Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kouga sure as hell loved dogs, but he was always more of a wolf kinda guy.

As a kid he was determined to have his own pet wolf. He was completely convinced that he could domesticate one to do his bidding and be his only friend in the world. Looking back, Kouga realized how lonely he really was in his youth, just like a lone wolf that howls at the moon, lost and driven by the impulse to cry out loud. It was sad, really, but understandable considering his background.

Kouga had a rough childhood, an orphan no less, and he was passed around from family to family and no real place to call home. It only began driving him crazy, surprisingly, when he attended high school and believed wholeheartedly that unlike every boy his age, he was a man. To him, the system was just keeping him down from reaching his rightful maturity. Kouga decided that his only aspiration was to venture off and make something of himself. His two foster brothers, Hakkaku and Ginta, became practically inseparable, and even for just meeting in high school the trio considered themselves brothers. Together they vowed to get part time jobs and buy an apartment, and eventually they made their dreams a reality. Their family was supportive to all this, they taught them anything they needed to know about being adults and taking care of themselves. Hakkaku and Ginta loved them so much that they almost didn't want to leave, but Kouga thought differently. It was only natural for them to want to push nearly grown up boys out of their life, who wouldn't?

Luckily the three of them survived the initial year after graduation. They cooperated like a family, working and taking care of their newly owned apartment, and soon after applying to the same college and amazingly being accepted. They were living the dream life... that was until reality hit them. The lease stealthily began increasing, too quickly for them to handle, and school became even more demanding. Kouga had to quit his hours at the animal shelter due to his studies eating up his entire soul and to avoid exhaustion. Miraculously, Ginta and Hakkaku were fairing fine, lucky bastards, but they all admitted they needed a solution...and that solution involved cutting their costs completely. Dropping school was out of the question, and staying employed was a no brainier. Sure, school was a little pricey, but they had to keep on top of the payments to avoid drowning in debt. The only logical solution was to move out of the apartment, cancel paying rent out of the equation, though they hated to admit it. The small, cozy apartment grew to become a real home to them, even though they technically didn't own it. It was sad and they mourned their decision, but they sure as hell weren't mourning their bank accounts when they moved into the much, much cheaper school dorms. The only downside was the fact a room of three wasn't an option, but the place was relatively small, so Kouga could check on Ginta and Hakkaku whenever he wanted. It was a perfect plan to start the new year and new semester...

But for Kouga, things didn't exactly go as planned.

For one, he didn't foresee a pain in the ass roommate who tested the very little patience left in Kouga's being.

Now, here he was, his only chance to make things right with his roommate and he was hiding out in the public bathrooms, periodically washing his hands over and over to pass time to ease his nerves. He couldn't even slip into Ginta and Hakkaku's dorm because there was no way he could avoid passing his own room, which risked meeting his roommate. He was so fucking embarrassed, how could he be so out of control!

Kouga had to admit to himself that they didn't exactly get off on the right foot. Literally. Within practically five minutes of their initial meeting, some subtle remarks were uttered, harsh words were being thrown, and without a second thought, Kouga slammed his 50 pound luggage directly onto his roommates feet. Adrenalin was kicking itself up to the max, things were zipping by way too quickly, and before Kouga knew it—he was high tailing out of there, as if getting out of the room would magically turn back time upon returning. He acted out of pure emotion, and looking back on the situation, his senses weren't exactly crystal clear. He pretty much tried the guy without any evidence or jury, so to speak, but at the time was so sure his roommate was that guy.

Could it be that Kouga made a mistake? There weren't many guys on campus with that style of tousled, long, unkempt black hair, and that fixed scowl on his face...or were there? All the information he had to go on was that his roommates surname was Taisho, and that wasn't exactly mind blowing.

Kouga exhaled a distraught breath as he lowered his head to look down into the sink drain. He wracked his brain to the memory of his last semester, specifically one night in particular that had him on edge as soon as he faced his new roommate.

That party.

Chapter Text

In the beginning, everything began with that party. It was the party that started it all, the legendary party to end all parties—but not in a good way like all parties are intended.

As soon as the last week of the semester neared, gatherings began popping up everywhere, and more often than usual because of the end of the year festivities. Sure, nobody was graduating, but they made it through another semester which meant it was a time to congratulate themselves. The college track and field team was having a night at the bar, but Kouga wasn't much of a drinker nor considered himself to be that comfortable with his teammates, so he declined. It wasn't that big of a deal, he was known to be aloof, and besides, not everyone from the team was attending either.

For awhile, that was it for any party invitations...until one fateful day when Kouga was dismissed from a class and nearly collided into a passerby. He bowed just slightly to the person while mumbling his swift apologies, then soon realizing the guy was actually trying to get his attention, amiably staring at him and waving way too enthusiastically in his direction. Kouga had no idea who the hell the guy was, and not to mention his appearance completely threw him in for a loop. They guy's long hair was tied up and adorned with a butterfly patterned hairpin. His dainty blue scarf was draped over an obnoxious pastel pink blouse, and as Kouga's eyes traced lower down, he observed colorful leggings underneath a frilly pink skirt. This kind of quirky street fashion was all the rage with kids around campus, but if Kouga ever chatted with a guy like this he'd remember who he was for sure. He glanced around to see if there was a friend of his waving nearby, just to check so he wouldn't look like an idiot trying to respond to a complete stranger.

"Hiya! You must be Kouga, right? The speediest track star on campus?"

"Uh, yeah...who are you?" Kouga still felt completely awestruck that he was being sought out by this guy. He fidgeted in his stance while crossing his arms over multiple times. It was strange, but for a guy with a lighthearted looking getup, Kouga felt slightly intimidated.

"How silly of me, I'm Jakotsu! You see, this weekend at my apartment I'm hosting this really fun party..." The guy paused for a brief moment before rummaging in his pockets, looking for something to complete his sales pitch—which Kouga assumed was probably some paper or maybe a cellphone. Whatever it was, Kouga immediately pegged him as the scatterbrained type, because his expression grew distraught as he continued digging in his small pocket. He could tell that wasn't a part of the plan. He switched over to the other side, and then back to the original pocket, only to find the same result. He wanted to stop him before he could even edge of more conversation in, so Kouga waved his hands away at him and prepared to take his leave.

"Sorry dude, I don't really do parties..."

He noticed Jakotsu's eyes widen in horror before Kouga ended up turning away on him. However, Jakotsu instantly sped up in attempt to follow him and match his pace. Great, he was the persistent type...and he sure as hell wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Aw really? What a shame! But Kagome told me to invite you, so I was hoping you'd come for sure..."

As he trailed off, Kouga's footsteps slowed and his head was filled with memories of his last conversation with Kagome, which honestly wasn't anything special. Due to their different paths, there weren't many opportunities to talk to each other, either. She was going to the party? Hosted by this guy? Kouga turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. For someone who looked like a total loser at first, he was smirking with pride and looking Kouga up and down, seeming satisfied by his reaction. He knew what he was doing, and Kouga inwardly cursed him for that.

"Fine..." Even though he had practically had his response mouthed, Jakotsu immediately lit up excitedly and squealed.

"Awesome! Okay, so the information..." This time around Jakotsu reached into an undershirt and looked relieved to feel something there. Kouga's eyes bulged with surprise to this; what was even the point of having pockets? Eventually, he pulled out a small memo pad, and it looked like the same words were pre-written with on every page. "Here's everything you need to know about the party! And if you have any questions, just call or email me. We'll have a lot of food and drinks too, but don't hesitate if you wanna bring something."

As he read over the small slip of paper, he glanced up to see Jakotsu was already waving his goodbye and chuckling.

"Catch you later hotstuff! And I better be seeing you at the party~"

Kouga was, more or less, left in the dust staring dumbly while watching Jakotsu's back fade into the sea of students. His knotted eyebrows convulsed into wrinkles he could actually feel on his face.

"Hot...stuff...?"

Kouga tried to shake away that thought of being romantically pursued by the guy sometime in the future, and instead turned his attention to reading over the memo for a second time. He wasn't really a party person, but since Kagome was going, possibly along with her friends who were also cool, If the hosts were weird, he figured he could always kick it with Kagome's pals.

"Kagome..."

Kouga saying "I like Kagome", was an understatement. In the exact words of Ginta and Hakkaku, he was hopelessly and pathetically in love with her. Well, Kouga didn't think the whole thing was hopeless or pathetic, but surely he felt in love.

They had originally met their freshman year in a way that wasn't exactly conventional. While getting off of the train one morning, Kouga watched a man brutally push Kagome to the ground and run off with her purse. While two old men helped her to her feet, practically instinctively, Kouga pinpointed the robber and took off, going as fast as his legs could take him. The robber almost disappeared in the vast crowd, but there was no way in hell Kouga was letting him get away. He loosened his shoes, got a running start, and frantically kicked the both of his shoes off; first boking the purse snatcher on the head, and the other shoe on his back, both attacks compelling the robber to trip over himself and slip. It was a perfect defeat! The guy couldn't have ever hoped to stand a chance against Kouga and his "mad skills", as Kouga usually said whenever he'd end up retelling the event.

With the police officers on their way and the situation saved, Kouga picked the purse from off the ground and returned to the beautiful girl who was watching the scene unfold. Of course Kouga was expecting the girl to be grateful, but he wasn't expecting Kagome to be so genuine in her gratitude. Her face was bright, her smile was warm, and the way she said thank you—boy, that's when Kouga knew he was in for trouble! And oddly, Kouga likened her reaction to people when they were reunited with their dogs from the shelter, which was, in his opinion, a love truer than anything else; but he was probably over thinking it. Either way, their initial meeting was mutually well received, because Kagome asked him where he was going and what direction. After laughing about how funny it was that they were both going to the same college, the pair instantly clicked after both remarking, "Small world, am I right?" at the same time. It was just like one of those romance dramas that Ginta watched religiously throughout the week.

"What gives! A pretty girl like you definitely needs a boyfriend to accompany her on the train, like a bodyguard or something." To this Kagome laughed sweetly, and at a first glance it might have seemed like Kouga was just innocently complimenting her, but he had to admit he was really trying to see if she was with anyone.

"Well, I am dating a guy...he lives in a dorm, so he can't be with me at the train station. I'll be okay though!"

Kagome's adorable smile could reassure him any day, though deep in his heart he didn't want to brush her safety off like that. After that day, anytime he was on the train he'd search for Kagome and sit next to her. They'd talk every now and then, but mostly study for classes during the train ride. When it was time to get on the platform they'd spend the whole walk to the school chatting, and Kouga's feelings for her only grew, hoping they'd be returned...

But unfortunately, Kagome was really into her boyfriend, and even more unfortunate for him, it was so obvious that even Kouga could tell. Someway or another all their conversations lead back to her boyfriend; her boyfriend got her this, he helped her do that, she didn't know what television program Kouga was talking about because she was doing something with her boyfriend. He didn't even know the guy's name, but whoever he was, he was driving him crazy!

Throughout the semester Kouga was lucky enough to never get the chance to meet her boyfriend personally; it wasn't like he was thrilled about having to face the one person keeping him from getting closer to Kagome, but hey, he liked her a lot. The two of them hanging out became so regular that he even met some of Kagome's friends, who were actually pretty awesome. He mostly spoke with Kagome's best friend named Sango, a year higher than the two of them, and also pursuing a degree in art. Sango and her younger brother lived in an apartment near the college, and also not so far from a prestigious high school that her brother attended. Occasionally Kouga would also chat with an older guy named Miroku, who didn't actually go to the college, but was pretty close with the bunch. Kouga really didn't know how to describe the guy besides that he was a Buddhist monk, (to which Kouga actually thought was a joke at first) something of a scholar, a freespirit, and the type of guy that eyeballed any girl on sight.

Due to Miroku's duties to his temple, he was generally not around the gang too much, but when he was, he could always be found on campus. Kouga found this odd and once asked him what his year was, and Sango laughed. "Oh yeah, he's a senior...ten years ago."

"It was not ten years ago, Sango!" Miroku pouted and shifted nervously in response. "It was nearly four years and six months ago. And I remember it just like it was yesterday, which is why I'm so attached to the campus here."

"But you didn't even go to Tokyo for college. Just admit you're attached to checking out the behinds of college chicks."

Miroku didn't admit it, but he sure as hell didn't deny it.

Miroku really broke the mold of what Kouga expected in monks. He'd always imagined them as soft spoken, silent, and pious guys who didn't want very much to do with the world, and when they were seen, they'd give off an unapproachable air. At least, that's what Kouga saw in movies. Unlike the movies, Kouga never saw Miroku wear robes, instead, he chose to wear simple dress shirts and black dress pants. He explained to Kouga that he never made a vow to wear traditional clothes all his life, so it explained why his appearance didn't scream monk—well, aside from his shaved head, of course.

Spending time with Kagome's friends was always lively, especially when Sango and Miroku were around. Whenever they'd all walk and talk throughout campus, Kouga felt like they were old pals. Even if it was brief, it was fun.

Of course Kouga didn't want to come off as clingy, but if Kagome and her friends were going to this party, Kouga didn't mind going. Even if her boyfriend was there, he could deal with that. He was a grown ass man, and he could control himself around the boyfriend of the girl of his dreams. Plain and simply, he'd already accepted that Kagome was taken, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Chapter Text

Kouga arrived at an upscale, large apartment (and he had no idea complexes were capable of this size) to find himself surrounded by complete strangers and the sound of obnoxiously loud dance music. While scoping out the room for Kagome and her friends, Kouga glanced to an occupied couch and, low and behold, Jakotsu chattering was among some more people; guys, of course. He was getting pretty close and touchy with the guys that were handing him drinks, and next to his entourage was a grouchy looking guy sporting a ridiculously long black braid. It was so very obvious to Kouga that the guy was uncomfortable with being the third wheel on the couch, but maybe not as obvious to Jakotsu. After staring them down for longer than Kouga probably should have, Jakotsu glanced up in his direction, and then his face lit up the same way it did when he'd invited Kouga the other day. Kouga inhaled as he prepared to brace himself and his soul when Jakotsu stood up dramatically from the couch.

"Well look who it is, my favorite track jock! Woo! I'm so glad you could make it, hun!" Jakotsu was just about to reach over and place a hand on his shoulder, but Kouga tensed up and backed away slightly. Jakotsu played it off coolly and introduced Kouga to the pissed off guy on the couch.

"Kouga, this is Bankotsu, Bankotsu this is Kouga! Ban is my roommate—actually, there's seven of us. Not sure where the other guys are, though." Jakotsu glanced around in all directions of the room, then shrugged when he didn't notice any of them in the crowd. Kouga was still trying to process the fact there were seven whole roommates—sure, it was a huge apartment, but it was quite hard to wrap his head around fitting more than five people in one household. Bankotsu straightened up in his seat after he was finally getting some sudden attention, then gave Kouga a quick nod.

"'Sup."

While the music droned on and the guys on the couch were beginning to grow bored, Kouga was registering the fact that their names both ended in Kotsu. If these weren't their real names, he wouldn't have put it past them. While he struggled against cracking a laugh, wondering if the rest of their roommates names all sounded ridiculously the same, Jakotsu must have noticed his smile and the corners of his mouth upturned wildly.

"Ah, there we go! See, you're enjoying yourself already, that's the spirit!" He was finally able to sneak a couple pats to Kouga's back, causing him to tense and growl a menacing, "Hey!" at him, but didn't phase Jakotsu, his laugh only grew more intense. They both stopped, however, after noticing Bankotsu had gotten up from the couch and stopped in their direction. He gave Jakotsu a stiff glare before disappearing into the crowd, mumbling something about how he was going to take a shit. Without even a goodbye, not that Kouga really wanted one, Jakotsu ran after his friend, peeking his head over heads in the crowd and frantically calling after him.

Shortly after, Kouga sighed and stood awkwardly in the room. He completely stuck out like a sore thumb, spinning around only to see everyone fit in with some clique, talking, drinking or dancing. He wasn't a party person, not alone, at least. To make matters worse, he still couldn't find any one of Kagome's friends, and was beginning to think that Jakotsu was lying about the whole Kagome being invited thing. He took out his phone and considered calling her...but that wasn't such a good idea. He'd never called her before, so it would just sound strange coming out of the blue like that. Calling Ginta and Hakkaku would be a better idea—now those two would totally come over in a heartbeat, but then Kouga was painfully reminded that, out of all the days they clung to him, today was the day they were out of the city and planned to return before class started on Monday. Kouga was completely and utterly alone. He was convinced that he was one of those strange, aloof guys at a party with no friends and no real concept of what a "good time" was. He sighed, played with his phone to pretend to be occupied, since he wasn't a big fan of being a solo drunkard.

Within a couple moments of doing this, Kouga noticed a group of girls that were slowly multiplying, eventually crowding the area that Kouga was standing. The chatter of the group became too loud for Kouga's tastes, so he departed and wanted to lounge someplace else, but he had no idea of where to go. While scoping the area for any free spaces, he noticed a figure moving closer to him, though couldn't make out the details of his face, partly because his hair was long, but mostly because the room was very dark. Suddenly, the side of Kouga's arm effortlessly, but not painlessly, collided with the guy's shoulder blades. Kouga stepped back, but the soreness still tinged. Once he had gotten over the initial surge of pain, he felt something else creeping in his sleeves—something...wet. The pungent odor of beer soaked through his sleeves and was now dripping onto the perfectly polished granite floors. The floors, of course, could be mopped, but his favorite shirt was a different story. He'd have to dry this shirt somehow, but Kouga didn't want to think about it. Kouga clenched his jaw and immediately glanced up to see if the culprit was still in his premise. Kougas eyes locked with smug, curved lips. Kouga realized he was still standing in front of the guy who bumped into him. He frozen while holding a paper cup in his hand, obviously emptied.

"Watch where you're going, clumsy."

He pranced away before Kouga even had a chance to confront him, and by confronting, he meant ask him what the fuck his problem was and spout other wildly awesome profanities. Kouga was miffed and filled to the brim with the primal desire for revenge. So, he did what only a calm, somewhat rational and pretty damn angry individual would do in this kind of situation; follow him.

Kouga's pulse was being drowned out by the noise and chatter of those he passed through the dance floor. He attempted to remain hidden, but still tried to maintain close to the guy as he continued walking, sometimes sharing a friendly greeting with other people on the way. It was strange how the crowd made room for him, and this only served to feed into Kouga's disgust. Kouga just about had it with this guy and was ready to give him his all—but just when he was close enough, he stopped himself. The distance between them increased again. The guy reached the group he was planning to meet, and Kouga's jaw dropped as he watched them, feeling as though he were peering through a one sided glass...completely and utterly invisible.

The guy was talking and smiling with Kagome and her two friends, Miroku and Sango. At first, Kouga thought, okay, maybe he just knows them. But then Kagome reached to give him an intimate, passionate hug...and by intimate, it meant his hands reached around right at Kagome's hips. Kouga knew there was no way to pass such an intimate hug as something only between friends, but he sure did try. But then they kissed, and Kouga couldn't reason with the situation anymore. The kiss was only momentary, but to Kouga, the scene replayed over and over in his retinas while being bombarded by the annoying electronica dance music playing in the background.

This guy...was Kagome's boyfriend.

Chapter Text

If Kouga were in a comedy movie, he'd be squatting behind a bush, dressed in a camouflage outfit while wielding outrageous binoculars. However, Kouga wasn't on television programming and this certainly wasn't a skit awaiting many unnecessary laugh tracks. Instead, Kouga was refilling a cup with water every now and then at the nearby drink stand, and looming over the group close enough to hear the conversation, but not close enough to be seen. It was a risky spy routine, but it was necessary. Kouga wouldn't be able to get a proper night's sleep if he couldn't figure out a single damn thing about this guy. And by figuring out something, he meant sniffing out dirt, as petty as it was.

As Kouga tried his hardest to listen into their conversation, which wasn't a huge success due to being in a dance party, Kouga felt frustrated. Everything that was neatly placed before him felt so completely ironic and he wasn't exactly appreciating the colorful array of bullshit life was serving him. Sure, Kouga never, in a million years anticipated having to meet Kagome's constantly hyped boyfriend, but he didn't expect to meet him like that. The guy was an asshole...an asshole loved by everyone, it seemed. Everyone, except for Kouga.

As Kouga sipped his water while wishing it had some actual alcoholic content, suddenly, things in the group were getting interesting. Some of the people around him quieted down as clanks to a woman's heel could be heard approaching them all.

All Kouga saw was red. Though he couldn't see her very well while in the crowd, the dress the woman was wearing came right above her knees and was adorned with dark red beads and sequins. She looked elegant, and her long hair draped down in a loose ponytail. By the looks of her outfit and refined evening bag, the first thing Kouga thought was that she looked like a girl that came from money—but it wasn't like he normally hung out with rich people, so he wouldn't really know.

The woman arrived right in front of Kagome and Inuyasha, though by the looks on their faces, there seemed to be something tense in the air between them all. Sango began to force a smile and attempted to dispel the atmosphere between the three by welcoming the girl to the party. Apparently her name was "Kikyo", and Kouga had never heard the name before, but quite frankly didn't give a damn. It'd probably be best for him to just simply walk away and go back home...and yet, he couldn't pull himself away from the scene. Something wasn't right.

Even as Sango tried to keep everyone engaged with conversation, Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyo weren't really talking, which kind of defeated the purpose of an actual conversation. Miroku continuously sipped a can of beer, looking as if he was eternally thirsty. With the short time Kouga spent with Miroku, he knew his game well. Miroku could usually bullshit his way out of things, so as soon as the situation was looking sticky, he was already planning his immediate exit out. This was one of those moments.

