The Tattoo

Disclaimer: I don't own any members of the Inu cast. This was an idea I actually came up with based off a drawing my fiancée did for me. It was a picture of Ayame, looking over her shoulder, her hair down, and in the middle of getting dressed. Her backside was exposed, and a pretty green tattoo was decorating the small of her back. Since no one ever really sees Ayame naked, let along her back, who's to say a tribal tattoo couldn't exist? This fic was actually written by both myself, Lilz(aka White Wolf Ayame)and my really good friend B-chan. With later contribution from my fiancée YourouzokuAlpha.

On a side note, I hope everyone enjoys the long awaited update to this chapter. I want to thank Viz for airing new episodes of Inuyasha for me to find my love of writing again. IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU, I'D NOT HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO CONTINUE WRITING.

Chapter 14 – Moving Forward


Ayame was nervous as she chewed absentmindedly on her bottom lip, idly tugging at one of her bright red ponytails as she paced back and forth inside her private den. She had everything she could ever wish for, ever dream of, just waiting for her.

Kouga wanted to take her for his mate. Finally, he wanted Ayame, and Ayame alone. After so much, Kouga was finally seeing her in a new light. Finally seeing that it was her he wanted, and her that he had to have. The very idea of this realization made her shiver in delight. Kouga really wanted her! Areku had been right after all. And soon, so very soon Kouga would be her mate. They would be married, mated, and come mating season, they'd be starting a family of their own.

The past few days had been filled with nothing but uncertainty, stress, pain and loneliness. Just when she thought she’d reached her bottom... just when she thought she’d have to give up on her first love forever... he swept her off her feet, and promised her the happily ever after she’d dreamed of since she was a little girl. She couldn’t imagine being so happy. And she was excited about the life they would have together.

But that didn’t mean there wasn’t other things they had to attend to first. Kouga needed to speak with her grandfather, and they needed to begin making arrangements for their wedding. They needed to inform the other packs, send messengers out far and wide to invite the other members of the Yourouzoku of the union between Kouga and Ayame. They needed to figure out where they'd live, would they share Ayame's den or would they move into a much larger one. One that would readily accommodate the happy pair, and their future pups.

Kouga and Ayame wanted to be married as soon as possible, by the next full moon as Yourouzoku tradition dictated, and they had a lot to do if they were going to be ready in time. The full moon was only days away, and it didn’t give them a lot of time to prepare. And Ayame couldn’t imagine waiting until the next one after that to be married to her beloved Prince. The way she saw it, she’d waited all these years, she couldn’t bear waiting any longer, least this wonderful dream turn out to be just that… nothing but a dream.

Besides, Ayame had someone else she needed to speak to as well.

Mikhail.

Ayame knew the news was going to be difficult for him to hear, and possibly even accept. But she knew she at least owed him an explanation. He's just been getting to know her, and she hoped above all else, that he’d be able to accept how she felt. She hoped they could at least remain friends. But there was no telling. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, and she was desperately trying to figure out a way to let him down gently.

She owed so much to him, more than he probably knew. Mikhail had been sweet, and understanding with her, and he was a wonderful man. Any female wolf demon would be happy to have him as her mate. But Ayame knew her heart belonged to only one male wolf demon. And by the next lunar cycle, she would be finally married and mated to that man. She was happy, but that didn’t mean she didn’t appreciate how she’d ended up this way.

If it hadn’t been for Mikhail, Ayame would still be struggling. Struggling to find herself, struggling to make out the ending of her own warped fairy tale. Mikhail made her realize that without Kouga... if she truly was ready, she could be happy with someone else. Given time.

But she was no longer the lost and lonely princess, still waiting for her Prince Charming. Because her Prince had finally come to rescue her, he'd finally come to sweep her away, just like he'd promised. Ayame knew he might not outright admit it, but she was positive Kouga knew he owed Mikhail in his own way too. For inadvertently opening his eyes, if anything else. After all, if Mikhail had never shown interest in her, Kouga would have never realized how closely he’d come to losing Ayame forever.

But that still left Mikhail the potential to be broken hearted by this entire mess, and Ayame was troubled by that. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t know how else to break the news to him. She couldn’t keep leading him on, not when she knew her heart had already chosen. It had chosen so very long ago, but finally, the time was right, and things would work themselves out. She knew this, but that didn’t make matters any easier to adjust to.

"I just have to go see him and tell him," Ayame finally said firmly. "There is nothing else to it. He deserves to know," Ayame said steadily, clenching her fist in determination to her chest plate. She’d set out immediately, and hopefully she would return before Kouga realized she’d left.

