Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or X-Men.

Pairing

: Logan (Wolverine) x Kagome

Summary

: Hanging around with inu-youkai has made Kagome a little more animal than human and for Logan that was just fine. He was animal at heart after all whether he knew it or not.

Animal at Heart
Part I

x . . . . x

Spending time in a place like the Sengoku period changes you in irreparable ways.

You fight tooth and nail for everything. Collecting food, getting shelter, basic needs are fought for on a daily basis.

There are times in your life where a raging youkai is going to be ripping out your throat unless you move and dive for the kill first.

Instinct wars with basic humanity.

People don't kill on the daily.

Kagome does.

She fights for her family. She fights for herself.

She fights so that she might see tomorrow.

In the Sengoku period you don't survive unless you're an animal in some ways and being with Inuyasha has taught Kagome one thing.

You survive. At all costs. You take a breath and you come home no matter what.

Inuyasha taught Kagome to survive the only way he knew how. Like an animal.

You submit when you need to, and you fight when there is no other way.

You are a part of pack and the pack is strong together.

Except now? There isn't a pack.

Kagome found herself in her time, 500 years away everyone she loved. 500 years away from magic and myth. 500 years away from the family she bled and fought with on numerous occasions and Kagome never wanted anything more than to die at the bottom of the well.

But she's not really human, not any more, and animals don't die at the bottom of forgotten wells because they're separated from their pack.

They don't give up.

They move on.

Animals don't know how to give up.

Kagome turned her head, pressed her ear to the earth at the bottom of the well, knowing that 500 years ago there is a boy in red fire rat clothing doing the same and she whispered a thank you, a prayer to the one she recognized as alpha even if her human mind couldn't full comprehend such a concept.

There is no magic in this well. Not anymore. When the jewel sent her home and disappeared within her breast Kagome had barely had time to look up at Inuyasha in fear. He was reaching a clawed hand outward, trying to grasp her desperately but she was gone and he was running toward the well before anyone could stop him.

In her courtyard at home, Kagome was doing the same.

Unaware that they were leaping at the same time but feeling their presence at the bottom of that well nonetheless.

Kagome hopes he can hear her.

Because she can feel him. Right there.

The well didn't take her and Kagome buried her hands in the dirt and cried and cried.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't you fucking cry."

He isn't there of course but she feels him all around her.

Kagome wiped her tears and took a deep breath before whispering, "I won't."

Because although she is alone, she'll survive until a new pack is formed.

The skills she learned from Inuyasha may have no place in the modern world but Kagome doesn't really care.

She knows how to survive and that's all.

.

.

Kagome's new life was different.

It didn't take long - not even a few days before she was swept off to her next great adventure. There was a man in her mama's yard and woman at his side and they weren't human but they weren't youkai either. Neither expected her to drop from the branches of the Goshinboku and point an arrow at their backs.

But she did.

But not because she was a great and powerful warrior that snuck up on them.

But because she had been taking a cat nap in the bowels of the tree when their aura's brushed against hers.

She startled them both and while the man went for his crimson sun-glasses, the woman went for her temple. Immediately, she released the arrow, aiming between them near their feet. She felt an enormous amount of energy gather in his eyes and at the woman's temple. When the arrow touched the ground, she had another pointed at the man, only this time she had moved faster and closer to the point where the arrow was just inches from his forehead.

"You move, he dies." she told the woman with the crimson, fire hair.

The woman spoke and it was English, "We aren't here to harm you."

Kagome's brows furrowed and she pulled the string back farther, her body as taught as the bow in her hands. She remembered enough of her lessons to turn to the woman and warn, in English, "I will kill him. You're here, why?"

Something dark curled in the woman's eyes and Kagome felt the odd sensation of being forced into moving.

She was being lifted and Kagome wasn't having it.

Silver filled her vision and Kagome sent a pulse of power to the woman that manifested physically into silvery swirls.

Not here to harm, my ass.

The power touched the woman and she gasped as the purity over stimulated her senses and with the edge of her bow, she hit the man in the face, forcing his glasses off his face. There was a burst of crimson light behind her but she wasn't concerned because it disappeared quickly.

Kagome was at the woman's side before bringing her bow back and hitting her at the temple.

The woman sank to the ground and the man cried out, "Jean! Jean, are you okay?"

Kagome turned back to the man who had his eyes squeezed shut and walked toward him, turning her head to the side as she went, observing the destruction left in the ground. She turned back to the man and kicked him square in the chest. He landed on his back and Kagome was there, her foot on his throat, squishing down every lesson she learned.

