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Chapter Three
Kouga woke early the next morning and began thinking about what he was going to do that day. He looked down upon his chosen woman and smiled. This would be the day that she learned how to take care of her male. His grin grew broader at that thought. It would be nice to come back from a day of hunting to find his dinner over the fire and his den cleaned. He needed a mate that would take care of him just as he would take care of her. After all, it was a male's responsibility to protect his woman and provide for her needs. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"Wake up, love. It is time to get up." Kouga whispered to her happily.
Now, Kagome was not a morning person so when she stirred and heard Kouga telling her that it was time to get up, all she could mumble was, "Five more minutes. Too early. Sit!" Before falling back asleep.
Kouga grinned at her. Obviously, she was not a morning person. But, she had much to do and to learn, so he did what he had to. He got off the bed, took the sheets in hand, and yanked them up hard, sending Kagome crashing to the floor. He grinned as he heard her yelp of surprise.
Kouga let go of the sheets and went to the other side of the bed. Kagome was buried in furs and he could hear her ranting incoherently. He lifted the furs and peeked inside. "I said, wake up, love. It is time to get up," he said calmly, as if speaking to a child then let go of the furs and watched them fall over Kagome's angry, groggy face. He turned from her and began to laugh loudly. The rest of the pack heard his hearty laugh, but that laugh soon turned into a yelp of pain. Kouga turned around and saw a very angry Kagome standing behind him, his tail in her hand.
"If you want this back in the condition that I found it, I would suggest that you never do that again," she informed him between clenched teeth.
Kouga's mouth dropped open in surprise. He had not heard her be so forceful yet, and he was pleasantly surprised that she could muster up enough anger in her to retaliate against someone who she thought did her wrong. He reached over and gently pried his tail from her hand.
"Well, the next time I say get up, then get up," He told her, smiling down on the angry woman.
"Why in the hell are you so happy this morning anyway?" Kagome grumbled.
"Because, love, I have the most beautiful, smart, and courageous woman in the pack as my mate, so of course I would be happy." Kouga replied.
"Kouga, I have not agreed to be your mate. I am nothing but your prisoner. You won't even let me go back to my friends," Kagome argued.
"Kagome. You have friends here, with my pack and me. We are your friends and family. So, no more talk about leaving," he chided her. And as an after thought added, "You are my woman. Now, let's get outside and get some breakfast. I am starving and we have a lot to do today," Kouga informed her.
"What do you mean by 'we have a lot to do'?" Kagome asked nervously.
"Well, I have to go hunting and bring back food for the tribe. You will stay here and learn how to take care of your new mate, and become a good alpha female," Kouga replied, while he took her hand and lead her out of the den. Kagome's eyes roamed the area, looking for those nice females that had spoken to her the night before. Finally, she spotted Miku sitting and folding her laundry. Miku looked up and waved to Kagome, then motioned for Kagome to come to her. Kagome pulled her hand from Kouga's and walked over to the female.
"So, how was your night?" Miku asked. She looked at Kagome's neck and did not see a mark upon her so it was clear that Kouga was going to take things slow with her.
"Well, I kind of fell asleep," Kagome told her with a sheepish look.
Miku smiled. "Well, I am not surprised. You had a very long day, yesterday. So, now that you have rested… what do you think of the tribe?" she inquired.
"Everyone is really nice, and I am not as afraid as I was when Kouga first brought me to the main den. Overall, this seems like a nice place to live," Kagome answered truthfully.
"Good. I am glad that you like us. So, what do you think of Kouga?" Miku asked, slyly.
It was well known around the tribe that Kouga was infatuated with the human girl, but everyone wondered if she liked his or her leader back.
"Kouga… is ok," she replied slowly, looking anywhere but at Miku.
"Oh, come on! Just ok? He is totally gorgeous and is head over heels for you. He is strong, brave, and the leader of the most powerful wolf demon tribe in Japan. And all you can say is that he is 'ok'." Miku replied, narrowing her eyes a bit.
Kagome blushed. The faint scent of arousal hit Miku's nose. 'Hmm, perhaps she is a bit confused. She says that Kouga is ok, but her body says that she wants him. It might be worthwhile for me to play matchmaker.' Miku thought. She grinned a large smirk with her fangs poking out at the girl, but Kagome didn't notice.
"Well, don't worry. He'll grow on you, most of the males here do," she mused, speaking more to herself then to Kagome. "Anyways," she continued, "Kouga asked my mate if I would show you what to do around here, so let's get started."
