InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All Things Come Full Circle ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

Standing at the edge of the campsite, Inuyasha and Kagome both breathed a sigh of relief seeing that everyone had drifted off. Inuyasha made straight for Kagome's bag, not even bothering to put her down as he reached for it and slung it over his shoulder. He walked off slowly again, heading for a large river that he knew was nearby, sure that no one had been alerted to their presence.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

As soon as he and Kagome left the campsite, Inukigo's eyes shot open, staring in the direction that they had went. Other than that she remained still, knowing that Inuyasha would hear her if she moved. When she was sure that it was safe, she sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest.

'Did I just smell what I think I smelled?'

A blush slowly spread across her face. There was no mistaking that particular smell. It had been what had woken her up in the first place. The lingering smell of arousal and release from her brother and Kagome hung heavy in the air and it was making her feel uneasy. Then she shuddered and an almost sick look came across her face. Her brother's arousal and release were the last things that she wanted to smell. She tried to put it out of her mind, but the possibility of what those scents meant got her thinking.

'They couldn't have done that, could they? Inuyasha was having a hard time deciding to ask her about taking his mark. There's no way that he went right ahead and mated with her, is there? I really hope that you didn't aniki. Now is not the best time to have to perform a mating ritual.'

Inukigo sighed and laid back down, using one arm to pillow her head as she looked up at the sky. After thinking about it for awhile she decided that she was going to confront them about it and get some answers as soon as they came back, no matter how hard it would be.

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About an hour later, Inuyasha was on his way back to camp with a sleeping Kagome in his arms. She had protested to being carried back at first, but only minutes after he had swept her up bridal style and started to walk she had begun yawning and eventually fell asleep. He smiled when he looked down at her. She was dressed in her pajamas, and the wide neckline of the top she was wearing did nothing to hide the mark on her neck. Curiosity won over, and he shifted the arm that was holding up her shoulders so he could reach it. As soon as he touched it Kagome moaned and shifted in his arms. Inuyasha took his hand away immediately, not wanting to wake her up. He blushed slightly. Judging from the faint smell of arousal, touching her mark had made her feel the same way as he had earlier. Curiosity satisfied, Inuyasha left Kagome alone and continued walking.

As soon as he walked into the campsite, a sense of foreboding came over Inuyasha. He paused and looked around, reaching out with his senses to try and find whatever was causing chills to run up his spine. Shrugging when he couldn't detect a demon or any other source of danger, Inuyasha walked over towards Inukigo and deposited the bag where it had been previously. He eyed Kagome's still rolled up sleeping bag. Knowing that he would have to move her around a lot to get it un-rolled and her into it, he decided to forget it, and simply sat at the base of a tree with her on his lap and wrapped up in the folds of his haori.

"I've been waiting for you to come back."

Inuyasha jumped at the sound of his sister's eerily calm voice. He looked over at her and fought the urge to cower away when he saw the deadly look in her eyes.

'I have a hunch that she's the source of that ominous feeling I was getting when I walked into camp.'

"Why's that?" he answered in the calmest voice he could muster.

She didn't say anything in return. She sat up with her back to him as she wrapped the towel from earlier around herself.

'Hmm. Bruise is gone," he thought distractedly as he waited.

Inukigo stood up once she had the towel secure, taking the blanket with her as she walked over towards Inuyasha and the sleeping Kagome. She crouched down on her haunches in front of him and glared at him with a deadly look in her eyes. Inuyasha gulped.

'I'm sooo deaddd!' he whined mentally.

"You know, you woke me up when you came back earlier."

Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly but he tried to retain the image of innocence.

"Oh, did I?"

It didn't work.

"Yeah. And you know what else?" Inukigo asked, and Inuyasha shook his head, "I woke up to the oddest scent," she watched as a little colour drained from his face, "Any idea what that scent was?"

"No idea," he lied.

"You sure?"

Inuyasha gulped and nodded.

"Yes."

Inukigo sighed and then looked at him thoughtfully.

"Well, it smelled an awful lot like arousal and sex to me. And it was coming off the two of you. Care to explain why?"

Inuyasha blushed furiously. He knew that he was caught, but he couldn't get out any words to explain himself. He opened his mouth meaning to speak, but nothing came. Inukigo noticed his dilemma and decided to make it easier for him.

"Inuyasha, just please tell me that you didn't mate with her," she pleaded.

"N-no!" Inuyasha almost yelled, "I didn't mate with her!"

"Then what in the world happened?"

"I don't know! It just happened!" he blurted out in a near panic. He had never been so embarrassed in his life.

"Shh, shh, okay. Calm down," Inukigo soothed, putting a hand to his mouth to silence him before he woke everyone. She hadn't expected him to get so embarrassed, "Alright, so you didn't mate with Kagome?"

Inuyasha shook his head 'no' since Inukigo still had her hand on his mouth. She could tell from his eyes that he was telling the truth and sighed with relief.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to know. You don't need to say anything else," she said, releasing him, "Sorry, but now is not the time to be doing…those things."

He relaxed and nodded in understanding.

"I talked to her about the marking," he said quietly after a few moments. Inukigo's eyes widened.

"Really? I thought you were going to wait until you were in her time."

"I was, but after what happened the other day, I don't think it matters all that much who knows. Anyone of importance already seems to know it anyway."

"The attack at the spring?"

"Yeah. Seems like Naraku already knows that I care about Kagome, so there's really no use in trying to hide it from him."

Inukigo nodded in agreement.

"So what did she say, when you told her you couldn't do it yet."

"She said that she understood," he paused, a wide grin coming to his face, "And she said she didn't care. She wanted me to do it, and she told me to ask her."

Inukigo's eyes widened again.

"Y-you mean that you…"

Inuyasha smiled proudly and pulled on his haori and under kimono to reveal the fresh mark just above his collarbone. Inukigo's smile matched his as she leaned in to get a closer look.

"Way to go, nii-chan," she said, and then reached to touch the mark. Inuyasha jumped when she touched it, expecting the same reaction as before, but was surprised when nothing came.

"What's wrong?" she asked, having noticed how he jumped.

"Nothing. It's just that…something different happened when Kagome touched it."

"It did?"

"Yeah. It seemed almost like a trigger, or something."

"Trigger? Trigger for what?"

The blush returned to Inuyasha's face.

"Um…"

Inukigo noticed how he became embarrassed again, and figured that she knew what he meant.

