The room roared with laughter as a group of humans and a demon circled a warm fire.
A father bickered at his one daughter, telling her she needs to eat more vegetables and not just the meat from her stew, while the other daughter laughed at her twin whom was getting scolded. A small boys eyes glowed with admiration at the wolf king from across the fire as he shoved a piece of cooked cabbage into his mouth with his hand, whereas his mother who sat next to her son glared at him with intense chocolate brown eyes.

Azure eyes quickly glanced away from the uncomfortable scowl from the demon slayer to his clawed hand that held up a clay bowl containing a thick brown liquid mixed with vegetables and cooked meat. Steam laced with the aroma of the stew danced in the air, causing the wolf demon to slightly scrunch his nose up in disgust.

His other clawed hand held up a pair of wooden chopsticks, the tips ever so slightly skimming the surface of the substance.

Pottage... a human meal with assorted vegetables and small cooked game swimming in a thick broth.
Apparently, it was a popular meal amongst humans, but none of it looked appetizing to the wolf king.
Wolf demons hardly, If ever, ate vegetables unless it was for survival purposes. And when it came to the cooked meat... well it just wasn't Kogas favorite.

The wolf demon sighed heavily, as he pushed a leek into the thick water with the tip of the chop sticks; causing the vegetable to disappear from sight.

My stomach is going to feel so horrible in the morning... He groaned.

"Koga, you don't have to use the chopsticks." Kagome said warmly, causing him to turn his head to face her.

She sat delicately on the mat next to him, knees tucked under her as she raised a clay bowl to her lips, taking a few gulps of the thick broth.
Pulling the bowl away from her mouth, she beamed at him with a huge smile, "You can just sip it if you want, see?"

Suddenly the corners of the her smile turned downward as she said, " I should have realized that you might not know how to use chopsticks.." She didn't see any of the wolf demons use them in the mountain during her stay, they simply just used their hands.

His eyes glanced from her concerned eyes to her hand that held the clay bowl. He noticed a small piece of fabric wrapped around the wound where she accidentally sliced finger earlier.

Memories of how he hungrily licked and sucked at the flesh played in his mind. The sweet taste of her blood and skin drove him close to the brink of madness while her intoxicating scent caused him to lose control of himself...
It was strange, he's been around her before when she got injured from battle; her porcelain skin decorated in scraps and cuts with blood dripping from them. And when they defeated the enemy victoriously, he always had the urge to lick her delicate flesh; desperately wanting to clean the wounds and to greedily taste her in the process. But no matter how tempted he was, he was always able to control himself from doing so.

Was his lack of control because they were alone? Whereas in the past their was always his and her comrades around...
Or maybe because that damn dog wasn't present. Could his bold move be the result of the half breed not being glued to the mikos side anymore?
Either way, he knew the main reason why he restrained himself in the past, which was simply because he didn't want to scare the human girl away from him and his barbaric behavior.

But there he was earlier; desperately cleaning every inch of her finger with his tongue, getting ready to devour her plump perfect lips to claim as his.
If her friends didn't show up when they did, he didn't know how far he would have went with the human girl.

And he couldn't help but notice how she reacted towards his own touch...

She even didn't pull away from me...

A warm blush crept upon his cheeks at the thought of what could have happened between the two of them, causing him to turn away from her, azure eyes glancing down at the wooden sticks in his hand. "I know how to use them."

"Oh really? I just figured you didn't because I didn't see anyone use them in the mountain when I stayed." She said.

She was somewhat right. His whole wolf tribe didn't know how to use them, since they always ate with their hands. But, because of who he was and where he came from, he was taught how to use them when he was a young pup.

"I'm the only one who knows how to use them." He stated.

Kagome was silent for a while, watching the demon swirl a piece of meat in his bowl with the tips of the sticks, his eyes staring intently at it.

"Do you not like it? I can make something else."

Kogas ears perked at the sound of sadness and worry etched into her voice. His eyes glanced at the girl next to him once again, this time tracing over her long black hair, beautiful hazel eyes and full rosey lips...

The subtle blush that lingered on his cheeks got darker as he quickly turned away from the girls pouty mouth; remembering how close he was earlier to planting his own lips against hers.

He balanced the sticks in his hand, grabbing a piece of drenched cooked meat between the two them and brought it up into his mouth.
His teeth chewed on the rabbit meat, the juices from the stew leaking from it with every chomp he took. He grudgingly swallowed it, the revolting taste of cooked vegetables and meat lingering in his mouth.

He forced a smile on his lips as he said, "I love it Kagome. It's so good I might even ask for seconds."

"Oh I'm so relieved you like it Koga. And I made so much of it, there definitely will be plenty for seconds."

Great.

"I thought wolf demons didn't eat cooked meat... or vegetables. " A womans voice said a loud, causing Kogas eyes to look over at the demon slayer who sat on the other side of the fire.
The boiling cauldron that hung from a ceiling beam slightly blocked her from his view, but he could still see her dark glare and a scowl on her lips.
That expression has been plastered upon her face this whole evening, ever since she first walked into Kagomes home. She obviously wasn't to happy seeing the some what intimate scene her friend was in with him...

