(A/N: Well, this came out a lot shorter then I expected... and I'm a little upset, I will admit. It was originally supposed to be a couple of pages but just barely went past one xD.

If you're sitting there, wondering where the hell 'looking around' comes in to play, there's a star. Hehe.
And next up should be... SessRin? Wait a minute, where's the MirSan in this screwed up series? God, I have to get to work on that. Anyway...

Oh, and I'm not sure how pleased I am with this... I mean, the end is pretty alright by my standards, the beginning is okay. But the middle? Ugh. Well, I don't think you can blame me... it's 1:20 am right now. LOL.

Leaving a review would be nice. Very nice, actually. )

The Rules of Love: Chapter IV

Looking Around- I'm hiding my true feelings.

Kouga x Ayame

"Goddammit woman, stop following me!" Kouga spat, looking back at the wolf demon trudging behind him, an iris in her hair.

"No way, not until you talk to me!" She huffed. Ayame was known to be the fastest runner of her clan and though she hated to admit it, the male-youkai did have an advantage over her- the two jewel shards embedded in his legs proved to increase his speed significantly. The fact that she could even keep up surprised Gintu and Hakkaku, along with the rest of their respective clans.

He stopped abruptly, causing Ayame to run into him. Kouga's hair whipped her face gently, their faces just inches apart. Normally, this would a moment to savor in the shewolf's mind, yet, when she saw his scowl and bright-blue eyes boring into hers, she backed off. Well, more like put on a displeased face of her own.

"What if I don't want to talk to you?" Kouga leaned forward slightly, their noses almost rubbing.

Ayame's eyes narrowed to slits, her face tinged pink with a mix of anger, frustration, exhaustion and embarrassment (from his proximity). "You're talking to me right now, aren't you?" She retorted almost sarcastically, her voice slightly more grim and scarier then usual.

He groaned furiously, pulling at a stray piece of hair. "You're ridiculous." He muttered before backing away as if to leave again. Ayame, already knowing his plan, grabbed the back of his ponytail and gave it a firm tug as started to walk away. Kouga winced, snapping around to face the girl again. "What now?"

"What now? Hell, I want to know what the hell is up with you! Why won't you talk to me, you douche?" The red-haired youkai sneered.

"Because..." He trailed off before starting again. "Because- wait, why am I even bothering to explain this to some useless girl?" Kouga shook his head in disbelief, another look of anger striking his ever feature as he stared at the ground, refusing to look at her.*

"Because? Beacause what?" Ayame spat in frustration, curiosity and anger crossing her every thought. Why couldn't he just be straightforward with her?

He groaned, annoyed, before peeling his eyes from the deep brown of the floor* to face the feisty wolf-demon. "Because I'm scared! Okay? I'm scared of falling in love with you, and I really don't want to stick around to find out if I am. I don't want to end up like that filthy mutt, Inuyasha, who ends up heart broken every time his new girlfriend gets hurt. I'm goddamn scared! Is that enough for you?" Kouga's words had bit into Ayame- hard, as he stalked off, far away from her.

She stood there, hands balled into fists at her sides, angry and upset. It took her a second to recognize his words which were echoing in her head. 'I'm scared of falling in love with you, and I really don't want to stick around to find out if I am...' It was then that it hit her.

'Did he... did Kouga just admit that he just might be falling in love with me?' Her arms relaxed and a blush found a away to her cheeks, her hands jumped to her chest in an attempt to calm her now furiously-beating heart. 'Kouga's... starting... to love me? Me?'

Ayame then looked up to see her love's back getting further and further away. Her eyes widened and she began to chase after him. "Crap! Kouga, wait up!"