Kagome's detached movements were alarming to Kouga. She just...simply didn't look comfortable. She fidgeted her hands anxiously and glanced everywhere but Kikyo and Inuyasha. Inuyasha's back was turned to Kouga's field of vision, but he could tell his body language screamed "get away from me", like a dog who's jaw was ready to clamp down. When Sango was done rambling, and realized that any further effort was futile, she cleared her throat and tapped Miroku on the shoulder. Immediately, Kouga realized they were headed to get some drinks, so he scurried away and slid in between other party goers. He didn't want to the two of them to notice him, but he still wanted to stay where he could keep an eye on the juicy conversation. Thankfully, he reached a spot where he could actually hear them better.

"You've got some sort of problem, or something?" The woman in the dress spat, her voice changing into something more hostile.

"Oh—come on, Kikyo..." Kagome uttered with a plastered look of worry on her face.

"I'm not talking to you, Kagome. I'm asking Inuyasha." She stomped closer to Inuyasha so that he could face her. "What's your problem with me?"

"Kikyo, I don't know what the hell you're on about."

"Yes, you do." Her voice was beginning to sound more desperate. Strangely, this was making Inuyasha soften and relax. "Don't you remember saying that we could change? You said we could change and still be friends. But...I guess we can't even go back to being that. Not since Naraku, well..."

While not getting an answer back from him, Kikyo clutched her back tightly and took two steps back. She was fighting the urge in her body to stop shaking. Her voice quieted, almost as if she was talking to herself.

"Why do you still hate me so much...?"

"I—" Inuyasha took a step closer, but then stopped himself. It was like he realized, in that moment, that Kagome was still there. It was like he had fallen prey to his memories of a distant past. Kikyo was beginning to walk away, waiting for the crowd to let her through, and Inuyasha shared a quick glance with his girlfriend. "I just..." He began, and Kagome nodded, giving him the okay. Though, as Kagome stood alone and apart from everyone on the floor, her expression wilted. With grace she effortlessly watched Kikyo and her boyfriend walk away, but emptiness lingered in her eyes. Something wasn't right with the whole exchange, for obvious reasons, but there was also something subtle. Something wasn't quite as skin deep between this circle of friends as Kouga initially thought.

Kagome stood silently, crossing her arms and looking down at the floor. Kouga couldn't stomach watching her suffer alone like this. He immediately began to take a step forward, determined to come to her side and make this the moment where he could say his hello, and maybe comfort her in the process—but stopped himself as he watched Sango return, then Miroku following after. Sango looked anxious as she peered closely into her friends face, but Kagome merely laughed and waved her hands to assure them both. Miroku chimed into the laughter with another joke, or at least that's what Kouga could manage to hear against all the noise.

It was in that moment that Kouga realized this wasn't his scene. They weren't really his friends. He was a just a lone wolf. Aside from Ginta and Hakkaku, he had no pack.

End of story.

With some dry napkins, Kouga found himself soaking up whatever was left of the beer that uncomfortably clung to his skin. After being distracted by the unexpected scene that unfolded, the beer left a sticky residue that was surprisingly not bothering him as much as he imagined. After this unsatisfying task, Kouga realized he really needed to use the bathroom. Taking a piss before he made his well deserved exit to this waste of time party would definitely be in order. While making his way towards the restroom, he focused on planning out the rest of his night starting with relieving his bladder, and properly wiping his skin, if possible. He needed to take the train home and would rather not come in the presence of strangers while smelling like stale beer. Kouga let out a long, drawn out sigh while he came up to the closed restroom door, then knocked once. When there was no answer, he knocked three times. Then three more times while steadily increasing the volume.

As soon as Kouga reached to grab the doorknob, he realized that there were noises coming from the inside of the bathroom. To him, it sounded like bickering, or a very heated argument—which Kouga felt relief. He shivered at the thought of accidentally barging in on a couple attempting to do something inappropriate in a bathroom, of all places. After knocking once more, very loudly, the door flew open.

"Come on Bankotsu, it's nothing serious!"

"Oh yeah, sure, watching you fondle every guy's ass at this party is 'nothing serious' at all."

Kouga noticed a familiar face of a guy who staggered out of the bathroom—Bankotsu, if he wasn't mistaken. He was the guy that Jakotsu introduced to him earlier on in the party. He was arguing with Jakotsu, who's distressed voice could still be heard in the bathroom.

Despite the fact that Bankotsu had already disappeared into the crowd, Jakotsu still screamed in his direction.

"Every guy's ass is such an exaggeration, you fat ass!"

With this, Jakotsu looked satisfied and grumbled while prancing off in the opposite direction. He didn't even notice Kouga's presence, but he'd rather not talk to Jakotsu after seeing that awkward conversation. Kouga quickly locked himself in the empty bathroom and heaved a sigh of relief. The party ambiance sounded so much more hushed while in there, and actually pretty relaxing. Kouga closed his eyes, only momentarily to let his thoughts settle. After that, he relieved himself and then promptly washed his hands. Once finished, he let his eyes peer up to the mirror.

Kouga took a deep chested breath, the kind that Ginta used to refer to as "correct way to breathe". As he looked at his reflection and released the air calmly, then he didn't know what to feel. He just felt tired and he wanted to go home. He felt lonely.

This was why he hated parties, especially ones that made him feel this kind of way. Surrounding himself with ear numbing music and happily drunken people made it so hard to tolerate even being in that atmosphere.

When Kouga left the bathroom, he immediately looked for the exit like a truck without brakes. He was compelled to look for Kagome and the others, maybe even Jakotsu, but his body was telling him no. He pushed past strangers making out and squeezed through chatty individuals refusing to give him entryway, and soon made it to the door in no time. Kouga heaved a sigh of relief as he found himself in the much more quiet hallway. It was surprising how thick the walls of that apartment were, though he was still pretty shocked there hadn't been any complaints from other tenants so far. There seemed to be a couple of party goers in the hallway, having modestly discreet conversations or readying themselves to leave like Kouga was doing himself. While checking his phone and walking towards the direction of the stairwell, Kouga suddenly slowed his footsteps.

"Come on, Kagome, please..."

Up ahead was Kagome, her back faced in Kouga's direction, talking to her boyfriend. It was quiet, but Kouga had good ears—and now that the music was canceled out, he could hear everything even from a good distance away.

"No, after all that's happened, after all we've been through together...Inuyasha...I think I have a right to know."

"What happened between me and Kikyo is in the past. We're no longer together, I'm with you now. You know this."

"I'm not asking about Kikyo." Kagome huffed, her voice sounding dry and strained.

"Back then...what happened with Professor Onigumo that you aren't telling me?"

There was a long silence between them.

The man standing before Kagome seemed to droop gloomily. He began to clench his hands, almost shaking them. Was he going to...?

There was no way Kouga was going to stand by and watch this go any further. Not a chance in hell.

Chapter Text

Kouga inched towards the troubling scene over the low, muffled sounds of the party. His protective nature compelled him to meddle without any hesitation, but he couldn't approach them without a plan. Kouga scanned the hallway for something, anything—and then he found the perfect element for his devices, laying neatly on the floor, right up against the wall. He grabbed it and continued straight towards the couple ahead of him.

"Whoops! My bad." Kouga didn't even try to hide his arrogance in the moment.

"What the—"

"Oh my god—Kouga?"

There Kagome's boyfriend stood, drenched in a cup of some stranger's beer. He did the apartment complex a favor by clearing up the litter—and he didn't mean the cup of beer, that's for sure.

"Don't you even lay a paw on her, mutt."

The guy's face instantly morphed at that statement. His body stiffened. His back straightened like an arrow. "What did you just call me?"

"Kouga...! Why are you—Inuyasha, let's just..." Kagome's face darted between the two men, completely flustered at the sudden hostility brewing between them.

The guy ignored her and his jaw and body grew rigid. Kagome stood in disbelief with the scene, and a part of Kouga did pity her for having to witness. Kouga was showing a side of himself that had always remained restrained whenever he faced her or her friends. All according to Ginta, the self-proclaimed know-it-all, Kouga was generally filled to the brim with arrogance and a mine field when it came to patience and anger.

"Either you apologize, or you can kiss that smug grin of yours goodbye."

"I can say the same for yourself," Kouga readied himself in a looser stance to match his enemy. The guy acted as if he was getting ready to fight, but Kouga doubted he'd be the one to swing first, better yet, even swing at all. The devilish side of Kouga actually wanted rile him up. He wanted to challenge himself to bring out the bad in Kagome's "amazing" boyfriend, even if that meant going down with him. "Not to mention, you're starting to sound like you're all bark and no bite...mutt."

"Call me mutt one more time, you bastard! I dare you!"

Kouga raised a cheeky grin at the guy's obvious offense. This was starting to be easier than he thought.

"Oh, so that's what makes you react?" He tilted his head and took a step closer. "You don't like being called, 'Mutt', do ya, mutt—"

SLAM.

Kouga's nose burned. It began hurting like a bitch not so long afterwards, but by this time, he was already on the floor, drifting in and out of momentary consciousness. It was a strange experience that brought him back to his days in school, fighting off bullies when they cornered him for being different. For being an orphan.

Eventually the pain subsided, and Kouga could finally understand what was going on around him. Kagome's boyfriend swung his fists first—which was actually surprising, and Kouga admitted that right hook deserved a little more credit. If he'd been any less competent, Kouga wouldn't have let him survive this fight.

Regardless of the slightly humiliating state he was in, Kouga felt satisfied. He listened into what sounded like an argument between Kagome and Inuyasha and relished in the outcome. Kagome was actually anything but pleased with Inuyasha right now. Though, Kouga did wonder if she'd reacted any differently if he'd been the one to swing first, but that was a thought left best to be tossed.

"What? The guy was just asking for a beating!"

"Is that you're way of justifying yourself? Oh god Inuyasha, what if you killed him!"

"Oh quit your whining—see? He's opening his eyes already."

Kouga could hear the guy's voice starting to fade in the distance as he opened his foggy eyes. Inuyasha was already a tiny spectacle in the hallway, fleeing the scene with attitude.

"Anyway, now that's settled...I'm out of here. You can go and fawn over him all night now. See if I care."

"Inuyasha! Get back here and apologize! And we're not even done talking!"

As Kagome realized there was no use in yelling, she let out a frustrated sigh. In an attempt to ruin the dramatic scene, Kouga began a forced coughing fit, which successfully garnered the attention of Kagome. She knelt down beside Kouga and patted his back.

"Gosh...I didn't know you knew Inuyasha..." Kagome trailed off, inspecting Kouga's face with a look of worry. "But I know how he can be. He's not an easy guy. I'm just sorry he hit you. It really isn't like him to do that..."

Kouga swallowed down, unable to utter a single word. He was suddenly overcome with nerves. It was felt strange to be getting so much undivided attention from Kagome, and especially while she was chastising her own boyfriend. Just as Kouga cleared his throat to hopefully reply with something cool and nonchalant, he heard a familiar voice running towards the two in the hall. Kagome immediately peered behind.

"Kagome! I have some napkins and ice!" Footsteps reached towards the side of Kouga, and upon looking up, he realized that it was Sango. She gave him a wry smile as she handed him some napkins. It was amazing that she was actually able to find anything in that mess of a party.

"Your nose..." Sango pointed, still maintaining her polite smile, but her voice was teetering on concern. "You might wanna wipe that up before I give you this ice bag."

Kouga hesitantly took the napkins before fully comprehending what Sango was getting at. He didn't even realize his nose was actually bleeding. He noticed drips of blood splattered on his shirt, leading up to his nose.

"Shit," Kouga took the napkins and patted them on his nose, then sighing in relief when he didn't notice any signs of pain or breakage. "Well at least it ain't broken..."

His face definitely felt sore, but it seemed like Inuyasha went for the side of his face rather than straight up targeting his nose. The thought of Inuyasha taking pity on him and sparing a brutal beating felt icky, so he was hoping it was just Kouga's lucky day.

After wiping off his nose and pocketing the napkins, Sango held out her hand and offered to lift him up from the floor. Kouga smiled and waved his hands, assuring Sango there was no need for her to do that, but she went ahead and forced him up anyway. Damn, the girl was strong. Kouga offered no resistance, and he admitted to himself it was probably for the best. Just as he was going to thank her, a man's voice shouted behind them.

"Oh, Kagome, you're still here? Inuyasha said in a text that he's going out, so—" The voice stopped abruptly, then continued with a questioning inflection. Kouga recognized this voice as Miroku's right before he swung around to get a better look at Kouga's face. "Well, well, well...what happened here?"

"Well, uh...I'm not exactly sure." Sango began, but sheepishly turned to stare at Kagome. She, in return, glanced at Kouga who was now preoccupied with an ice bag and decided to explain how she saw it.

"Well...Inuyasha and I were talking, and I guess there must have been some beef between Kouga and Inuyasha? Kouga threw his drink on him, and before I knew it, they're shouting at each other. Then out of nowhere, Inuyasha punched him."

Sango instantly gawked, mouth ajar as she turned her gaze to Kagome and Kouga. "Wait—What? Inuyasha punched him? I thought..."

"Hmm, I see. I know that Inuyasha has a fiery temper...but that fiery? Yikes..." Miroku nervously rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes to the edge of the hallway.

"Well, to be fair...Kouga did call him a mutt." Kagome interjected softly, warranting a completely different reaction from the two of them.

"Oh no..." Sango brought her hands up to her mouth, expressing her horror. Miroku winced in pain, almost as if the insult was literally adding to injury.

"Well. That makes a lot of sense." The monk said as his thumb prickled his chin, as if in thought. "I see Kouga really knows Inuyasha's weak spots, eh?" He excessively elbowed Kouga's sides, but then retreated his arm as Sango shot him a disgusted stare. Even to Kouga, it did seem a little inappropriate to be joking...but hey, he was the one who got hurt out of all of this, so joking about Inuyasha was fine and dandy with him.

"H-Hey, firstly, I didn't know he was all fussy about it. I just met him today, anyway."

"You did?" Sango said, growing interested in the new development.

"Yeah, he bumped into me and spilled his beer on me on purpose. He even gave me that smug, 'watch where you're going' line. When I saw him out in the hall, I didn't realize you were there, I just saw him and just...kind of rolled with it, I guess."

Kouga wasn't exactly proud of his little white lie, but it was necessary. If he had simply been honest and said he was stalking Kagome and her group for the entire party and, not to mention, was listening into all their conversations, he could say goodbye to them all right now. And thankfully this explanation seemed to resonate with the three of them. Even Kagome sighed and nodded her head understandably.

"Inuyasha hasn't been himself lately, but I want you to know I'm not condoning him. Again...I'm really sorry you had to go through that."

The air around everyone was tense. Kagome looked dejected and could hardly even look Kouga, or anyone, in the eyes. The corners of Kouga's lips raised, sporting a friendly smile in attempts to raise everyone's spirits.

"Hey, don't worry about it. That guy was no biggie at all! I take worse falls on a bad day of practice or something."

"Kouga..." Kagome's brows twisted upwards, flashing a quick look of worry. Kouga conveniently averted his gaze to Sango, thankfully not getting too taken by Kagome's attention to him.

"Well if you say so, big guy. Just take care of that bruise and keep icing it tonight."

"Are you leaving, Sango?"

"Yeah...on my way I might look for Inuyasha. Maybe Miroku could walk you to the train station?" Sango looked between Kagome and Miroku, though didn't exactly raise her voice in question, it seemed more of a statement than anything else. Miroku probably didn't have much choice.

"Hmm, yes, I don't mind. It is pretty late, after all."

"Yeah, but it isn't that far? Besides, aren't you staying at your friend Hachi's tonight, since the temple is near this area?"

"Well, yes, but your safety is our first priority."

"I just don't want to be an inconvenience to you guys though..."

And there it was again. That pang of isolation. That feeling of being trapped in a glass box with no escape. All Kouga wanted to do was fight that demon off. All he wanted to do was stop being so pathetic...he wanted that all too desperately.

"I can see Kagome off."

Everyone was staring at him, raising their eyebrows in complete surprise. Miroku, though, looked a little more devious for some reason. Kouga hadn't even realized he said anything until the words, sounding foreign to him, slipped out of his mouth.

"I mean—we actually ride the same train." Kouga let out a crack of nervous laughter and touched the back of his neck. "It works out perfectly, actually."

Sango and Miroku stared at him for a moment before relief washed over their faces.

"That...really does work out perfectly."

"How wonderful! We weren't even aware you two lived that close to each other."

"See, I really was an inconvenience." Kagome scoffed humorously and Miroku flailed in response.

"W-What? Of course not Kagome!"

"Nah, don't take it personally Kagome. He probably knew there would only be old salary men at this time of night as opposed to women." Sango laughed and jabbed her in the side playfully. This managed to get a few more defensive arguments out of Miroku and more rounds of laughter before they all managed to say their goodbyes and part ways. Even when Kagome and Kouga were left alone, Kouga wasn't feeling as lonely as he was feeling before.

"So..."

"So...so, so?" Kagome quirked a grin which succeeded in becoming contagious.

The pair were walking down a peacefully quiet street, the only sounds consisting of their footsteps and chirping cicadas. Most of the lights in the homes were switched off, but every once in awhile they'd walk past a home with the front door light on and witness the occasional elderly man taking out the trash. Aside from some new blocks, it was just about the same route the two of them used to take to university. The only difference was the time of day, which was so much more tranquil.

Though the two of them were somewhat giddy from their last laughs with Sango and Miroku, Kouga was hiding the slight pang he felt in his chest. This would be the last time he'd ever walk with Kagome again like this. Tomorrow he'd be moving into the dorms and would only see Kagome and her friends on campus here and there. He definitely had to make sure he told Kagome this, but he wondered how the hell to even say it. Just as they were leaving? Or say it casually to fill an upcoming awkward silence? Or perhaps he shouldn't say it at all.

"Yeah, I'm...having a lot of trouble figuring out what to talk about." Kouga ruffled his already tousled ponytail and sighed. "It's just been a rough night, I guess."

Kagome nodded silently while looking up ahead. Kouga had no choice but to do the same thing too.

"I hate to bring this up again, I know, we've talked about this like a million times—but I'm sorry about what happened. It's just. Really so baffling to me, ya know?" Kagome hugged her arms, feeling chilled by the nightly wind, but a part of Kouga wondered if that was just a temperate reaction. "I just feel like I don't even know him anymore..."

"I can tell this is so much harder on you than it is on me, because trust me, I'm as fit as a fiddle." Kouga winked at her while flexing his arm muscles, which at least returned a slight upturned smile from Kagome. Kouga quickly tried to dispel the joke as if it never happened and gazed at her more seriously. "Wanna...talk about it?"

"Oh, no no, I can't trouble you. Besides, I've already said what I've needed..."

"I mean, hey, now I'm curious; Why do you say you don't know him anymore? What was he like before? Is there...something going on between you two?" Kouga's relentless questions proved to be making Kagome feel a little uncomfortable. Kouga realized this and put his hands up in surrender. "I know, I know; that's a lot of questions and none of that is my business. I mean, there's a lot we don't know about each other. But in a way...doesn't that make it easier to talk about something you'd want to get off your chest?"

Kagome stared down at the pavement for a long time. With the lingering silence, Kouga knew he wrecked that idea—but after turning away and looking at everything but Kagome's direction, her voice cut through the silence.

"It's his ex. It's really cliché, huh? They were always hot and cold before I came into the picture. I always thought the tenseness between them was...normal, you know? Bad break ups are common, I just figured that was it." Kagome's eyes trailed back down to the ground, but this time looking more tense.

"Figured?"

"Yes." Kagome's footsteps slowed.

"But now, some things have changed in Inuyasha. The way he looks at Kikyo...is the same way he looks at me. Natter of fact. Indifferent. Cold." Kagome shivered at the word, cold, as if she wanted to believe it was just a temperature.

"I wouldn't." Kouga blurted out. Kagome turned to him and stared deeply. Her face was blank.

"Kagome. If that were me I'd never...I'd never toss you aside." Kouga paused, only now realizing that this was the direction he was going. He was doing it. He was spilling out his guts, his heart, everything now, without any kind of thought or restraint. But if he didn't say it now...he'd probably never be prepared to say it so clearly this again. "Because I really like you, Kagome."

Kagome's eyes didn't falter away from Kouga. She just smiled, as if she'd known all along, but still raised her eyebrows sympathetically. Though the night was dark and it was hard to see her clearly, Kouga could have sworn her eyes looked glassy.

"I...appreciate that, Kouga. I really do. But...I still..."

"I get it. I mean, I'm sorry, that was really sudden of me. And stupid? I mean—"

Kagome's hand gently patted the side of his arm, and she rapidly shook her head, trying to her best to reassure him. Her tone was beginning to liven up, too, making Kouga wonder if she was really that good at concealing her inner emotions. "No, I really appreciate it. So thank you! I'm glad we share this friendship though, I'm glad I've gotten to know you."

"Me too."

After a little silence being filled by more repetitive cicadas, Kagome abruptly laughed heartily and smacked Kouga's back.

"Okay, let's stop talking like I'm going to go on a plane to a remote island or something."

"I agree." Kouga chuckled in response, greatly appreciating her talent of turning an awkward moment from no return to something more friendly.

And like that, the conversation was over. Done. Finished. No remnants of his confession anywhere, and the mystery surrounding the infamous Inuyasha Taisho had evaporated in the night air around them.

