The Choices We Make

Disclaimer: Still didn’t make up any of these characters.


Well I’m back. I’ve been writing and writing and writing and writing. Seriously, this thing is longer than I thought it would be and I really haven’t gotten to the “good” parts yet.

*****
WELCOME TO TOMORROW


Everything was perfect. The sun was shining, the weather was warm and Koga was free.

He had single handedly driven off Naraku, recovered his jewel shards, and even managed a sweet compliment from Kagome for his troubles. Now here he was, running through an open field heading toward the Northern Mountains to check on his pack. He could barely make out the cries of his two companions desperately begging him to slow down; as if he ever would.

Suddenly a flash of light and sharp pain sent Koga tumbling into what should have been soft soil. The beautiful field had unexpectedly become a barren wasteland filled with sharp rocks and hard, unforgiving dirt. When Koga finally slid to a halt he felt as if he had just been beaten to a pulp. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t alone.

“There now,” Koga glanced up to see Naraku towering over him, holding a bloodied knife. “that wasn’t so bad was it?” he snickered giving the wolf a wicked smile.

Heart racing with fear, Koga looked down at himself chained and naked; finding nothing between his legs but his shrunken member.


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *He did it! He did it!* was all that Koga could think as he hysterically tried to disentangle himself from the blanket that had been draped over him.

“Ah! Ah!” He panted, finding it hard to breath let alone move.

*SLAP*

The force of the cuff to his cheek was enough to calm him, but also left him seeing stars. However the voices he heard next told him who he was with; if not where he was.

“Inuyasha! You didn’t have to hit him so hard. Koga is still seriously hurt. Miroku chided.

“Hey, you want him calm or you want him opening all those wounds we spent all this time bandaging?” Came an irritated voice in reply.

“Quiet, both of you!” Kagome said silencing the two. “Koga? You were dreaming. It’s us. Are you okay? You were hurt pretty bad by the Wind Scar.

“Ka…Kagome?” stammered the wolf (secretly reaching under the blanket and feeling a profound sense of relief to find that nothing was missing). “What happened? Where are we?”

“We’re in an abandoned shrine. We stopped here to rest after Naraku fled. Kaede’s village is less than half a days travel away.” leaning in close with a worried look she asked again. “How are you feeling?”

In truth, Koga had trouble finding a part of his body that didn’t hurt. Had the dream not scared him awake, he probably wouldn’t have woken up for another day. “I’m ok, I just need to WAIT!!” he said remembering. “Hakkaku and Ginta! Naraku had them, do you know where they are?? Are they alright?” His panic returning, he struggled to rise; ignoring Kagome’s pleas to stop moving. He continued until a strong hand on his chest pushed him back down.

“Fool.” spat the Inu hanyou. “Listen to Kagome and stop MOVING!”

Instantly Koga’s body relaxed and fell back onto Kagome’s sleeping bag. He looked up at Inuyasha, feeling that he had just done something wrong.

“Your friends are here, Koga.” Sango said announcing her presence. “They were being hunted by Kagura when they found us. They’re hurt but should recover soon.”

Koga stared at the two sleeping forms on the other side of the room. He sighed, feeling relief flood him once more. He had held off Naraku’s minions long enough for them to find help; at least he could be thankful for that.

“We also found your jewel shards.” Miroku said. “We will , of course, (glaring at Inuyasha) give them back once this whole mess has been sorted out.”

“What mess?” Koga questioned. He had only been half listening to the monk. His neck really hurt and had been wishing that they would just leave him to rest.

With a frown, Miroku explained. “Well, you see we tried everything we could think of to take it off but nothing works. Fuda scrolls, Kagome’s Scared Arrow, even Inuyasha couldn’t pull it apart.”

Koga’s eyes widened in horror. He was still wearing the collar! Oh he wished he could melt away and drip beneath the floorboards. Both the object of his affections and his rival had seen him naked and collared. To make it worse he had the distinct impression that Inuyasha had carried him in such a state all the way to this shrine. He was thankful that the shattered remains of his pride, at least, wouldn’t let him cry. He felt so humiliated…and confused.

Why wouldn’t it come off? Sure he had submitted by allowing Naraku to place it around his neck, and he had asked his enemy to mark him but it never happened. Inuyasha had intervened before the binding had progressed to anything permanent. Kagome’s arrow should have easily broken the collars hold on him. Then why…?

“I have some knowledge of demonic binding ceremonies” said Sango, interrupting Koga’s thoughts. “and I think I know what Naraku was trying to do. Even though he didn’t mark you, Inuyasha did and that maybe the reason why it won’t come off.

Koga closed his eyes, remembering what should have been his final moments. He had begged Inuyasha to remove his head from his body; even game him the perfect opportunity to do it. Instead he experienced a blinding pain and then nothing. That pain was there now, burning into his skin as if his body didn’t know how to heal it.

