Chapter 4- Kuro's Kagome?

"Hey… isn't that Inuyasha's scent?" A guy with a mohawk asked curiously as he sniffed the air.

"Yeah Hakkaku, I think your right but there's a bitch with him." His friend said.

"I don't like this…" Kouga; their leader sniffed the air.

"What's the matter?" Hakkaku asked confusedly.

"I don't smell Kagome's scent with them." Kouga growled.

"H-hey, where did the wolves go?" Ginta asked curiously and looked around.

"They probably went to go check out the bitch Inuyasha has. Her scent is pretty strong." Kouga stated.

"Yeah, I'll say; it's getting me a little aroused." Hakkaku sniffed the air a little.

"Well then, let's go pay mutt-face a visit. I want to know why Kagome's scent isn't there."

"Kouga, do you think we can walk?" Ginta asked.

"Inuyasha and his friends are coming in this direction. So we'll both meet up at the same place." Hakkaku declared.

"Sure, smells like their going to the river anyways." Kouga replied to them.

--

Inuyasha placed the female dog on the ground on near the river after carrying her for five hours straight since she didn't have all her energy back. They all wanted a break and so they got one. Shippo brought some water for Kagome to drink and she did so as she lied down. Inuyasha claimed they would have only about an hour rest and then continue on their journey again. Everyone agreed whether they wanted to or not. Then every few minutes or so, Kagome tried to get up and stand all four.

"Kuro, you shouldn't get up!" Shippo whined.

"He's right Kuro, stay down and rest." Miroku stated.

"Feh, let her do what she wants, her pride is stronger than your human ones." Inuyasha huffed.

"Stop being so jealous of Kuro, Kagome sure wouldn't." Sango said a little coldly.

"Yeah, well you know what? That's Kagome!" Inuyasha growled.

"Inuyasha, I know you want to find her as bad as we do. We all miss her, but what if there's a chance we have to fight against Naraku? We need our energy." Miroku explained.

"Save your pathetic excuses." Inuyasha raised his nose in the air. Kagome growled at him and a small blush crept on his face. Luckily no one could see.

"Damn it now his scent is in my nose!" Kagome growled and covered her snout with her front paws. "Wahahaha! It's so attracting darn it!" She whined.

"What's wrong with your nose Kuro?" Shippo asked nicely and petted her.

Kagome struggled but gathered enough strength to wobble over near Sango and Miroku then lied down covering her snout again. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything. But dog instincts were taking over what human instincts she had left. Inuyasha walked behind the bushes to do what ever.

When she lied down, she stared at the dirt. It reminded her of going to the beach to have fun. She loved to write her name in the sand. Wait, that's it! Kagome could write her name in the dirt! Then they would know who she was. Brilliant thinking! Kagome moved her paw around and wrote the kanji 'ka'. She had excitement rushing through her as she wrote 'go'. Last but not least, the last syllable, 'me'. She wrote her name!

Shippo walked in front of her and messed up the name. "Hey Kuro, what are you doing?"

"I'm about to kill myself! You know how hard it is to write as a dog!" Kagome held her temper to look at him.

"Hey Miroku, I think Kuro can draw." He stated while laughing.

"That's impossible." Miroku answered.

"Well, she did stand up to Inuyasha with the Tetsusaiga." Sango explained.

"She stood up to Sesshomaru to protect Inuyasha!" Shippo yelled.

"You guys claimed she defeated a weasel demon and found a shard."

"She stood up to Kirara in her big form."

"Alright, alright already!" Miroku waved his hands around.

Inuyasha returned to the small site. "Those bushes have thorns damn it." He growled out as he sat down.

Kagome ears perked up at his voice. When Inuyasha said that, he smelt his blood. Her nose was quite sensitive now thanks for being a dog. She got up and went to him. They all stared curiously as to why she was going to him, when earlier she was trying to get away from him.

Inuyasha looked at strangely as she went up to him. Kagome nudged his right arm a little. He didn't understand why, but he lifted his arm to her head level. She nipped at his haori and pulled it back to his elbow. His was bleeding a little and she started to lick the blood away.

"Seems she could smell your blood." Miroku chuckled.

"I didn't even know I was bleeding." Inuyasha stated, a little amazed.

"If anything, she's trying to be like mama." Shippo said happily.

That made Inuyasha feel bad, "Kuro stop," he demanded.

Kagome did as told and stopped. She didn't really feel like an argument. So she wobbled back over to where she was earlier and lied down. Miroku and Sango sighed at his stubborn-ness on how he wouldn't let the dog companion help.