Chapter Text

Kouga stood completely still, smack in front of his dorm that'd just been shut closed. After realizing there was no point to rotting away in the bathroom, Kouga found himself dragging his feet back to his dorm hallway, preparing himself to apologize to his roommate. Now, the whole idea of waiting for the right moment to knock on the door was becoming many, many moments. The longer Kouga stood, the more he was able to hear the sounds of rustling and jostling through the door. It continuously reminded him that his roommate was, in fact, in his room and that itself was an repetitive circle of mental torture for Kouga. However, the abrupt noise of cheerful laughter poured from another room being opened managed to break Kouga from his trance, and he took a deep sigh and knocked on the door twice. The movement in the room stopped. Just as Kouga was about to knock again, a slightly irritated voice escaped from inside.

"You can come in."

Kouga inhaled one quick breath before swinging the door open. As he shut the door closed behind him, Kouga eyed the contents of the room, which was looking transformed in some ways. The guy's things were a bit more organized and nearly all packed away. Kouga also noticed his own luggage changed positions from the center of the room to the edge of wall, neatly placed. Somehow, that made Kouga feel a little better. Maybe getting in his roommate's good graces wouldn't be too hard, he just had to work at it.

Kouga found his roommate at the edge of the room, his back faced to the door and fiddling with the tacky desk that Kouga suspected could actually be made out of cardboard. It seemed like one of the drawers were jammed and he was struggling to get it open.

Without looking behind to Kouga, the guy took his hand off the drawer momentarily to point in a vague direction behind him. He could have been pointing anywhere, to be honest. "Luggage is by the bedpost if you're looking for it. There's some room in the closet for your stuff."

"Right." Kouga trailed as he knelt down to open up his zippers, but didn't exactly know where to start. If he was being honest with himself, he sort of wanted to hide behind the bedpost for a good three hours or so. He really wanted to just walk out and complain to Ginta and Hakkaku, but that was out of the question. However, Kouga knew what he needed to do...and what he needed to do was to apologize.

As Kouga noticed the weird scratching noise from the drawers had stopped, Kouga grabbed a handful of random clothes and peered to the other end of the cramped room. The guy was rubbing off some dust from his hands when he noticed Kouga staring right at him. The guy just stared at him blankly in return.

"Hey, uh. Listen..." Kouga began, his voice raising in so many pitches he didn't realize he had due to being nervous. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Sorry about earlier, dude. I just thought you were someone else but I was mistaken. No hard feelings?"

"Whatever, man." The guy nearly turned away, not even bothering to look at Kouga. "My foot's fine. We're good." Even though he said they were good, he said it with complete nonchalance.

Still, Kouga's arms relaxed out of relief. The guy seemed like a complete downer, but at least they were on good terms.

"Great." Kouga nodded before turning to the closet. Surprisingly, his roommate didn't have many clothes or shoes, so there was an ample amount of space left in the closet. The middle of the rack was separated with a university branded plastic divider, which made storing clothes for two in the closet so much easier. Kouga hung his uniform up first, then some athletic jackets. When he hung up everything he'd brought over, he turned to grab his suitcase on the other side of the room, and unexpectedly caught the stare of his roommate. He was in the middle of making his sheets, though it was looking terribly sloppy. "I just had a rough night. End of semester parties, you know how it is."

"Oh?" The roommate cocked an eyebrow, though Kouga didn't catch the slight alarm in his face.

"Drinking, get decked in the face, upbeat music...just the usual." Kouga laughed bitterly. His hand unconsciously lifted to touch his tender black eye, though it thankfully wasn't as dark as it could have been, thanks to the ice from the night of the party. He shrugged as he continued. "Kind of why I'm not going to anymore parties like, ever. If you stay in, study and go to sleep early, we'll get along just fine. But if you like to get in and go out late I really don't mind either way, I'm a heavy sleeper..."

Kouga was just about to drag his luggage to the closet when his hand paused and his words trailed. His roommate was staring right at him, deathly still, but this time with a look of surprise and eventually, complete disgust written on his face.

"A party last night, huh?" The guy smiled cockily, crossing his arms. "Maybe you weren't so mistaken after all."

At the sight of the guy's sudden change in demeanor, his signature smirk sent all the moments from the party rolling back to him. In an instant, Kouga simmered. He breathed out a laugh once, then twice, then cackled manically.

"Well," Kouga pointed to his sunken eye, "I guess this would be your handiwork then, huh, mutt?"

The guy, who Kouga now confirmed was actually Inuyasha Taisho completely snapped. He guessed Miroku and Sango were right about what they said the night before; Inuyasha really didn't like the word "mutt". Inuyasha clenched his jaw and fists before smiling like a madman as well.

"I hope you like raccoons, because you're gonna look like one when I come for your other eye, bastard!"

Instantly, the two lunged at each other, struggling to pin each other down to the floor, but Inuyasha's strength was just as formidable and Kouga's. Kouga was much quicker on his feet since he was completely sobered up and managed to dodge his attacks. Kouga felt like he was finally beginning to tire out Inuyasha's million dollar fist when, suddenly, Kouga was getting farther away from Inuyasha. After getting a better handle of his surroundings, somebody was behind Kouga, holding him back, and Inuyasha was being restrained as well.

"Alright alright boys, break it up! Good God..." Kouga recognized this voice as Sango's immediately, and then saw Miroku struggling against Inuyasha in front of him. Inuyasha was blabbering about how the two of them are always butting into things or something of that matter.

Miroku turned to Sango with a smirk. "I guess God really does have a sense of humor..." He trailed off, ignoring Inuyasha's bantering.

Sango's mouth upturned once she heard Miroku's joke. "True that..."

Once the adrenaline stopped kicking in Kouga's body, he eventually broke away from Sango, and Inuyasha was being lead to the bottom bunk for their safety. Inuyasha crossed his arms and huffed angrily on the bed.

"Hey, well I wasn't the one who started it." Kouga growled.

"But you're the one who started this entire thing. Does coming up to me randomly and spilling your drink on me ring any bells?"

"You spilled your drink on me FIRST!" Kouga simmered, trying not to raise his voice to a yell. It was like an unspoken competition to them now, trying to remain somewhat civil while their heads were fuming beyond control.

"Huh? The hell are you on about?" Inuyasha growled with indignation.

"We were at the party, I was on my phone, and you bumped into me and purposely spilled your drink on me! In your exact words, you said, 'Watch where you're going, clumsy'. Does that, 'ring any bells' to you?" Kouga threw in air quotes while he repeated Inuyasha's earlier phrase, only managing to irritate him further.

"No, it doesn't, because I don't remember that at all. Now you're just makin' shit up!"

Kouga cackled with astonishment. "Wow! You've got a selective memory and anger issues! What a freakin' package!"

"Anger issues? Me? Take a look in the mirror pal—" Inuyasha immediately rose from the bed, but kept his feet planted firmly on the ground due to Miroku's watchful stare.

"Ohhh, trust me. I have looked in the mirror, buddy, and guess who gave me THAT to stare at?!" Kouga retorted, pointing at his black eye yet again.

"Well, maybe you—"

Suddenly the room was filled with Sango's deep, blood curdling yell, silencing everyone in the room.

"GUYS! JUST...SHUT THE HELL UP!" She huffed, glaring at Inuyasha and Kouga. Miroku averted his gaze to the bedpost, acting as if the cheap wood was the most intricately designed artifact he'd seen all day. When the room stayed quiet for a good couple of seconds, Sango sighed and smiled. "Thank you."

Sango let out a dramatic show of exasperation as she plopped down onto the floor and stretched her arms. "I still just can't believe you guys, of all people, are roommates..."

"What does that mean?" Inuyasha scoffed, still sounding defensive. "You know this guy?"

Sango nodded her head slowly, quirking an eyebrow at Inuyasha. "Yeah, we're friends. Kagome's friend's with him too...I guess you two...never met?"

"Only last night." Kouga remarked, still looking Inuyasha over defiantly.

Inuyasha fidgeted in his seat as his eyes darted from Miroku and Sango. He gave Kouga a satisfaction of a glare, but not a reply. "You're telling me Kagome knows this fool too?"

"We're friends." Kouga corrected, though it only proved to rile Inuyasha up yet again.

"Oh. I see how this is." Inuyasha chuckled as he crossed his arms. Miroku rubbed his temples as if he immediately felt a headache coming on, and for good reason. "You're trying to take Kagome away from me."

Kouga blinked. He let a single, loud incredulous laugh. "Wow. You're reaching way too hard on that one."

Kouga didn't want to admit that Inuyasha was kind of telling the truth, but he'd have to play saint again. Still, it wasn't like Kouga would have ever forced Kagome to break up with her boyfriend, but who's blaming a guy for dreaming of an ideal situation? Of course, Kouga had always been pure in his intentions to remain friends and value that with Kagome, he wasn't some evil creep, and he sure as hell wasn't magically manipulating things so Inuyasha was coming out as the bad guy—he was doing that all on his own.

"Are you kidding? It's so totally obvious. All of a sudden you two are "friends" now and asserting your damn protective nature right as you finally work up the courage to face me? You're too damn predictable."

Kouga's mouth twisted as he turned his body to completely face Inuyasha. He could hear Sango sigh and mumble in the background as she got up from the floor, "And here it goes again..."

"Listen up asshole; Kagome and I are just friends and we have been for awhile. Besides, you two aren't even together anymore, so why are you acting like you are? Oh! I know. Because you aren't, and you sure as hell made sure of that last night."

Miroku covered his mouth, eyes widened in shock. Sango was giving a similar look, but since she was facing Inuyasha, she tried to tone it down.

"You're full of shit." Inuyasha finally managed to say, his eyes glaring darkly and his voice kept to an overbearing tone.

"Speaking of, that...Inuyasha." Miroku cleared his throat, attempting to change the conversation, possibly to what he intended to talk about before witnessing Kouga and Inuyasha brawl like wrestlers. "Have you talked to Kagome lately? She was really upset yesterday..."

"Are you trying to say that this bastard has some kind of point?" Inuyasha snapped. He then turned his gaze to Sango. "You're really going to let this guy talk to me like this and be okay with it?"

The two of them seemed stricken with shock and disbelief in his words. Sango stuttered, at least trying to explain herself in some way, but Inuyasha wasn't having any of it. As Inuyasha lifted himself off the bed, Kouga got on defensive and prepared for the worst, but he was surprised to find Inuyasha kicking Kouga's luggage to the floor, knocking out all of it's contents on his way towards the door.

"Fuck all of you!" Inuyasha seethed before he slammed the door shut.

As the shock factor wore away and the silence went on for far too long, Sango plopped back onto the floor, and Miroku lowered himself on the bunk bed. Though they easily could have been pretending, Kouga was doubting they were. They looked exhausted, and Kouga definitely was as well.

As Kouga made his way to the scene of his eviscerated luggage, he heard Sango get up from the floor to kneel beside him, helping him pick up his things.

"Not to worry, I've got this." Kouga insisted, but Sango waved him away.

"No, we should help you." Sango glowered in Miroku's direction, but he wasn't budging. When they had everything cleaned up, Sango crossed her arms and looked at Kouga sympathetically. "Besides, I'm just sorry this happened."

"There's no need for you to apologize, it's all cool." Kouga felt a little irritated that this was happening again. Everyone was apologizing except the actual culprit. "Anyway...any idea why this guy is always so angry, and how the hell I can avoid him at all costs?"

Miroku finally lifted himself up from the bed, and then laughed in response. "You're going have a hard time doing that, Kouga, now that you're on his bad side."

"Jeez, really reassuring." Kouga sighed as he took a seat on the lightweight chair that matched its desk perfectly. "Kagome always used to talk about him, but he's so much different than I imagine. It was like she was seeing a totally different guy..."

As Kouga trailed off, he noticed Sango and Miroku seemed tense, averting their glances with Kouga. He stared at them, eyes darting between them as he desperately wanted to know what was on their minds. When Sango realized how intensely Kouga was staring, she sighed and fessed up to her inner thoughts.

"He wasn't always like this, well, he always had a temper...but it was nothing like this. To be honest, I'm just as baffled as you are...and I've known him for awhile."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "Lets just say he has some extra baggage..." He trailed, but didn't exactly elaborate on that comment. "Now that I'm thinking about it...it's probably going be awhile until your dorm manager gets word on you wanting to change, so uh...GOOD LUCK, and don't get on his bad side!" Miroku patted Kouga's shoulder, looking way too cheerful for his own good. Kouga hoped he wasn't getting amused by this entire freak show, but then again, if he was in Miroku's position he wouldn't blame him.

Sango shook her head and sighed at Miroku's careless demeanor. "Listen Kouga, maybe try to patch things up with him? Inuyasha can usually be swayed easily, and if you're really heartfelt about it, maybe you two could come to better terms."

Miroku interjected while making a drawn out cough. "Sure they will." He turned to Kouga a little more seriously. "Just try not to kill each other. Besides, with his classes and your athletics, you guys probably won't be seeing much of each other anyway."

"Yeah...thanks you guys. I'm sure things will work out. Somehow, I guess." Kouga trailed, sounding completely doubtful. He was honestly still in shock that he was actually forced to live with his sudden number one enemy like some painfully cheap television sitcom.

Sango and Miroku waved their goodbyes, concern still showing on their faces up until Kouga was left alone in the cramped dorm room by himself.

Kouga left one of the campus's buildings into a courtyard, finally finished with his classes for the day. It'd been just about a day since the grotesque roommate fiasco went down, and he'd tried his hardest to avoid going into his room. Well, theirroom, he supposed.

Kouga planned on traveling towards the direction of the parking lot, but he noticed somebody in the corner of his eye that brought him to a halt. Gaudy neon colors adorned with sparkly ribbons and bows filled his field of vision: Jakotsu. He was sitting at a picnic table in the courtyard by himself, engrossed in his schoolwork. Kouga ended up staring in his general direction longer then he'd anticipated, so he struggled against continuing back to his dreaded dorm or talking to Jakotsu. Since he'd already acknowledged Jakotsu's existence, he figured he'd might as well go and talk to him, though he wasn't exactly thrilled about that. Fortunately, he was feeling a little more prepared now that he was familiar with Jakotsu's energy; though as the distance between them closed, Kouga noticed something about him was somewhat off kilter. Jakotsu's head drooped over his textbook, but he wasn't entirely focused on it. His eyes were glued to his phone's home screen, not exactly doing anything with it. He was just staring at it blankly.

"Yo..." Kouga trailed, his voice sounding hideously raspy. He realized he hadn't talked to anyone for the entire day, pretty much. Now that he wasn't living with Ginta and Hakkaku, he didn't have anyone to talk to in the mornings. As soon as Jakotsu realized there was somebody looming over him, his eyes blinked rapidly. He stared at Kouga like a deer in the headlights.

"O-Oh...Kouga!" Jakotsu began stuttering, though he quickly regained his pace and his usual smile formed. "What a surprise! It's been a while since we've..." Suddenly, Jakotsu stopped himself in realization. His eyes widened in shock, then an incredibly excited expression appeared on his face. "Oh my gosh...wait—Kouga! I heard all about last night! What the hell happened at the party?"

Kouga's eyes instantly narrowed. He heaved an exasperated sigh and pointed dramatically at his right eye. Of course his bruise wasn't so terribly black, but he was certain it was noticeable, even for Jakotsu's scattered demeanor. He was sure Jakotsu was just trying to hear even more details directly from the source, but unluckily for him, Kouga wasn't feeling up for explanations. "This, obviously."

Jakotsu's face twisted as he recoiled from the sight, as if Kouga pointing it out had somehow made it more noticeable. "Yikes! Talk about a real bruiser..."

Kouga rolled his eyes, though decided to sit himself down on a seat across from Jakotsu anyway. "Yeah. Case in point; Why I don't go to parties."

Jakotsu's mouth was tight lipped, struggling against a smile. He quickly scoped out the area of the courtyard, making sure nobody was around them. When it was all clear, he leaned in and giggled, though still made sure his was voice soft when he spoke.

"I knew you were masculine, but I didn't know you'd go that far in a territory battle...talk about being a total alpha male! Rawr." Jakotsu finished with loud, manic laughter after voicing a suggestive cat roar. Kouga didn't find it funny, he just sort of found it odd, though casually ignored it like he did with most of Jakotsu's quirks.

"What?" Kouga asked blankly, absolutely curious to hear what exactly Jakotsu heard about his abuse at the hands of Kagome's boyfriend.

"Yeah, word on the street is that you're trying to break up the legendary couple. Well, its not just you anyway. Kikyo's been the champion of that world cup for a good while. Everyone's just sick of the same old same old. It's nice to have a new contestant."

"Contestant?" Kouga eyebrow's furrowed, looking gradually more and more puzzled by the minute. What were all these words alluding to world cups and championships? Was this some kind of strange competitive campus game or something? Was he secretly on some kind of reality TV show and didn't know it? Either way, Kouga had to admit he wouldn't be surprised if he were. Everything in his life was getting way too strange all of a sudden. His life had never been so...dramatic. Either that, or he was watching way too much TV with Ginta and Hakkaku and was having a serious case of cable withdrawal.

All Kouga was able to discern from Jakotsu's explanation was that, apparently, Kagome and Inuyasha were "legendary" and he was trying to break them up, along with a girl named Kikyo. In no time, Kouga was able to remember that Kikyo was the girl that started a commotion with Kagome and her boyfriend. His memory was vivid with the expensive red dress she wore at the party.

Jakotsu let out an exaggerated breath of exasperation. "Geez...I forgot you're such a lone wolf." He rolled his eyes before continuing. "You see, Inuyasha Taisho is one of the most popular guys on campus. Not always for the best reasons, but back in the day it used to be because of his money and status."

Kouga stared at Jakotsu intently, then nodded for him to go on.

"Didn't you know? His dad's the dean of the school."

"The DEAN?" Kouga immediately uttered, his voice teetering on a yell instead of a casual conversational tone.

"Oh honey..." Jakotsu pouted and sympathetically rubbed his back. "You've really been living under a rock for this past...what, entire year?"

"I guess." Kouga huffed as he glared at the kids who were staring at him after his outburst. "You said that he used to be popular because of his status. Why 'used' to?"

"Because now his relationship with Kagome has become a huge controversy. You see, he dated Kagome against his father's wishes. His father wants to arrange a marriage that will influence him in the business world. Kikyo's father is a multi-million dollar mogul, and she's crazy over him to boot. Rumors say that relationships been arranged since he was a teenager, but he wanted to spread his wings in college..."

"...And then he met Kagome. Who doesn't have a status." Kouga said, continuing Jakotsu's train of thought after finally beginning to understand the situation.

"Yep. To his father, she's just a barely middle class girl with not much to go on." Jakotsu sighed, completely exaggerated as he propped his elbows on his textbook, staring away wistfully at nothing in particular.

"And this whole thing spanned like, the whole last year. There's sooo many deets I could fill you in, but it's totes messy." Jakotsu leaned back again, this time looking more serious. "Anyway...I heard you're his roommate, too? Oh em gee, this is just getting way too interesting."

"No way!I've had enough of drama. After I can get a meeting with my dorm manager, we're splitting ways." Kouga slightly pulled himself away from the table as if the drama in question had physically manifested itself on the picnic table.

"So what about Kagome now that she's single?" Jakotsu smirked, wiggling an eyebrow. Kouga felt sweat prickling down his back. The guy was too sharp. Dangerously sharp.

"I...I don't know. It doesn't matter to me, anyway." Kouga scoffed, averting his face away from Jakotsu's stare. He knew he was totally showing his vulnerability to the subject and that wasn't helping him one bit, but he couldn't stand to stare at Jakotsu's smug face.

"Mmmmhm. Sure." Jakotsu drew out, crossing his arms defiantly.

"I don't know, man. Things are getting too complicated, especially since he's my roommate now. I don't want to get caught up in this...getting into drama isn't my style." Kouga looked down and stared at his knees, strangely realizing something extremely important. The only thing he could think about was how afraid he was to lose what he already had with Kagome and her friends. Kouga wasn't the greatest guy, and he sure as hell wasn't a saint. He could royally fuck up the tightly woven balance between everyone if he kept up this act with Kagome's boyfriend. Sure, this Inuyasha guy seemed to be having quite a moment and wasn't coming on top as the good guy, but Kouga hardly knew the gang for nearly as long as Inuyasha did. They could take his side over Kouga's any day of the week. That's what scared him, though he'd never tell anyone that. Not Kagome, and sure as hell not Ginta or Hakkaku.

Jakotsu stared blankly before his expression strangely changed to something more empathetic. He patted his back. "It'll be okay, hotstuff. Things will work out...probably."

Kouga scoffed, but his voice ended up coming out more quiet to acknowledge Jakotsu's sincerity. "Sure, thanks." Kouga rose from the seat and said a quick goodbye, and Jakotsu waved his goodbye back enthusiastically. As Kouga turned his back and made his way towards the parking lot, he found himself hearing Jakotsu's last words in his head. Either things could work out for the better...or everything could go to complete shit.

Kouga hated drama. He hated involving himself in all these complicated affairs, and now he'd unexpectedly found himself smack in the middle of them.

