I wait until Kagome's breathing evens out and she's deeply asleep before pulling out my phone. I text Ginta and Hakkaku to bring over some clothes that should actually fit her, a new toothbrush, and any other essentials they can think of with the promise of explaining everything in the morning when they drop off the stuff. That taken care of, my finger hovers over InuYasha's phone number. He didn't take her disappearance well.

I did my best to honor my promise to Kagome and keep an eye on him, but when he went into hiding I lost a few centuries. By the time I caught back up with him, he already looked very different. With his hanyou blood, he aged much faster than the rest of us, and the stress of not knowing what happened to Kagome did nothing to help. It wasn't until the mid 1800s that he told me about her secret. We both made sure to stay away from Tokyo during the years we thought she was originally from, but with no real clue as to when she started time jumping, it was dodgy.

Around '03, those of us that were still around started meeting up on the anniversary of the final battle. We go to her family's shrine at night, once they're all asleep, and sit around the tree that linked our two worlds. InuYasha is always be the last to leave. We never caught a single hint of her scent, so thought she still hadn't made it back yet. None of us thought she would have left her family behind after so much time away from them. But we never even considered the idea that something had happened to her.

She was here, on the same mountain that I moved to, and I had no idea. The thought bombards its way to the forefront of my mind so violently, a snarl rips its way through my chest. I should have known. Right around when she'd been taken, I started getting these weird feelings. I knew something wasn't right, that something had happened, but I couldn't place it or figure out where it was coming from. It was always just out of reach. Now that I know…

"He'd create these… illusions, where he would show up as someone I knew and…"

Her actions after I brought her into the living room, her sudden change in scent… they told me everything I needed to know. The bastard fucking raped her. My vision turns red for a split second before I take several deep breaths, reigning my inner beast back in. Now is not the time to lose control. I rub a hand over my face and through my hair, trying to ease the tension from my body. Kagome's always been highly in tune with people's emotions, after her training she became even more sensitive to people's auras. I can't wake her up when this is probably her first decent sleep in six years.

I find myself thinking back to her naked torso. He clearly just gave her enough food to survive. I don't know how she managed to make it down the mountain and through the forest like this. Any normal human wouldn't have made it thirty feet. But she's never been a normal human, the voice in my head, the more primal beast inside, reminds me, it's why you claimed her as your intended. I smirk, knowing it's right in one regard at least. But I never claimed her, not really. She was never truly mine.

The smallest of whimpers comes from the bed, barely noticeable even with my sensitive hearing. I glance over to find her eyebrows furrowed and face pinched as though in pain. A second later, she turns her head, body suddenly very tense. Nightmare. Her breathing becomes strained, coming in short, shallow gasps. Her legs start kicking, slowly at first, before picking up speed as her arms push against something that isn't there.

"No," her voice is small, scared. "No, stop, don't." I quickly get up and sit at the very edge of the bed. I rest a hand on her head, which only makes her thrash harder. "Stop! Don't touch me!" She yells, desperation coating every syllable. She manages to land a hit on my arm and my chest before curling into a fetal position, clutching her head. "Please stop, I'll be good I promise, just don't touch me! Please, just stop!" I lean over and carefully pick her up, cradling her in my lap. She thrashes again and I narrowly avoid her tiny fists as I run a hand through her hair.

"Shh, Kagome, it's okay. It's just a bad dream, I got you." She pushes against my chest, still trying to get away, hyperventilating. "It's me, it's Kouga, you're not there anymore, you're safe, I've got you now." She suddenly gasps, pulls away slightly, and, at the sight of my face, she grips my shirt in both of her fists, buries her face in my chest, and sobs. I stay there, sitting on the bed, and rock her gently. "It's okay, Kagome, I got you. You're okay. Deep breaths, come on, you can do it." I take deeper breaths than necessary, trying to get her to feel my chest rise and fall. Slowly, she manages to pull a breath in through her nose and out her mouth. "Good job, come on, do it again. You can do it, deep breath in… and out." She follows my quiet direction, slowly calming down. Her tears still fall, but her breathing returns to normal.