She should kill him.

But this was the modern era.

So instead she applied pressure to his windpipe and asked, "What do you want?"

"Where is Jean? What happened to her?" he cried out again and Kagome looked to the woman crumpled to the side.

"She's fine. Answer the question or she won't be."

"We come from a school for people like us! We want to take you there. Take you to a place you won't have to hide your powers."

The silver in Kagome's gaze receded and there was a frown and a crease in her brows.

"School?"

And then she began to pull her foot away.

.

.

That had been three months ago.

And boy had it been a rocky start. Word of the attack spread quickly and Jean hadn't quite forgiven her. Scott, the man that had been there, had easily accepted her apology - understanding that they weren't human and her family had been inside and she was only trying to protect them from a perceived threat.

He did, however, tell her that if she ever touched Jean again she would deal with him.

She shrugged off the threat.

Because he wasn't any where close to being what she considered a threat.

And he wasn't her senior, not by a long shot.

Most student's gave Kagome wide berth.

There were parts of Kagome that screamed other even among their kind. She looked at them like she was searching among them and found them lacking. It was unnerving and in combat class, she wasn't the most skilled but she was the most vicious. If anything they learned what fighting for your life meant because of her. Sparring with Kagome meant sparring to incapacitate. She pulled no punches and used every ounce her impressive power. It was to the point where students fought her if only to take her out - not for a grade and some students didn't want to fight her at all. Only pride kept people going back to the training room.

She didn't always win but she would be damned before going down with a fight. And every time it was brutal and bloody.

Some students had gone to Professor Xavier with their concerns and complaints but it was with a knowing grin that he sent them on their way without an explanation. It was only Hank who really dissected Kagome's odd behavior and he only came to his conclusions because he often felt the way she acted. Her growls and snarls and every little nuance of her body.

"She acts like a barely tamed creature." He finally told the professor one day. It was with an incline of his head that Professor Xavier answered the furry, blue scientist.

"You are correct but I've seen into that girl, Hank, and she needs help."

"I understand but is this a side effect of her mutation or..."

Xavier looked up and met his bright cerulean orbs, "Her upbringing, I'm sure. She's looking for something, something not I or anyone else but maybe you might be able to understand." He turned his gaze outside, "She was raised among dogs, Hank, and she thinks more like them then the rest of us mutants." There was a rumbling in the distance, "Honestly, you hold yourself from your other part in ways that she doesn't so not even you, friend, can help her."

The beastly man stepped forward to also look out the window, "Help her what?"

Charles watched as a black motorcycle rolled up to the front of the house, "Find a home." He tilted his head in the direction of the tall man leading the motorcycle into the garage. "Find somewhere to belong because even among her peers she is different. Understanding her is difficult for the students. She doesn't think like them and even among the ostracized there are those that are too different."

Hank followed his gaze, lifting his glasses up his nose, brows high in his fur, "You mean Logan?"

Charles hummed and watched as the man identified as Logan shook his head as he began to head to the mansion, "Why not?"

Hanks surprise was palpable, "Because Logan is... Well... He's..." He stopped and began to think, "Well, he's like her isn't he."

This time, the professor allowed a full smile to grace his lips, "Yes, I believe so. Animal vs. animal, yes? She's looking for something, someone, and I think she might find it in Logan."

Hank said nothing but he was curious enough to watch the happenings with a critical eye.

.

.

Logan ran a hand along the scruff that made itself known and internally he grumbled about shaving. He hated it. But his beard was going to be out of control of he didn't groom soon. A smirk curled his lips because if anything he'd keep it until he saw Jean. He knew that a little bit of extra fur did all sorts of things to that fiery red head, no matter how much she denied it and damn did her scent spike every time.

The door to the front opened before he could reach it and the next moment he had an arm full of Rogue. She was smiling into his chest, careful that no skin touched skin, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His voice was gruff but distinctly warm he muttered, "Hey, kid. I haven't been gone long."

The young woman pulled away and her eyes sparked, "Long? You've been gone four months!"

He was almost sheepish when he questioned, "Have I? Time flies." He chuckled and she led him, one hand hooked in his arm and the other tucking a strand of white behind her ear.

She huffed, her anger and displeasure at him being gone so long making her accent thicker, "Just surprised to see ya is all." The duo entered through the front and he slung his arm over her shoulders.

"Me too, kid, but I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by." he informed her, closing the door behind them. It must have been time for classes to switch because there were students running through the halls, rushing to their next period and something inside Logan relaxed. "How's it goin', kid? Anything new?"