Chapter Text

Three days passed without Kouga and Inuyasha uttering a word to each other. Within 48 hours, the two of them were miraculously able to develop a system of ignoring and working around their schedules, ultimately aiming to steer clear of each other at all costs. While other normal college students would probably learn to live with each other by a system like this, Kouga and Inuyasha were nowhere near normal roommates. One after the other, Kouga and Inuyasha attempted to call and visit their dorm manager, persistently pleading with her to fix the single most disastrous thing to ever happen in their young adult lives. She calmly stated to them that she only operated by appointment due to many other students having issues way before the two of them, but she'd fill them in the schedule. To this, there was only one thing Kouga and Inuyasha could agree on: they weren't having any of that. After a good while of being bothered and bombarded by them, she managed to conveniently teleport herself away on business that wasn't in her office. A note was then plastered on her office door, plainly stating: "To the residents of room 163: STOP ASKING ME! Your appointment is still in the queue. To all residents of the hall, thank you all for your patience. You will be notified of appointments."

Now all they could do was wait.

Inuyasha leaned on the wall, folding his hands into the sleeves of his trademarked red zip up hoodie. At first, Kouga halfheartedly thought it looked stylish because of the sporty looking turtleneck and trendy brand logo, but ugh, the guy practically lived on the thing like a damn hobo. Since the room was tortuously small, Kouga had no choice but to watch (but pretend not to watch) Inuyasha coordinate all of his outfits before turning to the bathroom for his morning shower. His hoodie would always stay behind on the bed, so after coming back in with a decent looking outfit, he'd pause in the mirror, contemplate his look, then slip back into the damn dreaded hoodie. Kouga desperately wanted to know his thought process behind looking like he never washed his clothes, but then again, maybe getting inside Inuyasha's twisted mind didn't sound like the most fantastic idea. He'd have to see what he thought about Kagome, and Kouga sure as hell didn't want to see that.

As soon as Inuyasha left for his classes, Kouga finally found the energy to rise from his bed like the living dead. He heaved a huge sigh of exasperation, then climbed down the creaky bunkbed stairs, hoping to God they didn't crack on him, which was now becoming a part of his everyday routine. Kouga gazed around the room and instantly missed his old home. He missed fighting with his brothers over who's turn it was to make breakfast, though only with Ginta because Hakkaku was a pro at it. Ginta, though, couldn't cook an edible meal if his life depended on it, and Kouga always aimed to save them from food poisoning. Strangely, it was starting to become a reoccurring theme to remember a random but warm memory in the mornings, reminding him why he hated living in the dorms. Though having Inuyasha as his roommate was always the icing on the cake.

Kouga quickly began checking his gym bag to ensure all his things were in there, though it was a bit too early to head off to practice just yet. Still, he needed to make sure he had at least a notebook on hand, just in case he was running late to a class and would've rather not run back into his dorm. While reaching to unzip another compartment in his bag, Kouga heard the increasing ringtone of his cell phone. He paused, then fished it out of his bag's front pocket. The caller ID read, "Ginta." Nearly instinctively, Kouga picked up the phone, immediately hearing Ginta's voice beam through the speakers.

"Hey-yo Kouga! Where's your dorm again?"

"Hey, sup..." Kouga trailed, taken aback by Ginta's brevity. He was usually known to go off into tangents after asking how each other's days went. "Uh, it's room 163. Why...?"

"Ah! There it is." Ginta chuckled on the other end, and Kouga stuttered, still feeling completely puzzled. His confusion only increased when he heard a rapid knock on the door. At first, Kouga hesitated to open it, but quickly caught on to what exactly was going on. Just as Kouga raised himself off the floor, the door immediately swung open, revealing the giddy faces of Ginta and Hakkaku. Ginta was clutching the phone in his hand, and Hakkaku seemed to be carrying a bag with him. Kouga gave the two of them a disapproved glare, but Ginta raised a pointed finger as if to silence him before he even began.

"Hey, don't give us that face. You can't say we didn't knock!" Ginta remarked smugly, then inciting agreeable laughter from Hakkaku. Kouga tried to chime in with them, but he just couldn't. He was feeling way too tense.

"Listen guys; I appreciate you stopping in on me...but I dunno if right now is a good time. I'm about to head out."

"Heading out this early? I thought your practice doesn't start until 10?" Hakkaku said, his sight focusing on Kouga's sports bag.

"Hmm...not to mention track season should be slow right around now." Ginta interjected, raising a questionable brow.

"Well...yes, that's true." Kouga stated, sounding more noncommittal than anything else. "Still, I want to make sure I'm still conditioning even when the season starts back up again."

"Of course! I mean, it's not like we're gonna hog up all your time, Kouga." Ginta gave him a pitying stare as he crossed his arms.

"Yeah! We just wanted to check in on you. So just take a breather for now and enjoy our company!" Hakkaku interjected with animation.

"Do you not like our company now that you've got a roommate?" Ginta put on dramatic puppy eyes, nearly looking like he was actually going to cry.

"HELL NO!" Kouga growled, not realizing how loud his voice had gotten. He quickly cleared his throat, hoping to play it off somehow. Feeling as though he didn't want to stand anymore, Kouga ended up taking a seat on the desk chair, and his two brothers sat on the bottom bunk of the bed.

"Aww, Kouga really does care about us!" Hakkaku lit up, and Kouga thought all he was missing was a wagging tail.

"Hmm...does that mean you dislike your roommate...?" Ginta questioned; he was always much more sharp than Hakkaku. Kouga crossed his arms and let out a long, drawn out and pained sigh. It just then occurred to Kouga that he never even got a chance to tell Ginta and Hakkaku anything; not the party, and sure as hell not the roommate.

"Dislike is really...such an unfit word for that guy..." Kouga craned his neck from side to side, thinking of how exactly to explain his complex relationship with his roommate as quickly as humanly possible. Thankfully Ginta and Hakkaku were patient in dealing with Kouga's struggles with the topic. "Well, uh. Remember when you guys went out of the city for a day?"

The two of them hesitated briefly, but nodded for him to continue.

"Well I went to a party that night, some guy told me that Kagome would be there. And she was there. But before I met her, there was a guy who spilled his drink on me, I got pissed and so I followed him..." Kouga breathed in shakily. "And I saw him. With Kagome. He was her boyfriend, then later on I saw them arguing and wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine by spilling my drink on him. It didn't end well." Kouga finished by pointing to the remnants of the bruise that was left under his eye, which thankfully was getting better from it's initial state. Ginta and Hakkaku leaned in, squinting in his face, then their eyes widened at the same time in realization. Ginta gasped, but Hakkaku just made a sort of cringed expression.

"And that same guy...is my roommate." Kouga practically whined as he sulked in his chair, letting his head roll back in agony.

"No way!" The two of them shouted in unison.

"Yes way! And I've been trying my damndest to find every single way I can avoid being in here. Imagine that, me avoiding my own den."

"Well you can stay with us, Kouga!" Ginta exclaimed with pride.

"Yeah, Kouga! Just stay with us for the time being." Hakkaku chimed, equally prideful.

"I'd like to, but..."

"But?" They both perked up, their voices matching completely.

"Well, for starters, no offense but I don't think I can share a twin bed with either of you." Kouga laughed, "Plus I've never really been fond of sleeping of floors..."

"And?" Ginta probed.

"I feel like if I completely leave, then he'll win for sure. But if I go about my normal routine and stand living with him...then it's like, a competition to see who'll cop out first. And I know I aint gonna do it. I've gotta stand my ground!"

Hakkaku simply tilted his head, not exactly understanding Kouga's logic, but Ginta keeled over and cradled his hands in his head. "Typical Kouga..."

Kouga furrowed his eyebrows at Ginta's comment, almost readying himself to hurl and even snarlier response in his direction; but just then, all three of them fell silent. The door to the room slammed shut, letting the brothers realize there was now an extra companion among them. Inuyasha stood not too far from them all, putting his typical scowl on for display. Kouga and Hakkaku's faces grew pale, though Ginta was somehow able to keep his composure despite the topic that was previously discussed among them.

Something oddly stale and awkward lingered in the room, most likely due to Kouga and Inuyasha's obvious glares at each other, until Inuyasha finally decided to speak up.

"I need to get something under there." Inuyasha stated, looking from Ginta to Hakkaku, and then to edge of his bottom bunk. The two brothers were completely flustered as they responded with "Okay" and "No problem" while scurrying out of Inuyasha's general direction.

"By the way." Inuyasha's head twisted around to look at Kouga. "I'm going to be studying in here now." He said, his voice tinged with obvious bitterness. Kouga bit back the temptation to snap with, "Well how is that my problem?", but he bit back his tongue. Kouga glanced to his brothers who were spectating the roommate's interaction, but as soon as Inuyasha turned around, their faces flashed to fake, overenthusiastic smiles. "W-Well Kouga, we'll catch up with you later!" Hakkaku laughed somewhat shakily. Ginta nodded his head, not seeming as perturbed as his brother, but smiled so warmly at the dreaded roommate that it really had Kouga convinced. "Sorry to intrude on your study time."

"No worries guys, it's all cool." Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms. Ginta and Hakkaku let out one last round of laughter before leaving the dorm like no tomorrow. Kouga watched his brothers with furious disapproval; how dare they just up and leave like that, Kouga thought. The least you can do is grow a damn backbone! Stand up and fight!

Kouga resisted the urge to chop the cheap desk in half as he was forced to withstand yet another excruciating moment of being alone with his roommate. Woe was him. It was getting to the point that even the very fact he had to waste so much energy by hating Inuyasha was killing him, not to mention making him feel so pathetic. What ever happened to promising himself, despite him and his brother's recent circumstances, that his school year was going to be a chill one? What ever happened to his creed of steering clear of drama, and priding himself that he wouldn't be an orphan who strayed off the beaten path and picked fights with everyone who crossed him? Inuyasha was turning him into a person he didn't want to become. The taunts and teases he got in school were beginning to haunt him again, driving him crazy with the thought of, "maybe they were all right?".

Kouga realized he'd drifted off when Inuyasha now stood closer to Kouga, staring down on him with his looming gaze. "We need to set ground rules." Inuyasha stated dryly, and his eyes narrowed. "You can't have your friends over here all the time."

To this, Kouga was taken slightly aback and mildly offended, though he cringed inwardly at the fact he had to show it. "Hey! They're my brothers; literally. And it's the first time they came over, they just wanted to check in with me."

Inuyasha blinked for a moment, seeming somewhat unconvinced despite the fact Kouga claimed they were his relatives. Kouga couldn't say they were biologically related just to please him, and besides, Ginta and Hakkaku were his brothers, no arguing about it there. Surprisingly to Kouga, Inuyasha didn't seem to make a big thing about it, but he did manage to scoff with his response.

" Just dont have anyone else come over, you hear?"

"Same goes to you. No friends, only family." Kouga smirked, and Inuyasha stared at him with mild annoyance before turning his gaze away, strangely complacent.

"Fine. But I want things quiet when I have to study."

Kouga's brothers attempting to achieve complete silence was pretty much near impossible, and Kouga knew that quite well. It was better for everyone if he visited them instead of dragging them to his dorm.

Kouga gave a slow nod. "Fine. I'll probably just chill with them if you're in your room. That way you don't have to worry about being bothered." Kouga blurted out, feeling all too relaxed. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone though, but the entire prospect sounded all too considerate. However, Inuyasha didn't seem to bat an eye at his remark.

"We have a deal then."

"Right." Kouga said, nodding slowly as he looked into his roommate's expressionless face.

"Yeah."

With that, Inuyasha walked to the other end of the room where his backpack lay, and Kouga took the initiative to rise from the desk. He stood around in the middle of the room awkwardly, half trying to avoid Inuyasha and failing due to how small the room was, but also lost in his own thoughts. It was odd how relatively...civil that conversation became. Kouga didn't know what to think. He did, however, slightly feel compelled to pinch himself and see if he was dreaming, because it felt all too strange that they weren't at each other's throats already. As Kouga watched Inuyasha organize his schoolwork and textbooks on his desk, Kouga absentmindedly wondered what was going through his roommate's head.

After coming back from a lengthy practice, Kouga returned to his dorm to notice Inuyasha hadn't returned yet. Since he was done with classes, Kouga figured he'd take a quick shower in their closet-sized bathroom and catch up with some homework afterwards. But that didn't exactly go as planned. Kouga ended up taking a ridiculously long shower until there was no hot water left, causing him to feel too warm and sleepy. As soon as he got dressed and left the bathroom, he headed straight to the bottom bunk and plopped down onto the bedding. Kouga was feeling strangely lethargic and his eyelids struggled to stay open.

He really didn't want to push himself so hard at practice earlier, but he honestly had to admit he didn't want to return their dorm and see Inuyasha studying. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of his roommate's presence, but in all honesty, there really wasn't anything to do in the room, especially if Inuyasha was studying and wanted everything so damn quiet. He just wasn't used to sharing such an intimate space with someone he barely knew, let alone someone he hated. College was such a drag, but at least there were some upsides. Or actually, maybe not. As Kouga tried to think of all the good things that were happening to him in the year, he'd already positioned himself in a laying position on the bed. The pillows were getting comfy, his back was feeling well adjusted, and before he knew it, Kouga had already drifted off into a deep sleep...

Kouga jolted awake, feeling a slight disorientation as his eyes hazily darted around the darkened room. Kouga then realized, though delayed, he heard sound of the room's door closing and the patter of footsteps casually drifting away. His roommate just left the room, effectively causing him to wake. As Kouga's eyes adjusted to the environment and his mind felt more clear, he moved to pull the covers off of himself, then stopped.

"Shit". Kouga mumbled. He instantly realized he'd fallen asleep on Inuyasha's bed. It was no surprise that his roommate left the room, though he was half expecting the hot tempered mutt to scream at him right then and there, so it came to Kouga as a surprise that his roommate left Kouga with the courtesy of letting him stay in his blissful reverie. After nearly crawling out of the bed, Kouga's feet stopped right before they hit the floor, pausing again after a baffling thought. Why was Kouga covered when he fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillows? Could Inuyasha have...?

Kouga scoffed at the thought. No way. Kouga reasoned with himself that he must have been so sleepy he'd covered himself as a reflex, not realizing it wasn't his bed. After all, he'd only been living in the dorms for about a week, everything was taking some getting used to; and the greatest part about it was that he'd hopefully be out of this nightmare of a living arrangement in no time at all.

Chapter Text

Today was a "good" day for Kouga. And by good day, that meant he was sulking on the bottom bunk of Ginta and Hakkaku's bed, making his dismay obvious for all to see. Kouga had so much pent up frustration from this past week that he couldn't dare show in front of Kagome's friends, and certainty not Inuyasha. Now that his brother's were finally aware of "The Great Inuyasha Taisho Debacle", Kouga finally felt freed by that in some kind of strange way. Kouga had spent the last two nights chumming with Ginta and Hakkaku whenever he could, ranting and combing over every last detail of the situation. Even when the brother's succeeded in swaying Kouga to another topic, someway or another, Kouga always had some way to lead the conversation back to Inuyasha.

On this particular day of the week, Ginta; the more sensible of the three brothers, was just about fed up with hearing about the guy. Hakkaku wasn't making things any better either, since he almost always seemed to prod Kouga with more questions. Ginta understood that Kouga needed to get some things out of his system, but this much was teetering on obsessive.

"Kouga...why don't you just give up on Kagome?" Ginta stated flatly. He had been trying to read one of his textbooks, but the chatter between his brother's was admittedly getting him too distracted. He tried his best to not look or sound annoyed, but Kouga wasn't exactly that oblivious.

Kouga paused and then wriggled slightly at the question. "I'm not...giving up, per say. I'm just not pursuing her anymore. It's for the best."

"Soo, basically, you're giving up on her?" Hakkaku chimed in, nearly chuckling. Ginta managed to look up from his textbook and smirk.

"I'M NOT GIVING UP, DAMMIT!" Kouga exclaimed, now rising from his seat on the bed. The shaking movements of the fragile twin bed mildly startled Hakkaku who was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"You should, anyway. Besides I heard shes dating a guy already." Ginta said flatly before casually turning back to his work. He clicked his mechanical pencil and started jotting down some notes. Kouga moved to the edge of the mattress, completely intrigued, much to Ginta's dismay.

"What...really?" Kouga looked mystified. "Who?"

"How should I know? You're the one who hangs out with her and her friends. I just heard it from the usual rumor mill."

Kouga sunk into the mattress for a good moment. The wheels in his brain were turning, and yet, no information was being relayed back to him. Kagome was dating somebody...already? How could that be? And how would Ginta, of all people, hear some sort of silly rumor like that? Sure, he had to admit he was pretty damn bummed if that was the case, but...it wasn't like he really had a standing chance with a girl like Kagome. That was what burned him the most.

After a bit of silence on Kouga's end, Ginta and Hakkaku stared at him to make sure he was alright. Ginta half wondered if he would turn around to see him crying, but surprisingly, he was fine. A moment passed and Kouga flopped back over on the bed, releasing a dramatic sigh. "Woe is me..."

"Atta boy, Kouga. At least you're being mature."

"Great. That word again. You don't have to treat me like a child, Ginta."

"I'm not! I'm just saying, after all these shenanigans with that Inuyasha guy and that party...I dunno, it's good to at least see you being civil about this."

"Why wouldn't I be? It's Kagome we're talking about! Not Inuyasha Taisho." Kouga rolled his eyes and enunciated Inuyasha's full name comically. Ginta groaned. That was exactly what he was talking about when he meant Kouga's maturity level. When it came to that Inuyasha guy, it was like Kouga was becoming fifteen years old all over again. And to Ginta, fifteen year old Kouga wasn't cute.

"I guess I have to live with what I have..." Ginta mumbled, catching the attention of both Kouga and Hakkaku who were confused by his meaning. Kouga brushed it off as him fiddling with his homework and didn't take it personally.

Some time passed and the three of them went about their own business silently. Even though they returned to their own isolated solitude, they were never tired of each other. The brothers spent most of their time studying or reading with the occasional conversational outbursts and laughs. By the time night fell, Kouga knew it was best for him to start heading back to his own dorm. He said his casual goodbyes to Ginta and Hakkaku, and then left without looking back. Deep inside, he was feeling a little lonely, especially after that startling revelation about Kagome. Yet, somehow, he wasn't as deeply troubled about the whole thing as he thought he'd be. Kouga's thoughts drifted back to Ginta's comments about him being "mature". Was that what this was? Why was it that ever since Inuyasha broke up with Kagome, he'd been completely satisfied—but the thought of Kagome dating anyone else, that wasn't an issue?

The dorm hallways were eerily quiet. Most of the kids in his brother's dorm building were brainiacs, so there weren't crazy parties or noisy neighbors. Most kids who lived in the school, actually, never did anything crazy, and if they wanted to, they'd go to another venue to do it—like Jakotsu's party, for instance. Frankly, Kouga could do without the parties and without the unnecessary interaction. "Speaking of interaction..." Kouga lowly mumbled as he approached his own hallway. Their room was coming up and Kouga was dreading having to walk in on Inuyasha. Usually it was better if the guy walked in on him, but the other way around; it tended to make him anxious. He didn't know what mood the guy was going to be in. Lately, though, he'd been pretty quiet and...oddly, passive. It was probably all due to the whole dorm situation, although there wasn't anything concrete on whether they'd be split up soon.

After this night would pass, it would make it exactly a week since the dorm manager still hadn't contacted them about a meeting date. It irked the both of them, but neither of them had the time to complain about it with their busy schedules and complex methods of consistently avoiding each other. Strangely enough, the lack of time being spent together made it almost seem like the disdain they tried so hard to upkeep was becoming...lackluster. Unfortunately, the fact they were living together meant they had to communicate civilly when need be, and they had to be extremely clear with each other. After so much time, Kouga honestly had to admit...ever since they laid their ground rules down and had a basic understanding of their boundaries, living with Inuyasha was somewhat...tolerable? Kouga couldn't understand that at all. Ginta did, however, and explained it to Kouga all in one word: "maturity". Kouga, of course didn't exactly like that answer, but he supposed he could deal with it. After all, trying to remain hostile with someone for so long was actually pretty draining, and he was sure Inuyasha felt that way too. Sure, they weren't smiling and laughing with each other, but they were living with each other.

Kouga entered the room which was, surprisingly, completely empty. He could hear the shower running in their bathroom, and Kouga quickly shut the door behind him. He felt relieved. He quickly made himself comfy on the empty desk and decided to do a little schoolwork while his roommate was showering.

After a while, Kouga let out a huge sigh and leaned back in the creaky chair. He'd just got down with a good bit of some studying for a math test, though he was definitely slacking on how much more effort he needed to put into it. When he lounged over at his brother's dorm, he just checked his cell phone and attempted to read some literature, but neglected most of his other work. He was just about to close his eyes to take a momentary escape—when he then heard the bathroom door crack open. He could smell the scent of his roommate's distinct shampoo (which was actually just citrus scented body wash, and Kouga was too much of an asshole to break it to him) and steam wafting out of the bathroom door.

"Oh. You're not done with your homework yet?" Inuyasha asked rather matter-of-factly. He didn't know what his expression was, but he could feel his eyes beaming down on him, and it probably wasn't an endearing gaze. Still, Kouga thought back to Ginta's comment a few days back (which he'd been doing quite often these days) about how proud he was about Kouga's so called maturity, so Kouga braced himself before he continued.

"...Mm, Sort of." Kouga slowly re-positioned himself so he was sitting up straight. He waited a moment before continuing again, making sure he didn't look desperate to give his seat up. "You can have the desk though."

Kouga gathered his papers and textbook when Inuyasha started to speak up again.

"No, you don't have to." Inuyasha said, waving him off. "I got done with my stuff a couple hours ago, anyway."

