Nia was upset. No, not upset. The better word would be enraged. Why? Because the best laid plans were turning to shit. She had been right about Koga screwing with them. But that was only one thing that contributed to her rage. It was also the many pairs of eyes that were staring at her in obvious curiosity and slight suspicion. Having wolf demons form a semi circle around her body made her uncomfortable. That feeling just triggered irritation, thus contributing to her rage.

Here she sat, in the wolf demons' large den. Not only were her plans ruined and demons were staring at her, but she was also wet from the large waterfall, which hid the lair. So on top of being annoyed, she was cold. It was no wonder she bared her teeth at the person responsible. Koga, though, seemed to ignore the eye daggers that were being flung in his direction. He had this smug expression that made it seem like he was displaying his newest exploit to his pack. Nia hugged herself as they continued to stare down at her sitting position.

"This is her?" one of the wolf demons finally spoke up. Koga proudly nodded his head. Nia glowered. The brave soul moved closer to the clearly irate female. He had the audacity to poke her cheek. "She looks so different and weird," he commented. BAM—the wolf demon was immediately hit in the face. Like a wuss, he groaned dramatically and fell to the ground, clutching his jaw. Nia huffed. That probably hurt her more than it did him. The other members of the pack grimaced and took a step back. Koga gave a hearty laugh.

"Careful," he told his comrades. "She's pretty fierce."

"Oh, you haven't seen fierce yet, you ass!" Nia nearly hissed. She stood up and marched over to the leader of the pack. Still hugging her body, she stopped centimeters from of Koga. He didn't seem perturbed by her actions. The rest of the pack, though, took a couple more steps back. "Why did you bring me here?" she demanded to know. The leader had the nerve to look genuinely confused.

"You said you wanted to get to know me," he answered.

"The hell I did!" Nia screeched. Koga reared back. "Take me back. Right now." Instead of complying, the leader addressed his pack, telling them to go outside. Once the demons were gone, he turned back to the disgruntled foreigner. "You have exactly ten seconds to pick me up and take me back before I go apeshit."

"Listen, Nia, just hear me out!"

"Nine! Eight!" Before she continued the countdown, Koga hastily picked up her. "That's more like it." To her chagrin, however, the wolf demon carried her not to the waterfall, but to the back of the cave where a pool of fur awaited her. He slowly set her down before taking a seat beside her. Nia pursed her lips, swallowing hard to suppress her anger. The wolf demon actually cringed, and then cleared his throat. His eyes turned away for a moment.

"I want us to get to know each other," he finally stated. "That's why I brought you here."

"Didn't I tell you not to be so selfish?" Nia almost growled. "I have things to do!" Koga looked pretty disappointed to hear that. Her eye twitched at the sight. "Listen you… That puppy dog crap doesn't work on me! But… I'll give you five days." The wolf demon immediately perked up. "Only five days, though." She supposed that she could waste five days. Sesshomaru didn't need her until next month, and she was sure Naraku was going to be pretty subdued after her little performance.

"What do you have to do?" Koga asked.

"It doesn't concern you. Don't ask me again," Nia replied. "It'd be troublesome if too many people know."

"Oh." She decided to ignore the dejected tone. But he was sure quick to bounce back. He grinned before grabbing her wrist. "Here, let me heal you." It was then that Nia noticed that she had been bleeding. Her knuckles were bloody. She had felt a dull pain there, but hadn't taken notice of it before. Now that she looked, it seemed to be the worse pain imaginable.

"Oh God! Why~?"

"Hey, calm down! I said I'd heal you!" Koga struggled to keep her contained.

"Hm…" Nia frowned, watching the wolf demon's tongue sliding over her minor injury. He was taking special care, wasn't he? Even though it was her fault that her knuckles were like this and she had attacked one of his pack members, he was still showing her special care. Her eyelids lowered. Why did he have to be sincere? It would have much easier if he wasn't. Then it registered how good it felt having his tongue against her skin. Nia smiled widely, remembering when her legs had been injured. That was so great! A giggle erupted from her lips. As he continued to heal her, the giggles increased in duration. Finally, after a few more moments, Koga was finished and the giggles faded. Nia flexed her fingers experimentally. Her knuckles didn't hurt anymore and the blood was gone. "How does this work, anyway?"

