-She�ll never forgive me,- Inu Yasha thought as he walked back to where he left Catriona. �If I tell her this now, she�ll demand I take her back to Koga & I won't get a chance to spend my time alone with her.- He sighed because he had no dishonest intentions; he truly wanted to spend time with his only true friend. But he was almost certain that if he told Catriona the truth of what had caused him to gag, she would hate him. He stopped walking & whimpered, his fears finally bubbling over inside of him. "I know this isn't the right thing to do," he spoke to no one, "but I have to hold it back from her for now. At least until I can find a way to tell her, & brace myself for the
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Catriona sighed softly & rubbed her hands against each other towards the fire, then rubbed her arms with her now warm hands. -Inu Yasha,- she thought, -where are you?- She pulled her knees up to her chest & once again, as many times since Inu Yasha left, rested her chin on her knees.
When she heard snow crunching, she looked up, after lowering her gaze, & jumped up when she saw Inu Yasha walking towards her, two full-grown rabbits in each hand. "Inu Yasha," she spoke, a smile on her lips as she took a stand beside him as they walked to the fire. "Did it cause you any trouble to hunt them?"
Inu Yasha shook his head, trying to resist the urge to gag on the scent flooding his senses. "It was no trouble at all, Catriona," he answered.
Catriona noticed the way his brows were knitted together & that a frown was on his lips, bringing a frown to her own face. The thought crossed her mind to open her mouth & ask what was bothering her friend, but when he began to prepare the rabbits, the sight of blood spilling on the once white snow made her queasy. "Do you need me for anything, Yasha?"
Inu Yasha shook his head, thankful for the scent of freshly spilled blood that was overcoming the scent coming from Catriona. "You can rest if you want to," he spoke.
"Are you sure Inu Yasha?"
"Positive."
Catriona went over to the other side of the fire & closed her eyes to avoid the sight of blood. -I hope I didn't do something to upset him,- she thought, shivering from a gust of wind that last only a few moments, & thankfully, didn't blow the fire out. -He would tell me if I had done something wrong, wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he? For as long as I've gotten to know him, he has always been the type to speak his mind.-
Inu Yasha looked over at Catriona to see her eyes closed, & he sighed softly. -I have to tell her, but what if she ends up hating me?- He thought. -I wonder if she's even noticed the change yet?-
Catriona opened her eyes & looked at her hanyou friend as he put the rabbits on spits over the fire to get them cooking. "Inu Yasha?"
The questioning tone in Catriona's voice made him look up at her after he got the rabbit lunch started. "Yes, Catriona?"
"Is there something bothering you that you might want to talk about?" She asked, watching as a deep shade of blush covered his cheeks & nose. "Is there?"
"It's something I can't talk to you about just yet," he answered, turning his gaze away from her since he knew he couldn't look in her eyes, or any part of her face, not feeling worthy of what he considered an honor.
"Why can't you talk to me about it?"
"In all honesty Catriona, I'm afraid you'll hate me. You're such a good friend that I would hate to lose you because I did something foolish," he answered.
"Why would you lose me?"
"Because, I surrendered to my own weakness� With what I did, I don't think I deserve your company."
"Why don't you let me decide on that?" When Inu Yasha nodded, she sighed & ran her hand over her head. "So, what did you do Yasher. Please tell me?"
Inu Yasha rotated the rabbits, still cooking on the spits above the fire, & took in & exhaled a deep, shaky breath. "Catriona, do you remember how earlier I gagged & said I had inhaled my own saliva? I'm sorry Cat, but I lied to you."
"Then what-"
"Something that is in your scent, only you can't smell it because you don't have my nose... Trust me, I wish you could smell it because then I wouldn't have to tell you this..." He sighed heavily & rotated the rabbits. "Catriona, the night I first confessed my love to you, do you remember sleeping in the tree outside the ookami den with me?"
"Yes," she answered. "Where are you going with this Inu Yasha?"
"That night, I'm guessing you were dreaming about a mating with Sesshomaru & was making your body give off a scent of being in heat. I..." He lowered his head as his guilt & fears blended inside of him. "Catriona, the scent was so strong, it was hard for me to ignore it or concentrate on something else. And I knew it I left you alone to get away from it, some youkai would get you. Before I knew it, my youkai instincts overwhelmed me, & I... Catriona, you woke up at the river because I had taken you there to wash away the scent of me using your body for my own selfish pleasures. Please forgive me Catriona."
Catriona couldn't believe what she had heard, even though she had been watching his lips move the entire time. Her friend, the only male, besides her mate & her son, when he still lived, that she had completely trusted, had used her body. The entire time she was sleeping & was dreaming of a threesome between her, Sesshomaru, & the hanyou himself. -That explains why I woke up, feeling as if I had actually had an orgasm,- she thought before she asked him, "What does that have to do with my scent Inu Yasha?"
He lowered his head & his ears pressed back against his head. "You're carrying my child."