Disclaimer: Don't own Inu-yasha or any of his fellow Feudal era comrades.

A/N: jiisan (grandfather), nisou (priestess)

The Nisou and the Wolf

Chapter 1

"Because despite what you may think, I have a life outside of you. Now let go!" Kagome tries to pull her bag free from the half demon's grasp, but he holds firm, pulling Kagome closer in the process. Miroku and Sango just watch as the scene plays out, knowing that Kagome will win. Like she always does.

"You can't just leave like this! We have to keep looking for the jewel shards!"

"Inu-yasha, I am giving you one last warning. Let go of the bag!"

"No! You're staying here and that's final!" Inu-yasha pulls the bag from Kagome's grasp and jumps up into a nearby tree. Kagome takes four steps towards the tree and stops.

"Fine! You leave me no choice. SIT BOY!" Inu-yasha falls to the ground as the magic phrase brings his face to meet the ground. Kagome calmly walks over to retrieve her bag, unfazed by the cursing demon at her feet. "I'll be back in two weeks. Try not to miss me too much!" Kagome waves goodbye to her friends and heads for the well outside the village. Miroku and Sango leave Inu-yasha to wait for the spell to wear off.

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Kagome is almost to the Bone Eater's Well when she is startled by a flock of birds suddenly taking flight. She looks up to follow the birds' path, admiring their beautiful plumage, and then continues toward her destination, just in the next clearing. As she enters the clearing and approaches the well, a tornado of wind and dirt comes hurtling from the trees, heading right for her. Koga comes into sight as he comes to a stop at her side, looking around as if something were going to attack them at any moment. "Kagome! Thank goodness I found you."

"Koga? What are you doing here? What's going on?" Kagome hadn't seen the wolf demon since he helped them out of a trap set by Kagura. That was about four months ago. Inu-yasha still didn't like the wolf demon and the feeling seemed to be mutual. She had heard news of him and his tribe every now and again during their travels, but hadn't had any other contact since then.

"There's a demon. He's looking for you. He wants to use you to find jewel shards for himself."

"What? How do you know this? And how did you find me?"

Koga was slightly agitated at her questions, but kept his composure and continued. "We captured a band of thieves on our lands a few days ago. We found Naraku's mark on them and we tortured them to tell us what they were up to. They said they just released a demon that would be retrieving the girl who could find the shards. And finding you was easy. I already knew what village to look in and then just followed your scent." Koga took a deep breath and put his hands on her shoulders. "I don't hold anything against you. It's the mutt I hate. That's why I tracked you down instead of just going to the village."

"O-Ok. Well, thank you, but I'm going home so that should be the end of that plan. At least for awhile." Kagome backs out of Koga's hands and turns toward the well. "By the way, who is this demon?"

Kagome looks back at the wolf demon who just smiles at her, fangs exposed. "They call him Steel fang."

"Steel fang? I've never heard---" Kagome's eyes widen with understanding. She looks into the wolf demon's glinting eyes and tries to scream, but he's too quick for her and grabs her with one strong arm and places his other hand over her mouth. Kagome quickly passes out from the sleeping powder Koga laced his hand with. The wolf demon looks around one more time, making sure no one was around to alert Inu-yasha, throws her over his shoulder and races back home.

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The last thing Kagome remembered was Koga's smiling face. Now, everything was dark and her head hurt. Kagome moaned and slowly opened her eyes. She was in a cave, lying on a large pile of bedding. She sat up and looked around. One cave wall was covered with various scenes depicting hunters and their prey, the other wall had drawings of what appeared to be gods of some sort. Behind her there was a store of weapons against the wall. There was a small wooden chest next to the bedding with her bag and a few candles on top.

Kagome grabbed her bag and headed for the entrance to the cave, but she didn't get far. There were two guards with crossed spears blocking her way. She walked up to the guards and got right in the face of the guard on the left. Her face disguised none of her anger, but she managed to controled her voice. "Tell Koga I'm awake and demand to see him. Now!"

The guard looks down at Kagome, then over at the other guard. The guard on the right nods an affirmative to his comrade to follow Kagome's orders. Kagome walks back to the room with the bedding and waits for Koga. It doesn't take long for the wolf tribe leader to appear. He walks through the doorway without a sound and approaches Kagome, stopping within a foot of her, his face a mask of calm. Kagome reaches back and slaps Koga across the face. Koga doesn't retaliate; he just turns his face, now red on one side, back to face Kagome.

"Why?"

"For the reason I said. I need you to find more jewel shards for me and my tribe."

"Never! What makes you think I'd ever do that?"

"Nobody knows you're here. They think you went home. And nobody but you can go through the well. Help me with my request and I'll let you go."

"And if I don't?"

"Get used to this room." Kagome goes to slap Koga again, but the demon catches her wrist. Koga's eyes harden and he slowly tightens his grip as he speaks. "It's your decision. I hope you come around to seeing things my way. Otherwise, I'll be very disappointed. And I don't deal well with disappointment." Koga lets Kagome go and walks out of the cave. She stands there, holding her sore wrist, watching Koga's back until it disappears around the corner. She sits back on the bedding, wondering how she's going to get out of this mess.

