Summary: Uchiha Sasuke isn't someone Naruto would want to spend the rest of his life with - especially since his life as a fox demon won't end anytime soon. Too bad that his wishes don't matter to Sasuke; since suicide is obviously out of question, only one option remains...
Warnings: male slash, yaoi, lemons, some violence, cursing, minor character bashing (Kagome)... ok, more than just minor Kagome bashing ^^
Author's note: This chapter has been beta'd by XxDreaming of RealityxX
Author's note the 2nd: Ok, so this is it. The first chapter of Mating Issues that is made up of completly new stuff. Let's hope you like it. Next chapter is already over 4,000 words long. It will be great. I'll update again in about two weeks. I'm having a creative phase.
Author's note the 3rd: Btw this story can be found on AO3 under the same user name.
Disclaimer: don't own anything T.T
"Talking"
"Demon talking"
'Thinking'
'Inner demon'
Dreams/flashbacks
Chapter 9: The wolf prince and the hanyou
His best shot would probably be to take the blonde unaware. Injecting the boy with his paralyzing poison was also an option…and one that had already been successful.
It was still rather early in the morning when Naruto was forcefully woken by the feel of tiny hands shaking him awake and an excited, childish voice chatting happily right into his sensitive ear. Groaning tiredly, the blonde forced himself to sit up, knowing from earlier encounters with his assailant that going back to sleep was out of the question. It was his own fault, really.
Since his return to Kaede's village didn't turn out as bad as Naruto had previously predicted, the blonde had decided to stay for a while. After the whole green-skin-thing turned out to be a prank, the villagers got over their dislike for the blond fox demon rather quickly, seeing as it was not permanent. That was something Naruto hadn't expected at all, considering that his previous encounters with the human population of Edo had proven the people to be rather unfriendly.
He had decided to stay and he just had to offer Shippo some lessons in kitsune magic. Among other things. Now he had to deal with the consequences of his thoughtless actions.
"Come on, Naruto. Hurry up! What am I going to learn today? Teleporting? Illusions? Fighting?" The little fox kit asked excitedly, jumping around hyperactively.
'Oh, come on. You can't fault the kit for being eager. You were just as excitable at his age."
"Worse than that, probably." Naruto thought in amused exasperation.
"Hmm. Maybe a little of everything kit." He finally answered Shippo, yawning loudly.
The readhead's eyes lit up like fireworks upon hearing that. Okay, maybe teaching the kit a few tricks wasn't really that much of a hardship. The boy was just too cute.
"But first we'll have breakfast. An empty stomach is bad for your concentration." Naruto continued ruffling Shippo's hair and leading him out of Kaede's hut.
"Hey! My hair!" The boy protested loudly.
The blonde just chuckled at his protest. Shippo reminded him very much of himself at that age. Both of them were orphans from a young age. Though Shippo, at least, had some memories of his late parents. And both of them had had no one to teach them about the magical arts of the kitsune demons. Oh, Hokage-jiji had certainly tried, but in the end, kitsune magic and the ninja arts had proven to be too different and he had had to teach himself with the help of a few scrolls his parents and his grandfather had left behind. It had taken him several years to get the hang of it. However, illusions had been his worst subject. He had royally sucked at them for the first decades of his life.
After a quick traditional Japanese breakfast with Inuyasha and finding a quiet place under a group of trees just outside of Kaede's village that suited their purpose, they finally started their next lesson. The hanyou accompanied them since he was rather bored, having nothing to do with his time.
"Now listen well, kit. This is a piece of advice that may very well save your life one day. There are some pranks that you will only be able to pull off successfully and without loss of life or limbs when you are either young and cute or very confident in your ability to run incredibly fast. And I mean really, REALLY fast." Naruto lectured wisely.
"What kind of pranks are those, Naruto-sensei?" Shippo asked, wide-eyed.
"The kinds of pranks that involve any kind of females, especially bathing females." The blonde answered sagely. Inuyasha nodded along, completely in agreement with the blonde.
"Why?" The fox kit asked curiously.
"You remember what Sango did to Miroku when she caught him peeping on her?" The hanyou asked his little companion seriously.
