"She acted like she didn't know me, like I was going to hurt her or something." Koga leaned forward and set his forehead in his palms. He sat on floor, legs splayed and elbows placed atop his grubby knees. "Then she pushed me away, but with…her priestess powers." He grunted and smirked. " Damn, that really hurt when she did that."

Kaede continued to stir stew that was inside a pot over the small fire in her hut. She nodded and gave a very grandmotherly, "Hmmmnnnn." Tasting the stew with a wooden spoon, she closed her eyes and savored to flavor. "I've been worried about the girl." Kaede whispered, setting the spoon to the side. "Disappearing like that, you might be glad to know that Inuyasha was in shambles looking for her."

Koga snorted, swatting a fly away. "Kagome told me he raped her, she was screaming at me and telling me to leave her alone."

Kaede tipped her head to the side and rubbed the small pendant around her neck with two withered fingers. "Inuyasha would not rape her, not even if he was bewitched." Kaede added another log to the fire. "He's much stronger than that."

"You're full of it, old woman." Koga said dropping his head back and glaring.

Kaede bobbed her head to this and smiled. "Perhaps. But you should wait till Inuyasha gets back so you two may speak." She got to her feet and pulled a blanket from the stack in the corner. "How long have you been traveling?"

"Got in a squabble on the way. I would have been here days earlier but I had some stuff to deal with in the tribe."

"Well, go clean yourself if you wish. And then I'll serve you some food."

Koga eyed her suspiciously. "Why, old woman, do I stink?" He stood up abruptly and left, heading towards the river.

"Why, yes. You do." Kaede answered quietly to herself. "Like death and Kagome's blood."

xXx

Ignoring Sango and Miroku, Inuyasha strode into Kaede's house angrily, whacking away the flap at the entrance. He sat down with a harrumph near the fire, sniffing the spot where Koga had sit.

"The wolf's been here." He said, dipping a dirty finger into the stew. "What for?"

Kaede whipped his hand with the spoon, leaving a welt. "He had an encounter with Kagome and wanted to speak with thee about it."

Inuyasha choked on his spit and stuttered, "What?"

Kaede turned to him with a pile of dirty clothes in her arms and regarded him condescendingly. "Why, Inuyasha? Have you too?"

Inuyasha had a flashback that sent his insides somersaulting. He'd been drunk on emotion, yes. And he'd very obviously scared the living daylights out of her with that kiss. But she hadn't told him to sit, and she'd only ran away. He'd spoken the truth though, finally. But in the worst way possible. He did love Kagome, but she was a stubborn girl and never even hinted at any offer to give him anything Kikyo ever did. However, she had told him she loved him a long time ago, at the beginning. She'd said it very clearly and to her statement he'd only given her a half-smile and a nod. Inuyasha fought back a rather unmanly set of tears. They really could have been lovers, they had been. They were.

But this, all this. Now she knew, despite her not remembering him at all. She knew, and it was over. This, and he had no idea where she was, or why she was not with him. Somehow though, he was grateful. She had been true to him for as long as she'd known him, even if she did feel a certain way for Koga. She had never left him like he left her almost every night for Kikyo. In a way, Inuyasha was glad Kagome was gone and scared of him.

I love you Kagome.

Inuyasha flinched away from the thought and decided to ponder other things entirely. Like the fact that she had up and vanished, her scent dissipating into the crisp night air leaving him stranded among a hundred dark trees. He'd passed out after that, but that wasn't the point.

"Inuyasha?" Kaede pressed.

"No, I haven't seen her."

Kaede was silent and then, "Well Koga is down at the river, was—"

"Quiet, old woman, I'm back." Koga tossed his dirty vest from hand to hand with an insipid look in his eyes. His forearms still had dirt on them, which went to say that Koga didn't learn proper bathing etiquette from any of his parental figures. Drying his hair with one of the towels Kagome kept in her bag (a detail Inuyasha ignored) Koga spit out the window and sat beside him.

"Have you seen her, mutt?" He eyed him knowingly, smelling Kikyo on his clothes.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and pointed his chin at the muddled bruise on his right shoulder that spread down to his far pectoral muscle. "Get hurt?"

"By her." Koga answered, dropping his stare. "She said you raped her, went nuts and shot some light out of her hand. By the time I came to she was gone."

"Raped her? I never raped her…" Inuyasha started, but seeing Koga's disapproving face, he stopped. "When did this even happen?"

"A week or so ago, I don't know. I haven't had much time to just come out here." He slid on his shoes.

Inuyasha stripped of his shirt and crumpled it in his hands. On the sides of his back Koga spotted five red nail marks trailing from the top of his shoulder that made a wide arc and came back down under his armpits. "Still having sex with that wench?"

Inuyasha's jaw tightened. "Still married to Ayame?"

Koga shut up, eyes narrowed.

"Whatever mutt, if you see her, tell me. I'll return the favor."

Koga threw off the towel and tossed it over Inuyasha's head. By the time Inuyasha peeled it off and raced out of the house, Koga was just a small tornado in the distance.

I love you Kagome.

She wouldn't ever love him back.

xXx

Koga cursed at himself, digging his nails into the toughened flesh of his palms. So Inuyasha knew, so what? He didn't love Ayame like he loved Kagome. And that night Kagome had kissed him, (well actually…) he felt her, if only for a split second, relax into his grip and open her sweet mouth to his own….

Skipping from rock to rock, Koga caused a fuss among peasants walking alongside the road taken aback by the dusty tornado that flew past them. In the far reaches of his mind, he knew he was cheating on Kagome. She may not love him as he loved her, but that was the point of love, right? Be faithful no matter what the circumstances? He slept with Ayame almost every week, and he'd even enjoyed it a couple times. What man wouldn't? Ayame was dazzling, but she wasn't Kagome. You're wretched. He told himself, biting his lip. He was no different from Inuyasha, no different at all.

A/N: Thanks for the review, Taixi. :) I attempted to clarify some of the things you mentioned. It's one of those things that makes more sense in my mind, so thanks again for pointing that out. If the chapter is too forward i can change it and add stuff later. I don't actually have a planned out storyline, just events that i will have happen that fit in somewhere. Like i said, this is just for fun. However, if anyone needs more clarification, I'm up for it.