Sup?

Kagome and Kouga were sitting at the table early the next morning, a cup of coffee in front of both of them. She had her hands wrapped around the mug, letting the warmth seep into her fingers. They were discussing what they should do, or trying to at least. It was very early in the morning, after all, and Kagome was still exhausted, not really having the best rest. She had nightmares throughout the night, so she didn't get much sleep, thus the coffee she slowly brought up to her lips and took a long drink of.

"I think maybe now would be a good time for me to go home.. just for a couple days." She eyed Kouga's reaction carefully. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked at her with a hint of concern. "I've been meaning to visit my family anyway.. and I highly doubt they would follow me all the way to Tokyo."

Kouga frowned slightly. "Can I at least send someone with you? Just to be safe?"

Kagome bristled, her lips thinning into a straight line and her grip on the coffee mug tightened. "I really don't think that's necessary. Again, I appreciate the concern but I'm just... I'm not comfortable being followed around like that."

His frown deepened and he let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, sorry I just..."

"I know.."

A bit of an awkward silence settled between the two of them. Kagome averted her eyes as she took another slow sip of coffee. Kouga reached for his mug and took a sip as well. Kagome set her mug down and cupped her hands around it once more, staring at the wall for a couple seconds before turning back to face Kouga. "I was considering bringing Shippou with me, but he starts at his new school tomorrow and I don't wanna delay him any longer." She waited for him to look at her, and when he did, she smiled at him. "And I don't want you to be lonely... and I trust you to take care of him."

He returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, of course I will." Her smile widened and his softened. However, in the back of his mind, he was trying to figure out her scent. There was, of course, fear, sadness, and a slight hint of anger in her scent, but that sugary sweet smell was there too, something that would spike at, what seemed like, random. He still couldn't figure out any context to this scent, and it was a constant mix in her natural scent now. It's not that he minded the change, it smelled good, great even, but he was just frustrated that he couldn't figure it out.

It was then that Kagome's phone buzzed on the table next to her. She jumped slightly, not expecting it, and then reached for the device. It was from Kikyo. She unlocked her phone and read the message, her smile dropping into a smaller one. "Alright, Kikyo isn't upset with me for canceling today. That gives me the day to get ready and pack, I guess."

Kouga nodded. He didn't want her to go, but he knew this would be best, until things calmed down somewhat. Despite this, it didn't make it any easier for him to let her go. Kagome rose from her spot at the table, drawing the wolf out of his thoughts. He looked up at her as she stretched, then snapped back into a normal standing position.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get started. Would you mind making Shippou some breakfast when he wakes up?" she asked.

"No, of course I don't mind." he replied, giving her a warm smile. She returned it with one of her own, that sugary smell increasing in the most intoxicating way. She then disappeared into the hallway, and he listened as her door opened and closed with a soft click.

He immediately brought his elbows up to rest on the table and buried his face in his hands. His beast was pacing, running laps in his head, gnashing its fangs and ready to taste blood. It was still all riled up from yesterday and kept pushing him to do something. It didn't really seem to care what, as long as he either chose between chasing down the thunder youkai and making them wish they had never been born, or scent marking Kagome, finding some way to claim her as his and thus ward off any and all other youkai. It was taking everything in him to control the beast, and this change in Kagome's scent wasn't helping. It just seemed to make things worse and he wasn't sure why.

His claws dug into his scalp, but he was careful to not draw blood; he didn't need Kagome worrying over him. She had bigger, more important things to worry about, like her safety. His wolf growled at him, urging him to keep her here. This was their den. This was safe. She needed to be next to him at all times.

Kouga held back the snarl that threatened to rip through his chest. There was no point in arguing with himself. The wolf would want one thing, and he would want another. What was most important at this point was doing what Kagome thought was best. He had hurt her and he needed to make up for that. So, he would do whatever she wanted. If she asked it of him, she could consider it done. He would do whatever it takes to make her happy, safe, and make up for the hurt he caused.

..::YatM::..

Kagome and Kouga had just dropped Shippou off at school and were heading to the train station. It had been a bit teary, mostly on Kagome's end, watching Shippou go into the school building. Normally, the kit would've walked on his own to school, but Kagome had wanted to see him off on his first day, and also make sure he knew the way. Shippou was, of course, very sad that Kagome would be gone for a little while, but he had also been buzzing with excitement, eager to make friends, and thus had broken from the miko fairly easily. Kagome wasn't hurt by it, though; she knew how excited the kit had been to start school again. She knew it must be nice to get back to some semblance of normalcy.

