Warmth surrounded Kagome as she opened her eyes. At first, all she saw was grey. Right. The inside of her sleeping bag. Once her current location sunk in, she pulled down to reveal emptiness. Of course she was alone… this was her tent. She pushed her bangs away with her palm before sitting up. She now realized what woke her up; the tent was hot and stuffy. She was probably cooking under the sun. And it also explained why she was covered in sweat. Ugh. It was not like she could hide something like that from wolves and their noses - or eyes really.

She retrieved her elastic from around her wrist and tied her hair in a messy bun. At least that would help - maybe.

Kagome pulled down on her shirt and shyly came out of the tent. She was not sure what time it was or if anybody was up and decided to be as quiet as possible. However, she quickly realized it was futile when she saw a bunch of people - and wolves - already up and about.

"Mornin' Sis!"

Hakkaku ran towards her with a mug in his hand. "Coffee?"

She urgently took it and smiled. "Thank you."

Quickly, she scanned the area but before she could glance everywhere, Hakkaku stopped her. "Kouga and some of the others went to get some breakfast. Well - wolf breakfast. Nothing you'd like. We got stuff ya eat though. If ya hungry."

She shook her head, a faint tint of pink on her cheeks. She was not looking for Kouga. She was just checking to see who was awake. "I'm fine, thanks."

"How'd ya sleep?" He tried not to raise an eyebrow. Or smirk. Actually, he did not really know what happened. He knew Kouga went in her tent. And only came out three hours later. His scent was on her though it was clear nothing truly took place. She did not smell any different and they would have heard…erm something.

Still… Kouga looked pretty happy this morning.

"Mm, good." She did have a nightmare though. But when did she not? Nightmares seemed to be the way she dealt with her stress and her sadness.

As she inhaled deeply, feeling the freshness of the air, she smiled happily. It was saddening to think the trip was nearly over. This reminded her of better time and it felt right. Going back home would be a little bit like giving it all up again. She shook her head, chasing the thoughts away. Kagome needed a distraction. She took a sip of the coffee, watching as some of the wolves playfully battled one and another.

Meanwhile, a few meters away, Kouga was leaning against a tree. His arms were stained red from the blood of their recent kill but he did not bother washing it off. He already had to be civilized more than he liked meaning he was not going to be a human during these trips. He remained there, alone. He was not certain if he could actually talk to her and keep a straight face. Her scent was imbibed on his skin. And her warmth, he remembered her warmth. She snuggled up pretty close before he decided he was invading her privacy. After all, he only went to make sure she was safe and it did not require hours to do so.

Unfortunately that little moment allowed him to memorize her heartbeat, the sound of her breathing and many other things he should not remember.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his tangled hair. Damn it. No, he was not going down that road again. Nope.

Deciding that slightly avoiding her was worse - and totally not in his personality - he moved forward. He hit things head on and he certainly did not tip toe around people. Kagome always made him different. A good kind of different though.

"We got some rabbits but I got a feelin' you ain't interested."

She turned around, a grin on her face. "Hey. Mm - no I think I'll stick to coffee," she said before sticking her tongue out to express her disgust.

He chuckled and nodded. "So, what do ya wanna do today?"

"Aren't you guys going to…run around?" she said, almost wincing in fear that she was being rude. She was not exactly sure what wolves did. Or youkais for that matter. They fought but that was in the Feudal Era. What did they do now?

His amusement did not die down as his eyes lighted up with joy. "Some are going to run around, but not all of us." He shrugged. "I could take ya around if ya want. I wouldn't suggest going alone, but ya'll be fine with me."

Walking around in the forest… just like old times. "I think I'd like that."

"A'right! Ya sure you don't wanna eat something?"

"I'm fine."

He nodded but made note to pack some food in a bag nonetheless. They might be gone for a while and he did not want her starving. "I'll get a bag and tell the others."

Kagome hurried to gulp down her coffee, the caffeine greatly needed. She remembered how exhausted she could be in the past and she would need her energy. Actually, she found herself hoping she was not too out of shape to do this. After all, she did not really do anything with her life in the past year except stay home. Did her life really become so boring after being so exciting?

Not far from her, Kouga was trying to rapidly shove everything in a bag. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough.

"Ya leavin' with Kagome?"

He did not need to see Ginta's face to know what his expression was like. "It ain't like that."

"Ya would have love to have her alone in the forest back then."

He sighed. "I ain't gonna do this. I'm not interested in Kagome. She's a friend. That's all she's ever gonna be. I'm not gonna date her."

