Kagome awoke slowly. First she became aware of the soft blankets below her, more comfortable than her sleeping bag on the hard floor. Then she remembered fur blanket and the surrounding cave walls. Kagome yawned, stretching her muscles out, at first reluctant to move from her spot. Then, a moment later, she remembered last night. Her cheeks burned and Kagome shut her eyes for a second.

Okay, so she had kissed Kouga. Kagome opened her eyes before her brain conjured up the image and sat up. Clasping her hands in her lap, she rubbed her knuckles with her thumb absently. She didn't regret it necessarily. More so, Kagome wondered how the wolf-prince took it. She knew he liked her back—he certainly kissed her back. But would the over exuberant wolf prince have already announced their engagement to the world or something? She knew how audacious the wolf prince already proved himself to be.

Wolves mate for life, that's what Kouga said. She knew that. Kagome's fingers sped up and she stiffened a bit. She did like Kouga, Kagome supposed. He was doing everything the perfect suitor should do. Protecting her, loving her, helping her every chance he got, lavishing her with affection…

Kagome stared at the details of the brown fur that sat over her lap.

Kouga for all intents and purposes stood leaps and bounds over Inuyasha. Inuyasha who dropped her during the last demon attack to rush to Kikyou's aid. And shortly thereafter, abandoned her to search for the already dead miko. Just thinking about it made her hip pulse and throb—the spot where she'd landed.

Pushing the blanket off of her, Kagome crawled off the bed and stood. She didn't regret kissing Kouga. She enjoyed it—the thought alone let a tingling run up her spine. But she didn't know if she was quite ready to go farther with it. Or even bother to explain it to the world.

Not until the Inuyasha nonsense was sorted out. A feeling of dread knotted at her heart.

Kagome dusted herself off and started walking towards the voices that echoed down the corridors. The knot in her heart got worse when she laid eyes upon her companions, who sat around chatting with Ginta and Hakkaku.

She knew she felt bad, because she knew Inuyasha already made his choice.

"Kagome!" Sango noticed the young girl's presence and greeted her brightly. She hadn't realized how much a night of safe rest would recharge them all. Normally, she couldn't quite sleep because of the demon attacks getting worse. Probably because they'd acquired so many shards of the jewel. Sango's eyes trailed down to where the jewel was tucked into Kagome's school uniform top. She knew better to mention it among a bunch of wolf demons though.

"Kagome!" Shippou chorused with her, running to crawl up Kagome's leg until he could plop into her waiting arms.

"How'd you sleep?" Sango asked, turning away from Miroku and the wolves' conversation.

Kagome gave a weak smile, waiting still for the dark feeling that had come over her to fade away.

"Great thanks. What's going on?" Her eyes moved over to where Miroku rubbed his chin deep in thought.

When she'd said it, the three men looked up at her.

"We're discussing Naraku's latest whereabouts onii-san."

"Whereabouts? Last time I heard he'd just about disappeared off the face of the earth." She said thinking how his usual presence was missing. He was keeping a low profile for some reason.

"That's what's puzzling Kagome. It's not Naraku's way to miss so many opportunities like this….unless…" Miroku's eyes looked hard at the floor. His hands starting to trace over the wood of his staff obsessively.

Kagome inwardly cringed at the dark tone. "Unless?" She beckoned him to keep talking.

"Unless he's up to something big."

Kagome almost jumped, the combination of the voice behind her and the sudden pulse of the jewel shards. Kagome's face flamed, the deep voice plastering memories of last night over her mind. Kagome almost cringed.

'We're talking about Naraku here Kagome. Get it together!' She admonished herself mentally.

Still her posture had stiffened enough she couldn't bring herself to turn around. Did he tell anyone? Or did he expect to do it again, right now, with everyone watching?

She suddenly engrossed herself with the floor, her deep in thought expression falling in easily with the surroundings.

Sango frowned, her lips thinning as she thought over what he could be up to.

"Kagome, how many shards did you say he had last?"

Kagome perked up and hesitated. "Uh, too many to count. But he might have lost some since then when he sent those demons to attack us."

Kagome still didn't turn around to see him, knowing full well Kouga was bound to notice. She sucked in a breath and steeled herself. Twisting around she opened her mouth to say something. But when their eyes met, the words were lost on her.

His blue eyes watched her with some type of intensity she'd never seen. But he didn't come off as happy either. His brow was knotted together, mouth shut and his arms were crossed.

Kagome tried to think again but her thoughts kept scattering on her. She settled for shutting her mouth and wiping the expression off her face. Kouga's eyes suddenly fell away from her and landed on Ginta and Hakkaku.

"Aren't you two suds supposed to be on guard right now?"

Mouths falling open, they snapped up to stand and messily stood at alert.

"Yes, Kouga. We're on our way right now!" Ginta spoke up for both of them and they staggered out of the cave.

Kagome found herself watching them when they went.

"Kagome." Sango brought her attention back down. "Either way, it's raining and they offered to let us stay as long as we wished. We could wait until the rain lightens up and maybe after breakfast."

Kagome listened for a second longer and then remembered she was the one who had the food.

"Oh, my bag." Kagome tapped Shippou to urge to kit off of her and to free up her arms. Kagome's eyes trailed absently around the cave before she remembered seeing it in the room she'd slept in.

"Yea, let me just grab that." Kagome twisted around, awkwardly stepping by Kouga and walking back the way she'd come.

Sango watched her go, her brow furrowing at first when she watched the strange way Kagome ran. Maybe she hadn't been fully healed from the last battle yet. Her eyes snapped away though, to the disappearing wolf-princes back. He was following her.

"Sango," Miroku tried to get her attention but Sango ignored him at first. She kept her eyes at the empty hallway for a minute more, her thoughts clicking together.

"What are you looking at?" Shippou tried this time and Sango turned away.

"I don't know." She said simply and brushed Shippou's fur before he could read too much into it. "So about Naraku…"