"He wouldn't stop…" she cries into me. I bite the inside of my lip, forcing my body to remain relaxed. "He just kept… he made me… and he kept biting me." I feel my eyes widen in a mixture of shock and horror. He fucking didn't. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm, and gently pull away a bit.

"Kagome," she nods her head, letting me know she heard me, but refuses to look up. "I need to see your shoulder." She looks up at me, panic in her eyes as her breathing picks back up. "It's okay, I'm not going to touch anything, I just want to look. If you're not comfortable with it, I won't, but it would help. It's your choice." Several long seconds later, she slowly nods her head. "Are you sure?" She nods again, a bit faster this time, more sure. "Okay, just hold still," I instruct. Carefully, I lower the neck of my shirt, looking at the slope where her neck meets her shoulder. Sure enough, there are several, dark purple bruises where he'd bitten her, but nothing else. I'm unable to stop the sigh of relief that escapes my lips as I put the shirt back in place on her small frame. When I look back at her, she's staring at me with confused eyes.

"Do you know why," she doesn't finish her question. She doesn't need to. I nod my head, unsure of whether I should tell her. I won't lie to her, I think to myself, but can I really tell her the truth? She keeps staring up at me, questions in her gaze that her voice refuses to ask. I find myself sighing as I gently place her back on the bed before sitting across from her, suddenly finding it very hard to look her in the eye.

"He was trying to mate you." I hear her breath catch, feel her body tense, and when I do manage to look at her, the horror in her own face nearly breaks my heart. "But he couldn't, something stopped him from marking you. It's probably why he was so… persistent. It wouldn't take." It may not have been a formal claiming, my beast chimes in, but it was a claiming none the less. I shake my head, trying to will the thought away. We protected her.

"Why?" Her small voice floats up to my ears. She looks less scared now, thankfully, but now is not the time to get into all of this. I smile gently at her, making sure to keep some distance between us.

"It's complicated, we can talk about it another time. For now, you need to rest." At the suggestion of more sleep, fear starts seeping back into her scent as the muscles in her back and shoulders tense back up. "Got a lot of healing to catch up on." Unable to argue with my logic, she hesitantly nods her head and slowly eases herself back into the covers. "Hey, I ain't going anywhere. You have another one of those dreams, I'll be right here to stop it again. Alright?" She nods her head, a little more relaxed at the idea, and closes her eyes. It takes awhile longer this time, but she manages to get back to sleep eventually.

The night goes on with only a few more night terrors. At some point, she asked to hold my hand while she fell asleep. It seemed to help and, once she was asleep again, I couldn't find it in me to let her go. She didn't have a single nightmare for the rest of the night after that. I'd moved my chair closer to her bed so it wasn't such a reach for both of us, giving me an even closer view of her. The shadows under her eyes stretch down to her cheekbones. Her skin no longer glows like it had, but is dull and tinged with bruises, scars. Her lips are chapped and split in several areas. This never should have happened to her, I carefully push some hair out of her eyes, what looks to be her former bangs. She deserves so much better.

Around eight, the boys text me to let me know they're coming up the mountain. As carefully as I can, I remove my hand from her grasp and wait as she rolls over, grabbing onto the spare pillow. I feel a smile tug at the corner of my lips and quickly leave the room. I make it to the front door just as Ginta raises his hand to knock. He opens his mouth for what I'm sure is about to be a very loud greeting but quickly closes it at my expression.

"Hey boss, what's going on?" I notice Hakkaku and him sniffing the air every few seconds, trying to be sly about it, and roll my eyes.

"You got the stuff?" I ask, keeping my voice low just in case Kagome can hear.

"Yeah, all here." Hakkaku grabs a couple of reusable grocery bags at their feet, Ginta takes two more, and I grab the last one, a duffel bag. Quietly, we bring everything into the kitchen and set the bags on the table. Their sniffing only increases once they're inside and I catch them glancing at each other when they think I'm not looking. Idiots, I think, unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes. With a heavy sigh, I face the two of them. "Your noses aren't lying to ya. She's here." Their eyes widen in shock and, just before they have the chance to yell in excitement, I clamp a hand over each of their mouths. "She's sleeping and if either of you wake her up, so help me, you will wish you'd left the bags at the door and gone on your merry way." They both quickly nod their heads and I remove my hands, uncovering their elated grins.

