A/N: Still no reviews? That makes me want to cry! Um, yeah. Well, enjoy and here's Kouga!

Golden Fire
Chapter 4: The Troops Gather

"I smelled evil and gathered my brothers. What's wrong? Did dog turd hurt you?" asked Kouga. Twenty wolf demons stood behind him, keeping their distance but obviously listening.

"Hey! Get away from her!" Inuyasha walked up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder to pull me back.

I smiled at Kouga. "I'm fine. I think you scared away that man." I turned to Inuyasha. "He is gone, right?"

Inuyasha snorted, which I took as a yes.

"Kouga, I need to ask a favor."

"Anything for my woman."

I blushed for the millionth time that day. "We've decided to complete this jewel once and for all. We'd like to get your help."

Kouga frowned and looked down. "I will be much weaker without the shards in my legs, Kagome. But, well, anything for you. Wolves mate for life." He smiled. It was weak, but it was there.

Inuyasha growled.

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Kouga and his wolf clan slept nearby for the next few nights. He and Inuyasha constantly fought, of course. And my mother couldn't help but smile and give me a wink every time. I was blushing more often than not.

The fighting wasn't restricted to just the two hotheads of the group. Black Death's appearance had put everyone on edge, even though Miroku (and my grandfather, much to Miroku's exasperation) had put every possible ward on the well to prevent him coming back. But days passed and there were no further signs of our newest enemy. Slowly, we began to settle down.

About five days after the fight, Yuki came back. She brought a beautiful sword with her that many of us were delighted to see and hold. Inuyasha even remarked that he was amazed that a human could do so well on a sword. Yuki chose to take it as a compliment.

When I told her about the man in black, her eyes darkened. "Yes," she said slowly, "I agree that it must have been Black Death. Why he came here I do not know, but I suppose he was sent to search your house, found the well and crossed over. I do not know how though. I am surprised to find you all alive if you really met him. He is a difficult opponent for even me to defeat."

I furrowed my brow. "But if he really is from our time, why didn't he use guns? Like you do? And what do you mean? I thought you were the best assassin the Yakuza had."

Yuki smiled one of her cold smiles. "Assassins do not kill for prestige or money. They kill for the challenge. I am sure he had guns with him, but he saw that none of you did, and so he drew his sword."

"Just to make it interesting?"

She nodded. "Just to make it interesting, as you say. As for your other question, I was indeed the best the Yakuza had. But mainly because they had control over me. They knew where I lived, who I was. They knew some of my secrets. Yet nothing is known about Black Death. Not even his real name or what he looks like. The Yakuza likes having control. By not having a weakness, Black Death has insured his safety, but he has also insured that he will never be trusted or used in any but the most dire situations. I suppose this has become a dire situation."

"Secrets?" I questioned.

"Yes, secrets," Yuki whispered. She hesitated and then walked out.

Kouga took me aside a few hours later. "I'm not sure you should trust that Yuki."

I frowned. "Why not? She hasn't done anything but help."

"I smell fear on her. I'm surprised that dog turd hasn't noticed it. Fear and guilt."

"That's easy enough to explain. She's afraid of this Black Death and she probably feels guilty for not being here to defend us." I crossed my arms and stepped a few feet back. I knew that Inuyasha was watching from somewhere. I didn't want to cause another fight.

Kouga shook his head. "No, she has no fear of Black Death. I smelled it from the instant she walked into the old woman's hut. It's an old smell. I think she's guilty of something and fears us finding out." He closed the distance between us again and put his hand on my arm. "I think I'll sleep closer tonight. I cannot lose you, Kagome. Especially to someone you obviously trust too much." He pulled me into a hug. I stood stiffly for a few moments, until finally relaxing. Why shouldn't I enjoy this? How long had it been since Inuyasha reached out his hand in comfort? Kouga was at least kind to me, even if he was a bit stubborn.

I finally backed out of his embrace and smiled awkwardly. "Um, thanks, Kouga. I'll keep what you said in mind."

"I will not see you hurt, Kagome. That includes being hurt emotionally by dog boy."

So he knew about my feelings for Inuyasha. I stared at him, but he seemed unaffected by my surprise. "I . . . I have to go now, Kouga." I walked slowly back to Kaede's hut, replaying what just happened over and over in my head. It seemed like someone else's life.

Everyone was sitting around the fire. Everyone except Inuyasha. Yuki and Shippou were the first to look up when I came in. They were both frowning and I realized that I had a sloppy little smile on my face. I immediately wiped it off.

Inuyasha stormed in moments later and huffed about in the corner, ignoring the others' concerned inquiries. I remained silent. My mother gave me a knowing glance and I relaxed a little. At least one person understood.

As soon as Kouga came in (eliciting a growl from Inuyasha and a blush from myself), we began to discuss what we should do. The wolves were getting restless yet we still had no idea how to stop the threat against my family.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Now, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think we should make another powerful alliance." He nodded in acknowledgement to Kouga. "I think we need to make peace with Sesshoumaru."

Silence followed this statement. Kouga looked absolutely flustered at the idea of going into battle with the Lord of the Western Lands. Sango and Shippou looked confused. Inuyasha looked downright furious. He recovered from the shock first. "There is no chance in hell that I'm going to ask that jerk of a brother to help! He'll just try to kill us the first chance he gets! No! No way!"

I was deep in thought myself. Sesshoumaru was a vicious killer, true. But that could come in handy, especially if Black Death showed up again. Maybe we could convince him to have a temporary alliance. Until Naraku is defeated. I looked up and into Inuyasha's eyes. He quickly averted them, but I kept my gaze on him. "Inuyasha, your brother could be a valuable asset."

"Feh. Maybe. But unless we decide to give him Tetsusaiga, which is not happening, he'll just laugh and try to kill us. As usual." He crossed his arms and sat down.

"No," I agreed, "we aren't going to give him Tetsusaiga. But we have something that might be of considerable value to him."

"What, wench? He doesn't care about the Shikon jewel, even if it was whole."

"I know that, Inuyasha. But we do have his arm. And I'm thinking that it's a pain to have to replace it often or live without it altogether."

He stared at me with his mouth open.

Sango turned to me. "That might actually work, Kagome. We might have some bargaining power now. Sesshoumaru's skills really would help in a big battle."

"Yuki? What do you think?" I looked at the assassin. She had been strangely quiet.

Now she turned to me with eyes that seemed almost dead. "Kagome, I have sworn to protect you, your family and your friends. This Sesshoumaru obviously does not fall into any of those categories. But I respect your wishes in a matter that I cannot fully understand. If he helps, I will be his ally. If he tries to hurt us, I will be his enemy." She became silent once more. Her fingers kept brushing across her covered shoulder as she stared off into the distance.

After more arguments, we finally cajoled Inuyasha into attempting a peace.

That's how, the next morning, we all happened to be setting out for Sesshoumaru's lair.