Chapter one; Never Saw It Coming

As they sat around the fire one evening, everything was unusually quiet. Once again, like always, Inuyasha had gone after Kikyou. And once again kagome had said nothing to him, and done nothing about it but quietly cry until he came back.

----Flashback----

Inuyasha jerked up from his breakfast, sniffing feverishly. Forgetting his food, he stood up abruptly, and began to run away in the direction that familiar scent was coming from.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Kagome called after him, standing up too, though she already knew the answer. Lost, in his frantic need to find Kikyou, Inuyasha didn't hear her, and did not respond, merely running off into the distance. Kagome watched him go until his figure was out of sight, and sat back down, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

--End flashback—

Kagome kicked a rock angrily, remembering the painful event. She would talk to him after dinner. She sighed, and turned her attention back to her potato.

Later that evening, Kagome, Sango, And Miroku were sitting by the fire. Everything was quiet, after Kagome had come and sit down. They both had heard the yelling between Inuyasha and Kagome, and figured it was the same as always. But this time, it wasn't. It was much, much worse.

'He chose her. He chose her.' Kagome thought in disbelief as she sat, remembering the events of the past few minutes, his words replaying in her head, and then hers, her horrible, harsh words. 'Please, kagome, I'm sorry. I hope you understand why we can't be together. It just couldn't happen. Please understand.' 'UNDERSTAND?! You hope I understand? How could I possibly understand, Inuyasha?! You just took my heart and broke it into a thousand tiny pieces and you want me to understand? No, no Inuyasha. After all I've done for you, all those times I stood by you when nobody would. All those times I listened when no one else could. All those times I sacrificed everything for you, because I love you. So, no Inuyasha, I will never understand.'

Tears rolled down her cheeks and she held back sobs as sat down.

"Don't worry kagome, it will be ok." Sango reassured her, stroking her hair comfortingly.

"Lady Kagome, don't let Inuyasha's ignorance bother you, he's just—"Miroku tried too, but was cut off by her sudden outburst as she spun around.

"Just what, Miroku?! Just hopelessly in love with her?! Just toying me along because he misses her and I kinda look like her?!" She screamed at him, her fists clenched and tears pouring down her face, which was all wrinkled up in her misery, "well I've got news for you, Miroku. I'm JUST sick of it, and HE'S just an ASS, so YOU can JUST FUCK OFF!" Sango gasped, and Miroku looked astonished by her outburst. Kagome turned and ran, not knowing where, just anywhere that wasn't there.

And that was how she got where she was now, sitting, cold and shivering with light rain falling on her back and clouding the grey skies. She sniffled; the tears had stopped, and left sticky streaks of wet marks where they had been.

She had been sitting on the cold hard mountain ledge for quite a few hours now. She had ran and ran until she got to the mountain, and with nowhere better to go, she climbed up a little. She had no idea where she was, all she knew was where she wasn't. And that was with Inuyasha.

The rain was letting up a little, and a few final plops on her back, it stopped. She sighed. 'I guess the sky's all out of tears, too."

-------------------------

Kouga sniffed, and with delight he caught the smell of kagome, so near, too! She must be on his mountain somewhere! Filled with excitement, Kouga ran after the smell. But as he got closer to it, he realized something was wrong. He didn't smell the others, but he did smell tears. An at once, he knew what must have happened and he sped up a little in his need to get to his loved one.

Her scent became very strong, and he slowed as he turned around the side of the rock to see Kagome's crumpled figure, lying soaked on the ledge.

"Hey, "he whispered softly as he walked up beside her and sat down. He stroked her hair, as she looked up at him, "what are you doing here all alone, and crying? A woman as beautiful and kind as you should never be either of those things."

Kagome laughed a little and sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"It was mutt-face, wasn't it?" Kouga asked sadly.

"Yeah, he, he chose her." Kagome burst into a fresh set of hysteric sobs, putting her face in her hands. Kouga growled, the it made him so mad that that lousy mutt hurt her, and even worse was that she loved him. He wished she would open her eyes and love him instead of dog breath. He hugged her, and tried to calm her, stroking her hair and holding her tight.

"You, you know, you could always come with me." He looked into her teary eyes hopefully.

"Oh, Kouga, you know I can't—" Kagome began, looking away, but Kouga grabbed her face and turned it back to him, looking into her eyes and cutting her off.

"Just listen to me, Kagome!" he growled, aggravated, and then spoke more gently to her. "I would treat you right, Kagome. I love you, and want you to be happy, and it hurts me to see you get hurt over and over again by that mutt. He doesn't deserve you, and you don't deserve to be toyed around with like he does to you. Please. Give it a chance."

"Kouga," Kagome sighed, about to refuse, but she stopped, thinking about what he said. He was right. "You know what? Maybe I will, Kouga. Yeah, who needs him anyway?!" She smiled, looking up into his eyes. She only now noticed how nice and calm she felt in his arms, like it was meant to be. And he was so good to her, not to mention good looking.

Kouga's face split in is grin, and he burst out laughing with joy. Kagome looked at him, and started to laugh, too. He held her up over his head, and beamed at her. "I will." Kagome whispered, looking into his blue eyes.

"I promise you won't regret it." He whispered back, and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. It was a long, sweet kiss, and they broke apart only for air.

"Kagome, I'm sorry, I, I shouldn't have done that." He looked down at the ground, averting his eyes from her.

"No, it's ok." Kagome said, "It would have been okay if you weren't such a bad kisser." She said playfully, grinning mischievously up into his eyes. He grinned down at her, licking his lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Kagome replied nonchalantly, turning away from him.

"Oh yeah?" Kouga challenged, and in a second he pounced on her, sending them both crashing to the ground as he tickled her.

"AUGH!" Kagome screamed between giggles, "Stop!"

"Well if I'm such a bad kisser…" Kouga trailed off, smiling at her wriggling form underneath him. He stopped tickling her and raised a hand, ready to tickle in a second's notice. She looked up at him defiantly, mouth sealed. Kouga put his hand closer to her chin and cocked an eyebrow.

"Humph, well." Kagome said in a mock indignant tone, then she looked back up at him and smiled playfully, "Maybe I need to re-evaluate." Kouga smiled and took the invitation, leaning again for a kiss.

Inuyasha leapt from tree to tree, following Kagome's scent. It was getting stronger as he ran up the mountain, and growled as he noticed Kouga's scent as well. The scent became even stronger as he turned bend after bend in the mountain trail.

He could hear voices now, Kouga and Kagome's voice. And she was laughing. He growled again and sped up.

Turning one more ledge he was faced with a quite unpleasant scene. Kouga was laying ON TOP of Kagome, and they were kissing. She wasn't struggling, she even looked happy. He crossed the few yards between them in seconds and lifted Kouga into the air.

"What the hell, Kagome?!" he yelled as he lifted her up, too, he astonished face turning red from embarrassment.

"Sorry, Kagome," Kouga apologized, "I didn't smell him coming." He smirked at Inuyasha, "I was a little distracted." He finished, licking his lips.

"You bastard, I told you to stay away from her!" Inuyasha growled, his teeth barred. He picked up Kouga and put his face so close their noses were almost touching, fury raging in his eyes, he could kill him, but Kagome started to speak.

"Stop Inuyasha! You don't own and I can do whatever I want! And I wanted to kiss him!"

"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha turned his face to her, still grasping Kouga in his hands.

"You have no right to do this Inuyasha! You chose her, and now I'm choosing him! So go cry to your dead lover!" Kagome yelled defiantly at him. Inuyasha did not say anything. He blinked and dropped Kouga. And without another word he walked away, his heart in two. He never saw that coming.