"She's really here? Is that why you cancelled last night?"

"What happened? How did you find her?"

"Is she staying here?"

"Did you tell her you still love her?"

"Is that why you need all this stuff?"

"Does InuYasha know?"

"Would you two shut up?" I jerk my head in the direction of my bedroom door, telling them where she is, and they quickly stop talking. I sigh, running a hand through my hair, only to realise I'd lost my hair tie at some point. I cross my arms over my chest, leaning against the counter. "She showed up on my doorstep last night. It's not good." They share confused expressions before looking back at me, waiting for me to continue. "Apparently, she got here back in 2000." Hakkaku's eyebrows draw together.

"But why didn't we smell her at the shrine? She would have been back for three years by then." I feel my jaw clench as I reign in my anger once more, trying to remain calm.

"Because she was taken and held hostage for six years," I begin, silently warning them to keep quiet at my next statement. "Naraku's here." The shock of the news hits them, visibly, and Ginta nearly falls over. He only just manages to grab the back of the chair to catch himself.

"But… how is that…" Hakkaku is the first to find his voice.

"He separated a part of himself and latched onto Kagome. When she got sent back here - "

"So did he," Ginta interrupts. I can feel their fear and anger swirling together in their auras and try to force a calm over them with my own. Kagome can't wake up to this much anger. "How… how is she?"

"All things considered? It could have been a lot worse."

"Sis has always been stronger than she looks," Hakkaku muses to himself.

"She's handling it as well as can be expected. It was a rough night sleeping but, she managed to get a few peaceful hours in."

"Can we see her?" Hakkaku asks, hesitantly. I grimace but shake my head.

"I don't think she's ready right now. She needs awhile to work through everything. There was a lot of abuse, physical and mental." My tone tips them off to what exactly I mean. I feel the realization settle in around them as their combined rage presses in on the small space. "Look, she knows she's safe here. I want her to stay until we catch this bastard and finish him off, for good. I can't ask her where he is yet and if I send out patrols looking, it could tip him off. He probably thinks she's still wandering the forest." They both nod, waiting for their instructions. "We need to keep everything looking as normal as possible. Even with the barriers I have set up, I'm not comfortable leaving her alone. Once I get her used to you guys again, I want us all here in shifts. She's never alone, understood?" They nod once more before looking more than a little sheepish.

"What about InuYasha?" The anniversary's coming up in a few weeks, we won't be able to lie to him and, by then, there's no way I'll be able to get her scent off of me.

"We can't tell him yet. We all know he'll come straight here and blow her cover. He's matured a lot in the last five hundred years, but this is Kagome."

"Yeah, he's never exactly been level headed when it comes to her," Ginta admits.

"Try to keep all contact with him over the phones or email if possible, I'll figure something out for the anniversary meet up." My ears twitch a bit as I pick up Kagome waking up. "Alright, hate to kick you two out, but - "

"Say no more, boss, we're gone." Hakkaku smiles, even as they both send concerned looks down the hall.

"Let us know if there's anything else you guys need." I smirk, nodding my head, and lock the door behind them before I start taking everything out of the bags and unpackaging her toothbrush and other bathroom stuff. The boys had also picked up some different teas. I smirk when I find one for stress relief; honey and lavender. Perfect. I quickly start the kettle and go back to opening boxes when I hear her quiet footsteps coming from down the hall. I turn around to find her standing in the hallway, blanket wrapped around her shoulders, as she stares at me in relief.

"Morning," I smile at her, quickly reading her. No signs of distress or panic, a bit of confusion, but mostly relief. "Wasn't sure if you'd want me there when you woke up or not." The corners of her lips twitch upwards for a second before she settles her confused gaze on the pile in front of me. "I had the boys pick up a few things for you, they dropped them off not too long ago." I pat the duffle bag. "This should have clothes that won't fall off of you so easily in it, tags still attached, so if you don't like anything or it doesn't fit, we'll just exchange it. Sound good?" Her eyes have widened, surprise tinging her aura.