"Ohhh. I didn't know that the mark could do that," she said, a slight blush appearing on her face as well.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Inukigo rose and then draped the blanket that she had been holding over Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha looked at her in confusion.

"Inukigo?"

"I need to wash off the stuff that Kagome put on my bruises before I put my top back on. I might as well make a bath out of it," she explained, walking over to where her shirt and bindings had been left. She picked them up and walked back to Inuyasha and Kagome. She crouched down again and nuzzled her cheek against his. He smiled, returning the gesture.

"Congratulations, aniki," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek. When she pulled back she was smiling warmly at him, "I'll be back in a little while."

Inuyasha nodded in acknowledgement.

"Be careful."

"I will," she replied. She stood up, and after giving one of his ears a quick scratch, turned and walked out of camp.

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A short time later, Inukigo was standing at the edge of a river, looking out over the water. It was fairly wide, and from where she was standing she could guess that the deepest places were probably about level with her hips. She set her shirt and bindings on a rock, then stripped of the rest of her clothes and added them to the pile as well. Now completely bare, she pulled the tie from her hair and then made her way out into the river, cursing the cold water as she went. After making it to hip-deep water, she braced herself then ducked under the water.

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Koorimizu stalked through the forest with a scowl on her face. She had been searching for nearly two days and had yet to find the group of shard hunters. She cursed under her breath. She had been on her way back to Naraku's castle when Kagura and Kanna had intercepted her, telling her that she had failed. She had scoffed at them, but then Kanna had shown her images from the previous evening in her mirror. How the female hanyou ran up to the spring, and then called for her brother. How he had cut a hole in the ice she had created when he arrived, and how that woman had jumped in and pulled that Kagome woman out - still alive.

'That damn hanyou wench.'

If it hadn't been for that hanyou, she would have been able to return home by now, instead of wandering around in the forest.

'That woman will pay when I find her.'

Koorimizu was brought out of her brooding by the sound of splashing water. Curious, she walked towards the sound, and peered through the trees. Her breath caught at the sight before her. There was the very woman she had been cursing, all alone in the middle of a large river. A grin broke out on her face.

'Well, aren't I lucky.'

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Inukigo gasped for breath as she came up out of the water. Her hair, now heavy with water, clung to her back and shoulders. She rose to her full height, intent on making sure that all the ointment was gone from her stomach and back. She winced when she touched her stomach. The visible bruise was almost gone, but her ribs were another story.

"My, that looks like it hurts."

Inukigo jumped at the sound of the unknown voice. How had she not noticed someone approaching? Looking around quickly, she was unable to locate the source of the voice that had startled her. She was completely unprepared when ice shot out from one side of the river, quickly covering the distance to the opposite bank, and trapping her in the process.

"Nani?"

Inukigo tried to push off of the ice with her hands, but it was no use. She was wedged tightly in the ice and there was no way she was going to be able to pull herself out. She started banging on the ice in an attempt to break it away, but quickly realized that that wasn't working either. She then noticed the familiarity of her current situation.

"This is…"

"Well, aren't you in a tight spot."

Inukigo's head shot up in the direction of the voice. She watched as a tall, dark-haired woman dressed in blue walked out of the forest and began to cross over the ice towards her.

'She was downwind,' Inukigo realized. She sniffed the air, catching the woman's scent for the first time, 'This scent…'

"So you're Naraku's newest incarnation. Koorimizu was it?"

"Correct," Koorimizu answered, stopping just in front of Inukigo with her arms crossed and an arrogant look on her face.

'Great, the bitch finally shows up, and she's got me trapping in this stupid ice. Shimatta!'

"Good, I've been hoping that you'd show up soon. Now, let me out of here you fucking coward so I can claw your eyes out," Inukigo growled out, flexing her claws.

Koorimizu laughed at Inukigo's attempted intimidation.

"No, I don't think that I will. Besides, I doubt you would be able to put up much of a fight. That injury looks quite hindering," she commented, pointing to Inukigo's stomach. A wicked grin crossed her face, and she landed a kick to the area before Inukigo could react.

Inukigo's face twisted up in pain, and her arms came around her stomach protectively as she fought the urge to double over. The kick hadn't been nearly as hard as the one she received earlier, but her injured ribs hadn't healed completely, and now everyone of them was screaming at her.

"Bitch…" she spat out.

Koorimizu smirked and then reached down to grab Inukigo's chin and pulled up roughly so she could look her in the eye. The expression on her face had changed to one of complete and utter hatred, which Inukigo guessed was directed completely at her.

"You're going to pay for interfering in Naraku-sama's plans, hanyou. He wishes the miko dead, and I will fulfil that wish even if I have to go through every one of you to get to her," she leaned down so her face was closer to Inukigo's, "Starting with you."

"Let. Me. Out!" Inukigo snarled as she lashed out at the other demoness.

Koorimizu leapt back with a hand to her injured cheek, where Inukigo had managed to graze her with her claws. She pulled her hand away, revealing four long, freely bleeding scratches. Inukigo smirked at the damage that she had done and held up her hand to brandish her now slightly bloodied claws, while Koorimizu looked livid. She growled and clenched her fists, glaring icily at Inukigo.

"Damn you. You'll pay for that."

"Keh! C'mon and try it."

Koorimizu lifted her right arm, and reached out in the direction of the unfrozen water. Inukigo watched as a thin column of water snaked up out of the river, coiling and twisting as it made its way towards Koorimizu's outstretched hand. The water seemed to have a mind of its own as it started to take shape. After a few moments Koorimizu closed her hand around the water, and Inukigo gasped as the water began to freeze, starting at her hand and spreading outwards. When the transformation was completed, Koorimizu stood with a five-foot long ice spear clutched in her hand. She began to walk back towards Inukigo, raising the spear to take hold of it with both hands, then lowered it again. When she stopped, the deadly point of the spear was level with Inukigo's neck. Koorimizu smirked and pushed the spear forward slightly, and Inukigo winced as she felt it bite the flesh of her neck.

"I was going to play with you for a bit, but I think that I should just finish you off now and be done with it."

Inukigo's expression never changed.

'My movements are too restricted. She's skilled with that spear, I can tell from the way she handles it. There's no way I'll be able to dodge it, she'll just compensate knowing that I can't move very far. It's no use to call for help either; Inuyasha is too far away to get here in time.'

A look of acceptance came to her face when Koorimizu pulled the spear back to prepare to strike.

'Forgive me, aniki."