Ginta pinched his lips awkwardly and then Kouga smelled it. Her scent. He rapidly turned around only to find Kagome standing behind him with a sheepish smile on her face.

Shit. Shit. Fuck. And then he stammered. "Oh - h - you're ready to go?"

"Do I need anything?"

"No."

"Then, I am."

Her expression looked the same, her voice was not different - she was unaffected. Whatever she heard, she did not care. It only convinced him that he made the right decision by sticking with the friendship path. She was - and would always be - in love with Inuyasha. He accepted that. Hence why he was not going to ruin what they had or get his feelings hurt again.

Still, just to confirm, he subtly sniffed the air. Yeah. No change.

In silence, she followed behind him as he went ahead and led them into the forest.

-U-

I ain't gonna date her.

She already knew that. He might still be Kouga but he was not the same. Granted it did strike her as strange that he did not take a mate but perhaps as the centuries went on he changed and he found it better to be alone. She was better alone. Her past relationship, if you could call it that, left her a bit…scarred. Inuyasha never lied. Despite how close he would get to her, he always told her Kikyo was the one. He never pretended otherwise. She chose to keep loving him, to hurt. It was stupid but - she was in love.

She was confused as to if she was still in love or it was nothing more than lingering feelings. Could you still love after being away for a whole year?

None of it mattered.

Being with someone meant she was either going to lie forever or take a chance and appear completely insane. Her options were quite limited. And Kouga was not even part of those options. He was nice, he was a familiar face but he was… Kouga? And he did not even want her anymore. And she did not want to date him.

It all worked out.

Kouga found himself slightly off his game as he actually took the wrong path more than once. It bothered him - and it angered him that he let it bother him. He was not a fan of her silence either. Was it a good silence? Was she upset? No, wait. If she was upset he would smell it. Also, why would she be? It was not like she was expecting anything. It was the guys' fault. They messed with his head telling him all of those lies.

"We can stop if ya want," he inquired, finally breaking the silence.

"I'm fine," she replied, her voice almost a whisper.

She actually was. It shocked her to know she could go on this long without being out of breathe. Though perhaps it was because she was slightly distracted. She should not be lost in her mind; instead she should admire the view. Trees, mud, patches of blue sky and clouds. And for once, she did not have to be on the look out for shards. No youkais roaming, no risk of attacks. Well - there could be bears but she had a feeling Kouga could handle those.

"I still wait for it."

As he kept walking, he tilted his head in her direction, waiting for more.

"The zing of power from a shard. For so long - it was my life. Hunting the shards."

"Ya could take up history or something. I mean it ain't the same but…"

"I think I would be too distracted pointing out all the flaws - and you know all the missing youkais from the history books."

She would have to do something, eventually. Although… "I could take up the shrine. Souta's not gonna wanna do it. My grandpa's not getting any younger." She knew how to be a Miko. Sort of. A future miko. It was what she was now right?

Despite his best intentions, he sniggered. "Sorry," he said between laughs. "I just, I keep thinking of ya in your little school uniform. Not exactly ya know, what ya picture a Miko being."

"Well sorry I didn't expect to be thrown five hundred years into the past. And I certainly was not going to dress like her."

Right. Kikyo. She was the dead miko if he remembered well. The one… Inuyasha was in love with. Oh. Well it seemed he was quite talented at bringing up the subjects she clearly did not want to discuss. Fuck, he was an idiot. He had enough of Inuyasha back then; he did not need him now. And he did not need Kagome to be upset. He was supposed to show her a fun time this weekend. Sadness constantly lingered in her scent and he wanted to get rid of it. Although, if she wanted to talk to him about it, he would listen. That was what friends were for right?

"You were you."

Somehow, those words were quite comforting. Sometimes, she wondered if Inuyasha knew the difference. She knew he knew but it still attracted him to her in the first place. Also, everyone thought she was Kikyo or a copy. A look-a-like. Kouga only saw her. She was Kagome. The girl he kidnapped and chase after. It was a nice change. She was not held to any expectations.

"Thank you."

He let the subject be dropped, not wanting to upset her with any more talks about Kikyo. Though he was sad she thanked him because he saw her as herself. Sometimes he wondered just how exactly Inuyasha broke her. Yes, Kagome was strong but it did not mean her heart could not be scarred. Inuyasha was the only love she ever had.

"So, why didn't it work out?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Between you and those girls."