"The boys?" She hesitantly asks, slowly making her way over to the table.

"Ginta and Hakkaku." Her head whips in my direction, eyes even wider than before as her lips part.

"They're still…" Her words trail off but I smile and nod my head.

"We're all still here," I inform her, watching as the different emotions play across her face and shift her scent. "InuYasha too." I see her throat constrict and catch her just before her legs give out. I pull out a chair and quickly ease her into it before crouching next to her, keeping an eye on her expression the whole time, a strange mix of relief and horror. After several seconds, she grabs my shirt, once more looking terrified.

"He can't - " I place my hands over hers', trying to soothe her with my youki.

"He doesn't know, yet. The boys won't tell anyone." She visibly relaxes as she breathes out a sigh of relief. "I told you, I'll keep you safe." She bites the inside of her lower lip before nodding her head. "You hungry?" She nods her head again, looking a little more excited. I smile up at her as she releases her hold on my shirt, and stand up. "Good, I've got water going for tea already, and I'll start breakfast."

"Do you want any help?" She asks after a moment. I smirk to myself, grabbing two bowls from the cabinet and a box of oats.

"No ma'am, I want you to sit there and find the bottle of vitamins the boys picked up for you." Shortly after, I hear her start rummaging through the bags, pausing once in a while to look at something. I hear her make a small noise and look over to find her holding a large bottle labeled Multivitamin. She struggles with the cap for a few minutes while I pour the water into her tea and oatmeal, taking my time so she has a chance to get it on her own. Just as I put a few spoons of sugar in the bowl, the cap pops off the bottle and I smile a bit, feeling the accomplishment radiating off of her. Her lack of nails, however, make it difficult to get the paper topping off. I carry her breakfast over and place it in front of her, holding out my hand. Glancing between me and the vitamins, she puts the bottle in my hand with a glare before examining the food. She grips the mug of hot tea first, inhaling deeply, and sighing happily into the cup.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had tea?" I suppress a growl and tear the paper covering off the bottle, tipping one of the vitamins into my hand. I pass it to her and, after smelling it briefly, she pops it in her mouth, making a face.

"Sorry, I know they aren't the best, but you're gonna have to keep up with them." She watches me walk back to the kitchen where my own breakfast is waiting.

"How do you know so much about all of this?" I quirk an eyebrow at her, shoving a spoonful of oatmeal into my mouth, before signalling her to do the same. She quickly turns around and takes a small bite before turning back to face me. "The vitamins, the food, the milk… how do you know how to deal with me?" I grab my bowl and slowly make my way to the table, take my time moving the bags out of the way to sit two seats down from her. Only once I'm settled do I look back up at her.

"I've been alive a long time, Kagome. I've made it through every war, famine, and disaster in the last five hundred years. You tend to pick up a thing or two when you're as old as I am," I try to lighten the mood a bit, but she just looks pensively at her food. After several minutes of silence, she plays with her oatmeal a bit, almost like she's trying to look casual.

"And how old are you, exactly?" I look up at her in surprise, unable to hide the smile that quickly takes over my features. Does she think I'll be offended by her asking? I chuckle a bit, shaking my head.

"Sure you wanna know?" She nods her head, still not looking up at me, and takes a larger bite of oatmeal. I smile a bit, leaning back in my chair. "I was born in 1147." She nearly spits out her food and stares at me in shock while I barely contain the laughter that is threatening to force its way out of my mouth.

"1147?" She yells, "As in 800 years ago?"

"859, but who's counting?" She cradles her head in her left hand while her right starts tracing numbers onto the table.

"That would mean that you were… 406 when we met." She looks up at me for confirmation and I nod my head, smirking.

"I looked pretty good for my age back then, huh?" She scoffs a bit before laughing and I can't help but relish in the sound. It had been too long since I last heard it.

"Back then? You hardly look thirty now, how does that work?" I nod my head towards her bowl and, with an exaggerated eye roll, she takes another bite.

