Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this latest installment... especially for the one who's moved on to Phase Two. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

Alley Cat

When the deadbolt slid to on the front door of Founder's Coffee Shop, Miroku practically vaulted over the counter in his rush to get to Sango's booth. She and her brother were each immersed in a book—chemistry and patisserie, respectively. With a clap of his hands, he gained their attention; addressing Kohaku, he cheerfully declared, "I think you're ready for Phase Two!"

"Uhh... come again?" the teen replied, glancing uncertainly at his sister.

"The second phase of youkai acclimation," Miroku patiently explained. "Phase One was dealing with hanyou—a level of interaction you mastered with admirable speed. However, one should never rest on their laurels. It's time for a new challenge!"

"Such as?" Sango asked blandly.

"We shall move on to full youkai!"

Kohaku glanced over towards the counter, trading a dumbfounded glance with Shippo, who only rolled his eyes and shrugged. Meanwhile, Sango arched a brow and inquired, "Is Sesshoumaru back, then?"

Miroku's eyes widened in mock alarm. "Let's not go crazy, my dear! I'm quite certain our owner ranks as Phase Four, Five... or quite possibly Six!"

Sango covered a smile, feeling guilty for agreeing with him. "I guess letting him work his way up to Sesshoumaru is a good idea. Who did you have in mind?"

"Hakkaku," Miroku answered, sliding into the seat beside Sango. "He's about as non-threatening a youkai you'll find, provided you aren't easily intimidated by wild hairstyles. Do you have an unholy fear of mohawks, Kohaku?"

"I don't think so," he replied seriously.

"Then we shouldn't have any problems!" Turning to Sango with his most wheedling gaze, Miroku said, "We're both off during the day tomorrow; let's go to Peep's."

"The bakery?" Kohaku asked, eyes alight with interest.

"Finals are next week," Sango reluctantly pointed out, eyeing her textbooks.

"We could get an early start," Miroku coaxed. "That way you can still put in some studying before your shift."

Seeing the hopeful expression on her brother's face, Sango gave in. "Okay... what time should we meet?"

"Eleven?"

Sango laughed outright. "You call that early?"

Miroku playfully grumbled, "Hey... it's early for me."

Jurou and Kurou were yanked from cupcake-frosting duty to cover the register so the rest of the crew at Peep's could indulge in a newsy visit with Sango. At least, that's the way it seemed to Miroku. The minute he had her through the doors, she was the center of attention. He couldn't decide if his family members were trying to assist him in wooing the woman, goading him by proving that they could cozy up to her without retaliation, or simply vying for the attention of their future 'little sister'. Probably all of the above, Miroku admitted as he watched Ginta slide an entire tray of breakfast pastries in front of her.

Although the wolves weren't exactly giving Kohaku the cold shoulder, they were giving the teen a bit more space. Watching closely, Miroku realized that their behavior was quite possibly a coordinated effort on the pack's part to demonstrate their good intentions by showering attention on the young man's sister. He made a mental note that the tactic was working quite well and decided to advocate the buddy system as the new Phase Two in his ever-evolving schemes for promoting inter-species harmony.

Miroku was just considering whether the phenomenon would be a viable topic for a journal article when Hakkaku strolled over and offered bottles of milk to the Sakamoto siblings, then scooted into the seat next to Kohaku. It won't take him long; he has an instinct for this sort of thing. Of all his family, Hakkaku had been the one he'd trusted with all his childhood secrets, awkward questions, and toughest problems. The gentle-hearted wolf-youkai was both wise and lavish with his affections, and already Miroku could see Hakkaku responding to the pang of loneliness in Kohaku's wide brown eyes.

It was a smooth transition. One moment, the teen was on the outside, watching his sister enjoying a place amidst the pack, and in the next, he was being drawn in, welcomed, and included. Miroku swallowed hard as he watched the tension seep out of Kohaku's body—proud of his adopted cousin and happy for the young man who was now being called, 'little brother'. Good. Hakkaku had taken Miroku's growing up the hardest; doting on the aching teen was just the thing to cheer him up. At least until I have children of my own for him to fuss over... if Sango's willing.

Conversation during their casual brunch ranged far and wide, but the chit-chat didn't become truly interesting until Sango casually asked, "So... whatever happened to your guests?"

"You didn't hear?" Ginta gasped.

"Oh... this is gooood!" grinned Hakkaku.

Kouga buried his face in his hands with a groan, and Ginta smirked broadly. "The meetings were a total fiasco!"

"An unmitigated disaster," agreed Miroku.

Ginta held up his thumb and forefinger. "We were this close to bloodshed."

"Most excitement we've seen in two centuries," Hakkaku assured.

Sango's eyes grew rounder by the moment, and she looked to Miroku for some kind of explanation. He held up both his hands and said, "It wasn't my fault; I swear!"