(AN: I could end it here and have a really good cliffy, but I'm not that mean)

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Ginta and Hakkaku sat side by side in the small cave, both eyeing their pensive leader warily. They had long ago given up on receiving an explanation for Kouga's earlier behaviour. Every time one of them asked, he would growl and glare at them until they left him alone.

Kouga sat just outside the mouth of the cave brooding.

'That damn wench. Why'd she have to open her big mouth.'

He was livid with Inukigo - that much was a given. However, not all of his anger was directed at the female hanyou.

'And why did she have to be right?!'

Kouga had admitted to himself that, to an extent, Inukigo had been right. He had been taking advantage of Kagome's kindness. However, there was one thing that she had overlooked; he had not been doing so intentionally. It was only when Inukigo had made her accusation that he had realized how true it was. He had been so shocked by the revelation that he had been unable to defend himself, which resulted in him lashing out physically.

Truthfully, he was ashamed of his actions. He had struck out and harmed a female, when she hadn't really done anything to harm him. Yes, she had provoked him, but what he had done was not justified. Then, to make matters worse, he had pursued her while she was injured with the intent of harming her further. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to sink so low.

To say that he was confused about the whole incident was an understatement. Never before had he been so quick to lash out at someone for verbally attacking him. What made her so different?

'I don't know what it was, but there was just something about her that put me on edge.'

He didn't like that feeling that he had had when he had first noticed her scent. It made him feel uneasy, and that wasn't a feeling he enjoyed having. He frowned, thinking over what could have made him feel that way.

'Humph. Must have been because it was weird to catch a female version of the mutt's scent.'

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath with the intent of letting out a heavy sigh, when his eyes suddenly shot open and he carefully sniffed the air. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

'It's her, that woman. I think Kagome called her Inukigo.'

Kouga stood up and walked around to get a better idea of where the scent was coming from. He stopped when he found the general direction, contemplating what he should do. Although he hated the thought of it, he knew that he should go and apologize to her. She was alone at the moment, so he guessed that he would have a chance to talk to her without Inuyasha showing up and trying to kill him. He also decided that he would ask her about seeing Kagome, since he owed her an apology as well. Mind made up, Kouga turned his head back towards the cave.

"Ooi, you two! I'm going for awhile! Stay here and don't follow me!"

After hearing the affirmative yells from inside the cave, Kouga took off towards his destination

She was a fair distance away, but with his speed he knew he could be there within ten minutes. He continued with his pace, running at just a little more than half of his top speed, when a second, unfamiliar scent hit his nose. It took a moment for him to realize that is greatly resembled a scent that he recognized all to well. He growled deep in his throat.

"Kagura."

If there was a woman there that smelled similar to Kagura, than that could only mean that it was a demon borne of Naraku. Kouga picked up his pace drastically as a feeling of worry came over him. It unnerved him a little, but he didn't pay it much mind - he was more focused on reaching his destination as soon as possible.

He came to the trees lining the riverbank within moments, and stopped for just a second to assess the scene that was playing out before him. His eyes settled immediately on Inukigo, and for a few seconds he couldn't turn away. She was standing in the middle of the river, and seemed to be trapped by the ice that surrounded her hips. What caught his attention the most however, was the fact that she was completely bare from the hips up and was doing nothing to cover herself. He blushed and forced himself to look away and regain his senses, trying not to think of how he was just ogling the woman's body.

He brought his attention back to the current situation and focused on what was happening. The other woman, who he had determined was the demon that he had smelled earlier was now walking towards Inukigo with a very long, very sharp spear grasped in her hands.

'Where did she get that?'

Kouga watched as the demon came to stop in front of Inukigo, and suppressed the growl that wanted to come forth when the spear was pressed to her throat and a thin stream of blood began to flow down her neck, then down her chest, and between her...

'No! Stop staring! Stop staring!'

Then, Kouga heard the demon speak.

"I was going to play with you for a bit, but I think that I should just finish you off now and be done with it."

Kouga's eyes widened as he watched the unknown demoness pull the spear back to prepare for a fatal blow. Without hesitation, he shot from the tree line at top speed, heading straight for the demon. She had just been about to thrust the spear forward when he collided with her body and tackled her to the ground. He jumped away from her and landed in a defensive position in front of Inukigo, eyeing the fallen demoness warily.

Inukigo looked up at Kouga's back with nothing but shock on her face. She had been staring death in the face, then had nearly shrieked in surprise when a brown and black blur had shot by, taking Koorimizu with it. To discover that it was Kouga had her head spinning.

'Why is he here? Did he come after me to finish what he started earlier, and just stopped Koorimizu so she wouldn't get me first?'

As Koorimizu began to get to her feet, Kouga turned to look at her over his shoulder to check if she was alright. Inukigo didn't know that was his reason for doing so, but it did make her realize something that she had forgotten.

'Kuso! He saw me naked!!'

Her arms quickly came up to cover herself as a deep blush spread across her face and down her neck. Kouga's head whipped back around, partly from the embarrassment of staring at her, but also because the demon he had knocked over was now on her feet and sending an icy glare right at him.

"Damn you, wolf. This is no concern of yours. How dare you interfere!"

Kouga looked unfazed by Koorimizu's anger, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I have some unfinished business to take care of with her," he said, jerking his head back in Inukigo's direction. "I know that you're one of Naraku's demons. What the hell do you want with her?"

Koorimizu growled at him.

"That wretch is an annoyance, and I was making sure that she never interfered with one of Naraku-sama's plans ever again. Now move wolf, unless you want to share her fate!"

Kouga smirked wickedly at the threat.

"You really think that you can back that up wench?"

Koorimizu frowned and raised her spear into an attack position.

"I know that I can."

That said, she charged at him. Kouga had to admit that she was fast, but it was nowhere even close to his speed. He would have jumped out of the way completely, but then remembered that Inukigo was directly behind him and would be struck if he did. Instead, he walked a few steps closer to the charging demon to get a safe distance from Inukigo. He waited until Koorimizu was about to strike, then simply sidestepped the attack. It was too quick for Koorimizu to compensate for, and before she knew what was happening Kouga had the spear gripped tightly under one arm and began swinging it around. She screamed when he let go, sending her sailing across the ice and into the riverbank. She was quick to get back on her feet, but stood her ground instead of trying the same tactic again.

Kouga was now facing Inukigo, although he still had his eyes on Koorimizu, and still had a confident, cocky smirk plastered on his face. Inukigo caught herself as she was about to mentally swoon.

'What the hell was that?!'

