I'm still working away on my original story, but this idea came to me and my muse wouldn't stop bugging me to write this Kouga/Inuyasha one shot. Hope you all enjoy.

Playmates

Kouga sniffed the air as he moved through the trees silently. He had foregone his normal brash and quick method of traveling for this more clandestine approach. It was much better for what he had planned anyways. Soon he scented that enticing aroma that he knew so well and he slowed his approach even more, circling around so he was downwind of his intended prey.

Inuyasha sat in the tree above his campsite, his friends settling down for the night below him on the ground. It had been a tiring day. They had been chasing after shards all week and finally, today they had found one. Unfortunately, it was in the hands of a large tiger demon. The hanyou rubbed the rather deep scars that were still healing on his side. They still hurt like a bitch and he was exhausted from the drawn out battle with the cat to retrieve that one small piece of the jewel. He had hidden his pain quite well from the others.

The half-demon was beginning to doze off when he heard a soft sound. His head snapped up from his chest where it had started to rest, his ears swiveling, nose twitching and eyes scanning trying to catch any sense of danger. He took a quick glance below him to see his friends curled up in their sleeping blankets, oblivious to anything around them and he gave a small snort of disdain at the poor senses of his human entourage. He continued to listen, look and smell, but could sense nothing off so settled back onto his branch, tucking his bare feet under him and folding his hands within the large sleeves of his haori for warmth.

Kouga grinned as he watched the hanyou from his vantage point in the very next tree. He wanted to take him the minute he laid eyes on him. So cocky, so sure of himself; it drove the ookami crazy, even though he felt respect for the half-demon for those exact same qualities.

He wasn't sure when his feelings had changed for the half-demon, but somewhere along the line he had gone from rival to something of a friend, to a potential lover. He watched as the hanyou's head dropped onto his chest and then gave a soft woof. As expected, the half-demon went on instant alert.

Kouga watched, fascinated by the golden eyes glowing in the soft light of evening like the phantom lights that would float above the marsh at the bottom of his mountain. He put his attention on those snowy triangle ears atop the white head. The ookami longed to stroke them as he had seen Kagome do, just to see if they were as soft and responsive as he thought. Speaking for himself, he loved it when someone stroked the hairs on his tail.

He waited a little longer until Inuyasha again settled before calling out softly a second time. He wanted the half-demon to follow him, to chase him. In other words he wanted to lure the hanyou away from the others.

Inuyasha sat up again, his eyes opening and he frowned into the darkness. He was sure this time that something or someone was there. He put his hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga. "I know you're there, you better not mess with me if you want to live," he stated angrily. He wasn't in the mood or shape for another fight, but he knew he was going to have to protect the others. They were still sleeping soundly away, even the demon cat.

Kouga held in his amusement, trying hard not to laugh at the serious tone in Inuyasha's voice. He had no intention of angering him to the point of using that sword. The ookami barked again, a little louder this time and with a tone of playfulness.

Inuyasha pinpointed exactly where the sound was coming from although he still couldn't see or smell the intruder. The inflection in the soft yelp was one of invitation and not aggression, causing the hanyou's curiosity to become peaked rather than his anger.

Inuyasha stood, his hand leaving his sword and stared at the spot where he knew the other was, surprised that they had managed to get so close to him without him knowing. "Who the hell is out there?" he asked as he squinted into the shadows of the tree to his left.

Kouga gave a short laugh and then jumped to the next tree, making sure the hanyou saw the motion of the branches. He still kept himself downwind and hidden within the dimness of the leaves. The wolf gave another short bark resonating with mischievous teasing and the chase was on.

Inuyasha growled low in answer to the childish challenge and leapt from his tree towards his unknown playmate, his canine sensibilities telling him this stranger was no threat.

Kouga kept himself just out of reach and made sure that the hanyou would not be able to see or smell him until he was far enough away from the others to implement the next part of his plan without their interference. He would not rape the hanyou; that was not the correct way to do things, but the opportunity of coercing the half-demon to see things his way was an exciting possibility.

Inuyasha was beginning to get bored of this game and he put on a burst of speed to gain ground on the one ahead of him that was laughing mockingly at his efforts. He careened into a warm, soft body and the two of them fell from the trees onto the ground below. The hanyou immediately straddled his squirming and giggling opponent, holding them down. To his shock he found himself looking into the grinning face of his rival, the ookami's blue eyes shining with devilry and something else, something primal that caused Inuyasha's face to heat.

