Pack animal, thought Naraku contemptuously as he faced his bitter foe. He remembered Inuyasha from the time he was skulking around the edge of humanity – shunned by humans and demons alike. So psychologically fragile, so suspicious, so easy to manipulate – one little breeze of betrayal and he snapped just like a twig. But now…now he draws strength from his pack as much as his sword – from his bitch and the pup, the houshi and the taijiya – with their support he grows stronger by the hour. Naraku despised the rabble, yearned to pick them up one by one and send them into oblivion, because that was the only way to destroy Inuyasha – to isolate and corner him, and then break him like a twig all over again.
"You should sleep in the same grave as your friends, Inuyasha" Naraku said as he rose through the Hakureizan.
Pack animal, thought Kikyou ruefully, as she hugged him back, among the fireflies. Inuyasha had sworn to avenge her but she did not want to tear him away from his friends – not for him was her solitary pursuit of justice. He belonged to the living, breathing group that surrounded him. He needed their warmth and camaraderie – that was the secret to his strength and confidence. Yes, he had invited her to join him, but that was sure to cause a rift. Kagome was the one holding the group together, and in her cold presence things were sure to crumble. She could never upset the delicate balance the hanyou had achieved in life, knowing how loneliness had affected him in the past.
"You should return to your friends, Inuyasha," Kikyou said as she made her lonesome progress through the woods.
Pack animal, thought Kagome affectionately, as she watched her beloved hanyou swagger ahead of her. Being on his own for all those years bathed in society's ridicule and contempt must have been terrible. Jinenji was living proof of that. Inuyasha had beauty and strength unparalleled, lineage and immortality – things that people would die for. But what most people had, he lacked – a mother's love, a father's protection, the company of good friends. No more,Kagome strengthened her resolve. She'd make sure from now Inuyasha will always have a place to belong, his pack and his home.
"You're not alone anymore, Inuyasha," Kagome affirmed as she trudged behind him.
Pack animal, thought Inuyasha grimly. One whose pack has been recently murdered and he believes I did it. He knew how his opponent was feeling. Belonging to a pack made life worth living; having someone to talk to, face battles together, eat and drink and laugh and occasionally cry – if his own pack had been wiped out like that he'd go mad in grief.
"Alright, you wimpy wolf," Inuyasha said as he raised the Tessaiga – trying to reason with him would be impossible right now, "let's fight to the finish."
*Originally posted on Inuyasha Fanfiction for their prompt Pack Animal. It won first position.