"Yeaaah…He had looked pretty bad."
"Keh. It was a miracle that she hadn't killed him with that giant boomerang of hers. She had certainly looked angry enough."
"That's why. Imagine what she would have done to him had he tried to prank her. Women can get very vicious when they're angry. So when you prank a girl and she catches you… I shudder to think of what she might do to you. When you're still young and cute that shouldn't be much of a problem. Girls love cute things, it's like a mental illness and though you'll have to endure some cuddling and squealing, they won't hurt you," Naruto lectured gravely. Inuyasha snorted at that part, remembering all the harassment he had to endure as a kid for his cute dog ears. He preferred a mob chasing him out of town to a mob of females pinching his ears anyway.
"When you look older than a human boy of around twelve, you should really avoid getting caught, because around that age being cute doesn't count all that much. If you're not sure that you can outrun a horde of angry females and value your life, you should forget pranking them. AT ALL. If you're not suicidal or incredibly stupid, that is. You got that?" Naruto carried on, ignoring the snort from the half-demon.
"Hai, Naruto-sensei!" The little kitsune replied enthusiastically.
"Good, good. Now, kit, let me see if your illusions are any good. Good illusions are important because when they are used correctly, they can very well save your hide. Trust me, I know. And there is a lot you can do with a good illusion, for example hide, when you're dealing with humans. Or you can trap an opponent in an illusion so you can disable him before he realizes what happened. Though you have to be careful, many of the stronger demons can see through the weaker illusions as they don't rely on their eyes as much as, for example, humans do. Only an illusion that clouds all senses would be successful against such opponents, but those are too difficult for you, yet. Now, give it a shot. Show me the best illusion you can accomplish, Shippo."
"Hai!" Shippo answered with a look of concentration on his face. And after a small poof of smoke, a little mushroom eyed him from the place where Shippo had stood seconds before.
"Hmm. Not bad, kit." Naruto praised after thoroughly observing Shippo's transformation, "You're not all that bad at illusions. But you should really stop giving your mushrooms eyes. It's okay if you're pranking someone. But when you're trying to hide it's just too noticeable. Real mushrooms just don't have eyes."
"Oh." The redhead remarked dejectedly.
"Hey, there's no need for disappointment. It's just a small oversight. You're doing fine with illusions. Though, you'll have to work on your speed, stamina and your kitsune magic a bit. And you should definitely learn how to disguise your scent. Any demon with a good sense of smell would be able to sniff you out in seconds and your illusions would be completely useless. But all in all, considering that you're been traveling with a bunch of humans and non-fox demons for quite some time, you're not half bad. But you seriously need to change your diet a little. You're a bit on the small side, for someone of your age group. You need more raw meat than just once in a while. It's not healthy. I know ramen is the food of gods but you're a demon, you need some fresh meat once in a while or your growth will be permanently stunned."
"It's not his fault. Kagome throws a fit every time she sees one of us with rare meat. She thinks it'll make him sick. So we've taken to avoid eating meat rare when she's around." Inuyasha explained.
"I noticed as much. But it's still unhealthy. You'll have to set your foot down. Shippo's health is more important than Kagome's delicate sensibilities."
"You're right. I'll do that."
"Good."
"…It'll be a painful process." The hanyou said, rubbing the back of his head as if in pain, obviously remembering the last time he had a disagreement with the girl.
"It doesn't have to be." Naruto continued. Shippo noticing that the conversation had turned quite serious became still.
"Che…" Inuyasha muttered, clearly not inclined to continue their conversation.
The hanyou was the other reason for Naruto's extended stay in the village, besides the friendliness of the villagers and Shippo. Naruto was truly curious about the kind of person the hanyou really was. He had heard a lot of rumors and stories about the hanyou at Sesshomaru's Palace, even some from the demon lord himself. Some of them had been nice and had painted him in a favorable light, while others had made him out to be a horrible, monstrous person. Most of them were full of contradictions. And although obviously many of them couldn't possibly be true, they still made him curious.