She watched as Kouga took off like a shot towards Koorimizu, who had a look of fear in her eyes as the wolf prince advanced on her. She had to twist around and look over her shoulder to see what was happening.

'Wow, he's fast,' Inukigo thought.

Koorimizu was in a panic. She couldn't hit Kouga, no matter what she tried. What was worse was that he seemed to be toying with her. He would come within striking distance at a speed that she could follow, then would dart away before she could hit him.

Inukigo couldn't help but watch him. The way he moved had her captivated. Whenever he would dodge one of Koorimizu's attacks she could see the way the ropey muscles of his legs contracted and released under his skin. And then there was that smirk again…

'Gah, what the hell is wrong with me!' she thought as she shook her head. There was no way that she could be attracted to him…was there?

'And what the hell is he doing, playing with her like that? Is he showing off?'

Kouga wasn't sure what he was doing. He never played with his opponents like this. He could have killed Koorimizu a dozen times over by now, so why was he dragging it out? Then it hit him - he was showing off! However, it was the reason that he was showing off that disturbed him.

'What in the world am I doing, showing off because she's here? It's not like I'm trying to impress her or anything.'

As if to prove the point that he had made mentally to himself, he darted in close to Koorimizu and knocked the ice spear out of her hands. Koorimizu watched it clatter across the ground longingly, then turned to look at Kouga with definite fear in her eyes.

"Well, I have to thank you for the exercise," Kouga said with a frown on his face, "But I'm afraid that it has to end here. I have some things that I need to take care of, and right now you're in the way."

Koorimizu's eyes widened, and she tried to back away, but Kouga was too fast for her. Before she could react, Kouga's hand had shot directly through her chest and out her back. Her pupils became dilated and her eyes unseeing as she began to cough up blood. A few moments later her eyes became empty, and her body slumped over, before turning to dust. Kouga flicked excess blood from his hand as he casually walked over to the edge of the water and knelt down to wash off the rest.

As soon as Koorimizu was dead, Inukigo could feel the ice lose it's demonic power, but made no move to free herself from it. When Kouga turned to look at her, she was frozen in place. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't move. Then he stood up and walked towards her with a neutral expression on his face. Inukigo gulped as he came closer. She was sure that he had come to finish what he started with her earlier, and here she was, standing naked in the middle of a river and surrounded by ice, and she couldn't get her body to move in order to defend herself. Kouga walked around Inukigo and stopped directly in front of her, and she looked up at him with wide, slightly frightened eyes. She didn't know why she was having this reaction to him. Normally she would never be this submissive to anyone without a fight.

Kouga looked down at Inukigo. He could smell that she was slightly afraid of him, as well as see it in her eyes. He sighed mentally. He hadn't wanted her to be afraid of him. His eyes travelled lower, below her crossed arms, and settled on her stomach. He winced when he saw the ugly bruise there. It looked bad now, but he guessed that it had been much worse a few hours earlier when he had first inflicted it, and she probably had some internal damage as well. He frowned when she still didn't free herself from the ice. She seemed to be too wary of him to move.

Inukigo started to panic when she saw Kouga pull his fist back. She was sure that he was going to hit her. Since she had been unable to get her body to respond, she was still held within the ice, and would be unable to do anything to get away from him. Kouga brought his fist down forcefully, and Inukigo closed her eyes waiting for the hit. She was surprised when it never came, but felt the ice in front of her give way instead. She opened her eyes to see what was going on, and was shocked to see Kouga kneeling on the ice not two feet in front of her, breaking apart the ice and tossing away pieces as they came free. Inukigo stood there speechless and completely still as he moved around her body to break away all the ice surrounding her. She was beginning to feel self-conscious, since she was, after all, completely naked and the only parts she had been able to cover were her breasts.

When he had freed her completely from the ice, Kouga didn't even give her a chance to try and pull herself out of the water. He reached down and pulled her up by the shoulders, then swung her body up so he could catch the backs of her knees and carried her bridal-style to the shore towards her clothes.

The feel of cool armour and warm fur against her skin caused Inukigo to come out of her stupor immediately, and a deep crimson blush spread across her skin. She was quick to point out her objections to the position she was in.

"Hey! What in the hell do you think you doing! Put me down right now!" Inukigo yelled as she struggled to get free from his grasp.

"Calm down! It just looked like you weren't going to move, so I figured that I'd help you out. Besides, do you want to give me an eye-full?"

Inukigo froze and her blush deepened. She 'humphed' then turned away from him

"I can walk you know," she grumbled.

"Yeah," Kouga nodded before stopping, "But we're here now, so you don't have to," he added, sitting her on the ground next to her clothes before turning and walking a short distance away.

Inukigo looked up at him curiously. It didn't look like he was going to leave, so she figured that he was waiting for her to get dressed. She quickly pulled on her fundoushi and hakama, then set to work wrapping her bindings around her torso. She started at her breasts and worked her way down. When she got to her stomach, she grunted a little in pain from pulling the bindings tight. Kouga turned to look at her wondering what had caused her to make the noise. He grimaced when he saw the reason.

"Does it hurt much?"

"Nani?" Inukigo asked surprised. She hadn't been expecting him to speak and stopped what she was doing.

"The wound to your stomach. Does it hurt much?"

"Oh," Inukigo replied, as she resumed wrapping the bindings, "Not really. It's just a little sore because that bitch kicked me," she explained gruffly, wondering why he was bothering to ask her.

Kouga nodded in understanding. He waited for her to pull her shirt on and tuck it into place before walking towards her. She still watched him warily, but she no longer feared him as she had before.

"Your name is Inukigo, right?"

"Hai," she responded curiously. He didn't seem as though he wanted to hurt her. "Was there something that you wanted, Kouga? You said that you had some unfinished business with me," she said, standing up so she could look him directly in the face.

"I do," Kouga responded, then looked away, "About earlier…"

"Yes?" Inukigo pressed. She stared at him in confusion. He sounded almost…shy. What in the world was he getting at?

"I…apologize, for my actions," he said quietly.

"Eh?" Inukigo exclaimed. She had never thought in a million years that Kouga was the type to apologize so easily. She had also thought that he would never be sorry for what he had done to her.

"I shouldn't have attacked you for what you said, I'm sorry for doing it."

Inukigo just stared at him for a few moments before responding.

"It's alright. I understand why you did it."

That caught Kouga's attention. His head snapped up to look at her. Inukigo smiled at him slightly.

"It was my fault for provoking you the way that I did. I'm sorry for letting my mouth run away with me."