"But... No, I can’t do that to Kouga either,” Ayame said with a heavy sigh. She wanted to avoid as much trouble as possible, but she knew she couldn’t just sneak out away from her intended mate. Even if what she was planning to do was for the best, finding her suddenly gone might whip him into a frenzy of worry and confusion. Especially when he learned of her intended destination. He might even get the wrong idea. “No, I should tell him where I’m going... ”

"But I’m concerned he will only want to accompany me," Ayame murmured softly to herself, running her fingers nervously through her bangs. "I need to speak to Mikhail in private... so I can explain how I feel about this whole mess. But Kouga might not be so willing to agree to that."

Ayame knew she might also be over reacting to the whole situation, but when it came to Kouga there was really no telling. Sometimes that stubborn male could be so difficult to read. It was something she found both frustrating and exhilarating about her future mate. The man she loved more than anything else in the entire world. But regardless she didn’t want to make her future mate worry more than he should, nor did she want to give him a reason to be jealous when he had no reason to be.

"This is just so complicated," Ayame said with an exasperated sigh as she slipped out of her private den, and nearly ran straight into the dark haired, blue eyed, wolf demon she’d just been thinking about. Strong, powerful, tanned arms slid almost possessively around her waist as she steadied herself with a surprised blush, tilting her head to smile up at him.

"Kouga!"

"Ayame, watch where you’re going," Kouga teased, tapping the tip of her nose affectionately. "I was actually just coming to find you," he said, as Ayame blinked at him in surprise. Was she supposed to have met him somewhere? Was she late? Was he picking her up for some meeting she’d completely forgotten about?

"What?" Ayame blinked in surprise. "Why were you coming to find me?" She asked curiously as he looked at her as if she’d grown a second head suddenly.

"Because you’re going to be my mate by the next full moon, and I don’t want to let you out of my sight, Ayame," Kouga stated, nipping her neck as she suppressed a shiver. "Not now, not ever." The female wolf demon smiled at the affection he was showing her, and couldn’t help herself as she leaned up and kissed him softly, but quickly on the lips. The action surprised him, before his face turned a soft pink along his nose and cheeks as his eyes widened in surprise. She smiled as she pulled back, before she could embarrass him any further.

Or so she thought.

Kouga let out a soft, masculine growl, his grip around her waist suddenly pulling her closer as his mouth closed over hers, and her soft ‘eep’ of surprise was swallowed as the male wolf demon claimed her lips in a dominate and possessive kiss. It was her turn to be surprised, and she melted into the kiss after a moment, her head still spinning. Even when she felt his tongue slip past the barrier of her lips, his tongue seeking out her own, and before she knew it, their tongues were locked in a tangle with each other.

He broke the kiss after a few moments, and Ayame’s face was flushed evenly with the brightness of her hair, her chest rapidly rising and falling as the young princess gasped flabbergasted at her future mate. The smirk he gave her was both possessive and dominating, and it made her nearly go weak in the knees. He was such an incredible man, and she could hardly believe that in just a few short days, he would be hers.

"That’s more like it," Kouga growled at her playfully, as her small hands found their way to his chest, and she pushed back from him with a happy giggle. "Where do you think you’re going, woman? I just finished speaking with the Elder about our engagement. He’s going to work on the preparations for our marriage ceremony, which means I get the rest of the day to spend with my beautiful mate."

Ayame nearly swooned, just at his words, let alone the intensity of the kiss they’d just shared. It was their first, real kiss, and she still was feeling light headed from it. Ancestors help her, this man was more incredible than she could have ever imagined.

"Kouga, I..." Ayame began, trying to find the courage to tell him what she knew she couldn’t hide from him. Curiously, the dark haired ookami prince raised an eyebrow, studying the nervous expression on the red head’s flustered face. "I need to talk to you about something... it’s important."

"What is it?"

"I need..." She hesitated, before finally taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, and blurting it out all at once. "I need to go see Mikhail." Kouga didn’t respond right away, and for a moment Ayame dreaded opening her eyes. She was afraid he might get the wrong idea... she was afraid he might not fully understand WHY she needed to see him. Timidly, the white wolf princess opened her eyes, and the look on Kouga’s face almost made her burst into giggles.

He looked so confused.

"Why would you need to see that brat?" Kouga finally asked, with a possessive growl as he pulled her body closer to his own. Ayame’s heart raced excitedly, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to ignore her body’s reactions as she struggled for the right words. She could enjoy being in his arms after she broke the news to Mikhail.

"I need to see him, to tell him of our engagement," Ayame explained. "He deserves to hear it from me first."

"Then I’ll go with you," Kouga informed her, the growl in the back of his throat making her tremble in his arms. How could she concentrate when her body kept reacting to every little thing he did?! Curse her instincts. It only made matters worse when he bent his head to her neck, his lips and teeth nipping and kissing the sensitive flesh between her ear and her shoulder.