So while he was enjoying his time in the village he had started to watch the half demon. He just couldn't leave his curiosity unsatisfied. And while he was observing the hanyou he started, for the first time since he left the Western Palace, to reflect on all that had happened. Though he had barely noticed it, he had been kind of lonely. It has been quite some time since he had left the Western Palace, after all. All the pranks and the jumping from place to place had detracted him from his growing loneliness. Now that he thought about it, he had grown rather fond of the old palace and its inhabitants, the most recent additions not included of course. The palace had been the first place he stayed for longer than a few days after spending several decades on the run from Sasuke. But he found that he was starting to like the small human village as well. The people were very friendly and accepting and that was something he didn't get to see all too often in his life. The other places the blonde had seen in Edo had been far from open minded. Naruto was sure that Inuyasha had something to do with the accepting attitude of the villagers toward demons. From what he had heard from the old miko Kaede the hanyou had been around for quite some time and had become something like a guardian to the village and its people.
Even though the hanyou acted like a brash idiot sometimes Naruto came to like him very fast. Though he couldn't shake the feeling that the hanyou was hiding a part of his personality. He was quite sure of it; there were just too many things about Inuyasha that didn't make sense otherwise. Maybe he was scared that his friends wouldn't accept him should he start to act like his true self. That was something the blonde could understand as he had held the same fears when he had still been living in Konoha. Naruto's first clue for that theory had been the fact that Inuyasha hadn't attacked Kagome when she had used that cursed necklace on him, at all. A possible explanation for that could be that the hanyou was just used to that treatment and gave up trying to change it, but Inuyasha just didn't seem like the sort of person to give up on something that important. No demon, not even a hanyou, would let himself be treated like that without trying to fight it with everything they have. It went against their very instincts to let themselves be entrapped in such a way, especially by an abomination like that cursed necklace.
Besides, it was very strange, not to say impossible, that a wannabe miko like Kagome was able to trap hanyou as powerful as Inuyasha. His brash facade aside, Inuyasha was a pretty powerful hanyou; he was the son of a Demon Lord after all and from what he had heard from Rei Inu, his mother was also very special. And you had to be a special kind of human to give birth to such a powerful and beautiful half-demon. So even with the help of an old and experienced miko like Kaede, the child shouldn't be able to control the necklace and have so much power over Inuyasha, certainly not against his wishes. Naruto suspected that the hanyou only wore the damned necklace to appear more harmless in the eyes of the human population of Edo.
'How much harm can come from a hanyou that is controlled by a miko after all?' Naruto thought as he watched Shippo trying to perform another bit of kitsune magic.
'That hanyou must have some serious problems with his inner demon. It can't be pleased about being leashed and suppressed in such a way. I bet it gets very violent once it is released,' his inner demon commented.
'He must be very fond of his human friends then, if he's willing to go through so much trouble for them. It can't be a very pleasant experience to be at odds with his inner demon.'
'Even though he's a hanyou he is still a dog demon and a young one at that. He needs a pack and they have taken that place for him it seems.'
'Hmm. Though I hope he does not think of all of them as pack. The demon slayer and the monk are nice but I can't really imagine him to want that horrible wannabe priestess to be a part of it, not when she heaps abuse onto him all the time.'
'Yeah, I hope so, too. I wouldn't want someone with a screech that could wake the dead in our pack. Our ears are just too sharp for that. Kami, that girl could give banshee a run for her money with her screaming. Even Sakura's squealing in her days as a hardcore Sasuke fan-girl never reached such a high note. And her screech could easily burst ear drums.'
'Yeah… .' The blonde answered, shuddering in remembrance.
While he was reminiscing about his days in Konoha's ninja academy, something in the distance caught his that had, at first glance, looked like a cloud of dust but, at a closer look, actually resembled a small tornado. It was approaching the village at high speed. And if that in itself wasn't strange enough, as soon as the small whirlwind had entered the village, it abruptly changed its course, charging right in the direction of himself, Shippo and Inuyasha.
"What the fuck is that?" Naruto cursed in alarm, preparing himself in case of an attack.
"Relax, princess, it's just Kouga." Inuyasha said, apparently completely unfazed by the appearance of the strange phenomena.
