Midsummer Night's Dream

A/N: I am close to ending this story. I think that there are about two to three chapters left. So, please enjoy and remember to review. They make me feel very special and when I am special, I write. Well, I've been writing up a storm lately, but still. Please review.
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It had been two days since court and Kagome still could not believe all that had happened. She and Kouga had done a lot of talking and while she did not care for it, she understood that he, at times, felt the need to escape. She supposed that he needed some time for himself, and while that was ok, she told him that she would like to know when he takes off so that she did not worry about him.

Sesshomaru had finally released Inu Yasha from the torture room after he secured a promise from his younger brother that he would never again try and take Kagome from her mates. Once he agreed, the hanyou was taken to the hot springs and had his wounds and needs cared for.

Inu Yasha took that entire day and rested from his ordeal. He supposed that his punishment could have been worse, but he still resented the fact that Kagome no longer belonged to him. However, at least he knew that Kagome was safe.

Now, as he sat in the garden, a shadow fell upon him and he looked up to see Ayame standing beside him.

“Nice day, isn’t it?” She asked, her green eyes trained on his golden ones. He could tell that she was trying to be friendly, but he was so lonely that he really did not notice how nice the day was. To him, it was dreary and dull.

“I guess.” Inu Yasha mumbled, his gaze returning to the ground. He felt her sit down next to him and heard her sigh. “Are you alright?” She asked.

Shrugging, he asked, “What do you care?” He looked up when Ayame began to giggle. “You know, you and I have a lot in common. We both want people who are now untouchable. Though I have accepted the fact that Kouga is mated to Kagome, it still hurts to know that I was not good enough for him. I suppose that you are brooding over Kagome, huh?” She asked.

Inu Yasha huffed. “I am not brooding.” He said, his lower lips thrust out in the cutest pout she had ever seen.

Ayame’s giggles became louder as she pointed at him. “Now you’re pouting. My goodness, how cute.” She said, her green eyes twinkling.

Inu Yasha glared at the female. At first, he wanted to snap at her, but then his eyes took in her form and with her hair out of those annoying pigtails, she was a very pretty female. He sighed and looked away. “I do not pout.” He muttered, stubbornly.

“Yes, you do. You are doing it right now. Goodness, I never thought that a pout would look so cute, but on you, it is absolutely adorable.” Ayame exclaimed.

Inu Yasha jumped up. “Listen, I know that you are just fucking with me, and really can’t stand me because I am a hanyou. So, why don’t you go and get your jollies elsewhere.” He snarled.

Ayame’s laughter stopped. “I am not the one who has a problem with you being hanyou. If you are uncomfortable in your own skin, then you only have yourself to blame. I actually like your puppy ears. I think that they are rather sexy.” She said, shyly.

Inu Yasha’s brain ground to a halt. She thought his ears were sexy? He watched as her bright green eyes slid back up to his ears and her hands twitched. Sighing, he inclined his head.

“Go ahead, you know you want to.” He said, closing his eyes. He heard her squeal and then felt her fingers gently rub his little triangular appendages. For the first time in a very long time, he could feel his body grow hot as the female wolf continued to massage his ears. He reached out and grasped her hands.

“S-stop.” He said, his control nearly snapping. He opened his eyes and glanced down into the female’s smiling face.

“You know, not everyone cares if you are hanyou. I certainly don’t. I accept you the way you are, but if you can’t accept yourself, how can you expect others to accept you. It all starts with you, my friend.” Ayame softly said.

She turned her head and nodded when Jaken stepped out and informed her that her grandfather wanted to speak with her. She gently pulled her hands out of Inu Yasha’s grasp and leaned up to place a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for letting me touch your ears.” She said, enjoying the blush that crossed his cheeks. He was certainly a good looking male. She turned and walked into the palace and quickly found her grandfather. He was smirking and said, “I knew that if you yanked your eyes away from Kouga long enough, you would find someone else. So, how taken are you with the hanyou, my dear?”

Ayame blushed. “Aww, gramps. You were spying on us just now, weren’t you?” She accused, her eyes twinkling.

The elder wolf solemnly nodded. “Until you are mated, I have every right to spy on you, now answer the question.” He ordered.

Ayame sat down and sighed. “Inu Yasha is a good male, but a bit temperamental. But, I suppose that after all he has been through, he has a right to be. If he can get over Lady Kagome, then I would not mind being with him, but I seriously don’t think that he would ever look twice at me.” She said, sadly.

The elder sighed. “The fact that he let you touch his ears tells me that he trusts you to some point. Be his friend, my dear. Let him see that he can open up to you and tell you anything without being judged. You will see, he will come around.” He said.

Ayame smiled and nodded. When excused, she decided that she wanted a nap. She had a lot to think about.
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Kagome, Kouga, and Sesshomaru had watched the entire scene with baited breath. Kagome had whispered that Inu Yasha never let anyone touch his ears, and when he had willingly let Ayame touch them, Kagome’s eyes widened.

“I can’t believe that he allowed her to touch them.” She said, shaking her head. She felt Kouga wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her to him.

