~~Day Two~~

It was the bustle of not-so-far away activity that started causing Kagome to wake from her slumber. She sat up slowly, sleep still clouding her mind as she cast her eyes around Koga's sleeping area. At first she couldn't quite remember where she was, but as the grogginess started to clear from her thoughts her memories returned to her: the battle with Naraku, Koga running away to keep her safe, Inuyasha having yet to come and get her…

That last thought caused her to pause. A part of her wanted to curl back up under the pelts and not come back out. The fact that he hadn't come to the canyons to get her yet could mean he was seriously hurt or… – no, she wasn't going to think of anything worse than that. She stood, brushing random pieces of hair and straw from her school uniform. She told herself not to worry, that Inuyasha would be here soon, and forced herself to face the day with her head held high.

She wandered her way through the cave that served as the wolf demon's den, making her way towards the exit. She passed by a few of the pack lounging about or preparing some food, and even stopped to say hello to a she-wolf whose stomach was heavy with pups to be born soon. Kagome briefly wondered if she would be here to see the pups, but quickly dismissed the thought before it could lead her mind down the trail of what still being here could mean.

The fresh air felt good to Kagome, and she stopped to stretch a little outside the cave entrance. The wolf demons were milling about in what appeared to be usual activities. She watched them at their duties for a moment, then realized she had yet to see Koga this morning. He hadn't been in his part of the den when she had woken up, and she couldn't see him among the wolf demons outside. She took a few steps forward, looking around for Koga.

"Kagome!" A cheerful voice called out her name, causing her to turn. Ginta and Hakkaku were on a ledge just above her, carrying spears. It seemed as though they were on watch duty, but they didn't hesitate to jump down and greet her.

"Good morning." Kagome offered the two a small smile, trying to act cheerful.

"Did you sleep well?" Hakkaku asked, trying to keep the conversation friendly.

"Hai. It took a while to actually get to sleep but once I was out I was out," Kagome assured him, not wanting to tell them that her sleep had been anything but peaceful at first. Then she glanced around again, "Uhm... where's Koga..?"

"He's out on his usual morning run," Ginta informed her.

"He patrols the canyon every morning, making sure our territory is safe," Hakkaku continued. "He should be back soon…"

No sooner had the words left his mouth then a familiar whirlwind of speed was seen heading towards them. Koga easily came to a stop directly in front of the three, although his attention was clearly on Kagome.

"Good morning Kagome. I was wondering when you would wake up."

"Good morning Koga." Kagome offered him a small smile as well. Then a thought occurred to her: if Koga had been patrolling the canyon, had he seen some sign that Inuyasha was nearby?

"Oh, you're probably hungry..." Koga unhooked a bag from his belt and held it out to her. "I was passing by some fruit trees while I was out and thought you might like some. I wasn't really sure what you like so I just grabbed a bit of everything that I saw."

"Uhm, thanks." Kagome took the bag from him. She was a little hungry, but a part of her wondered if this was just a way for Koga to prove that he could provide for her so he could try to convince her to become his mate. "Did you see anything else while you were out…?" She asked, daring herself to hope that Koga had seen, heard, or even smelled something – anything – that would mean Inuyasha was on his way.

"Nope. Just as quiet as its been everyday since you helped us drive those crazy birds out," Koga said confidently, seemingly unaware of the question hidden within her question.

"Oh…well that's…good," Kagome said hesitantly as her heart sank a bit. "I'm glad your territory is safe…" Quite suddenly, she wanted to be alone for a little bit. She cast her eyes around for an escape from Koga, and her eyes landed on the waterfall. "Is there a hot spring nearby? Or a way to get down to the water? I think I'd like to bathe."

Koga thought for a moment, "The nearest hot spring is a fair distance away, even for me…Getting down to the river is a quick trip though." He turned to Ginta and Hakkaku. "Why don't you two show her the way down? I want to go check something out."

"Sure thing." Ginta and Hakkaku said simultaneously, although both had a slight look of confusion on their face. Koga had just been out on his morning run, why hadn't he looked into whatever he was talking about while he was out?

