A/N: One question: long or short chapter?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. And please don't make me spell more Japanese names than I have to. I have to do quite a bit of research to make sure I'm not embarrassed in front of the Japanese crowd, you know.

I don't speak Japanese. When I say "mom" or whatever, just pretend I'm saying "okaasan" or whatever. Because I say why add too many words of a language you don't even know?

By the way, do any of you find those little skits at the beginning entertaining? Just wondering.

Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter One: Kouga's Problem

oOo

He wiped the beads of sweat which had gathered on his forehead and below his lower lip. How could they do this? His own parents! Throwing him out of the pack just because he couldn't find a mate?

Kouga sat on the bank of a small creek, and washed his face with the cool water, feeling the refreshing water run down his face as he thought. "And don't return until you find a Queen for your pack!" His father had shouted at him, as he was pushed out of the den. It would have been very comic, but the fact that it actually happened didn't make it funny to him at all.

Kouga's parents had come all the way to his den to see how things were going. At first Kouga was ecstatic, barking at Ginta and Hakkaku to bring meat and water, and to place the fur on the den floor. But then… the inevitable question. He had said that he had found one, and they did seem happy with him, put when the "mate" didn't materialize before them, they got mighty angry.

Kouga winced. So his parents were going to stay and lord over his pack while he was thrown out. "And we'll do it for all eternity if we have to!"

He sighed. There was no choice. He had to go and join them. And hopefully, Kagome will be his before long. Kouga let another sigh escape from his lips, and put his face on his fists, daydreaming about his woman.

oOo

"You're not going anywhere, wench!" The brash voice of Inuyasha rang out through the forest. "I'm going home, Inuyasha, and you're not following me!" She shouted at him, her face red with fury.

"I'll be damned if I let you go there again! Didn't you go there just two weeks ago!" Inuyasha yelled back. "What's your problem anyway! I'm coming back tomorrow, aren't I!" "Naraku won't wait for you bitch!" He yelled.

As their not-too-quiet argument continued, Sango, Miroku and Shippou were sitting in Kaede's hut, enjoying a cup of tea. They could hear everything, even though they were far away from the well. When they heard the inevitable "SIT!" and the thump after that, they knew Kagome had gone.

After she had finished with her tea, Sango stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going out or a walk." With that, she stepped out into the bright sun.

As she headed for the creek that ran through the village, she saw someone was already sitting in her favorite spot. She slowly walked towards it, enjoying the feeling of grass beneath her bare feet.

When she came close enough for a good look, she was surprised to see none other than Kouga, who was looking very haggard, as if he hadn't had a bath for days. He was running his hand through the water, looking quite dejected.

"Hey Kouga, what brings you here?" she asked, sitting beside him. He jumped in surprise, and looked towards her. "I want to see Kagome, it's important," he said. Sango immediately became concerned. "What happened?" she questioned him. He then told her the whole story, looking pitiful as he rambled on.

Sango was getting quite worried by this time. She had never seen Kouga like this. Kouga was always the epitome of confidence, a smirk always on his lips. But now he looked like he was going to have a breakdown. He must really be close to his parents, to be disturbed by them like that.

"…but they're right. It is springtime, mating season for us, and Kagome is the perfect choice, and I love her…" Sango nodded, and then realized what he said.

"What!"

"I said it's mating season –"

"No, after that,"

"I said I love Kagome."

Sango smiled faintly. Kagome was going to get an earful next time they had a bath…

"Hey Sango," Kouga said suddenly. "Yeah?" Sango asked, shaken out of her reverie. "Can you help me to get Kagome to love me?" he said bluntly. Sango gaped at him. "Wha –" "It'll be perfect, you're her best friend, right? You can tell me what she likes and stuff," he was looking at her earnestly. "Uh, I can't promise you, but what the hell, I'll try," Sango said. 'But what about Inuyasha? Doesn't Kagome like him?' Sango thought. 'Whoever she likes, (it's obvious that she likes Inuyasha) I'm sure she'll make the right choice,' she reassured herself. Besides, how could she say no to Kouga who was looking so sad?

"Does that mean you'll be with us?" she said. "Well, if you could have me, I mean, I have no home, at least temporarily…" he babbled. Sango smiled and nodded, signaling that it was okay. Kouga immediately lit up, and smiled back at her. "Thanks, Sango," he added gratefully.