"What the hell are you doing, flea bag?" Inuyasha demanded as he went to get off the wolf.

Kouga wrapped his arms and legs around the hanyou, effectively holding him as he flipped them, reversing their positions. "Playing," he answered simply with a huge, toothy grin.

"Get the fuck off me!" Inuyasha yelped trying to buck the grinning wolf off of him.

"That wouldn't be any fun at all," Kouga whispered into one of those fluffy ears. He puffed his warm breath across it again when he noticed how it twitched when he had spoken into it.

Inuyasha was jarred into complete stillness for a moment at the situation he was finding himself in. "Kouga," he growled out menacingly. "I'm going to fucking kill you." The hanyou redoubled his efforts to get the wolf off of him, totally surprised at the strength that the wolf was showing. He was soon puffing and sweating, his heart and mind racing when he could not dislodge the tenacious being on top of him.

When the fuck did he get so strong? Inuyasha questioned himself. He knew the wolf was a full demon, but he had beaten him so easily any other time they had fought that he had become quite accustomed to not taking any challenges the wolf threw at him seriously. A mistake on his part he was now realizing. "GET OFF!" Inuyasha yelled out as he tried to catch his breath.

Kouga grinned ferraly, knowing he had the hanyou at his mercy. He had held on as Inuyasha had bucked and thrashed beneath him, not giving an inch. He just waited until the half-demon tired himself out, which didn't take as long as it normally would, Inuyasha's strength being drained from fighting with the tiger.

Kouga laid his body flush with the hanyou's, still keeping a tight grip on him, pinning his arms to his side. The ookami nuzzled his head under the half-demon's chin, pushing Inuyasha's head to the side. He then began to drop soft kisses and nips on the soft skin of his rival's neck.

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat. What Kouga was doing was feeling good, better than it should have and it was also confusing the hell out of him. "Stop, Kouga, what are you doing?" the hanyou panted. His side was killing him and the sensations coursing through him at the touch of the ookami's lips and fangs was making his body respond in a most embarrassing way. He tried again to push the wolf off to no avail, Kouga just nipped harder and growled, telling him in no uncertain terms to remain still. "Fuck Kouga, stop it!"

"Shhh, it feels good right?" Kouga questioned. With his body being so close to the red clad half-demon he could feel the bulge that was pressing itself against his hip. He ground his own hips down causing the white haired inu below him to gasp.

"Kouga, why are you doing this?" Inuyasha whimpered out. He hadn't meant to sound so weak, but he was beginning to realize that he was at the mercy of this demon and for the first time in a long time, he was afraid.

Kouga lifted his head, still keeping a tight hold on the skittish hanyou, and looked straight into those golden pools of liquid honey. "Because I like you," he replied gently. "I want to show you how much I like you."

"I'll take your word for it, okay?" Inuyasha proclaimed with his eyes wide in shock. He was trying to understand when the hell this had happened. Didn't Kouga like Kagome? He wasn't supposed to like him that way, they were supposed to fight over the miko, Inuyasha was supposed to win. The hanyou was wondering if he had fallen into another world. Maybe I'm dreaming. I must be having some kind of nightmare.

"Humph, you didn't listen when I told you. I've tried, but you've just ignored me," Kouga stated with a pout.

"When? When have you tried, you liar," Inuyasha bit out. He would not have forgotten if the wolf had told him he liked him in this way. If I can just keep him talking, maybe I can get him to let his guard down and I can get free, Inuyasha thought wildly.

"What did I say to you last week?" Kouga questioned as he gently kissed the edge of Inuyasha's jaw.

"You said…you said…" Inuyasha was beginning to get distracted, not just by the kisses, which were surprisingly gentle and full of untold emotion, but by the way Kouga was stroking his hand down his side. He sucked in a breath as the caress crossed over his bruised and still healing ribs.

"I said that I didn't want to fight with you anymore. I said, and I quote, I really like you, Inuyasha, lets not fight any longer. End quote."

Now that Inuyasha thought about it, something like that had been said. "I thought you meant as a friend, you idiot. You didn't say anything about wanting to…to…"

"To what? To fuck you?" Kouga smirked. "Well I couldn't very well say that in front of everyone else now, could I?"