Inuyasha smelt the air again and much to his distaste to the scent. He let a growl come from his throat. "Great, looks like we got company." When he said that, every one looked around and then saw about five wolves.

"Hey bitch, what happened?" One asked.

"I know you guys… you're Kouga's wolves." Kagome said and sat up painfully.

"Yeah, he should be here in a minute." Another said.

"Can one of guys help me up then?" She asked nicely.

Two of the wolves helped her up and Inuyasha growled a little low. Then an all too familiar scent came walking up with two others. Who else could it be other than the wolf leader Kouga?

"Yo mutt-face, where's my woman?" Kouga sneered.

"What's it to you?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"We're trying to rescue mama from Naraku!" Shippo said happily.

"SHE WAS TAKEN AGAIN?" Kouga shouted and looked at Inuyasha. "What kind of protector are you for letting her get caught?"

"I didn't hand her on a silver platter you wimpy wolf!" Inuyasha growled.

"Even without Kagome here they fight." One of the wolves said annoyed.

"You can say that again." Ginta and Hakkaku said at the same time and sighed.

'Wait, their wolf demons, of course they could hear us!' Kagome thought happily.

"Kouga stop fighting with Inuyasha! I'm Kagome!" Kagome barked at him. Ginta, Hakkaku, Kouga, and the wolves all looked at her.

"What are you trying to pull bitch?" Kouga said and bent down to her.

"It's me, I'm Kagome!" She turned to Ginta. "Ginta, the first time you guys met me was when there was a war between the birds of paradise and your guys' tribe fighting. One of them got you and I saved you by shooting an arrow at its wings. Then Inuyasha came and destroyed the other ones coming at us. Then not long after that you guys got mixed up with Naraku. Kouga, that day, I saved your life by removing the tainted jewel shard in your arm!" She explained with lots of barking.

"Whoa…" Hakkaku's mouth hung open.

"That's unreal, only Kagome knows that stuff." Ginta looked at her.

"THAT'S BECAUSE I AM KAGOME!" She growled.

"Kagome?" Kouga questioned and she nodded.

Inuyasha and the gang all looked at them shocked. Did they just say that Kagome was the bitch! What the hell is going on? Shippo was about two feet away from her now.

"Mama?" Shippo asked. Kagome looked at him with a nod. "MAMA!" He rushed at her and hugged her neck.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT THE BITCH IS KAGOME AND WE WERE ABOUT TO GO AFTER NARAKU FOR NO REASON!" Inuyasha shouted.

"You're the idiots who didn't notice all the damn clues." She snorted. Ginta and Hakkaku fell over laughing.

"Mind telling us what's going on?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Well, about a week ago I went home upset and asked Inuyasha for five days and so he agreed. I decided to come back the next day because it was my fault. Naraku was there waited for me and knocked me unconscious at the well. All I can remember is him putting something in my mouth. I woke up to his demonic laughter and I tried to get up and fumbled then realized that I was a dog. I kept shouting at him till he kicked me roughly into the thorn bushes. Miroku knows the rest." Kagome told Kouga.

"Kagome says something about being upset around a week ago but returning the next day and finds Naraku waiting for her. The bastard slipped something in her mouth as she became unconscious and when she woke up she was a dog. Then he kicked her in some thorn bushes, and the monk should know the rest." Kouga explained.

"So either way, Naraku WAS indeed involved." Miroku stated.

"Naraku took my jewel shards and ripped all my stuff so that Inuyasha would probably blame me and kill me too." Kagome added.

"Naraku took her shards and framed her so the mutt could kill her." Kouga told them.

"Kouga stop calling him a mutt, technically I'm a mutt right now too." She growled.

"No, you're a woman in a dog body."

Kagome sighed. "I don't want to argue."

"Kagome, is there a way to return you back?" Sango asked.

She looked down. "I wish I knew."

"Kagome doesn't know."

"So you're trying to tell us that you might be a fucking dog the rest of your life?" Inuyasha shouted angrily and Kagome's ear flattened.

"Inuyasha I…" She tried to walk to him but fell down, still too exhausted. "I don't know what else I can say… I'm sorry…" She put her head down.

"Hey, get off Kagome's back! She didn't want this to happen!" Kouga shouted at him.

"Inuyasha, don't be so hard on her, the past week has been tough on her." Sango stated.

"You're being unfair to her; she's been in a dog body. When we figure out that Kuro is really Kagome, the first thing you do is yell at her."