"Kouga? Who's Kouga?" The blonde asked, perplexed, just as the tornado came to a sudden halt right in front of the half-demon.
While Naruto had recognized that the storm was not natural the moment he had set eyes on it, he hadn't quite expected a person to be the cause of it. But as he had spent most of his early years among shinobi, he probably should have known better and have expected the unexpected.
'Look underneath the underneath and all that rot.' He thought, eyeing the newcomer curiously.
Going by his smell and his appearance, the male that had appeared out of the whirlwind was indubitable a wolf demon. He was quite handsome with his long, silky black hair that he wore in a high ponytail. In addition he also wore a brown head band. His eyes were had a nice blue-green colour and he was dressed in brow pelts. His chest was protected by a silver and black armor. A brown leather pouch was hanging from his right shoulder and he also had a fluffy wolf tail.
"What's up, mangy mutt? Missed me?" The male asked, addressing Inuyasha, smirking widely.
"Yeah. Like one would miss a bunch of fleas." The hanyou answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes in the process.
Naruto didn't know how to react to that behavior. Was that some kind of friendly banter or something else? Judging from the fact that Shippo was watching the two of them as if that was a common occurrence, the blonde decided not to interfere and just observe.
"Yeah, yeah. Deny your feelings, mutt, but I know that you love me. Now, where are you hiding my woman?" Kouga continued cheekily.
"In your dreams. Asshole. And Kagome isn't your woman, you flea-bitten wolf. She's not here anyways. She's had yet another hissy fit and has gone home," the hanyou replied, muttering angrily.
"Yeah? When will she be back, then?"
"How should I know? I'm not her fucking keeper, asshole." Inuyasha snapped in reply, storming past the wolf demon into the woods in a huff and effectively ending the conversation.
In the time Naruto had known the hanyou, he had never seen him react to someone like that. The half-demon hated to lose an argument and was usually not one to give up that easily.
"What's up with the mutt?" Kouga muttered to himself.
"Oh, hey Shippo." He said, turning to Shippo, obviously just realizing that Inuyasha hadn't been alone. "And who're you?" He continued when he took notice of Naruto's unfamiliar face.
"Kouga, this is Naruto. Naruto is a fox demon just like me," The kit replied enthusiastically.
"Way to state the obvious, kit." Naruto said, trying to ruffle the kid's hair.
"Kagome and Inuyasha had another row, so she left. She didn't say when she'll be back. She was pretty angry." The boy went on, neatly avoiding Naruto's hand and completely ignoring the blonde's statement.
While Shippo was busy telling the wolf demon the whole story, the blonde kitsune noticed that there was a strange glint in the wolf demon's eyes when he was told about the argument that had occurred between the hanyou and Kagome. He wasn't sure but he could have sworn that the other male was glad there had been yet another argument between Inuyasha and the miko. Of course, that could be easily explained since the wolf had claimed Kagome as 'his' woman. So he maybe he was just happy that the girl he seemed to be in love with had a fight with his rival for her affection. Though personally Naruto didn't think that the hanyou had this kind of feelings for the girl, how could he when she treated him like an ill-mannered pet?
Additionally, the wolf had looked strangely relieved when Shippo told him that Kagome had been beyond angry when she left and that it looked like she wouldn't return for quite some time. That was not the reaction of someone who professed to be in love with the girl, especially not if he really came all that way just to see her. From his grandfather he knew that the North was wolf territory and that it was not exactly a stone's throw from Kaede's village. No, something else had to be going on with this Kouga.
"Soooo, why did you refer to Kagome as your woman? Are you a couple?" Naruto asked innocently, hoping to provoke a reaction from the newcomer that would give him a clue to what was going on between him and the hanyou. He just had the feeling that there was something he was missing.
"No, they're not. Hehehe. Kouga really likes Kagome, he wants her to be his bride. But the thing is that Kagome never agrees to his proposals, because she really likes Inuyasha. The only problem with that is that Inuyasha just can't decide whether he actually likes Kagome or rather Kikyo." Shippo replied enthusiastically before Kouga could even open his mouth,"It's like a twisted love triangle or quadrangle or whatever going on between them. Kouga and Inuyasha fight all the time because of Kagome. And then Kagome sits Inuyasha. It's the best entertainment ever. Hehe."
