Deliberation.

Koga stood in front, arms crossed firmly across his chest. He had his pack behind him near the caves, all kneeling down. To his side was Kagome, appearing just as strong as he. The others were approaching quickly, their scents stronger and stronger. Koga knew Ayame would be coming, the current leader of the Northern pack. While he didn't worry about her, he didn't want her to bother Kagome. This wasn't a meeting for them to discuss petty things, only business.

The first to arrive was Keisuke, the head of the southern tribe. He was built roughly, revealing nothing but thick muscles in his arms and chest. His deep, brown eyes focused on Koga immediately, brown hair flowing behind him messily. Koga and he both grabbed each others forearms with their own hands, in a greeting of respect. Once letting go, Keisuke grinned wildly.

"Who's this?" He winked towards Kagome.

"New member of the pack, Kagome. She is also a priestess," Koga replied formally.

"Ah! A priestess, eh? She won't be a danger to us will she?"

"Course not, unless you threaten her."

Kagome smiled politely as Keisuke turned fully to her, his eyes burning through her intently. She did her best not to appear startled by him, she could see that he did not mean her any harm. He then moved away, his two wolves coming to his side obediently. Kagome gazed towards the trees, a familiar scent quickly approaching. Within seconds the orange hair girl bopped forward with light gray wolves behind her.

"Keisuke!" She exclaimed.

Rather than the gesture between Koga and he, he laughed heartedly and opened his arms for her to jump into. She giggled and hugged him tightly, then let go, still not giving anyone else her attention.

"I haven't seen you in so long! What a shame that this is what brought us together," Ayame said.

"Hai, I know. If we're lucky, we will also be fighting together very soon."

Ayame smiled, now looking at Kagome. Her eyes narrowed and a frown came to her face. The priestess had always been kind to her, but things had changed. She had stolen Koga's affection and was not someone she wanted to talk with casually. And what was worse, she was now one of them. But still, an abomination to the demon clan.

"A half breed," she observed aloud.

"And?" Koga answered sharply, stepping towards her.

Kagome watched as everyone stiffened beside her, the animosity building beneath Ayames skin. Everyone could smell it, but to talk that way of someone Koga cherished? That was asking for it. They all knew Koga was protective of Kagome, Keisuke could smell it on him and see it in his body language. But Ayame was not backing down, something none of Kogas tribe wanted to see.

"How did this happen?!" Ayame demanded. "Is this what she did to make herself desirable to you? Somehow alter herself to take you?"

"No," Koga snarled. "This was not her doing. A great priestess before her did this so she could help us, this was a gift!"

"Baka! Half breeds are dirt! What kind of-"

It all happened in a blur after that, but Kagome saw every bit of it. She felt her own demon trying to break free to stop the girl from running her mouth, but Koga had reached her first. He grabbed her by her throat, picking her up clean off the ground. His eyes beginning to alter to a blood red state, fangs bared dangerously at her. She clawed at his hands but her efforts were futile. Kogas inner youkai had been provoked to the surface, nothing in mind but to rip Ayame apart.

Kagome watched in horror, but no one made any motion beside Koga. They couldn't interfere between the two. They had been watching so fixated on Ayame and Koga that they hadn't noticed the last member join. Kagome watched him emerge, bright silver eyes and short silver hair. He looked calm as he watched the spectacle, waiting patiently for it to be done. He huffed to himself while Koga continued squeezing the air from Ayame. He clapped his hands and then rested them on either of his hips.

"Now, now. That's enough," he called, a voice that was both deep and silky.

Koga didn't pay him any mind, but tossed Ayame to the ground, her wolves at her side instantly.

"No one shall ever say one ugly thing about Kagome. I will gladly rip your throat out and feed it to the wolves if you so much as LOOK at her wrongly, do I make myself clear?" Koga said.

Ayame stared up at him with both anger and fear, but she nodded her head nonetheless. Koga now gave his attention to the new arrival, greeting him like he and the other male.

"Already fighting?"

"No, Hitoshi. Just handling a little misunderstanding. Please meet Kagome, she is new to the pack but a great treasure."

Kagome blushed at his words but stepped forward and gazed at him. Hitoshi smiled and went to her, hugging her gently. She could tell he was genuinely kind, not noting her as a hanyou like Ayame had. He merely pinched her ear and chuckled to himself. Kagomes own inner wolf settled down, sensing no threat from him.

"It is nice to meet you, I'm pleased Koga has finally taken someone he wants to mate. There, there, Ayame."

As soon as he had said that, she growled lowly. Koga gave a small laugh and shook his head. "She is not my mate."