"Maybe you should start at the beginning?" suggested Sango.

"Nah. We'll just skip to the good part," Ginta countered, gesturing for everyone to draw in closer. "It seems that the leader of the northern pack was about as forthright with his granddaughter as Miroku's father was with him."

"Which means... not terribly?" Sango supplied.

Kouga, who'd been suspiciously quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. "The two old fools were so caught up in their matchmaking, they didn't stop to consider the feelings of the people involved. Miroku has his own plans, and when Ayame found out the full extent of the agreement... well..."

Ginta whistled softly. "That Ayame is one spunky she-wolf."

"Bark and bite," agreed Hakkaku. "Our Miroku never had to speak up about his own preferences on the matter. She's the one who put the brakes on."

"Screeching to a halt," muttered Kouga sourly.

"Miroku managed to calm her down before she made it onto the warpath," Ginta said a little regretfully.

"It was nothing," he demurred. "I couldn't just let her pick on Kouga like that."

"Kouga?" Sango asked, her attention swinging to the slump-shouldered wolf.

The blue eyes that met hers sparked with annoyance and he gritted out, "For some reason, Ayame decided that the whole mess is my fault."

"I think she was hoping that you'd leap forward and offer to take her yourself," Miroku ventured mildly.

Kouga snorted. "I did... for all the good it did."

Sango's brows lifted and Hakkaku said, "Exceptionally creative insults were flung."

"It was beautiful," Ginta sighed, playfully slapping Kouga's shoulder. "She chewed out everyone involved."

"Except Miroku," Kouga pointed out, glancing furtively at his brother, who chuckled uncomfortably.

"So... they left. Does that mean everything is fixed?" Sango asked.

"Ah... no. Not exactly," Miroku admitted with a slight frown. "Tabled might be a better term."

Kouga sighed. "Dad's adamant. One of his sons has to accept the match in order to save the family's honor."

Sango looked between the brothers. Miroku met her gaze calmly, but Kouga fidgeted irritably. "So...?" she prompted.

"Oh, Kouga did the only thing he could," said Ginta. "He offered to endure... what was it? 'A lifetime of misery with the red-haired harpy'?" he glibly quoted. "Rather than see his brother's fate sealed by their father's idiocy."

"Ayame seemed to take exception with the wording of my brother's proposal," Miroku remarked, eyes sparkling.

"No wonder," Sango retorted.

The blue-eyed wolf drooped even further. "I was angry."

"At Ayame?" she countered.

"No," he admitted sulkily.

Sango tsk-ed. "Please tell me you apologized?"

"Therein lies the rub," Miroku interjected. "She refuses to speak with him."

"And insists she won't have him," Hakkaku added, pointing to bachelor number one.

"Which leaves our Miroku," Ginta said, pointing to bachelor number two.

"Who she claims to prefer," Hakkaku summed up. "Exciting, isn't it?"

Sango slowly turned to gape at Miroku, who shrugged. "There's a lot of built-in drama when you live in a pack. It'll blow over. Probably."

Ginta shook his head. "Not this time. Promises were made, and the pack's reputation is at stake."

"Maybe Ayame is just playing hard to get," Miroku offered hopefully.

Hakkaku nodded wisely and opined, "Neither brother has chosen an easy path, but that doesn't mean the road won't lead to a warm den."

After a while, Hakkaku noticed that Kohaku's attention was wavering; the boy's eyes kept wandering towards the kitchen. With the lift of a brow and the jerk of a thumb, the wolf offered to take him back, and the teen gladly nodded. You can always lead an adolescent male towards food, he thought, thinking a little wistfully of the days when feeding Miroku had been like trying to fill a void. Hakkaku was somewhat surprised by the intensity with which Sango's brother inspected all the equipment. "You're really interested in this sort of thing, little brother?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kohaku confidently agreed.

Hakkaku filed that tidbit away for future consideration and snagged a few pastries from the cooling racks before leading Kohaku out the back door, which opened into a wide alley. The wolf took a seat on the back step, stretching his legs out and catching some of the afternoon sunshine. He could feel the covert glances and gave the teen some time to satisfy his curiosity before slowly opening his eyes. The source of Kohaku's fascination seemed to be his hairdo—hardly surprising. Hakkaku eased into the conversation with a nonchalant, "You're the quiet sort?"

"Guess so," the teen shrugged.

"That's just as well. We're mostly noisy, so you'll help balance us out." Kohaku nodded, and Hakkaku handed him a pastry. Then, he gestured towards his hair. "It's natural... well, mostly. My youki supports it, so it's natural for me. You know, that's how we found out little Miroku had inherited his grandfather's talent. He's the only one who can get it to lay down because his reiki nullifies my youki."

"Oh," Kohaku mumbled around a large bite, eyes still on the gravity-defying spikes.

