DISCLAIMER: Do we really have to go through this? I DON'T own Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha characters or ideas that come from the series. The original characters are my own. If you want to use them in a fic go for it, just let me know so I can see what crazy stuff they end up doing.

Chapter 7 Draft

AN: OMG, the world is gonna end. Two posts within a week. ANYWAY please as always if you find any conflicts or errors, let me know so I can try to fix them. I am without a beta again, so I'm just gonna go it alone unless one of the two previous ones come back. Hope you all enjoy.

Over the next several days, the atmosphere in the den was very tense. Kouga was getting very little sleep and spending most of his time next to an unconscious Inuyasha. Once Ginta was completely healed, from his wounds, both he and Hakkaku assumed temporary lead of the pack while Kouga was grieving.

Kouga entered the chambers where Inuyasha was being cared for.

"Has there been any change, Ketsui?" he asked entering the room and head walking over to Inuyasha.

"NO...still the same," she replied. "I just don't understand. His wounds are all healed, his fever is gone, and his heart is steady. I don't know why he isn't waking up. He suffered no head injury. It's as if he doesn't want to get up."

"Well I hopefully he decide to come out of it soon," Kouga said sitting down in his familiar position next the hanyou.

He looked up at the healer. She has been constantly checking on Inuyasha constantly, since he'd arrived for treatment. Only grabbing a few hours of sleep here or there, she looked run down and in need of a good night's rest. Kouga decided that when this was over, she is to take on an apprentice and train them to become her assistant. It would be good for both her and the pack.

"Ketsui, I'll watch him for a while, you need to grab some rest."

"Kouga, his care is my respons…"

"Ketsui, that's an order. You need to rest. It's been a little over a week. You need to get some sleep. What if something was to happen and you are needed again?" Kouga questioned her. "You said yourself that he is healed, it's just a matter of him waking up. I'll stay and watch over him while you get some rest. If something happens I will come get you right away."

Ketsui sighed. She was exhausted and there was no way she would argue against his logic. "Fine, but promise me that if he so much as breathes the wrong way you will tell me."

"Promise, now please get some rest." Kouga finished.

The healer took one last glance around the room, and then left and headed for her own chambers.

After she was gone, Kouga turned to Inuyasha. "What's wrong with you mutt? Why won't you wake up?" he asked out loud, hoping for some kind of response from the sleeping half demon. After a few moments he spoke again, "Puppy," he began, as tears began to form in his eyes, "don't give up now. Not after I've realized what you mean to me. I promised that I wouldn't leave you alone ever again…but it goes both ways, you can't leave me here," he finished, laying his head on the inu's chest.

As he finished, the figure hidden outside the entrance to the room quietly crept away.

Moments later, Hakkaku rejoined Ginta in their quarters. "Ginta, this is worse than I thought."

"What are you talking about?" his mate replied.

"I just came from the medical chambers."

"Something happen with Inuyasha?"

"No, it's Kouga… Somehow I think he mentally bonded himself to Inuyasha. Everyday Inuyasha doesn't awaken, he grows more distant…I just overheard him profess his loyalty to Inuyasha and that he won't leave his side."

"Ha Ha, nice one Hakkaku, you had me going for a minute there," Ginta laughed.

"…"

"You're not kidding are you?"

Hakkaku shook his head. "I feel that if Inuyasha dies, Kouga will follow him."

"I'm not gonna let that happen," said with a determined voice, as he walk out the room.

Moments later found Ginta and Hakkaku back with Kouga and Inuyasha.

"K-Kouga?" Ginta whispered as to not startle his friend and leader.

Kouga lifted his head from its resting place on Inuyasha's chest. When he turned to face the two, they gasped in shock. Kouga's eyes were dull and empty. Ginta then saw what his mate was talking about. Their friend was slowly slipping away.

"Kouga, our boarders are long overdue to be checked." Ginta said.

"You go," Kouga responded in a dull flat tone, "I need to be here with him."

"Kouga, you know that the pack leader is the only one that can remark territory," Hakkaku stated, following his mates lead. "It should only take a few hours, and I'll stay here and keep an eye on Inuyasha. If anything happens I'll, personally, will send a warning howl so that you know it involves Inuyasha."