"You were partly right," Kouga said, his head dropping in shame, "I was taking advantage of Kagome's kindness, but you have to understand, I didn't realize that I was doing that. It wasn't until you said those things that I noticed it."

Inukigo gave him measuring look. He seemed truly sorry for what had occurred.

"I believe you," she said simply.

Kouga looked up at her, surprised. He had expected her to need more convincing.

"Don't take that lightly," she warned him, "I don't tend to trust people very easily. For some reason, I find myself able to trust you."

Kouga nodded.

"Arigatou."

"I accept your apology, Kouga," she paused for a moment to choose her words, "But, my wounds were only physical. There's someone else who deserves an apology from you far more than I do."

"Kagome," Kouga breathed. Inukigo nodded.

"I know that she's probably angry with me right now, and I'm sure that inukuro would like nothing more to tear me apart, hell, I was sure that you would try that as soon as I came near you, but, do you think that I would be able to go apologize to her now?"

Inukigo observed him for a moment. She supposed that it couldn't do any harm.

"It should be alright," Inukigo replied, "But you'll have to keep your distance from her. If you don't, it won't be just Inuyasha that comes after you," she shot him a deadly glare, "I will too."

Kouga held his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"Alright, I understand."

"Good," Inukigo said as she turned to walk away, "Come with me."

Kouga nodded and followed behind her. When he caught up and was side by side with her he spoke again.

"So you're dog-turd's sister?" Inukigo nodded curtly and Kouga continued, "I'm guessing that the two of you are twins, since you look and smell so much alike," another nod, "So, how come I've never seen you around before?"

Inukigo was still a little mad about the 'dog-turd' reference, since it reminded her of other things he had said to her earlier. It took her a few moments to decide whether to answer his question.

"I was sealed, until recently."

"Soo ka."

Kouga was silent for a moment, before his curiosity got the better of him and he asked another question.

"Why do you want me to keep my distance from Kagome so badly?"

Inukigo looked at him from the corners of her eyes, which were gleaming with amusement.

"I'm sure you know how defensive males that have recently marked their intended can be. I just want to make sure that my brother doesn't tear you to shreds."

Kouga's face paled.

"M-marked?"

"Uh-huh," Inukigo replied. She watched as Kouga's face fell and his pace slowed until he had stopped in the middle of the trail. Inukigo sighed and walked back towards him, then bent down slightly so she could look up at his down-turned face.

"Kouga, you don't strike me as someone to be that dense. You had to have seen that you had no chance with Kagome. She loves my brother more than anything. Can you honestly tell me that you didn't know that?"

Kouga shook his head.

"No, I knew it. I always have known it. I guess I just didn't want to believe it," he looked up with a humourless smile on his face, "Can't blame a guy for trying though, right?"

Inukigo smiled sympathetically. Although she was glad that Kagome was with Inuyasha, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Kouga.

"No, I suppose not," she turned to continue walking, then decided to ask something that had been bothering her.

"Kouga, if you knew that you never had a chance with her, then how did you really feel about Kagome?"

Kouga looked around thoughtfully, trying to gather his thoughts. It was a few moments before he spoke.

"I'm not sure," he replied with some difficulty, "I know that I care for her very much, maybe even love her, but I've never really known if it's the kind of love that one has for a mate. I've always told her and acted as though I do, but I think that was more to piss inukuro off than anything else," he happened a glance at Inukigo, only to shy away slightly when he saw the glare she was sending him.

"You love to torment my brother, don't you?"

Kouga laughed sheepishly.

"What can I say? I never get tired of his reactions."

Inukigo turned to hide her amused smile. She could just picture Inuyasha now, chest puffed out while growling and snarling with everything he was worth. She stomped down on the giggle that wanted to come out at the mental picture.

Kouga caught the smile on her face before she turned around, then saw her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter. He smiled himself, knowing that he had made her laugh. Then he frowned in thought.

'Why am I happy to know that I made her laugh?'

Inukigo turned her head back around once she got herself under control.

"Alright, I guess you're right about that," she said, flashing a smile that, to Kouga's confusion, made his heart jump.

'What the hell is going on with me?'

Inukigo turned back around continued to walk down the trail. There was silence between her and Kouga, and that gave her mind the opportunity to think back on what had just happened at the river with Koorimizu.

Her reactions to watching Kouga fight were unsettling to her. She had never felt them before, so she had no real clue as to what they meant. She was starting to feel them again as she replayed the fight in her mind. The speed and power he displayed, the grace and timing of his movements, the confident air around him, that cocky smirk…

'Gah! I'm doing it again!'

Inukigo fought the urge to shake her head, for fear that Kouga would think her crazy.

'Oh great, now I care about what he thinks of me. What the hell is wrong with me?'

She had a pretty good idea of course, but she wasn't sure if she really wanted to admit it to herself. She was attracted to him, that was the only explanation. She blushed at the thought.

'There's no way. I can't be attracted to him.'

She frowned to herself. That hadn't even sounded convincing in her head.

Meanwhile, Kouga was walking behind Inukigo, staring at her back curiously. The woman's scent was fluctuating rapidly. It had started out completely normal, but then it had spiked slightly in a way that he found frighteningly pleasant. Then it quickly switched to embarrassment and finally to irritation. What in the world was she thinking about that had gotten her so worked up?

Inukigo's mind was still on the fight, when she remembered something that she hadn't done earlier.

"Oh, Kouga. I forgot. Thanks, for helping me out earlier. I won't lie, if you hadn't showed up, she would have killed me."

Kouga looked a little surprised. He hadn't been expecting a thank you from her.

"It's no problem."

Inukigo nodded, then remembering Kouga's speed, came up with the perfect idea for how to clear her mind. She slowed her pace until she dropped into step beside Kouga.

"I have to say, I was impressed by the speed that you were using while you were fighting."

Kouga looked down at her curiously. Was she…complementing him?

"Yeah?"

She looked up and nodded at him.

"Yeah."

As Kouga looked at her, he watched warily as her eyes took on a mischievous gleam, and a cocky smirk broke out on her face.

"Tell me," she said, her smirk growing wider, "How confident are you in that speed?"

"Huh?" he replied staring at her, "What are you getting at?"

Inukigo didn't answer him, just kept on smiling. Kouga's eyes widened in recognition when he could sense the challenging aura radiating from her.

"Are you challenging me, onna?" he asked as he stopped in his tracks to look at her.