The other, younger mutant, popped her gum and shrugged, "Not much, a few new students. Will you be teachin' while you're here?"

Logan shifted and looked down at her with a grin, "I think I can stay for a bit, so sure." If anything, he needed a small break. They stepped forward together and Logan stopped abruptly, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight, his nose working as he pulled away from Rogue. Lips curling down, he took several deep inhales. His head turned toward a closing door and caught only a glimpse of dark hair.

Rogue stepped forward and touched the jacket on his arm, "What's wrong?"

Logan kept looking at the door, his eyes dark, "Something isn't... right."

She tugged his jacket to grab his attention and she pursed her lips until his gaze connected with hers, "You might be talking about one of the students."

"What?" he questioned as he turned his full attention to her. Something smelled off, strong, and wild and boy did that unnerve him.

Rogue nodded as the halls cleared and quieted, "It could be Kagome. She's from Japan and - and honestly, I've never seen anything like her. In some ways she's a lot like you but in others..." she shuddered, "...that girl is scary."

"What do you - " Logan was cut off by the soft turn of wheels and he turned to see the Professor.

"Logan, it's good to see you."

"Same here, Professor. Rogue was telling me about one of the new students."

Xavier turned to Rogue and his smile was genial, "Shouldn't Rogue be in her history class?"

Her cheeks colored but she nodded and with one more hug Logan's way she disappeared with a, "Catch ya later!"

Logan turned to Xavier who gestured they go into his office. When the door closed Logan turned to the Professor with his fists clenched, "Something is off."

Xavier nodded, "That would be Kagome. She's going to incite that in you."

Logan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "And why would that be?"

The other man shrugged his shoulders, "She's a lot like you."

"That's what the girl said. What does that mean?"

There was glint in the professor's eyes, "Why don't we go see, hmm?"

.

.

Kurt aka Nightcrawler irritated the hell out of Kagome.

Every time he fought, he laughed, and joked, and Kagome hated it.

He made the fight mean so much less then it was - it was disrespectful in more ways then one and Kagome, who had never fought him, sent him challenge for today's class. She about had it and was definitely going to put him in his place.

Kagome had never issued a challenge so when Scott had made the announcement, the class had been overall speechless. When the two headed down into the danger room and the signal was given, Kagome leaped and Kurt was gone in a cloud of smoke.

And there it was, his laugh, "Can't get me, can you?"

He appeared behind her and Kagome turned to grab him but he was gone again.

So disrespectful.

Disrespectful to someone like her who had watched friends die fighting, watched her friends bleed.

Fighting should never be a mockery.

A fist connected with her cheek and the snarl that left her lips wasn't human.

It went like this for several minutes, Kagome looking for a pattern as she went to attack but Kurt teleporting away and connecting a hit. Students murmured and cheered.

And then Kagome found it.

The pattern.

Eyes wild, she reached for an empty spot, her hands and cerulean hues filled with silver energy.

When Kurt appeared in that empty spot, Kagome's hand was at his throat and that was it.

Her smile was all teeth when her other fist connected with his cheek.

Silver swirled and ran along his flesh like electricity.

Kagome's miko energy affected mutants differently then it did youkai.

Like with humans, she could overwhelm their senses with it but she could not purify their limbs. Instead, she could neutralize their mutations for a short period. When she dropped Kurt, her foot was there connecting with the side of his face.

The class soon found, without teleportation, Kurt wasn't as good at hand to hand as Kagome.

The cheering turned into pained grimaces.

Her movements were sharp and quick, years of learning on the field, no refinement at all.

She wasn't a martial arts expert but her teacher hadn't been either.

Inuyasha was a brawler and Kagome soaked up every lesson.

Her teeth gnashed together as she jumped back from a kick to her midsection.

Physically, the boy was stronger although younger.

Kagome was faster though. And more vicious.

She didn't play fair. She grabbed, and bit, and poked, and scratched.

Kagome wasn't really there in the moment.

She was five hundred years away and she was fighting for her life.

Except she wasn't.

She hit his face again, and this time, bone shifted under her hand. It was his cheek, she wasn't concerned.

He would live.

But a part of her couldn't stop, the part that said he was threat and he could come back and hurt her more.

She tried to clamp down, but you don't come back from war the same, and living this life wasn't simple. Her hand came out again.

He was going to stay down.

