Tap. Tap. Bang.

She grumbled.

Bang. Tap. Tap.

She shifted.

Tap. Bang. Tap.

Groggy, Kagome opened her eyes. Unfortunately for her, the strange and annoying sound was not in her dreams; it was reality. She kicked her blankets off and fixed up her pyjamas before exiting her bedroom. She made it downstairs fairly quickly but all she found was her mother cooking.

And the ever present banging -and tapping- noise.

"Morning dear!"

"Morning," she said as she found a seat. "What is that noise?"

"Kouga and the others," she happily answered.

"Kouga?"

"Yes, they're fixing the roof for us remember?"

Oh right. They promised that right before the weekend. So much happened since then that it slipped her mind.

"I'm making them some food and lemonade to thank them."

Lemonade? Kagome twisted her neck to try and look at the time; it was already eleven o'clock. She did not even get home very late after the little celebration but she did struggle to find rest. Perhaps it was because the few days in the forest messed her up and took her back to the good old days. It was funny considering that back then all she dreamed of was her bed and now it seemed uncomfortable…or maybe it was the company she missed…

"Why don't you get dress and join them for lunch?" her mother offered. Granted she did not have breakfast yet but she might as well do a brunch.

It would seem weird if she did not go see them… not that she was trying to avoid them or anything. Things were fine. The party went great and she even stopped feeling warm because of the wolf juice rather quickly. She even got to reconnect with some of the other wolves. After all, during the trips some of them spent their time in their wolf form and so she did not get to talk to them at all. Also, nobody spilled beer on her which was a good plus.

"I will," she said before pushing herself up and heading upstairs.

Kagome quickly shuffled through her clothes before picking her yellow dress and her little blue top. Since her hair was a bit of a mess, she chose to wrap it up in a ponytail. She gave herself one quick glance before returning downstairs. Her mother was already waiting for her with lemonade on a tray along with glasses and bowls of mushroom noodles. Kagome took the bowls and her mother the lemonade and then headed outside. The sounds became louder as they got there. They put everything down on the table and then Kagome raised her head to try and spot them.

All she could see were naked hunched backs.

"We have food and drinks if you would like a break," Miyu said while blocking the sun from her eyes.

Those words seemed to attract everyone's attention since no more sounds were heard. Ginta and Hakkaku were the first to slide down and jump off, quite excited, and then a wolf name Kiyo came down and Kouga was the last one - and he used the ladder.

"It's called blending in," he said with a shake of his head. "Humans don't jump off roofs."

"Sorry, it just smelled so good," Ginta explained as he sniffed in the scents.

"Have at it," Miyu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi," they nearly all said in unison.

Everybody went for the food but Kouga decided to approach Kagome. "Good mornin'! I hope we didn't wake ya. Your mom said we should start."

"It's fine. I overslept."

"Hey SIS!" Hakkaku screamed. Apparently the food distracted them from noticing her presence.

"Hey," she greeted back before turning her head back to look at Kouga. "So how's it going. With the roof."

"Good, it shouldn't take us too long."

"Thank you for doing this."

"It's the least we could do, trust me. Plus your mom's cooking smells and tastes amazing."

He flashed her a smile before joining everybody else at the table. She shyly did the same, taking a seat beside Kouga and across the other three guys. They seemed to rapidly devour their food while she slowly ate hers.

"Hey, sis are you busy tonight?"

Even though Ginta only spoke to Kagome both her and Kouga raised their head. Kouga's eyebrows were raised while he carefully waited for Kagome's reply.

"Hm, no."

"You should come over! We'll do a movie night."

Kouga blinked but said nothing and Ginta kept on ignoring him. "Some of the wolves left yesterday. They found an apartment."

Sometimes she forgot they did not all lived there permanently; it was very natural to see them all together.

"It'd be quieter than the other times."

"I don't mind the noises and the people." She welcomed it.

"So you'll come?" Hakkaku chipped in.

Her eyes traveled from Ginta's brown orbs to Kouga's icy blue ones. His expression was neutral despite the tiny smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "You guys already invite me over all the time. I don't want you to feel like you have to."

"We don't," Kouga hurried to say before frowning. "We love having you over."

