Stray

A/N: Thank you to those who are reading and rating and reviewing!

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Chapter 5 – Roll Over

 

Inuyasha watched the wolf retreat for the hundredth time that he’d known him. A couple nights ago, in the hot spring, it was bad enough. He didn’t know how he felt about what just happened, but he knew he couldn’t stand to let Kouga walk away from him this time.



“Kouga...” Inuyasha started. “Please don’t... Not again.”



Kouga glanced at the ground and dropped the dou back onto the pillows. “I’m sorry, Inuyasha. Really.”



“I just... I don’t know what just happened.”



“We had sex.”



“Other than that. More than that.”



Kouga shook his head. “Nothing. That’s it.”



“Ah.”



“I’m sorry, that’s not what you wanted.”



“No, I think I asked for it.”



“Still, I know what you’re looking for and I just came down here so you didn’t rashly mate with someone and look at what happened.”



Inuyasha looked concerned. “Kouga. Really, I asked for it. Thank you. I mean it. It was... nice.”



Kouga smiled a little at that. “Well, that’s something.”



“Wait,” Inuyasha said, with a hint of panic, “are we mated now, though?”



Kouga shook his head and laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”

 

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. “Then what does it take?”

 

Kouga cocked his hip and thought for a moment. “We should get cleaned up. C’mon, let’s head down to the hot springs. There’s a separate one reserved for me in case other people are down there and I want some privacy.”

 

Inuyasha sat up, and Kouga’s seed dripped down his stomach. He watched it mingle with his own at the base of his cock. He grabbed his fundoshi and wiped off his now-flaccid member, then grabbed his pants and slid them on, tying them before standing.

 

The two demons stood eye to eye, and Inuyasha was comforted that Kouga kept facing his way. “Thank you, again,” Inuyasha said. “I really mean that.”

 

“I know,” Kouga said, the hanyou’s words loosening the tightness in his chest. “Shall we?” He nodded toward the hallway.

 

Inuyasha nodded. Kouga turned and led the way out, red streaks dotting down his skin at his sides. He wasn’t bleeding, and the marks would fade, but for now they were bright and obvious. While walking, Inuyasha felt the rest of Kouga’s cum on his chest drying cool with the passing air. As he passed the portal, it suddenly hit him – he was marked too. And damn what other people thought of it. He and his friend were helping each other out. Surely lots of other wolves in the den were doing the same thing. His head picked up. “You know something, Kouga?”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I don’t mind my claws marking you after all.”

 

Kouga pressed his lips together to stop a smile breaking out. “Good.”

 

The pair passed an intersection, and afterwards Ayame entered from the crossing hallway. “Hrmph,” she said, folding her arms under her chest, watching after the pair. “No wonder.”

 

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The private bath was in a much smaller cave, and the water was clearer, hotter, and Inuyasha felt like he was melting into it – in a good way.  He didn’t quite know how to interact with Kouga at this point - and neither did the wolf - so despite this thing that had happened since they last bathed together, they sat a familiar distance apart.

 

Kouga was still slightly unsettled at Inuyasha’s reluctance. His reinforcing words in the hall had made him very happy, but the initial reaction was what kept playing over and over in his head.

 

“So how does this work?” Inuyasha asked, breaking the silence. “What does this mean?”

 

Kouga briefly pondered the question. This? “Does it have to mean anything?”

 

“I don’t know,” Inuyasha answered. “I’m just a lot more… comfortable with it than I thought I would be.”

 

“We helped each other,” Kouga said with a shrug. “It’s what we do here.”

 

“So what’s the difference between ‘mating’ and ‘helping each other?’” Inuyasha asked.

 

“It’s a…” - Kouga searched for the word – “commitment. A bond.”

 

“Well, I know that,” Inuyasha said with a hint of defensiveness, “but what makes that bond?”

 

Kouga thought Inuyasha was putting far too much thought into this. He again had to try to put his unquestioned instincts into words. “I think… I think they’re the same thing. That’s what we call the bond and the act that creates it. Mating.”

 

Inuyasha’s mouth turned down in thought. “So you guys just create this bond during mating season. That’s all there is to it.”