Her silvery eyes gazed down but she didn't see him, didn't see her classmate. This wasn't Kurt and she wasn't really Kagome.

Her first came down again, accompanied by a flash of teeth and a short growl.

The door swished open and the beast beneath her landed a solid punch to her mouth that had her spitting blood.

Her hand was coming down again, this time, swirling with energy.

Just before it connected, she was shoved off with a guttural sound that didn't come from her. She looked up and she met dark brown, almost black eyes, and she didn't even think before she moved on the offensive. Her hands went for the throat but they were blocked quickly and efficiently. Violence rode the air and she could taste it on her tongue as sure as she could taste the blood. Her arm was gripped and she was spun so her back faced the man and the elbow was twisted painfully.

She was just barely tall enough to smash her head back and hit his mouth. He pulled away with a snarl and Kagome pushed away before he could tighten his grip. The man that faced her, the scruffy, dark man, didn't feel like the boys and girls she fought. He felt wild and untamed and Kagome knew that feeling anywhere. He felt like a youkai in the most diluted sense possible but she knew him in ways he probably didn't even know himself.

Perks of running with a dog, she supposed.

Maybe the man thought she was done but she caught him by surprise when she very quickly moved back to him and used her right foot to kick him in the stomach, it connected but it felt more like hitting a solid mass than anything. Shock filled his face and and Kagome moved forward, her small hands filling with energy and connecting with his chest. Her powers filled him, sensory overload, and then she grabbed his ears and brought his head down to her knee.

She felt his nose break and bleed on her skin.

She backed away when he went to his knees.

He looked at her and she realized that maybe she bit off more than she could chew when the nose began to knit itself back together.

But animals didn't stop to weigh their opponent.

Animals thought they were the biggest until otherwise determined and Kagome was the biggest in her head, her own alpha and beta.

When the blades came from between his knuckles and the growl that filled the room reminded Kagome of nights spent by a fire, she took a quick step back and prepared for the assault.

And boy did it come.

That man wasn't a man and he wasn't really home either.

No one likes being challenged and Kagome's very stance screamed challenger.

The man may not have known why he was fighting with such ferocity but Kagome did.

Blow for blow was traded, scratch for scratch given, until the miko ended up beneath the man with a blade at the smooth column of her neck.

Silvery eyes faded to the clearest blue the man had ever seen and miko barred her throat and the Wolverine came down and licked her pulse, tasted her sweat, and pulled away with a concerned shake of his head.

"What the - "

Kagome grinned, a bloody, toothy grin, "Poor, confused, little youkai."

And that was how Kagome met Logan.

.

.

Logan taught P.E. which Kagome didn't take and that was fucking great as far as he was concerned.

Something about her scent drove him wild in ways he couldn't understand.

He didn't feel like... himself but then he did. It was like he wasn't himself but then he was the most purest form of himself that he had ever been and damn did she grate on his nerves.

Kagome looked at everyone the same way but when she looked at him there was respect and something else. She caused the weirdest reactions to occur from him. She walked by and his mouth salivated, his nose twitched, and he wanted nothing more than to make the stupid girl submit before him like she had that first battle. She was an irritant and a hassle and he gave her wide berth.

And calling him a youkai?

Bullshit.

Those boogeymen didn't exist.

They were tales and legends he learned of in his last visit to Japan.

Regardless, Logan resolved to stay away from the crazy Japanese girl. And she was crazy.

Maybe not crazy... but definitely off.

Who fights their peers the way she did? Her viciousness was unnecessary and even he saw that.

She couldn't seem to turn whatever it was off. In some ways he recognized it, having been a few wars himself, but she was too young. Too young to have that look he had in his eyes so he didn't believe it.

It was by sheer accident that Logan quite literally bumped into Kagome.

He was walking through the door to the kitchen just as she opened it. Her papers went flying and she was falling. It was only because of his reflexes that he caught her by her hand and prevented her from falling. Those piercing blue eyes caught his and that scent of hers assaulted his nose. He clenched his jaw and let her go after steadying her.

Her voice was soft, "Thank you." And then she was bending down to grab her papers.

He recognized it as some science bullshit Hank was teaching. With an upward roll of his eyes he was leaning beside her. After a few moments she stopped and he looked up only to see she was staring at him intently.

He was gruff when he asked her, "What?"

Her smile was slight and her slight accent made her voice seem warmer then it likely was, "You have no clue, do you?"

"About what?"

She shook her head and gathered the last of her papers, reaching over and plucking the ones in his hand away, "About what you are."