"The saliva," Koga answered. "Every demon has that ability."

"I've never seen Inuyasha using that ability," Nia commented. The wolf demon scoffed and crossed his arms.

"That's because he's a half-demon. He was probably raised as a human, so he doesn't know any better even if he does have the ability," he said. "If someone were to tell him that he did have that ability, he would probably find it unnatural and won't ever consider doing it. Humans are so sensitive." Koga blinked, as if he just realized something. "But not you. You're different." Nia's eyebrow twitched, not sure how to take that. "Anyway, since you're going to be here for awhile, I want to introduce you to the pack." The leader stood up, pulling Nia into a standing position as well. Begrudgingly, the foreign woman allowed the wolf demon to lead her to the entrance.

Just outside, there were many wolves and wolf demons scattered about the area. What truly surprised her were the many female demons as well. They, like the males, were sitting around fires, eating, or sharpening weapons. She blinked twice. She had never seen female wolf demons before. Sure, there was Ayame, but that was it. Speaking of the little red-haired devil, her green eyes were currently trying to burn a hole through Nia's head. Scoffing, her hazel eyes turned elsewhere. Upon closer inspection, the female demons did not really look the part. Well, they did wear armor and furs, but they were different. A couple of them even had vibrant skin colors—like orange and blue. Some had markings on their faces. Others had horns. Most looked like furries. "They're definitely not all wolf demons," she muttered. Koga heard her.

"Nope… They're actually demons from all over this region," he explained. "There were no female wolf demons in my pack. There was only Ayame and a couple of female demons in her pack. When she and Hakkaku mated, the packs joined. However, it wasn't enough to restore the population that was killed between our two respective tribes. So mating outside was encouraged. Most jumped at the chance."

"When did this happen?" Nia asked.

"Eight months ago."

"Hm… I thought wolf packs were smaller."

"That's for wolf packs. This is a demon wolf pack. Depending on the leader, the sizes of their respective packs vary. The bigger the numbers, the more likely one pack will triumph over their enemies."

"Ah."

"Nia," an astonished voice caught the foreigner's attention. The foreign woman sharply turned her head. Coming towards her was a red-eyed wolf demon. No. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be different like the other female demons. She looked familiar, too. The woman stopped in front of her. "It's been awhile." Her painted lips moved in a familiar manner, too. Nia's eyes widened, noticing the earrings.

"Kagura…?"

The wind sorceress smirked, raising a brow. "You just realized?" Nia scowled. How was she supposed to know right away? Naraku's second incarnation wore different attire. She wore black armor, fitted for a woman, a brown wolf fur skirt, and one wolf fur leg warmer, which Nia now realized that's where her fan was tucked in. There were bandages wrapped around the soles of her feet. Also, her hair wasn't in its usual style. Instead, it was a high ponytail. "And here I thought your observation skills were above normal," Kagura scoffed as if she were highly disappointed.

"What are you doing here, looking like that, anyway?" Nia questioned. "Are you apart of this pack now?"

"Not officially." The smirk didn't leave the wind witch's face. "But soon. I'm involved in courtship with Ginta."

"He just doesn't know yet," Koga whispered in Nia's ear. The foreigner chuckled.

"Good luck to you," Nia said, smiling.

"What about you, though? Why are you here?" Kagura asked. Instantly, a sour expression crossed the young woman's face.

"I was dragged here against my will," she replied, voice flat. Beside her, the pack's leader frowned. "But since I've got nothing better to do, I decided to stay for a bit."

"Hm… Looks like you'll need more luck than me," Kagura remarked. Nia's eyebrows furrowed, and questioned why the wind demon would say such a thing. She merely smirked again. "Oh nothing. Have a nice evening." Before Nia could protest and demand to know what she meant, the red-eyed demon sauntered away.