 

“Because that’s when the scent of the females is in the air, yes.”

 

“Through sex.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“With wolves you’ve never even met before.”

 

“Usually.”

 

“Why?” Inuyasha asked. As someone used to courting, it seemed incredibly reckless to him. He slid down a bit and rested his head on the edge of the pool, letting his eyes drift shut.

 

Kouga shrugged. “It just happens. It’s what we do. It’s instinct – nobody trains us to be this way.”

 

“So why didn’t you ever mate before?”

 

“Because of you.” Kouga’s stomach twisted. “And Kagome. By the time I had a tribe again, you had ruined me.”

 

“What did you do all those years, then?” Inuyasha asked, turning his head and looking at Kouga’s profile as the wolf stared at the water.

 

“Oh, I’ve bred every so often. Like we did. I breed with females of other tribes, other males breed with our unmated females. It’s how we keep ourselves safe.”

 

“I see.” Inuyasha looked up at the ceiling, his mind’s eye picturing Kouga, taken by the scent of a female and then taking her, passions uninhibited without expectations. He felt a certain thrill at that. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Kouga himself, the casual nature of the sex, or both. “So we just bred, then.”

 

“That time, that moment, in a sense, yeah. You’re not going to be bearing any pups, though.” Kouga laughed and stretched, still unsure if he should even look at the hanyou. Things seemed to be going… not poorly. He decided to risk it with his words instead. “It was nice, though.”

 

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow in assent. “Yeah, it was.”

 

Kouga hazarded a glance at the dog demon: his skin healthily rosy and glistening from the heat, softly dipping and curving over the muscles underneath, hair cascading over his shoulders and behind his back down into the water. “If you get the urge to do that again, just let me know.”

 

Inuyasha laughed, flashing fangs, and smiled at Kouga. “I probably will!”

 

 Kouga’s heart swelled. With those words and that smile, risk be damned. “Listen… Inuyasha,” he began.

 

“Uh oh,” Inuyasha said, grinning.

 

“What?”

 

“You say that right before you change the subject and say something serious.”

 

Kouga let one corner of his mouth turn up. “I’d say it’s related.”

 

“Okay?” Inuyasha look was bright and eager.

 

“I…” Kouga sighed. “I think I could mate with you. I really do. You’ve done so much…”

 

Inuyasha laughed, and it wasn’t as charming to Kouga as it was before. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I mean, given your history and all.”

 

“No, Inuyasha…” Kouga shook off his shock. “Look, I’m serious!”

 

That grin on Inuyasha’s face as he spoke wasn’t charming anymore either. “I’m here, advising you, helping you – you’re bound to feel that way!”

 

Kouga sighed. “Look, this isn’t about you meeting some kind of list of qualifications!” He was reminded of his recent appraisal of the hanyou’s form. “Okay, so maybe in some sense it is, but what about you? Didn’t Kagome fit some kind of list you had? Weren’t there things you needed her to have or not have? You said yourself she was better than Kikyo was, but based on what? In the end, there were things you found attractive, and things you didn’t.”

 

Inuyasha pondered this. “But it’s not the same with you,” he countered. “For you, it’s all about what people can do for you! Find shards, expand your tribe, keep you safe, keep you in power…”

 

“Sure, it used to be,” Kouga answered. “But a good amount of time has passed since those days. I’m on guard for that now. I was on guard for that with you. Don’t you think I’ve thought about these things? I have to live with the consequences of those old choices right next to me on that dais every day. Lurking there. Hating me. So stop making it so complicated. It’s not. In the end, you make me happy. That’s something neither Kagome nor Ayame offered me. It’s not something I bothered to want from them. And I can have any advisor I want. I can have any guard I want. In fact, I already do! Two of them. With me through everything. But no one has made me happy like you. And everyone else – I wanted to take something from them. I wanted to use them, with no regard for their own feelings. But I want to give you something. I want to give you that happiness in return.” He took a breath as his words sank in. “So there.”