Right. The ones Ginta told her about - the ones he made up. "They weren't my type." Because he was hung up on her for too long and really, not a lot of people could measure up to Kagome. She set the bar really high.

"What is your type?" She hoped she was not prying but she preferred conversations about his love life over those about hers.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he did not really have a type. "When I find the right one, I'll just know it."

Romantic. Well, it did fit; he declared his love for her from the top of a mountain and he brought her flowers a couple of times. He was the romantic type. It saddened her even more that he did not find anyone; he deserved to be happy - he would make a girl very happy. She would not be surprised to learn that most women in his pack threw themselves at him.

"I guess we're in the same boat."

When he glanced at her, confused, she explained further. "I mean, you're a youkai. You can't just date anyone. And with everything that happened…I can't just… you know."

He nodded. "I think the future is more complicated than the past."

This was why she craved the past so much.

Kouga wanted to punch himself for making her sad again but he knew he might still be able to turn the situation around. If he took the right path this time, then they should be close by. He inhaled deeply and then, the scent filled his nose. Yes. He grinned as he came to a halt. He grabbed her hand and his smile grew. "I wanna show ya somethin'."

She tightened her grip on his hand and allowed him to drag her. Quickly, they found themselves on the summit of a mountain and she felt her heart stop. The view was beautiful and different from what she was used to seeing in this era.

"It gets better." He pointed at a tiny waterfall. The water was barely flowing, but it was still kicking. "Do you know what that is?"

"A waterfall?"

"Not any waterfall. My waterfall."

His waterf-… Kagome tilted her head to the side and began gazing at the vicinity. This was supposed to feel familiar, she knew it was. His waterfall. "This is where your den was!"

His smile was too huge to contain and he almost broke into a laugh. "Yeah. That's where I took ya after kidnappin' ya." He watched as she peeked around, mesmerized. Since he was still holding on to her hand, he brought her to the edge and sat down, forcing her to do the same. "Down there is where I claimed ya."

It did not look the same. Everything changed, everything faded. However, all she had to do was look in Kouga's blue eyes and she could see what he saw; the past. She knew that when he admired this place, he only saw his den, not the changes nature and men did to it.

At this exact moment, he could sense the wolves running around, the howls, the thrill of the chase and the sounds of laughter. He loved this place.

"Is this why you all come here?"

"We didn't know at first. I mean it changed so much and it ain't like we had maps before or nothing. It was all instincts. But all this shit you guys built… it screws up with the senses."

She scooted over a little closer to him, their thighs touching. "All that matters is that you're home again. I'd love to find home." Her family, they were her home but it was not the same. She did not have a place like he did where she felt at peace.

"You will. It took me some time too ya know. I didn't like this world. I sure as hell didn't like all those humans running around like they owned the place. Your people - they don't share well."

He was not trying to insult her. Kagome was different. Most humans were cruel and they took over everything. They left nothing behind for anybody. It was frustrating to watch it happen, unable to do anything.

"I know."

Kouga inhaled deeply before closing his eyes. He let himself feel the wind against his face, he let the many scents fill his nose, and most of all, he let himself enjoy her presence.

Why was it so easy to be at ease around her? Why could he not feel this way with anybody else?

-U-

By the time Kagome and Kouga returned to their camp site, mid day came and passed. Nearly everyone, wolves and humanoids, turned their heads to look at them as they stepped closer. Kagome was slightly lost in her thoughts and did not notice but Kouga did. He did not fail to glare at them, silently ordering them to stop that foolish behavior. And they listened…after a few more stares.

"Thank you, I needed that."

"I did too."

Finding Kagome was one of the greatest things that happened to him. Yet, it also brought forward a lot of confusion and feelings. He needed the mountains and the forest to clear his mind. He was also glad she was not mad about his little comment earlier. She never mentioned it and she did not act any differently towards him.

"How was the walk?"

Before Kouga had a change to shut down Ginta's insinuations, Kagome rushed to answer. "It was great, Kouga showed me where your old den was."

Despite his best efforts to hide his surprise, Ginta raised an eyebrow. How could Kouga claim he had no romantic feelings toward Kagome and then share something like that with her. Sure, she was pack no matter what but… that location was very important to Kouga. Everybody saw it and talked about it but he did not. He simply went there by himself and always quietly returned hours later.

"Yeah, can't believe it's still there," Ginta said with a smile. "We cooked ya some meat if ya hungry."

Kagome did not have time to reply that her stomach growled loudly. A hue of red covered her cheeks as she peeked down at the ground, slightly embarrassed. "I guess I am."