"What?!" Kagome squeaked, panic etched into her voice.

He could feel the mikos eyes boring into him with worry. "Why didn't you say anything Koga? I'm so sorry! Here give me your bowl so I can give you something else."

He felt Kagome move slightly next to him, reaching out to grasp the bowl within his hands. He glanced down at her with a smirk on his lips, quickly pulling the bowl away from her reach.
He watched as her eyebrows furrowed as he took his chop sticks and picked up a slice of onion from inside the bowl and placed it into his mouth.
A smile graced his lips, as he chewed through the foreign texture of the vegetable, trying his absolute best to show no distaste in front of the miko.
"It's very delicious and I want to eat it." He lied to her, as his eyes shot a glare at the demon slayer. "Wolf demons eat cooked meat." He said sternly. He wasnt lying, some preferred the taste of it in his tribe. He just wasn't one of them.

Chocolate eyes stared at him intensely as a thin eyebrow quirked upwards, "And vegetables?"

"Yes."

... When they had to.

"Hmmm," the woman hummed, her eyes still locked onto Kogas. She picked up a small cup that sat in front of her, steam from the green watery substance dancing above the rim, "I guess I've been misinformed all these years about a wolf demons diet then." She brought the hot liquid to her lips taking a few sips, "If a carnivorous wolf can eat vegetables, I'm sure you'll love green tea too."

Koga scowled at the demon slayer. "Green tea?"

Humans consume the weirdest things...

"No, he won't want that!" Miroku interjected, holding a cup of sake in the air. "Lady Kagome, pour some sake for our friend Koga!"

With out hesitation Kagome hurriedly grabbed the jug of sake and poured a cup for the wolf. Azure eyes watched the light amber liquid sloshed around in the cup as she handed it to him.

He went to grasp the cup, his fingers lightly brushing up against Kagomes bandaged one, causing her face to flush fiercely.
He took the cup from her hand, the sound of her pounding heart quickening its pace as it reached his ears, causing him grin happily.

Sango glowered at the scene before her. She watched as her dear friends cheeks burn as bright as the fire in the center of the room, hazel eyes stared starry eyed at the demon next to her.
Her frown deepened even more when she saw the wolf grin down at Kagome, his tail swishing back and forth happily.

When she told Kagome countless times about moving on from Inuyasha and giving someone new a chance, she didn't mean a demon who was already betrothed to another.
She knew this situation wasn't going to end well for her best friend...

"My love," Miroku whispered. He leaned into her, his hot breathe laced with sake as his hand gently rubbed her lower back, fingers itching downwards to grab her perfect tight bottom. "Why are you frowning, Sango? What is wrong?"

She felt him cup the cheek, his hand gently squeezing it.
She quickly shoved him away before anyone could notice, her own cheeks now erupting with a dark blush of her own.
She shot him a glare as he chuckled, taking another sip of his sake. Sango could hear her own twin daughters mumble amongst each other on how gross their parents were.

Sighing heavily, trying to calm her nerves, chocolate eyes once again darted up the demon and miko who were happily chatting with one another. She even noticed that the wolf demon had scooted closer to her friend, leaving little space between the two.

"Koga, how is Ayame?" She asked suddenly, "I'm surprised she didn't come with you."

The room fell silent, the only sounds you could hear was Hisui munching away on his food next to the demon slayer and the whispers from the twins wondering who Ayame was.

Azure eyes glared at the woman, his tail flicked with aggravation. He could feel the miko tense up next to him, her once racing heart slowing down at the mention of his future mates name.

Koga was loosing his patience with the demon slayers attitude.
Sango was always friendly towards him in the past, they've even protected each other on the battlefield before, and never once has she ever shown dislike towards him when he showed interest in Kagome years ago. But, tonight she was acting like a completely different person than from what he remembered.

"She's in the North."

"Still? I thought for sure she would have been living with you by now."

"Sango, I told you she wasn't there when I was in the mountains with his tribe..." Kagome said softly.

"Oh, that's right! I guess I simply forgot." Sango said, her eyes glancing between the two, taking notice to Kagomes sudden saddened behavior and Kogas annoyed expression directed at her.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Lady Kagome?"

A mans voice called out from outside the entrance of the home.

Annoyed eyes shifted from the demon slayer to the sliding door.

Who the hell is that?

Kagome hurriedly got to her feet and went to the door. She slid the door open, the cool late summer breeze gliding past her into the warm room, causing the flames in the firepit to flutter.

"Ichiro!" She said ecstatically. "Come on in!"

"Oh, no I shouldn't..."

"Oh, hush!" She pulled a human man into her home by his arm, causing him to stumble slightly forward.
He was young and tall, almost as tall as Koga with black thick hair tied into a tight bun on the top of his head. His dirty kimono was sleeveless showing off tan muscular arms while one hand grasped two dead rabbits within it.
The mans eyes glanced down at Kagomes hand that lingered on his forarm, his cheeks immediately turning red.

Koga frowned.