His sincere tone convinced her. "I'd love to." She gazed away from Kouga and looked at Ginta instead. "Thank you for inviting me."

Kouga could not have been the one to invite her since he held no knowledge of any movie night. They never occurred before and he certainly never thought they would host one. He did not object to Kagome's presence in their house, on the contrary, but he did reckon that bit of a heads up might have been appreciated. Especially considering how he was caught off guard. The last thing he needed was for Kagome to think he did not enjoy it when she was around.

Ginta accepted the fact that a small talk between him and Kouga was to happen later on. It was worth it. Kouga was a friendly person who talked with everyone within the pack. However, since their little reunion with Kagome, their leader nearly only spoke with her. That probably led to her confused reaction the other night. Although, they welcomed it since it proved them right. Kagome might very well be open to something else than a simple friendship. The only problem was, if they left it up to Kouga, it would get nowhere.

They made sure to pick a casual activity that could be enjoyed by all of them. Plus, a movie night was not very hard to pull off and it could turn out to be very intimate right? At first, Kouga would block all their requests to leave the two of them alone, he was sure of it, but eventually they would find a way to make it look like a sort of date. At least, that was the plan Hakkaku and Ginta came up with so far.

Meanwhile, Kagome giggled.

Everyone glanced her way, intrigued.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I can't really picture all of you sitting on a couch eating popcorn."

She was not the only one.

Though now she reminded them not to forget about the popcorn… and other drinks that were not alcohol.

"We do more human stuff than you think," Kiyo offered as an explanation. From the moment Ginta suggested a movie night, he knew something was up and he had an idea why hence his reasoning behind playing along.

"All I've seen so far is partying and running around in the forest." There was nothing wrong with it but they seemed like the same old wild wolves bunch to her.

"We work sometimes!" Hakkaku defended. "We even go groceries shopping."

She laughed. "I'd love to see that." She imagined them running around, grabbing everything and running to the cashier.

"It ends up being pretty much what you're thinking right now," Kouga said with a grin.

"I'm sure it'll be fun then."

Kagome feared she might not be at ease, always infiltrating herself into their little lives but they did not seem to mind. Plus, a normal night with some not exactly normal people might be fun.

-U-

The evening came and the sky darkened while Kagome walked the streets of Tokyo. Kouga offered to pick her up, he even insisted, but she refused. This was her town, she always went around using subway, bus and walking and it did not have to be any different simply because he was there. Also, there was no need for him to go out of his way to help her. She was a big girl who could walk to his house all on her own.

As a cold breeze traveled through, she was glad she decided to change from a dress to a pair of pants. On top of it, her new attire would be more comfortable to watch a movie. She enjoyed the walk as well and it helped her clear her mind. The guys said people were gone but she wondered if that meant everyone or simply the new people that arrived when she did. Not that she minded a lot of people. Although when she thought movie night, she thought small, intimate moment between friends, not about thirty wolves sitting together. Both would be fun, though she was exhausted from her weekend and she did want to be able to relax. She did not know everyone very well and she might be more tensed if they were a bigger group.

Twenty minutes later, the house came into view. She hopped the stairs and her steps were faster as she approached the door. She then knocked and waited. Ginta was the one to open the door. His lips were stretched into a huge grin. "Hey, Sis!" He did not want to tell her that the reason he was in such a good mood was because they watched Kouga paced around the house for the last hour.

"I hope I'm not late."

"You're just in time," he said while moving out of the way to allow her to enter the house.

This whole event was organized for her - there was no way they would start without her.

She hung her jacket on the coat hanger and slipped off her shoes before following Ginta into the living room. There, she found Kiyo and Hakkaku sitting on the couch and popcorn and sodas were on the table. She sat in an empty spot and Ginta sat far from her, clearly leaving a spot for Kouga. It did make Kagome ponder why he was missing. Her question was quickly answered when he came running.

"Sorry, I had to set up some jobs for the guys."

They might have found somewhere else to live but now they needed to pay for that place. Youkais tried to keep a low profile which meant usually they left no trace and that meant not a lot of human education. That made it difficult to get a job. They did try to be each other's references when they could but it did not always help. It left them with the options of small, little, temporary jobs for the most part. This was why he set up a small construction company.