Kagome gulped and nodded. Miku finished with her laundry and took it into her den. When she came back out, she grabbed onto Kagome's arm and hauled her to Kouga's den. Once inside, Miku and Kagome began to clean it up. After a few hours, they admired their work.
"Not bad. Kouga will be shocked, but very pleased. I am glad he has you; I swear I am tired of doing his laundry along with my mate's. Speaking of which, grab up the laundry and we will go and wash it," Miku told her.
Kagome picked up the basket that they had put the dirty clothing and linens in, and followed Miku. The women worked on the clothing until the early afternoon, and when they were dried, the women folded and put them away.
Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow. She never imagined that taking care of another could be such hard work. Miku must have read her mind because she said, "I know that you are not used to this kind of thing, but I promise you, taking care of one's mate is very fulfilling. It shows that you love him and want him to be happy. But, this is also not the usual day. See, we generally keep our dens very clean, but since Kouga has not had anyone to care for him, this was an unusual situation. If you clean as you go, you will find that your days are pretty light and easy."
Kagome nodded. Well, if she was going to be stuck here, she might as well make herself useful. Perhaps Kouga would tire of her and let her go. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.
Miku and Kagome finally sat down with the other women and they began to talk. Kagome told them about her friends and the women seemed to think how Sango dealt with Miroku's notorious hand was especially funny.
"They are both completely in love with each other already!" Kagome exclaimed. "I don't know why they just don't tell each other," she mused. "It would be so much easier on both of them to just get it out in the open."
After an hour of relaxation, Miku told Kagome that it was time to get dinner started and Kagome nodded. She was led back into Kouga's den, and watched as Miku led her into a small kitchen-looking area. She looked around and then told Kagome that they would have to go and pick some vegetables. She took Kagome to a large garden and together they gathered all the things that they needed. Once back in the den, Miku and Kagome put the vegetables away, and proceeded to cut, chop, and shred. They even made a loaf of bread.
When they were done with the dinner preparations, they went outside to sit with the females again. All that was left to do was add meat to the dinner, and that was the male's responsibility to bring, so now they had plenty of time to chat and relax before having to worry about feeding their men. The women began to tell jokes and watched as the pups frisked about, playing and pouncing on each other. Kagome could not help it, she felt at home in this strange place. Maybe being here would not bad.
By the time Kouga and the men returned to the den, the females had all gone back to their own dens and waited for the finishing touches to their dinners. Kagome sat on a chair in the small kitchenette and waited. She had fully explored the den and squealed when she discovered a make shift bathroom, complete with a hot spring. She had to admit, Kouga's den was really nice, and he had also made the make shift bathroom look good. Kagome could not wait to take a bath in the spring. Completely forgetting she was trying to escape, she had asked Miku for a rag, and went over the furniture with it, dusting the huge wooden pieces off. Finally, she sat down, and waited.
Kagome heard Kouga's voice ring out and tell his men that he would see them later. He soon came into the den and nearly dropped his catch in shock. He handed the large piece of meat to Kagome, who got started on the rest of the dinner. He walked though his den, marveling at how clean it was. He was mostly impressed that she had done his laundry, folded it, and put it away. He noticed that she had cleaned the sheets and made the bed up. He could feel his heart swelling and how deeply he felt for the human girl. He had obviously made the perfect choice in a mate for himself.
He walked back into the kitchenette and watched as Kagome prepared his dinner. She put the meat on a stick and let it cook over the fire. She had set the small makeshift table and put slices of bread down on a plate. When her hands were empty, he came up behind her and put his arms around her.
"I can see that you have been very busy today," he said, softly.
Kagome nodded. "Miku and I worked hard, so don't you dare go messing anything up," she told him, eyeing the meat.
Kouga laughed. "Yes, ma'am," he said with a laugh, giving her a small salute.
When dinner was ready, Kagome got the meat, and sliced it into small pieces. She added it to the vegetables that she had chopped, and reached for Kouga's plate. Kouga was impressed. She knew to serve her male first. That was good. He had worried that he would have to teach her how to act, but she was polite, did as she was told, and offered little resistance. But, he noted, she fights back when she feels that she is not being treated fairly, so he would have to watch that. When Kagome handed him his plate, she fixed hers and then sat down to join him. They ate in silence for a few moments, before Kouga spoke.
"Kagome, this is delicious. Thank you," he said, giving her a loving smile.