Almost sensing everyone's eyes on him, Ichiro looked up with wide black eyes finally noticing he wasn't alone with the miko.

"Ichiro!" The twin girls shouted the mans name in union. Airi smiling brightly as Seia waved at him.
The monk and the demon slayer both said hello with smiles, as their son barely glanced in his direction as he continued to eat.

Everyone knows this guy? How often does he come here?

Koga clutched the cup filled with sake tightly, trying his best not to shatter it within his hand.

"Oh, hi everyone." Ichiro said with a bright smile, his eyes happily glancing from every person in the room until they landed on Koga.

Koga watched as the man quirked a eyebrow in curiousity when their eyes locked on to one another, his dark eyes skimming over the wolf demons appearance.

"Ichiro?" Kagome questioned, her hand finally letting go of his forarm.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The man rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he broke away from Kogas icey glare. "I brought these for you." The man held the rabbits out to Kagome, his blush reappearing on his cheeks when his eyes met her hazel ones.

He brings her food?!

Koga couldn't have been more irritated with the situation taking place before him.
Obviously, this human had feelings for the priestess, strong feelings, and was even providing for her.

How close are they?

He could feel his pupils turn into slits as the white in his eyes start to give off a tint of pink.

He was so fucking angry.. watching how that human looked at her with such obvious want in his eyes.. it took everything in him to not rip the mans head off.

Kagome smiled, her hands taking the rabbits from his hand. "Ichiro, you sh-"

"I know!" He interrupted, "you always say don't worry about me. But, you helped my little brother get better from his cold. Think of this as a thank you for everything that you've done." He said softly, his hand lightly touching hers.

Kogas eye twitched.

Kagome nodded with a smile, "Okay. I'll accept these If you stay for dinner."

Fucking great... Koga rolled his eyes, bringing the cup of sake to his lips, quickly chugging the dry alcohol down.

"Oh I don't want to intrude... you have... a guest." Ichiros eyes glanced back at the wolf demon who was pouring another cup of sake from the jug, his tail flicking with irritation.

"You're not intruding, right Kagome?" Sango said with eyes gleaming, "That's just Koga, we all fought together against Naraku years ago. He's just a friend who came by for a visit."

Koga eyes glanced up at the demon slayer, quickly picking up on how she emphasized the word friend.

"And besides don't you want to have some of Kagomes cooking?" Sango asked.

"Oh well how could I say no to that?" Ichiro laughed heartedly, as he took a seat around the fire. "Lady Kagome is one of the best cooks in the village." He said beaming at the priestess as she scooped up hot stew with a large spoon and poured it into a bowl.
She smiled as she handed him the warm bowl with a pair of chopsticks.

Exaggeratedly he inhaled the aroma of the stew, his nostrils flaring with delight as he dipped his chopsticks into the bowl, bringing up a piece of thick meat and placing it into his mouth. "Mmmmm, delicious as always." Ichiro said joyously.

Koga swirled the amber liquid in his cup, glaring down at it wishing the alcohol was as strong as the moon whiskey back at home.

I hope he chokes on it...

Koga felt jealousy roar inside him.
His stomach felt tight as his muscles contracted through out his body as he tried his best to control himself from not snapping the man in half.
He hadn't felt this way in years; when the mutt was still around.
And now here was, full of jealousy and frustration that was ten times stronger now then ever before due to some weak ass human man.

Koga felt Kagome take her place next to him, now sitting between him and Ichiro. She grabbed her own bowl with chopsticks and began eating her meal, completely oblivious of the furious demon and lovestruck man she sat between.

"So, Ichiro, when are you planning on getting married." Sango asked, causing the man to cough in surprise.

Black eyes nervously darted from Kagome to Sango as he stuttered, "La-lady Sango, why are you asking such a question?"

"Oh I was just curious. You know how the village is with gossip," she shrugged, "I overheard some of the women today wondering how someone as handsome as you are hasn't chosen a wife yet."

Ichiro laughed nervously, his hand once again rubbing the back of his neck. "Actually, I've had my eye on someone for years, but I don't think she notices me."

Miroku sniggered, "I wonder who that could be..."

Koga squeezed the cup in his hand, the clay slightly cracking from the sudden constricting force.

Kagome leaned slightly towards Ichiro, hazel eyes sparkling, "You should just go for it Ichiro! I mean maybe she just doesn't realize your true feelings for her. It's better to be direct with your love! Because if you wait to long you could miss your chance with her."

Hopeful black eyes stared the beautiful priestess that sat next to him. His face reddened slightly as he took a nervous gulp, "You really think so, Lady Kagome? I should just go up to her and flat out tell her how I feel?"

"I think," Koga interjected, speaking up for the first time since Ichiro entered the home, "that you better make sure that she doesn't already have a man in her life before you confess your love. Some men don't tolerate others getting close to what's theirs you know? You don't want to end up with any broken bones or... dead do you?"

Black wide eyes stared into demonic cerulean ones; the dark slit almost nonexistent in the sea of blue with the tint of pink.

"No... I wouldn't." Ichiro whispered.