"Then why the hell did you ask about my homework, dumbass?!" Kouga fumed as he stood in place for a couple seconds, attempting to cool himself down. He then took a seat again, calmly laying his work back on the desk. For some odd reason, living with Inuyasha was making him more concentrated on his course work. It was impossible to avoid his roommate in the evenings, and he really had no other choice than to either surf the internet, or actually do something usefulwhile he tried to whisk away the time trapped with the person he disliked. It was crazy how after a week now he simply "disliked" Inuyasha, not exactly hated him. It definitely left a bitter taste in his mouth, as if his brain had been hijacked, but in a way, he was certain that Inuyasha was probably feeling the same way, judging by the way he also tried to remain civil. Besides, recently, Kouga was beginning to feel a little bad for Inuyasha. It was quite the surprising development if he had to be honest with himself. If it wasn't enough that the talk of the whole campus was about Inuyasha and Kagome's breakup, Inuyasha was also showing symptoms of a guy with a completely destroyed heart. When he didn't need to go to class on the weekends, he kept the same clothes on. He'd only shower if Kouga remarked that the shower was open for him to use. And whenever Inuyasha was done with all of his schoolwork, he'd nap and even stare at the walls idly for hours. He wasn't even sure if the guy even did anything as remotely fun when he had the free time. Sure, Kouga was a dick, but he wasn't sure he had it in him to bully a guy who was dumped by a girl like Kagome. Whether Kouga liked it or not...he was in the same boat as Inuyasha.

As Kouga wiggled back into the stiff seat, he stared down at his papers blankly. He noticed as he heard Inuyasha's bed creak loudly, then softened as he settled into the bed. It was only eight o' clock, yet the guy was already trying to nap. Or was he on his phone? For some reason, Kouga was dying to peek at him. As he glanced behind, he found Inuyasha just where he'd predicted he'd be—lazing around on his bed, half in the covers and attempting to nap. During this state he never actually fell asleep, so Kouga usually left the lights on and continued to do whatever he would be doing for the night, but after having to witness his roommate repeat the same routine over and over again...for some reason, Kouga kind of pitied him. Wasn't this bordering on being a little too pathetic?

Kouga stared at him, feeling a sudden urgency to call out to him...but what would he say? What would be the point? To motivate him? Kouga wasn't a "friendly" person, so why would he do that? Heaving a sigh, Kouga turned back around and shuffled through the papers on his desk. He barely remembered what he was even working on anymore. Even when Inuyasha wasn't doing anything, he was still distracting for some reason. Just as Kouga got back on track with his math work, there was a loud slam of the door that completely threw Kouga off. He initially thought it was Inuyasha running out of the dorm, but that wasn't the case. As he turned behind, he noticed his roommate lifting himself up from the bunk bed to see the commotion.

Standing in their dorm was an unfamiliar person, shutting the door behind him. The man was tall and well manicured, sporting long black hair, somewhat greying in his roots, though was neatly combed in a ponytail. His face was framed with rectangular glasses, and he wore a crisp button down shirt and well fitting dress pants. He screamed money from head to toe...but Kouga had no clue who he was, but he certainty couldn't have been a student? Whoever he was, though, he wasn't here for Kouga. He was here for Inuyasha.

"Why haven't you contacted father?" The man crossed his arms, tensing his stark expression. "Is it because of that woman? I heard you two are no longer in a relationship. And from the looks of it..." The man stared briefly at Inuyasha, who was still frozen, holding his body up on the bed. "You seem in low spirits. How pathetic. You shouldn't waste your energy on a commoner."

Inuyasha's face darkened. Unlike with his usual bursts with Kouga in the past, Inuyasha looked like he was holding his tongue. His face twitched, trying not to give away his emotions.

While peering more into the scene, Kouga felt completely transparent. Hell, he even started to doubt if he was really there in the room, watching the scene go down. As the silence in the room lingered on, Kouga dared to put an end to it. He rose from the creaky, uncomfortable desk chair and crossed his arms, slowly inching a bit into the center of the room. Not exactly in the direct line of fire, but a suitable distance for him to make some kind of impact. The older man noticed the movement, but didn't seem to pay him very much mind. Well, that was, not until Kouga opened his big mouth.

"Hey, no offense, but what are you doing in here?" Kouga spat out, and the man's head whipped over in Kouga's direction. He raised an eyebrow in response.

"I'm his brother." The man confidently replied, as if that excused his outburst.

"You should have knocked before you came in here. Because, oh I don't know, etiquette?" Kouga said while squinting his eyes.

The man stood and just lowered his eyebrows. Probably offended that a commoner like himself could dare tell him a thing or two about etiquette. He continued to stare at Kouga as if he was speaking a foreign language at him, and Kouga continued to stand his ground. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was finally catching up to the fact Kouga was actually exchanging words with his brother, which was obviously coming as a shock to the guy. He quickly glanced over at Kouga, eyes bulging out of their sockets. If Inuyasha, the hotheaded loudmouth, was afraid to stand up to this guy, he was guessing his brother must have stood way, way higher on the food chain than Inuyasha did. Thankfully, Kouga didn't give a shit about hierarchies. He was a wolf who refused take anyone's shit.

"Excuse me, but I'm his brother. It's an important matter." The man crossed his arms, now trying to match Kouga's confident stance. He inched just a bit closer to Kouga, and Kouga smirked, taking two steps in his direction.

"I don't care if you're his brother or his great grandfather twice removed! Your yelling is distracting and I, quite frankly, don't appreciate this sudden intrusion on my living quarters. My studies are important and this is keeping me from getting my work done. Do you mind?" Kouga stood confidently, rather pleased with himself for putting on a "goody-two-shoes" voice impression to match the brother's tone. The man's eyes widened just slightly, mildly bewildered by Kouga's outburst. Chances are the rich bastard wasn't used to other "commoners" taking a stance against him.

"Sesshomaru, let's take this somewh—" Inuyasha quickly hopped off the bed, but found himself standing idly when his brother sharply cut him off.

"No, Inuyasha. It's fine. I'll tell father you're up for the dinner party on the 18th." Sesshomaru, his roommate's brother, strutted away from the bed and headed towards the door. Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, the man paused. He glanced over to Inuyasha with an icy stare. "I pray you won't disappoint us this time."

The door closed shut, surprisingly, in a civil manner. Once Kouga was certain the man left, his posture relaxed almost immediately, and his hands went back to being by his pockets. Kouga grumbled, and Inuyasha plopped back down on the edge of his bed.

"Some brother of yours." Kouga smirked, turning over at his roommate.

"Yeah." Inuyasha huffed, then continued to stare at the door, completely dazed. He was probably thinking about that dinner party that his brother mentioned, and Kouga had to admit he was curious, but he didn't ask. Instead, Kouga was surprised to see Inuyasha's head whipping back over to his gaze.

"What the hell?! Why'd you do that?" Inuyasha blinked in amazement. He almost looked...relieved, as well. Kouga felt taken aback. He never would've thought the guy could make a face like that at him.

"Uh, I...I dunno? He was kind of being a dick...?" Kouga back peddled, suddenly feeling a little shy and hesitant. God, he was stuttering way too much. Kouga immediately glanced over at the door, trying not to look at Inuyasha's face. "Besides...no siblings should talk to each other like that. And anyway, family or not, who bursts in like that?!" Kouga crossed his arms, then turned away from the door, as if he couldn't stand to think about Sesshomaru's outburst like that. Kouga was just about to turn to run away into the bathroom, but he out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Inuyasha still staring at him. Kouga glanced at him, catching a lingering stare. Kouga's eyes darted around a moment before finally murmuring something.

"What?"

Inuyasha smirked, letting out a short breathed laugh. Kouga was only able to see it for a brief moment before Inuyasha settled back into his mattress, turning over and going back to his same old lazy self.

"You're not too shabby, roomie." Inuyasha said in a joking tone. Kouga scoffed, and even had the liberty to roll his eyes since Inuyasha was faced away from him. He stood around, staring at Inuyasha's back for an awkward moment before inching back over to the bathroom door.

"I'm uh, gonna take a shower."

"'Kay."

Kouga's hand hoovered over the bathroom door, and he was just about to slip into the room when he heard a low whisper coming from the bunk beds.

"Thanks, Kouga."

Kouga paused, wondering if it was just his imagination. If it was just a squeak from the bed or a voice snaking through the thin walls. But much to his surprise, he saw Inuyasha's head peek over his shoulder, affirming his statement. Inuyasha thanked him and didn't regret he said it, in fact, he was making certain that Kouga heard it himself. To this realization, Kouga swallowed down hard. He nodded his head, and his voice came out shakily.

"It's no prob." Kouga nodded before finally slipping into the bathroom and locking it behind himself, letting his hand hoover over the lock for a longer time than usual. He stood behind the door, staring thoughtfully at the tiled floor.

Kouga let out a quivering sigh as he ruffled his hand through his messy hair.

His heart was pounding. He could hear it thumping violently in the silent and cramped bathroom.

Right then and there, he realized the reason as to it was pounding—and Kouga wished he didn't know why.

Chapter Text

It was anxiety. It was stress and overwork from his studies. It was some kind of strange, demented by-product of his own loneliness. Kouga wanted it to be everything except legitimately empathizing with Inuyasha. Except...that was exactly the case.

Kouga's life as a college student had really hit rock bottom. The girl of his dreams wasn't into him, but instead, was more interested in her dickhead of a boyfriend. Kouga then gets his shit kicked by this said dickhead. The dream couple break up. Next, the asshole turns out to be his roommate. The kicker? After the two eventually give into reason and play nice, there now was an unexpected development in Kouga's feelings.

That being, his recent feelings for Inuyasha Taisho.

This has got to be stockholm syndrome...or something fucked up like that, Kouga fumed. That has to be it.

His fists curled tightly around the straps of his backpack as he trudged down the campus hallways. The footpaths he took around campus were nearly muscle memory at this point now. Though effortlessly sliding through bystanders and turning down hallways without a single thought, his eyes weren't focused on what was in front of him. It was almost as though his sight was clouded. Completely and utterly distracted.

By the time he reached the outdoor courtyard, Kouga hadn't realized an enthusiastic voice aimed in his direction. Kouga paused and searched for the body to match the voice, and within moments the culprit was found.

Jakotsu was perched on one of the courtyard's picnic tables, and at this point he was certain the guy had claimed this particular table as his own. Kouga decided he didn't really have anything else better to do other than go say hi—either that or, maybe he was actually starting to appreciate Jakotsu's company. Maybe. As Kouga neared closer to the table, he paused before taking a seat. He hadn't realized there was someone else sitting with Jakotsu. He looked familiar, and Kouga quickly placed him as one of Jakotsu's roommates. The guy had his eyes glued to his phone, though, so he couldn't exactly get a great view of his face.

"Koooouga~! Hiya!" Jakotsu beamed, twisting his body off the tabletop and adjusting himself into the actual picnic seat. Kouga smirked slightly. He gave a quick salute to Jakotsu and then peered over to the guy, figuring he'd greet him as well, but...his eyes were met with a pretty rough glare. Well, time to pack the friendly greeting department up for today. He settled for giving the guy a staunch nod, but it didn't really matter. His head jerked back to the phone's screen before Kouga moved even an inch of his neck. As Kouga settled in the seat, his attention focused back on Jakotsu.

"Hey...Jakotsu, how's it hanging?" Kouga said, feeling more weary than usual. He didn't know if exhaustion was the cause of his current mood spell, or the fact that he couldn't even remember the last time he had communicated with a human being face to face. If it was the latter, he could thank his schooling for that.

"Ahh, fine I guess! Can't complain." Jakotsu nodded, though his eyes drifted to the corner as if he was weighing on his words for a moment. Perhaps to check and see if there was anything he could actually complain about. Soon enough, Jakotsu peered over to Kouga again and grinned wildly. Kouga prayed to the heavens to help him prepare his mind, body, and soul for whatever was making Jakotsu smile like that.

"Sooooooo...how's the demon?"

"The...demon?" Kouga narrowed his eyes, thinking. He didn't have to do very much of that, though, because Jakotsu quickly cut him off.

"Ya know, your roommate." Jakotsu said, humorously wiggling his eyebrows and propping his chin on the palm of his hand.

"Oh. Him." Kouga forced a drawled out sigh. Yes, just the person Kouga was dying to talk about. He blinked afterwards, finding it strange that he was feeling slightly indifferent about Inuyasha now. Obviously, of course he knew all too well that he was feeling different about Inuyasha—but finding himself in a situation where he didn't actually want to spit on his grave was somewhat...mind blowing. Inuyasha was slowly becoming less and less like he initially imagined him, that cocky hard-ass—well, the guy was definitely still all that, but Kouga was beginning to see him in a less polarizing way. Perhaps, Kouga wondered, if Inuyasha's harsh and arrogant attitude was a coping mechanism for how he was raised? Hell, if Kouga was in the same boat, he'd probably turn out like Inuyasha, too. And if that was just how his brother treated him...well, he'd hate to see what the guy's father was like. Granted, Kouga couldn't excuse or sweeten the fact Inuyasha had done some inexcusable things, but it was more like—as much as the idea made him cringe—he honestly was beginning to understand his roommate.

"Well?" Jakotsus eyebrows piqued, and Kouga cleared his throat after the realization that he has been staring off into space.

"Oh, he's a pain in the ass as always." Kouga waved off with ease, keeping up the charade and ultimately causing Jakotsu to laugh. Soon afterwards, he readied himself to change the subject to something more relevant to Jakotsu's area of expertise. "To be honest, something did happen though. His brother came in our dorm."

Kouga wasn't one for gossip, so either his familiarity with Jakotsu was rubbing off on him, or he had a hunch he could learn a thing or two about the Taisho family from Jakotsu. Or...maybe, Kouga half admitted to himself; a bit of both.

"His brother?" Jakotsu asked, seeming legitimately confused.

Disappointment flooded Kouga, realizing that Jakotsu was completely unaware that Inuyasha even had a brother. This left Kouga momentarily stunned, fumbling around mentally in an attempt to figure out how to carry on the conversation. He didn't know whether or not to tell Jakotsu the whole truth of the situation, or then again, it was best not to tell him the entirety of it. Kouga's dilemma, however, was what and how much of it to tell Jakotsu.

However, a familiar voice spoke up, catching the both of them off guard.

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Bankotsu chimed in, sounding a bit miffed to not have been included in the conversation sooner.

"Oh! Well, remember that fight at our party everyone was talking about? The one with Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?" Bankotsu cocked an eyebrow, completely unamused and not at all phased by the incident.

"Well, Kouga was the guy he punched! Remember?" Jakotsu frantically pointed at Kouga, causing him to cringe inwardly. He'd just recently forgotten that incident existed, but never mind, there it was again, clocking him in the gut by Jakotsu's unsympathetic outburst.

There was a slight pause on his end, then a sudden and loud, "Ohhh, right. I see." Bankotsu's eyes quickly widened in realization.

"I haven't heard of anything about Inuyasha having a brother though...he must not go to this college." Jakotsu mumbled, more or less seeming to be talking to himself in deep thought.

"Yeah, I don't think so either. He looked pretty old; not too old, but old enough to be in his late twenties. He also had a suit on." Kouga chimed in.

"Oh, I see..." Jakotsu nodded and trailed. He thought for a moment, almost readying himself to, most likely, hurl Kouga a ton of questions, but Bankotsu unexpectedly spoke up.

"Wait a minute." He said, his eyebrows furrowing together. "If this is Inuyasha Taisho we're talking about...then his brother must be Doctor Taisho."

"Doctor Taisho?" Kouga and Jakotsu asked in unison.

"Yeah, you've never heard of him? He's a doctor at the hospital in Tokyo, but he got super popular after being interviewed on that TV program about his research on coma patients." Bankotsu paused for a moment before continuing, attempting to hide his prior excitement. "Sometimes if you watch that morning news channel on 16, he's practically a regular guest now." He shrugged, leaving the conversation lingering in the air for a good while.

"Huh, I see...guess that explains a bit." Kouga nodded, resigning from the topic at hand. Jakotsu, on the other hand, was completely stunned and seemed desperate for more answers.

"What?! Inuyasha's got a top notch doctor as a big bro?! No way..." Jakotsu's gaze flashed from Kouga to Bankotsu, his eyes completely lit with energy. It was like he had a million thoughts in his head, so he concentrated for a moment. Then, he turned to Kouga with a cheeky grin. "Say Kouga, was he good looking?

"Wow. Now you're interested in doctors. No surprise there." Bakotsu grimaced, crossing his arms. His eyes trailed somewhere far off in the distance, putting his sour mood on display.

"Aww, are you why are you so mad all of a sudden, Ban-chan? I guess you really hate rich people, huh?"

"Yeah, rich people. This is exactly what this is about. Idiot." Bankotsu quipped. He shifted his entire body away from Jakotsu, then lazily pulled out his phone. Kouga felt awkward, wondering if this was some kind of joke in between the two of them, but by the look of Jakotsu's bewildered and frustrated expression, it most likely wasn't. Jakotsu opened his mouth, but paused, stealing a quick glance from Kouga. It was almost as if the guy had forgotten he was at the table. Still, Kouga didn't want to force them to "play nice" just for him, so he stared at Bankotsu and then back to Jakotsu, making a brief nod. Jakotsu smiled just slightly, then rubbed at Bankotsu's shoulders.

"Baaan, you're too old to be throwing a temper tantrum! You're so easily jealous!"

"I'm not JEALOUS!" Bankotsu's head whipped around, then cleared his throat. "It's nothing."

Oh, he's SO jealous, and it's so totally NOT nothing, Kouga instantly thought to himself.

"Really? Is it really nothing?" Jakotsu's voice recoiled slightly, softer and less energetic. There was a lack of confidence in it, but there was something very loving in there.

At that realization, and the fact he was actually able to pick up on these kinds of things now for some reason, Kouga realized that this lover's quarrel was getting a little too personal for his liking. Unconsciously, he shifted in his seat and made an uncomfortable noise, and Jakotsu quickly took notice. He slapped Bankotsu bluntly on his back, causing the guy to finally acknowledge something other than his phone.

"OW?" He narrowed his eyes. Jakotsu completely ignored him.

"Oh! Anyway, Kouga, what were you going to say about his brother? Sorry, we kinda cut you off."

"Well, there wasn't much...it's just that there was a huge scene when he came over. He practically barged in and started yelling at him. I guess it was all because Inuyasha hadn't been contacting his family after Kagome broke up with him."

"Damn, that must have been a nice scene."

"Huh?"

"Because it's like seein' justice getting served. Ya know, eye for an eye...? With your eye and all." Bankotsu smirked, pointing at his own eye. He seemed to notice Kouga's embarrassment to the past incident, so he quickly continued before Kouga could. "Not that it's still showing or anything, I just remember Jakotsu saying you had a huge mark on it. Seems to have healed up good, now."

"Oh. Yeah, ha, I guess the guy had it coming." After uttering those words, Kouga's smirk suddenly started to fade. His brows pinched together while in thought. Still, it was a little hard to stomach. "I mean, hell, even though the insults weren't hurled at me, they were still giving me the shivers."

"Really? So Inuyasha's Ph.d holding brother is a scary guy too? Who knew..."

"I can picture it. He seemed like one of those cool, calculating bastards when I saw him on TV. Those kind of guys can always dish out the sick blows." Bankotsu rubbed his chin contently at the thought of his analyzations, leaning over on the picnic table. Jakotsu pondered the subject for a few seconds more before his expression grew slightly confused.

"Ha—wait a minute, you actually watch those lame health interview shows?" Jakotsu's head whipped around, now fully invested in his conversation with Bankotsu.

"It was only one episode, and hey, they're not that lame."

"Haha, well that's a development coming from Mr, 'I only watch sumo wrestling and baseball'."

"Shut the hell up Jakotsu."

"Ha. Make me." Jakotsu gave Bankotsu a sly, sultry smile. If he ever needed an example of what attraction looked like, well, there it was right in front of him. Good for them and all, but Kouga didn't want to be a third wheel in this development. Hell to the no.

"Weeeeell, looks like my next class is starting, so uh, gotta run!" Kouga was already out of the vicinity by the time he heard Jakotsu call out his quick goodbye to him.

While on his way back to his dormitory, for some reason, his mind flashed back to the conversation between him and Bankotsu. His words own replayed: "I guess the guy had it coming". Was that really how Kouga felt? Of course not. Kouga knew that full and well. If there was any reality check that Kouga needed, this conversation with Bankotsu and Jakotsu surely served that purpose. Not only because the pair were a perfect display of two guys having obvious feelings for each other, it also put Kouga's own feelings into perspective. The feelings of hatred he felt for Inuyasha weren't there anymore...and it'd morphed into something way past normal kinship.

They'd both been taking turns playing the asshole game, and at some point, the game gets boring. It gets pointless. A deep, dark thought inside of Kouga loomed, knowing that it was worth it to stop the game and break the cycle...but how could he even begin to do something like that?

Chapter Text

Track season was over. Well, track season had been over just over two months ago, to which Kouga was very well aware of. There was no room for rest when it came to college athletes—meaning, morning workout routines were still in session. Not that Kouga was necessarily complaining, but the very idea of waking up at 10 o clock was starting to seem like a crazy pipe dream for him at this was rising at 6 in the morning, and at the very latest; 6:30. It was seven in the morning, and Kouga had 30 minutes to spare before he planned to head down to the gym. Of course he knew full and well that there was no coach to berate and embarrass him in front of the team if he ended up arriving late—or even deciding not to come at all—but for some reason, the thought of his catty teammates cackling and whispering among themselves at the sight of Kouga's tardiness was even more traumatizing than his coach, period.

