Kagome awoke, first wondering why in gods she was so drowsy, and second, who was whispering so sharply while she was trying to sleep. She blinked her eyes open, recognizing the whispering voice as Hakakku's, and all of her memories came flooding back to her.

The cats. Ginta.

She sat up with a gasp, finding a startled Kouga and Hakakku sitting near a fire in the dim light of morning. Her eyes searched for Ginta, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?"

Kouga relaxed, his expression changing into something she read as anger or disappointment and she held her breath.

"You're safe now. Don't worry about the cats and go back to sleep-"

"Where's Ginta?" She demanded, annoyed shed had to specify when she was desperate to know of the younger wolf. "Is he-"

"You saved him Kagome. You saved me too." Hakakku answered.

Saved. It meant he survived. He was alive. Relief flooded her entire being and tears filled her eyes, but then she noticed the way Kouga sent a warning glare to his beta and the tears stopped. Hakakku looked utterly sorry for all of a second, before his expression turned into a scowl.

"I'm sorry boss, but she did. And she deserves some credit. I don't care what you say about it. Kagome." He said, looking into her eyes. "If it weren't for you, we'd both be dead."

She ignored the obvious elephant in the room, more concerned with Ginta's well being than anything.

"Can I see him? I was so-"

She squeezed her hands together as the image of his lifeless body came to mind.

"So worried. I thought he'd-"

"Wolves are tougher than that, Kagome." Kouga interjected, looking and sounding more annoyed in their presence than ever.

He stood and turned away from them, and left without another word. She watched him go, uncertain of what exactly it was it made her feel, seeing his back turn to them like that. To her.

She looked to Hakakku for an answer. "What's wrong with him?"

She wasn't surprised when her voice came out as small as she felt in that moment.

Hakakku looked after him in contemplation, but gave her no answer.

"I'll take you to see Ginta. He's back in the den. He is alright though. He just blacked out is all."

She frowned. Typical of her to assume the worst. But she cut herself some slack remembering the limp way he'd fallen, and Hakakku's panic.

"Kagome." Hakakku said softly.

She gave him her attention, forcing her thought away from the image.

"You're amazing. I didn't know priestesses had such power. It was, well, frightening if I'm honest. But incredible. I'm glad you're on our side."

She smiled for his benefit, though she didn't feel like smiling.

"Don't be scared of me Hakakku. I am on your side. But priestesses can't do what I can do. Well, not all of them. And if I'm honest, it frightened me at first, too."

He moved closer to her, sitting cross legged and leaned in a little more. She couldn't help but note the way he reminded her of a certain fox demon. He was much older, but Hakakku had a boyish quality left in his features, and the mess of hair on his head added to the charm despite its unique hue.

Shippo's hair was quite the opposite in color. The thought of him pained her.

"Kagome."

She snapped her eyes back to Hakakku, unsure of when shed drifted away. He looked hesitant to speak.

"Have you killed many demons?"

The question surprised her. She gave it some thought, and she had, by her standards. But considering her power, and how long she had existed in this era, she'd killed few.

"No. I haven't."

"No one would suspect that. The way you killed those two back there. The look on your face when you purified him, I'd swear you were a master."

She fell a little at that. "Master demon killer?"

He nodded. "I mean the look on your face when you purified him-"

He stopped and inched forward, scrunching his brows together in worry.

"Are you okay?"

His trail of words brought many things to mind. What did he mean by that? How had she looked to him, while killing the demon? He was then intuitive-or kind enough- to ask if she was alright. He could tell she was upset.

It was notable. He was a demon, but he'd read the distress on her face at his statement and cared enough to stop and ask. He was more like Shippo than she knew, though she believed Shippo's compassion had to do with his human upbringing. She couldn't imagine where Haks had come from.

"Kagome?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to catch up." She said, shaking away the thought of the kit. "I think when I blacked out my memories got all jumbled. It's coming back to me slowly."

He nodded. "Scared Kouga to death seeing you like that. Oh, but please. Don't tell him I said that."

She felt a new wave of affection for him so strongly, at the request, she couldn't help it- she ruffled his hair. His reaction was the same as Shippo's the first time she'd done it.

Eyes wide, unsure what to make of the experience, but altogether accepting.

She wondered why she'd never noticed it before-the similarities between the two.

"I'll talk to Kouga. When he is ready, that is. I'm okay, too. So no one needs to worry about me. I'm just a little groggy. I'm still learning how to control them, and I haven't actually used them like that, until now. When I use it too much, it drains me. But i'm okay. I'll recover with no trouble at all."

She watched him perk up at her explanation, and it eased the heaviness in her heart a little. Still, she had to apologize to Kouga, and calm him down. He was obviously upset with her. She could only imagine how worried he'd been.

"Let's go see Ginta?" She asked, forcing a smile.