Also, taking care of that right now offered a nice distraction from his inexplicable nervousness.

Without even thinking about it, he sat down beside Kagome. It was not until her elbow bruised against his that he realized how close they were.

"So this is all that's left?" she asked before an awkward silent settled in.

He shrugged. "There's a few more but they're not all here." He did not think they were interested in this kind of activities. Not only that but, except when they had big gathering events, they were not always together despite the fact that they shared one roof.

"Who's ready for a movie?"

Everybody shyly raised their hand and then, Hakkaku popped the first movie in. The title of the movie, Hana yorimo Naho, came into view and then the movie began. At first, Ginta and Hakkaku were really happy about their idea but as the movie kept on playing they realized that maybe they did not plan everything carefully enough. They picked movies that were recommended as some of the best movies. However, neither of them bothered to look what the summary was. Although the movie was great, it was hardly helping set the mood between Kouga and Kagome.

They did not even think this was the kind of movie Kagome liked!

Kouga kept stealing glances at Kagome who was leaning back, looking glazed. That was probably not the night she had in mind. She probably thought they listened to comedy and what not. He reached out for the popcorn and handed it to her by nudging her. She smiled at him and took a handful. He should have looked away but he did not. Instead he observed her as she took one piece of popcorn at the time and brought it to her lips. And now he was going to look away.

During the first movie, everyone remained stiffed and awkward. Except for Kagome since she was the only one who did not know everything that was going on. Ginta was counting the minutes until he could change the movie. Next one would be a romantic one. They would not screw up again. By now, Kagome and Kouga should have been left alone but… well the current mood would have probably harmed them more than anything else. The best they could do was wait it out and do it properly next time.

At least Kagome did not seem to mind. She was stealing popcorn from the bowl - bowl that was located on Kouga's lap - and never looked away from the television. One of their goal was to entertain her and it seemed that it worked.

Hakkaku leaped off the couch the moment the credits rolled in. "What a great movie," he said with enthusiasm while digging through the pile for the next one.

"I hope you're up for another one sis!"

It was sort of late but then again a movie night usually meant more than one movie right? Plus, one of them could always give her a ride back home… or they might invite her to spend the night. She felt safe with them. She slept in a forest with all of them. A house was actually way more convenient.

"Sure," she finally replied much to Ginta and Hakkaku's relief.

The tense atmosphere dissipated during the second movie. For the first time, they guys finally felt like they could leave Kagome and Kouga alone. Obviously Kouga would know what they are up to but Kagome would not and it was all that mattered. Kouga would not risk saying anything in front of her.

Ginta tapped his left knee twice, which was the signal, and he waited for the others to set the plan in motion. Hakkaku tried to discreetly speed dial Karu's phone. He grinned when it worked and leaned back into his seat and waited.

On cue, Kouga's phone rang.

"Shit," he said as he retrieved it from his pocket. "What?" he answered.

Kagome watched his facial expression transform as he got up from the couch. He disappeared into the kitchen, probably to not disturb them.

She leaned towards Ginta. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm sure it is," he re-assured her. Just a fake emergency.

She nodded, not convinced, and returned to her original position. Nobody really payed attention to the movie anymore. Instead, they were waiting for Kouga to come back. When he did return, he seemed in a bad mood.

"I gotta go," he said while shoving his phone back into his pocket.

Hakkaku tried to have his best poker face on. "What happened?"

"Karu called. Apparently some pups got in trouble. I don't fucking know."

His eyes traveled to Kagome. Sitting there. Beside an empty spot. He hated leaving her behind but he had no choice. "I'm real sorry."

"It's okay, don't worry about it."

"We'll go," Ginta, Hakkaku and Kiyo at the same time.

Kouga's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yeah, you should stay here with Kagome. We can go. We've done it before," clarified Kiyo.

"Easy pie."

"You work so hard all the time 'nyway. Let us handle it."

Kouga barely had a chance to reply that the three of them were on their feet ready to bolt out of the house.

"Oh, I don't want to get in the way."

Ginta tried not to cringe. Having Kagome against them was certainly not going to help their case. "You're not in the way. You guys barely had a moment together since we found ya! Ya should relax, watch a movie."