Not too long afterwards, Kouga stormed out of bathroom and scoped the room for his gym bag. He frantically zipped open all the pockets, checking to make sure he had everything with him, including his wallet and his water bottle, since he decided he'd stop for lunch after his work out. Despite being completely absorbed in checking the contents of his bag, he did pause after noticing Inuyasha slip into the bathroom right behind him. He hadn't realized the guy was already awake and ready for the day. Inuyasha never struck him as an early riser, considering he was always sleeping in late, but Kouga tried not to think much of it. He might have had a morning class for all he knew. Either way, Kouga knew trying to analyze Inuyasha was pointless, and he had to leave soon or else he wouldn't make it for 7:30. He slung his bag over his shoulder, ready to head out, when he heard the bathroom door creak open. Kouga's eyes bulged. Inuyasha was pacing towards him with a sour expression plastered on his face, and he...didn't have a shirt on. He was also holding a sock in his right hand, but that's not what Kouga was focusing on.

"Okay, just what kind of filthy animal leaves their socks everywhere? You wanna know why you can't ever find your socks anymore, Kouga?" Inuyasha raised the pair of white gym socks and waved it around. "Because they're hiding in between the clean towels in the shelf. How!? How do dirty socks get stuck in folded towels?!" Inuyasha huffed and finally dropped the pair of socks.

"Oh...those would be mine..." Kouga lightly chuckled, trying on a joking attitude while attempting to conceal his complete embarrassment. His clothes hamper was being held hostage at his brother's dorm, and he was positive that he wasn't getting it back at this point. He couldn't find the receipt for it and thus, couldn't prove he actually bought it. Inuyasha's hamper, on the other hand, was off limits. Inuyasha didn't believe in mixing dirty laundry despite the fact that they were all going to the same place anyway. Yes, Kouga loved being treated like a contagious leper.

After staring at his socks for a good while and deciding against stuffing them in his gym bag, Kouga quickly threw them up on his bunk bed. When he turned to Inuyasha, he was met with a look of complete confusion and shock. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone more efficient than you." His roommate deadpanned.

"Glad you think so." Kouga grinned, then turned back to his belongings on the floor.

"You do realize that wasn't a compliment, right?"

Kouga's hands stopped. He lifted his position slightly, turning to face Inuyasha again. He raised an eyebrow at his moody roommate. "You do realize that you've spoken to me more in these past five minutes than you have all week?"

Inuyasha didn't blink. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"It's not an insult, Inuyasha, it's just a simple observation."

"Meaning?" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow, edging on defense mode.

Kouga faltered. He scratched his neck, feeling somewhat nervous, then continued in a neutral tone. "Meaning you seem in...well, you seem like you're in good spirits."

Inuyasha blinked, completely taken a back by Kouga's statement. He looked neither pleased nor angry, but, if Kouga had to guess, he was probably leaning towards the "incurably pissy" direction.

"What?"

Kouga mulled over his words before leaping into anything else, trying to discern if his thoughts sounded insulting. He huffed, then opened his mouth again, faster than he really should of. He was completely tripping over his words before his real statement began.

"I uh, I just meant in a general sense. You know, uh, being lively...doing things...wearing better clothes—"

Inuyasha immediately looked down at his pants, which were just jeans, and then at his bare chest. He glanced back, giving Kouga a raised eyebrow. Kouga tried to cut in, murmuring "I don't mean—" But Inuyasha quickly spoke up over him anyway.

"As opposed to what?!"

"As opposed to the same damn hoodie and sweatpants, okay! Like, look!" Kouga gestured over to his jeans. "Jeans! Finally! It's like, look out world, Inuyasha's discovering a sense of casual fashion! But let's just hope to god he doesn't throw on that same damn red hoodie or we're all fucked!"

Inuyasha clenched his teeth. The sock that he was holding was completely balled up in his fist. "Son of a fucking bitch. Are you here just to make fun of me? Because if you are, I swear to God—"

Kouga deflated. He had to just out and say it. Say it or they'd both get into another fight, and they'd be right back to square one. Back to hating each other's guts.

"I mean you look happier." He rubbed the back of his neck. He built up the courage to look Inuyasha back in the eyes again, and he looked completely floored. He didn't know how to respond. "That's what I meant. I'm just glad to see that you seem...happy. That's all."

Motionlessly, the two of them stood in the middle of their dorm room. Inuyasha's eyes glinted with a tinge of hostility. He crossed his arms and kept his body completely still as he spoke, attempting to keep his cool composure.

"Didn't realize you cared." His roommate seethed.

Kouga's mouth hung agape for a moment, completely taken aback by his piercing statement. His hand hoovered over the doorknob. He could feel sweat forming on his back. He had to say something now, because he could feel Inuyasha's eyes drilling into him from behind. He knew Kouga heard him...and now, obviously, he had to give the guy an answer. Kouga swallowed, then cracked the door open. His movements slowed, becoming a perfect frozen statue while floating in between the door frame.

"I didn't realize I did, either. But I do."

Was all Kouga managed before finally sliding out of their dorm room and shutting the door closed behind him. He trudged down the hallway with his gym bag, thinking of anything else but his morning practice. Instead, he was thinking about the look on Inyasha's face before he left. The look Inuyasha gave when he realized that Kouga really did care about him. And Kouga couldn't help but wonder if Inuyasha was feeling the same way too.

Right now, an iron wall was being demolished in Kouga's life. It wasn't exactly that he was so distraught at the fact that he wasn't straight, because Kouga didn't exactly obsess over the idea of heterosexuality, or any sexuality, for that matter. He remembered fancying girls in his life, with Kagome as the most recent—but in an unfortunate way, he grew up thinking that's what he was supposed to do. To make matters worse, Kouga didn't exactly grow up as a social butterfly or anything. He was ostracized all throughout school, and only flourished when he finally met Ginta and Hakkaku. After that, there were more important things to obsess over other than relationships, like the fact he'd been thrusted into adulthood at the tender age of sixteen. It wasn't until his college years that he finally had the time to indulge in the idea of companionship. And only until recently, he realized that there were couples of the same sex thriving together—couples like Jakotsu and Bankotsu. It was an embarrassing to admit to himself that he'd never thought very much about the same sex, purely because he'd never had the chance to get close with anyone at all. But now that the tides were changing...well, there wasn't much he could do now that everything was all set and done. He had legitimate feelings for Inuyasha Taisho.

However, Kouga was a lone wolf, and sometimes, it felt like he was eternally destined to stay with himself and his pack. Just like it'd been with Kagome, he wasn't sure if these feelings he held towards Inuyasha were meant to blossom into anything concrete. He doubted the romantic feelings were mutual—Inuyasha and him could barely be considered friends. Yet, Kouga couldn't help but wonder...at the very least, could friendship between them be a possibility?

Kouga arrived at the gym a little earlier than he anticipated. He slid into the locker room and noticed a few of his fellow teammates already getting changed. As to be expected, they immediately noticed him, and Kouga had no choice but to return eye contact. He gave the fellow athletes a solid head nod and a quick "Yo", then returned to his side of the bench. The men returned to their activities and occasional chatting, to which Kouga was was always unable to absorb. As much as he enjoyed the general idea of competitive athletics, when it came to the teammates, he just couldn't connect. Sure, he was generally cordial and respectful, but the guys all came from different walks of life and already claimed their own inner cliques. It was an alienating concept now that he'd thought about it, but usually, Kouga was hardly bothered by things like this. But now, sitting on the small bench and leaning over to pull on his shorts, hearing those dull conversations and laughs echo off the locker's walls, he felt so disoriented. He wanted to leave. He felt sick.

RING RING RING...RING RING RING...

It took Kouga a good moment to finally realize the noise was coming from his own phone. Since when had he had he taken his phone off vibrate? He hadn't heard his ringtone in what felt like months. Kouga was no longer wearing his jeans, so he prodded the fabric, scavenging for his phone that was hidden away in some pocket, somewhere in there. He squinted at the unknown number on the screen. Nobody ever called him, really, aside from his brothers—but he felt like those didn't really count as phone calls. This was a true phone call. Quickly, Kouga shut his locker with his belongings and scurried out of the walkaway and into a more secluded area. It was hard, though, considering that there were guys changing all around. He hid himself in a secluded corner and answered the phone.

"This is Kouga." He said matter-of-factly, hoping to sound as cool as possible. There was a brief silence on the end, but he could tell someone was there. There was a slight hitch of a breath, or at least, something that sounded like wind.

"Kouga. It's Inuyasha." His roommate stated on the other end of the receiver, and Kouga had no time to process anything at all. Completely in shock and still idly standing there, wondering how Inuyasha got his number in the first place, Inuyasha continued with his conversation. "Uh, well there's been a...big development."

"Ohhh...kay." Was all Kouga could really manage. He glanced around the area, feeling a sudden sense of paranoia. He wasn't sure why, but he just preferred it if his teammates didn't seem him on the phone with Inuyasha. Not like they'd know who was on the other end—but it was a simple preference.

A silence passed the both of them, for one, two, then three moments. Inuyasha exhaled, then spoke back up again.

"So, I'm moving out." It was difficult for Kouga to read his emotions from that short sentence. Inuyasha had said it so...indifferently, to the point where it almost sounded as if he was irritated, or perhaps even the other way around. He could have been happy about it. "I just wanted to let you know in case you come back and I'm not there."

"W-Wait, so, already?" Kouga blurted. Moving was a pretty big deal, there was no way he could possibly move all his stuff in one day...was there? "I mean, that's a lot of stuff to move, you know?" He let out a nervous cackle, attempting to hide his inner discomfort. Inuyasha made a "hmm" sound on the other end.

"Well, I actually don't have that much stuff, you know." He corrected, and Kouga began giving it some thought while Inuyasha continued. "I didn't bring furniture of my own, and most of my clothes are pretty much in my duffel bag or the closet. And I only have a few personal items in the bathroom, but that's about it. It won't take that much time to move it, I mean, I already packed it up."

Kouga deflated. Inuyasha already packed everything? He'd only left the dorm just around thirty minutes ago, how could he have gathered his things so quickly? Either Inuyasha was lying about having packed everything up, or he'd been anticipating the moment he could finally move out...and was ready to leave as soon as humanly possible.

"...Oh. Okay." Was all Kouga could manage while his thoughts went racing through his head. All he could think about was getting up there before Inuyasha could leave. But even if he came, what would he do? Help him move? Why would he help Inuyasha do something that he was genuinely against?

"Yeah. So that's pretty much it." Inuyasha exhaled casually. "I just wanted to let you know in case you were wondering why the room looked so barren." He chuckled, but Kouga couldn't manage a laugh at all.

"Oh...yeah. Yeah."

A silence.

And then, more silence. Inuyasha was the first person to grow unnecessarily uncomfortable with it, so he let out a sigh over the receiver. "Well...guess that's all I wanted to say. So. Yep."

"Oh. Okay." Kouga exhaled. He felt as though something crucial was bleeding out of him.

"Yeah. Well, bye."

"...Bye..." Kouga said awkwardly, his voice sounding like the last bits of helium being squeezed out of a popped balloon. He stood in the changing room, frozen and momentarily dazed.

Inuyasha Taisho was walking right out of his life at that very moment. A few weeks earlier, this would have been the only thing he wanted for Christmas.

But now...he felt as though he couldn't let that happen.

In an amount of time worthy of breaking a world record, Kouga stuffed his bag in his gym locker, rushed out of the changing room—while still in casual clothes—then zoomed into the gym in order to locate the team captain. He told him he had a situation with his roommate, and needed to skip practice, to which the captain seemed indifferent to and told him he "understood". Whether the guy was mad or simply just did not care either way, Kouga had no interest in figuring that out. Instead, he rushed for the elevator and headed towards the dorms.

***

"K-Kouga-? The hell?!"

Inuyasha's voice hitched, gawking at him like he'd witnessed the ghost of Christmas future. He was in the middle of zipping up a small carry-on suitcase, but by the looks of the state of the room, he was nowhere near complete with his packing. Inuyasha had definitely exaggerated himself over the phone—or, in other words: he had lied. Seeing that made Kouga feel somewhat relieved about the situation, even if that implication was far from ideal. "Don't you have track practice?"

"Yeah, technically..." Kouga trailed, his sight wandering at all areas of the dorm room. His breath wavered, still in the process of recovering from his brisk run to the dorms. As he panted, he surveyed the state of the room. It was a real horrendous mess, but he didn't comment on it. "But track season has been over for awhile now. We just practice at the gym to keep ourselves in shape. It's not serious." He said, then casually strolled in, watching the floor while he stepped over wayward outfits and bottles of shaving cream. Inuyasha was still frozen over his bag, eyeing him suspiciously. Kouga raised a questionable eyebrow at him, but Inuyasha just sighed in response.

"Kouga...why the hell are you back so soon?" He said with a slight tinge of irritation. Kouga felt a little offended that the guy wanted him out of the room so badly, but he tried his best to subdue his feelings. The last thing he wanted was a fight on their last day together.

"I came to help you move your stuff."

Inuyasha blinked. He seemed genuinely surprised, so for a moment, he didn't have a response.

"You don't need to do that. Miroku is supposed to swing by later and help me haul it over."

"Miroku doesn't live at the dorm. If I remember correctly, he lives all the way past the train station."

Inuyasha shrugged. He grabbed some clothes that were on a pile beside him. "Yeah, but he doesn't mind."

Kouga sighed, taking a moment to compose his words. He finally stared down at Inuyasha, letting his words ooze out softly. "It's okay. I'll help you."

Inuyasha looked floored. Kouga was beginning to wonder if he'd broken the guy with his new found acts of kindness. He was speechless, up until the moment something must have turned in his head. His expression grew sour again, the same old disdain he usually showed Kouga. He braced himself for whatever Inuyasha was about to hurl out at him, no longer feeling the will to fight the guy anymore. He just wanted to be as cordial and honest as possible, but it was difficult, knowing himself. He didn't like to lose a battle...and Inuyasha was the exact same.

"You don't have to feel sorry for me." Inuyasha snapped. He stood up from his position on his floor and turned his gaze away from Kouga. "It's fine, so you don't have to help me."

"Sorry for you?" Kouga repeated. He narrowed his eyes, feeling irritation slowly sinking into him. "Are you trying to say that I should feel guilty about something?"

"Yes. It's a legitimate reaction. I'm leaving our dorm, you'll never see me again, so you feel guilty about what happened between us and you want to help me." Inuyasha shrugged, nonchalantly folding different outfits on his bed. "Explains why you've been so nice to me recently, anyway."

Kouga was fuming. Although he slightly understood where Inuyasha was coming from, Kouga felt offended that his genuine reactions towards the guy were being brushed off as purely a "guilt response". Sure, playing nice didn't exactly come naturally for Kouga, but he wanted to get along with Inuyasha. And the most frustrating thing of all—he had no idea how to make Inuyasha believe how genuine he really was.

Kouga took a few steps towards the bunk bed, trying to get within Inuyasha's range since he'd turned his back on him. "Inuyasha, might I remind you that YOU that YOU were the one that punched ME in the face at the party!" He raised his voice, not quite angry, but more of a tone filled with desperation. "I have no reason to feel guilty about anything! If anyone, you're the one that needs to feel guilty—but that's besides the point!"

Inuyasha froze, narrowing his eyes. He finally made eye contact with Kouga and he defensively crossed his arms. "Then what is your point? Why do you want to help me?"

"Because I—" Kouga stopped himself from saying anything too embarrassing. "Because I'd be a dick if I let you haul all your stuff out of the room and I didn't even help you do something. And I don't want you to accidentally take anything that's mine. Like my socks, I mean, my socks are everywhere—in fact, there might be some under the uh, uh, under your bedspread." Kouga frantically pointed over to the wall where the bed sat against, but Inuyasha's gaze didn't budge from staring at Kouga. He regretted saying it, so he broke the eye contact between them. He cleared his throat and sighed. "That and, well, I want to help you. Duh. Why would I force myself...to do that if I felt guilty..."

Inuyasha's face was blank for a good couple of moments, absorbing Kouga's words, before eventually smiling. Truly smiling. It'd been the first time Kouga saw him do that.

"Oh. I get it now." Inuyasha chuckled and shook his head. "You're going to miss me."

Kouga deeply inhaled. He crossed his arms and sighed. "Well you said it, not me."

"Can't imagine why. All we ever do is argue."

Kouga's mouth twisted. "Not...all the time."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Kouga sighed in response.

"Fine fine, you make a good point." He continued rolling the suitcase over to the rest of Inuyasha's things. "But...I do think that under different circumstances...things could have been different between us."

There was a considerable silence before Inuyasha finally spoke again, this time, much more softly. "Just because I'm moving to another floor doesn't mean we can't still...talk, you know."

"It's just not the same if we're not roommates."

"I guess." Inuyasha glanced down. "But...it doesn't take away the fact that we are cool now, I guess."

Kouga regretted that he couldn't say it. Inuyasha translated his feelings as "Kouga will miss me being around", which was true, but it was only a part of of the big picture. "I don't want you to leave", is what was really in his heart. Of course, if he'd said that, Inuyasha would have freaked out and probably would avoid him forever. This was the best option out of a pretty bad situation, so Kouga had to deal with it.

***

By the time Miroku arrived, Inuyasha was already making his way to his new dorm room, and Kouga was sitting on the crappy desk chair, idly staring at the empty room and entertaining useless thoughts. While wondering if Inuyasha's new room had the same shitty furniture, he hadn't noticed someone was knocking on the door right until the guest in question let himself right in. He snapped himself out of dreamland and witnessed Miroku breezing into the room. The monk glanced around the room, slightly startled.

"Ah...Kouga! Is...Inuyasha...?" Miroku's expression dropped once he noticed how deflated Kouga looked. He tilted his head. "You okay, Kouga?"

"Me? Oh-yeah!" He rose from the chair, then cringed once he felt like something had broken inside of it. He would have to lay that chair to rest very soon. "Inuyasha is...well, he left."

"He left?"

"Yeah, he did." Kouga crossed his arms. "You're kind of late, don't you think? We just got done packing everything away about an hour ago."

"Oh? Really? Ha..." Miroku rubbed the back of his neck nervously and chuckled. "Sorry about that! You see, I got a little caught up earlier and..."

"Uh huh. Sure. I'm sure you did." Kouga sighed, causing the monk to tense up just slightly. "It's okay Miroku, you can save your explanation to Inuyasha. I mean, he's the one you made plans with." He let out a more easygoing smile while shrugging. While witnessing that, Miroku's mood seemed to ease just slightly.

"Right, right." Miroku breathed out a sigh of relief. After a moment of thought, he quickly clapped his hands together, as if just remembering something. "Ah! You know what Kouga, I don't think we've ever really bonded with each other!"

"...Bonded?"

"Yes, yes. We are men, after all! There's just some things I can't do with Kagome or Sango, you understand?"

"Uh...things, you say? Not sure I like the sound of that..."

"Don't be such a downer, Kouga! You must learn live a little!" Miroku laughed heartily, patting Kouga on the back quite a few times. He began to lead him away from his spot in the corner of the room, and more towards the door's entrance.

"I'm not sure if I trust you, even if you are a monk..."

"Hehe, just think of it as fine wisdom from your fellow austere friend." Miroku raised his hands up to his face in a praying gesture, bowing ever so slightly. This caused Kouga to laugh, and also succumb to whatever the guy had in store for their evening.

***

"So...how do you feel about Inuyasha leaving?"

Was the first thing Miroku asked once they'd settled down. His hand rested against his chin, staring at Kouga with intense interest.

To this, Kouga nearly chocked on his drink.

So far, his night out with the lecherous monk had really been quite something. When they had reached the train station, the pair stopped at the restroom, and right in front of the mirror, Miroku slipped out a silky, short black wig and began fastening it on his head. Kouga gawked, and in response, Miroku just smiled mischievously. He was too shocked to even make fun of the guy or comment on it, so they went about their trip as normal. Miroku lead Kouga through a few train rides, taking him over to a neighborhood he'd never quite ventured into. It was a lively place somewhere near the outskirts of Yokohama. It wasn't quite as boisterous as some of the night-dwelling places in Tokyo that Kouga had been to, though. The city goers were reserved and relaxed. He had to say, the place had some charm, which was a choice much to be expected from a guy like Miroku. The pair settled down in a jazz bar called "Scouts", and due to it's slow patronage, they didn't even have to wait five minutes before getting a drink of their choosing.

"I..." Kouga slowly began, attempting to respond to Miroku after his incredibly invasive question about Inuyasha. "Don't know." Was all he could manage. Miroku looked extremely disappointed, even sighing with exasperation.

"Come on, Kouga—you can't seriously be lying to a monk, can you?" The monk, Miroku—who right now, looked like the furthest thing from a monk—grinned mischievously. "I think I know exactly how you feel."

"I'm not lying." Kouga backpedaled, chuckling all while looking everywhere but the guy's face.

"Yes you are, Kouga." His tone was flat. It almost made Kouga inch back slightly, if that was really possible to do in such a small chair.

Kouga's lips thinned, his palms sweaty against the cold glass. Without a response, Miroku continued anyway. He sighed.

"You and Inuyasha are so similar."

"We are?" Kouga cocked a doubtful eyebrow.

"Yes. Stubborn, hot headed, aloof, competitive..." Miroku bounced his head slightly at every word he announced. Kouga cringed at all the traits, feeling completely criticized.

"Gimme a break..." Kouga growled, taking a swig of his drink. The alcohol stung.

"You two love to hide how you truly feel—especially to yourselves."

"Where are you getting with this?" Kouga scowled, becoming more irritated as the personality analysis droned on.