"What do you think?" she asked smoothly, crossing her arms across her chest

Kouga gave a smirk of his own in response.

"Do you believe that you can keep up with me?"

Inukigo laughed outright at that.

"Well, I haven't seen much of your abilities, but I'm confident that I can. You see, I said that your speed was impressive. I never said that you were faster than me."

Kouga's outward appearance didn't change, but on the inside he was genuinely surprised.

"Humph. That fight was nothing to go by. I was only using a fraction of my speed then."

The smirk never left Inukigo's face.

"I repeat, I never said that you were faster than me."

The surprise did register on Kouga's face this time, but it was only a moment before his smirk was back in place.

"Whatever you say," he said in a mocking tone that made him sound as if he were humouring a small child.

Inukigo caught the implications behind his tone and frowned. She hated it when she was spoken to that way. Instead of letting him get to her, she walked up beside him and crouched into a running position.

"We'll race back to my group's camp. Whenever you're ready."

"What will the winner get?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Inukigo asked, standing upright again.

"What will the prize be for the person who gets there first?"

"Huh? I didn't mean for this to be a contest, I just challenged you. Whoever wins is proven to be the fastest. That's all I had in mind."

"Pft. That's no fun," Kouga said, rolling his eyes, "I should get something when I win."

Inukigo growled at him for his cockiness. Kouga ignored the warning.

"Alright," she agreed, "IF you win, I'll have to do a favour for you. If I win, you'll have to do one for me."

Kouga thought about it for a moment.

"Can the favour be anything?"

Inukigo wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but she didn't want to seem like a wimp.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, returning to her crouching position, "Ready?"

Kouga nodded and crouched down beside her.

"Alright," Inukigo said, lowering herself further, "San…ni…ichi…HIKE!"

Both of them took off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. They ran along the path, occasionally leaping into the trees, but neither of them going at their top speed. They goaded each other on, throwing insults to get the other to run faster. Their speed gradually increased as they ran neck and neck, and before long both were running at their limits. Inukigo knew that the campsite was getting close, and she didn't want to run straight into it with Kouga like this. She figured it would be better if they stopped just outside and have Kouga wait while she went to explain his presence to Inuyasha. She spotted a large tree up ahead, and decided that could be their finish line.

"Ooi!" she yelled out over the generated wind, "First to get to that big tree up there wins!"

"Aa!" Kouga yelled to let her know that he understood which tree she was talking about. He smirked and called out to her again, "It's time for me to leave you in my dust onna!"

Inukigo scoffed at him.

"Yeah right, ookami!"

She nearly balked when Kouga started to pick up speed slightly. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to overtake her by a few strides. The tree was coming up fast, and Inukigo fought to pick up her pace, but it was no use, she was at her limit. Kouga passed the tree and skidded to a stop, and she did the same just seconds after him. However, she had been pushing herself so hard that she overcompensated, and leaned back too far as she was skidding. She ended up falling over and sliding roughly along the ground on her left hip, going much farther than she would have gone otherwise. When she finally came to a stop, she flopped onto her back with her limbs spread-eagle and groaned.

'I can't believe he beat me, by only that much.'

She was panting harshly from the run, so she didn't hear Kouga as he approached her.

"Ooi?" he asked, standing above her, "You alright?"

Inukigo opened her eyes and looked up at him, fighting off the blush that wanted to spread across her face.

"I'm alright," she got out between breaths.

Kouga nodded at her, then smiled smugly.

"I win."

Inukigo rolled her eyes at him, annoyed by his childish display.

"Yeah, yeah, you won. What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

"Yeah, your favour remember?"

"Oh yeah. Anything I want right?"

"Hai," Inukigo pouted.

Kouga looked as though he was in deep thought, but then shook his head and extended a hand to her.

"I can't think of anything right now. I'll come up with something later. Just remember that you owe me."

"Yeah, I'll remember," Inukigo sighed as she took his offered hand.

He pulled her to her feet with a little more force than necessary, and Inukigo stopped herself with a hand on his chest to keep from crashing into him, while Kouga instinctively put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. He kept his hold on her wrist the entire time. They looked at each other curiously before realising their position and quickly pulling away from each other. Both sported a slight blush, and it was a few moments before either of them spoke.

"Well, um, *cough* I'll go and…umm…let Inuyasha and Kagome know that you're here," Inukigo said, "You should stay here and wait while I prepare my brother. I'll call to you when we're ready."

Kouga didn't say anything, but nodded in reply. Inukigo quickly walked off into the forest, her mind now racing once again.

'What was that all about? And why did I challenge him like that? Was I trying to prove myself to him or something? Ugh…I'm not sure what to think anymore, this whole thing is just so weir-'

"Inukigo?"

"Huh?"

Inukigo jumped at the sound of Inuyasha's voice. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that she had walked straight into camp. Inuyasha was staring at her with a slight amount of concern.

'He stayed awake to wait for me.'

"You alright? You seemed to be pretty out of it."

Finally able to find her voice, Inukigo managed to give him an answer.

"I'm fine."

Inuyasha didn't look as though he was entirely convinced.

"You sure? You sound winded…" he took a tentative sniff and his eyes widened slightly, "And I smell your blood. What happened?" he asked in a tone that demanded an answer.

Inukigo looked at the ground as she came to kneel before Inuyasha, who was still holding a sleeping Kagome in his lap.

Inuyasha was confused. She was acting submissive, as if she was guilty for doing something wrong. What could have possibly happened to her?

"While I was at the river…I wasn't exactly careful," she replied quietly.

Inuyasha's concern increased and he leaned forward slightly, careful to not wake the sleeping girl in his arms.

"Inukigo, tell me. What happened?"

Inukigo turned her gaze up to look him in the eyes.

"While I was at the river, that new demon of Naraku's showed up. The same one that attacked Kagome and Sango a few days ago. I wasn't paying attention and she managed to sneak up on me."

"What?!" Inuyasha whispered harshly, somehow remembering to keep his voice down as to not wake their companions, "Show me."

"What?"

"Show me where she hurt you."

"Inuyasha…"

"Now," he ordered sharply.

Inukigo sighed before reaching up to undo the top clasp of her kimono, then pulled down the neck and lifted her chin so Inuyasha could see the wound in the middle of her throat, right above her collar bone. He reached out with one hand and wrapped it around the side of her neck, stroking the wound over lightly with his thumb. He felt Inukigo jump slightly when he touched it, but knew that it still had to have been sore since she had received it so recently. It had only just healed over, which was why he could still smell the blood from it. He let his hand drop and Inukigo went about re-tying the clasp.

