don't know anything about her!"

"My point is, neither do you!" Shippou raised his hand to the side of his head and sighed. "Look, Makoto, I'm just trying to watch out for you. I know how you can be sometimes, and I just want to warn you not to rush into things like before. That's another part of Oyaji he could have left out of you, pup."

"I'm not a freakin pup anymore! I can make my own decisions! I decide where I go, I decide how long I'm gone, and I decide who I'll be with!"

"Makoto, don'.."

"We're finished, Shippou. That's it." With that, Makoto turned and left his stunned older brother to his own thoughts. Who does he think he is? Keh! That baka! They'll never let me forget about her. All they'll ever do is show me that 'told you so' attitude. Akina was a mistake, and a big one at that, but Kita is different somehow. Keh. Not like it matters anyway. In a few days,…she'll be gone, too. Slowly Makoto's anger faded to sorrow. He really did feel dumb. How is it that he always fell for the wrong person?

A/N:

Oo;

Shippou's been hanging around with InuYasha too long…

Poor Makoto. Will Kita tell him the truth? Hm…

And as always…

www dot freewebs dot com / kachiki(underscore)tsucasa