Koga nodded to the two, then put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "See you soon." He gave her shoulder a small squeeze before running off again.

"This way, Kagome," Ginta said, pulling her attention away from the retreating whirlwind. He and Hakkaku lead her to a small path that lead down the canyon face to where the waterfall crashed into the river below. They left her near the bottom, to give her some privacy and to get back to their guard duty.

Kagome waited until they were gone before beginning to strip. She hadn't lied, she did want to bathe, but it was also a convenient way to get away from the wolf demon tribe for a little bit. The top of the water was sun-warmed, but beneath it was so cold that she couldn't help but let out a small yelp as she got in. Taking a deep breath, she quickly ducked down beneath the surface, waiting for her body to get used to the temperature of the water. It was so peaceful down there; she almost didn't want to go back to the surface. So quiet and calm…a sharp contrast from the violence of the world above.

She waited until her lungs felt like they were on fire before breaking the surface of the water to take in a breath of air. She floated there for a moment, getting a better look at her surroundings. When she looked towards the waterfall, she noticed that some rocks higher up caused a break in the falling water, directing a small amount of it away from the main crashing stream. She made her way over to this smaller waterfall, which seemed to be falling with a lot less pressure. Hesitantly, she put a hand under it. To her delight, it fell with no more pressure than her shower at home. She stepped under it, letting the falling water flow through her hair and pound into her back. It felt good, and she wondered if Inuyasha ever stood under small waterfalls like this one when his back was sore.

Inuyasha… Kagome had unintentionally thought of him, and now she couldn't get him out of her mind. She desperately wanted to know that he was okay…but if he was why hadn't he come for her yet?

A tear slid down her cheek to mingle with the falling water, quickly followed by another. Her thoughts could only settle on one reason as to why he hadn't come to the canyons yet. She didn't like it, didn't want to believe it, but what other reason could there be? She put her head in her hands, the emotional chaos that had plagued her since yesterday bubbling to the surface. She let her tears flow to join the falling water and sobbed quietly where the roar of the waterfall would drown out the noise she made.

Koga had wandered past the edge of his tribe's territory. He was retracing the steps he had taken to bring Kagome here yesterday. He stopped to smell the wind, his expert nose picking up and identifying smells from a few miles away. "Hmph…no sign of the useless mutt…" he muttered to himself. His thoughts were on the same track as Kagome's: no sign of Inuyasha probably meant he was dead. He stared off into the distance, wondering if Kagome was coming to the same conclusions he was. If she wasn't…how was he going to tell her that the mutt wasn't coming back? He certainly didn't want to upset her, but she would have to know the truth sooner or later. He would give her today, maybe tomorrow too, and then he would tell her what she wouldn't want to hear.

The worst of Kagome's tears had stopped flowing. She was almost glad she had started crying, she felt much better now that she had let some of her emotions out. Now that her body was used to it, the water felt good, so she had swam around the small pool at the bottom of the waterfall for a little bit. On one of her trips around she had found a large, flat rock in the water that she could sit on and mostly be above the water. She had retrieved the bag of fruit Koga had brought for her and was now sitting on that rock, eating a pear. She would have to ask Koga where the fruit trees were. Fruits and vegetables always seemed to taste fresher here in the feudal era. She would have to pick some and bring it back home to her mother to cook with.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rocks being disturbed. Someone was nearby and she was still naked in the water! She quickly slipped off the rock, submerging her body into the water again and almost unintentionally yelled, "SIT!" It was an automatic reaction after the many times Inuyasha had wandered nearby while she was bathing.

"Uhm, o-kay…" Said a voice that most certainly was not Inuyasha. She turned to see Koga standing there, a look of confusion on his face that was slowly turning to embarrassment with a slight flush as he realized she was still unclothed.

"Ah! I didn't mean you sit!" Kagome said, her face turning a bright red as spun around so she wasn't facing Koga anymore. "I really didn't mean you, I thought you might have been someone else, and it was just a reflex really from all the other times…" She babbled awkwardly.