While the blonde had hoped that the wolf demon would answer that question himself, without Shippo's interference, he still watched the wolf demon's face intently while the small kit fired away.
'Is that my imagination or did he look jealous when Shippo was telling me Inuyasha liked Kagome?' The blonde thought, noticing the expression that had flashed across the wolf demon's face at the young boy's words.
'He was definitely jealous. Someone has a cruuuush.' His inner demon agreed.
'Well, he could still be jealous of Inuyasha, because that girl apparently likes him. She certainly doesn't act like it, if you ask me.'
'Ah, but he didn't seem jealous at all when the kit said she fancied the hanyou. The jealousy only crossed his face when he said that Inuyasha returned her feelings or was in love with that other woman.'
'Now that you mention it. The reaction did come a bit late for it to be about the girl.'
'And I could have sworn that he was a tiny bit relieved when the child mentioned that the wannabe miko always rejected his proposals.'
'That is certainly interesting. But why would he fight with the hanyou if he wasn't really interested in the girl?'
'Isn't it obvious?'
'…'
'He's pulling pigtails. The wolf is just trying to attract Inuyasha's attention.'
'Well, there's only one way to confirm our theory.' Naruto finally thought, ending his conversation with his inner demon and returning to reality. Though, he had a hard time suppressing a laugh at the image of Inuyasha with pigtails. That picture was really hilarious.
Now he only needed an opportunity to talk to the wolf demon without Shippo. He had the strange feeling that Kouga wouldn't be very keen to talk about his feelings in front of the kit. Even in the case that he was wrong and the other demon had no such feelings for the hanyou, the possibility that the young kit would run to Inuyasha and tell him about their conversation was very high. He certainly didn't want for things between Kouga and Inuyasha to grow even more awkward than they already were. Most children couldn't keep secrets to save their life.
But first he had to ensure that the wolf demon would stay in the village for some time, since it could take a while until he got the ookami to talk to him. And he still wanted to find out why Inuyasha had stormed off in a huff.
Good thing that he already had an idea to work with. He only had to play his cards right. With an easy smile on his lips, he turned to Kouga and set his plan in action.
"So Kouga-san, are you part of the Northern wolf tribe?" Naruto asked, addressing the wolf demon for a second time.
"Kouga is the prince of the Northern Wolf tribe!" Shippo interrupted boisterously, again.
"Thank you, Shippo. But why don't you let Prince Kouga answer some questions on his own?" The blonde asked easily.
'It seems like someone seriously neglected to teach the kit some manners. I should probably add that to his lessons.'
"Now, what were we talking about? Oh, yes. So, you're from the Northern wolf tribe. That's quite a long distance you have traveled for Kagome."
"Not really. It isn't really that far away. And I am a fast runner, so it didn't take me too long to reach the village." The wolf prince replied.
"You're so modest, my prince." Naruto flattered, "But even a fast runner like you must be tired after such a journey. Why don't you stay here, in the village, for a few days? You would get some much needed rest and who knows maybe by then Kagome will have calmed down enough to come back. It would be a shame if you came all the way for nothing."
Even though he had looked a bit uncomfortable at the flattery, Kouga readily agreed to stay for a few days.
"Now, Shippo, why don't you run to Kaede and tell her that prince Kouga is here and that he plans to stay for a few days." The blonde kitsune said, hoping to send the kit away so that he could be alone with the wolf prince.
While he was speaking with Kouga he had noticed something that could speed along his plans for the other demon quite a bit. Though Naruto hadn't actually meant anything by it, the ookami had seemed very uncomfortable when the blonde had flattered him. And he would bet all his storage scrolls that the wolf prince had thought that the kitsune had been flirting with him. And just like that Naruto had a better plan. It was easier to unsettle someone with flirting, and he knew from experience that some people tended to blurt out very sensitive information when they were approached that way, and that was just what he was going to try.
"But what about you and Kouga? Aren't you coming?" Shippo asked pouting, not liking being sent away.