Inuyasha's face flushed bright red, as red as his haori which was slowly being opened by nimble fingers. "Kouga, stop it, you bastard," the hanyou cried out when he felt claws gently scraping across his chest and lingering over his nipples. He was about to yell more curses at the ookami when his mouth was suddenly full of soft lips and hot tongue. He tried to move his head, to get away, but it seemed as if the wolf had as many arms as an octopus, holding his head as he held his body, not allowing him to move. He was beginning to feel dizzy from the lack of oxygen when Kouga finally let him take in a long, gasping breath.

The wolf kept his face close and nipped at the luscious lower lip and then sucked it into his mouth causing it to swell and redden. He then stroked his tongue across it delicately, knowing that the erotic sensation he was trying to create would be intensified from the abuse it had just sustained.

Not of his own violation, Inuyasha moaned softly and began to close his eyes at the tingling thrill of passion this simple act was causing before remembering himself and who was actually creating said passion to be felt. He tried again to move, to squirm, to anything that would get him away from the horny wolf on top of him.

Kouga just chuckled at the pitiful attempts of the puppy below him, continuing his assault on those tasty lips. All this time, Inuyasha had taken him and the strength he possessed, but never showed, for granted. From the first moment he had met the hanyou he had known on some level that he wanted him and therefore he had declined to use his full strength in case he injured the inu. Secretly the wolf had always been thrilled at the cocky arrogance that Inuyasha showed everytime Kouga had let him win.

The miko girl had confused him for awhile and he had honestly thought that she should become his mate and to that end he had tried for her affections. But, he had to admit, he had slowly changed his mind, becoming greatly impressed by the half-demon.

The white haired youth intrigued him and the more they had sparred, the more interest the ookami had taken in him. Here was a mate worthy of a prince such as himself, one that would be able to fend for himself if needed and aid in the protection of their pack. Sadly, no pups could be borne between them, but then others could increase the packs numbers and the group would become strong with two powerful leaders at the helm.

Kouga could see no reason why he and Inuyasha couldn't have pups from the miko teen. He wasn't against sharing a woman for such a purpose. It just might take a little convincing on his part to get Kagome to agree to the arrangement. He was looking forward to the challenge of it.

Now, he had to get back to convincing a certain virginal hanyou to the possibility of accepting him as a mate. He stopped his onslaught of Inuyasha's mouth and just looked down at him. He gently licked the confused and upset hanyou's tears from his cheeks. Kouga didn't want him to cry, he wanted him to feel good. He never would have attempted this seduction if he hadn't been sure that this was something the hanyou would at least be open to.

Kouga had made the decision to court the half-demon a few weeks ago, noticing the lingering looks that Inuyasha had cast his way from time to time when he didn't think he'd be noticed. The wolf had initiated the proper procedures, using his body language to entice the half-demon into play. It was also the reason was why he had told him that he liked him.

Inuyasha, being the baka that he was, had been too dense to realize just what Kouga was saying and he was totally oblivious to the flirting the ookami had been doing with him everytime they had met. Frustrated, and not prone to patience, Kouga had decided to become quite blunt about it all. Thus the position he was in now, which was a nice one to be sure.

"Don't cry, Inuyasha," Kouga soothed. He licked the soft face dry and kissed him chastely on the cheeks, moving to caress his lips across the hanyou's eyelids, making him close his eyes. He gave him a soft peck on the tip of his nose and then moved back to his mouth. This time he kissed softly, gently, trying to get Inuyasha to relax.

Inuyasha was at a loss. No one had ever kissed him so gently, so sweetly and with such tenderness and acceptance before. He found himself sighing softly, the anger and humiliation that had caused his tears floated away as his muscles relaxed while his body responded to this oasis in a desert of unfulfilled emotion.

His mind, however, was still reeling. His logical, human side was informing him, matter of factly, that it was Kagome he wanted, or perhaps Kikyou, but certainly not Kouga.

The demonic canine inside him had something different to say. This ookami was a strong full demon, seemed to like his sorry half-breed ass, and was one hell of a kisser to boot; a suitor that at least should be considered in the scheme of things seeing as he was pretty wishy-washy about the females in his life.

His human side came back with the argument that Kouga was a male.

The demon within countered with "who the fuck cares?" causing the human half to not know how to answer that. Inuyasha knew that many times males would mate and form lasting bonds, demons not having the hang-ups about it like humans seemed to. He had also known of a very few human males to do the same, so as his demon half so eloquently put it, who the fuck did care?

All he knew, was that right now, he was feeling warm and cherished, like he was worthy of being cared for. Something that no one else had made him feel before. Not even Kagome, with her gentle and kind ways, had made him feel this. He always had to protect her and she had been shy about his advances making him question their feelings for each other. There were also those damned charmed beads. Kagome would sit him on a whim it seemed to him and it hurt him when she did it, especially if he didn't feel it was warranted.