"What the hell was she talking about?" Nia shifted her gaze to Koga. He only shrugged.

"She's so cryptic. No one understands her half the time," he muttered. The foreign woman suddenly frowned, keeping her line of sight on the wolf demon. "What?"

"You'd actually let the woman who killed members of your pack join?" she asked. Koga blinked, and then turned his gaze to the ground. "What is it?"

"That woman, in front of the entire pack, threw away her pride," he responded. Nia made a noise of inquiry. "Sorry, but I forbade anyone to speak about what she did, including myself." He showed a smirk and crossed his arms. "Besides, it was Naraku's orders. Anyway, real men don't hold grudges against people who want to make amends."

"Ah, that makes sense, I guess," Nia murmured. Then she smiled. "Good to know." For a moment, Koga only stared at the woman. She had given him a smile. He swallowed. It almost felt like a rarity. Nia had hardly ever smiled, and honestly he hadn't been expecting her to whilst she was here. "Well, are you going to introduce me or not?" Her neutral expression had returned.

"Yeah, let's go."

Introductions to his larger tribe took a bit longer than Nia expected. In total, there were fifty demons in the tribe. However, there were twenty women, leaving twenty-nine men without lovers. As Kagura had her sights on Ginta—who still didn't realize—it was really thirty. There were a few who were still suspicious of her, so to stifle that she told them what she had told Sesshomaru. They seemed to be very curious of what a mutant was. She chose not to go into detail about it, not wanting to reveal her powers just yet. Anyway, she had apologized to Kenji, the one who she had punched in the face earlier. He had merely grinned and told her it was okay. His mate, Yuri, though was a little less than forgiving. That hadn't been the only reintroduction that had been awkward. The tension between herself and Ayame was clear. The hostility would most likely last for awhile.

By the time introductions were over, the sky had turned dark. Many of the demons were already finished eating. Nia watched as Koga tried hard to catch her dinner from the lake. After twenty minutes, she walked towards the edge of the lake and placed a hand on Koga's shoulder. "How about we get some boar instead?" Nia suggested. "Fish really isn't my thing anyway." She smirked. "Let's go."

"Okay," Koga agreed, standing. The wolf demon led the foreigner away from the lair and into the forest. "Do you know about hunting?"

"Of course," Nia shrugged. "That year we didn't see each other, I was being trained by Inuyasha's brother. Well, at least for six months. He made me survive on my own." She frowned. "Bastard took care of Rin. Anyway, he's the reason I know how to hunt. I was forced to know."

"Inuyasha's brother, huh?"

"Hm…? You know, Koga, jealousy is unbecoming of a man," Nia told him.

"What? I'm not jealous! What are you talking about?"

"Is that so? I guess it would be a little silly to be jealous over a mere six months even if that's the most time I've spent with anyone since I came to this time period." The foreign woman shrugged her shoulders and resumed looking for food. She was seemingly unaware of the scowl being directed at her back. The young woman suddenly squatted down. Her fingers lightly touched the ground. "We're close. These prints are fresh." Koga sniffed the air, realizing that Nia was right.

"You can track, too?"

"It's not hard to follow such an obvious trail," she replied. Nia stood to her full height and pointed north. "One moved in this direction. Maybe it's a heavy one?" She grinned, probably at the thought of eating. Koga had heard her stomach making noises quite a few times. He watched her as she walked. Despite her increase in pace towards the goal, he noticed that she had not stepped on anything that would cause unnecessary noise. Her steps were light and precise even though her focus was on other things.

"Six months," Koga thought. He frowned. As far as he knew, Nia had yet to show the results of those six months with the demon lord. He didn't know Inuyasha's brother well, but he was certain that the older sibling was powerful—maybe extremely so. The lessons instilled in her must have been awful. Who know what sort of hellish training the foreign woman went through?