Kouga fought the urge to bare his teeth. He knew exactly what they were doing. And this is why he should not have shared how he felt. Obviously he could not mention it in front of Kagome. Also, he did not want to look like he did wish to spend time with her. He could not insist on leaving or she might take it the wrong way.

He was stuck.

"If it's too much to handle, ya knuckle heads better call." And they won. Although he could hardly see what this would achieve. He would not get with Kagome simply because the two of them were left alone. How many times would he have to tell them that friendship was all that was going to happen? He was not going down that road and neither was Kagome.

Stubborn cubs.

They all tried to hide their big grins as they nodded. "Yes, boss!" And then, they left in a gush of wind which tangled Kagome's hair in her face.

Kagome giggled. "They seem really excited about this." She enjoyed that trait of character. It took her back to better times.

Oh she had no idea. "We're a family. Plus, they kinda hate being cooped up in here all the time." Terrible lie - although, they did hate being inside all the time.

"Oh," she nodded. "Do you still wanna watch the movie?" she inquired while pointing at the TV.

"Sure, if you want to."

"Kind of lost track though," she pointed out with a smile.

"We don't have to watch it though. I mean if you don't wanna."

"I do. Though, we are going to need more popcorn," she said with a laugh.

He took the bowl from her and bowed. "I'll get right on it."

She observed him as he left, her hair disheveled and a smile planted on her face. She was happy here and it felt like home. Home was a hard concept to achieve for her even when she was amongst her own family. How did they make it feel so easy? She ran away from the past, from the memories. She thought it was the answer to feeling better, to forgetting all about him, but this was better. Being immerse in the memories made her feel at peace. Yes, she thought about Inuyasha sometimes but not as much and it did not hurt as badly as before.

Kouga was a big part of the solution. No, he was not the same persistent, clueless wolf but he kept the same kind, generous heart. Despite his relentless attempts at gaining her heart and the fact that he used to eat humans, he was always very kind. He rescued her on more than one occasions and always sacrificed himself for the good of his pack.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She glanced up and saw his bright blue eyes piercing into her soul. "You."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I was thinking about you," she blurred out. That did not seem to help his current state of puzzlement. "About how you used to be."

He groaned. "Let's not think about that alrigh'?"

She laughed. "They were good memories. I was thinking about how you were a good person. Then and now."

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't find me annoyin' as hell."

"Well, you were a little persistent."

"You were the only woman who ever slapped me. Still are."

"Yeah… sorry about that?"

"Don't be. I deserved it."

"You kinda did."

He stared at her and she stared back. She looked so innocent with those bright eyes and that gorgeous smile. He needed to take away from this moment. "Popcorn?" he offered as he put the bowl between their faces.

Her smile lessened in width but she took the bowl from him nonetheless. "Thanks."

He watched her settle back into her seat and once she was comfortable he took the remote and pressed play.

He was right, their relationship was perfect just the way it was.

-U-

"Seriously?!"

The voice was hushed but it was loud enough to wake up Kouga. He nearly jolted up in a shock as he woke up. He looked around only to find Ginta and Hakkaku inches away from his face. From what he could tell, they were pissed off.

"We leave you alone with Sis and you sleep!"

Sleep? He turned his head and noticed that Kagome was in a deep sleep with her head resting upon his shoulder. When did they fall asleep?

"Shut up before you wake her," Kouga replied with serious eyes. "And I told ya we were friends. I don't know why you two idiots decided to bail on us."

"You were supposed to get closer to her!"

"This is as close as we're gonna get," he hushed while a growl rumbled through his chest.

That was his mistake. The vibration caused Kagome to stir in her sleep. She cringed, she frowned, and then she buried her head in his chest. "Kouga?" she croaked out.

He wanted to glare at the guys but really, it was his own fault if she woke up; he should not have growled. "We fell asleep," he pointed out.

She nodded, not seeming to register the words he spoke. "My back hurts."

"Come on, I'll bring you to a bed."

He thought that meant he would help her up. Apparently, Kagome had something entirely different in mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. She was expecting him to carry her. At first he froze, not knowing what to do or even where to put his hands. However, after a few seconds went by, he recovered. This reminded him too much of their little camping trip and it made it very hard for him to be comfortable. He did learn one thing; she was a snuggler.