“Are you jealous, my love?” He asked, his voice teasing. He quickly dodged a playful smack that Kagome tried to deliver.

“No, I am not jealous, just amazed. I remember when I first saw him pinned to that tree, I ended up molesting his ears. He was asleep, so he didn’t know, but I have to admit, they are very soft.” She replied, her voice hushed.

Sesshomaru turned his eyes onto his brother. The female wolf had given the hanyou some very good advice and he hoped that this little brother would follow it. Then, a thought came to his mind.

“That female, Ayame, would make a fine mate for Inu Yasha.” He said, his claw tapping at his chin as he thought.

Kagome and Kouga nodded. “Well, why don’t you arrange for them to mate?” Kouga asked. Both males turned when they heard Kagome huff.

“You can’t be serious. You can’t order them to simply mate.” She exclaimed. She glared at her mates and shook her head. “Listen, if they are meant to be together, then they have to act on the desire to be with each other. But, we can make it where they are in each other’s company as often as possible.” She said, smirking.

Kouga and Sesshomaru looked at each other and then looked at their scheming mate. “What do you mean, my love?” Kouga asked, confusion written all over his face.

Kagome sighed. “Remember when we first met and you told me that the courtship of demons is often quick? Well, after a couple of times of being alone together, they will either get together, or not. I can now honestly say that the only feeling that Inu Yasha ever had for me was possessive. He saw me as a member of his pack and got jealous when he thought that someone was trying to take me away from him and the pack.” She explained.

“What about this other miko? Kikyo, I believe is her name.” Sesshomaru said, his head cocked to the side.

“He feels an obligation to take care of her. Inu Yasha has not had much experience in the way of showing his emotions and I think that because he was treated so badly by others for being hanyou, he learned that it was better to not feel. When he met Kikyo, she broke down many of the barriers that he had built, but when Naraku tricked them, both felt betrayed. When Kikyo was brought back to life, he was confused over what he felt and mistook his feelings of obligation for being feelings of love.” Kagome explained.

Both males slowly nodded. Emotions were a girly thing. Violence was a male thing. They would do the ass kicking and Kagome could do the feeling for all three of them. Kagome sighed and shook her head. She turned and walked off of the balcony. She made her way out of the chamber and headed towards the stairs. She grinned when she saw Ayame coming towards her.

“Ayame, would you and Inu Yasha be up to making a short journey for me?” Kagome asked, her voice innocent.

Ayame cocked her head to the side, but then nodded. “I’ll go. What do you need done?” She asked.

Kagome motioned for the wolf to follow her and noticed that her mates were slowly coming down the stairs. Calling for Inu Yasha, she smiled when the hanyou bounded into the great hall.

“What do you want?” He demanded, his golden eyes narrowing at Kagome. He heard her sigh and growled when she asked, “So, what bug crawled up your ass and died today, Inu Yasha?”

Snorting, he turned his back on Kagome and glared over at Ayame when she began to giggle. He heard Kagome sigh and say, “I need you and Ayame to go back to the village and let Lady Kaede know that we will not be coming back to the village anytime soon. I don’t want her to worry.”

Inu Yasha was about to open his mouth to argue, but when he saw Ayame nod, he quickly shut his mouth. If the wolf was going, then he would go to. Just to make sure she didn’t get her ass in trouble.

Soon, the wolf and hanyou were gone, and Kagome turned to her mates. “Cupid, eat your heart out.” She said, her tone smug.

She walked past her mates and heard Kouga ask Sesshomaru, “Who in the hell is this Cupid?”

Giggling, Kagome went to her bed chamber and silently congratulated herself on a job well done. She could not wait to see if her plan to get the red wolf and silver hanyou together worked.
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They ran for several hours, and finally came to a stop near a hot spring. Ayame stretched and said, “I think that I am going to take a quick bath.”

“Feh. What is it with you women and hot springs? Each time you females see one, you immediately need a bath. Whatever. Go and take your damn bath. I am going to get firewood and hunt for dinner.” Inu Yasha said, his golden gaze directed at the ground.

Ayame shrugged and walked away. That damn hanyou’s attitude was getting on her last nerve. As she delved into her thoughts, she undressed and then slipped into the hot water.

Hissing, she relaxed and allowed her body to adjust to the temperature. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She had not felt this relaxed in a long time.

Inu Yasha stomped through the forest, and gathered wood. He returned to the spot where they had agreed to set up camp and quickly started a fire. He then sniffed out a small deer and quickly killed it. Between the two of them, the deer would not go to waste. It had been a long time since he had fresh meat. He had only accepted cooked food mostly because he did not want to make any of his pack sick from watching him eat raw meat.

He called out to Ayame, but when he did not hear her respond, he muttered a few curse words and made his way to the springs. When he arrived, his jaw dropped and his ears stood at attention. Ayame was sitting in the spring, the water only coming up high enough to hide her nipples and she looked as though she were asleep. The ends of her red hair danced in the water and to Inu Yasha, she looked angelic.

He stepped forward and winced when he stepped on a twig, snapping it. Ayame’s eyes shot open and she quickly stood up, revealing her body to a very surprised Inu Yasha.