"Come on, we better go to Kaede's hut and tell the others." Sango got up. "Don't tell Kagome, alright?" Kouga said. Sango looked at him, and nodded. He wanted her help, but wanted to do the main part on his own. She respected that.

As they headed back to Kaede's hut, Kouga held out his arm to stop Sango. "I smell dog," he said. And not too long after that, the said dog landed in front of them. "What the hell are you doing here, you wimpy wolf!" he shouted, happy to vent out his anger at someone who couldn't smash his face into the ground without any effort.

"It's none of your business, dog shit. I came here for my woman. By the way, where is she? Don't tell me she got kidnapped or something, you good for nothing –"

"She isn't kidnapped, but I'm sure she wouldn't want to see your crappy face!" Inuyasha growled. Kouga took up a fighting stance. "Oh yeah, well I don't know how she can stand you, you flea infested mongrel!"

"You take that back, you bastard!"

"Make me!"

"STOP IT, YOU TWO!"

Both men turned to look at Sango. She colored, and muttered, "well, I don't think Kagome would like you two fighting very much." Kouga immediately straightened up and said, "of course, I wouldn't want to do anything to upset my woman, even if it meant rubbing shoulders with dog turd." Sango looked shocked. Kouga had never given up the chance to fight with Inuyasha! So he must be serious about Kagome. She gave him a meaningful look and an encouraging smile, indicating that he was going the right way.

Inuyasha's face had become red and had ballooned up. "Well, so what! She's not here right now, is she? So bring it on, crap face." He rolled up his sleeved and bared his fangs.

"Inuyasha, you better not. He's going to be with us now." Sango dropped the bomb. And oh hell did it make a spectacular blast. Shippou learnt some colorful words that day.

After he had cooled down, (well, not actually, he had just paused to take a breath in between cursing Kouga) Sango hurriedly said, "Why don't we let Kagome decide if Kouga should stay with us?" She was putting all the weight on Kagome, which seemed to influence these men a lot. Inuyasha grumbled and shut up. Kagome would of course not allow this mangy wolf to live with them. He smirked and stuffed his hands inside his sleeves as they walked.

Kouga smiled too, though for a different reason. He believed that his would-be mate would let him live with her.

They reached Kaede's hut. As they were about to go in, Miroku stepped out. He looked at them, and just stood. Inuyasha and Kouga were on either side of Sango, who was smiling slightly. His eyes wandered over Sango's kimono, which was slightly grass-stained, and Kouga, whose clothes were not in the best of conditions, and Inuyasha, whose haori was ruffled. He smirked and said, "So what exactly was going on while I was in there? Don't tell me -"

Before he could continue, Sango made a fist and bonked Miroku on the head. Kouga looked quite concerned for the houshi, while Inuyasha merely walked inside. After all, it was an everyday incident.

After the monk had convinced the bump on his head to retreat, everything had been explained to Kaede, Shippou and him. Miroku wondered what Kagome would do when she'd find out. All in all, this was an interesting development.

There was an uneasy silence that night as they ate around the fire. Inuyasha was glaring at Kouga, who had gotten to know that Kagome had gone home and would come back in the morning. But exactly where her home was was what he wanted to know. But they hadn't replied. They had left it all up to Kagome.

Sango felt sorry for her. She would have a lot of things to sort out when she came out of the well.

oOo

Kagome clambered out of the well quickly, and ran to her house. Inuyasha wasn't going to stop her! She had come back because she had gotten tired of sleeping on the floor all the time, and she knew it was time to go back when she began dreaming about her bed.

As she entered the house, she shouted, "Hey I'm back!" No one replied. She looked around, disappointed that no one seemed to take much interest in her arrival. On the fridge she found a note stuck to the door with the help of those cheesy fruit-shaped magnets. She took it off and read it.

Kagome –

We've gone camping to the woods. Be back in about a week. If you want supplies, they're in the lower right cabinet. Sorry for not telling you, but you were gone for the longest time and it is summer holidays. Hope you're not feeling bad. Bye sweetie, and enjoy!

Mom

She crumpled it up and threw it in the dustbin, slightly angry. How could they go off without telling her? Scratch that; how can they go off without her? But on the other hand, she was kind of ignoring them when she went off to the Feudal Era. It would be tying them down if she got angry at them over this.