He could feel Ginta and Hakkaku staring at him while he slid his arms beneath her knees and lifted her up. "Don't say a word," he warned.

They listened though that did not mean they did not have big smirks plastered all over their faces.

Kagome was light and he was strong which meant it was extremely easy to carry her up the stairs. At first he thought about putting her in one of the guest bedrooms but changed his mind. She was slightly out of it at the moment and he did not want her to be confused once she would wake up. His bedroom was the best place for her; she had already been there and would recognize it. Of course, it would be hell for him. He would have to wash his sheets again and he doubted it would even get her scent off…it would be imprinted all over the place.

He wriggled his hand free to turn the handle and then kicked the door open with his foot. He glanced down at her only to see she was peacefully sleeping against his chest. She trusted him and that made him happy. She felt safe enough to be completely vulnerable around him. And he almost abused that trust a few times. To be fair though, he did not expect her to be so friendly and grabby and often was too shocked to do anything. It was not entirely his fault.

Kouga hurried to the bed and laid her down above the blanket. It was sort of warm and he figured if she was cold she would go under the blankets by herself. He expected her to go limb and release her hold around his neck but she did not. Instead, her arms remained locked and her face was still in the crook of his neck. He grabbed her elbows and tried to tug a little but she did not bulge.

"Kagome," he whispered. He did not wish to wake her up but they could not remain in this position; he would not hover over her all night.

He tried again but louder this time. "Kagome."

This time, she reacted but not the way he expected.

"No."

"No?" he inquired, half amused with a grin on his face.

"No," she repeated.

"You don't wanna let go?"

"Don't go," she mumbled.

Oh.

How in the world was he supposed to leave now? Then again, he could not exactly stay…

She kept snuggling her face in his neck, her nose brushing against his ear. He already knew her scent too well, he did not need it rubbed all over his skin. Though it looked as though she was not about to let go any time soon. Perhaps he could stay, just for a little while; she would eventually let go. One heavy sigh later, he found himself laying down beside her. She seemed to appreciate since she snuggled closer. Since he had no idea what to do with his arms he awkwardly rested them around her.

This was the camping trip all over again.

Except this time, she was simply exhausted. Did she not sleep at home? He could not remember ever being so out of it. Then again, she was human and he was a youkai. Still. He could swear they woke her up a few times by going to her house too early. She slept well during the camping trip did she not? Was something bothering her and keeping her up? It was not really any of his business…and if she wanted to share she would have but… he was concerned.

Now he wanted to make sure she got some rest.

Even if that meant he had to painfully lay there all night. Wide awake.

Ginta and Hakkaku would have so much fun right now if they could see this scene. This was pretty much what they wanted to happen. He did too…before. It was so hard with Kagome; she was different. Nobody stood up to him the way she did, nobody was a kind as her…nobody was as beautiful. She was unique. A human miko who traveled through time. He was never going to meet someone like her again.

And then, she surprised him again.

He felt her fingers venture into his hair. She was gently massaging his scalp with her fingertips and he unconsciously found himself leaning into her touch. He could feel the happiness coming from her. It almost made him wonder if she was dreaming and if so, what was she dreaming about? She probably was not dreaming about playing with his hair, though he would be lying if he said he did not enjoy it. He rarely let people touch or play with his hair. She was different. Again.

"Koug-a?"

Oh. This one… sounded different. He looked down and saw her half-opened eyes.

"Yeah?" he replied, his warm breath tickling her face. When did her face get so close to his?

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked in a daze.

"Ya fell asleep during the movie."

She nodded. "I don't sleep well."

"Oh?"

"It's comfortable here."

Her answer was rather interesting. She was comfortable around him, around them? He would take that as a compliment. Although part of him wondered if the reason why she did not like to sleep alone in her house was because… because of the dog. She had to miss him, he was sure of that. After all, it had not been that long for her.

And this was the exact reason why this would remain a friendship and nothing more. There was nothing but heartbreaks from him down that road. This was much better.

"You're always welcome here."