"Right, right, I got it." Koga said quickly, also turning away from her. "I'll…uhm…I'll be up with the tribe…"

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief once Koga left, her face still very pink. That had been so embarrassing! She quickly glanced around for anyone else that might be near by before getting out of the water and dashing for her clothes. She didn't particularly want to be caught by anyone else. It meant her clothes would be a little damp, as she didn't have her towel or other bathing items, but at this point damp clothes were better than no clothes. She quickly ran her fingers through the wet mess that was her hair in an effort to comb it. Satisfied that she was more presentable than she had been a few moments ago, she gathered up the bag of fruit and made her way up the cliff face to rejoin the wolf demons.

Koga was leaning against a rocky wall opposite of where Kagome's path up the cliff ended, obviously waiting for her. "So..uhm…" Koga started, still somewhat suffering from embarrassment, "what would you like to do today…?" Kagome gave him a confused look, so he continued. "I mean, you spent all of yesterday sitting on that rock over there. I'm assuming you would rather do something else then just sit and wait, so what would you like to do?"

"Uhm," Kagome thought for a moment, looking off into the distance. She hadn't given much thought of what she could do while with Koga. "…I think I'd like to explore the canyon a bit." She said finally, ignoring the part of her that was practically screaming for her to go look for Inuyasha.

Koga grinned, "Alright then. I'll give you a tour of the area!" He straightened up, ready to take her wherever she wanted to go.

"Okay," Kagome agreed with a half-laugh. She had really wanted to wander around alone, but she couldn't bring herself to tell that to Koga. Besides, if Koga was with her it was far more likely she would be able to find her way back to the caves.

"…and this is where I found that fruit for you!" Koga stated, showing Kagome a grove of trees that were a mix of fruit trees, evergreens, and other kinds. They had meandered their way to the edge of the pack's territory, and seeing trees on the edge of the canyon had reminded Kagome that she wanted to see where Koga had found the fruit.

"This is a nice, quiet place." Kagome commented, enjoying the calm in the air.

"I suppose it's an okay place, little too peaceful for me..." Koga said, then he looked at Kagome and quickly amended his statement, "not that there's anything wrong with peaceful. Peaceful can be good!"

Kagome held back a small sigh. Some things never changed. She stepped forward and looked up into the branches of the trees. Pears were abundant among the branches, along with oranges and even a few apples. Some still needed time to ripen but others looked to be at the perfect time to pick. The colors were so much more vibrant here than in the markets Kagome would buy her fruit at back home. She wondered if it was because the air and water were so much cleaner here.

Suddenly, Kagome felt something grab her around the waist and pull her up into the branches of the trees. She looked up to see what had grabbed her. "Kouga!" She exclaimed indignantly. She was going to say more, possibly scold him for grabbing her so suddenly, when she noticed he was staring intently at something on the ground. She followed his eyes and saw a large boar nosing some fallen fruit not very far from them. With her thoughts elsewhere she must not have noticed it wandering towards her, and she instantly felt ashamed that she had almost yelled at Koga for getting her out of harm's way.

"I'll be back in a moment." Kouga said, making sure Kagome was steady on the branch before leaping back down. Kagome tried to see what he was doing but the Shikon no Tama shards in his legs made Kouga move faster than her eyes could follow. "Oye, Kagome, it's safe to come down now," he called up mere moments later.

Kagome carefully began lowering herself out of the tree. Kouga stood near the base of the tree, ready to help her if she asked or catch her if she fell, but he let her have her independence. The boar lay on its side a few feet away, clearly dead as blood poured from the wounds Kouga had inflicted on it. Up close, the boar looked even bigger. It was definitely bigger than Kagome had expected, or maybe wild animals in the past were just larger than Kagome was used to.

"The pack will eat well tonight," Kouga remarked as he admired his kill. "This one is big enough to feed all of us twice over."

"Maybe we should head back to the den now," Kagome suggested, promising herself to bring her bow and arrows if she ever left the main territory of the pack.

"If that's what you would like," Kouga said, easily lifting the boar by one of its long tusks and throwing it over his shoulder. "After you," he said in an attempt to be polite. Kagome began to walk back down into the canyon ahead of Koga, but before going down too far she looked off in the direction of where they had found Naraku. 'Inuyasha…please, come soon…'