"Lucky…!" Nia whispered in excitement. She had stopped and hid behind a tree. Koga looked ahead to see that her gaze was on a wild boar. It had been drinking from the river's edge. "We found one so quickly. Let's capture it and eat!" Smirking, the wolf demon nodded his head.

0-0

It had been three days. Three days and she still couldn't get used to it. The water seemed to get colder each time she had decided to step in. Nia wrapped her arms around her body as she stepped further into the cool river. As usual, the other female demons laughed at her. They actually believed her to be shy about exposing her body. The only reason Kagura laughed as well is because she knew the truth. The wind demon taunted her quite a bit when they were in the water. She didn't think Nia knew that she was subtly using her wind abilities to create larger splashes.

The foreign woman sighed miserably. Long gone were the days of hot baths. She almost wished she was back with the sexy demon lord. Her need for hot baths had been the only thing he had been considerate of, but that was probably due to the fact that he enjoyed hot baths, too. A slap to her back almost caused Nia to go face first into the cool water. "Lighten up, Nia! We're all females here!"

Once Nia regained her balance, she focused narrowed eyes on Yuri, the one who had smacked her wet skin. The corner of her lip twitched, willing the stinging to go away. There was no such luck, though. The fire demon was friendly enough, but there was still some… hostility in her friendly ways. Yuri was one of those women who doted on their love ones. Deep down, she would not forgive Nia for punching Kenji so quickly.

"There's nothing to lighten up! I can care less about displaying my fun bags because they are quite awesome." Many had stopped laughing at her bold statement. "What I am concerned about is this water! Why is it so cold?"

"What? That is what has you so… uptight?" Yuri asked. The fire demon was quick to pick up on Nia's speech patterns and had taken quite the liking to using them at random. She flicked her green tinted dark hair and giggled cutely. "You are a dramatic woman."

"I don't want to hear that from a person who can raise their own body temperature," Nia retorted. "Kagura, stop splashing me! One more time, I swear to God!" The wind demon only laughed, finding it utterly hilarious to irk the normally laid back foreign woman. Still shivering, Nia found a spot where she could sit with the top half of her body still above water. "Yuri, come over here and hug me!"

"Oh, Nia, you… swing that way?" The demon hid a smirk behind her hand.

"Hahaha!" came the mock laughter. "You're hilarious! Now get over here and warm me up, damn it!" Tittering softly, the fire demon did as commanded. Kagura shook her head, watching the display. The foreign woman didn't seem to realize that she had already made quite the impression with the demons of this tribe. Because Nia was… well, Nia, the other demons believed her to be a species completely different, and not because she had stated that she was a 'mutant,' whatever the heck that was. Kagura crossed her arms. However, there was one demon that openly showed their hostility towards Nia's presence. Ayame. Even now, her green eyes were focused on the foreign woman as though she were the dirt between her toes.

"Looks like they'll be a confrontation soon if this keeps up," Kagura thought, returning her gaze to Nia. Especially since the foreign woman regarded Ayame with indifference. All that rage would build until the female wolf demon could no longer contain it. "It'd be interesting to see how she handles it."

After a few minutes more, Nia became fed up with having to snuggle against a woman's breasts. As she climbed out, she ignored the laughter that followed. All she cared about at the moment was getting as warm as possible, and so she screamed. Why did she scream? Because of experience, she knew that the quickest way to feel warmth was- "Nia, are you-?" Koga stood in front of her. Behind her, the female demons giggled. The wolf demon's cheeks flushed bright red. He sharply turned his back to Nia. "Hey! We ta-talked about this!" Koga stammered out. He felt arms wrap around him, causing the leader to tense.

"And yet you still don't bring anything to cover me with," Nia simpered, pressing her head against his armored back. "Admit it, you like seeing me in the nude, don't you?"

"Th-That's beside the point!" Koga nearly growled. The laughter of the women only increased after his response. Clenching his fists at his sides, the wolf demon squeezed his eyes shut. The foreigner had been doing this for three days straight. Without fail, every morning, she would scream out. Of course, he would recognize her voice and drop whatever he had been doing to come to her aid. He should have realized by now that Nia wasn't the type to scream in the face of danger in the first place.

