Koga snarled at Karasu. He would pay for everything that he said today! Without warning he bolted at Karasu surprising the other youkai. He had quite a bit of frustration built up from where Kagome turned to that murderer instead of him. He would take them out on Karasu and hope that he can stop himself before he killed him.

Karasu was shocked to say the least at the strength that Koga still had without his jewel shards! It was all he could do to stay on his feet when Koga lunged at him.

Rolling around on the ground with that bastard on him did nothing for Karasu's pride. He knew that he should submit to Koga, or he was going to die. There was just no way that he could win against Koga! Not in this form. But his damned pride would not let him.

Ayame glared at the two fighting males. 'I wonder if it was really what he said about Kagome that made Koga transform. After all he did not really get violent until he insulted Sora. I bet that is Soshi's plan. To get a bond started. Clever.'

She turned to Sora and calmly said, "Come on Sora. I need to get away from this boyish display, and I want some company."

"Are you sure they will be okay if we leave them alone?" Sora did not like the worry that she had flooding through her when she thought about him fighting. It did not sit well with her that she had to spend the next month at least with him either.

"They will be fine. Come on." Then she grabbed Sora's arm and pulled her away from the battle that was playing in front of them. She did not want to see what Koga would do to her mate, but at the same time did not want him hurt. To keep herself from butting in she left. She hated him, did not want to be his mate, but her gramps was asking her for this and she would try to work it out for him.

When they were far enough away that they could only hear what was going on, not see it Ayame sat down. "Well Sora what youkai are you and Koga going after?"

Sora sighed. "One I could handle by myself. But father wants him to go with me. He said that a youkai like this needs someone who knows what they can do to fight it the right way."

"Knows what they can do?"

"Hai. Father said that Koga had been up against a youkai like this not too long ago and that he would know some ways in finding him and killing him. I don't think it is that hard. You track it, find it, corner it, kill it, you're done." She really did not know what the big fuss was. It was just another lowly youkai making trouble now that Naraku was gone. Nothing she could not handle.

"I wonder if it is a youkai like Naraku was? The only good thing is that the jewel is gone so that won't have a play in any of it."

Sora snapped her head up. What did she mean like Naraku and the jewel being gone? "Nani?"

Ayame sighed. Kagome did nothing wrong, and even kept telling Koga that they were just friends and nothing more, but he was determined. On the way here she took a detour to go and see Kagome and ask her if she had seen Koga.

During their conversation the jewel came up and Kagome told her how she used it to purify Inuyasha and make him ningen and that it disappeared after that and was no longer in existence.

"Hai. I talked to Kagome before we got here. She purified the jewel out of existence. And Naraku was a tricky son of a bitch. A shape shifter among many things. If this youkai is anything like him, trust me girl, you will want Koga's help with it for sure."

"Do you really think that there is another youkai like Naraku out there?"

"I certainly hope not, that would not be a good thing. Naraku was the reason that cost a lot of oukami youkai their lives. That was why Koga was after him. He destroyed just a little over half of Koga's pack."

Sora turned her head in the direction of the fight she could still hear. She had no clue just how devoted anyone outside her own pack was. Her father would have done something like that. "Do you think it still bother's him?"

Ayame smiled as she fell on her back. "I know it does. I have my own pack that I am in charge of outside of my grandfather's. I know what it feels like to have a pack to watch over and protect. I know what it feels like to have their lives in my hands, and I know what I would feel like if some evil youkai came along and tricked them to their deaths and I could do nothing about it."

x

Koga stopped and let a sad look drift slowly across his face when he remembered the ones he lost to that son of a bitch Naraku. One of the ones he lost was someone who was like a brother to him when they were young. It still pained him to think about them to this day.

"Koga you alright? I know that look." Shippo was staring into Koga's eyes intently. Only he and Sora knew what Koga had lost on that day, oh so many years ago when Shippo himself was a tiny kit just taller than Kagome's ankles.

"Hai Shippo I am fie. Just some sad memories. I lost so many of them that day, I did not know if I was ever going to get my pack numbers up again." A small smile to Shippo and Sora set both their minds at ease.

