LIII

In Ignem

Kagome leaves Miroku with his thoughts and goes out into the corridor where Hakkaku is waiting for her.

"Is there a lot of stuff I need to know, Hakkaku?"

"Maybe...probably. I don't know what you know."

They make their way into a large chamber that shares a wall with Kouga's room. It is the room that is meant to be Kagome's, but she's never once slept here. Instead of a bedroom it's become a study, the place where she gets her various lessons from Hakkaku, and where she answers Ginta's questions about all things human...at least the answers she knows.

Kagome settles herself in her usual position, on a ledge against the eastern wall that's piled high with furs.

"I think I don't know anything at all, which is why I need you to tell me."

"You should've asked, Kagome-onee-sama."

"Well – it's – it's kind of embarrassing -"

"Embarrassing? Because Kouga is a wolf?"

Kagome shakes her heard quickly.

"No, no – because I'm human and I don't know what I'm doing – I want Kouga, but I don't – oh, ah..."

She is blushing a furious red and her voice trails off into silence while Hakkaku smiles broadly at her and flops down onto the floor.

"I get it, you don't want to do the wrong thing. I don't think it really matters what you do, though, or what you ask - Kouga's inclined to take it as a test and then do whatever's necessary to please you."

Kagome frowns, confused.

"A – test?"

Hakkaku pushes himself up with his hands and sits cross-legged, holds up a single finger.

"Yup! Lesson number one – courting, first stage!"

Kagome laughs and makes as elaborate and dignified a bow as is possible when one is giggling and seated on a fur-covered ledge.

"Yes, professor!"

"When a wolf wants a mate, his first obligation is to provide for her – to make sure she has everything she needs and everything she wants."

Kagome is still grinning, but she coughs a little to settle her laughter and nods.

"Right, so – food, and a place to live, all that stuff, right?"

Hakkaku nods.

"Yes, all that stuff, but also more. Not just the necessities of life, the things that make her happy become his responsibility too. When a wolf wants a female, he has to show her that he's willing to do things that please her. It's the first step after she agrees to the courting."

"So if I were to ask him for something, he'd try to get it for me?"

"No matter what it was, yes."

"Is that -"

The question comes from her lips hesitantly.

"Is that why he's letting Miroku stay?"

Hakkaku snickers and nods.

"Probably. But I wouldn't worry about it, you saved the man's life, right? Can't do any harm, and the man's well watched. He's outside in the hall right now, sitting not far away. Probably thinks he's safest near where you are – he's right, too."

Kagome sighs.

"I guess you're right, it just...it feels like I'm manipulating Kouga and it makes me not want to ask him for anything."

"You should be careful, that's true, but if you don't ask him for anything, if you don't let him know what you want, then he'll get upset or start guessing – and...ah...I'm not really sure which would be worse, to be honest."

He looks sheepish for admitting it but Kagome only laughs.

"That's definitely true. So tell me, if a male is supposed to win his female by giving her whatever she likes, what is a woman – I mean a female supposed to do if she wants attention from a certain someone?"

Hakkaku grins.

"It's not often that a female makes the first move. Mostly it's a matter of letting the someone know that you're interested, and then waiting for the male to ask for courting permission. I know it might be different for humans 'cause your senses are dull, but in the pack it's hard to hide anything. If a female wants a male, her scent will give her away – that's true for you, too, Kagome-onee-sama."

She flushes a little; Kouga's already made that clear to her more than once.

"Ah – so. Back to courting...you told me what I can expect from Kouga, but what is he going to expect from me?"

"If he pleases you and you decide it's worth making clear to him and to others that you take his courting seriously, then it is time to escalate your reactions to him and your display of your desire to him. To give him more open suggestion that you're beginning to consider him suitable for a mate."

"Escalate – my reactions? Suitable for a...mate?"

The words tumble out of her, and Hakkaku clarifies even though that wasn't what she meant.

"When you no longer wish to consider the relationship casual – when you begin to think that you may truly wish to bond yourself forever to the one who is courting you. "

Kagome hesitates before she asks another question. She is sure her face is completely crimson, but she is also sure that asking Hakkaku right now is much easier than ever asking Kouga.

"Hakkaku – what – what would I do to – to suggest – what I mean is, how – if – I..."

Hakkaku snickers and then with effort manages to regain a straight face.

"A wolf and his female don't mate until they're mated, and when they do it's forever. Anything and everything but the actual mating act is a different story."

Kagome's voice comes out in a squeak.

"Anything – and everything – but -"

"Yeah. Oh – and I almost forgot. If you want to let a male know that you're ready for escalating, then it's time for a courtship mark. It's a scent mark, the first part of a mate's claim."

Kagome finds her voice again and manages to banish the thousand illicit images that had all been clamoring for her attention at once.

"But Kouga already marked me with his scent, when we were on the way here from the village! He said -"

"No, no, not like that. The courtship mark is a scent mark, but not just the scent of the male – that just proves nearness. That was Kouga's way of letting us know that you were his. For courtship, it's rut scent, sex scent that's important – the special way the scent of desire shared clings."

"But – you said -"

"Anything and everything else, Kagome-onee-sama. But...uh...if you want to know more about that stuff then you'd probably be better off asking Shiori, yeah?"

Kagome gulps and tries to calm her speeding heart.

"Um – um yes, that might be – that would be – good. Is there – anything else?"

"Just things that are common sense, and that you do anyway. Courting is a time to get to know someone you might be bound to forever. I know you're human, so you probably don't think about forever much, but you should now. If you become his, then the energies of your lives will entangle, will mingle and mix. Anything you know about mortal wolves is helpful, too but our lives are more intense. We're youkai, Ookami – don't forget it."

Kagome sees in her mind a flash of memory. Kouga's face smeared with Miroku's blood – scent of copper, taste of Kouga's kiss, taste of destruction -

"I – I won't. Thank you, Hakkaku -"

He shakes his head and stands.

"Don't worry about it, Kagome-onee-sama. You saved Sho, when he had no chance; I'm grateful, and I always will be. And you make Kouga happy; no female's ever done that before, no female's ever attracted his attention. Just – just be careful, yeah?"

She watches him go with mixed feelings, but she takes his warning to heart and then flops back on the ledge and sprawls on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

Escalate...show him my desire...be with him forever.

Alone in a dark chamber in the den of wolves, Kagome takes a deep breath and covers her face with her hands and then commits herself to following the path her heart has started her on. The truth isn't hard to admit at all – that she does want Kouga, even if she doesn't really understand forever. But telling him – telling him!

Hakkaku's words echo in her thoughts, and she thinks that they're going to for quite a while.

"Rut scent...the special way the scent of desire shared clings."

She lets her hands fall to the bed beside her and lets out a groan of irritation.

"What do I do? What do I do?"

A/N: There we are! I feel better now; and plus, several hundred words of tomorrow's chapter are already done, so yay! Let's see...in case you can't guess, today's chapter title, "In Ignem", translates to "into the fire"...I know, I'm so clever...sarcasm! Ahem. At any rate, more tomorrow assuming I don't sleep for 18 hours! Pray to morpheus with me, my dears! *Note: Yeek! This chapter had tons of typos too, what was I thinking! Ah well, fixed now!

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