Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with Inuyasha. I am respectfully borrowing them from their creator, Rumiko Takahashi, for use in my otherwise original stories.

A/N: I am sorry this chapter has taken me a while to get posted. I have been suffering from some majory writer's block, among other things. I will try to get future chapters out a little quicker. Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed. This is my first time ever posting a fanfiction and I really wasn't expecting to get such a great response. I am so glad that you all seem to be liking my story so far and I hope I don't disapoint you. Thanks again!

Chapter 3

To Kagome, it seemed like only moments later they were camped out in the woods with the mountains just on the horizon. It had all happened so quickly. She had underestimated just how eager Kouga would be to get started on this month vacation he had planned. The moment he saw her nod her head he had scooped her up into his arms and they were off. She felt bad for not having said goodbye to her friends, but she was sure that they would be able to figure out where she went. Inuyasha was not going to be happy about this. Then again, maybe it was better she hadn't had to tell him where she was going. She really just didn't have the energy to fight. She really didn't think Inuyasha wanted her for himself. It seemed more like he got jealous out of habit, as opposed to any real emotion. Either way, it was annoying and she was not sorry for missing the chance for him blow up over it, real or not.

Kagome was startled out of her thoughts as Kouga emerged into the circle of firelight, his arms loaded with extra firewood. She jumped up to try to help him, but before she got to him, he had set the load with ease.

"Thanks for trying to help," Kouga said sincerely.

"Heh, you'd think by now I would remember how strong demons are," Kagome said and smiled as she couldn't help but notice Kouga stand up a little straighter at the compliment.

Ego stroking accomplished, Kagome went to work setting up camp. She rolled out her sleeping bag, as Kouga worked to make sure the fire would last through the night. Once everything was accomplished, they faced the daunting task of trying to start a conversation. They ended up spending several minutes in awkward silence as each tried to think up something intelligent to say. It really wasn't any big surprise when Kagome spoke first.

"So how long do you think it will be before we reach your home?"

Grateful for a topic, Kouga responded, "Tomorrow will be our only full day of traveling. We will have to camp out that night, but then we should reach the den by early the next afternoon at the latest. We could make the whole trip in one day if we really wanted to push it, but I didn't figure we were in that much of a hurry."

"So if we aren't in that much of a hurry, why didn't you give me a chance to say bye to anyone? Hmm?" Kagome couldn't help, but tease him.

"Well, maybe I was just in a hurry to get you to myself." Kouga said slyly. Kagome was sure her face must be the color of a tomato and hoped with all her might that the glow of the fire would hide it.

"Really?" She tried to sound calm and cocky, "And just why would you be in a hurry for that?"

"So I could do this."

Kagome felt her eyes flutter as she felt his hand caress her cheek. It took all her willpower to keep her eyes open and look at his face. Her vision swam with sparkling blue eyes and for a split second, she thought she would faint. Then his lips were on hers and the world spun. It was not a passionate kiss, but it was warm and sweet and exactly what she had hoped her first real kiss would be. A heartbeat passed and it was over. As she felt Kouga pull away, she couldn't help but bring her hand to her lips, trying to relish the lingering memory of warmth she felt on them for as long as possible. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a look of happy smugness on Kouga's face, which could only be described as wolfish.

"Good night, my Kagome, we have a long month ahead of us." He walked to the nearest tree and settled himself, with his back towards it. He closed his eyes still smiling.

Kagome decided she should follow his example and curled into her sleeping bag. It took her a little while to fall asleep though with her mind still spinning from all the day's events.

It seemed like an eternity that Kouga sat with his eyes closed, listening to her breathing. Finally, he heard the rhythmic sounds of breath that let him know she had fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and looked over at her sleeping form. He wanted to memorize everything about how she looked at this moment. He smiled as he thought about their brief kiss. How soon would he get to do that again? Kouga hoped there would be much more to come. He finally fell asleep dreaming of kissing his sweet Kagome.

Kagome woke up with the sun shining in her eyes. She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes, and looked around. Kouga paused in the middle of his morning exercises to watch her. He loved how looked all groggy and mussed up. She was just so cute it was all he could do not to start laughing and hug her.

Unaware of his amusement, Kagome smiled when she saw Kouga watching her.

"Good morning." She said cheerily.

"Good morning, you seem to have slept well." Kouga replied.

"Oh yes, there is something about sleeping under the stars that has always seemed to agree with me."

"You should sleep great at the den then. We may not have a lot of what you would consider luxuries, but we have an excellent view of the stars."

"I guess I should get up and get dressed already." Kagome said and she grabbed her pack and headed for an area of thick bushes. "No peaking."

Kouga just smiled wolfishly and watched as she disappeared from sight. A few minutes later Kouga was surprised when she emerged in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Noticing his expression, Kagome asked, "What is that look for?"

"I don't think I have ever seen you wear anything other then that strange uniform of yours."

"I do own other clothes you know." She said slightly annoyed.

"I really didn't. I think I like this even better though. So what do the rest of your clothes look like?"

"You will just have to wait and see."

"I can't wait." Kouga said mischievously and then went back to his exercises.

While Kouga was busy, Kagome ate a quick breakfast of granola bars and dried fruit from her pack. After she was finished, she loaded all of her belongings, back into her backpack and was ready to go by the time Kouga finished.

