I don't own Inu Yasha. At all.


Kagome stretched languorously and let out a small yawn. Her sleepy eyes swept over the camp and came to rest on a certain Hanyou's glowering golden eyes. They narrowed in suspicion as she smiled and sent him a halfhearted wave. Inu Yasha turned his head to the side and let out one of his all purpose "Keh's" Kagome's lips twitched in merriment and she suppressed the urge to giggle.

Sango and Kagome had bathed last night just like they said they were going to do. They prudently forgot to give any mention of an encounter with a certain wolf demon that could only be described as wicked. Fortunately the bath had erased all trace of the Wolf Prince's scent. Unfortunately, it did not hide the copious amounts of alcohol consumed by said wolf. At a loss as to explain why they smelled like a winery to their half demon friend and protector, Sango and Kagome blushed. Inu Yasha mistook the blush as an admission of guilt and accused the girls of drinking in the hotspring and proceeded to lecture them thoroughly. Not wanted to revel how they really came to smell that way, they meekly took the scolding.

To Miroku, the triple delight of the girls, nudity, and reason slaying alcohol was too much to bear. The monk spent the whole time dreamily staring into space, when he wasn't knowingly winking at them that is. Inu Yasha (as he told them several times) was disappointed in them and stated it would serve them right to be ambushed while intoxicated and nude and then they might form a sense of responsibility and self preservation. For a warrior born and a priestess of all things! More than once Kagome had to lay a hand on Sango to prevent her friend from braining the hanyou and telling him just who had been so drunk but it would led to questions best not asked, lest the answers hurt someone.

Kagome frowned suddenly. Wait a moment. What was Kouga doing so drunk in the middle of a field? After all, she hardly knew anything about him. What if he was a drunkard? What if this was normal for him? What if she became his mate and spent the rest of her life picking up wine tankards while he yelled at her to get in the kitchen and 'make me a sammich woman!' ? The absurdity of that last what if hardly registered with Kagome as she pressed her hands to her eyes and made a small sound of distress.

"What's a matter wench? Hung over?" Inu Yasha glared once more at the Priestess.

Oblivious to him, Kagome continued to run unattractive mental pictures through her mind. "Ohhhh…I'm going end up barefoot and always pregnant, making chicken pot pies!" she wailed, unaware she was speaking out loud.

"What are you babbling about?" Inu Yasha blinked at the girl from the future. She wasn't making sense, even for her. That, Inu Yasha sniffed, was saying something. Even the rest of the camp was taking notice. Sango didn't understand too much better than anyone else, but being the only who knew what had truly happened, she took a guess.

"Kagome needs to go for a walk. Get the blood moving." Sango jumped up and grabbed the miko's arm. "C'mon Kagome."

"Whoa, hold up. If you two think I'm going to let you go for" Inu Yasha used the sarcastic quotation marks he had seen Kagome do "a walk" you have another thought coming!"

"Inu Yasha! We aren't taking anything with us, we just need to go for a walk." Inu Yasha snorted and Sango sighed. "Okay, okay! We need to have a little girl talk but I promise you, we are not going to have so much as a sip of anything other than water."

"You damn alcoholics are pretty sneaky. This is the first time you've slipped up and gotten caught. If you think I'm going to let you go off alone, think again. Have your girl talk here!"

Sango nearly growled in frustration. "Fine!" She sat down next to the Priestess. "Kagome, as you know my monthly bleeding will start soon and I wanted to know more about this 'Midol' whose virtues you have extolled for me. Also, I have been having the most monster blood clots you've ever seen and…"

"Oh for Kami's sake go on your damn walk!" snapped the Hanyou, holding his hands over his flattened dog ears. Sango stood up, yanking Kagome's arm. The girls stopped to grab Sango's boomerang (just in case) and headed off into the woods.

When they were a sufficient distance from the rest of the camp, Sango sat down in a small clearing and fixed her friend with a look that clearly said "talk!" When it was clear she wasn't going to do so, Sango decided to start the conversation ball. "So, you were thinking about having Kouga's kids?"

Kagome blushed bright red. "I don't know anything about him!"

"You know he cares for you. You know he's a good leader for his people. You know he's strong and as far as demons go, not bad at all." Sango smiled wickedly. "and you know how soft certain parts of him are and that he dreams of you!"

Kagome gasped and blushed some more. It took a moment to compose herself to articulate her concerns. "I also know that on at least one occasion he drank himself into passing out. What I don't know is if this is a habit."

"Ah. I think I understand. You have started to take Kouga and his constant declarations seriously and now what to know more about his character."

"Exactly! Wait, no! Oh I don't know!" Kagome flopped back in the grass so she was laying down. She turned her head to the side. "I realized I'm practically doing the same thing with Kouga as Inu Yasha is with Kikyou. He's so wrapped up in her, he doesn't see me right in front of him, wearing my heart on my sleeve." Kagome turned her head to look at Sango. "I know how that feels, how much it hurts." Sango squeezed Kagome's hand sympathetically. "I'm so wrapped up in Inu Yasha, I don't really look at Kouga. He always tells me he loves me and I brush it off like it doesn't matter. Like his feelings are nothing. Like I can take him for granted. Like Inu Yasha does with me."

"Do you still love Inu Yasha?" Sango asked quietly.

"Yes." Kagome squeezed Sango's hand "but I could love Kouga. I never gave myself, never gave him a chance. Maybe I need to."

"What are you going to do the next time he comes around?"

"Ask to speak to him alone. I want to let him know that while I'm not agreeing to be his mate, I want to know more about him. That I'm giving him a chance to court me." Kagome giggled. "Ask whether or not he's an alcoholic!" The girls shared a laugh. "It would be a shame to see that nice body with a beer gut." Sango shot her a quizzical look, prompting Kagome to share the unattractive male feature.

Sango let go of Kagome's hand and stood up. "We'd better get back before Inu Yasha comes looking for us, trying to catch us in the act of drinking!"

"You realize Miroku is going to be worse about trying to peek after this."

"I don't care so much about that" Sango caressed her boomerang. "I'm more worried about him finding out that we, or rather you, had your hand up Kouga's kilt."

"Oh like your hand wasn't five seconds away from joining mine!"

"I'm not saying it wasn't. I'm just saying it'll be harder to stand on the moral high ground with the letch if he knew I was sneaking peeks up demon's fur wraps." Sango swung the boomerang on her shoulder. "Even if it was worth it. Don't worry though. I know he's yours."

"I haven't really decided if I want him yet." Sango raised her eye brow. "For keeps I mean!"

"Well, once you talk to him and find out, you let me know. If you ever give up anything as fine as what was under that wrap, you let me know, I'll take it."

"Sango! I'm starting to think all of Miroku's rubbing has rubbed off on you!"

"I'm warrior born. I'm taught to appreciate the value of swords." Sango laughed, leaving Kagome sputtering behind her. The Slayer loved to tease her friend, especially about Kouga. Oh yes, the next meeting with the Wolf Prince will be interesting indeed.