Opening his eyes, Koga looked right at Inuyasha (who had become rather quiet by that point) and in a whisper said, “You bit me.”

At first Inuyasha just blinked several times. Then opened and closed his mouth as if he couldn’t find the proper words to respond. Until finally…

“Don’t try blaming this on me. You said ‘follow your instincts’ and that’s what I did.”

Inuyasha really didn’t know what else to say. He had done as Koga said, though looking back on that moment he now realized that Koga had wanted him to help end his life. Problem was, killing the flea bag had never even entered his mind during the battle. His only desire had been to bring the wolf close to him and bite the exposed area of his neck. Inuyasha could still remember the sweet taste of Koga’s hot blood as it flowed into his mouth and the feeling of bestial delight as he swallowed. Even now, he the urge to finish what he had started burned inside his chest. To mount the wolf and see him tremble beneath him.

“Look, we can’t do anything about it now.” Inuyasha stated want to end this conversation. “Myoga and Kaede will be able to figure this out. I say we get some rest and head out early.”

With that, the dog demon turned around and left; intending to sleep outside and put some distance between himself and Koga. As the others started preparing for a much deserved rest, Koga took the opportunity to ask a question he had been wanting to ask since he woke up.

“Hey monk,” he whispered to Miroku. “I know you had to bandage me up and all, but could I get my fur and armor back?”

“Oh! Well you see Koga…” Miroku scratched the back of his head nervously. “…we tried to find your belongings but all we found was your sword.”

Following his gaze, Koga saw his sword propped up against Kagome’s bag; it looked like it was covered in dirt and ash.

“We, uh, think Naraku burned the rest of it. I’m sorry.”

“Ah man.” Koga turned his head back to look at the monk. “But what am I going to wear?”

“It shouldn’t be too hard to find something for you at the village, but for now Inuyasha is letting you borrow his Hitoe. It’s a little loose on him so it should fit you, though it might come up a bit short.” Miroku gave him a little grin. He had seen Koga naked while dressing his wounds and he had to admit that he was curious to see how much cover the Fire Rat Robe would actually provide.

“Get some rest, you still have a lot of healing to do. Most things don’t survive close encounters with the Wind Scar.”

With a sigh, Koga allowed his broken body to relax. He really didn’t want sleep; he wanted answers. Was he actually a pet? If so, whose? And if not, then why wouldn’t the collar come off?

Though his mind wanted to be up, his body refused to cooperate and he was asleep before he realized that he had closed his eyes.

*****

For Koga, most of the next day was devoted to healing. He woke only to stomach some food and reluctantly allow Inuyasha to help him dress; he was wary to accept any more “aide” from the hanyou.

The monk hadn’t been mistaken about the size of the hitoe. Even though it fit well enough, the length of the garment was almost too short to cover his lower regions. If Koga were to bend over too much he’d give everyone a sight they wouldn’t soon forget. He, nonetheless, understood why Inuyasha cherished it. The material was soft and light weight, yet tougher than armor and despite the coolness of the morning he felt comfortably warm.

He fell asleep just before they set out on their journey. The injured wolf was to be carried in the arms of Inuyasha since Ginta and Hakkaku had already been loaded on to Kirara’s back.

When next he woke, Koga found himself, alone, in a small hut. From the noise outside he assumed that they had arrived at the village and that he had slept most of the day away. With some effort he managed to sit up; his muscles protested but he managed to stay up. Just as he was wondering where everyone was, Inuyasha entered looking rather serious.

“Hey, are you awake yet?” he grumbled. “Myoga and the old woman want to ask you some questions.”

This was what Koga had been waiting for. He was more than ready to get the collar off and pretend that the last few days had never happened. After a few failed attempts at standing Inuyasha went to him, mumbling something about not having all day, and picked him up bridal style. And just like that, they headed to Kaede’s dwelling.

****

Inuyasha had hoped that Koga would be able to make the short trip by himself. He was becoming uncomfortable carrying him everywhere. Not only had he noticed a slight change in the wolf’s scent (which the hanyou found very appealing) but Koga kept melding into his arms; regardless if he was awake or not. Inuyasha wanted to believe that Koga was just a big softy who liked to cuddle with any warm body (either that or a pervert) but deep down he had to wonder. Such behavior was definitely more pet-like than that of an alpha-male.

What if Koga had really become a pet? There were times when Inuyasha would have loved to see his rival so humbled. Every time Kagome had “sat” him in the wolf’s presence in fact.

But now, seeing Koga brought so low, Inuyasha felt something akin to pity. He wanted to comfort him and make things right but didn’t know how. He sucked at this kind of thing.

Upon entering the hut, Inuyasha set Koga down against the wall and stood up (but not before giving the wolf a final sniff) and then sat down quietly on the other side of the hut.