Logan snorted, "I'm pretty sure I know what I am better then you do, missy."

Kagome laughed lightly and the sound was pleasant to his ears, her eyes twinkling, "Is that what you think?" He nodded and the girl leaned in, her voice quiet, "I sense that beast within you, slumbering so quietly..." her voice dropped lower, "...just waiting to uncurl and burst forth."

Logan's eyes were dark, "I'm not like you."

"We're more alike then you think."

Logan remembered days when fighting in a cage was worth more than money. It meant beating the fuck out of someone and showing them who was top dog and he looked away from her searching eyes, "I don't attack my friends, girl."

Kagome's brows furrowed, "These people aren't my friends. They're a means to an end. I hear them whisper and I know what they think of the feral girl Scott and Jean brought back from Japan. I know they think I'm scarier then what lies beyond those doors but the reality, Logan, is that what lies beyond the front door will kill them. I'm giving them the best chance they have at this place. Humans and mutants alike want the blood of those that reside in this house and they think I'm brutal?" her eyes clouded, "Teaching mathematics and English is wonderful and all but someone has to teach them to conquer the fear of battle."

"Is that what you were doing when you beat the shit out of the elf?" he questioned, voice rough with accusation. He had his problems with Kurt but he liked the kid. There was no reason to beat the shit out of him. Unlike Logan, the boy didn't walk away without a scratch.

Kagome snorted, "Partly that. Also because he irritates me." She confessed, "He mocks the battlefield that I bled in and the battles I have fought every time he laughs at his opponents for being unable to catch him." She stood smoothly and he followed suit, "That is all besides the point, Logan." She shook her head and her raven curls released a scent that was all Kagome, soft and inviting, "The fact of the matter is, you don't know what you are. We battled and you were ferocious and violent - which is your nature, but there is more to that nature then violence."

The snarl on his lips was one he loathed to give because if anything it proved her right, "You don't know shit about me."

With that Logan turned and walked away from the time traveling priestess, missing the thoughtful look that crossed her face.

.

.

Kagome didn't sleep much.

Mostly her dreams made her long for the warmth of crimson fire rat robes, clawed hands touching her cheek.

Inuyasha had been her almost lover.

Her one day husband.

Now he was gone and she mourned him in ways that she would never mourn again.

More than anything Kagome wished her vocal chords had been designed to howl because God would she howl for him.

But Kagome was human and humans didn't mate for life and she knew this pain was temporary, an ache that would be soothed by another man.

Instead of sleeping, Kagome ran.

She had grown accustomed to running from humans and youkai alike.

Inuyasha and Shippo had made it a game to teach her to run and hide quietly in the forest and now Kagome ran just ran.

She loved feeling the earth beneath her uncovered feet, the dew touching her toes, the wet mornings cool air touching her skin as she flew between branches. Mostly, she crawled out her window and down to Kitty's terrace below before leaping off to the ground. There were too many students that didn't know how to sleep that wandered the halls and would tattle to her current guardian and headmaster. Sometimes she was dressed in work out clothes but more often then not it was a sleeping gown that went to her knees.

Sometimes she wanted to curl naked on the cold ground and bury herself in the scent of nature that reminded her of better days.

This early morning/late night romp through the surrounding property was the same as others... only as she went further into the property she had the distinct feeling of not being alone. In fact, she felt... hunted.

Stopping amid the trees she turned in a slow circle, her aura stretching out and then she felt him.

Logan.

The youkai in denial.

And he was close and only coming closer. She turned her head to the foliage she knew he was walking through and tilted her head. His beard had been trimmed, leaving his face bare - only his five o'clock shadow remained. His eyes were dark and trained on her and she wondered what he was doing out this late. He was wearing a plain white tee-shirt, and a pair of jeans that had seen better days. He broke through the trees and his lips curled into a sneer.

They stared for several long moments until Kagome broke the silence between them.

"What are you doing here?"

His impressive, corded arms crossed over an equally impressive chest, "Tch, I should be asking you that." His brows furrowed and he his features turned disapproving, "But if you must know, Kitty has been complaining about hearing a thump outside her window. She was scared someone was peeping on her. I realize now it's you disappearing at night which by the way is against the rules."

Kagome turned her nose up to him and frowned, "I don't like that rule. I'm an adult and can make my own decisions."

And she was an adult, maybe not physically but she had lived through some shit and she'd be damned if she was going to be treated like a child.

