Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applied.

A/N: Another oneshot, one that has been lurking around in my mind for some time now, but I haven't been able to type it down because of lack of time since two days ago.

Enjoy!

Lone Wolf

Did you ever wonder where the term 'Lone Wolf' came from? I mean, wolfs are gregarious animals, not rogues so this expression is actually an oxymoron. But why use the wolf? Why not the lion? Or the tiger? Is it because wolves are not as beautiful? Because they are not as admirable or because they are so mysterious?

I'll tell you a secret. I don't think that lions are more beautiful and admirable than wolves. I love the rugged wildness of wolves, their proud behavior and their rough, but caring character. No matter how independent and aloof wolves might seem, they are still gregarious animals, bonding with their mates for life.

I have found that no matter how glorious and shining the lion might seem to you at first glance, the wolf has an inner light that outshines the lion as soon as you care to look closer.

I opened my eyes to the rays of the mild march sun shining through my window. Smiling, I stretched my hands above my head and yawned widely, then threw a look at my alarm clock. Nine. That was okay. I got out of bed, raking my hand through my blond tresses as I tapped across the room to the bathroom.

Yep, it was march. Do you realize what that means? Possibly not. I'll tell you, though. Wolves' mating season is between January and April so we're currently right in the middle of it.

Now you might wonder why that was so extraordinary that my thoughts revolved around it on this beautiful Saturday morning. Well, you see, my name's Orimoto Izumi and I'm in love with a wolf. And I'm determined to get him, now that I've finally realized I like him a whole damn lot. I will get Minamoto Kouji, no matter what.

So, what's a smart girl to do? I did the obvious thing and spent hours after hours in the local library (which is huge, by the way) reading up on this particular breed. And I use this special knowledge to analyze his behavior and somehow get him to chose me as mate… or something like that.

Okay, it might not be the smartest plan you've ever heard of, but that's the first thing that came to my mind. I mean, just look at him! He's intelligent, he's brooding, he's somewhat aloof, he's breathtaking and almost every girl at Tokyo University is all over him. (Big surprise there.)

I needed a clever and subtle plan and that was the best my brain could think of. Well, I had asked my best friend Natsuki, but she refused to help me when I admitted that I was in love with one of my best friends and didn't know what to do about it. She's not mean or anything, she's just a lot more confident when it comes to men and she thinks that getting Kouji all on my own will boost my confidence or something.

So I settled for learning how to read his moods so that I wouldn't do anything stupid in the wrong moments. And that's how I found out that he really is a lot like the wolf that was his spirit back in the Digital World. As soon as I meet him, I'll show you what I mean.

I had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang. Rolling my eyes at my typical luck, I wrapped a towel around myself, grabbed another one to dry my hair, then sprinted into the living room of my small apartment to answer it. "Hello?" I asked, clamping the receiver between my chin and my shoulder so that I was able to towel-dry my hair properly.

"Hey there. Have a good morning?"

I grinned which nearly caused the receiver to slip out of its trap. "Hi Natsuki-chan. Yes, I have, thank you. How about you?"

"Fantastic," she answered, the broad smile noticeable in her voice. "I'm on my way to grab a quick breakfast and then I'm going to meet with my cousin, you know, the one who has been in Europe for a year. We're going to do a bit of catching up."

"Yeah, sure, you'll probably just be boasting with your Italian skills that you didn't even get in Italy," I replied, teasing her.

"Of course," she laughed. "You know me. But anyway, I called because I wanted to know how your getting your lone wolf is coming along. Any progress?"

I grimaced, catching the receiver before it could drop. "Well, not too great. I'm working on it, though. I'm going to meet with the guys at eleven, we're going to the mall."

"Good luck then," Natsuki said. "I really hope that he finally gets that you're the best thing that can happen to him. Haven't you said that he broke up with all of his other girlfriends quite fast?"

"Yeah, just like I did with my boyfriends. You don't still think that's some stupid sign, now do you?"