Ayame yanked on her hair as the other women laughed around her. She was the only one who did not find the situation funny at all. Just how long was this foreign woman going to make a fool out of her leader? She had watched their interactions for days. Her conclusion was that the foreign woman felt absolutely nothing for Koga, and was merely playing around for her own cryptic motivations. Ayame wished she knew what the woman's intentions were towards this pack, but she did know that they weren't good. How could no one else see what was happening? For the good of the clan, her plan would need to be carried out as soon as possible. "I won't let that woman destroy us, or Koga, from the inside out!" Ayame vowed in thought.

0-0

As she worked, Nia hummed to herself while bobbing her head up and down. According to the sun's position, it was a little after noon. The wolf demon tribe had eaten earlier in the day, and now it was the time of relaxation. Nia, herself, sat on a rock. Sitting against the base of the rock was Yuri with her eyes shut. The fire demon had wanted her hair done in the same manner as Nia's, and so that is what the foreign woman found herself doing to pass the time. It was frustrating at first because Yuri's hair was something Nia was unaccustomed to working with this type of hair, but eventually she got the hang of braiding the demon's green tinted tresses. Still, she didn't know how long the braids would last at this point. But she was half way finished, so she didn't care.

"Na, Nia…" Yuri's voice caused the foreign woman to stop momentarily.

"Hm…?" Her fingers began moving again, but she didn't continue humming.

"You've been saying the same thing over and over again. It's gotten to the point where I can mimic you, but… what exactly does 'gettin' gettin' gettin' some head' mean?" Nia snorted, trying to contain her laugh. It didn't work. Yuri's English was almost spot-on. So she hadn't been humming the entire time?

"Sorry, sorry, Yuri," Nia said once she had calmed herself. "I didn't realize I was singing out loud."

"No. It's fine. But what does it mean?" Yuri persisted in knowing.

"I want to know, too," another female demon spoke up. "You had this really weird grin on your face as you were singing."

"That's called a perverted grin, Nanako," Kagura mentioned. "Usually, it's only seen on men's faces. Nia is an exception."

"Perverted…?" Nanako repeated. Her topaz colored eyebrows furrowed. She scratched her neck, something she did when something intrigued her, Nia realized. However, the wolf demon was a bit shy when it came to admitting her curiosity. However, she was the only female wolf demon that didn't automatically dislike her due to Ayame's influence. That was a bonus.

"It's not perverted. It's natural!" Nia stated as her fingers resumed braiding Yuri's hair. "The song's just about oral sex." The women around her gave her blank looks. Even Kagura. "Eh…? Could I be that far back that it's not even a word yet?" Nia thought, biting her lip. Shrugging, the foreigner began to explain other forms of sex to the female demons. By the time she was finished, all who had listened, or had decided to listen later on, were red in the face. Yuri abruptly stood up. "What's the matter?" Nia asked, noticing her fists clenched at her sides.

"I wanna… try… this 69 with Kenji!" she proclaimed. The other female demons clapped at the daring intentions of Yuri. This began the murmurs of the others of trying some of the 'techniques' Nia had described.

"Lovely," Nia said. "Well… Koga will be happy that his tribe will increase, right?" she thought. That's when she noticed Kagura. The wind demon was frowning. "Ne, Kagura, what's the matter?"

"I want to try all of them, but only with him," she stated. "But I wonder if I'll ever get the chance…"

"… You truly are a perverted virgin," Yuri remarked.

"THAT'S IT!"

A shout came from above. This shout was loud enough to draw the attention of every member of the tribe. Confused eyes settled on the red-haired female wolf demon. She was standing on higher ground, glaring down. Two other female wolf demons were at her side. Ayame's fierce stare was focused on only one, though. Nia. "Oh boy," she thought, sighing. "She's finally snapped. Should I just leave?" The foreign woman was about to do just that when Ayame spoke again.