That said, she turned on her heal and was going to continue her jog. There was a nervous energy tingling under skin that she ached to be rid of and when she was tired and sated she was going to bathe and return that bed that she had been given. She didn't make it more than several feet when her forearm was grasped within a warm and calloused grip. She turned again and this time she met the dark eyes of Logan with every bit of anger she could muster.

"Let me go."

The older mutant/man/youkai spawn looked down at her defiant face and shook hi head, "I don't think so, missy. You're not supposed to be out here. I won't tell the professor but you better get your ass back in your room."

With a quirk of her lips and silver swirling in her blue irises, she sent a shock of energy to his arm pulled away from his hand. Logan growled deep and low in his throat but Kagome felt anything but threatened. He wasn't the biggest or the baddest thing that she face and he would definitely heal quickly. The man's eyes darkened and when he spoke there was a roughness that hadn't been there before.

"Why do you fight me every time I ask you to do anything? Why can't you just fucking listen?" Logan grimaced at the sound of his voice and he found his teeth clenching at the last word, grinding against each other. With every inhale her scent filled his nostrils and he shook his head to rid himself of her intoxicating scent made only more desirable by the fact her flesh was coated in a thin layer of sweat.

Kagome's swirling eyes were narrowed and she took a step toward him. if she wasn't so tiny he would have felt intimidated but instead all he felt was challenged. "I don't listen to you because you're an ass of a youkai that has no idea what he is and couldn't accept it even if he did! You're a disgrace to your kind."

Logan stepped forward and she stood her ground which only served to piss him off more because how dare she challenge him?

"Go back to the school, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

And then she actually turned her back on him and ran away.

Watching her run like that ignited a fire low in his abdomen, made his saliva thicken, and the back of his teeth to ache.

Something was waking.

Something dark and ancient and uncomfortable.

It was sliding into his skin and making him feel too small for his body.

Sweat began to gather at his brow as he fought with every piece of his impressive will to not go after her and pin her to fucking ground and let her know who was in charge.

He turned his head, his body followed, and then he began to walk away...

He would have made it had he not heard her cursing about stupid men.

His pride wouldn't allow it.

So he turned back around and began chasing her down.

.

.

When he reached her it was with one thing in mind.

This girl would submit even if it killed her.

.

.

They met in a clash of teeth and nails and fists.

It was bloody and violent and lit something within Logan he thought he had buried when he met the young girl named Rogue.

But the monster that fought in the cage was still there.

Enjoying the violence and blood; enjoying the scent of girl's skin as he pushed her off him.

She came back every time.

Her blood touched his tongue and ignited a fire under his flesh.

He'd been burned alive once or twice and this felt almost the same, almost.

When she was tired of fighting and bleeding and being bruised, he pressed his weight on top of her, pressed his nose to the skin of her neck and inhaled.

God she pissed him off.

But he enjoyed listening to her pant beneath him.

It didn't take much - just a quick barring of her throat to make his blood burn and for him to lose himself again.

He leaned down and his tongue was there again, tracing her pulse, his teeth nipping at her flesh.

She tasted so good.

The part of his brain that was still human screamed and screamed and clawed and clawed but the part that wasn't thinking and was not human said that this was his right. She submitted to him, had given him the role of her alpha (whatever the fuck that meant), and she was his until someone better and faster and more ruthless then he took her from him. But right now the word 'mine' had never sounded so clearly in his head. The challenging bitch had submitedsubmittedsubmitted and this was his prize.

His hands were at her sides, moving under her gown, touching her rib cage with the pads of his fingers.

It was only when he flipped her on her stomach and began to unbuckle his pants did he smell it.

Salt.

Only this wasn't the salt from her sweat.

The fog in his brain was subsiding and when it dissipated the girl underneath him was trembling.

She was bleeding and she was battered and he was sure that if he hadn't been able to heal he would be matching her in every way.

The horror and revulsion within him made him want to vomit because this wasn't him.

And yet it was.

And the fact that such a bastard lived inside him was sickening.

He wanted to run screaming into the night away from this monster that curled inside him, this creature that wanted out every single time she was near.

But he didn't run.

Instead he leaned down, grasped her shoulders and lifted her to his chest. She was boneless in his arms, and she refused to look at him. The part of him that was human pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered apologies that he didn't know he had in him to say. His voice was thick with sorrow as the dawn began to erupt of the trees because goddammit what was he becoming?

His tongue came out and licked away the tear tracks, an apology in its own way and he pressed his forehead to hers.

His voice was rough with unnamed emotions and his eyes were closed, "Why didn't you just fight back?"