"Not yet, hm? Anyways, let us eat a bit and talk more comfortably."

Koga whistled for his wolves to bring the company the meat that had been killed for them. They all sat together, although Kagome glanced nervously at Ayame. She looked like a dog kicked while it was down, but she did not argue. Koga had been in the right to dismiss her accusations. Kagome decided to brush it from her shoulders since Koga appeared to not be concerned with her anymore. Instead, she smelled the raw meat coming her way and she licked her lips automatically. She had enjoyed the taste of it.

"Kagome," Hitoshi called. "I do believe I have heard of you. The great priestess who defeated Naraku."

"Ah, yes. My friends and I," she corrected politely.

"Wonderful, wonderful. I could feel your powers while I was still coming here, isn't that fascinating? You have this great miko strength in your aura but also a hanyou, no doubt graced to you by greater powers. Is this transformation permanent?"

"I don't really know, to be honest. Lady Midoriko may have simply placed these powers within me so that I may deal with Inuyasha."

"And by that, do you mean kill? He was a friend of yours too, was he not?" He questioned with interest.

"... He once was, but things are different now. He isn't the same guy he was back then."

"Do you love him?" Keisuke now asked.

Kagome couldn't help but hesitate at the question. She could see that Koga had looked down, obviously not wanting to hear that she did. She didn't take time to think of the answer.

"No, not anymore. Not in quite awhile," she said softly.

"Being that my pack is in the west, where he has slowly been heading towards to cause more destruction, I've seen much of his doings."

Kagome held her breath.

"He is a monster... I'm certain he's not the one you used to travel with. Although he is physically the same, he is completely controlled by his youkai, no human emotions. He is not a half breed but a deadly dog demon. He changes into one, much like his fathers but his is still different. He is drenched with pure evil."

It was hard to hear him say those things, she was disappointed deeply by Inuyasha but she couldn't deny the truth. She needed to be strong for Koga and herself.

"My tribe will stand with you, Kagome. No matter what you choose to do, we will follow."

"Thank you, Hitoshi. I'm truly thankful that you give us your allegiance," she smiled.

"This is why we are here," he smiled back. "Keisuke, what do you say?"

"We fight where fighting is due!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Ayame?"

The unspoken girl glared down at her hands, balled up into tight fists. Kagome stared at her. She hadnt spoken to the girl, but she was certain she would not let her get away with a disrespectful manner. At least, the demon within Kagome would not.

"Ayame-"

"Why should this be our battle?" Her voice asked coldly.

"You know of our ways," Keisuke answered. "Our territory and pack means everything to us. He has harmed both and recklessly. He has made it our battle."

"Koga has no loyalty to me, we need have no loyalty to him."

"Don't be an idiot," Koga at last chimed in. "Instead of thinking like a brat, think like the leader you're supposed to be!"

Ayame stood up, taking a stance to battle but did not move from there. "If he comes to my land, we will take action. I don't see why we need to trouble ourselves to handle anyone else's problem."

"It's our problem too," Koga growled.

"I've said enough, you don't have your priorities right. You don't live by code or word, Koga. If you did we would have gotten married!"

"That's what this is about?! I was only a pup when I said that foolishness, I won't keep being reminded of that mistake. If you don't have any alliance with us now, then go. No one will stop you."

Kagome watched the scene unfold into another argument, wondering what Ayame was really thinking. It was obvious that she was only trying to hurt Koga, since he still had no wish to marry her. Still, Koga was right, she was not acting as a leader. Ayame suddenly stared directly at her, eyes boiling with complete distaste. Kagomes lips parted slightly, her fangs being revealed, and a very low growl erupting from deep in her chest. It was a warning.

"Ayame, either you cooperate or leave. We will not be in the company of any more conflicts," Hitoshi said gently.

"Just sit your ass down," Keisuke groaned.

Kagome sighed to herself, deciding it was best to ignore the girl and her outbursts. Whether she was a tribe leader on not, Ayame was younger than her as well as naïve. Without even thinking, Kagome ripped out the leg from the flesh of one of the kills and sunk her teeth into it. She chewed it, tasting the blood as well as the rawness of it and swallowed. She licked her lips clean and caught the others staring at her.

"S-sorry," she blushed. "I'm just so hungry."

Keisuke and Hitoshi suddenly both bursted into laughing fits at her. She gazed at them wide eyed, then noticed Koga smiling as well. And just like that, the attention was away from Ayame. Everyone followed Kagomes lead and began to eat. She was glad not to have offended anyone, forgetting that their were things such as being polite when around company. She wasn't certain how the wolf tribes worked, but they had all started eating as well, which made her relax a bit. As it was, Ayame sat back down sulkily.