 

Inuyasha took a breath himself, his grin turned back down into a very contemplative expression as he stared at the ceiling. “Look, I just think this is a little fast. It’s been an hour since you came to my room. I’ve only been here for a few months. I’m still trying to come to terms with what we just did and what it means.” But that’s how wolves do things, he remembered. Oh, this was complicated – too much to wrap his head all the way around. The room was starting to spin.

 

“I understand, Inuyasha. Really, I do. I was so worried about this, I just didn’t expect the wolf this happened to you with to be me.” He leaned forward, hunching his back in the water as he stared at it very intently. “It’s new. I don’t want you jumping into something like this, but we’ve worked together so well. I’ve never felt like this before. Felt like… like I’m supposed to.”

 

Inuyasha sighed, his eyes drifting shut. “I mean, I believe you. And I’m proud of you for that. And you’re right. I just don’t know how I feel about-“

 

His heart skipped as he felt a hand on his jaw, and it turned his head toward Kouga. His eyes flashed open to see Kouga’s face close, eyes softly shut as the wolf’s lithe torso arched out of the water. Their lips pressed together, and the caress of Kouga’s other hand on his neck joined with the thumb stroking his cheek sent a shiver to Inuyasha’s core that bounced back up to his lips. He closed his eyes, and without meaning to he raised a hand slightly to brush idly at Kouga’s leg under the water. His other hand came to rest on the wolf demon’s side, marveling again at how real and alive it was. He brought his other hand up and held Kouga there. The other lips pulled away, and Inuyasha opened his eyes to be greeted by half-shut deep sky-blue orbs, which darted back and forth between his yellow ones.

 

“I’ll just say one thing more,” Kouga said, his breathing slightly heavy and his hands idly brushing Inuyasha’s neck. “Be nervous. It’s okay. But don’t mistake your human nerves and fear with your demon instinct.  You’ve spent so much time among them that it makes sense. But this is who you are, too. Don’t forget that. Don’t deny that.” He kissed Inuyasha again briefly and released him, pulling away from the hanyou’s hands. He stood. “Take some time and sort this out, as much time as you need. I’ll be waiting in my quarters or in the main chamber. I eagerly await your response.”

 

With that, Kouga rose out of the water, shook himself dry, collected his clothes from the stone floor, and left.

 

Kouga’s words echoed in series in Inuyasha’s head - it’s just what we do, it’s our instincts, this is who you are, too. His heart – or was it his body? – was undeniable. He sat up and leaned forward, raising his fingers to his lips. That was another first in a long time. Kouga offered him so much, so very much, but another part of him was screaming at him to slow down.

 

He heard another person slip into the water and felt the ripples hit his skin. “Kouga?”

 

He turned to face Ayame, the water rising to just below her breasts. “Not who you were expecting, was it, hanyou?”

 

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “What are you doing here?” he prickled.

 

She laughed. “Oh, calm yourself. I have no ill will toward you, and this is the ruler’s private hot spring. The privilege extends to family as well, so I suppose I should ask what you are doing here.”

 

He calmed. “Kouga wanted to talk with me about something.”

 

“Oh, there’s no need to be coy with me,” she said confidently and melodically. “I saw you walking down here together. To be honest, I’m surprised I didn’t interrupt you two fucking when I came in. Either you two are quick or you had a little lover’s quarrel.”

 

Inuyasha narrowed his eyebrows as he looked sidelong at her. “You guys really do all get frank at this time of year.”

 

Ayame shrugged. “It suits us. It’s the way I prefer to do business anyway. So quick, then?”

 

“No!” Inuyasha replied quickly. He folded his arms. “Not a quarrel either. He left me a lot to think about is all.”

 

She grinned. “Like what?”

 

“None of your damn business what!”

 

“Look, I’m not the one where he shouldn’t be, mutt. I’ve known him the longest, and I just want to help you like you’ve helped us all here over the last few months.”

 

Kouga was right. This court business WAS really complicated. Inuyasha sighed. “I know you’re his wife and all…” he trailed off.

 

“Ah, so he offered to mate with you? He actually made you an offer?” She laughed again. “Typical Kouga.”

 

“It’s a lot to think about, okay?”

 

“It’s not something that’s usually thought about at all,” she answered. She shook her head. “I don’t know what got into him.”