She followed Kouga and Ginta to where the others were. Kouga seemed fine but she felt somewhat awkward. It felt like they were close when they were sitting at the edge of the cliff. Of course, they were…kind of close…they were friends. It was strange…she did not know how to explain it. Yet, she remembered his words clearly. While they did not bother her, they did confuse her. Kouga was the guy who was in love with her. At least that was who he was for a very long time. Now he was a friend who had no feelings at all for her and had no interest in dating her.

That was what she wanted in the past right? The only real part that bothered her about Kouga was his incessant pursue of her. Now, that was over. It was great.

"Here ya go," Ginta said as he offered her a plate full of meat.

"Do I want to know what animal this is?"

"Probably not," Kouga offered with a grin.

"Right," she silently mouthed.

Since she was very hungry, she took a piece of meat with her fingers and shoved it in her mouth. She carefully began chewing until she realized the taste was actually decent. "Don't tell me what it is because I like it."

She also made a mental note not to look up since everyone else was eating bloody, red meat.

Suddenly, the peace and quiet was harshly disturbed when sounds of fighting filled the vicinity. Kouga's eyes were the first to search the source of the trouble. Once he located it, a swear slipped in and he hurried to his feet. "Idiots."

"It happens often," Hakkaku said to re-assure Kagome who was still staring at the three wolves fighting.

Meanwhile, Ginta carefully waited until Kouga was far enough from them before focusing his attention on Kagome. He approached his head to hers and whispered. "Ya know Kouga didn't mean what he said earlier, right?"

Hakkaku elbowed Ginta in the side and glared at him. Kouga would not like it if they discussed those kind of matters with Kagome. He already was pissed they mingled every time. He seemed on edge today and he was not sure that making him angry was the way to go.

"Didn't mean what?" Kagome's chewing came to a halt and she raised her glance to meet Ginta's. She was positive her heart was beating faster - and louder. It seemed nobody would let her forget what Kouga said.

"When he said he'd never date ya."

"Oh, it's okay," she finally replied after a moment of silence. This was awkward and she was not sure why anybody thought she was upset. They had to know by now that she kept turning him down over and over again in the past. "We're just friends. I didn't think he wanted to go out with me." Her voice was quivering a bit, mostly because she was nervous. Kouga and her we're friends. That was what she needed. A friend.

"But he does."

Kagome finally swallowed the last bite of her food. "He did a long time ago," she rectified.

"No, he still does. He loves ya, he always loved ya." Ginta was about to add more than he felt a cold shiver spread down his spine. When he raised his gaze, he found Kouga glaring at him with twitching ears. Damn it. He heard everything. Ginta thought he would be far enough or too busy to listen in on the conversation. He offered a sheepish smile but it did nothing to ease Kouga's rage.

"I mean, we all love ya. You're our sis!"

She arched an eyebrow and turned her head to see what caused Ginta to gulp. However, all she saw was Kouga smiling at her, his face slightly red. She imitated his reaction by blushing and quickly peeked away. "I love you guys too. I'm really glad I get to…you know be here."

Ginta was not given the chance to say anything since Kouga approached him and wedge his foot under his thigh. Then, he gave a friendly kick and moved him out of the way. He took that opportunity to sit between Ginta and Kagome, preventing his idiotic brother from making the situation any worse. It was one thing to talk about this with him but… her? As if he needed Kagome to be uncomfortable! He knew she didn't like when she said she was happy to be with them. He wanted it to stay that way.

"Cubs. Always fightin'."

"Cubs?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. They're cubs."

"They look older than me."

He chortled. "They are older than ya. They're a hundred years old."

"And that makes them cubs?"

"When ya live as long as we do, yeah."

Right. She kept forgetting Kouga's real age. He survived the last five hundred years and since a hundred years old was still a cub…he had to be at least six hundred years old right?

"Don't think I don't know you're counting how old I am."

"I did call you grandpa before."

"Alrigh', that's it."

Without really thinking it through he began tickling her sides. Kagome fell unto the ground rather rapidly, giggles and screams escaping her. She wriggled on the ground and he soon found himself kneeling at her side, hovering on top of her as he kept on going with his ministrations. She pressed her hands to his chest trying to push him away but she was not strong enough. Her laughs got louder and he joined in.

"Am I still a grandpa?"

Because she could not find her voice, she nodded.