Kouga had insisted on carrying her bags, even though she only had two and one was a roller and she could've easily dragged it behind them herself. However, she hadn't fought the wolf on it, knowing there was no point. They made their way to the train station in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't completely comfortable either. It was some kind of.. odd mix of the two. Kagome didn't want to open her mouth and possibly say something she'd regret before she went away for, at least, several days. Meanwhile, Kouga was distracted with her scent. He kept trying to pinpoint what this new smell was, but it muddied his senses in a way he's never experienced before. It made things a lot harder for him.. He wanted to talk to her, ask her what was on her mind, hoping it would help sort everything out, but he was scared. He didn't want to slip up again; he needed to stay on her good side and he needed to make up for what he did.

They both let out a soft sigh at, relatively, the same time. They both had so much to say, but no way to articulate it. They both were at war with themselves and their emotions. They both wanted to stay with each other. They both were head over heels.

The train station was fast approaching, and Kagome felt a small spark of panic rise in her. She didn't want to leave, not just yet... She pulled her phone out of her pocket and released a small breath of relief. They had some time before her train arrived.

They made their way into the station and took a seat on a bench nearby. Kagome pulled her lower lip between her teeth, gnawing on it but taking care not to draw blood or cause any real damage. She had so much she wanted to say...

"Thank you." The words scared the both of them. Kagome certainly hadn't expected her mouth to act on its own accord.

Kouga looked down at her, a smile working its way onto his face. She could see the hint of nervousness hidden in it. "What for?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I... I dunno. I guess just... a mix of everything?" He raised an eyebrow and Kagome let out a weak laugh. She was going to have to use her words. "I know that I've been upset with you the past couple days, which I think is reasonable," she said, quick to defend her feelings even though she knew she didn't have to with him. He sat patiently and waited for her to continue. Kagome let out a small huff. "But, you've done a lot for me.. and I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for it."

Kouga went to open his mouth, but she was quick to stop him. "And don't you say, 'it's nothing', it's not nothing. It..." Her eyes shifted away for a moment as she tried to fight the blush threatening to stain her cheeks. Strawberries began to weave into the growing sugary sweet smell. "It means a lot to me... You-" She stopped herself there, sealing her lips shut and pulling her hand away from his arm and turning away from Kouga slightly. When had she reached out for him?

His eyes widened as his mind began to race. What... Was she about to...? Before he could open his mouth to speak, her train arrived. Kagome quickly shot up from the bench and gathered her bags. She started to walk away, but turned around with a wide smile, cheeks stained pink.

"And thank you for carrying my bags. I could've done it myself but... well.. Thank you." With a small wave, she stepped onto the train and he watched, still unable to move, still unable to speak, as the doors closed and the train began to leave. That sweet, sugary, intoxicating smell lingered where she had been, lingered all around him. It was then that it all seemed to click. Did she... return his feelings? A huge grin started to spread across his face as he pieced it all together. He didn't want to get his hopes up, just in case he was wrong, but he was about 90% sure that Kagome felt the same way about him, and the wolf had never been happier.

..::YatM::..

"So, you're running away?"

Kagome let out a sigh, tucking her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she adjusted her bag on her other shoulder. She had just gotten off the train when Sango called her and started accusing her of running away from her problems.

"I'm not running away. I just need some time to think... and I need to see my family."

There was a small pause before the slayer replied, deadpanned, "So you're running away."

"I'll hang up on you, you know."

"Alright alright, fine. Jeeze..."

A smile worked its way onto her face and she let out a small chuckle. "Aren't you supposed to be catching criminals or something?" she teased.

"Not today, I have the day off." Sango sounded quite pleased and smug.

"That's great! Gives you some time to relax."

Sango hummed her agreement. "So, how long are you running away for?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Again, I'm not running away, and I'm just going to be here for a couple of days, a week max."

"Well, it'll be nice to see your family and relax for a while."

"Yeah, it really will be. I'm gonna miss Shippou, but you know I can't take him from school."

"Yeah, I understand."

There was a small pause here and Kagome nibbled on her lower lip as she waited for the signal for the crosswalk. "So... can I talk to you about something? And don't you dare tease me about it either!"

"What is it Kagome?" To Sango's credit, she sounded genuinely concerned.

Kagome shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she tried to find her words. "So... Kouga walked me to the train station, of course, and.. well... I kind of... almost confessed to him."

There was a pause and Kagome could just see the smile that she knew was working its way onto her best friend's face. "Oh really?"

