Head pounding and throat sore, Kagome groaned as she began to swim back into the waking world. She was wore out, but wasn't sure why at first. She opened her eyes and saw Shippo in her line of sight, tears staining his fur, it made it all come crashing down on her again. It didn't occur to her to find out where she was. All that did was she was trapped, that Inuyasha had the well sealed, and she could never go home.

Tears again sprung to her eyes, no effort put into keeping them at bay. She felt something shift at her back, but didn't react to it. She could sense the presence of jewel shards, so she was pretty sure she knew where she was and what was currently curled up behind her. Instead of showing any sort of care to the animal behind her, she reached out and grabbed Shippo, pulling him closer to her and curled herself around him as she closed her eyes again.

What was she going to do?

Tightening her hold on her fox, she cringed hard when the conversation at the village replayed in her mind. No, she didn't feel at all bad for how many times she slammed Inuyasha into the ground. Were she honest, she wanted to do it again... and again. It was his words before that that had her muscles tightening and teeth clenching.

So I didn't have to choose...

Was he fucking serious? Was there even really a choice to be made when you actually plan to get rid of someone permanently like he had? Was it really a choice when you leave one to die to be with the other? There wasn't a choice there. He had made it. The part that hurt was she lost everything in order for him to see that. He was supposed to, at the very least, be her friend. This was the thing you did to an enemy.

To be fair though, with Kikyo involved, he probably thought she was one these days.

Curling more around Shippo, she buried her face in his fur and started to cry harder. She thought about her mother, and what she would think when she didn't come home in three days like she was supposed to do. What would her mother go to the grave thinking happened to her? Her grandfather? Her little brother? What would any of them think when there was never even a single word from her? She was human. She had no chance of ever seeing them again. This is the thing that killed her, the knowing she would die before she ever saw them again.

The knowing there was nothing she could do.

Had she known, she would have hugged them harder. She would have stayed longer. She would have made sure they knew she loved them with everything she had.

Kagome didn't know how long she laid there, but it was long enough to physically run out of tears, when she heard a whistle and the body behind her moved. Not moving, Kagome shifted her eyes, her sight landing on the silhouette of someone she would know anywhere at the mouth of what she had confirmed to be the wolves' cave.

When the warmth at her back was lost, she did move, letting go of Shippo and pushing herself to her hand and hip. She watched the wolves leave and Kouga walk towards her. She just swallowed hard and sniffled. When he was closer, she licked her lips, her voice soft. "How long have I been here?"

A small smile lifted the corner of Kouga's mouth as he crouched next to the straw and fur pallet. Holding out the bottle he found in her bag he knew held water, he dropped his hands over his thighs when Kagome took it. "About a half a day. It'll be nightfall soon."

Shifting how she was positioned, Kagome pulled Shippo into her lap, and set the water bottle down. She was thirsty, but she was pretty sure it would just make her throw up. Shoulders hunched, her bottom lip trembled. "What am I going to do, Kouga?"

Clicking his claws between his legs, Kouga let out a breath. "I dunno, Kagome. Shippo told me what happened, though. I have it being looked into, but..."

When he trailed off, Kagome nodded slowly. "It was never the plan to stay here, and now I have no choice. You can say it. I have no choice. I'm stuck."

Curling his tongue behind his teeth, Kouga looked to the cave wall for a moment before looking back at her. "That is the most likely outcome, yeah." When Kagome whimpered again, Kouga held up a hand. "But... but, there are people here that care about you. We might not be family, but we could be, if you let us. Your human friends are here for you. Shippo hasn't left your side for a minute since we got here. You have my pack. Ya got me. We can't replace your family. I know that. But, you can be part of ours, if you want." When she looked at him again, he smiled at her. "I just want you to know you're not alone. It might seem like it, but you're far from it."

Sniffling again, Kagome shook her head. "I don't belong here. I don't know how to survive here. I don't..."

Scratching his brow, Kouga let her gather her thoughts when she trailed off, but when she didn't speak again for a long moment, he did. "I'm not going to say this will be easy. But, it might not be all bad. It's been a couple of years since we met, so you can obviously survive here, or you wouldn't still be alive at all. You never would have come here in the first place if you didn't belong. Maybe... I dunno. Maybe you are meant to be here, in a way you never knew before. Maybe this was the Kami's path for you. We never get to know their plans until we reach their goals for us. It sucks. I won't deny that. But... maybe it won't be as bad as it seems."

Kagome listened to him, but she couldn't comprehend his words. If what he said was true, then it was really unfair. Looking him in the eyes, she let out a shuddering breath. "My family will never know what happened to me. I'll never live long enough to see them again."

Kouga cocked a brow. Well, that's wasn't entirely true. There were a few ways that he know of to live that long. They weren't pleasant, or smart, but they existed. Also, knowing how far a desperate person would go to get what they only thought they wanted, he kept what he knew to himself. It would do no good to put such things out there, knowing that this particular human, once she got something in her head, could no longer be reasoned with or talked out of making a huge mistake. Instead, he let out a breath and nodded. "We'll figure something out."

Running the back of her hand across her nose, Kagome licked her lips. "Will we?"

Lifting a shoulder in a helpless manner, Kouga made a noise in the back of his throat. "I have to think so, and clearly, so do you. Nothing about this is going to be easy, Kagome. For now, just take it one day at a time, and work things out as they come up. That's the only thing you can do."

Another whimper fell from her lips. "I have nowhere to go."

Unable to help it, a snort bounced off the walls of the cave, making Kagome jump at the suddenness. Kouga shook his head and grinned. "That's bullshit, and you know it. You can stay here. With everything else going on, the Den is the best place for you. It's as stress free of an environment as you'll ever find. You have the cubs for entertainment, the other adults for company and protection while this is figured out. You have options and offerings. You just have to accept them."

Dropping her eyes, Kagome shook her head. "I don't wanna impose."

Even though he'd never heard the word before, Kouga was astute enough to figure out what it meant. People might have believed him simple, but the ookami was actually extremely intelligent, and rolling his eyes, Kouga shook his head again at the stubborn woman. "You know you're welcome here, Kagome. Your friends will be back in a week. So, for now, take it for what it is... downtime. Relax, and... I don't wanna say come to grips with this or accept what happened, but, at least let yourself calm down over it. We can't change what already happened, and you have to prepare yourself for the possibility we might not be able to undo what's been done. What we can do, or more to the point what you can do, is try to find a new perspective that doesn't point to the end of the world as you know it."

Frowning deep, Kagome sighed. "It IS the end of the world as I know it."

A small grin pulled at Kouga's lips as he reached out and set a hand on Kagome's knee, his voice soft as he leaned toward her. "Then build a new one."