“I-inu Yasha! What in the hell are you doing, you hentai?” She screamed, her arms quickly crossing over her taunt breasts.

Blushing, Inu Yasha quickly turned his head and snapped, “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything interesting.”

Inu Yasha waited for a comeback from the female wolf, but was shocked to hear her snickering.

“Oh, yeah? Then, tell me why you are pointing at me, and you are not using your fingers.” She sneered.

Inu Yasha glanced down and quickly covered his bulging erection. He heard the sloshing of water and glanced over to find Ayame quickly getting dressed. He let out a sigh of relief and muttered, “I started a fire and got dinner. Let’s go, you giant pain in the ass.”

“Fine by me, you irritating prick.” Ayame snapped. She had finally pulled on her armor and furs and followed the hanyou back to camp, but when they got to the site, both stopped and allowed their eyes to widen.

Inu Yasha took in a deep breath and stepped forward. “Kikyo.” He whispered. He walked slowly towards the dead miko and reached out to her, but stopped when she glared at him.

“Where have you been, you selfish wretch? I have been looking for you and now I find you prancing around with this whore.” Kikyo spat, her dark eyes flashing with anger.

Unlike Kagome, Ayame simply could not let an insult slide. Stepping forward, she barred her fangs at the miko and demanded, “Who in the hell are you calling a whore, you prudish bitch?”

Inu Yasha stepped between the angry females. He glared over at Ayame, and snapped, “Will you leave her alone? She has been through enough without you being cruel to her.”

Ayame’s jaw dropped open in shock. She was not the one to start this shit. She did nothing to deserve being insulted and here he was talking down to her as if she were a child.

“I didn’t begin this little pissing match, you fucking asshole. She is the one who insulted me first. I do not deserve to be her target just because you don’t have enough balls to stand up to her. When are you going to realize that she doesn’t give a shit about you? I have heard the stories of Lady Kikyo, and from what I had heard, she was a kind and loving human woman. This thing that stands at your side is anything but. I can feel the hatred that rolls off of her clay body. You need to wake up before this thing does something to you that you will regret.” Ayame said, shaking her head.

Kikyo reached out and grabbed his arm. “Send her away, Inu Yasha. Send this pathetic wolf away so that you and I can talk. I need you, Inu Yasha.” She purred, her fingers running through his silver hair.

Indecision flooded through Inu Yasha’s mind. He actually liked Ayame. There was something about her that made him feel peaceful and he liked her fire. But, he did owe Kikyo his time and companionship, so he swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at Ayame.

“Go away and leave us alone. Kaede’s village in north of here.” He said, not daring to look up into the wolf’s eyes.

Ayame felt her heart break. She had really hoped that something would have happened between then during this little journey, but she would no longer sacrifice her pride. Holding her head high, she turned. She would no longer bother with the hanyou. She had learned her lesson well with Kouga.

“Fine. Never approach me again, hanyou.” She said. Ayame quickly left the camp and headed north. She ran for several miles and then collapsed in a teary, female heap. Why? Why was it so hard for her to find someone to love?
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Inu Yasha knew that he had hurt Ayame deeply. Closing his eyes, he tried to get the image of her sorrowful eyes out of his head, and wondered if she were right when she said that he didn’t have the balls to stand up to Kikyo.

Kikyo snickered. “Now that we are alone, let us talk about us going to hell together.” She said, her hand held out to him.

Inu Yasha stared at the hand that was offered to him and stepped back. “Kikyo, I changed my mind. I can’t go to hell with you.” He said, softly.

Kikyo’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean that you can’t go to hell with me? You owe me, you pathetic little half-breed.” She hissed.

Inu Yasha’s head snapped up. His mind went back to a time before he and Kikyo had been tricked. They were sitting in a field and Kikyo had smiled up to him.

“Never be ashamed of being what you are, Inu Yasha. You can always be sure that I will never refer to you as half-breed. I give you my word.” She had said, her hand gently grasping his.

Now, as he thought about the past, Kikyo slowly moved towards him. She held out her hands and was about to grab a hold of him, but was stopped when his claws grabbed a hold of her wrists.

Inu Yasha turned his head slowly to look at the miko before him. Suddenly, it was clear to him that his Kikyo was dead and that everyone had been correct when they said that this thing was nothing but a creation of Urasue, and that she was a puppet created out of hatred.

At first, Kikyo thought that he was going to kiss her. Closing her eyes, she leaned up and puckered her lips, but then gasped as she felt his fist ram right through her stomach. She yanked away from him and stared at the hole that her former lover had created.

“Why?” She croaked. She could feel her body weakening and watched as the souls that she had absorbed flew from the hole and into the night sky.

“Because I have finally realized that you are not Kikyo. Kikyo promised that she would never call me a half-breed, and since you called me half-breed, that means that you cannot be my Kikyo. Kikyo is dead, and now, so are you.” He replied.

Golden eyes watched as the clay body slowly crumbled. He waited until only ash sat at his feet and then he turned. He sniffed the air and took off in the direction that Ayame had taken off in. He had to find her to apologize. He had to make things better.