She'd deal with Kouga, but only when he was ready. She had, one too many times, chased after a stubborn demon just to console him. She'd let him come to her this time.

Kouga stared at the pair as they walked, slowly, back to her little camp-made-home. They were gone when he came back to order Hakkaku away, and he decided it was a good thing. It gave him time to calm down. To organize his feelings about what had happened the night before.

After he'd killed the female, he rushed back to one of the most horrific sights he'd ever seen. His two best friends incapacitated, and the woman he loved purifying the biggest cat he'd ever seen.

Her power was immense and overwhelming. He'd assumed the worst. Ginta lay slain, Hak near death, and the priestess with a look on her face he never expected to see. It could easily haunt him. Not because it disturbed him, but because it changed his view of her. She hadn't looked murderous or vengeful, but her wide eyes, and the tight draw of her mouth as she looked into the terrified face of the cat while she purified him, was frightening for a wholly different reason.

There was no trace of fear. Just determination. Duty. Aside from fearing her, he felt proud of her. A woman. A human. She was not the helpless thing he'd met all those years ago.

Still, his instinct as a wolf and a leader, told him she'd disobeyed him, and he was more than unhappy with her. Even if she wasn't his mate, she was still his pack, and what he said was law. Human or not, she knew to follow his word. Sure she fought him. Complained. Whined, even. But in the end, she'd always conceded.

So what changed this time? This time, when it was a matter of life and death.

He thought about how she pulled it off, and again, his pride in her threatened to win over his anger.

She tracked them silently. They'd never noticed her. It was a serious skill that humans just could not hope to achieve. Yet, she'd done it. If she hadn't, they'd have been in serious trouble. They'd been waiting in ambush. Way more than they'd prepared for. It was her power, only, that frightened the rest away when they sensed it.

But why had she done it? These questions and more kept spilling over in his head, and he was ready for answers long before they finally showed face.

He leapt down from his perch and Hakakku stiffened, lowering his head in greeting. He found the woman's eyes next to the shrinking wolf and held them. She looked right back at him, seeming almost ready for it. A fight. She challenged him without a second thought.

"Beat it." He ground out, holding her gaze.

Hakakku wasted no time doing just that.

He stared down at her, breathing deeply to the beat of Hakakku's fading footsteps, and when he was far enough away, he opened his mouth to speak.

"That should be far enough, right?" She said first, raising an infuriating eyebrow.

He knew she was just showing off to make a point.

"So when did you master that little technique?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Several weeks ago. You coming in and out of camp made for good practice."

"I take it that it's useful for tracking, too?" He added.

She crossed her arms in mimicry, and nodded.

He ground his teeth together, reminding himself to be calm with her. He didn't want a battle of wills with her. She was always ready for one, for some reason, and she was damn good at it. He wanted to discuss what happened openly, and make sure it never happened again.

But he couldn't control her.

"Kouga."

Her voice drew him out of his head.

She sighed. "I don't want to fight with you. I get it if you're pissed off, but I don't regret going, so I won't apologize. If that's all you came for then leave."

She walked passed him then, bumping his shoulder as she did and his temper flared.

"What you did was beyond dangerous. You may be a hero here, but that just makes you a fool as well."

She sat down wordlessly, and began removing her shoes. The act of ignoring him only furthered his temper.

"What if you had frozen up again? What if we hadn't showed up when we did? You were outnumbered! Or what if that big bastard had gotten his arms around you? Do you realize the risk you took disobeying me?"

"Yes." Was all she said, and he loathed it.

"Then why the fuck did you do it?"

He watched her, feeling like he was in a frenzy, as she calmly rose and closed the space between them. She stopped short of him and craned her neck to look up at him.

"I am sorry I worried you. I get it. I do. And that's why I went."

She took a moment to run her fingers through her bangs, and he waited impatiently for an elaboration. He hadn't felt this worked up, for so long. She looked back into his eyes completely serious and he wondered how he could be still.

"I was worried, too. When I thought about you going out there, even with those two for backup, I just-"

She paused as if choked up, and all his tension drained in an instant. She was-

"I couldn't stand the thought of it. It made me uneasy."

She took a deep breath in and out through her nose and pinned him with her eyes.

"I love you. If something happened to you, it would devastate me." She said with a shrug. "So, I will protect you, too. And Hak and Ginta, and anyone else I love. Because I can."

He was speechless.

"So let's not fight. Please. Let's just stay together. You got my back, and I got yours."

He wasn't a hugger, and neither was she. It was a human notion, but damn, if she wasn't turning him into one. He put his hands and her shoulders, doing nothing to hide his expression as he drew her into his chest. She hugged him back and for a moment they both seemed to just enjoy the peace of it. The silence.

She had staked no claim on him as a woman, or a mate, but she had a friend. As family, and that was as good as a pack where humans were concerned. Her promise touched him more deeply than he could have ever expected.