"Well…" She sounded apologetically.

I groaned quietly, lowering the towel. "Listen, Natsuki, this is not a sign. It's life, that's what it is. You just break up when you realize that your partner isn't right for you."

"Yeah, probably. Hey, Izumi-chan, I have to end this now, I'm going underground. Bye."

"Alright. Bye Natsuki-chan, see ya." I put the receiver back down and wandered back into the bathroom to dry my hair.

At a quarter to eleven I left my apartment, heading for the park not far from it where I would meet up with the guys. After a few disastrous tries to meet up at the mall we had decided that it would be best to join somewhere else and then go there so we would actually find one another and not get lost in the process.

I was dressed in a pair of jeans, a red polo shirt, my black summer jacket and sneakers. My hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, leaving out some bangs to frame my face. I had refrained from putting on more makeup than some mascara and a minimal amount of powder. I had some bad experience with makeup and the guys since Takuya usually asks me (very loudly) if I wanted to go to the disco because I was wearing so much makeup.

I tried to explain to him that it was normal and that he just wasn't used to seeing it on me, but he insisted that it looked as if I were about to go men-hunting so I went back to not using makeup except on special occasions or when I was really going out.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at the park. Since I was still five minutes early, none of the guys was in sight, so I sat down on one of the benches and watched the people. Another ten minutes later, I could hear faint bickering voices, so I turned to the left and sure enough, there were Takuya, Kouji and Kouichi coming down the path, the latter greeting me with a small wave of his hand, the former engaged in one of their usual fights.

So what had changed since we came back from the Digital World? Well, all of us have grown, obviously, but more importantly, we have grown up. We are currently studying at Tokyo University. Me, for example, I am studying media and communication. Can be absolutely boring, but can also be totally fascinating. We still are friends and meet frequently on campus and outside of university.

Takuya has modest success with the local soccer club and he has really grown some muscle. His hair is as unruly as ever, but I guess you just can't change that. He's got himself a girlfriend who's also studying media and boy, she knows how to handle him and his temper.

Kouichi is still as calm and caring as ever, having grown on all of us. He's studying to be a psychologist so he sometimes tries his latest theories and stuff on us which has resulted in a lot of complaining and fighting. It's really creepy how he manages to read us.

And then there's Kouji. He doesn't wear his bandana anymore (no angry screaming, please), but his hair is still long and it's cut in a way that he has some bangs always framing his face in a casually elegant style (I'm jealous of that). Kendo training graced him with a muscular body and combined with his handsome face that gives me a lot of competition at university. Apart from that, he is more sociable and friendly, probably because he's realized that he won't lose the friends he's gained.

And me? Well, I have finally, after years of waiting, developed some womanly curves. Yay for that! Moreover, I am not an outsider anymore, but instead part of the popular people – although I have the sneaking suspicion that me being friends with the three best looking guys of Tokyo University might help. Well, I have found some true friends and I'm finally content with myself.

Anyways, back to the story…

"Hey guys," I said a bit louder than necessary to interrupt their fight.

I didn't really expect it to work, so I was surprised when Kouji turned to me in the middle of Takuya's monologue, pointing his thumb at the rambling brunette. "It's his fault we're late."

"Right." I raised my eyebrows, making Kouichi grin.

"For once, this is not an ill-founded accusation. Takuya didn't set the alarm clock so neither of the two was ready when I arrived to pick them up."

"Kouji could have done that!" Takuya tried to defend himself.

"Why should I set your alarm clock?" Kouji, unusually aggressive, snapped back and I sighed. So much about interrupting the fight.

I stepped between the two, separating them effectively. "Just shut it, okay? Nice to see you, too, can we go now?"

Takuya smiled down at me sheepishly while Kouji just glared at him over my head. I let out a frustrated growl. "Stop glaring, Minamoto. Let's just go."