But now, here was Kouga telling him with his lips and his hands; that had again began their explorations, that he would be the one to be protected, if he wished it. That he was wanted and desired, all he had to do was give in, submit to the feelings within him.

Kouga relaxed his iron grip on the hanyou when he felt him relax and begin to tentatively return his gentle necking. He delicately stoked his palm over the half-demon's face, running his claws up to his temple and through the snowy mass of hair. His other hand was creeping under the haori again and the ookami sighed with the hanyou when the body below him arched into his fingers that were twirling around the peaked tip of a nipple.

Kouga shifted his body so he could again press his lips against the soft underside of the hanyou's jaw, moving the red cloth aside to let his tongue snake down the vein at the side of the hanyou's throat and continue to where his fingers had been just a moment ago. He gave a slight smirk of victory when Inuyasha, instead of pushing him away, put his hands behind the ookami's head, pulling out the tie that bound his long, dark hair and tugging off the fur headband.

His tresses loosened, Inuyasha pushed that wonderful mouth with that talented tongue closer to his chest, letting his claws entwine and play with soft locks of silken black. Needy yelps fell from his lips as fangs replaced tongue to further stimulate his now overly sensitive nipple.

Kouga was totally captivated by how responsive his hanyou partner was. It was more than arousing to him and the warm embers that had been flashing in his lower abdomen since the start of all this was now threatening to become a raging inferno. "Inuyasha," he whispered out passionately against the hot skin, causing the half-demon to shudder, his ears to point straight up at the sound of the husky voice.

Inuyasha was now totally enjoying himself, knowing that the passion he heard in the wolf's voice was because of him. How had he missed that Kouga liked him in this way? How had he not realized, until now, that he felt the same?

The hanyou began to loosen the shoulder ties and chest plate on the body that was lying on him, chucking them unceremoniously into the grass somewhere to the right of them. He allowed himself a cocky smirk when he felt Kouga tremble at the feel of his claws raking roughly across the ookami's back, his lust intensifying when the wolf gasped out a loud moan as well.

Kouga continued to advance down the body of the hanyou using tongue, lips, fangs and claws to enflame heat and desire in the half-demon. He just couldn't get enough of the inu, he wanted to touch and taste every part of him, hear every small cry and moan and wallow in the scent that was uniquely Inuyasha and no one else's. A scent like rain soaked earth after a spring shower. The very odour caused the wolf's head to spin in dizzy circles with the sensory overload of his olfactory perceptions.

Inuyasha mind was in a lust filled fog. He had never had anyone touch him in such an intimate and possessive way, as if his own body belonged solely to the ookami. There were no thoughts of right or wrong, no thought of his friends or Kagome, no thought of anything as he just let himself feel the jolts of hot pleasure that Kouga was lavishing upon him. He cried out loudly as Kouga began to pull down his hakamas, nipping and kissing along the inner curve of his hip, nuzzling into the mass of curls above his pounding arousal.

Kouga placed his hand around the firm skin of Inuyasha's erection, staring up at him from his position between the hanyou's legs. He was bewitched by the expressions crossing the half-demon's countenance and delighted when he saw the half-demon scrabbling at the ground beside him, his claws gouging deep grooves into the earth. He continued to let his cerulean eyes take in everything about his soon to be lover as he pumped his hand along the straining length. The wolf blew his hot breath across the tip of the hanyou's manhood, mesmerized as it twitched and pulsed in his hand from the sensation. He did it again, his own arousal throbbing in sympathy for the teasing he was giving to its mate.

"Kami, Kouga," Inuyasha all but screamed. He was so aroused, so hot. He needed the ookami to stop playing around and get serious. It still wasn't completely clear in his mind what it was he wanted the wolf to do, but his body definitely wanted something, something more than it was receiving at the moment.

Kouga decided the hanyou probably had quite enough torment and engulfed the weeping organ with his mouth, trying to inhale as much of it as he could and not gag. He let his tongue graze along the bottom side of it as he applied suction with his lips, feeling immensely satisfied when he heard Inuyasha pant and moan.

Kouga felt claws on the top of his head, as he picked up and maintained a firm, stroking rhythm, caressing his hands under the firm globes of the inu's rear.