The rest of the day was a blur as she clung to Kouga's back. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used the speed with which he traveled. She was thankful that at least his running made for a much smoother ride then Inuyasha's leaping from tree to tree did. As the sun began to ride low on the horizon, Kouga finally stopped at a clearing next to a gurgling stream.

"This will be a good spot to make camp." He said as he allowed Kagome to slip down to stand on the ground.

She tried to stretch the cramps from her legs and back and then looked around. Kouga definitely had a knack for picking places with pretty scenery at least. She noticed traces of an old fire pit in the middle of the clearing. "Have you been here before?" she asked the prince curiously.

"Yeah, I have stayed her a few times. Aside from being a good resting point between my den and your village, it is also right along the border of my tribe's territory. I found this place during one of my early patrols."

"Wow, I guess I never realized how much land you were in charge of."

"Yeah, sometimes it is a little surprising even to me. If I go hunting, will you be okay to get a fire started?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am actually really good at making camp." Kagome was still half-lost in thought as she answered Kouga's question. She barely noticed as he slipped out into the forest. She had realized that he was the prince of the southern wolf tribe, but never really grasped the reality of all that it entailed. He actually had lands and not just the mountains where his den was either. He had people dependent on him for their safety. She was being courted by a prince. She still wasn't sure what all of this meant in wolf terms, but it was impressive nonetheless. How had this never sunk in before? He was just Kouga, flirty, cocky, and sometimes thick headed, but always good-natured, Kouga. She shook her head and started to set up camp.

By the time, Kouga returned with she had the camp set up and the fire going. She even had a pot of boiling water and herbs already set over the fire just ready and waiting to cook up a nice stew with whatever Kouga brought back. As it happened, he returned with two medium sized rabbits thrown over his shoulder. Suddenly Kagome's stomach began to growl loudly.

"Hee hee, excuse me," she said blushing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I forgot how often humans have to eat. I should have stopped sooner for you." Kouga replied, mentally kicking himself for not starting their time together better. He was supposed to be impressing her with his thoughtfulness and he hadn't even managed to keep her fed. "Just give me a second to get these skinned and we will be eating in no time okay?"

"Kouga, it's okay really. I really didn't realize how hungry I was until I started smelling all the herbs in the stew. The rabbit is going to be just perfect in it. I am glad you are such a good hunter."

When the rabbits were fully skinned, Kagome took them from Kouga and plopped them into the pot to cook. It wasn't long before they were both enjoying a tasty dinner.

"So, what is your pack like? I have never spent much time around any of them except Ginta and Hakaku."

Kouga thought for a moment before he answered, "We are a family. There are many different personalities and some of them get along better then others, but everyone helps and cares for the wellbeing of everyone else. It is great the way they all work together. It isn't like human villages where one person owns a lot and another person lives in poverty. Everything belongs to everyone and everyone is expected to work to help out the tribe."

"So what will I be doing while I am staying? I want to make a good impression on everyone."

"Well, cooking for one thing, this is delicious." Kouga said as he held out his bowl for a second helping of the stew.

"Thanks, it has taken a few years, but I think I have finally gotten the hand of cooking by campfire." Kagome replied blushing slightly at the compliment. "So what else, I can't earn their respect simply by cooking."

Pausing between bites Kouga replied, "We are pretty traditional when it comes to the division of duties. The men do the hunting, repairs, and guard duties. The women, well they cook, clean, and work on the gardens. I am not sure how they get everything done, but I will get them to show you the ropes. We all take turns watching the pups during the day. That is another difference between humans and us. The children are raised by the entire community and by both men and women."

So far, this all sounded like stuff Kagome could adapt to pretty easily. She was especially curious to see the garden. It had never occurred to her that wolves could farm.

"Um, Kagome, there is one thing we need to discuss that you may not like."

A little worried Kagome asked, "There is? Well what is it?"

"Well, you have given me permission to court you for the next month, right?"

Kagome nodded.

"According to our culture that means that you are not my mate yet, but you are my woman. I know you hate it when I call you that, but if I don't refer to you that way, the other males will think you are still fair game and unattached. Even in human cultures I have noticed that it is customary for a man to defend his right to exclusively court a woman he is interested in."

Kagome found his nervousness rather endearing and couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Kouga, it is okay."

"Really?"

"Back home they call it being boyfriend and girlfriend. It means that while we aren't married, err-mated, or even promised to be yet, we are not available for advances from anyone else. I can adjust to being thought of as your woman, so long as it is understood that I am not promising anything more then that for the time being and I have the right to change my mind whenever I have cause."

"That sounds perfect," Kouga was so relieved he couldn't help but wrap Kagome up in his arms. He laid his cheek on top of her head and said almost in a whisper, "My woman."

Blushing from head to toe, Kagome's immediate response was to try to pull away, but his arms felt so good and she was his woman after all. Perhaps it would be okay to stay like this for just a little while longer. Shyly Kagome slid her arms around his waste as well and the two of them stayed like that for a few more moments. Kouga was relishing the feel of her against him when he noticed that she hadn't moved or spoken in a while. He looked down at her to make sure she was okay only to find that she was fast asleep. Pour thing, he though, she must be exhausted.

Kouga lifted her up carefully and laid her down in her sleeping bag. After tucking her in and placing a single his on her forehead, he set himself to keep watch for the night.