I turned and walked off, Kouichi next to me, leaving Kouji and Takuya to follow us to the subway.

Okay, I promised to show you what I have found out during my research on wolves. I already told you that we had mating season and that really affects our group – or pack, if you wish. See, the encyclopedia states that 'pack tension rises, as each mature wolf begins to feel the urge to mate.' And since Kouji has been more than a little cranky lately, I guess it has something to do with the mating season. Or maybe he's just fed up with Takuya.

Ah, let's just wait awhile. I'm sure we'll get to see a bit more.

Two hours later, I had bought a couple of books I needed for university, Takuya had purchased brand new soccer shoes, we had had a funny incident involving Takuya and an elderly lady accusing him of being a pickpocket and we had had lunch. Now we were aimlessly wandering through the mall, discussing on what to do next.

"How about getting some ice-cream?" Takuya asked delightfully.

Kouichi, Kouji and me shook our heads. "Thank you, Takuya-kun, but I'm still stuffed from lunch," I replied, rubbing my tummy.

"What about going to the movies?" Kouichi suggested.

"Not enough money," Takuya answered sadly, then looked at Kouji from the corner of his eyes. "But maybe Kouji could lend me-"

"Forget it," Kouji said coolly, "you still owe me."

"Oh, come on," the brunette whined. "Don't be so mean, Kouji."

But Kouji merely glared at him. I was about to open my mouth to tell Takuya to stop acting like a five-year-old when someone called my name.

"Hey tesorina!"

Okay, so it wasn't exactly my name, but there was only one person who would say something like that. I spun around and beamed. "Daiki-kun!"

And sure enough there stood the tall and handsome man, his black hair as attractively windswept as ever, a cheeky grin on his face. I threw myself into his embrace, laughing when he kissed my hand after he had let go of me.

"How are you, tesorina?"

"I'm great," I replied, then punched him playfully. "I haven't seen you around in ages. Where have you been?"

He smiled down at me with dark gray eyes. "Visiting my sister over in Australia. She insisted I come over for the wedding, she wouldn't listen when I told her I wanted to ask you for date."

"Your sister married?" I inquired, skillfully ignoring the indirect way of asking me out. "That's fantastic!"

Daiki was just about to reply, when Kouji's cool voice interrupted him. "Izumi, who is that guy?"

I smiled uncertainly, turning back around to face him, but was prevented from answering by Daiki remarking, "I could ask the same thing. You know him?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"Um, yes," I said before Kouji could snap back. "Daiki-kun, that's my friend Kouji-kun." I waved my hand in his direction. "Kouji-kun, this is my next-door neighbor Daiki-kun."

Kouji, with his hands buried deep in his pockets, snarled visibly, tensing and narrowing his eyes. Ha! Wolf behavior! A sign of aggression! An aggressive wolf snarls and its fur bristles. Okay, he doesn't have any fur, but that's just a minor detail. The wolf may crouch, ready to attack if necessary. Well, he is tensed…

My musings were interrupted when Takuya and Kouichi wandered over to us as well. "Oi, why aren't you coming?" Takuya complained, but then spotted Daiki and froze. "Who's that guy? Do you know him, Izumi-chan?"

"Nakamura Daiki," my neighbor introduced himself, bowing slightly. "I live next door to Izumi-chan."

Takuya smiled at him, but Kouji still had his eyes narrowed. By the way, narrowing of the eyes is a sign of a wolf's being suspicious. Pulling back of the ears shows a lupine is suspicious. In addition, the wolf narrows its eyes. See? I told you so.

"Why are you calling her 'tesorina'?" he asked in a less than friendly tone.

Daiki, too, tensed. "I always call her that. It shows that I care."

Oh no, I thought. That sounded like a challenge and judging from the look on his face, Kouji knew that. Hello? We all know that you're the alpha male around here, so don't worry, okay?

"Are you implying that I don't care?" he growled lowly, his teeth baring ever so slightly.