She sighed. She missed them so much, and now that they were gone, she missed them even more. Just the thought that she could see them whenever she wanted was cheering, but now she could see them only after a week.

She went and sat on the couch and inhaled some mindless shows on the TV. After a while, she went off to sleep on the couch itself and the TV auto shut itself off after half an hour.

oOo

She found herself on the dry maple leaf covered forest ground. She was feeling heavy, and couldn't move. Her whole body ached as she tried with all her might to just move a finger, or a toe… to blink, even.

As her eyes began to water and started to ache, a red and silver blob materialized before her. She moved her eyeballs form side to side, trying to clear her vision. Suddenly they stopped paining, and her vision cleared, even though she still couldn't blink her eyes. She looked up to meet Inuyasha's eyes, but the molten gold orbs weren't looking at her.

As he walked right past her, she realized he couldn't even see her. "Inuyasha!" she tried to say, but the words died down in her throat, for Kikyou had graced them with her presence.

'Oh no, not again, please no…' she thought, her vision becoming blurry again, as she started to sob silently. But she didn't have to see the rest to know what was going to happen. She had had these dreams for a long time, but every time it hurt. Every time, because she knew that it was true. She knew that Inuyasha would never return her love, and that he would forever be chained down to Kikyou.

As soon as she was allowed to move, she curled up into a fetal position, and sobbed into her knees, waiting to wake up. But she didn't. Instead, a shadow fell on her, and she looked up. It was a man. "Inu… yasha?" she muttered. But it wasn't. The man stood before her, somehow warming up the very surroundings. She kept looking, but she couldn't make out who it was.

Suddenly, the light behind the man brightened. As she covered her eyes, she saw that the man had gone, but in his place, she saw something. It was a brown head band. The man had taken it off and had thrown it down before he had run off with unnatural speed.

oOo

Kagome woke up with a jolt. Her body was still aching, but she knew that it was because she had fallen asleep on the couch, her head on the armrest. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, and looked at the circular clock on the wall. Eleven o'clock. She was supposed to have gone to the Feudal Era already, but she just couldn't lift herself up.

She turned on her back, and stared at the ceiling. The dream she had had last night… it was different from the others. The man was never there before… the man, who went by the name of Kouga, the Wolf Prince. 'But why now?' he thought. 'Why did Kouga of all people appear in my dream? Does it have a meaning?' she thought, but shook it off as being too superstitious. Grandpa's influence.

She heaved herself off of the couch, but as she began to walk to the bathroom, she lost her balance and stumbled, but didn't fall down. She went down on her knees. 'I'm not feeling very well…' she groaned. She got up again, and went to the medicine cabinet this time. She took out a thermometer.

Hundred and three. Great. Now was the perfect time to have a fever, ne? When Inuyasha is extra angry with her and no one at home. She stuffed the thermometer back into the cabinet and went up to her bedroom, where she planned to have a bath anyway and go to the Feudal Era. But the bed looked too inviting, and she couldn't help herself. Before she even hit the pillow, she was sleeping like a log.

oOo

'Where the fuck is she? It's already noon!' Inuyasha thought, pacing beside the well. He was still debating with himself whether he should go after her or not, when crap face's scent assaulted his nose.

He turned in the direction where the scent was the strongest. Not long after, Kouga appeared before him. "What the hell do you want, asshole?" he asked, ever graceful. "I want to see Kagome, where is she? I have the right to know where my woman lives, dog turd!" Kouga wasn't the one to be polite either.

"Well, why don't I show you?" Inuyasha said, smirking. He would jump down the well and disappear, while Kouga would look like a fool standing in the well all by himself. Inuyasha and Kagome were the only ones who could use the well, after all.

"That would be the best choice for your safety," Kouga said. "Take me to Kagome's hut!" Inuyasha growled and leapt into the well. Kouga couldn't help but look surprised, as Inuyasha went down an old well, of all the places. He walked to the edge and peered down. When he didn't see Inuyasha, he started to wonder. Was it a trap? 'But even if it is a trap, I can handle it,' he thought, and jumped down the well.

He landed on his feet on the floor of the well, which was covered with bones. But as he started to take in the surroundings, it was filled with a blue glow, and the ground disappeared.

A/N: Well, how was it? REVIEW AND TELL ME, WHY DON'T YOU!