He smirked at her refusal to give up and raised his hands. This time, she starting kicking with her feet, the tickling obviously unbearable. Since they were busy in their little game, neither noticed when, while fighting him, she wrapped her legs around his waist. All she thought of was to use this new grip on him to push him away but that ended in a failure as well. It was not until he nearly lost his balance and had to use his arms to prevent himself from falling on top of her that it hit him.

Her face was close - too close. Her soft, cute nose was ready to brush up against his, her breath was warm against his skin and her beautiful crystal blue eyes were locked on his face. He could hear her heart loud and clear but he could not hear his own. Probably because it was not beating. No, all he felt was her long legs wrapped around him, keeping his groin close to her lower body.

No words were exchanged as her expression finally transformed. She was trying to smile at him but her bottom lip kept quivering. He decided to spare her and lifted himself up without her having to ask. Once he was standing on his own two - slightly quaking - legs, he offered her his hand. She shyly took, avoiding his eyes at all cost, and rose up.

He wanted to say something, anything but no words came to mind.

Kagome was the one to break the silence. "I'm -a- I'm a little cold. I'm just going to get my sweater."

Kouga nodded, still voiceless.

It was not until she was far that he let a curse slip him.

"Hey Ko-"

"This is your fault," he interrupted. "If ya hadn't talked about what happened earlier, I wouldn't have had to distract her."

"We were trying to help."

"You're not helpin'." He ran his fingers through his hair, uneasy. "I told ya already. I'm her friend - nothing else."

"Alright."

So far, they had that conversation many times and it did not change anything. Apparently, the more they pushed him the worse it got. They did not want for Kouga to purposefully avoid his feelings because of them. Unfortunately, they knew that without someone pushing Kagome or Kouga it was not going to happen. Kouga used to be so persistent, never giving up. Why was he so afraid to show his feelings this time? It was not like him. Even his cocky attitude was gone when he was around her.

"Thank you," he said exasperated.

A few meters from them was Kagome, locked away in her tent. She was fumbling through her bag, trying to find her sweater. Frankly, she probably fished it out of there three times already and simply did not realize because of her brittle state. Inhale. Exhale. She had to remind herself to do both of those. Her heart was pressing against her rib cage with his pump and her hands were shaking like leaves. When did it become this easy to be around him? It took her forever to notice the closeness. They never formed a close bond or nothing.

Kagome finally let her bag dropped on the ground and then she tilted her head backwards to take a deep breath. This was silly; she was acting like a young teenager. She could be around people, around men, without blushing like this. Her reaction probably made him uncomfortable. He was tiptoeing around her, trying to make her happy and she was acting weird or sad. Things were better for her…why could she not get rid of the sadness inside of her?

She shook her head and then looked down in her bag. She easily spotted the red sweater and quickly snatched it away before slipping it on. Once she re-did her ponytail, she shoved her bag away and exited the tent. Calm, she had to be calm, she reminded herself as she walked back near the campfire.

They welcomed her as if nothing happened and she appreciated it. Maybe she was the one who read too much into it.

Kouga was right when he invited her over for the weekend. She did need to relax and learn how to enjoy herself. Perhaps it was not too late to do exactly that.

-U-

"Alright, we got sake and beers!"

The wolves began passing the alcohol between all of them and they respectfully skipped Kagome at each turn. She did not mind considering that she did not drink. Last time she was around Kouga and alcohol though, she got her shirt soaked. She would be mindfully of everyone with a drink this time.

Ginta threw a beer at Kouga who gladly accepted it. He opened it and a bit of foam spurted from it and leaked down the sides, wetting his hands. He took a huge gulp under Kagome's watchful eyes. She did not expect him to stay sober because she was there. He was a grown man and this was his weekend to relax. Plus, it was none of her business what he did.

"Want a beer?" he asked with a smile.

"I think I'll pass." She could still remember the taste and had no intention of repeating that experience. Yuk.

He finished his beer and tossed it in the garbage bag with the rest of the trash. He got up and retrieved another one from the cooler. It would take him many to even feel a slight buzz. Cheap human alcohol. Not that he intended on getting drunk or anything. Especially not with Kagome around.

A strange voice came from behind her and then a hand appeared beside her. "Sake?"

Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku all turned to look at him but the male wolf only offered a shrug. "You said no beer. Ya didn't say anything about sake!"

Sensing some tension, Kagome smiled. "It's okay. I'll have some."