Growling, used in tandem with bared teeth, is the most visual and effective warning wolves use. Wolf growls have a distinct, deep, bass-like quality, and are used most of the time as a threat, though they are not always necessarily used for defense.

Daiki tilted his head, lazily lifting the corners of his mouth into a roguish smile. "Well, do you?"

Anger: An angry lupine's ears are erect and its fur bristles. The lips may curl up or pull back, and the incisors are displayed. The wolf may also arch its back, lash out, or snarl.

Before any of the latter could happen (though I had the suspicion that Kouji was about to charge at Daiki), I stepped between the two guys. "Kouji-kun, it's okay, Daiki-kun's just trying to provoke you. And you," I turned to my neighbor who was still smiling at the wolf with that roguish grin, "that's enough. I know that Kouji-kun does care, so drop it, got it?"

Kouji scowled, but said nothing and Daiki took his gaze off him, directing it to me, the smile turning into a warm one. "Sorry, tesorina. Guess my temper got the better of me."

"It's alright, Daiki-kun." I threw a look over my shoulder at the guys. "Um, I guess I'd better go now. See you soon, okay?"

"Sure." He bent down and kissed my hand again. "Ciao, tesorina."

I rolled my eyes. "Bye Daiki-kun." With that I turned, heading back to the guys, waving goodbye at Daiki in the process. The atmosphere was tensed as we continued our aimless wandering through the mall.

"So, you knew that guy?" Takuya asked unnecessarily to loosen the tension.

"Yes," I answered, throwing a sideways look at the still seething Kouji. "He – is a bit flirtatious. Don't worry about that."

"He seemed quite fond of you," observed Kouichi, eyeing me curiously. "Does he like you?"

Coloring slightly, I avoided his gaze. "It seems so."

Kouji growled lowly. "I don't like him. Stay away from him."

When I whipped my head around to look at him, his gaze was directed straight ahead and it seemed as if I wasn't even there. That made my temper rise. "Don't you think it's my decision whether I stay away from him or not?"

The lone wolf stopped abruptly so that a few shoppers nearly ran into him, but he didn't seem to care. He faced me, glaring hotly at me which made me cross my arms across my chest in a defiant manner. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Kouichi motion for Takuya to follow him, leaving us alone.

Kouji was still glaring at me, obviously trying to stare me down, but I refused to look away. People were striding past around us and for a second, staring into his eyes, I had the feeling that we were an island in a sea of anonymous people.

Then he suddenly whipped his head to the side as if pouting. I sighed, deciding that I would confront him about his behavior. Maybe it was only mating season after all. "Why are you acting this way, Kouji-kun?" I asked as gently as I could.

He turned his head back to face me, looking puzzled. "Which way?"

I couldn't hide the little smile that sneaked upon my face. "You almost charged at Daiki-kun, judging from your body language."

"Well, I…" He trailed off, furrowing his brows. "Wait a second. My body language? How do you know so much about my 'body language'?"

Deciding that I couldn't possibly tell him about my research, I merely lifted an eyebrow. "We're friends since like forever, don't you think that I'm at least able to read you a little bit?" When he looked thoughtful, then smiled slightly, I continued, "And you haven't answered my question yet."

At this, Kouji sighed, moving the bangs out of his face that fell back instantly, then shoving his hand into his pockets once more. "Look, I don't know. I've been a bit – less collected than usual lately and I'm sorry if I insulted your… friend."

He truly looked remorseful, so I said, "It's okay, Kouji-kun. I guess it's just hormones."

Kouji peaked up when I said that. He stared at me for a moment or two, then his position crouched a little, a mental backing away from me. I frowned slightly.

Fear: A frightened wolf tries to make its body look small and therefore less conspicuous. The ears flatten down against the head, and the tail may be tucked between the legs, as with a submissive wolf. There may also be whimpering or barks of fear, and the wolf may arch its back.