Kosha had been watching intently. Even though Shippo was older than him, he was not that much older than he was. "When did that happen father?"

Shippo knew what a touchy subject that was for his adopted father, so he answered. "That was a long time before Koga met Sora. It was not long after Kagome came to the past and started to travel with me, Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku when we all met Koga. And it was in that week that we met Koga for the first time that Naraku used his damned manipulation to do what he did. Bastard."

Mizuki glared at Shippo. "Language! There are pups in the room Shippo."

Shippo tried to look surprised but it did not work out that well. He bust out laughing, "Hai there are pups in the room. However with a father like Koga, they were hearing that before they were even born!"

Koga glared over at the kitsune. "Watch it Shippo. I am still older and bigger than you are."

"Easy Koga, I didn't mean anything by it. But you have to admit it that it is the truth, right Sora?"

Sora hid a giggle behind her hand as she looked at her mate. "He is right Koga. You have always had a foul mouth on you, even around our pups."

Akira and Isamu nodded to each other while the other youkai and hanyou were debating her father's foul mouth. "Papa you do have a foul mouth, but can we please go on with the story? Isamu and I are getting board listening to you fight over who has a foul mouth and who doesn't."

All eyes turned to the smallest pup in the room. Koga smiled as he beckoned his daughter to him. She instantly obeyed and was in her father's lap with his arm around her. He smiled. "You are right Akira."

"Shippo you come in here soon don't you?"

"Hai. After you and Sora leave to go and hunt for the youkai, you can't find it so they stop and see Kagome and Bankotsu to see if they knew anything. That is when I asked if I could go with you and you let me."

Nozomi kept quiet about when they would and would not start or stop the story. She was eager to hear stories about her mate when he was just a tiny little kit.

Koga smiled as he looked up. "Well, before we head off, I got to finish with the fight between myself and Karasu."

x

Soshi stood by and watched with a smug expression as the two wolves in front of him grappled. They were equal in stature, but Koga had more strength. Strength that he developed while he fought against Naraku and spent all that time away from his pack. Karasu had no clue what he was getting himself into with this oukami youkai.

Karasu struggled to get out from under Koga for the hundredth time it seemed like! 'How can he still have this much strength without the jewel shards!? I don't understand?' Finally getting out from underneath him, he turned and lunged, this time pinning Koga to the ground.

Koga snarled and closed his eyes. He was going to kill this youkai if he did not back down. His youkai had taken control and transformed him, but this baka was threatening to have his youkai take over his mind as well! In a flash of fur he had the tables turned and a now frozen Karasu in his jaws. Just a snap away from ripping his throat out.

Soshi dared to approach them. He looked up in Karasu's eyes and sternly said, "If you don't back down and submit, then you will die. Koga is holding back, I can smell it. If you used your nose or your head once in a while they you would have known it to. Baka."

Karasu sighed and let his body go limp and felt a huge relief when Koga let go of his neck. In a whirl of energy and wind, both transformed back into their more ningen forms. Koga still glaring at Karasu. "Now just stay out of my way. You ever look like harming Kagome or insulting Sora I will let my youkai come all out and kill you."

Soshi smiled. He looked at Koga and nodded with approval. Koga had gotten mad when Karasu brought up the miko Kagome. When he insulted Sora is when his youkai took control. 'Spending all day yesterday sparing with her must have started something. I hope so.'

Koga stomped up to Soshi and growled out, "What kind of youkai are we going to be dealing with? I got to get Ginta, Hakaku, and then go and get Sora so I can get the hell out of here before I kill that bastard."

Soshi nodded and said, "Come." And went back toward the house with Koga following behind.

Karasu stood glaring after them. He was fuming! He reached up and felt his neck, then his eyes went wide in shock! He did not think that what Koga had done penetrated his skin in that grip but he did, and the blood still trickled down his neck. 'I got to go and see Ryuiji and tell him of the new events. Koga will die against him!'

Then he turned and speed off following the scent of his mate and the damned hanyou. He would make an excuse and then leave to meet him. He had hoped that this would be a way to get rid of the weak link in the oukami tribe through out all the lands. A hanyou brought everyone down. Now he gets to get rid of Koga as well. 'Mattaki.'