"You are unfit to be the alpha female of this tribe!" she exclaimed. "I officially challenge you!" To emphasize who she was referring to, Ayame pointed in Nia's direction. The woman moved her upper body left to right, but the menacing finger only followed.

"Ayame!" Koga stood up from his position. He had been in the middle of discussing food sources with a few of his men when the girl had shouted. The leader of the tribe bared his fangs in her direction. Immediately, the glare disappeared from Ayame's face, yet the frown remained. Hastily, she dropped down to one knee and pressed her fist to the ground, displaying her respect for the chief. "On what grounds do you have to think you can challenge her?"

"Forgive me, Koga," Ayame began. "But since I have met this woman, I have felt that she should not be in her position." Her eyelids lowered, partially concealing her green irises. "Over the course of three days, I have observed her. She doesn't know anything about demon culture, let alone our culture. Yes, she could learn, but with her personality, there's no way she would conform to our ways! I also cannot forget that she insulted me and intimidated my husband! My wolf demon tribe pride will not allow her to get away with it, so yes, I am officially challenging her!"

"From what Ayame is saying, she can officially challenge the current alpha female," Nanako stated in a hushed voice. "That means she's been thinking about doing this for a long time."

"Excuse me?" Nia turned her focus on the wolf demon near her. "What do you mean by challenge the alpha female? Who's the alpha female?"

"You are, of course!"

"When did this happen?" Nia questioned.

"As soon as Koga stated that you are to be his bride!" Nanako shook her head as if she couldn't believe the foreign woman's incredulity. "You automatically became the alpha female of the tribe at that point in time. I guess Koga didn't tell you, huh?"

"No. He. Didn't." Nia clenched her teeth. "Please tell me what it means to be challenged in this position." Nanako raised her finger as she began to explain.

"If the position of alpha female is challenged, the challenger must have credible reasons for doing so. If they are deemed as reasonable grounds, then the fight will start. In the fight, the two women will try to show their dominance over the other. The winner will be announced as the new alpha female of the tribe."

"But… she's already with Hakakku. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"An alpha female does not need to be the mate of the alpha male."

"What if… the current alpha says no to the challenge?" Nia asked.

"She certainly must not do that! Refusing the challenge will cause the rest of the tribe to begin to view her as inadequate for the title of alpha female," Nanako exclaimed. "Surely, more challenges would be issued if such a thing occurred."

"Kenji told me that these challenges usually end up with the loser dying," Yuri put in. Nia frowned. Her eyebrow twitched several times.

"So what you're saying is… do or die?"

"Something like that," Nanako said. "Good luck, Nia!"

"This is total bullshit! Why do I have to fight to be here? Koga, I'm gonna fuck you up! … And not in the good way either!" The leader of the wolf demon pack slumped as his comrades shared a laugh.

0-0

By a vote, turns out that Nia did have to fight Ayame… and possibly die. In less than two minutes, she would have to face the fury of the red-haired wolf demon. With everyone watching. This was not how she pictured herself dying. Nia had always thought she would be lying on a bed with her male harem, weeping because the light had left her eyes. Not because she had to do something that she wanted no part of. This was just unfair. "You're laughing at me again, aren't you, mom?" Hazel eyes glanced up at the clear sky. The entire tribe had moved from the lair to a clearing in the forest to witness who would end up being the alpha female of the tribe. "Koga, if I make it out of this, I will give you hell!"

A shiver suddenly went through the leader's body. He had a bad feeling about this. Seeing Ayame's abilities in the past made him worry for Nia. She wouldn't… seriously give it all she had on a mortal, would she? Koga grimaced, recalling the time Ayame and Kagome first met each other. Back then, he had been going around proclaiming that the young priestess was his fiancée while he had promised to be with the granddaughter of the Northern wolf tribe. Ayame had openly showed her hostility towards Kagome, even attempting to attack her. The leader sighed heavily. He had been such a fool back then. This time, however, he couldn't save the girl—woman—from Ayame's attacks.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Ayame called out from the other side of the field. Nia groaned dramatically. In the end, she couldn't act her way out of this situation.