Why should Kouji be frightened so suddenly? I tentatively took a step forward, reaching for his arm, confused. He looked at me uncertainly which was endearing, but at the same time quite unsettling. Hello! This was Minamoto Kouji we were talking about, the big bad wolf!

"You alright?" I asked carefully, eyeing him worriedly.

He looked down at my hand that was still stretched toward him, then back up in my eyes. "Izumi… I – do you really think I care about you?"

Didn't he? I frowned. "Well, yes. I mean, you know me for so long and you've always been protective of all of us…" I suddenly felt cold, shivering involuntarily. What did he mean? Was he implying that he did not care? Had I assumed things that simply weren't true? I felt my gut clenching painfully and swallowed hard. The possibility that he might not care about me was getting to me, and I lowered my gaze, asking, "Don't you care for me?"

I felt Kouji's hand settling over my own, warm and reassuring. "Don't be stupid, Izumi. I care for you, a lot."

I made eye contact once again, seeing sincerity in his orbs. I was so relieved that I threw myself at him without thinking, nuzzling my face in his neck. "That's good," I managed to choke out, "because I love you and it would kill me if you hated me."

His arms had wrapped around me automatically, but he suddenly tensed. When I realized what I had just unwillingly spilled, I, too, froze and didn't dare lift my head from his shoulder. "What did you just say?" I heard him ask.

Not moving, I closed my eyes, cursing mentally. "I care for you."

Kouji placed his hands on my shoulders, gently prying me from his neck to look me in the eye. His expression was serious. "No, that wasn't what you said."

I had opened my eyes, but now closed them again, sighing. "I love you," I mumbled. Surprisingly, my cheeks did not color, but then again, I felt resignation and not excitement. This was not how I had intended to break it to him. I wanted him to fall in love with me first, to develop at least some kind of romantic feelings and not blurt it out before he even started to see me as something more than a sister.

My hands had dropped from him and I stood motionless, not wanting to see his expression even though I imagined how it would look like. Disgusted? No, probably more like sympathetic, pity visible in his eyes. How does a sympathetic wolf look like? Would it whimper softly? Are wolves even able to feel pity?

Kouji pulled me back into his embrace, but I kept my eyes still tightly shut. He was warm and solid and for a second I allowed myself to imagine to be able to feel this every day, though I quickly dismissed it as a fantasy when I realized how tempting and comfortable and right it felt.

God, I was deeper into this than I had thought. No mere crush, no fragile young love, this was real adult love. With twenty-one I had managed to fall head over heels for my best friend, and I had fallen deep. I sighed again, a trembling breath tearing from my lips.

"Are you okay?" Kouji asked and I could feel his voice reverberating in his chest.

I laughed shakily. "I don't know."

His hand moved to stroke my back in soothing circles, but that only made me feel more tumultuous than I already did. His behavior was confusing and I didn't know what to make of it. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, before saying, "You know, it might help if you said something. Anything."

"Well, what do you want to hear?" I could hear a smile in his voice.

"Do you hate me?" I asked tentatively, still clutching his shirt, my head on his shoulder. I realized that found it easier to talk to him without having to look at him at this moment.

"No." Still smiling.

"Are you angry?"

His hand was still moving in circular motions. "No."

My voice wavered when I asked, "This won't affect our friendship, will it?"

"Only a little." The smile had grown wider, I could tell.

I pressed my forehead more tightly to his shoulder. "But you won't tell Takuya and Kouichi?"

His head moved and I could feel his warm breath fanning my ear. "I wouldn't want to keep it from them."

Great, so now he was making fun of me. "You like to torture me, don't you?" I choked, my fists clenching tighter in his shirt.

"No," Kouji answered softly, mouth still next to my ear.

"Then why are you doing all this?" I exclaimed exasperatedly, pushing my fists into his chest meekly.

I could feel his light laughing better than I could hear it when he tightened his embrace, pulling me against him and whispering in my ear, "Because I love you."

