~~Night One~~

The sun had set a few hours earlier, and there was a warm, crackling fire lighting up the wolf tribe's cave. Kouga was standing beside the waterfall that hid the cave entrance, watching Kagome. The girl had kept her stubborn promise so far, not moving so much as an inch throughout the whole day. She was still waiting for that damn mutt to show up. Night had arrived though, and she was only human. For a moment he debated on going over to her, wondered if her temper from earlier had cooled off yet. He reasoned that no one could stay that upset for this long, and besides if he was going to try winning her over now was a good time to start.

"Hey." Kagome jumped at the sound of a voice after the pack had left her alone for the majority of the day. She turned to see Koga standing just behind her, worry in his eyes.

"You know, its getting kind of cold out." Koga stated, choosing his words carefully to try and avoid upsetting her again. "You should probably come inside. We have a nice fire going and there's some pelts in there you can use for blankets."

"I'm fine out here, thanks." Kagome stated stubbornly, unwilling to admit that only seconds ago she had gotten her shivers under control and longed to go inside where it was warm. But if Inuyasha came, she wanted to be right here.

Koga sighed, his mind working fast until he came up with a potential solution. "Will you do it for the mutt?" He saw her stiffen slightly at the mention of Inuyasha and knew he struck a chord. Taking a gamble, he continued with this line of thought. "I mean, hey, if it was just me I guess I'd let you stay out here all night if you really wanted to, but the mutt told me to keep you safe. Imagine his reaction when he finds I got you away from Naraku then let you catch a cold. Besides, you've barely eaten all day and the mutt will probably threaten to cut out my stomach for starving you."

Kagome closed her eyes, holding back a sigh. Koga was right, Inuyasha wouldn't be happy to come here only to find her exhausted, starving, and sick. He'd probably be mad at both her and Koga. "Alright," she said at last, standing, "I'll come inside."

"Alright." Koga said, slightly cheerful as he carefully put an arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesture.

Kagome didn't try to brush off his arm as he guided her into the cave. It was actually quite comforting. For a moment she wished Koga would pull her into a hug so she could bury her face in the pelts that served as his shirt and cry. She was so scared had happened to her friends while she was being kept safe here. It was killing her not to know what had happened, and it was taking so much of her energy not to break down and cry in front of the pack. She glanced up at the night sky before it was hidden by the rocky walls of the wolf demon tribe's home. 'Inuyasha…'

Koga was worried about Kagome. She had sat next to him by the fire, totally silent and picking at the food they had offered her without really eating any of it, as the wolf demon tribe laughed and talked and had a good time. When the pack started to bug Koga for details on the battle with Naraku, she had muttered to him something about wanting to go to sleep. Hearing the sadness in her voice and seeing the slightly dejected look on her face was more than enough for Koga to excuse himself from the group and escort her back to his sleeping area. Once there, he offered her some pelts to use as an improvised sleeping bag, which she accepted with mumbled thanks. He went back to the group after watching her pick a spot in the back corner and curl up into a small ball in the pelts.

He had kept an ear on her all night, or tried to with the rowdiness of the pack anyway. It seemed as though she was resting peacefully. Now that the tribe's usual evening activities were finished and most of the wolves had gone to bed, he could hear her so much more clearly. He could hear her tiny whimpers, could see her little movements as she tried to curl up tighter on herself. His heart ached a little, her sleep was anything but peaceful but he didn't know what to do. He could wake her up, but she was only a human so she needed whatever rest she could get, peaceful or not. He wasn't really sure if she'd appreciate waking up in his arms either, because whether he liked it or not that damn mutt still had a firm grasp on her heart.

He watched her for a bit longer, torn in two because he had no idea how to help her. Finally coming to a decision, he manned up and walked over to where she was sleeping. He knelt down next to her and ever-so-gently lifted her head into his lap. In the softest voice he could manage, he told her that everything would be okay. It took a moment or two but Kagome slowly quieted down, sinking deeper into sleep. Koga let out a relieved sigh. Apparently his presence had been enough to calm her. For a brief second he allowed himself to wonder if the mutt could say the same thing.

He sat there watching her sleep, even daring to play with her beautiful black hair for a moment. She was so peaceful compared to just a few moments ago, not to mention she was so much cuter. He was very tempted to stay like this all night keeping her head in his lap while ensuring her peaceful slumber. After all, he was a full blood youkai so he could skip a night or two of sleep. Then he heard her mutter something in her sleep, it was barely audible but Koga still heard it clearly. "…Inu…Yasha…"

This startled Koga, he stared at her uncomprehendingly for a second before letting out a half-hearted laugh. Even in her sleep she still preferred the hanyou over him. Did she still honestly believe he was alive? It might be possible that the mutt had crawled into some hole somewhere to lick his wounds but Koga had his doubts. It had been a full day already, maybe Naraku had gotten the better of the mutt in the end. That would be a plus for him, but who knew what Kagome's reaction would be if anyone tried to tell her that.

Koga watched her sleep for another moment before gently laying her head back down. He eased away from her slowly, careful not to wake her and hoping her sleep would remain peaceful. Once he was satisfied that he hadn't disturbed her, he made his way back to where he had been laying earlier. She may still love the mutt now, but if he really was gone Koga was willing to bet that with a little time he could change Kagome's mind before she gave up hope of Inuyasha returning to her alive.