"Want to see if you've got any reiki flowing through your aura?" Hakkaku offered, tilting his head.

"My family doesn't have any reiki-users," Kohaku replied, though he reached out and gently prodded a silvery point. "I never even met a youkai before Sango brought me here."

"Well, I can show you the ropes of pack life," the wolf offered. "For instance, this is okay... but never touch a wolf's tail without permission. That's getting too personal, if you know what I mean."

"Okay," the teen earnestly agreed, steadily meeting Hakkaku's frank gaze.

The wolf remarked, "Youkai don't have freckles. I've known a few with spots, but no freckles."

Kohaku self-consciously scratched his nose, then grinned shyly. "They're natural."

Hakkaku laughed heartily. He's going to be just fine with us. A soft noise caught the wolf's attention, and he turned sharp eyes towards the deep shadows towards the end of the alley. "This might interest you, little brother," he announced. "She always comes around this time of day since I usually bring a bit extra for her."

"Who?"

"Our alley cat."

Kohaku peered in the direction that Hakkaku was looking. "I like cats; we had lots in the barn behind my uncle's house."

"Well, this isn't your average kitty," the wolf cautioned. "She's a neko-youkai."

"A demon cat?"

"Yeah. I don't know if you know this, but there are different varieties of youkai even within a single species. For instance, I have four-footed packmates who aren't capable of making the transition into human form; they mostly look like typical wolves. They can't use human speech, but they're intelligent. Never underrate a demon simply because they aren't taiyoukai-level. Some are just as fearsome in their own way; appearances can be deceiving."

Throughout Hakkaku's explanation, Kohaku's eyes grew wider, and a hint of nervousness tinged his scent. "I didn't know that," he admitted.

The wolf youkai frowned slightly and said, "Some low level demons are dangerous, but they wouldn't be foolish enough to hunt in my pack's territory. And this little one isn't someone to fear." Hakkaku patted Kohaku's shoulder, then rose to his feet. "Watch," he said, then stepped briskly to a point several paces away before crouching and placing a miniature quiche on the pavement. He returned and took his seat, saying, "Felines are very particular. She might not like wolves very much, but she knows good cooking when she tastes it. There... look!"

Hakkaku nodded into the shadows beyond the dumpster where a pair of red eyes blinked into view. They glowed a nightmarish red, and Kohaku tensed before shrinking slightly behind the wolf's larger frame. "Come into the light, little one... you'll frighten the boy."

A small, two-tailed cat minced into view on tiny paws, cream-colored fur tipped with black and a single, perfect diamond upon her forehead. Brown eyes blinked, and red eyes blinked back. "Hi," the teen managed softly, giving an uncertain little half-wave. "I'm Kohaku."

"This is Kirara," Hakkaku supplied, completing the introductions.

"How do you know?"

"She told me, of course," chuckled the wolf.

"I thought you said she can't talk," Kohaku replied, clearly puzzled.

"She can't use human speech, but that doesn't mean she can't communicate... when she wants to," Hakkaku explained. "Normally, she wouldn't give a wolf the time of day, but she really didn't like being called 'Kitty' and saw fit to correct me."

The neko-youkai's tails curled and flicked, and she uttered a grumbling meow before gliding towards the offering of food.

"I continue to apologize for my error with quiches; they're her favorite."

"Kirara is a pretty name," Kohaku opined.

The little cat's head came up, and she mewed sweetly.

Hakkaku nodded to her and said, "This is Miroku's intended mate's sibling."

"So he is planning to marry my sister?" the teen inquired.

Hakkaku's eyes widened in chagrin. "Oops... umm... could you not mention that I mentioned that?"

"It's okay," Kohaku assured. "I noticed, but she's not wearing a ring or anything, so I didn't think it was official. And Sango doesn't seem to want to talk about him."

"I have high hopes," the wolf confided.

In the meantime, Kirara finished her savory tartlet and strolled over. In one light leap, she perched on Kohaku's knee, regarding him closely. "Can I pet you?" he asked seriously.

Kirara mewed, and Hakkaku chuckled. "She likes your manners." Kohaku gently stroked the cat, who was soon butting her head against his hand, demanding more. "You know... every once in a while, a feline-type youkai will adopt a human. If you manage to impress her, she might just decide to keep you," Hakkaku said thoughtfully.

"Really? Cool!"

When the wolf excused himself to go back inside, Kohaku was slouched on the back step with a madly purring neko-youkai curled up on his chest. Hakkaku was pleased by the picture they made. The boy is too big to be cuddled, but he can still find comfort in cuddling another. His instincts told him that the two would be inseparable... and where humans were concerned, Hakkaku's instincts were very good indeed.

End Note: Posted on September 22, 2009... to help mark my third anniversary as a fanfiction writer! Thanks for celebrating with me! 2,546 words.