"No, we are not. I'm going to show prince Kouga where he's going to sleep while he's here."
"Can't you do that later?"
"No. We'll be having dinner later."
"Now go. And when you're at it, why don't you help Kaede with dinner? She'll be preparing dinner for all of us. That is a lot f work for an old lady. And you could learn something from her." The blonde instructed.
"Fine." The kit replied, turning into the direction of the miko's hut all the while muttering something similar to: "Learn something my ass."
Naruto resisted reprimanding the kit on his language, since he was just as bad, if not worse, in that department. Sighting the blonde kitsune turned back to the ookami.
"Follow me, prince…"
"Just Kouga is fine. You don't have to be so formal. I hate that shit." The prince interrupted before Naruto could finish his sentence.
"Kouga then." He replied with a fake giggle. "Kaede provided me with a hut for my stay here. You can share with me." He continued, batting his eyes in what he hoped to be a seductive way.
"I don't thing that is good idea." The other male replied, clearing his throat self-consciously.
"Why? Because of Kagome?"
"Eh… y-yeah."
"But she's just human. In the blink of an eye she will be old and ugly while I'll still be young and beautiful." Naruto said, stepping right into Kouga's personal space pouting attractively, "Besides, I don't think your elder would accept her anyways. She's far beneath you."
With a hard nudge the wolf prince shoved the blonde out of his personal space. It seemed that Naruto had gone a bit too far with his words, judging from the sudden tenseness that had entered Kouga's face.
"Listen, that is really none of your fucking business. I'm not interested in you. Take a hint, would you?" The ookami growled angrily.
"This is not really about Kagome, is it? Do you by chance fancy Inuyasha?" Naruto asked, finally choosing to drop his admittedly pathetic attempt at flirting and try a more direct approach. That was the only thing he could do now that the wolf demon had taken offence. And suddenly the hard expression disappeared from Kouga's face who suddenly adopted a deer in the headlights look.
"Inuyasha? I don't fancy Inuyasha. That's ridiculous, you've seen how we behave around each other." He spluttered, but the blush that had spread on his face was proof enough for Naruto.
"So this is not a blush on your face then?" The blonde grinned.
"Wha…? N-no, it's not. I'm not BLUSHING!" Kouga yelped.
"Of course you're not," The kitsune said innocently.
The young wolf demon seemed to be relieved that Naruto had seemingly dropped the issue. But Naruto was not quite finished with the other male.
'Heh, people with crushes are so much fun. I just love to mess with them.'
'Hmm, I feel like a bit of matchmaking. They would be such a sweet couple.'
'Mating season is just weeks away. Maybe it'll happen on its own.'
'Maybe. But it will be much more fun that way.' Naruto thought mischievously.
"Haha, how silly of me," he continued cheerfully, "I don't know what I was thinking. Oh, I just have to tell Inuyasha about this. I'm sure he will find it as funny as I did. And here I was, thinking that you were actually pulling Inu's pigtails. Maybe it'll cheer him up a bit. He's been quite moody since that miko girl Kagome left."
Without further ado the young fox demon turned around and started to move in the direction that Inuyasha had taken earlier. He wasn't really planning to tell Inuyasha anything, he was not that cruel. But it was the perfect move because he hadn't even done two steps before Kouga had caught him by his wrist to stop him from leaving.
"Don't. Don't tell him." The wolf demon said through gritted teeth as Naruto turned to face him.
"So I was right."
"Yes. Yes, I admit it. Just don't tell the mutt," Kouga admitted, blushing.
"I wasn't going to tell him. I was just curious."
"You weren't?"
"Nah. It'll be much more fun watching him find it out on his own. Do you plan to do something about that in the near future? I would love to see that." The blond replied impishly.
"I don't know. I have to think about my pack. I don't know if they will accept him. And I don't think it will happen as long as he's wearing that necklace. They won't accept him as long as he's leashed. Besides I don't know how Inuyasha will react to my advances." Was his sullen answer.
"Hmm. You should try talking to Inuyasha about that. I believe you'll be surprised in more ways than one." Naruto finally said.
"You weren't actually interested in me, were you?" The wolf prince asked.