"K-Kouga," Ayame gasped as she struggled not to whimper in need.

"I won’t allow my future mate to be alone with anyone but me," Kouga stated plainly, leaving no room for argument. "You belong to me now, and you’re mine."

"Kouga," Ayame said softly, pulling away from his ministrations enough to look him in the eye. "I love you, you stubborn foolish male. With all my heart, body, and soul. You are the most important thing in the world to me, and I have never been happier than when I am in your arms. But we’re going to be married in just a few days time. Marriage is supposed to be based on trust," Ayame reminded him. "I need you to trust me now. Mikhail was very good to me. He was there for me, and he made me realizwe what my life could be like if you’d said no... and if he’d said yes."

"But I didn’t say no!" Kouga growled, his eyes blazing as he tightened his grip on the female in his arms. He wouldn’t admit it, but he wasn’t willing to let her go. To go off to another male’s territory... alone... even if she wanted to go to tell him that she was not available... that she belonged - or would soon belong - to him. Kouga didn’t have to like it. And he didn’t.

"Kouga..." Ayame sighed softly, reaching a hand up and cupping his cheek in her hand. "I understand that you may be jealous-"

"I’m not jealous!"

Ayame just blinked at him, giving him a knowing look as the stubborn male averted his gaze, letting out a grumpy ‘hmph’ as refused to look at her. It was very sweet, and she understood how he felt, but she knew this was something she had to do. She needed him to understand. She needed her future mate to see things from her point of view.

"Kouga, I love you," Ayame repeated, turning his face back to meet her as she brushed her lips against his own, and smiled as he visibly relaxed and kissed her back gently. "I am not going to change my mind now. I want to be your mate. I am excited about being your mate, and I can’t wait for our wedding. But Mikhail is my friend, if nothing else. And I don’t want to hurt him any more than I have to. It’s not fair to him."

"Fine," Kouga finally agreed, kissing her forehead. "But I’m still coming with you."

"Kouga-"

"Don’t argue Ayame," Kouga stated, his forehead pressed to her own as he stared into those beautiful green eyes. Eyes he could lose himself in if he wasn’t careful. Not that he minded the thought of being lost in those gorgeous green eyes. He never realized how lucky he really had things, until recently. He was a stupid and stubborn fool for not coming to his senses sooner.

Ayame was perfect, in so many ways. They were a perfect balance for each other. He admired her fiery personality, her courage and loyalty, and the strength of her pure heart. He detested the idea of letting her go off into that bastard’s territory, even if she was going to tell him that Kouga was going to be her mate... not the Black Prince. That fact brought a proud smirk to his face.

Ayame was his. He shook his head, redirecting his thoughts to the female in his arms instead of the revelation he'd only recently seemed to come to.

"I will come with you, because even more than the thought of you alone with this asshole..." Kouga began. "It’s the thought of something happening to you again, and me not being there to protect you." Ayame smiled softly at him, and finally nodded as she let out a defeated sigh.

"Alright, alright... but just promise me," Ayame began. "No fighting. I don’t mind you coming, but please... just let me do all the talking. The last thing I want is to start a civil war between his tribe and yours, because you want to rub our marriage in his face," Ayame stated firmly, narrowing her eyes.

"Promise me, that you will behave yourself Kouga."

Kouga grumbled to himself but reluctantly nodded. He could behave himself; he didn’t need his new bitch telling him that. But his grumpy disposition melted the second she wrapped her arms back around his neck, pressing that beautiful, enticing body of hers back against his chest. He swallowed the lump he didn’t realize he’d had in his throat, as his hands slid from her waist to rest just above her ass.

And what an ass she had!

"I promise," Kouga said, growling lightly as she leaned up and kissed him, and just like before he dominated the kiss and made it into something more than just a sweet, chaste kiss that she was intending it to be. He smirked in pride to himself as he easily picked up the scent of her arousal, and he fought the urge to take her right then and there. When the time was right, he would claim his mate.

And he would claim her good.

"Fine, you can go tell your little suitor that you belong to me," Kouga gave in. "And then we will head back in time for our wedding. And then, my little princess..." Kouga growled as he gave her ass a firm squeeze, loving the way she half gasped, half moaned against his lips.

"Then, Ayame... I am going to claim you for my mate, once and for all."

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AN: To check out the cover art for "The Tattoo", specifically the image that inspired this story, please visit my fiancee's deviantArt page at the following link below. I want to thank YourouzokuAlpha for the time and patience put into this work. It's beautiful.

http://yourou.deviantart.com/#/d2qdp3f