"Hold on a minute," Nia put her hand up. Ayame furrowed her brow, yet didn't move. The foreign woman turned towards the spectators, more specially Koga. She beckoned the leader of the tribe forward. Blinking in confusion, he walked forward. Everyone watched, curious. "I need something from you."

"Need something…?" Koga repeated. Then he frowned. "Don't worry. You don't need anything. As a favor to me, Ayame won't kill you. It'd be best if you stay down after her first attack."

"Cute, but a weapon of some sort isn't what I need," Nia stated. With her index finger, she silently told Koga to lean forward. He did so. "I only want you to wish me good luck." With a smile, she placed her hands on his shoulders and closed the distance between them with a soft kiss. Koga had opened his mouth in a gasp, as did the spectators, at Nia's public display of affection. The foreign woman slowly pulled away. "Who needs Lady Luck when I have you?" She winked, and then turned her focus back to Ayame. Unbeknownst to her, Koga had become completely red even the tips of his ears. "Did it work?" Nia thought. That little show she had down with the lead wolf demon was supposed to rile Ayame up. The scowl on the girl's face told Nia that her that the plan worked. However, was her anger enough to make her sloppy? "I suppose I'm about to find out…" Biting her lower lip, the foreign woman walked towards the clearly irate female.

"Argh! You perverse woman!"

Ayame ran forward, sharp leaves in hand. It was going to hurt like hell if Nia was successfully hit by one of those things. She ran forward as well. It was when the wolf demon flung her green blades did Nia hurriedly switched directions. The leaves were successfully dodged. "Alright… If I keep my distance, her long-ranged attack won't hit me," she thought. Sesshomaru's whip had been much faster.

Again and again, Ayame threw her shuriken like leaves, but each time Nia managed to evade the projectiles. The wolf demon growled as the foreign woman, once again, dodged her attack. "Is it because she's not a human?" she thought, narrowing her eyes. Still, the woman was obviously getting tired from running around so much. Ayame smirked. The woman might not have been human, but she definitely had the stamina of a human. "I'll just get closer then!" Without warning, Ayame rushed forward at full speed. The foreign woman seemed surprised. "Got you!" She reared her fist back, and then struck her opponent across the face. While she was off guard, Ayame took the change to overwhelm her with other punches.

"What the…?" Koga watched the flurry of punches through narrowed eyes. Ayame wasn't holding back, after all. But strangely enough, Nia hadn't fallen to the ground yet. The leader shifted his full attention to the darker woman's body. Upon realizing, his eyes expanded. The strikes to her body weren't completely landing. At the last possible moment, Nia would twist or turn her body, so that the punches would slide right off, giving minimal damage. The punches she received to her torso were absorbed because Nia had jumped and moved back slightly. Ayame most likely didn't realize what was happening. "Inuyasha's brother… He trained her in this way?"

"Jeez, Ayame must really not want her to be in her position," Hakakku murmured. "This is the first time I've seen her like this. Poor Nia…" Beside him, Ginta nodded his head in agreement. Koga glanced back at them. The fools couldn't see it. Then again, the rest of the tribe probably couldn't see it either. Koga clenched his teeth, watching the battle go on. Nia had better think of something else, though. That tactic was mostly used to tire out the opponent. But eventually, she would be the one exhausted. Ayame's hits may have not gotten through all the way, but they were still giving damage. Nia wouldn't last much longer under these circumstances.

Finally, Ayame jumped away, putting distance between herself and Nia. "Why won't you go down already?" The wolf demon yanked on her pigtails in frustration. Her opponent actually grinned. Bruised and bloody, the foreigner had actually grinned. This pissed Ayame more than anything she had done in the past. "Y-You…!"