"Anywhere else?"

Inukigo shrugged.

"She kicked me in the stomach, but it's alright, she didn't do any damage. Bitch got what she deserved though," she said with a smirk.

"Oh, so you killed her then."

Inukigo shook her head.

"No, I wasn't the one who killed her."

Inuyasha's confusion returned.

"You didn't? If you didn't kill her, than who…wait a minute," Inuyasha leaned in a little closer to his sister, suddenly catching a whiff of something that he really didn't like, "Would you mind telling me…why the hell I can smell that damn wolf on you?" he asked in a tone that sounded of barely contained rage.

Inukigo blushed slightly but fought it back as she explained.

"Kouga showed up. He's the one who killed the demon. She had me wedged in that damn unbreakable ice by my hips. She was about to kill me, but Kouga showed up and ended up…saving me," she finished quietly, embarrassed by having needed to be rescued.

Inuyasha nodded, his anger going down a notch, but he wasn't finished.

"Well, as nice as that is, it doesn't answer my question. I want to know how his scent got on YOU. It's not one your clothes, it's directly on your body. How do you explain that?"

Inukigo's blush darkened a few shades. There was no point in lying to him, he would know if she did. Besides, she wasn't even sure she could lie if she tried.

'He's gonna be pissed…'

"Y-you see, umm…Koorimizu trapped me in the ice while I was taking a bath. After Kouga killed her, he came over and broke the ice away, and then hepickedmeupandcarriedmetomyclothes," she rushed out in one breath.

Inuyasha's eyes were wide as he grasped what she had said and the words registered in his head.

"He. Did. WHAT?!!!"

Inukigo cringed and shied away from him slightly. Kagome jerked awake in Inuyasha's arms, having been startled by his yell. The case was the same with Miroku and Sango, as well as Kirara and Shippou, and all were now looking in their direction curiously. Inuyasha, not having noticed this, kept up with his tirade.

"You mean to tell me, that not only did the bastard see you naked, he also picked you up and carried you to your clothes! And you just let him?!"

Inukigo nodded dejectedly and whimpered loudly in a desperate plea for forgiveness, even though she knew that the only thing she had done was not fight Kouga off when he had picked her up. She hated when he yelled at her this way. He had done it very few times, but every time he did, it made her feel so small.

Inuyasha either ignored her plea, or didn't hear it over his growling.

"Damn it, I don't suppose that you just happened to let him watch you get dressed too!"

Inukigo shook her head back and forth rapidly as she folded in on herself and whimpered loudly again.

"Inuyasha, that's enough!"

Inuyasha started, then looked down at the girl still nestled under the blanket in his lap, only to receive the deadly glare that she was sending him. He could swear that she was trying to bore a hole through his head from the way she was staring at him. He happened to take a glance around the campsite to see that everyone else was sending him similar looks, only none of them were as strong as Kagome's. She untangled herself from the blanket and shifted around so she was facing him and at eye level.

"What in the world are you doing?! Look at what you've done to her, baka!!" she screamed, pointing behind herself at Inukigo.

Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head, ready to yell back at her for screaming at him, until he glanced over her shoulder at his sister's huddled up form. His face fell and he nearly whined himself when he saw what his words had done. Inukigo was completely hunched over and was clutching her arms tightly. He could see her shaking and could hear her small whimpers. She looked like a pup who had just been scolded for some horrible indiscretion, and was now begging to not be exiled from her pack. He hadn't realized that he had pushed her so far. Oh yeah, he felt lower than scum.

While he was mentally thinking over how much of an ass he was, Kagome got up out of his lap and quickly let him know what she felt he should get for his actions.

"Osuwari!"

Inuyasha immediately crashed into the ground face first, but there were no curses forthcoming.

'I sooo deserve this right now.'

Kagome knelt back down next to Inukigo and began rubbing soothing circles on the female hanyou's back.

"It's alright, Inukigo-chan. Don't be upset, we all know that Inuyasha is a moron."

Kagome began to feel panicked when her attempts to comfort Inukigo did nothing to break Inukigo out of the trance she seemed to be in. Inuyasha lifted his head, still unable to move his body because of the spell.

"That won't work," he explained quietly.

Kagome looked over at him, the question 'why' clearly written on her face. Inuyasha waited for the spell to completely release him and then he crawled over to them as he explained.

"You're not the one she needs reassurance from."

Kagome shifted back slightly to give the two hanyous some room. Inuyasha settled down next to Inukigo and began rubbing his hand up and down her back. He leaned down so his face was right next to hers.

"C'mon Inukigo. I'm sorry for getting so mad, I didn't mean to yell at you."

Inukigo stopped whimpering and shaking, but she didn't move from her spot on the ground. Inuyasha sighed, at least he was making some progress. He stilled his hand, resting it on her right side and giving her a few comforting pats.

"I didn't mean to make you so upset. Get up now, okay?"

Inukigo didn't seem as though she was going to move, but after a few minutes she complied and sat up slowly. Inuyasha winced when she didn't look at him, but looked over at Kagome instead.

"Kouga is here. He wants to talk to you," she said in an emotionless voice.

Inuyasha's anger returned slightly at the knowledge that the wolf was near.

"There is no way that he is talking to Kagome alone," he said sternly.

Inukigo didn't look at him as she replied in the same emotionless tone.

"I never said that he wanted to talk to her alone. If that was what he had wanted I would have never brought him back here with me," she directed her attention back to Kagome again, "Is it alright for him to speak to you?"

Kagome was a little worried by Inukigo's cold tone and facial features.

'She looks like Sesshoumaru…'

"Hai, it's alright."

Inukigo nodded and got to her feet.

"I'll go and get him then," she said. She then turned and walked off, without sparing anyone a second glance.

As soon as she was gone, Kagome rounded on Inuyasha and pinned him with another glare.

"What in the world is your problem, Inuyasha?"

"My problem is that that fucking wolf had his paws all over my sister!"

"I gathered that much, but why did you have to be so harsh with her? It's like she's completely shut off now."

Inuyasha sighed and slouched his shoulders slightly.

"I know. I didn't mean to go that far. She'll be fine in a little while."

"That was pretty low of you Inuyasha," Sango spoke up as she knelt down next to Kagome.

"I would have to agree with Sango," Miroku said, following Sango, "It wasn't fair of you to take out all your anger on Inukigo."

Inuyasha growled low in irritation.