"Back to the matter," Koga said.

"Right, right. We should move fast as we can," Hitoshi said,

"Are we certain that he's in the west?" Keisuke asked.

"It's where he seems to be dwelling, though we haven't seen him rest anywhere in particular."

"Should we just attack him?"

"Too dangerous if we're unprepared. He transforms and is fairly fast. He could take us out if we don't strategize."

"Bait?" Koga suggested, a grin forming on his face.

"Possibly. Anyone in particular? Someone he recognizes?" Hitoshi asked.

Kagome froze, hearing their discussion. She knew Koga would not offer her up for the job but she was not going to let Miroku or Sango be volunteered either. She wasn't sure how they felt about risking innocent lives, but Kagome would not do it. She was the only one who could provoke him. He seemed to despise her the most now and had already vowed to kill her upon sight again. It made sense that she took him on and tried to take the jewel from his chest before anything worse could happen.

"I will do it," Kagome finally said.

"No," Koga replied instantly.

"I'm not asking. I have to, I won't risk my friends lives or any of yours. I'm fast, you know that, Koga."

He stared at her, every inch of him wanting to throw her over his shoulder and take her far away. He didn't want to risk losing her, he couldn't. Not after he had finally seemed to win her affections. As the alpha male, he was the one to decide what anyone in his pack did, including Kagome. But she wasn't accustomed to those ways and would ultimately do what she saw was best. He should've known she would say something like that. Kagome was brave and caring and loving and... He didn't want her to put her life and stake for someone else. Especially for Inuyasha. He doubted her justifications, maybe she simply wanted to be with him again, even as an evil demon?

"We will watch him first," Hitoshi said. "Send some of your own as well, we can gather a perimeter around him and watch his activities. That should be a good start."

"Agreed. Then we come back and gather our forces," Keisuke said excitedly.

"Sounds fair enough, we shall further discuss the matter of how to lure the dog when we regroup," Hitoshi said.

"It is settled then," Koga said.

The rest of the night went rather smoothly. Ayame didn't spend much time longer with them, but the others did and all seemed to have a good time. Kagome liked them, they were kind to her. They were all highly interested in the fact that she was a human miko turned hanyou. They didn't share Ayame's distaste towards her, they were quite fascinated. She was nervous to have so much attention on her, but with Koga beside her, she felt confident enough to take it all on. Being with him and the tribe showed her a lot she had never truly thought of. She couldn't live in the Feudal Era forever, but staying with Koga had shown her she would certainly not mind staying with him and the tribe.

"Kagome, a word?"

She turned to see Koga standing there, a tame smile on his face. She nodded and followed him out towards the forest. It was dark, but her eyes didn't have trouble seeing. Her new vision allowed her to see clearly through the darkest of nights. Koga didn't walk very far, only wanting a bit of space for the two. He studied Kagome, a vision of perfection and beauty. He placed his hands on the sides of her neck and brought his lips down to hers. He couldn't help himself, he just wanted another taste of her. When he let go, her eyes were still slightly low, drunk on his touch.

"I just want you to know how proud of you I am," he said.

"Proud?" She questioned confusedly.

"Yeah, you're doing great out there and they all really like you. They think you would make a strong alpha."

"The leader?" She gasped.

"Yeah, alongside me. Which, I know probably wouldn't happen anyway. But I just want you to know how highly they think of you."

"That means a lot to me," she replied.

"Right. Tomorrow we will look for Inuyasha. We won't get too close but we need to watch him if he sets out to hurt anymore humans. Up for that?" He asked.

Kagome knew they would have to face Inuyasha sooner than later. She couldn't be afraid. This was what she had been preparing for and she was confident enough that she could fight on her own, but she would have to fall in line with whatever Koga had in mind. He was patient with her in a way Inuyasha had never been. He showed obvious concern for her, which made it that much easier for her to rely on him. She knew he didn't want her to fall back into the arms of his foe, and she knew she wouldn't. Everything in her body told her that Koga was right for her. He deserved her.

"I can do it," Kagome finally said. "As long as you're with me, I can do anything."

Kogas heart nearly jumped from his chest at the declaration. He embraced her in his arms, forever grateful to be able to do such a thing. It was a luxury far beyond him for Kagome to desire him as well. He sniffed the air, and he caught her scent with happiness and contentment attached to it. He squeezed her tighter and it took everything in him to keep himself from taking her to their den and bedding her there, no matter who knew or heard. He thought better of it and merely placed a sweet kiss on her forehead. There would be time for that, if she allowed it.