 

“He wanted to give me a chance is all. Did Kanta not grant you the same?”

 

“No, but you don’t see me complaining,” she replied with a grin. “Kouga gave me my freedom and I took it. I regret nothing.” She paused before she continued. “You should take him up on it. You two would do well together. If the new prosperity of the den is any indication, it’s only a sign of better things to come.”

 

“It’s really fast.”

 

“It really isn’t.” She flipped some of her bright red hair over her shoulder. “The fact that he’s giving you the option shows you how much he cares. He was kind enough to let me go be a wolf, and I do respect him a great deal for that. He obviously also cares for you enough to let you be a-“ her nose wrinkled as she spat the word- “HUMAN about the whole thing.”

 

“He’s definitely not the same Kouga I used to know.”

 

“Nope. I just wish he would’ve come to his senses before he married me.”

 

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “You’re being really, really casual about just telling me all this stuff. This is a lot of stuff for you to be telling me when you barely even know me.”

 

Ayame shrugged. “It’s what we do.” She flashed him a lopsided smile. “So after you mate with him, you’ll be in the tribe. What are you going to do about your outfit?”

 

“First of all, I don’t know if I’m mating with him. Second of all I haven’t figured that out yet.”

 

Ayame eyed the heap of his clothes in the corner. “Hmm… that red is going to be difficult to match with fur,” she said. "The bracers will be fine, but any old prey skin or pelt isn’t going to do." She gave Inuyasha a lookover. A good one. She slid closer to him and leaned in, her breasts pressing against his arm. She reached up for the lock of hair draped over his chest. “Well… there is one thing.”

 

Inuyasha sat stock still. He couldn’t push her away, and she seemed to be helping. He suspected there was some kind of ulterior motive given all the intrigue Kouga insinuated existed, but he sensed nothing but honesty from her. She furrowed her brow, looked over at her own pile of clothes, looked thoughtful for a bit more and smiled. “Take mine,” she said.

 

“Excuse me?” Inuyasha asked, a little stunned.

 

“Take my leggings,” Ayame insisted. She nodded as if affirming this to herself. “I’ve got other pairs. You can’t easily find that kind of white fur, and it’s the best quality stuff there is. Whether you mate with him or not, consider it a gift from me for all you’ve done and will do for our den.”

 

“But didn’t they come from your tribe?” Inuyasha asked. “Don’t they have special meaning to you?”

 

“I should hope that makes the gift all the more special,” Ayame said, a touch of offense in her voice. “I am profoundly thankful for your help here. I hope they help you have a sense of the history of my tribe and that you respect them as such. That is all I ask in return.”

 

Inuyasha was taken aback. “You’re serious.”

 

“Yes!” She tilted her head toward her clothes. “Go ahead, take them! Really. You need them, I want you to have them.”

 

“I… Thank you. Very much.”

 

“Now get out of here,” she said, mockingly stern. “You’re no longer welcome in the royal spring!”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Inuyasha said, bowing his head to her and climbing out of the water. His wet feet clapped on the cool stone on his way over to his hakama, which he gathered in his arms and went to the pile of Ayame’s clothes. He knelt in front of them and looked over to her. She nodded to him, and he went through them, finding the white wolf fur leggings and setting them on top of the hakama. “Thanks again,” he said.

 

“My pleasure,” she said.

 

Inuyasha stood and walked out, drip-drying on his way back to his room. The halls were largely empty, save for an impatient pair or two tucked into different nooks that apparently couldn’t wait to get back to their room to begin copulating. He arrived back at his room and plopped down the clothes. He surveyed his messy bed. Inuyasha sealed the bottle of salve; took it, his jacket, and the messy pillow away; rearranged the rest of the pile; and flopped down, taking a deep breath and sighing. The two sides of Inuyasha were swirling inside him, a stormy sea of the mess that was his heritage. Yet a singular persistent phrase floated above it like a sturdy raft, riding the tumultuous waves, growing bigger and louder and more overwhelming to the point where he couldn’t contain it any longer and it managed to escape his lips-

 

“It’s what we do.”