It was one of those days. The kind where you felt you just couldn't wake up to greet the day. Everyone had days like this, and Koga was no different. He had spent the better part of the night in a dream, sweet and torturous. It dangled in front of his nose the one thing he wanted above all others, yet felt sure he could never have: Kagome.

Kind, sweet, cheerful Kagome. The human girl that had stolen his heart and haunted him every moment of every god damned day. For all his confident talk, calling Kagome 'his woman.' His heart sunk whenever he spoke the words. He saw the way Dog Turd looked at Kagome when he thought no one was looking, and it felt like a heart to the chest every time he saw it.

He stretched, not yet opening his eyes, clinging to the remnaints of dream-Kagome. Alas, it was like tring to hold water in a cup with a big hole in its bottom, and it slipped away from him.

At last he knew he couldn't pretend that when he opened his eyes, his sweet Kagome would be next to him, cuddled up to him. What he did see was undeniably a shock. Kagome was next to him, though she was sitting and lying down. She watched him intently, seeming to never blink. There was something about her gaze that disturbed him, though. It held deep, deep confusion.

"Hello Koga," she said softly, carefully. She made no move to explain why she was sitting there, watching him as he slept.

"Where's Dog Turd?" His question was rude, he knew it, but he was tired still and didn't feel particularly fond of having to talk to Inuyasha.

"I ... ran from him. He didn't follow." The answer was short, and quite vague to the tired Koga, but he sat bolt upright, concerned for his love.

"What did he do to you?" He demanded angrily. If Dog Turd had hurt his Kagome in anyway-

"He told me that he loved me," came the soft reply.

Koga's anger faded swiftly, to be replaced by deep sorrow. That was it, then. "You must be overjoyed," his voice sounded flat and hollow even to him. Kagome probably came to tell me that she can never be mine, that I have no hopes to ever be with her, because she loves Dog Turd. There's no other explaination. Then why did she run from him? Inquired a hopeful little voice at the back of his mind. Surely she would use the phrase 'I ran from him.'

"Not so much, Koga," a faint glimmer of a smile crept across her features, but faded almost as quickly. "When he touched my hand, all I could think about was you, Koga. You smiling at me as I cleaned your wounds ... I ran. I couldn't stay with Inuyasha, the hurt in his eyes was just too much."

He gaped at her, disbelieving. He couldn't think of what to say. What could he say? His mind was rejecting this scenario. It had to be a dream, it had to.

She drew in a deep breath, looking straight into those impossibly blue eyes of his. It was in that instant he knew it to be true, and joy swelled within him like a bubble. "Koga, I ... I love you. Would you possibly consider me as your wolf mate?"

A laugh of pure happiness escaped his mouth as he lept to is feet, gripping Kagome by the hands and pulling her up into his embrace. "Of course we'll be mates, Kagome. You needn't even have asked."

His words calmed her considerably, her inner turmoil beginning to evaporate as Koga held her. Everything would be right now. No Inuyasha to confuse and hurt her, ever again.

It was unfortunate for the happy couple that Inuyasha had followed Kagome, and was at this very moment watching them, seething in anger. It couldn't end this way for Kagome and him. It wouldn't.

Inuyasha meant every word of that.

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Author: Well, here's another chapter. Again, not as long as I meant it to be, but it's longer than the first chapter and I'm really quite fond of this chapter. Thanks to all those who read and reviewed my first chapter, and I hope you'll do the same for this one. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up soon. 'Til then, toodles.