Miroku laughed. "Oh, that's exactly something Inuyasha would say, too!" Kouga passed him a defiant glare, and the monk swallowed down another sip of his drink before continuing. "Quite simply...I can tell you're capable of more than you think you are."

Kouga furrowed his brows, now more confused than anything else. When did this monk suddenly become a fortune teller? Wasn't this guy getting a little too loose with his alcohol? Kouga feared he'd have to try to get this guy home somehow if he got too drunk...

"Before you met all of us, I could tell you were stuck in your shell. But now, you're talking to more people, you're expressive, engaged in conversations...you're definitely blossoming."

"...I guess."

"You wouldn't believe it, but Inuyasha was just like that. This exact same thing happened to him."

Kouga perked up. "Oh?"

"And now, when you look at Inuyasha...doesn't he remind you of someone? Perhaps, a place, or more so—a state that you were once at in your life?"

Kouga's eyes widened slightly. His thoughts drifted to Inuyasha, curled up on his bed, huddled over the desk and losing himself in his homework. Of course, he'd thought that he pitied the guy—he did—but he also empathized with him. The complete shut in that the guy had become when they'd lived together, the resemblance was uncanny. It reminded him of how he'd been throughout his school life and college.

"I mean, yeah, Inuyasha's been depressed. Since the breakup and all. I know how that feels, I've been there." Kouga shrugged, not trying to sound too enlightened by Miroku's revelation. The monk nodded in response.

"Right, you know how he feels. You understand him."

"I...wouldn't go as far to say...that..." Kouga trailed, feeling his face flush slightly. He didn't understand why Miroku was so dead set on talking about Inuyasha. Weren't they supposed to be bonding? What was the point of spending the whole night talking about one particular person? "Anyway, okay you made your point. I'm kind of like Inuyasha. Big deal. We're cool with each other now, but it's not like we're going to be best buddies."

Miroku took a sip of his drink. "That might be so. Anyway, that's not exactly what I wanted to talk about."

"Is that so?" Kouga uttered with a slight aggravation. He could tell the whiskey was getting to the monk slightly, due to his unstable conversations, but composure wise, the guy was cool as a cucumber.

"To put it bluntly—something happened to Inuyasha a year ago, and none of us really know what it was exactly. It's a very sore subject for him."

There was a dead silence. Kouga stared at Miroku, who's sight was focused somewhere else, most likely recalling an event. Kouga kept staring at him, hoping for some kind of follow up, any kind of information...but the conversation still hung dryly in the air. Kouga swallowed, leaning in closer.

"Does it have anything to do...with the arranged marriage?"

"It might." Miroku's eyes looked pained. "Like I said, we just don't know."

"Helpful." Kouga groaned, reaching back for his drink. Miroku stared at him, relaying a slight smirk.

"Although, all I know is...I have a feeling it has something to do with her—Kikyo, his ex-fiance, and a professor."

"...A professor?" Kouga leaned in, his interest becoming piqued. Now that he was thinking of it, he remembered that Kagome had mentioned something like that when he'd witnessed them squabbling at Jakotsu's party. Something about what happened with a professor...although, he'd already forgotten the name.

"Like I said...Inuyasha changed." Miroku gestured as he put emphasis on the word, changed. "The guy you know as your roommate—Inuyasha was nothing like that a year, or even, two years ago. Inuyasha was quite gifted."

Kouga raised an eyebrow. He felt a little miffed that Miroku's conversations were just so damn hard to keep up with. He hadn't even elaborated on the professor or the relationship with this so called "Kikyo". Anyway, the tipsy monk was his only source of information. He doubted he'd have access to this when he was sober.

"I'm not sure if you're aware—Inuyasha Taisho is from a very prolific family. After all, his father is a dean of the university, and his brother is a renowned doctor who specializes in neurology. For a long time, he was prim and proper. He wasn't completely outgoing. He was reserved, but cordial. Although he may have not had much charisma, Inuyasha was a perfect example of an upstanding student, opportunities laying way for him, and his studies were top notch."

"...Until Kagome came into the picture?"

"Sort of." Miroku's head tilted a bit. "There's a missing puzzle piece in that time period. Something happened—still unknown to us—and then Kagome came into the picture." His finger pointed on the table, as if to illustrate some kind of timeline. Unfortunately, Kouga was seeing anything except a finger.

"I see. Very interesting, Detective Miroku." Kouga smirked, rubbing his chin. "Buuut I think you've had a bit too much to drink."

"Ahhhh." Miroku groaned with exaggeration and lowered his shoulders. "You're no fun, Kouga! And here I thought we were both gonna get totally wasted."

"Jeez, is that your idea of bonding? Sounds irresponsible."

Miroku only chuckled in response. The conversation soon cleared, and Kouga was taken in by the ambiance. He watched older men sit and drink calmly with each other. He watched the jazz band playing elegantly. He wondered why Miroku had never thought to invite Sango or Kagome, or at the very least, Sango particularly. They seemed close on a level where it wouldn't seem too romantic...or then again, would it?

Once he turned over to Miroku, figuring out what exactly to bring up next—he was faced with the monk doing something incredibly unholy. He'd just slipped a cigarette from a box, then raised a lighter to begin smoking. The cigarette lit up brightly, then carrying a thin, white wisp of smoke hanging in the air. Kouga gawked.

Finally, Kouga built up the courage to ask this man a question he'd wondered for so long. It was a curiosity that only grew even larger due to this unplanned evening.

"Miroku...why did you become a monk?"

The man's eyes shifted at Kouga's words, possibly unprepared for that sort of question. He took a long drag of his cigarette for a moment, then let it rest in between his fingers after blowing out the smoke. He shrugged.

"It's nothing dramatic. My family owns a Buddhist temple, I was the only son and became a monk while taking over the business." He stopped, then grinned. "...Is the short version to it."

"Then...the long version?" Kouga raised an eyebrow. Surprisingly, Miroku answered without any hesitation.

"I had a troubled childhood. I got into a lot of fights, I was immature and never thought properly about what I wanted to do. So by the time I graduated high school, my parents gave me an ultimatum: I either move out, or I take over the temple." Miroku chuckled. His eyes glistened slightly at the thought of the memory. "I was completely lazy. I didn't want to go to college, and I didn't want to get a job, so I just decided to be a monk and help out at home."

"...Wow. That's..."

"Uneventful? Yeah. The short version sounds better."

Kouga smirked, not quite agreeing nor disagreeing. He supposed a personal anecdote was the way it was—if it happened, there was no other way to spin it to sound "better". But Kouga decided he wouldn't waste his words over explaining that.

"Anyway...so you did go to college eventually, right?"

Miroku's lips thinned into a tight line. His cigarette hoovered over his mouth, not yet sucking in the smoke. "No, I didn't."

Kouga faltered. "Sango mentioned you...went somewhere else for college, though?"

"...Yeah, uh." Miroku rubbed the back of his neck, seeming nervous. "I lied. Don't tell her."

Kouga blinked. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Drinking, smoking, flirting, wearing wigs...uh, Miroku, I'm almost ready for you to come out and say you're not even a monk!"

Miroku keeled over on the table, rubbing his temples and groaning. "Kouga, I never said I was a saint..."

"Yeah, yeah...just don't catch yourself lying too much to Sango. She's a nice girl...but she seems to have quite a temper."

Miroku could only help but laugh. When he was done, it was almost starting to sound a bit painful. Perhaps he was coming down with a headache...or maybe, the monk had indeed, lied much, much more to Sango than Kouga realized. "That, my friend, is valuable advice."

Kouga's expression warmed from the moment. Miroku ended up being right—this was quite a bonding occasion. It felt nice doing something different, and also talking with someone else. His heart felt heavy, however, once he remembered that once he returned to his dorm, he would be alone or most likely, a new roommate might have settled in. Better yet, he felt even worse knowing that Inuyasha would probably have a much better time with his new roommate. From the looks of it, the guy was a complete hippy, very easygoing and chill. The complete opposite of what Kouga was.

If only things didn't happen the way they did at Jakotsu's party. If only they could all drink merrily—him, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Inuyasha—and just be friends.

He turned over to Miroku, who was smoking out the last bit of his cigarette, considering asking the monk how he should go about talking to Inuyasha now—but, suddenly, there was a ringtone. The two of them paused. It was an electronic, traditional Japanese sounding ringtone—definitely not Kouga's. Miroku realized this was his, so he fished around in his pockets and brought out his phone. The monk's eyes bulged once he read the name, and gave a little surprised glance over to Kouga, which startled him. "I suppose it's a little too late to say, speak of the devil..." Miroku murmured under his breath. He pressed a button and laid the phone over his ears.

"Oh, Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Miroku focused his attention on the call and turned himself slightly away from the table.

Kouga's interest piqued. Inuyasha was, right as the two of them were sitting right there, calling Miroku at that exact moment. He wondered if this was a regular thing for them—casually exchanging conversations over the phone. Then again, Kouga found himself thinking that was a stupid assumption. Inuyasha and Miroku were friends—obviously, they called each other from time to time.

Kouga could hear a loud voice on the other end of the phone, like he was slightly irritated over something. Probably the fact that Miroku never showed up to help him pack his bags. Miroku's eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows furrowed into confusion as the conversation droned on the other end.

"Wait...what do you mean...trouble?" Miroku scratched behind his ear. "Pests as in...literally or metaphorically? Listen Inuyasha, I'm just asking, because you're not elaborating on this very well, ah..." Miroku's eyes darted over to Kouga, and Kouga tilted his head in response. The phone distanced itself from Miroku's ear ever so slightly as Miroku was giving his table partner more attention. He furrowed a brow at Kouga, insinuating that whatever was being talked about was crazy. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you...sorry I just got caught up earlier. I'll be over in like an hour. Just hang tight until then...yeah...see ya..." Miroku sighed with exasperation as he clicked a button on the phone and shoved it in his pocket. Kouga furrowed his brows, desperate for answers. Miroku just shrugged and smirked.

"Apparently...there's trouble in his new room."

"...What? What do you mean?" Kouga was completely flabbergasted. His first thought was...Inuyasha was really something, that was for sure. Had he already made enemies with his new roommate?

Miroku tensed before finally explaining what he'd heard on the other end of the line. "I can't...really be certain...but it sounds like there's something he can't deal with in the room."

"...Something?"

Miroku just gave yet another knowing smirk. God, was this monk such a devious hard ass, sometimes. Kouga was certain he'd figured out his newfound interest in Inuyasha and was now using it completely against him, perhaps for his own sly amusement. To this realization, Kouga tried his best to keep a straight face...but neither of them budged in the conversation. Eventually, the monk sighed and glanced down at his watch. His eyes bulged.

"Oh...you know what," He stared up at his table mate. "I forgot I have some business waiting for me at the temple. At this rate, I might be late."

"...You're kidding me, right?" Kouga deadpanned.

"I'm afraid not." Miroku sighed and slowly stood up from his seat. "My apologies, Kouga, but it looks like our fun will be coming to a close for now."

"...Are you sure you'll get home safely? You drank quite a lot..." Kouga trailed, and Miroku waved a dismissive hand in his direction.

"The temple is honestly just a ten minute walk from here." Miroku found himself shuffling in his pockets and placing the payment on the table. "Do you know your way to the dorms from here?"

Kouga sighed and rubbed his neck. "Not by memory...but I guess I'll manage." The monk was putting him in a position here, but he supposed he had a fun time, and was already coming to terms with it's natural ending. Now, Inuyasha on the other hand...

With the thought suddenly spurring into his head, Kouga turned to Miroku who was slipping on his jacket. "Wait, what about Inuyasha? Aren't you supposed to meet him?!"

To that, Miroku paused. It was almost like he'd completely forgotten about it. But then, Miroku gave Kouga a completely cheeky grin, staring Kouga down.

To this wordless look, Kouga blinked in complete astonishment and felt his newfound anxiety swelling inside him.

Chapter Text

When Kouga arrived at his dorm complex, he hadn't decided whether or not he'd visit his own room first, or Inuyasha's. Naturally, he wanted to go into his own room first—but he wondered if there was really anything he needed. Which, in reality, there wasn't a single thing. Logically, it'd be better to visit Inuyasha's room and get that out of the way, then depending on whether or not he was there and even needed his help, he'd take the elevator over to his own room and be done for the night.

As the indicator light lit up to his current floor, that was what Kouga had decided on. He hadn't, however, expected to find a frazzled and irritated Inuyasha hauling a duffle bag inside the elevator lift.

It took him a moment to even get on the lift. So many seconds had passed that the elevator doors were beginning to close. Inuyasha struggled out of the grasp of his duffle bag and attempted to hold the door open—but froze as well once he realized Kouga wasn't just some random stranger. Kouga's mind kicked back into reality, and he stuck his foot out, causing the doors to jerk back open, and he slipped into the lift.

“...You're out late.” Inuyasha then sniffed the air, quickly wrinkling his nose. “Smells like you had fun.” The message could have been positive, but oh, how Inuyasha loved to use that tone of voice of his.

Kouga frowned, and as the elevator began rising a floor up, he averted his glance. He tried, as discreetly as possible to smell himself—and supposed that maybe he smelled...only slightly like booze.

“...Yeah...” Kouga trailed, now glancing back over to Inuyasha who had crossed his arms in the corner of the elevator, staring at the buttons. Kouga took the opportunity to glimpse at whatever was going on with his downright messy appearance. Although he'd tied his hair into a half ponytail, it was still frazzled, as if he'd rolled around on the carpet for a solid five minutes. Aside from a perfectly casual outfit, his footwear was bizarre. He was wearing shower slippers—or at least, what Kouga knew were actually regular slippers Inuyasha had turned into shower slippers, due to their use being restricted for only the bathroom. Something about how he didn't trust being barefoot in a shower with an “athlete”, which, deep down inside, Kouga took a little offense to. Kouga assumed that if he was wearing these slippers, he had just slipped out from recently taking a bath. Although, since Inuyasha was still wearing them...Kouga was slightly relieved at that sight, knowing the shower slippers weren't anything personal. Inuyasha, in general, simply didn't trust showers anywhere.

Kouga cleared his throat once he realized he was boring holes into Inuyasha's body. “Miroku can't make it tonight, by the way.”

Inuyasha's head slowly craned in Kouga's direction. His eyes bulged out of his sockets, completely floored. Kouga had almost regretted even letting those words slip out of his mouth, but for some reason...Inuyasha's reaction sort of gave Kouga a gleeful kick.

“You went out drinking with Miroku?!”

Kouga couldn't help but grin, just a little. Or maybe it was a full on grin. He couldn't have been sure. “Jealous?”

“Don't flatter yourself, moron.” Inuyasha groaned. He readjusted his bag that was beginning to slip off his shoulders. “I had a feeling he was out doing something fun, but he flaked out on me to hang with you? Jeez, that monk is getting desperate.”

Kouga chuckled. “So, in other words...you're jealous?”

“Fuck's sake.” For some reason, it almost sounded as though Inuyasha was trying to be serious, but he could hear a laugh slipping through his voice as well. He wasn't sure what was winning the tug of war...but the fact he finally roused that kind of response from the guy gave Kouga a little confidence boost.

“It's okay roomie. It'll be a secret between us roommates.”

Inuyasha gave Kouga a leer. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Sounded like you were having dorm problems.” Kouga then gestured at Inuyasha's bag on his shoulders. “After all...you've gotta be taking that bag somewhere. And look, we're waaay past your floor. Who's room are you going to?”

“I'm going to the dorm manager's office. Did you forget she's on the same floor as yours?”

Inuyasha was lying out of his ass. Kouga had to hand it to him—he was pretty convincing nonetheless. He probably would rather be caught dead than to admit he was bunking back with Kouga, or worse, ask for his permission to come strolling back in.

“You really want to bother her again?”

A staunch silence lingered between them. Soon enough, the elevator doors opened to a familiar floor. The two of them casually walked out, loosely following each other's gait, and also going in the same direction. Inuyasha sped up his pace once the manager's office was the next door ahead, but Kouga quickened his steps in no time. 

“You can get it figured out tomorrow. Just...crash in my room.” Kouga shrugged his shoulders, trying to act a nonchalant about the whole ordeal, but deep inside, he was reeling in anxiety.

Inuyasha blinked. “You're really drunk, aren't you?”

Kouga's mouth went dry. He averted his gaze to the wall on the left of him before finally winding up the courage to say what's been on his mind for the past few days now.

Kouga sighed, then crossed his arms.

“We...got off on the wrong foot. Let's just start over.” He let the words roll off his tongue, then stared at Inuyasha. Afterwards, a silence passed between them. Inuyasha opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it. It took him another moment before he ended up being able to look Kouga in the eyes again.

“...Okay. But on one condition.”

“Condition?” Kouga blurted, but quickly continued before Inuyasha could answer. He cocked an eyebrow. “What exactly would that be?”

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment. He opened his mouth, knitted his eyebrows, then closed his mouth again—as if he'd reconsidered what he was going to say. Afterwards, out of resignation, he adjusted his bag over his shoulder and turned around.

“That you don't ever call me a stupid name like 'roomie' ever again.” 

Kouga was stuck, frozen still behind him as he watched Inuyasha pace further up the hallway. It took him a moment to absorb his words, and when he did, he started to chuckle. 

“Sure man, whatever.”

***

As it turned out, the “pests” that Inuyasha had been referring to the night he called Miroku were literally insects. For some reason or another, that dorm was crawling with centipedes, but the roommate Inuyasha had was an incredible pacifist (a bonifide hippie, as Inuyasha put it) and didn’t believe in harming insects, so he never got the situation taken care of. Learning this, Inuyasha freaked out and “noped” out of there. However, the only other person he could rely on...was his former dorm, and at this point, he was ready to give up his pride when it came to creepy crawling centipedes. “I just can’t deal with a guy like that!” Inuyasha grumbled, and Kouga gave him a look. He smirked to himself, thinking, “Well I guess that means he can deal with me now, huh?”.  And honestly? Kouga was more than okay with that, so he decided to not rub it all in Inuyasha’s face, and, as subtle as Kouga’s pride could allow, welcomed his old roommate back with open arms. 

The rooming situation sorted itself out with an unexpected ease. So much so, that Kouga had even forgotten that there'd been a moment where Inuyasha was even going to leave. Inuyasha’s roommate had no problems with another switch, and so he was back to rooming with Kouga. Just like that, it was quickly forgotten by everyone, and a strangely, a time of peace ascended on everyone. This was mostly due to the hustle and bustle of exams as the semester rolled on. But during each of these pockets of testing, Kagome’s friends would usually have a little get together. One particular night at Sango’s apartment, Kouga arrived late to the gathering. He hadn’t expected to stop by, due to an assignment, but surprisingly, he managed to finish it with enough time to spare. He gazed at the empty room and felt restless when he realized that Inuyasha wasn’t there. There’d already been two different parties Kouga skipped out on, he gave excuses that he was too tired from training or that he still has to study, but the real reason was that Inuyasha was usually off doing something else on his own, and Kouga preferred to be in the dorm to catch Inuyasha when he returned from whatever he was doing. But this time around, Inuyasha had finally decided to go to these gatherings...and Kouga was curious to see what Inuyasha was doing while he wasn’t around. Kouga got up, locked the dorm, and headed up to the subway to make his way to Sango’s apartment.

No doubt about it, his heart was pounding by the time he reached the door. He could hear the chatter and a very faint sound of a television emanating from the door. The longer he listened, the more he could recognize the voices piercing through. However, it became apparent to him that he was only waiting to hear one particular voice on the other end...and when he heard it, his heart pounded even more. Kouga hated feeling so anxious, but he made himself believe that he was just nervous to be the last one to drop into the party. Like trying to rip off a band-aid, Kouga forced himself to get it all over with. Despite his initial anxiety, he remained his usual cool and collected self when Sango let him in the apartment. He said his greetings to Kagome and Miroku in the kitchen, and finally got to meet Sango’s younger brother, Kohaku, who then quickly leapt off to go do his own thing in his room. Sango insisted that Kouga grab something to eat, and Kouga took her up on that offer. Although the grilling was over, Sango still managed to keep the leftovers warm. While alone in the kitchen, he took a little extra time to stuff as much vegetable tempura, grilled squid, and yakitori he could fit on his plate. When he finally entered the main room of the apartment, Kagome was in the middle of a conversation, but she trailed off a bit when she noticed Kouga’s presence behind her. 

“Ah, there you are!” She waved. “There’s a seat open, right next to Inuyasha.”

Kagome and Inuyasha were both sitting on the floor, and Kagome’s legs laid underneath the kotatsu. Miroku and Sango were both seated on the couch, which was spaced far enough to give a bit of room for those sitting on the floor, but still close enough for an intimate conversation. 
“Oh, okay.” Kouga stated somewhat flatly.
Inuyasha glanced over only briefly. He looked mildly indifferent. His eyes were glued to the television, and it seemed like he was the only one watching it. Meanwhile, as Kouga settled in, the conversation picked back up again, and Kouga tried to make sense of what they were talking about. From what he could gleam, they were talking about holidays and what kinds of places they’d like to sight see and visit. Kouga was still eating and adjusting to the whole atmosphere, and feeling somewhat...calm, at the moment. He could feel a bit of his worries subside.

Kouga was finally there. Finally a part of a tribe—among Kagome’s troop of friends. That was his goal. It was what he yearned for. And yet, now that he was here...well, that wasn’t quite right. Something was. Off. He eyed Inuyasha, who was calmly staring off into the distance. He hadn’t noticed the bottle in Inuyasha’s hand, and he was taking an occasional swig of his drink, then ruminating in it. Inuyasha wasn’t a part of the conversation. Why? Or...was Inuyasha always like this? Always aloof and alone?

