Happy Halloween, y'all! This is Indigo's half of an art/story trade we did which we figured would be perfect for this occasion. I'm the artist behind the pic at the very end of the story, but the entire fic is Indigo's work albeit with some edits from me for both the beginning and ending portions, and as such, it has been entirely unchanged for this repost. A big thanks again to Indigo for this amazing fic, and as always, if you want to check out more of their writing, go click or tap the link above to see their dA website!
Original post: https://www.deviantart.com/indigo-bunny/art/Koga-Gets-A-Scrubbing-18-M-F-M-F-M-989775124
Ending illustration source: https://www.deviantart.com/skaeadaimonion/art/Commission-Koga-Gets-A-Scrubbing-776231192
Word Count: 13,280
InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale (c) Rumiko Takahashi
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Happy Halloween, everyone! This 'Inuyasha' story is a story that I did as part of a story/art trade with the talented artist, SkaeaDaimonion, and it was decided that tonight would be the perfect time to post it. This story features Koga being tickled after stopping by what appears to be a haunted bathhouse. Credit for the idea and all of the details goes to SkaeaDaimonion, who also drew the picture at the end of the story.
Contains graphic content
Work Text:

"Ugh, I'm beat..." Koga mumbled aloud to himself, letting out a sigh. It had been a long day for the young leader of the Eastern Yokai Wolf Tribe; he'd been on patrol for so long that he'd lost track of time or direction, and now, the dark-haired, muscular young man was unsure of which stretch of the woods he had wound up in.
He knew that it wouldn't be hard to navigate his way home, but the night was full of other kinds of yokai even more dangerous than him, and often more than happy to take apart an outsider. As such, he preferred to find a place where he could spend the night rather than walk around. Trying his hardest not to mind the odd change of scenery, he let out a great yawn, stretching his arms as he continued to trudge his way through the thick and foreboding woods, illuminated only by the bright moonlight above.
"Jeez, this neck of the woods sure is creepy," he muttered, checking his surroundings. "Guess there's nowhere else to set up camp, though. I've slept through worse, at any rate..."
It would certainly appear unsettling to those that weren't familiar with the area, the shadows giving way to thoughts of paranoia and worry. There was no telling what kinds of creatures or demons that could be lurking within the darkness, hiding behind the twisting trees, some of which appeared to be dead. Leaves crunched under Koga's large feet, the yokai doing his best to remain alert despite the fact that he felt a bit fatigued. It was nothing that he couldn't handle, though.
"Seriously, though, where the hell am I?" As he continued, Koga could hear different noises around him, from the wind rustling the leaves, to an owl hooting nearby. He could also hear a bit of scampering, the darkness concealing whatever it was that made those noises... not to mention there was always a chance that it could be home to other, more sinister things. Even with his confidence in his own abilities to protect himself, he wisely decided not to stray from the path he was on.
"Not that I'm worried," he mused aloud as he made his way through the woods at a slower pace than usual, "but you just never know what's gonna jump at you around here. Gotta be on my guard, just in case..."
There seemed to be a heavy fog, making it a little harder for him to see up ahead. Of course, he could rely on his hearing, as well as his nose, to help to guide him, so the lack of visual wasn't particularly concerning for him. If anything, he was merely annoyed that he had yet to find a suitable place to stay for the night.
That was when his nose detected something strange. The out-of-place odor of water that was fresh rather than stagnant, and... laden with soapsuds?
"Huh... What's that weird scent?" Koga sniffed the air, wondering where it was coming from. "It can't be... can it? But what's it doing out here?" Deciding against his better judgement to investigate the scent, he followed it as carefully and silently as he could, trusting his sense of smell to help lead him to the source.
It was a few more minutes of tracking when he found it. The wolf-boy's eyes widened when a tall, wooden structure came into view, surrounded by a high stone wall; every rock comprising it bore a luminous symbol, most of which were clearly meant to keep the demons of the forest from nosing in. The building therein appeared to be a traditional sento, a type of public bathing facility that had been around since before the feudal era. The building itself seemed old enough, but oddly, it didn't look as though it was on the brink of collapse, though he couldn't help but wonder if it was abandoned.
"A bathhouse, huh? Eesh, I don't really like having to wash up." Koga rubbed his chin in thought. "Buuuuuut maybe I can sneak in for a quick rinse, at least..."
It wouldn't hurt to wash off any dirt and grime that he'd accumulated during the day, if nothing else; if there was anyone there, hopefully he would be able to slip in and out without being noticed by anyone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to spend the night at the creepy bathhouse, but he'd worry about that later. For now, he had only one goal in mind.