"I suppose it's because your punches aren't hurting," Nia answered. Of course, it was a lie. She may have managed to decrease the damage to that of a normal human, but damage was still damage. She couldn't keep this up at this rate. Nia wiped the blood from her chin. Ayame's knuckles had collided with her jaw, leaving a stinging, yet numbing, pain. "You know, Koga said to lie down after you attacked the first time. However, what he failed to realize is that I have my pride as well."

"Pride, yet no shame—that's a laugh!" Ayame retorted.

"Say what you want, but… My pride won't let me lose to a brat like you!"

"I won't lose to you either!" Ayame growled out. She slammed her fist against her palm, and then pounded the ground beneath her. The earth rumbled, and seemed to shoot out a multitude of leaves. The flurry of leaves and the giant gust of wind actually lifted Nia high off the ground. She heard her name over the wind in her ears. Grimacing, she looked down. She was too far up. Suddenly, the winds stopped completely, causing the foreign woman to begin freefalling. "It's over!"

"NIA!" Koga shouted.

"Shit! She's really trying!" Nia thought. At this height, head-first, she would most definitely die. Hastily, the woman extended her left arm and curled her fingers in. "Come on, baby! Work for your momma!" With a jolt coursing through her body, Nia lurched in the direction her fist was aimed. Right at Ayame. Like a missile, she moved through the air at incredible speeds. Fortunately, the wolf demon seemed too shocked to move until the last second. Ayame dodged the punched, but she could not avoid the sharp petals of Nia's ring. Two blades had pierced her cheek.

"AH! OW!" Ayame stumbled a bit as she held her profusely bleeding face. She did not see the leg coming, and so Nia's kick hit. Shouting out in pain, the wolf demon fell down. The foreign woman had aimed for the side of her leg. It felt as though she had fractured her bone. Quickly, Nia stood and moved away from her opponent. She ignored the tears beginning to well up in Ayame's eyes.

"I've been pretty nice to you," Nia frowned. "But then you had to go and try to crack my head open, probably would have ended my life. When it comes to my life being on the line, I become angry." Clenching her fist, she continued. "It's been awhile since I've been this angry." A few of her braids had turned completely white. Her hazel irises seemed to have disappeared, leaving only the white of her eyes. The wind seemed to swirl around her, lifting and playing with her hair.

Ayame felt herself shudder, feeling a large amount of power coming from her opponent. Nia lifted her hands up, palms towards the wolf demon. Blue lightning became to crackle around her fingertips. Then, with a flash, yellow bolts were discharged from her hands. Unable to move, Ayame could only remain frozen as the elemental attack consumed her.

BZZZZZSSSHHH!

Her body jerked and convulsed as the attack came over her. This went on for several seconds until Ayame fell forward, unconscious. Slowly, Nia let her arms fall. "AYAME!" Hakakku immediately ran to his lover's side. After checking, the Mohawk-wearing wolf demon confirmed that she was knocked out. He gently lifted Ayame from the ground, careful to avoid touching her injured leg. He walked back, stopping in front of the foreign woman. He bowed his head. "Forgive her. She will not challenge you again."

"I see…" Nia replied.

As Hakakku walked, Koga rushed past him. He placed a hand on the foreign woman's shoulder. She had jerked, and then relaxed because of the contact. "Nia, are you-" The wolf demon leader froze once he had a good look at her. Flowing down her cheeks were tears. Her stared seemed aimless. Her legs were trembling, too.

"Sorry…" she whimpered. "I was only acting until this point. Really… I was afraid." Suddenly, her legs gave out, causing her to fall. Koga reacted quickly and caught her before she hit the ground. Nia wrapped her arms around Koga as he held her close. "If Lord Sesshomaru saw this, he'd have my head."

"No. You did well, Nia," Koga replied. He picked her up, bridal style. "I'll take care of your injuries now." The foreign woman shut her eyes, frowning. "Is this the first time anyone's seen your tears?" he thought.

For some reason, the thought made him smile.

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It's been awhile... since I have... updated this story~! And it's been awhile since I have... gotten any reviews~!