"Thank you." She said it so quietly that if it was not for his good hearing, he would have missed it.

She put her head back into the crook of his neck and moved her hands up so that they were resting against his chest. Perhaps tomorrow she would think the whole conversation was a dream and maybe it was better that way. Plus, by the time she would wake up, he would be gone. He did not intend on spending the night by her side. As soon as she stopped using him as a human pillow, he was going to leave.

If only he knew when.

He had a feeling he would have to get comfortable because it might be a while. She was quite grabby in her sleep, not that he was ever going to tell her that. It surprised him that she had absolutely no memories of the few moments they had. She truly was a deep sleeper. Man, moments like these were bad; he had too much time to think.

Kouga suddenly felt her tiny hands clutch around his shirt. He looked down and saw her slowly opening her eyes. He did not move and he did not say a word; how the hell was he going to explain this to her?! Although it was not his fault. She never really gave him a choice in the matter.

Kagome tugged on whatever she was holding while she stretched her head back. Kouga. Wait. Kouga? She rapidly backed away which turned out to be a bad idea. Because of the speed of her actions she nearly rolled off the bed. Luckily for her, Kouga was there to stop her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back up onto the bed… into an even more awkward position.

While he laid on the bed, she laid on top of him. Her hands were on his shoulders and her face was extremely close to his - too close. "Thanks," she whispered.

He did his best to keep a straight face as he put her down beside him. "Ya alright?" he asked as he sat down; sitting was a much better idea than laying it seemed.

"Ye-eah thanks."

"Sorry about - did I?"

"Ya were asleep," he quickly explained. "I tried to bring you up here but ya wouldn't let go." He prayed she would no think he was making this up. Why did the truth have to sound so awkward?

"Oh." That did sound like her. Plus, she knew Kouga was not the type to take advantage of people. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." He scratched the back of his head. "Listen, you alright?"

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Crap. He should not be talking to her about this. On the other hand, if he did not, it would bother him. "Ya said some stuff while you slept… I just… I didn't mean to listen… I just…You said you didn't sleep well."

She immediately looked away and glanced down at her hands. "Sometimes," she finally admitted.

Kagome never spoke about this with anyone; nobody would understand. Maybe…maybe Kouga could. It was worth a shot although if this conversation went by, she would not feel comfortable around him anymore and then their relationship would not be the same and she would lose her safe place.

"It's been hard after the jewel. It took me to this dark place and it said I was going to be alone forever in this emptiness. I thought that once I would get rid of it…that my life would go back to normal. It sort of did; it went back to my old life. In the end, the jewel was right; I was alone. It took me away from everything that was familiar. This world was not mine anymore. Now, I just - I don't know what to do."

She felt the tears forming in her eyes and she took a pause to prevent them from falling down her cheeks. "My friends… Inuyasha. They were all gone forever. Sleeping, getting up, doing stuff was hard. But then, I found you again. Suddenly, it became easier to go outside, laugh, be with people. My home doesn't feel like home, but this place does."

Kagome finally raised her head to look at him. He found himself speechless for a second; he did not expect her to share with him, he almost thought she was going to say that it was none of his business.

He covered her hands with his and squeezed it. "Ya always welcomed here. It's your home. Your pack; whatever is our home is your home too."

"Is it okay if I sleep here?"

"We already invited you," he said with a smirk.

They did. They always invited her, they always looked out for her.

There was one more thing she wanted to ask him but it was a bit strange and she was not sure it was appropriate to ask. It was better to keep her mouth shut right? Yeah, it was. Though… they were like family right? They were pack. Those were his words.

"Could- could you stay here?"

He did not mean to look surprise but he did.

"I know it's weird, I just, I think I'd sleep better." If she could die right now or be swallowed whole by the floor, she would like it.

"I don't mind," he finally answered.

"Thank you."

She laid back on her side and closed her eyes. She felt him shift and probably take the same position as her. This time, there was more distance between them then when she initially woke up.

Now she felt safe, now she could sleep.

As Kouga listened to her breathing steady, he felt a new feeling rise in his chest; pride.

He made her feel safe.

Sleeping in his own bed was going to be next to impossible now but it did not matter because…

He made Kagome feel safe.