Kaede was first to break the silence. “Koga, everyone has told us as much as they can about your capture by the fiend, Naraku. But we need you to fill in the gaps. Tell us everything that happened and that was said while you were alone with him.

With a deep breath, Koga told them. About the fight, his subsequent capture and imprisonment in the room, Naraku’s plans, the collaring…everything. Well almost everything; he didn’t want to repeat what Naraku had intended to do to him the morning after he was supposed to have been mounted.

His three-member audience sat in silence, though Inuyasha became visibly more agitated as the story progressed.

“Well thank you Koga, I know it must have been awkward to force yourself to relive all that.” Myoga spoke once Koga had finished. “The first thing I can confirm is that Naraku is correct in his assumptions. Had he finished making you his pet nothing could have stopped him from taking over the North.

“But where did such a binding ritual come from?” Asked Kaede. “I must confess, this is the first I’ve heard of such an affair.”

“This dates back many ages ago,” the flea offered, pleased that people were actually looking to him for advice. “before mortals even came to these lands. A much more regal era when demons worshipped other demons; not just as nobles but as gods. Taking another demon as a pet was no small matter back then. It was usually only done for two reasons.

“Many times, if a great demon was extremely pleased with or desired one of his followers, he would present that follower with a collar as a sign of his intentions. Of course no one would ever refuse an opportunity to be the personal possession of a god so the marking and mounting would typically be immediately in the presence of witnesses.”

Sitting back to relax he continued.

“The second reason was for showing compassion and mercy. During honorable battle between demons, there was only one possible outcome; one would win and the other lose. If the victor wished to show mercy instead of brutally killing his opponent, he would take him as a pet. Thereby still gaining any of the lands and titles belonging to the loser but leaving him alive. The new pet would be cared for and his loved ones would come under his owners protection.”

“Sadly,” the tiring Myoga said, his expression souring. “though the binding ritual is still done today, it is usually for purposes of humiliation or some shameful attempt to grab power. Truly decadent times we live in.”

Koga listened with rapt attention, as an heir (possibly former heir) to a kingdom he knew some of what Myoga was talking about. But he soon realized that this little flea knew more about his own heritage than he did. The elders always said that he made a poor student.

Now it was Kaede’s turn.

“Hmmmm, this is most perplexing. Koga you allowed Naraku to collar you and then submitted to him by asking to be marked, correct?”

“Yes.” he replied feeling more than a little annoyed. The old woman made it sound like he wanted Naraku to do it.

“And then you submitted to Inuyasha and let him mark you.”

“Yes.” he said again. Though given his condition that day, he was prepared to argue about whether he “let” the inu do anything to him.

“Wait…I never submitted to Inuyasha. I wanted him to kill me, not mark me.”

Myoga and Kaede looked at one another as if having a silent conversation that only old people could understand. Kaede spoke first.

“I’m afraid you’re wrong Koga. You begged Inuyasha to help you and exposed your neck to him. You may have not intended it as a sign of submission but your demonic nature knew better.”

“But…but that shouldn't matter!” Koga said, desperately wanting to hear some hope that he could have his life back. “Two demons performing two different parts of the binding shouldn’t count. It‘s not fair.”

“All fairness aside,” Myoga countered. “the number of demons really doesn‘t matter. What DOES matter is you and the choices you made. You made the decision to submit and you did it twice. No, I’m sorry Koga, but you can’t go back. You are a pet and this is your life from now on.”

The truth hit Koga like a punch in the stomach. He was going to be like this forever? He couldn’t believe it; his mind refused to accept this.

“I would surmise, that all that remains is to identify exactly who your…uh…owner is.” Kaede said quickly, feeling it was best to end this soon and give Koga time to process his new reality. “Inuyasha, would you come closer? I would like to test something.”

With more than a little apprehension, the hanyou leaned toward the priestess.
“You mean like this?”

Instead of replying, Kaede reached for the rosary hanging around his neck and gave a firm tug. To almost everyone’s surprise, the rosary snapped, sending dozens of beads falling powerlessly to the floor.

“Just as I thought,” Kaede looked at the shocked Inu “your domination over another has circumvented the subjugation spell. For a master answers to no one.”

Turning back to the others, she fixed her remaining eye on Koga.

“However, considering the large part that Naraku has played in all of this, I believe that both he and Inuyasha have a claim on you. Logically, you will belong to the one who completes the binding first.”

“I agree,” added Myoga. “though it may be possible for another demon to mark you, if you were to submit to him or her. Quite an unheard of phenomenon; a pet with the chance to pick his master. I suggest we end here and let Koga think on all of this. He needs an owner and I advise him to choose quickly before someone else chooses for him.”

With that, Inuyasha, who had been marveling at his own found freedom (unaware at how heavy the rosary had been until it was gone), moved to carry Koga back to his sleeping hut. However, the wolf stopped him.