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It had been two days since Kagome last saw Koga. One of the guards always delivered her meals and, Kagome noticed, always checked out the wall of weapons. Just in case I suppose. Kagome picks at some straw under the bedding in boredom. She had tried to do a contact spell earlier in the day, but she wasn't experienced enough yet. She had been working with Kaede for almost a year now and had learned a lot about medicine and herbs and healing, and even became proficient in minor casts and spells. But the contact spell was too much for her right now.

Kagome just sighs and continues to twirl the piece of straw between her fingers. She's distracted by a noise coming from the entrance. She recognizes Koga's raised voice, but she can't tell what is going on. Soon enough, Koga appears carrying a bag. His eyes never leave Kagome as he places the bag next to the wooden chest on the floor. She notices some fresh scratches on Koga's arms and dried blood on his breastplate. Who did he recently fight with? He reaches into the wooden chest and pulls out some gauze and a small jar. He goes and sits down against the wall painted with hunting scenes and begins to apply the cream in the jar to his scratches. She watches him wrap the gauze expertly around his forearm. When he's done, he leans his head back against the wall, breathes deeply, and closes his eyes.

Kagome just watches him. Other than when he put the bag down, Koga didn't acknowledge her at all. Now it appeared as if he were asleep. Kagome wondered what she should do when the wolf demon finally spoke, his voice harsh and accusatory. "This wouldn't have happened if you would just help find the jewel shards."

"What wouldn't have happened?"

"The Gokuaku-chou attacked our border patrol. Three of my tribe are dead, several more wounded. If they had had shards of their own, this wouldn't have happened."

"How dare you try and blame this on me! You kidnapped me! You want to use the Shikon jewel for your own selfish reasons! It will corrupt you Koga, if it hasn't already. Please, let me go. I will not help you."

Koga sat up and opened his eyes, glaring at the priestess across the room. "Do the lives of my tribe mean nothing to you? Do you not care that those flying vermin are systematically killing us off and will eventually overrun the area?"

"Asking for help against an enemy and kidnapping are two different things. Of course I don't want to see your tribe exterminated. But you should have come to me for help, not hold me against my will until I relent." Kagome's voice softens, and she drops her head. "And I will not relent, Koga."

Koga growls and jumps to his feet. He grabs Kagome by her arms, his claws beginning to dig into her flesh, yanking her up to face him. His face is mere inches from hers, but Kagome's face remains determined and willful. Koga's eyes are wild with anger and his voice is a vicious growl. "You will find those jewel shards for me, and you will do it now or---"

"Koga sir! I'm sorry, but it's Shichiro. They need you."

Koga's eyes immediately lost their anger, and his face showed obvious worry. He lets go of Kagome and races out of the cave. "Wait!" Kagome starts after Koga but the guard steps in her path. "What's going on?"

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Who am I gonna tell? I'm trapped. Just tell me please."

"Uh, it's uh, Koga's jiisan. He's been ill for days and nobody can seem to figure out what's wrong with him. The doctors have tried everything and nothing is working."

"That's awful. Can you tell me what's wrong with him? The symptoms?"

The guard scratches his head and takes a step back. "I don't know any details. I've been, uh, here most of the time."

"Oh. I am sorry about that-?"

"Rei. My name's Rei."

"Rei. I am sorry. Hopefully you won't be here much longer. Could you answer one more question for me? What was Koga yelling about before he came in here?"

"Oh, I, uh, I asked him, uh, if I could go see me family."

"And he yelled at you?"

"He didn't mean it. He was just upset about the attack. It was my fault. I should have waited until after he had time to rest."

"Well Rei, I hope you get to see your family soon. Thank you for talking to me for awhile. I'll let you go so you don't get into any trouble. Goodnight."

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Koga watched her as she slept. Her long lashes rested lightly on her cheeks, and her dark hair spread out behind her, looking as if it were being blown by an imaginary wind. She held a piece of straw between her fingers and this made him smile for some reason. Koga got up and sat down against the wall decorated with pictures of the gods. He settled his head, crossed his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes to sleep.

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As Kagome opens her eyes, she sees Koga, sitting against the far wall, asleep. She gets up from the bedding and pads over to him. He looks so peaceful. No sign of the cold-hearted leader of the Wolf Tribe. The first time they met, Kagome didn't get the impression that Koga was evil. In fact, he was duped into thinking Inu-yasha had killed his men by Naraku. But his latest actions have her worried that the jewel shards were indeed corrupting his soul. She decides not to get too close. She sits down on the floor several feet from him and just watches, waiting for him to wake up.

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Koga opened his eyes to find Kagome sitting in front of him eating an apple, just watching him. He sits up straight and feels his back protest to the proper posture after its rest against the hard wall. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Don't know. Why did you sleep on the ground?"

"My bed was otherwise occupied."

"Oh." Koga gets up and puts the remaining gauze and the jar of ointment back in the wooden chest. He grabs a spear from the weapons wall and starts to leave. Kagome stands and starts to follow. "How is your jiisan doing?"