The defiant girl in his arms tilted her head and her own voice was softer than he had ever heard from her, "Because I lost and I submitted and that's what happens when you submit."

Logan's eyes were still closed and he put a hand through her hair, "You were crying."

He felt her head turn, "Because the part of me that isn't gone with beasts is still human and doesn't understand." He felt her shift and her voice went softer, "But the part of me that's with the dogs knows... animals don't cry in the wild."

"But we aren't animals."

Kagome wisely kept her mouth shut.

.

.

Logan did his best to wash away the shame he felt but no matter what it stayed within him.

.

.

Since that night he was hyper aware of his surroundings and even more aware of Kagome.

The moment she walked into a room, he could feel the difference shift in the air, hear the subtle beat of her heart, the blood coursing through her veins in a way that he didn't just understand. He was careful to run away from her every chance he got. If he so much as looked at her, his eyes would zero in on the soft slope of her neck.

It was fuckin' insane.

While he did his best to avoid her, she had no such qualms.

Kagome in fact often sought him out, attempting to speak with him on more than one occasion.

He never let her get past his name before fleeing.

Being near her was both a pain but immense blessing.

When she was near she calmed something raging within him, the creature that had been so hell bent on getting out that night. He could feel it in his belly, stirring, fighting, raging. On the flip side, she caused him to be unable to think with his human head and instead think of only her scent and heartbeat. All rational thought was gone, he wanted nothing more than to bury his nose in her stomach and fist her hair in his hands.

Sometimes he reminded him of a small bunny he itched to chase and other times she reminded him of a dog herself that he wanted to fight.

She was in front of him... again.

He looked down at her older than normal eyes as her lips parted to say his name, her scent intoxicating, mouth salivating.

"Log -"

He turned around and fled.

This time, it was going to be for good.

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.

Or so he said.

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He was used to disappearing in the middle of the night.

He had just left the kitchen and was about to enter his room when he smelled it.

Just underneath the cracks of the door he could just barely smell her scent coming through.

His eyes dilated as he inhaled deeply.

There was no way that she violated his space.

No way.

But as he opened the door and entered the dark room, there she was, sitting on the windowsill, the moon darkening her features. He knew it was her. Her eyes were swirling with subtle hints of silver and she was turning her head toward him. When their eyes met, he caught a hint of a scowl on her pretty lips. She looked pointedly to the bed where several bags lay packed and back at him.

He didn't respond.

He owed her nothing.

It was her fault he was leaving; her fault that he was suffocating.

Kagome interrupted the silence with a sharp, "You can't leave."

Logan snorted and crossed his arms, "Sure I can."

She stood smoothly from her spot, "Are you taking me?"

Logan looked her up and down and his response was immediate, "Fuck no."

"Well, you have to!"

Logan stepped back as she stepped forward, "The hell I do."

There was a long period of silence and Kagome's eyes were closed.

It happened suddenly.

One tear, then two.

Voice thick, she looked away, "You're a dumb youkai that can't even listen to his instincts."

The scowl came to his face readily, "I'm not a youkai."

She chose to ignore him and instead walked passed him, through the open door behind him.

Kagome stopped just at the doorway, "You'll be back. Let's hope I'm here when you return."

And then she was gone.

And so was he.

Right out the front door.

.

.

Logan did what he did best when he left the mansion.

He rode and fought and buried himself in booze and women while he did.

Except this time there was no joy.

No thankfuckinggod release.

Every woman made him think of cerulean hues and inky black hair, soft pale skin and crimson lips.

The something that plagued him, that creature inside howled and cried well into the night. It scratched and pawed at the metaphorical door he kept it behind and he found nothing would appease it. It was a constant nagging pain behind his eyes, and pounding in his skull.

Logan was surprised when the creature spoke, one month into his isolation.

It was garbled and more of a growl then anything but he understood the word.

"Pack."

And then it didn't speak again for several weeks.

He ignored the creature, didn't understand the warm feeling that filled him when he repeated the word and why Kagome appeared in his head when he said it. Ignoring the phantom beast inside was a mistake as when the next time he said it, it was with more insistence and he repeated it over and over. Again, it was ignored until a few days later he began again and this time it was accompanied by a metaphorical swipe of claws that he felt cut him inside.

And then he knew he had a problem.

If this thing he ignored could hurt him inside, what else could it do?

Could it come out?

What would that mean for him?

Only one person would have the answer.

With a curse, Logan turned his bike around and headed back to the mansion.

.

.