"You think I don't know that? Do I look like I'm happy about it?"

"Inuyasha, you big jerk! Why'd you make Inukigo so upset? You're so mean!" Shippou yelled from the spot he'd taken up on Kagome's lap. Even Kirara seemed to growl her disapproval of his actions.

Instead of thumping Shippou on the head like he normally would, Inuyasha 'keh-ed' and whipped around, leaving his back facing them.

"Back off runt, it's none of your business."

They all decided to leave him alone because of his mood, which let Inuyasha think over what they had said.

'They are right. I am a jerk, and what I did wasn't fair,' Inuyasha sighed inwardly, 'I just hope that Inukigo forgives me quickly. The last time I yelled at her like that she completely ignored me for almost a week.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~

Inukigo walked slowly back through the forest to where she had left Kouga. Her emotionless mask was still in place, and she knew at that moment she must very much resemble Sesshoumaru. The thought made her angry, but her expression never changed. She pushed that thought aside and got back to thinking about the reason for her current state.

'Baka! Why did he get so upset with me? He made it sound as though I gave Kouga permission to touch me. It's not like I didn't want to fight him off, but he would have gotten way too good a look at me if I had.'

Inukigo knew that she was lying to herself. Deep in her mind, she knew the real reason that she had let Kouga carry her was because somewhere deep down, she had enjoyed being carried by a man who she found attractive, even if only subconsciously. She knew it wasn't right for him to have carried her, considering what her state of dress, or rather undress, had been at the time, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. And that thought scared her.

"Hey."

Inukigo stopped abruptly and looked up towards the voice to see Kouga sitting on a log, closer to camp than where she had left him. He stood up and walked towards her, with a slightly guilty look on his face. She turned again and began to walk back towards camp.

"Kagome said that she'll talk to you. C'mon."

Kouga followed along behind her, and spoke after a few moments.

"Sorry that I got you in trouble. I could hear inukuro yelling from here."

"It's fine," Inukigo answered emotionlessly.

Kouga remained silent after that. Her cold tone worried him. He hadn't been able to make out the words and wondered what Inuyasha could have possibly said that made her this closed off. In a few moments they entered the campsite. Everyone's eyes turned to them, but Inukigo showed them no acknowledgement. She just walked right by everyone and straight to the other side of camp before jumping up into a tall tree and disappearing among it's branches without a word. Kouga watched her go sadly, before turning his eyes to the group before him. They all had their eyes on him, waiting to see what he had to say. He didn't bother to sit down, what he had to say wouldn't take long.

"Kagome…"

"Yes, Kouga? What was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

Kouga sighed and turned his gaze away from her.

"I wanted to apologize for my behaviour earlier. And I'm also sorry for taking advantage of your kindness. I realize now that I did do that, but it was never my intention. Gomen nasai."

Kagome smiled at him warmly.

"Arigatou Kouga. I accept your apology."

Kouga returned his gaze to her eyes and returned her smile.

"Thanks."

He then turned to Inuyasha with a serious look on his face.

"Listen inukuro. Don't punish your sister because of me. It's not her fault that I decided to carry her."

Inuyasha looked up at him with his chin propped up in one hand.

"Keh, I know that already. I already apologized to her for it. I just have to wait for her to forgive me."

Kouga nodded in understanding.

"Consider yourself lucky though," Inuyasha continued, "If it was my father you were dealing with, you might not be alive right now. He was more protective of her than I am, so be grateful that I'm not him."

Kouga gulped and nodded again. It took him a few moments after that to find his voice.

"Okay. There are still some things I need to say to the two of you," he said, indicating Kagome and Inuyasha, "First off, congratulations on your marking," this caused Miroku, Sango, and Shippou to balk, and blush formed on Kagome's and Inuyasha's cheeks, "Secondly, Inuyasha," said hanyou jerked up in surprise at hearing the wolf prince use his name, "As the prince of my tribe, I vow that if there is every a time when you are unable to do so yourself, I will protect Kagome with my life."

Inuyasha stared at him in shock, as did everyone else present. He could tell from the way Kouga had said the words that he meant it. It wasn't a taunt saying 'I'll be taking Kagome as my woman when you die', he actually meant what he was saying.

"Arigatou, Kouga."

Kouga nodded, satisfied that his offer had been accepted.

"I'll be going now then. I left Ginta and Hakkaku in a cave somewhere, and we have to get going at dawn to go check on the pack."

He walked over to stand under the tree that Inukigo had jumped into first when they had arrived, knowing that she was still up there.

"Ooi! I'm going now! Don't you forget that favour you owe me, onna!"

The rest of the group looked on curiously as a disembodied 'yeah, sure' drifted down from the treetops. They were all thinking the same thing.

'What favour?'

Kouga shouted a 'ja ne' back up at her, then jogged back across the campsite to leave the way he had come.

"Later Kagome!" he then smirked at Inuyasha, "See ya round, dog turd!"

Inuyasha was instantly on his feet and glowering at the retreating wolf demon.

"Ooi! I dare you to come back here and say that to my face, wolf shit!"

Kouga laughed as he waved over his shoulder, then took off in a cloud of dust.

The campsite was silent for a few moments before Kagome decided to speak.

"Well, that was certainly different."

Inuyasha grunted in agreement.

"I'll say. Definitely weird."

Inuyasha sighed to himself as he turned his gaze to the tree where he knew that his sister was brooding.

'Now I just have to find a way to deal with her. She won't come down tonight though, so there's no point in trying.'

He sighed again. They still had a long time before sunrise, and he had been hoping to get some sleep. He idly wondered if Kagome would go to sleep in his arms again. Then he remembered how angry she was when she had woken up and winced.

'Probably not.'

I was going to be a long night.

***************************************************************** *******

Betcha didn't think I could pop out another chapter like that, did ya? I was debating for awhile whether I should split it up, but then decided not to. All the good split up points were too early in the chapter so it would have been too short. I was hoping for a few more reviews on the last chapter I wrote, but it seems to just have been wishful thinking (thanks to the ones that did though). It'll be awhile before I write another scene like that, and a full blown lemon is a ways away too. Well, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, because I'm trying to decide on what scenes should come next. And school starts up again on Monday too (I need to work harder this semester to make up for the last one), so that's gonna slow me down even more. There will be a pic up for the scene between Inukigo and Kouga right after their race, I have to clean it up a bit first though. You will be able to find it on my site, as well as theotaku.com, and maybe on mm.org. Until next time!

Ja ne!!