“One last question, Myoga.” he paused unsure if he wanted to really ask. “Have you ever heard of pets being…gelded? Koga felt Inuyasha tense in surprise but kept his eyes on the flea, waiting for answers.

“Well, actually yes I have. Only three times in all my years. Once when a pet needed to be remained what losing honorable battle meant and twice when a master wanted to stop his pet from rutting. In both instances, the pet became much more docile and even grateful to his master. Did Naraku attempt to…?

Koga remained silent, choosing to let the others figure it out.

Seeing that Koga was finished, Inuyasha picked him up and left without a single comment.

****

Koga kept his silence during the short journey back to his hut. All the while Myoga’s works kept echoing in his mind. …you can’t go back…this is your life now…. For the first time in his life, Koga was at a loss about what to do. He wasn’t a prince or an alpha male anymore. Hell, he wasn’t even a person in his own right; he was property. His master could command him to do anything and he’d do it. Apparently, he’d even start to like it.

So engrossed in this thought he didn’t even noticed they had stopped until Inuyasha put him down and tried to removed Koga’s arms from around his neck.

The hanyou remained pressed against the wolf a little longer than necessary, then he stood and made to leave. “Get some rest,” he said “and I’ll check on you later.”

Koga had just closed his eyes when Inuyasha addressed him again.

“Hey,” he said looking at him over his shoulder. “I have no intention of making you my pet, so just forget about that. But if for whatever reason you were mine, I wouldn’t…do to you what Naraku planned to do. Pausing only for a moment longer, he turned and walked out.

Despite his mood, Koga couldn’t help but feel his spirit lift by Inuyasha’s attempt to make him feel better. It was nice to show that the alpha cared about his pack.

Koga briefly imagined what it would be like to have Inuyasha as his owner. Sure he was a little rough and tactless, but damn he could fight. After the way he dealt with the Bird’s of Paradise, Koga doubted that any in his wolf pack would challenge the Inu’s right to lead.

Inuyasha really was the best choice. Infinitely better than Naraku, and asking Ginta, Hakkaku, or any of the other wolves would just lead to too many pro-

WHAT THE HELLS WAS HE THINKING!? He was Koga, a warrior. Everything he had, he earned fighting with claws and fangs. Had he fallen so much that he was actually pondering who would make the best owner, let he was some kind of…pet.

Suppressing a shudder, Koga suddenly didn’t feel like resting at all. Gritting his teeth, he finally managed to stand on his own and take a few experimental steps forward. Slowly and with a noticeable limp, he made his way out of the hut and into the afternoon sun. Maybe some fresh air would help clear the mess his brain had become.

****

Ok, yes a lot of info to take in. The hot stuff in coming and it should be in the next update or the one after. I haven’t decided if I’m going to merge the two parts yet (I‘ve done both already). The reason why it’s take so long is because I’m hand writing it first. It helps me focus on this whole thing, plus it gives me ideas. I didn’t think this was going to be so long. I have a 40 page notebook and I’ve filled almost 32 pages.

Now to the polls!

In the next update, Koga disobeys Inuyasha and I want to know if he should be punished or not. So…

A- Punished (and by punished I mean a little pain immediately leads to “oh wow, that’s fucking hot”)

B- Not punished but still leads to the good stuff (reader may not get AS hot and bothered as A or may get even MORE h&b, I don’t haven’t written it yet).

Ok, replies. Man, who knew that writing could take so much time?

An Admirer- I’m trying for animalistic but it’s easier to imagine that to write down. Why can’t they invent a machine that puts thoughts to paper? I mean that would be a great invention. And a battle with demonic minions? Thanks, I’d love to.

Steel Butterfly430- What kind of trouble? Plenty. Thanks for the note. The last thing I wrote was a paper on hate groups and that is not even close to writing like this. I keep stopping and asking myself “is this right?” I just usually just type onto my computer, spell check and then hope that it makes as much sense on paper as it did in my head.

Zak- Well, I plan to bring Naraku back at least once. Maybe more if I end up turning this story into a short novel instead of a story. Don’t worry about this next one though. I think you’ll be happy with the way I’ve chosen to hurt him. ;)

Rin Flowers- Just wait. I have a little fun set up in the next update and it too will be unexpected…at least until you start reading it.

Arg stupid earthquakes! Always when I’m writing! Japan always gets these small ones, kinda cool but usually at the wrong time

wolfgirl- Well Naraku does get a hold of Koga again but it’s only a little hold, more like a touch.

VII- More hotness is coming. I have no experience with m/m so it’s a little hard to write about. I’m doing it in pieces. Kind of add more and more when an idea comes into my head.

Oh and one last thing. I may have accidentally skipped a paragraph while transferring it from paper to computer. If something doesn't makes sense let me know.