Kagome felt him approaching the manor long before he actually got there.

She didn't care.

Not really.

He was stupid and didn't understand.

She buried her head in her pillow and stopped herself from crying.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't you fucking cry."

She remembered Inuyasha and she hardened her heart.

Logan didn't understand and probably would never understand.

She had come here in hopes of finding what she needed and she was sorely mistaken when she thought she found it in Logan.

That's okay.

She was looking elsewhere to someone more receptive. It just needed to be finalized.

.

.

Something was so fucking off about the mansion that Logan actually recoiled.

He was in the middle of putting up his bike when he figured out why it was off. The smell. The smell was irritating him. It smelled so much like - like cat that he wanted to vomit. The door to the garage opened and Logan turned. Did the girl know he was here? Already? The garage door closed and the light flickered on.

The change in lighting didn't affect him and when his eyes caught bright green he couldn't understand the reason his heart dropped.

"You left again, no notice, no warning - six months!"

Logan flinched, "Jean - "

Jean's eyes were dark when she hissed, "No! You can't keep doing this!"

Before, he would have smiled and teased her, asked her 'why not?' Would have tried to get her to admit her attraction, the attraction he smelled on her every single time he saw her. Now, he just wanted to see why it smelled so much like fucking cat.

Instead of dragging it out he merely responded, "Okay."

There was silence followed by a puzzled, "Okay?"

"Yep." And then he was stalking toward her, "No more disappearing in the night."

She took a step back just as her scent spiked, "Wait - what?"

"Talk to you later, good night." And then he was passing her and following that scent.

The closer he got to Kagome's room, the more dread filled him.

Because he knew that kitty stench.

Knew it and hated it.

And the only way it could be this strong other than the bastard actually being in the house, was if someone was coming in regular contact with him.

He didn't stop to knock.

He swung open the door and the smell hit him square in the face.

Sabretooth.

The moment he entered, she was sitting up in her bed. He slammed the door behind him and he heard the wall crack with the force of his anger. Why the fuck was that bastards scent on her? In her room? He could feel the anger coming like a storm, filling him up. The beast was howling, scratching, and banging against the door.

It took everything he had to stop growling, to make his vocal chords make human words, and when he spoke it was the guttural voice of the creature, "Explain." The girl looked shocked and didn't move so he said it again, louder, loud enough that she actually jumped, "Explain!"

And she knew what he was talking about, he saw it flash almost guilty in her eyes.

But there was no guilt in her voice when she responded, "I told you I might not be here." When he said nothing, she elaborated. "Turns out, there is another diluted youkai and he's more receptive to the truth."

He couldn't stop himself from barring his teeth and snapping them at her angrily, "But why?"

Kagome looked away and the hurt in her eyes made him ache to hold her and soothe away the pain but he didn't just understand why he wanted that. She was quiet and he took a step forward and her soft response made him pause, "Because you left and you just don't understand."

His frustration returned full force, "Then help me!"

"I submitted!" she cried out, her anger and frustration so, so clear and her voice thick, "Don't you feel it? I'm only human and I can feel it!"

"Feel what?"

Sayitsayitsayit.

Because he had a word for it but he didn't understand it.

"It's pack! I submitted and I'm pack and you're pack and you're supposed to take care of me like Inuyasha did! It's you!" her eyes were dark and filling with tears and her walls and barriers were breaking and crashing down so that the wildness in her eyes was clear. He didn't know who Inuyasha was and right now he just didn't care - he was more concerned with the feverish look that took over her features. "I had a pack and they're gone and dead! I can't be alone anymore! I can't! And you left me!"

There was silence in the room except for her harsh breathing.

She was calmer, her eyes still wild and such a dark blue they were almost black but she wasn't screaming, "Pack means everything... and I submitted."

And that raging beast inside him calmed and he was slowly starting to realize and understand and he couldn't seem to stop himself when he reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his scarred knuckles.

Whatever human was in him didn't - couldn't comprehend but the beast that paced behind the door was quiet when his skin touched her skin.

She launched herself into his arms and sniffled while he held her.

She felt like home.

And for the first time since her met her that was alright with him.

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'Gome Yuki:: SOOOO Yeah. This is it. It's a two shot. Maybe three shot. I don't know. I like the concept of Inuyasha teaching what he knows about life and his views of family. I like the idea of Kagome as a feral girl coming back from Feudal Japan. I also have a thing for Logan right now. There aren't enough Logan x Kagome fics. We'll see how this turns out. Review, ya? Love you guys!