My body went limp, my eyes snapped open, and I would probably have slumped to the ground if Kouji wasn't holding me up. I was so shocked about this unexpected confession that I nearly forgot to breathe and only remembered to do so when I was starting to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen.

I didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. I merely stood there, staring at the fabric of his shirt that was so near that I could see nothing but blue. Kouji loved me. That simply wasn't possible.

He was still waiting patiently for an answer, but when it didn't come, silent laughter reverberated through his chest once again. "You know, it might help if you said something."

Hearing my own words helped me to snap out of my shocked state somewhat. I lifted my head from his shoulder, leaning back far enough to be able to look at his grinning face. "You love me?" I asked, still amazed.

"Nah, it's probably just the hormones."

Okay, so his mood was definitely cheerful, even playful, tension had left him. A smile started to spread on my face when I saw the mischievous glint in his eyes and the affection that lay behind. Without thinking, I stood on tiptoe and pressed my mouth to his.

I could feel him smile underneath my lips, then he moved his hand to the back of my head, stroking my neck, and the somewhat chaste touch turned to a possessive kiss that made heat rise to my cheeks and my hands clench in his shirt once again. I practically molded against him, panting for air when his mouth moved to the point where my jaw met my neck.

Only when there was clapping did we part and it was a good thing I was already flushed or I would sure have colored now. I turned to see Takuya and Kouichi standing a few feet away from us, grinning suggestively. I rolled my eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"What, that all?" Takuya said loudly, earning a smack from Kouichi who had a lot more sense of decency.

I was about to give him a piece of my mind when Kouji whirled me around once more, his mouth claiming mine again. He even went so far as to dip me so that I had to cling to his neck. This kiss was short, only meant as a playful answer to Takuya's teasing, but it made my head spin nonetheless, heat spreading throughout my body.

Takuya was laughing gleefully, while Kouichi merely shook his head, smiling though. Kouji himself was looking down at me with a cheeky grin and I lifted my brows. "Hormones, huh?"

"You could say so," he replied.

Just as Takuya and Kouichi were coming over, my cell phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket with some difficulty, then opened it. "Hello?"

"Hey there. Have a good time?" Déjà-vu much?

"Hi Natsuki-chan," I replied, smiling. "Definitely. What about you?"

"Oh, I have just impressed my cousin with my Italian skills, just as you said," she answered, laughing, and I could hear the distant sound of traffic. "But tell me, did you make any progress with your lone wolf?"

I took a quick glance at Kouji, whose arm was wrapped loosely around my waist and who was seemingly telling Takuya and Kouichi what had happened during their absence. "Oh yes. There definitely won't be any pack tension during mating season anymore."

Natsuki immediately understood what I meant and laughed. "Congratulations. Don't let him slip away from you anymore, alright?"

"I won't," I assured her. "Wolves bond for at least as long as they both are alive."

"Yeah, so you said. and you also said that they become 'extremely affectionate with one another during mating season', so have fun. Oh, and I want to be invited to your wedding."

Her voice was suggestive and I smiled, rolling my eyes. "Sure, whatever. Goodbye, Natsuki-chan, have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too, Izumi-chan. Tell your lone wolf that I congratulate him on his good choice and that he had better look out for you or I'll personally make sure he won't be able to have kids."

I grimaced, then laughed. "Ouch. Yeah, I'll tell him that."

When she started humming the wedding march, I laughed and told her goodbye, before shutting the cell phone and clasping my hand with Kouji's, lone wolf no more.

A/N: I'm not that happy with it, but at least it isn't bugging me anymore. I'd love to hear your opinion, though. The quotes in italics are from the Wikipedia article about the Gray Wolf and 'tesorina' (what Daiki called Izumi) means something like 'little treasure' as far as I know. I'm no Italian expert, well, frankly, I don't know Italian at all, so feel free to tell me if the translation isn't correct.

So, make my day and leave a comment please. Thanks a million!