Kouga felt something almost like his heart stopping. For the first time, Kouga found himself wanting to dig deeper into the real Inuyasha. The layer without all his pride. The true, raw Inuyasha that he’d sometimes see glimmers of but could never get close as to truly capturing. 

Suddenly, he saw Inuyasha turn his head towards him, and Kouga’s jaw clenched.

“Hn. I didn’t think you were coming.” Knowing Inuyasha for long enough now, that was his kind of greeting. But Kouga wasn’t sure what to say to that. 

“Well, I’m here now.” He dipped a piece of tempura into some tentsuyu and stuffed it in his mouth.

“Ah, Kouga, did you want something to drink?” Sango perched up slightly, probably attempting to stamp out any animosity between the former enemies. Kouga forgot that, aside from Miroku, nobody else really knew that despite their occasional bickering, he and Inuyasha were doing much better these days. He supposed that was just something they’d all learn in time.

“Oh, a drink, huh? I guess I could go for that. Is there something in the fridge?” Kouga placed his plate down on the kotatsu, then rose from his sitting position. Sango got up as well, probably trying to be hospitable, but a voice in the gathering cut through.

“Oh, I drank the last beer.” Inuyasha responded dryly.

“...What?” Sango’s eyes bulged. Inuyasha saw that, and a flash of guilt twinged in his expression.

“Y-Yeah, nobody else was really drinking, so...” He trailed, then narrowed his eyes as he stared up at Kouga.

“Besides, Kouga doesn’t need a beer, anyway. He can’t hold his alcohol all that well. I kind of really don’t wanna haul his drunk ass back to school.”

Kouga blinked, then gawked. “W-What?!” After a moment of stuttering, it took him a good while to fully form his words. “I can damn well hold my alcohol!! Besides, you’ve never seen me drink booze before, so where the hell are you getting that information from, huh?? From your ASS, that’s where it’s coming from!”

At that instant, Miroku released a huge fit of laughter. Kagome and Sango stared at the monk with complete bewilderment, and Kouga gave him a glare that screamed “Really? Is this a joke to you?”.

When Kouga focused back on Inuyasha, however, he was completely floored to see him grinning ear to ear. Perhaps it was a buzz from all the beers Inuyasha had apparently drank, or maybe Miroku’s laughter had become contagious, but some reason or another...Inuyasha was actually putting on an expression other than a scowl, and Kouga wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. 

“And what are YOU so smiley about, Inuyasha?! Huh? Don’t you even have a comeback?”

Inuyasha blinked, then his smirk faltered just slightly when he glanced back up at Kouga, turning his attention away from the television. He cocked his head sideways, feigning something of an innocent look.

“Sorry, were you saying something? I was too busy watching something that was actually funny.”

“Inuyasha, you little shit...” Kouga’s forehead twitched, and he clenched his fists together, trying to quell his frustration and embarrassment. Yeah, he could totally tell now that Inuyasha drank one too many beers. He was definitely a cheeky kind of guy when buzzed.

“Uhhh, Inuyasha...Kouga? Please no fighting....this is Sango’s place, remember?” Kagome meekly cut in.
Sango, on the other hand, was too busy rubbing her forehead, probably in an attempt to alleviate the headache that was starting befall her. Next to her, Miroku finally finished up his cackling, and released a quick sigh. He walked behind Inuyasha and Kouga, then smacked them both heartily on their backs. Inuyasha coughed from the sheer amount of force.

“I have the perfect suggestion for you two. How about you both run to the convenience store and grab a few more beers! I could probably crack one open myself. Let’s get this party started!” Miroku’s voice oozed with excitement, but the rest of the group stared at him with unease.

“Cracking one open yourself?” Kouga furrowed his brows.

“You know, Miroku, it’s very disparaging to hear that kind of thing from a monk.” Kagome deadpanned.

“...Should we really be calling him a monk at this point?” Sango chimed in, sighing.

***

“This is a pain in the ass.” Inuyasha groaned.

“...But you came out here, anyway, though.”

Inuyasha averted his gaze, and quickened his pace just slightly. Kouga followed suit.

The two of them weren’t far from Sango’s apartment, and had just started off on their short trip to the convenience store. Nobody was out on the street, so the entire neighborhood looked like a ghost town, but not necessarily in a bad way. The area Sango lived in was a pretty nice neighborhood, and according to her, there were a lot of families on this street, so Kohaku was never short of friends to play with. At this time of the day, however, it seemed like all the residents were turning it in for the night, judging by the lack of lights in the windows.

“Miroku’s always joking around, it’s better not to listen to him. For real, though; you really don’t need to follow me to the konbini.” Kouga assured Inuyasha. 

“...Whatever. I need some fresh air. Gotta get some of this alcohol outta my system.” Inuyasha waved his hand casually, like he was swatting away a bug of some sort. 

For a moment, Kouga didn’t respond, and the two of them continued walking down the serenely quiet street. 
“I didn’t really peg you as a drinker.”

Inuyasha’s gaze turned on Kouga, watching him curiously. 

“You say it like I’m some sorta alcoholic. I drink like any other guy would at a party.” Inuyasha shrugged, and Kouga glanced away, feeling a bit dumb for even mentioning it. He decided he wouldn’t explain himself. How else could he say it without sounding creepy, anyway? Kouga couldn’t tell him that he never saw him drink in their dorm, or that he noticed he has a high intolerance of smells, and all this watching over him lead him to make some particular assumptions about his habits. Obviously, Kouga would sound like an outright stalker. Which, of course he wasn’t...right?

“Speaking of Miroku, though...” Inuyasha started, and Kouga perked up. Inuyasha hardly really started conversations with him. Inuyasha slowed his pace as he turned to face Kouga. “What exactly have you been saying to him?”

“...Huh?” Kouga blanked out. “What are you talking about?” Kouga asked, but Inuyasha didn’t answer him right away. It took a few moments of Inuyasha collecting his thoughts, but he sighed and spoke up.

“Nothing really, I guess. He’s just being a bother. I thought maybe you told him something.”

“...A bother?” Kouga was dying from all the curiosity, and he hated how guarded Inuyasha was sometimes. “Uh, honestly though, I hardly talk to the guy. I think the last time I talked to him was...hmm, yeah, when we went out to drink that one time. It’s been awhile, though.” Kouga shrugged, and Inuyasha absorbed his words for a moment. Kouga watched him curiously.

“...I see. Hmm.”

Kouga decided to dig in, just a tiny bit. He supposed he had nothing to lose. “...How is he bothering you?”

For a quick moment, their eyes locked. However, Inuyasha quickly averted his gaze. “Nothing...really...” He trailed, then stopped himself. He stared at Kouga again, which caused Kouga to feel slightly uneasy. What exactly...was Inuyasha thinking about? What was he holding back? “It’s just that he’s meddling with my shit, I guess. Like, trying to make us get along. That’s probably why he wanted us to walk out here. Spending quality time together or something.” 

And yet Inuyasha decided to come out and accompany him anyway. All of this was giving Kouga too much hope. Hope...for what, though? What was Kouga hoping for? Or better yet—just how far was Kouga willing to take those hopes? Kouga’s thoughts got trapped in his chest, causing him to feel something being squeezed inside him. 

Kouga had decided. By any means possible, he was going to see where exactly Inuyasha stood in all this...even though he knew it’d be a terrible choice for his heart. “Maybe he’s meddling because you talk about how much you hate me.” He smirked, trying to play it all off as a joke. Almost immediately, Inuyasha tensed.

“You...” Anger seemed to momentarily flash across Inuyasha’s face. Kouga knew better than to let his emotions bubble to the surface.

“What? I was joking.” Kouga nervously laughed. “Unless...you really do complain about me when I’m not around, huh?” Kouga sighed. 

Suddenly, Kouga realized that what he thought was irritation in Inuyasha...was actually dejection. He watched Inuyasha’s face fall. And then, slowly, Inuyasha responded. “Awful lot of faith you have in me, I see.”

“I want to have faith in you, if that counts for anything.”

This seemed to surprise Inuyasha. His mouth twitched, hanging agape, unable to form any words.
Kouga hadn’t realized how intense he’d been staring into Inuyasha’s eyes...and then, his lips. He didn’t realize how close they were standing to each other. He didn’t realize how much closer he wanted to lean into him, how badly he wanted to convey something to Inuyasha, yet, he didn’t exactly know how to say it. 

Kouga also didn’t realize that they’d already reached the convenience store, and the two of them were awkwardly standing in the storefront. The automatic doors to the store slid open, and an elderly woman gripped a bag and was slowly making her way out the store. As the two of them finally snapped back into reality, they quickly moved out of the woman’s way. Kouga’s mind was fizzling out of control still, and Inuyasha seemed to glance at him with a look of suspicion. Completely flustered, Kouga muttered “I’ll be back” and raced into the store. 

Kouga wasn’t exactly surprised that Inuyasha didn’t follow him. The beer run inside the store felt like a strange, illusory fever dream—but somehow or another, he managed to pay for the case of beers and walk out. Initially, he didn’t see Inuyasha anywhere, and almost thought he’d left, but relief washed over him when he noticed Inuyasha walking towards him from another direction. Inuyasha’s eyes peered down to the case of beers.

“Jeez, you bought that much?” 

Kouga was surprised at just how...casual he was. Well, at least there wasn’t any awkwardness between them, he supposed, which was a huge relief on his end.

“Yeah, it’s only polite, anyway. After all, a certain somebody drank up all of Sango’s beer.”

“Psshhh, those weren’t her beers. She bought them for guests!”

Kouga groaned. “God, Inuyasha...could you be any more ignorant?”

Inuyasha scoffed. “Now you’re starting to sound like Sango and Miroku combined.”

“Uh, is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing?”

Inuyasha thought for a brief moment. “Well, I guess it’s a bad thing.” 

Kouga raised an eyebrow, but he let Inuyasha continue his train of thought. 

After a moment, he stared at Kouga. “I find that you say and do are...it’s almost like you’re only saying them to give off a good impression of yourself.” Inuyasha faltered for a moment, noticing Kouga’s still puzzled expression, then breathed in to continue. “It’s not like you aren’t... a good person or anything like that, but sometimes... it’s so obvious that you’re pushing yourself to be someone you’re not.”

“So...standing up for your friends is me being desperate?” Kouga answered almost without any second thought. It was a visceral reaction, despite him, deep inside, knowing very well that Inuyasha hit the mark. Kouga thought, look who’s talking—Inuyasha wasn’t exactly all that different than him, in that respect. Inuyasha was always concerned with his pride, keeping up appearances to look tougher than he was. However, he couldn’t bring himself to argue with Inuyasha, so instead, he waited. 

Inuyasha chuckled a little, looking down at the pavement. “I wouldn’t say desperate. There’s no need for you to be desperate, anyway. We accept you just the way you are.” When Inuyasha raised his head to gaze back at Kouga, he could suddenly feel his windpipe tighten. 

“I do, at least.”

Kouga heard his words, and swallowed. 

For the entire walk home, Kouga felt like he was living in a dream. Did Inuyasha really say such a thing to him? How could those words escape Inuyasha’s mouth, so elegantly, so tenderly? And yet, how could they both continue to casually walk back to Sango’s apartment, without any further word on that topic? Inuyasha was back to his brutish, harsh statements, along with Kouga’s edged rebuttals, and before they knew it, they were returning to the party at Sango’s apartment.

“Wowwww, I’m quite surprised you both came back in one piece.” Miroku wiggled his eyebrows as he opened the door to let them both in. 

Inuyasha worked up a groan, and was about to blow his lid off to the monk, but Sango quickly intervened and grabbed Kouga’s hand. For some reason, this caused Inuyasha to divert all his attention.

“Aww, I didn’t think you’d buy a whole case, Kouga! Here, take this money.”

Kouga chuckled, then waved his hand dismissively, causing it to release from Sango’s grasp. “Ah, c’mon Sango, I couldn’t take your money like that. It’s just a couple of beers, no big deal.”

Bemused, Sango laughed, but grabbed back onto Kouga’s hands, now much more tightly. “No, really Kouga, it’s my party, I’m the host, I should pay you back.”

Kouga’s expression started to falter, growing a bit slack. “No worries, it’s totally fine.” This only caused Sango’s voice to grow more firm, and her demeanor much more menacing. 

“Kouga. You’re taking the money.”

Kouga swallowed. Sango meant business. For the first time, he was growing quite intimidated by her. But...his pride...he couldn’t take money from her like this! Especially not after he’d already spent so much time into putting his foot down already!

“I...I’m not sure I feel comfortable...taking it...”

“What’s not comfortable? What’s not to understand???”

“S-Sango, uh...” Miroku, looking genuinely terrified, shifted his gaze to Kouga. “Kouga, you should take her money.”

“Um....” Suddenly, Inuyasha crept into the conversation and weaved his hand into Kouga’s, causing Sango’s hand to fall aside. He glanced at Sango, and then at Kouga. 

“I’ll take the money for him.”

“I-INUYASHA!!” Sango went from a look of sheer shock, to slow, pallid frustration. She sighed, then turned away from the entire scene. “Fine, whatever. Do what you want.” With that, Sango left the kitchen and stumbled into the next room, presumably where Kagome might have been sitting in. Miroku soon followed suit, but not before giving the two of them both a playful grin. He didn’t spend too long oogling them, because if he had, Inuyasha probably would have kicked him.

Now, with the two of them alone in Sango’s kitchen, Kouga sighed and tried to make sense of everything.

With no discernible expression on Inuyasha’s face, he stared at Kouga. “Hey. Did you want it?”

Kouga blinked. “Huh?” Inuyasha held out the cash that he took from Sango.

“What’s mine is yours, I guess.”

Kouga felt like he couldn’t breathe. Wait, Inuyasha was actually giving him the money? All carelessly like this? He wasn’t sure what was coming over him, but the very fact that Inuyasha was even doing this form him caused his cheeks to heat up just slightly. Quickly, he had to fight the urge to full on blush, and started opening his mouth.

“Uhh, thanks for the offer...Inuyasha...but I paid for the beer and....I don’t need Sango’s money.”

Inuyasha didn’t reply for a moment. He just smirked.

“Well then. Looks like it’s my money now.” With a mischievous expression, he wagged the folded bills in front of his face. After letting Kouga get a good look, he casually stuffed it in his back pocket.

“Y-You bastard...” Kouga mumbled, actually kind of regretting he didn’t take it.

***

The party roared on for three more hours. Kouga had ended up drinking far more than he should have, and due to the fogginess, he was mentally tuning in and out of everyone’s conversations. He stopped drinking afterwards and tried to sober up. He was right in the middle of hearing Kagome talking about her new boyfriend, although the name of the guy had escaped him. Something, however distracted him completely from the conversation at hand. There was a cold, gross and wet feeling sinking into his pants. Furrowing a brows, he peered down, and a large stain was collecting on the thigh of his jeans. Something spilled...and it smelled like beer. His gaze then leapt over to the person sitting beside him—Inuyasha. Inuyasha’s eyes widened, and he was frozen with shock, staring at Kouga’s thighs.

“Ohhhh shit.” Inuyasha glanced up at him. “That was an accident.”
“It’s.........fine.” Although, Kouga was just saying that. It was pretty uncomfortable, and there was even some liquid spilling on the floor.

He could hear Sango and Kagome talking in the background, mentioning something regarding towels. But Kouga wasn’t exactly paying attention. Somehow or another, Inuyasha found a towel nearby, and had already starting wiping up the liquid on his jeans. And this wasn’t just some kind of passive, brief blot with a towel. Kouga’s body went into full red alert. Inuyasha was touching him, massaging his jeans with that flimsy, stupid towel. He was practically making the stain worse! And not only that, Inuyasha wasn’t even looking at where he was rubbing—he was occasionally poking around at his crotch! Kouga cringed inwardly. This was bad. This was very, very bad, because it was kind of feeling good. A little too good. Kouga had to stop him. Immediately.

“Inuyasha, seriously! Stop it! You’re WAY too close!”

“What? I’m almost done. Just let me wipe it up.”

Kouga reached for Inuyasha’s hand. Inuyasha retracted it, furrowing his eyebrows with confusion, then continued to prod at his crotch with his unsteady drunk hands.
Kouga’s breath hitched a bit. “Inuyasha! You’re making it worse. I’ll do it myself, just, leave it—”
“Dude, why are you being so—” Inuyasha started, then stopped. His eyes widened, meaning that he finally understood the situation, despite his befuddled state. Very briefly, Inuyasha’s palm hoovered over Kouga’s bulge in his jeans. The two of them started at one another. Strangely, Inuyasha didn’t exactly look scared or embarrassed. His expression just seemed...neutral. Kouga was the first to look away.

“Fine. Uh... Whatever. I got most of it off.” Inuyasha said dryly. 
Kouga coughed. “Yeah, thanks.” 

Thankfully, due to their position behind the table, no one in the room could see anything. Sango peered in their direction.

“Oh, that’s good then. Don’t worry about it, Inuyasha.” Sango moved over to the corner of the room. She opened the door to a closet. “I have a steam cleaner, so I’ll just clean up the rug using that. Kouga, do you need to take a shower?”

Kouga cleared his throat. “Nah. I’ll just go home and do that.”

Miroku sighed. “I guess it is getting late. Will you two get home okay?”

Inuyasha shrugged. “We’ll be fine. Right Kouga?”
Kouga swallowed. “Yeah.”

***

Aside from hiding his lower torso with his jacket tied around his waist, the train ride home went by as normally as a train ride could possibly go. Kouga managed to sober up during their short travel back to the dorms. His erection had been pretty much gone now, in fact, it had kind of settled down a little after leaving Sango’s house, but he had covered himself up the whole trip back just in case. Inuyasha never mentioned a thing, and in fact, they barely said anything to each other. 

When they reached their rooms, the two of them continued not to say anything to each other. Kouga was getting tired and pretty much planned to check out for the night after a well deserved shower. He was in the middle of gathering his things when, suddenly, out of nowhere, Inuyasha casually spoke up. 

“So you actually get hard when you’re drunk?” Inuyasha chuckled, and Kouga felt as though he got whiplash. He thought that he misheard Inuyasha’s words, but after a long pause and the realization that Inuyasha was awaiting a response, Kouga was starting to freak out.

He didn’t know what to say. His face was going completely red. “I don’t get hard just from being drunk.”

“Oh, then what was that? I’m pretty sure I felt it.” Inuyasha asked, and he was keeping up this unbothered facade so well, and Kouga was starting to hate him for it.

“A reaction to someone’s poor attempt to dry off my pants. You just got a little too handsy, that’s all there is to it.” Kouga seethed, and Inuyasha let out a chuckle.

Quickly, Kouga turned around and snatched up a clean pair of clothes. He was hoping to take his escape in the shower, but after turning around...Inuyasha had moved closer to him. He was standing so blatantly close behind him. Kouga turned back around, facing the closet door. He swallowed. 

“Hey, Kouga. Does that mean you liked it?” It felt almost as if Inuyasha was now whispered behind his ear. The low, husky octave that his voice had transformed into was holding Kouga completely captive. The memory of Inuyasha’s clumsy hands grabbing at his crotch resurfaced his brain, repeating over and over, driving him insane. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. But it definitely was real, and it really was happening. 

“You’re drunk, Inuyasha.” Out of the corner of his eye, Kouga peered behind him, only briefly able to see Inuyasha’s reaction, though he was obscured by the engulfing darkness. Inuyasha stepped closer, increasing the speed of every one of Kouga’s heartbeats.

Inuyasha seemed a bit curious. “Does that mean...if we weren’t, you’d still....?”

Kouga bit his lip. He wanted to take the plunge. He wanted to just discard all his fears and let his instincts take over. Instead, he simply responded.

“Yeah, Inuyasha. But what about you?” Kouga turned fully around. “Or are you just a fan of saying stupid shit while you’re drunk?”

Inuyasha frowned and averted his gaze. Kouga didn’t let him make a response, but as the more moments dragged on, he doubted he was going to make one.

“I’m going to take a shower.” Kouga slid past Inuyasha, then headed for the door. Right before shutting the door, he heard Inuyasha let out a bemused response.

“A cold one, huh?”

Kouga couldn’t help but defensively choke out. “What’s it to you?!”

Inuyasha was obviously amused. “Nothing really. Just wanted to know.” There was a pause on his end. “In case you needed a little help.”

Kouga turned red again. It took him several moments to comprehend Inuyasha’s words, and after doing so, the mortification nearly killed him. Kouga quickly shut the door behind him, locked it, then stood there for at least two whole minutes.

He regretted shutting the door. He felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. He couldn’t figure it out—was Inuyasha just messing with him? Was this just one of his drunken moods? Or was this...was Inuyasha legitimately flirting with him? God, it really seemed like he was. And God, how badly had he wanted to just...

Kouga buried his face in his palms. What if Inuyasha forgot everything by tomorrow morning? What if this chance never came again? Still, he tried to assure himself that this was the best course of action. Kouga was a little crestfallen, knowing that despite the fact he’d wish he’d reacted differently, he was willing to live with it. This was the right decision. Inuyasha was drunk. If they’d ended up messing around in a drunken stupor, it would have been scummy of Kouga to take advantage of him. Kouga sighed, and turned on the shower, hoping to wash away his mortification.

But little did Kouga know, that after this particular night, a Pandora’s box had been opened. Things between him and Inuyasha were just starting to change, and would never return to the way things had once been.