Koga's grip on his spear tightens as he whirls on Kagome, advancing on her until she falls onto the bedding. "What do you know about my jiisan?"

Kagome barely spoke above a whisper. The look in Koga's eyes is the same as when he threatened me yesterday. "I heard he was ill. Is there anything I can do?"

"It is none of your affair." Koga goes to leave but Kagome grabs his arm.

"Koga wait! Why won't you let me help?"

Koga whirls on the priestess, his anger still showing in his eyes. "I asked you to help! You refused!"

"I won't help you find the shards. But stop letting your pride get in the way of helping your jiisan."

Koga just stares at Kagome, his anger fading slightly, "Why?"

"I'm not going to refuse help to the sick to punish you Koga. Let me try to help your jiisan. I have been training with Kaede for over a year. What could it hurt?"

Kagome can hear a low growl in Koga's throat. Suddenly, he grabs Kagome's arm and yanks her off the bedding and out of the cave. They stride to another cave one level below Koga's. As they enter, Kagome can feel all eyes on her as Koga leads her to his jiisan. She kneels next to the ailing man, smiling gently as she wipes sweat from his forehead.

"Hello Shichiro. I'm Kagome and your grandson brought me here to help you. I need you to tell me everything. What you were doing before you got sick, as you got sick and anything you've felt or thought since being sick. I know you're real tired, but it's important." Kagome listens as the old man relates everything from start to finish. When he stops, Kagome gives his hand a squeeze and walks outside. "Koga, he's suffering from some sort of possession. I can't be certain, but I think it's a wandering soul. From what he told me, he was patrolling near an ancient burial ground. It's possible he crossed into a wandering soul's territory. We need to help his body fight the soul and purge it from his body. I suggest we act now so when the soul departs, soul catchers can collect it before it has time to find another host."

"What do you need?"

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Kagome wiped her arm across her forehead. She had been working over a fire for almost an hour now. The elixir was almost ready. Koga watches from a distance as the priestess prepares the elixir for his jiisan. It wasn't that he didn't trust her. He just couldn't figure out why she was doing this for him after he'd kidnapped her and held her hostage. Did she expect to be let free if she succeeded?

Kagome looked up from the fire. She walked over to the ailing wolf demon and helped him drink the dark green mixture. She placed a clean towel on his forehead and held his hand. "I need you to listen to me Shichiro. You're going to feel your body getting warm. It will build until it feels like you're on fire. Koga and I will be here for you. You will make it through this. I promise."

An hour passed and the man's groaning could now be heard throughout the tribal village. Kagome and Koga exchange worried looks. He was becoming dehydrated and his frail body was beginning to falter. Kagome helped the older man drink some water, and placed a new, cool towel on his forehead. "Koga, if he doesn't dispel the soul soon---" But Kagome didn't even want to finish the thought. She saw the worry and sadness in Koga's eyes. Maybe she could help Shichiro repel the soul trapped inside him. Surely it would be just like working a healing. Right? "Koga, I'm going to try a healing spell. It might be the extra kick the soul needs to leave."

Koga looks at the priestess. Why is she doing this? "Is it safe?"

"Completely. Even if it doesn't repel the soul, it might help bolster his strength." Kagome places her hands on the moaning demon's chest. She closes her eyes and concentrates her energy. She didn't want to lie to Koga, but technically, he didn't ask who it was safe for. Safe for his jiisan? Sure. But Kagome was risking possession herself. She would be connected to his body when the soul left.

Koga stared at the blue glow binding Kagome to his jiisan. She had been maintaining the healing spell for quite some time before the moaning started decreasing and the heat within his jiisan begin to subside. But as soon as Koga noted the improvements of his jiisan, he realized Kagome was burning up. He could feel the heat radiating from her. Her face was flushed, sweat poured from her brow and her hair was sticking to her face. She lied! It wasn't safe for her! Then another disturbing thought came to Koga's mind. She could be possessed! Koga leapt to Kagome's side and placed a damp cloth to her forehead. He didn't know what else to do. He didn't think it would be safe for her if he suddenly broke her connection.

Suddenly, Kagome screamed and she was propelled backwards, taking Koga with her. Her hands still glowed and Koga could see something white and pulsing within them. She's holding onto the soul? Koga looks on panicked, helpless to do anything. He supports Kagome's head and shoulders on his legs and begins talking to her. "Kagome! Can you hear me? You are holding onto the soul. You must let go or it will possess you!" Kagome's eyes fly open and she inhales sharply, letting the soul free. Koga watches it disappear harmlessly out of the cave, then looks down at Kagome, relief on his face. "That was very stupid. What were you thinking?"

Kagome's voice is barely a whisper, her eyes are half closed, almost as if she's talking in her sleep. "Is he ok?"

Koga had forgotten about his jiisan in his concern for the priestess. He laid Kagome down gently and went to check on him. His face was pale, but his pulse was steady and his temperature seemed normal. Koga replaced the wet towel on his forehead and went back to check on Kagome. Her face still felt warm, but it wasn't burning up like before, and her breathing was steady. Koga gently picked her up and carried her back to his bed.

To be continued…