"I age a year roughly every twenty-six. I'm still in my prime." She shakes her head, swallowing another bite. She seems to be keeping it down, that's good.

"The things you must have seen…" She looks up at me, looking strangely concerned. "Doesn't that get lonely?" Of course, I chuckle to myself, always worried about everyone else.

"I got the pack still, most of 'em are still around. Lot of them live pretty nearby actually." After taking a sip of tea, her cheeks flush a light shade of pink.

"I guess having Ayame around helps too," she murmurs. I feel my eyebrows furrow together in confusion.

"Ayame? I haven't seen her in ages." She looks up at me, once again looking surprised, and I elaborate. "She took her pack over to Canada back in the 1800s when it was really becoming something. She'll email me once in awhile now, but that's about it."

"I would have thought you two…" Noticing her discomfort, it's easy to guess what had been going through her head.

"Nah, she found some wolf from the west, I think that's why she chose Canada of all places," I admit, laughing a bit. "I knew it was just a matter of time before she came to her senses about me."

"Well, what about you?" She asks, hesitantly.

"What about me?"

"Did you find someone? Another wolf or…?" I smirk, looking down at my almost empty bowl. If only you knew, I can't help thinking. I find myself shaking my head.

"Nah. You know me, only one woman I ever had my eye on," I tease, sending a wink in her direction. She rolls her eyes again and looks back at her bowl, but not before I catch the slight blush that stains her cheeks. "You finished with that?" She looks back up at me, sheepishly, and nods.

"Sorry," I shrug my shoulders and take her bowl over to the sink.

"No need to apologise, it's expected. You haven't been on a normal diet in years, it'll take awhile to get you back to three meals. Right now, we're just gonna feed you a lot of little ones. You did really well for a second meal." She smiles a little before turning back around in her chair. "You should put on weight pretty quickly at first, we get you going right and you'll be a whole new person in the first month," I tell her while washing the dishes.

"You think so?" She asks, her voice hesitant, but some slight excitement hiding in it. I smile, despite the ache in my heart for her.

"I know so. Just let Dr. Kouga take care of you." I wink in her direction again, earning a small bubble of laughter.

"Right, I don't see a PhD hanging anywhere, doctor," she teases, getting up to lean across the counter from me. I roll my eyes, suppressing the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

"That's because it's in a storage unit, long since expired." She looks up at me in shock, mouth hanging slightly open. I shrug, drying my hands. "I got bored in the early nineteen hundreds. I knew that flu wouldn't kill me so thought I should at least do my part and help out. Besides, I figured if you could do it in the feudal era, how hard could it be once people had a basic understanding of science?" This earned me another laugh, this one a little longer than the last.

"That's fair. So what do you do now?"

"I run a wolf preserve." She arches an eyebrow, looking a little amused.

"Real wolves or…" I chuckle at her implication and nod my head.

"Both. Some of us had a harder time adapting, it was easier to just stay an animal."

"Makes sense. Where is it?" I smirk, gesturing around us.

"You're living on it," I inform her. She, not so subtly, looks out the window. "About fifty miles out from here in all directions. Down at the bottom of the hill I have a small building for visitors, but the wolves have free rein of the forest."

"That's incredible, and they all listen to you?" I'm unable to stop my following scoff and eye roll as I cross my arms over my chest, more than a little offended.

"Of course, I'm still their alpha."

"Well, I didn't know if that applied to non-demon wolves," she defends herself, hands raised.

"Any and all wolves recognise me as an alpha. Whether they choose to be pack or not is mostly up to them." I nod my head in the direction of the duffel bag on the table. "Why don't you finish going through those and, if you want, try some of 'em on so we can see what needs to go back?" She nods her head, grabbing the bag and heading back into my room. I don't remember her being this interested in pack stuff before, I think to myself before plopping down on the couch and turning on the tv. I keep the volume low in case she needs anything and start trying to find something she might like when she comes out. As I'm going through channels, a sudden thought comes crashing into me, I have no idea what she likes. I'd been in love with a girl for centuries and I don't even know her favourite colour or what type of music she likes. At the realisation, I feel my eyebrows lower on their own accord. We'll just have to fix that.