Once you’ve been intimate with a friend, it’s difficult to ever be friends with that person again. Inuyasha and I didn’t speak more then two words to each other on the trip back to the others. I finally knew what my lost emotion was; the one I lost when I gained my vanity. I had lost my self-respect, and worse, gotten yet another new human trait that animals do not have; shame. I was ashamed of myself. I felt horrible for being with Inuyasha. Visions of Kagome flashed through my mind. What had I done? What had we done?
“Inuyasha, stop.”
Inuyasha flinched at my voice.
“Why? We’re almost there.”
“I can’t go through with this. I can’t keep this from Kagome. I…I can’t go back.”
I waited for his reaction. He was quiet for a moment, but it didn’t last long.
“Don’t be stupid.” He snapped. “You have to go back. Sango needs you, Kirara. You know that.”
That was true. But, I still needed time.
“You go on ahead, then. I’ll be there in a few days. I just need some time to think things out.”
“You’d better not run off. I don’t want to have to…” He paused. “Find you again.” He finished with a little excitement in his voice.
I nodded.
“I’ll be back, I promise. For Sango, I promise.”
Inuyasha nodded and ran off. I turned and walked away slowly.
Just for the record, I lied. I had no intention of ever returning. Some secrets are too big to be kept secret, and often find themselves floating around a room full of people. So, I thought it was best to just stay away. Both Kagome and Sango would be heart-broken if they ever found out. I sighed and sunk my head into my hands. The weight of it made my elbows sink into my knees, causing some discomfort. I didn’t care. I just wanted to be left alone.
In an instant, a whirlwind suddenly came into view and stopped directly in front of me. I recognized that furry skirt. It was Koga, the wolf demon prince. I growled. I never really cared for him much. He was annoying and self centered; not the brightest crayon in the box. He took a big whiff and gave me a disappointed look.
“Odd. I smell mutt-face, but I don’t see mutt-face.” He stared at me for a moment, then smirked. “Hey, I know you. Aren’t you that cat? Killed your one millionth, I see. Not bad.”
I growled, but nodded. I never really liked being referred to as ‘that cat’, or getting checked out by a wimpy wolf. He sniffed again. He made a face. His eyebrows lowered slightly and he scrunched his nose up a bit.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, beginning to get nervous.
He sniffed again, but this time, he sniffed me. It’s only proper to sniff back, right? He made an odd noise in his throat. I scoffed.
“Yeah, well, you don’t smell like a cherry pie, either.”
To my surprise, Koga snickered. It turned into laughter. I grunted annoyingly.
“What’s so funny? One of the voices in your head tell a joke?”
Koga stopped to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.
“Oh, geez! I don’t believe it! I never knew mutt-face went interspecies!”
I blushed. Koga could smell it. Even though I bathed, Koga still smelled it. I tried to pretend I didn’t know what was going on.
“What…do you mean?”
Koga slapped his knee and continued howling, so to speak, in laughter.
“Oh, come on, cat! You reek of Inuyasha’s bodily fluids!”
My face turned red, purple, green and blue. No hiding anything now. Koga was nearly rolling on the floor.
“Oh, man! The mutt-face didn’t have a chance with my Kagome so he nailed the cat instead!”
I groaned angrily. This wolf had overstayed his welcome.
“First, my name is Kirara! Second, it was an accident, and third…” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “You can NOT tell Kagome!”
Koga stopped laughing and smirked. “Why not? I think she’d love to hear this.”
I didn’t feel like arguing. It would get me nowhere, especially arguing with this idiot. I lowered my head and turned away.
“Fine. I wasn’t going to go back anyway.”
Before I could get away, he ran ahead of me, blocking my path.
“What do you mean you weren’t going to go back? What about your human?”
“Sango. She’d be disappointed in me, and I can’t possibly keep this from her.”
Koga growled. “That’s the problem with you felines. You give up too easily. That human of yours would die for you.”
I stayed silent. The wolf was right. I couldn’t leave Sango like that. Ever since Kohaku’s death, I was the only thing keeping Sango linked with reality. Without me…she’d go mad. I looked up at Koga with a glare.
“That still leaves me with the problem of the secret.”
Koga grunted. “Yeah? What of it?”
“I can’t have you screw everything up by telling Kagome!”
“Well, if I keep your stupid little secret, what do I get?”
I thought for a moment, then grinned. I had a solution that would fix everything. I smiled at the wolf.
“Come with me and we’ll work something out.”