The blonde just laughed, shaking his heard. And just as he finished, Shippo decided to rejoin them. It seemed like their conversation had taken longer than they had realized.
"Kaede sent me to tell you that diner is ready." The kit said, rocking on his toes.
"Perfect timing, kit. I'm kind of hungry already. Let's get the others. You coming Kouga? I'm sure the other would like to see you." Naruto replied.
"Yeah. All this running around made me hungry. I'll join you for dinner. I've brought some sake with me. And not this weak stuff humans dare to call sake but the real stuff. Made by demons for other demons only." The wolf answered, following the other two demons into the village.
In the evening the group was assembled around a big fire outside of Kaede's hut enjoying the fine sake Kouga had brought with him. Shippo however was inside Kaede's hut, fast asleep already. The humans among the group were quite smashed already and even Inuyasha, who had returned from his little sulking trip to Goshinboku, seemed a bit tipsy, if the blush on his cheeks was something to go by.
After a few more drinks the humans were lying passed out around the fire. But the demons of the group were far from finished. Giggling stupidly at everything they continued drinking. They had a fun time until Kouga decided to ruin it.
"Hey, mutt. You're all read in the face. Can't hold your liquor?"
"Fuck you, wolf" Inuyasha replied, sipping at his drink. Naruto was just watching silently, hoping that the wolf prince wouldn't say something stupid.
"You can't, can you? Hehe, your eyes are glassy and your cheeks are adorably pink."
"I'm not adorable, you stupid asshole."
"Yes, you are. But I hadn't really expected you to hold your liquor well. This is strong stuff, made especially for youkai. And you're just half a demon after all." Kouga continued obliviously.
"You're such a stupid fucker, Kouga." The hanyou snarled, hurling his sake cup at Kouga and storming once again into the direction of the sacred tree.
Kouga was left standing, dripping with the contents of Inuyasha's cup, gaping at his back.
"You are really stupid, you know." Naruto said calmly.
"Yeah, rub it in, why don't you?"
"You're taking the wrong approach with him. You won't get very far with pulling his pigtails."
"So suddenly you're an expert on all things Inuyasha. You've known him what? A week? Two?"
"Hmm. That's about right. But I still know that you're doing it wrong. I know what kind of life he lived. All his life he has been treated like he's half a person because he's a hanyou. Like that somehow makes him unworthy. Kagome treats him that way, too. Even his own brother has treated him like he's worth less than dirt, has tried to kill him because of his human blood. He's insecure. Belittling him won't help you at all in winning his affections." The blonde explained patiently.
"What am I supposed to do then?" The wolf prince asked desperately.
"Just tell him the truth. Tell him you're in love with him. That you don't give a damn that he's a half-demon." He answered exasperatedly.
For a moment Kouga just sat there.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go after him, you idiot." Naruto cried.
Not needing to be told twice the wolf prince set in motion and followed the half-demon into the forest.
Inuyasha didn't seem to have gotten very far; the sake must have been the cause for that. Naruto could hear everything that happened after the ookami had caught up with the hanyou. Though he tried very hard not to listen since it was very private. So he tried to distract himself with drinking a bit more, not willing to interrupt the two of them. Still, he couldn't help to overhear enough things to get the picture. The only surprise there was that Inuyasha actually returned Kouga's feelings.
'Huh, well that certainly explained some things.' He thought, taking another sip of sake.
After a time it was clear that the two lovebirds had left their differences behind them because some rather obvious and intimate sounds started coming from out of the forest.
'Oh, kami.' The blonde though in embarrassment, downing his cup in one go, 'I'm still too sober for this.'
"I can still hear you!" He finally yelled drunkenly, blushing a deep red that added to the blush the alcohol had already brought to his face.
His only reply was drunk giggling and whispering. But even with his alcohol addled brain, he could tell that the two horn dogs were moving further into the forest and away from him.
Sighting in relief, he drank the rest of the sake bottle and settled down to take a nap, not knowing that someone had been watching him and his friends the whole day. Someone who had been waiting for him to let his guard down. Someone who had finally, after days of waiting for it, found the right moment for his move.
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