"You promised, Sango."

"I don't remember promising anything. I just asked what was wrong."

Kagome groaned, running a hand down her face as she crossed the street. "Sango please. Work with me here..."

"Alright alright. So, what happened?" she asked. Kagome was grateful that the slayer let it go.

Taking in a deep breath, Kagome then began to explain everything that happened over the past couple days, from the day of the attack to just about an hour or so ago. Sango stayed quiet for the most part as the miko explained, letting her get everything out and only providing sounds of confirmation. Kagome was grateful for that. Once she was done explaining, there was a bit of a pause. Kagome chewed on her lower lip nervously.

"Well…that certainly is quite… eventful." Sango finally said.

"Yeah.. It's been pretty crazy."

Sango hummed, and Kagome could tell that her best friend was deep in thought. "I'm going to see what I can do… put this new information in the case we have. I know you said you don't want me taking this one, but this is pretty serious Kagome. I think the department is going to need my skills on this one, regardless of what you wish of me."

Kagome frowned. She was afraid this would happen… She knew that Sango was even more stubborn than she was at times, so she knew there would be no point in arguing with her. The miko let out a sigh, stopping in front of the steps that led up to the shrine, her home. "Alright…. I know I can't stop you, just.. be careful okay? They're dangerous… and I think there might be more than just them. Manten talked about getting demoted… So I don't know what's going on exactly, but it might be bigger than we initially thought."

"Did you tell anyone else this?"

"Gods no. If I told Kouga he never would've let me leave."

"That's fair… but you should probably let him know at some point. He's a wolf youkai after all. You know how protective they can be."

"I.. I don't actually."

There was a small pause before she heard Sango let out a small breath. "You remember how protective and jealous Inuyasha would get over you?" Kagome frowned, not really wanting to remember, but she nodded, remembered she was on the phone and let out a hum of agreement. "Wolves are 10 times worse."

Kagome's frown deepened. "I see…." It certainly explained a lot.

"I don't believe he's reached that point with you yet, but if you do confess to him and you guys start dating, expect him to be worse than Inuyasha was. Just.. putting it out there so you know. And you know if you have any questions you can always ask me. It's not easy dating youkai."

"No kidding.."

"It'll be alright Kagome. I promise."

A small smile soon replaced her frown. "Thanks Sango. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk later."

And with that they hung up. Kagome stared at her phone screen for a couple moments before letting out a sigh, shoving the device in her pocket before turning her attention to the stairs in front of her. She was finally home… It felt like it had been years… She started to make her way up the steps; the trek was a bit longer than Sanko Shrine, but because she's had a lot of practice recently, with her training and all, she made the trip with ease. She was only slightly winded when she reached the top of the steps, wiping a bit of sweat off of her forehead with the sleeve of her cardigan.

The shrine looked just the same as it had last time she visited. A grin broke out across her face as she stepped forward, approaching the house. Gods she had missed home… Before she even reached the halfway point to the house, the door burst open and out stepped her grandpa, waving sage around.

"Begone, youkai!" Kagome snorted, some things never changed. He paused mid-action, squinting as he looked in her direction. "Kagome? Is that you? Why do you have a youkai aura around you, girl?" he asked, demanding and angry.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's good to see you too Grandpa." she replied, walking towards him. When she reached him, she bent down slightly to wrap her arms around him. He let out a huff and returned her hug. When she pulled away, she looked at the sage in his hand. "Grandpa… you didn't even light it? How are you supposed to do a smudge when you didn't even light it?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

His mouth opened as if to reply, then he closed it. He stood there for a couple moments before pointing accusingly at her. "Why haven't you come to visit sooner? We were all worried about you, you know!"

Kagome laughed heartily and walked past her grandfather, entering the house behind him. She could hear him calling after her, but she just rolled her eyes. He'd calm down in a moment. As she entered the kitchen, she saw her mother turn around from the sink to look at what was causing all the commotion. "Kagome! You're home! It's so good to see you!" She dried her hands quickly before approaching her daughter.

"Mama…" Kagome's eyes welled with tears as she met her mother halfway, the two enveloping each other in a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much, Mama…"

"I've missed you too, sweetie."

With one last squeeze, the two parted but still held each other at arm's length, smiling warmly at each other, her mother squeezing her arms gently, reassuringly. It made Kagome feel safe, happy, at home. A couple tears spill down her cheeks. Kagome could hear her grandpa shuffle in, muttering under his breath. She'd cheer him up later with dinner. "I have so much to tell you about…"