The remainder of the night passed with ease and soon their guests were all headed back to their respective territories. Their own pack members continued to give Kagome compliments of how well she had acted. She had only wished her own friends were able to share the moment with her. She tried not to let herself be bothered, but she missed them. She could only hope that she would be reunited with them soon enough.

When back in the cave, Kagome imagined it to be near midnight already. She yawned to herself and walked to her bed. She glanced down at the wolf pelts that clothed her body and smiled. She fit in perfectly with them. The young priestess couldn't help thinking about that, it kept creeping into her mind and she couldn't control the inner joy it brought her. What did that mean?

She carefully began to slide the wolf fur from her legs, then proceeded to remove the armor and pelt that wrapped around her waist. When she was left in nothing but her undergarments she sighed, relaxed in her skin. Ever since she started staying in the Feudal Era, she had not slept in her pajamas. She couldn't casually slip on a large shirt and leave it at that for the simple fact that there were always men around. That was one of the differences between her two time periods that she had grown to reside in. She truly hoped that there would be a time when she no longer had to fight. She just wanted to be a simple girl who enjoyed life freely.

"Oh!"

Kagome heard the rough voice of Koga and yelped in surprise, wheeling around to face him. He stood as still as a statue, staring at the half naked girl in front of him. He couldn't help it, his eyes glanced over her body, noting every curve of her form. Her plump breasts sat firmly in some sort of lace cloth with matching bottoms. He took a step forward, his inner demon urging for more than just a quick look at her... He wanted to touch her skin, remove whatever she had on her body and completely delight himself in her taste. And the way she smelled... She wouldn't deny him...

"K-Koga?"

Her shaky voice brought his attention back from his thoughts and he shifted away from her with his back to her. He cursed himself, completely embarrassed of himself. He had stared at her a little too long. He heard her shuffling around behind him, most likely for some clothes. Why was she teasing him that way? He truly wanted her and she wasn't making it any easier for him by doing things like that. He had managed to control himself when they were in the hot spring together, both of them completely naked, but his thoughts hadn't wandered the way they were now.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to walk in on me. I'm dressed."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have just... Stood there."

When he looked at her this time she was dressed in her miko attire. He felt a slight pang of disappointment at how her body was no longer revealing. He noticed the obvious red tinge in her cheeks and smiled.

"You're beautiful," he said.

"I should have been more careful," she stammered quickly.

Koga walked over to her with a smirk and grabbed hold of her. She blushed a deeper red and he adored it. To finally be able to touch her cheeks, kiss her lips, feel her body against his, it was perfect. He had decided awhile back that he would no longer pressure her. If she ever wanted him, then he would be there. But he couldn't force her to feel anything and if he did then it wouldn't be real. Now that she seemed to want him, he believed it to be nothing short of a miracle. He wanted to adorn her in every way he possibly could while he could.

"Kagome... Could I ask something of you?" He spoke softly.

"Sure," she whispered.

"Could you lay with me, just for tonight?"

Kagome's ear tweaked at the question, her head tilting slightly to the side. Did he mean to sleep with her or was he insinuating something more? The look on his face led her to believe it was simply for comforts sake that he made such a request to her. Really, she had no reason to be nervous about such a thing. They had slept in the same place for more than a couple of nights. Koga had shown her that she had no reason to mistrust him. But she couldn't help thinking that something may happen, and that was the wolf in her, seeking more.

"I understand if you don't want to, it's early to think you'd be okay-"

"Koga. Lets try it, okay? I'm ready for sleep," Kagome smiled.

Kagome didn't give herself the chance to reconsider her decision. She grabbed her blanket and went to his bed of furs. She laid on her back casually and glanced up at him. He still seemed hesitant about it, which made her giggle. He HAD been the one to ask in the first place and now he wasn't so sure. Slowly but surely, Koga took off his armor and made his way to her. Before laying down he put out the fire that illuminated the cave and rested beside her.

"Koga?"

"Mhm?"

"I just want to thank you for everything you're doing for me... I know that Inuyasha has never been your favorite person but I am so grateful for your help, and I'm even more grateful that your pack has accepted me as their own. I can only imagine how hard this must be on you."

Upon hearing those words, Koga instinctively pulling Kagome to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He cared for her beyond words and he could hardly bear to hear her talk about the dog, even now. Still, he knew he had to support her as best he could and he'd be damned if he let anything get in the way of them being together. Whatever it was that she wanted, he would gladly give to her. He wanted to devote himself to the young miko and continue helping her train to be stronger and faster. There was no telling what would happen when they faced Inuyasha, but Koga was sure that he and Kagome would both be ready.

Reaching a bit of writer's blog, but I will prevail!