Kagome smiled back. "You're welcome," she replied. She watched as he turned his attention back to his meal and she could not stop the thought that he was actually very handsome. Kagome wanted to smack herself after that thought, but she let it go. To hell with it, he was a very good-looking demon, even if he was a kidnapper.
Kouga smirked into his meal when the faint scent of arousal drifted to his nose. 'So, I turn her on more than she is willing to admit. Perhaps it is time to see how far I can take her before getting smacked.' He wondered.
He waited until after dinner, and had bathed. Kagome insisted that Kouga go and talk to his friends while she took her bath, and he did so, but turned down the bed first. He gave her a sleeping kimono and left the den. He sat and bragged to his friends that he had never had such a meal before and that his new woman was a very good cook. He could see Ginta and Hakkaku snickering.
"What are you two laughing at?" Kouga demanded.
"Well, we were wondering when you were going to mark her. I am sorry Kouga, but I doubt that girl will let you close enough to kiss her, let alone let you mark her," Ginta laughed. The other males laughed as well.
Kouga allowed a smirk to cross his lips. "Actually, Ginta. I have kissed her. And she is as sweet tasting as she is beautiful."
Now, all the males were staring at him with their mouths hanging open. He held back the urge to say, "Nyah, Nyah." to them. But that was far beneath him as a prince.
The males nervously cleared their throats, and Ginta coughed nervously. From the look on Kouga's face, he was telling the truth, and he had never known his leader to lie. That could be the reason why the little human was so nerved up after they returned to the den the day before.
Kouga soon wished his men a good night, and he walked back into the den. When he got back to his bedroom, Kagome was looking at a scroll that he had hung up on his bedroom wall. He walked up behind her and told her softly, "My father gave that to me before he died. It was his father's before him and so on. It is a poem about our family."
Kagome was impressed. She had never realized that demons could be so family oriented, but then again, the only demons that she knew anything about were Inu Yasha, and Shippo. Kouga walked to his wardrobe and got himself a pair of white hakamas to sleep in. He took a quick bath, and washed his long hair. After he got out, he decided to leave his hair down and dried it thoroughly. He dried his body off and then dressed back into the hakama. He walked into the bedroom, blew out almost all of the candles, except for the one, and got in on the other side of the bed. He decided to see if he could make Kagome's arousal spike. He reached over and took a hold of Kagome's arm. He heard her take in a breath, and gently brought her to him. When she was right next to him, he felt her stiffen. 'Let's see if I can loosen her up.' He thought with a smirk. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"I really enjoyed the dinner, Kagome. It was delicious. How can I thank you?" He purred, his lips grazing over her ear as he spoke.
Kagome gulped nervously. "Umm, that's ok. Really. You don't have to thank me," she said, in a shaky voice.
"Nonsense. I want to give you something for your delicious meal," He said, thrusting his hips against her.
Kagome's eyes went wide and she gasped. That was not the kind of payment that she wanted, no thank you. She tried to scoot back over, but Kouga had an iron grip on her, she was stuck.
"Kouga, listen. I am positive that I don't want any payment for dinner. Let's just go to sleep," She said, hoping that he would agree.
Kouga laughed silently at her discomfort. "But Kagome, it would not be right if I didn't thank you in some way. Now, let's see what I could do to you to show you my appreciation," he mused out loud.
Kagome was frightened now. She was a virgin, and damn it, she wanted to stay a virgin. She watched as Kouga's hand came closer to her face, and gently grasp her chin. He tilted her chin up and lowered his mouth onto hers, covering it and allowing his tongue to probe at her lips. He wanted her to open her mouth, and when she refused, he bucked his hips again, and caused her to gasp. That did it. Score one for Kouga! His tongue swept into her mouth, trying to entice her tongue to join his. And sure enough, it did, though very shyly.
Kagome was shaking. She could feel his tongue having its way with hers, and she could not help but wonder if that was all that was going to happen. Finally, Kouga broke the kiss. He nipped at her lips and then whispered, "Thank you, my love. Good night." He took one arm off of Kagome and reached for the candle, then blew it out. He brought his arm back around Kagome and forced her head onto his chest, kissing her forehead before he closed his eyes in triumph. He had gotten the response that he desired. There was no question in his mind now. She was attracted to him, and he would work on her until he finally won her over.
Kagome stared at the ceiling. That worrying was all for nothing, and what made it worse was, she had a feeling that he made her worry on purpose. Well, two can play that game she decided. If he thinks that he could do this to her, she would turn the tables on him. Problem was, she was inexperienced. She would go to Miku in the morning and get some help. Oh yeah, he was going to pay.