Kouga simply nodded, took one last look at the hanyou and slowly left the room.

"Hakkaku, I'm going with him. Just to keep an eye out and make sure nothing happens."

"Okay," his mate responded as he sat next to Inuyasha and watched Ginta rush to catch up to Kouga.

After a few minutes, Hakkaku looked at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, I don't know what happened in your past, but you need to wake up. Kouga's…well…he needs you. He won't say it out loud, but he does. He's been in here with you almost constantly for the past week."

After nearly an hour of talking to the unconscious half demon, Hakkaku all but gave up talking to Inuyasha.

"Why am I doing this, its not like you can actually hear me right now."

"I can hear you," came a soft voice.

"Y-You're awake!?" Hakkaku said in shock.

"I wouldn't be talkin' if I weren't…where am I and why does is smell like wolves?" the hanyou questioned in a raspy voice.

"You are AWAKE!!" Hakkaku shouted, as he hugged Inuyasha, barely able to contain his excitement. "Hold on Inuyasha, I'll be right back."

The half demon laid silently in shock, while Hakkaku ran out the room. The wolf demon hugged him as if were something natural. His mind was still foggy from being unconscious for so long. The entire room smelled of wolf, not just one but many different wolves. Moments later, Hakkaku returned with Ketsui.

"So you're awake, young one," she began, "for a while there, we thought you wouldn't make it."

"Who are you and where am I?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hakkaku?"

"Yes, Ketsui?"

"Have you alerted Kouga yet?"

"I almost forgot!" he yelled as he ran out the room.

"Now, back to you," Ketsui said as she began to examine Inuyasha, "My name is Ketsui, and I am the healer of the eastern wolf pack. As for where you are; you are in the den of that very pack where Prince Kouga is reigns as Alpha."

Inuyasha laid silent for a few moments, trying to remember what happened.

"Here, drink this," the healer said handing a flask to the hanyou.

Inuyasha looked at the item, hesitantly, trying to decide if he should drink its contents.

"Go ahead, its just water," she said with a smile, "I figured you would be thirsty after being out for so long. And besides, I'm a healer. I wouldn't spend all that time keeping you alive just to poison you."

Inuyasha slowly began to drink the water. After slowly tasting it, and deciding it was safe, he quickly emptied the contents of the flask and handed it back to the demon healer.

"Well, you certainly were thirsty. Just let me know if you want more okay."

Inuyasha nodded.

After a few moments. "How did I end up here?" he asked with a much clearer voice.

"You mean you don't remember?" Ketsui responded to the question.

"The last thing I remember was collapsing in middle of a path in the forest," he said.

"You don't remember anything? I mean this isn't the first time you been in this den recently?"

"What are you talking about? This is the first time in almost a year since I've been at this den, let alone actually being inside."

Ketsui began to fill him in on the events of the past two weeks.

+++In the forest+++

"Kouga?"

"…"

"Kouga," Ginta tried again to get a response from his friend.

"…"

"That's it!" he yelled grabbing his friend and pushing his back up against a nearby tree, "I can't take this anymore. Look at you. You are letting Inuyasha's situation effect you more than it should."

"So what?" was Kouga's only response.

"So WHAT!?! We've been out here marking our boarders for an hour and you haven't said a word. Even now you aren't acting like yourself. You wouldn't let anyone do what I'm doing to you now."

"I don't care, Ginta," Kouga began, "He's all that matters."

"So it's true…somehow, you've managed to bond yourself to him," he finally came to accept the fact. "Kouga…your pack needs you to be strong. Inuyasha needs you to be strong, cant you see that? He is laying in the medical chambers with not definite answer as to whether or not he will wake up, and you are falling apart. He's not dead and its not certain that he is dieing at all. If you truly want him as your mate, then now is not the time to…"

A howl sounded in the distance.

"Kouga, did you…" Ginta began, but before he could finish, Kouga was already a speck in the distance.

+++Back in the Den+++

"…and now here you are awake again," Ketsui said, finishing her account of the past few weeks.

Inuyasha was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I want to be alone, please," Inuyasha said solemnly."

"As you wish, young one. I'll be in the next room if you need anything," Ketsui responded as she left the room.

TBC...