"It's not his fault, it's mine." Kagome got up again with the wolves helping and they were at her side for about twenty steps. "It's okay; I got the hang of it." She dismissed the wolves.

"Hey sister, where are ya going?" Ginta yelled to her.

"Up river, don't follow me!" Kagome barked and kept going at a slow pace.

"Mama!" Shippo shouted to her and she kept going.

"Stupid mutt; you made her blame herself. She's too good for you damn it." Kouga said angrily. "Come on you guys, Kagome wants to be left alone; we got no business here anymore." He retreated to his den with his kin.

"I wish Inuyasha would go comfort Kagome." Shippo sighed as they watched the wolves leave. When they turned back, Inuyasha was gone. "Wow that was fast."

--

Kagome tiredly collapsed on a little grassy hill and a blooming pink sakura tree. She listened to the calm river bank about ten feet away. It was peaceful, as if she could just die right then and there, and have no worries about anything. Her ears picked up some foot steps coming near, she thought is was Kouga so she just stayed down.

"Kagome…?" Inuyasha's voice asked. Kagome's ears perked up and she turned her head to him. "Can I sit here?" He asked and she placed her head back down. Inuyasha sat against the tree and looked at her. "So, it really is you and not some stray bitch?" His voice seemed a little light and chuckled.

She struggled to her feet and walked toward him near the tree. Inuyasha watched her lie down and curl herself next to him like the night before. She gave out a long sigh and relaxed. He inwardly smiled a brought his hand to her fur and stroked it. Her throat summoned a small content growl to let him know that she liked it.

"I didn't mean to yell at you back there…" He whispered. Her head lifted up to look at him. "It's just that, I was so pissed off, figuring out that Naraku didn't kidnapped you, but turned you into a canine." He sighed and looked forward. "I heard you barking that night; if only I had known." Inuyasha patted her head and she nuzzled into his red hakama. Kagome then laid her head down on his leg as if to say 'its okay, I forgive you'.

"I guess that would explain why you weren't afraid of me, protecting me from Sesshomaru; even though I could've beaten him to a bloody pulp." He stated softly.

Inuyasha was somewhat happy, but not as he wanted. Sure, he was happy that he had Kagome by his side. But she was by his side the entire time; as a dog, and she still is. Did it really matter if Kagome was a dog? Of course it did; Inuyasha longed for soft and beautiful voice that he hadn't heard for so long. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he missed how Kagome would shout 'sit!' or 'sit boy!' with her cute angry face. Last but not least, the ramen; he wanted how she made it badly. Sango and Miroku sucked at the estimation time of when it was done and sometimes taste horrible to where he lost his ramen appetite.

Yeah, that's what he wanted. A big cup of ramen and Kagome shouting 'sit boy' with her angry face. He needed to stop thinking about it though. There was a possibility that she would never even return back to a human girl. Inuyasha gave out a long, heavy sigh and relaxed. When Inuyasha's hand stopped petting Kagome she looked at him from his lap.

--

His eyes were closed and light breathing came out of his mouth. Kagome inwardly smiled at her hanyou friend warmly. It was the first time in the week of Kagome's little 'disappearance' that he finally had any reason to sleep. He finally knew that Kagome was safe and that she was with him. Kagome watched his sleeping form for a little longer, and then turned herself in for a little deserved rest herself.

From a yonder distance, their companions watched. They were about fifty feet upwind of the two who were under the pink sakura blossom tree. It looked like an extremely beautiful scenery from their view. Inuyasha leaning against the trunk of the sakura tree on top of a grassy hilltop aside a little river bank with a dog by his side. But it was just a dog; no, it was the woman that Inuyasha cared about that was in the dog body. They were pretty sure that the scenery would look even better, if she was in her human form; lying on his lap.

--

"Hey, that means it was Kagome who bit his butt." Sango snickered.

Miroku went pale, "how rude, Kagome peed on me!" He cried.

"I got doggy-back-rides!" Shippo smiled.

Sango realized something. "If I had let Kirara attack Kuro, she would've been attacking Kagome." She paled.

"So, what are we going to do when they wake up?" Shippo asked curiously.

"We should probably take a nap ourselves." Miroku stated.

"Knowing Inuyasha, he'll want to go back to Kaede's village and keep it easy a while." Sango explained.

"But... what about mama?" The young one looked sad.

"Don't worry about it Shippo." The monk smiled.

"We'll asked Kaede to help."

"I can't wait till I hear mama say 'sit' to him." Shippo cheered.

"Everything can go back to normal." Miroku yawned.

Then the three went to sleep.