That she did drink before. Sometimes, on rare special occasions, her grandfather would open a bottle of sake and they would all drink a small glass. It definitively tasted before than beer. She took the cup from the stranger and sipped at it. At the same time, she raised her head to look at the darkening sky. She could really do this every day.

"We should stay here."

"I'd love that."

"Why don't you?"

He shrugged. "Gotta work, take care of the pack."

"Don't you have everything you need out here?"

"I think if a bunch of men and wolves starting camping out there, they would eventually notice."

Right. "You could stay longer."

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't have jobs waiting for us back in the city. Ya can't live in this world just by hunting."

Oh how he learned that the hard way. They almost starved and died once. Living with humans required many years of adjustments but they got it right in the end. However, he refused to go through that again. Powerful youkais like them should not have near death encounters that often.

While Kouga finished his third beer in a gulp, she took a bigger sip of her sake. "I used to do this with Inuyasha and Shippo."

"Muttface watching the stars?"

She laughed. "No, he mostly complained about my need to rest. It was so human of me."

He did not want to push the whole Inuyasha topic but… she did start it. "Ya know, I never understood. He was an asshole. I was charming."

"He was nice underneath all that. He was just trying to protect himself."

"If you say so."

"Hey you did kidnap me. And I'm sure if you hadn't found me pretty I would have ended up as dinner."

"Ya would have made a great dinner." He flashed his fangs at her and she giggled.

"Watch out with those. I give mean slaps."

From then until complete darkness, they kept talking and slowly drinking. The awkwardness faded away and all that was left was friendless. Nothing interrupted them, mostly because they all remembered Kouga's infatuation with the Miko and nobody knew where this was going…and Ginta glared at anyone who got near.

"I had a nightmare last night."

He almost choked. "Oh?"

"I don't really remember what it was about. I was scared. Then, the weirdest thing happened. You came along and you helped me."

That would explain why she said his name. He wondered though if it was his presence that influenced her dream or he was always going to be the hero regardless.

"You always did in the past. I mean, even when I was politely telling you I wasn't interested you laid your life on the line for me."

"You were my woman. It was my job to protect you. It still is."

"I thought I wasn't your woman anymore."

"You're still pack."

She brushed her thumb across the rim of her glass and nodded. She did not really deserve that. She helped his pack once but after that she did not do anything else. They took pack seriously and they defended each other with their lives. She was not worthy of that. Nonetheless, she kept her thoughts to herself and instead finished her third glass.

"And I think that's enough for ya."

"You had nine beers."

"But I'm a youkai."

"I'm a Miko."

"I don't think that gives you resistance to alcohol."

"Who knows."

He shook his head while a smile adorned her face. Despite her best tries, he took the glass away from her. "You're under my protection."

"Because I'm pack."

"Because you're Kagome."

"What does that mean?"

He put her glass down on the ground and then softly tucked in a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll always watch over ya."

"But you wouldn't want to date me," she blurted out.

He blinked once, then twice. Was she hurt? She seemed fine earlier and yet she was bringing it up.

"Do you really want me chasing after you relentlessly again?"

"No."

"I'm just glad we're friends after all this time."

"Me too."

Silence installed itself between them. It remained that way until he felt her rest her head on his shoulder. "Tired?" he asked, taunting.

Instead of providing him with a verbal reply, she nodded. He let her stay there, thinking that once she would be tired enough, she would go in her tent. Apparently he was wrong which he noticed once he felt her breathing become steadier. He put his half finished beer down and tilted his head to look at her. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be quite peaceful; he did not want to wake her up. Instead, he chose to snake his arms around her and carry Kagome to her tent.

As soon as he was on his feet, she rested her hand and head against his chest. He felt the pack's eyes on him while he transported her but he kept his gaze on her. He kneeled down in front of her tent, unzipped it and entered it with her still tucked in against him. He carefully laid her down on her sleeping bag but what happened next was not expected. She did not let go. Instead, she even wrapped her arms around his neck. He tried to be delicate as he wrapped his fingers around her wrist to release himself. Before he could do that, she pressed her lips to skin.

A tingle spread to his whole body and he froze. Then, as if to make matters worse, she nuzzled into the crook of his neck. His heart began to feel heavy and now he was the one who did not want to let go. He covered a chuckle by scoffing and then buried his nose in her hair. Gently, he kissed her, lingering probably longer than he should.

When he pulled away, she finally released him.

His large hand cupped her face. "You make it so hard not to fall for you."

As if he ever stood a chance.

He was doomed to forever have his heart broken by Kagome Higurashi.

This time, however, he would like her in silence.