Inuyasha pulled sharply on the long hair in his fingers, panting harshly and Kouga knew if he kept this up that the hanyou was not going to last long. With that thought, the ookami suddenly wanted to make him cum.

Kouga picked up speed and devoured more of the hanyou's hardness into him. He almost laughed when he heard Inuyasha actually squeak, but then hot seed was pouring into his mouth and he swallowed quickly so as not to lose a single drop of the half-demon's essence. Licking his lips, he sat up, pulling the hakamas the rest of the way off and tossing them somewhere behind him. He then removed his own fur pelt that was slung about his hips, letting it join Inuyasha's garment on the ground.

Inuyasha was shuddering and whimpering as his body tried to recuperate from its high. He had never felt anything as intense as that in his life. It was like his body had been burning like a star flaming though the sky, and like that star, was now fading and falling back to earth, the fiery, delirious heat leaving him for a drowsy, low warmth. He half opened his eyes to see Kouga sitting on his knees looking down at him with a puppyish grin between his open legs.

Inuyasha couldn't help but notice the rather large arousal pointing up into the air proudly, nor could he not help but see the intense, barely concealed lust in the bright blue eyes that were staring so intently at him. Damn! The hanyou thought as his eyes opened fully, his lazy languidness being replaced with anxiety and uncertainty.

"Want to play a little more?" Kouga asked teasingly, his voice low and throaty.

As Inuyasha watched, his eyes large and round, Kouga put three of his clawed fingers in his mouth and began to suck them in a most provocative way, snaking his tongue out around them and keeping his eyes locked onto the hanyou's. The hanyou couldn't have looked away if he wanted to. This was the most sensual thing he had ever witnessed and he didn't want to miss a bit of it. He could feel his groin responding to the wanton display as heat began to again pool in his belly.

Kouga hooked his arm under one of Inuyasha's knees, lifting the leg and placing it over his shoulder. He rubbed his hand with the spit slicked fingers down the inner thigh until he was gently prodding the tight opening to the inu's body.

Inuyasha's heart was beating as fast as the wings of a hummingbird, his eyes reflecting the nervousness and apprehension he was feeling at the probing of his most intimate area. He was really beginning to rethink this whole thing now that everything had gotten to this point. This was something he wasn't even sure that he had wanted to do with Kagome, but his throat felt full of cotton and he couldn't seem to open his mouth to tell the wolf to stop.

Kouga noticed his discomfort and just gently circled and tickled, holding himself back from making an intrusion into the lovely body. "I'll do it easy," he whispered down softly. "I'll stop if you tell me to." He waited for any kind of acknowledgement from the hanyou one way or the other. Seeing nothing but a confused look he slowly began to insert one slim finger into the tight opening, watching intently for any signs that Inuyasha truly wanted him to stop.

Inuyasha grunted at the strange sensation of something entering him in an area that was meant to be an exit, but did not pull away. To be honest, his curiosity was peaked and he really believed that Kouga would stop at anytime if he told him to. He wasn't sure why he knew that would be what the wolf would do, there was just something shining from the ookami's eyes when he told him he would. Something that called out to the hanyou for him to trust him and it had won Inuyasha over. The sensation wasn't painful as he thought it would be and he began to relax a bit as Kouga slid his finger in and out of his opening.

Kouga smiled a little when he felt the hanyou relax and on the next thrust in with his index finger he added a second, pushing in slowly as far as he could reach. He angled his fingers upwards and heard the breathy gasp letting him know that he had found that special spot of pleasure inside the hanyou. He made sure to keep stroking against that little organ of desire as he stretched and prepared the inu for what was to come.

By the time the wolf had added the third and final finger, Inuyasha was a writhing mass of lust. His mind and body buzzed with the electrical snaps of bliss that were coursing through him and again he found he was almost unable to breathe. All feelings of uneasiness were gone, replaced with unadulterated want and need. He whimpered when Kouga stopped his ministrations, but he soon felt something else, something thicker, bulging with urgency as it was pressed against his flesh.

"Is it okay, Inuyasha?" Kouga panted out. Kami, but he wanted to just plunge in to that heat and tightness that had just recently been engulfing his fingers, but there was no way he was going to force himself on the hanyou any longer. Inuyasha had to want this or it was no good. He needed desperately to be given permission, but if it wasn't granted he would stop.

Inuyasha looked up to the sweat soaked face of the wolf above him. He could see how hard the ookami was holding himself back and he was strangely touched by the whole thing. The hanyou gave a quick nod, bringing his hand up to caress a tanned cheek and push dark strands behind a pointed ear, out of his face.

