Chapter 13- The Mating Game

Sesshoumaru watched as Rin kneeled next to a streambed with Kenshin to get a drink of water. He had to admit, his brother was a hard traveler, moving as fast as possible at all times rather than taking it slow. Then again, wasn't that always his way, even in battle? The ningen child of his was extremely tired from holding on to him; she was afraid to fall asleep for fear she might let go. A breeze wafted by him, the scent of wolves evident. The miko lifted her head suddenly, jerking it behind her and watching an opening in the tree line intently. Were her senses that good as to smell wolves on the wind? He didn't think so, but why was she alerting to their presence as though she could?

The wind was picking up. His glance went to the sky, but there was no show of the dark clouds that shed rain. Kagome did not reach for her bow and arrows, but she was definitely fixed on and worried about the wolves. He could tell now that there were four or so, one of them definitely female, and all were heading in their direction. The first one into the clearing was an okami tai-youkai, by his scent, the second was the female. The other two were still a fair distance behind. But… his eyes couldn't help but rivet on the woman, a fair-skinned, red-haired female, fairly petite and slightly built but quick on her feet. Even thought she was a wolf, she still had… a certain appeal about her. He was shocked at these thoughts, and quickly shook them aside mentally.

"Kouga, c'mon! He asked to see you!"

"Ayame, just leave me alone! I already know what he's gonna say, so just drop it!"

"Kouga! Ayame! Hey, what're you two doing here?" Kagome asked, trotting up to them easily, though her unsure expression showed the Inu-tai-youkai how nervous she was. She evidently knew them, so why was it that she was uncomfortable in their presence? He got his answer when moments later the okami was all over her, apparently smitten with her. His brother seemed insanely jealous, and he could understand why. The tai-okami would be considered handsome by youkai standards. Strong, fast, a title more than likely, and assuredly he was a good provider. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rin hiding behind Kenshin. He had noticed the scent was the same as the wolves that had killed her, but this one seemed amicable enough.

"Sit!"

Crash.

"Inuyasha, how many times do I have to tell you not to pick a fight with Kouga?" Kagome asked in exasperation. The others of the typical group seemed to be quite familiar with this scenario, as they were going about their business, acting as though everything were routine. Sango glanced up at him for a moment and, seeing his veiled confusion, sighed and walked over to stand in front of him, straightening her shoulders and ticking her words off on her fingers.

"Kouga arrives. Kouga flirts with Kagome. Inuyasha gets jealous. Said hanyou challenges said tai-okami to fight. Said miko sits said hanyou, and said tai-okami runs off."

With that, she turned around and walked away, satisfied that she had explained the triangle and sequence of events well enough. His eyes unconsciously darted back to the female wolf. What had the miko called her? Oh, yes. Ayame. He could see why she had been named after the beautiful iris, for hers rivaled it even at the pique of its bloom.

What?! Why am I thinking things like this?! What have these humans done to me? he wondered, slight fear seeping into his mind. Even this he objected to. Emotions were weak, and it seemed that he was getting weaker every time he spent a minute with his brother. Oh, the irony. The female looked up at him, startled for a moment, it seemed, before she timidly walked over to him. She bowed gracefully.

"I'm Lady Ayame of the Mountain Wolf Tribe. Who… who are you, may I ask?" she queried of him politely. He didn't know what to say, so opted to stare at her coldly. Her eyes… such were the colors of purest spring… stared back at him innocently. Inuyasha pulled his face from the ground and glanced up at him.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Ayame. That's my older brother, Sesshoumaru," he called, prying the rest of his body from the ground as he did so. Kagome shot him a dirty look, but said nothing to him. "He's cold and heartless by habit, so don't waste your time trying to get him to answer you."

The redheaded she-wolf looked at him awkwardly, but her eyes wandered back to the man. He was handsome… awesome, even, in his stature. He emitted an aura that demanded that she respect him as a great Lord. What was this strange feeling that was welling up in her stomach…?

She vaguely heard Inuyasha and Kagome arguing, and the half-familiar crash of him greeting the dirt with a kiss, and his shouts that pulled words from his sailor's vocabulary. But all of this… it made no sense to her preoccupied mind, which was focused on taking in every detail of the dog-lord's persona. The one thing that finally broke through her mind was a joyous sound.

"Well, if they're gonna come, let's get moving! We're wasting daylight!"

AN: It's back. Again. Finally. I will be attempting to update every Sunday evening from now on, so there SHOULD be more regular updates. I'm sorry I've been taking so long in between, especially since this story has been done for the last three or four years anyway. (bows apologetically) Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!