Kouga groaned as he pushed his way inside, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head as his manhood was encased in rapture. He grabbed hold of the half demons other leg and hooked that one also over his shoulder so he could go deeper.

Inuyasha's claws were digging gouges into Kouga's back. It was painful, but he bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out. He wasn't a wimp; he could take whatever the wolf dished out, whether it was on the battle field or in the bedroom, well the forest floor in this instance if you needed to get technical about it.

Kouga felt the stinging pain on his back and the warm blood flowing down his sides, but he accepted the punishment knowing he was the reason for Inuyasha's discomfort. When he was totally immersed inside the hanyou's body, he stopped and waited for his lover to adjust, chest heaving and muscles quivering at the strain of just staying still when his own inner youkai was snarling at him to thrust.

Inuyasha could see Kouga's arms shaking beside head. The position he was in, with his legs over the ookami's shoulders, his body bent almost in half was uncomfortable now that the wolf was keeping himself motionless. "Move, will you," Inuyasha ordered gruffly.

Kouga was only too happy to comply and began to draw himself back out before pushing back in. Both canines sucked in gasping breaths as they groaned at the same time. Kouga had brushed by that spot inside the hanyou that caused all the pain and discomfort that Inuyasha had been feeling to turn into delightful, heady pleasure and his body arched up into the sensation.

Inuyasha grabbed the sides of Kouga's head and pulled him down into a searing kiss as the ookami pumped in and out of him, the hanyou matching him by thrusting his hips up, only wanting the wolf to go deeper, to press harder.

Kouga leaned all his weight down on Inuyasha as he grabbed the hanyou's hips and drove himself faster and faster into that blissful tightness, swallowing the cries of ecstasy into his mouth and then giving those same cries back to the other. He moved one hand onto the hard organ of his partner and pumped it in rhythm to his stabbing hips.

Inuyasha felt white hot fire blooming inside him, gaining momentum and force until his body exploded in a blast stronger and more forceful than the Tetsusaiga's wind scar. For a half a second he actually blacked out from the fury of his release. He was brought back by the sensation of something warm filling his insides and the realization that Kouga was falling over that precipice as well.

Kouga's body shuddered and he whined high and tight as he loosed his seed inside the hanyou. No longer able to hold himself up, he collapsed onto the body below him, allowing the hanyou's legs to slip from his shoulder to lay splayed beside his body. His chest hurt from the force of his pounding heart and he gasped large, sweet breaths of oxygen back into his lungs.

The two lovers lay that way for quite awhile, wrapping their arms around each other and listening to the other breath. Finally, Kouga slipped himself out of his companion and just rested his head on the chest below him feeling soothed and sleepy at the steady thudding of the heart beneath his ear and the gentle caresses as Inuyasha stroked his hair.

"I want to be by your side, Inuyasha. Can I stay with you?" Kouga asked. He knew now was not the time for the hanyou to come with him back to his pack. Naraku still had to be dealt with, but he didn't want to leave the inu either. The best solution that he could come up with is to join Inuyasha's group until they could formalize their mating with a true bonding ceremony. He was more than nervous that the half-demon would turn him away because of the others, especially Kagome.

Inuyasha continued petting the wolf, considering it. He would be more than helpful in protecting the others and working with him to fight what demons had the shards. Maybe he wouldn't get injured so often or as harshly with Kouga at his side. The thought that he would have very adequate protection during his human time gave him a sense of relief as well, not that he was going to share that information with the ookami.

Inuyasha gave a small laugh. Just a few hours ago, the thought of this scrawny, irritating wolf being in his group would have made him see red, now he found that he didn't want to be apart from him. Life sure is weird, the hanyou thought bemusedly.

Kouga shifted away from the hanyou, thinking for sure that Inuyasha was going to turn him down.

"Where are you going, flea bag?" Inuyasha questioned as Kouga slid out from his embrace and sat on the grass beside him. "I haven't said no."

Kouga looked over at the hanyou with a saucy smirk. "Does that mean I can then?"

"Yeah, but I'm the leader. So don't go getting any ideas about that," Inuyasha informed him with a superior air.

"Humph," Kouga chuckled. "Okay, but I'm the leader in our playtime activities," he uttered seductively, his blue eyes sparkling teasingly.

"We'll just see about that," Inuyasha returned with a feral growl as he rose onto his haunches.

And once again, the chase was on.

THE END