Here's a new one-shot that somehow popped into my head. I DO own the poem (underlined). I wrote it a little over a year ago when I was thinking about an old "Friend" of mine who stabbed me in the back…not gonna go into detail, but we had been friends for five years!

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. The characters and story are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I do own this storyline and this poem!

All Because of You

Well, he was off again. Off to see her. Of course it hurt, how could it not? How could you not feel pain when the one you love betrays you time and time again? Kagome never understood why he would always do this to her, especially tonight of all nights. It was on this day three years ago that they had met. Three years ago when she found him bound to the Goshinboku.

In a place where the sun never shined,

And the waves flow an inky blue,

Back in the deepest corner of my mind,

I sit in the dark and think of you;

And it was earlier this night that he had promised to never see her again. It was this night that he had promised to take Kagome as his mate after Naraku was dealt with. And she believed him.

'I played the part of the fool again. And I did a damn good job of it too. But it won't happen again. He's hurt me one too many times, and I'm not going to put up with it anymore.' Her face set with determination, the miko rose from her sleeping place and took her time following after the hanyou. There was no need to rush; she knew where he was going.

A few miles away, the young wolf prince was resting at the foot of an old cherry tree surrounded by a field of beautiful purple and white azaleas. He closed his eyes and a vision of his lovely future mate's face appeared. He pictured her bright chocolate eyes, always sparkling with kindness and love for all. Her creamy ivory complexion, contrasting against her silky ebony tresses that billowed in the warm breeze. Kouga loved how her raven locks framed her face, intensifying the peachy tint to her cheeks and the soft, subtle pink of her full lips. He'd always wanted to feel those lips press against his, taste the sweetness of her kiss. One day soon, he would. And it would come sooner than he thought.

The wind suddenly changed its course, and the foul stench of dog made him want to gag. But not a moment later a small smile crossed his lips. If ever that mutt was around, his woman was sure to be close by as well. He stood up and picked a large bouquet of both white and purple azaleas. Without a second thought, he raced off in search of the miko who had stolen his heart.

I think of how you messed with me,

And gave me hope to believe,

To my heart I gave you the key,

But all you ever did was deceive;

Kagome arrived at the Goshinboku just in time to see InuYasha pull her into a loving embrace. She could feel the heat of passion coming off of them in waves. She should have known better than to trust him. Why hadn't she learned? How many times had he told her that he would always protect her? And to some extent he had. He just couldn't protect her from himself. And he was the one who hurt her the most. How many times did it take for her to realize that he would never change? All the poor girl ever did was love him unconditionally, and what did he do? Tear her heart apart and throw it back in her face.

Of course she couldn't put all the blame on him. She herself had something to do with it as well. Had she not always taken him back, none of this would be happening. He would have made his choice by now. Well, he was going to make his choice tonight, whether he was ready to or not. And if he didn't know, then she would decide for him…

The wind lashed at his face, but he paid it no mind. A few minutes into his run, he caught the scent of bones and graveyard soil mixed in with "InuTrasha's", and that didn't bode well with him. Whatever that smell belonged to, it couldn't be good.

As soon as he came to the clearing where the stench was emanating from, he had to bite back a growl. That…that dog had his claws all over another woman! How could he do this to Kagome? She trusted this mutt, and he had the gall to go behind her back and cheat on her with this thing! How could he give up a gem like Kagome for something that reeked of death and wasn't even half as beautiful as his woman was? A smile crossed Kouga's face when he saw Kagome arrive on the other side. But it quickly vanished when he caught sight of the look in her eyes. She was crushed. Her beautiful brown orbs glistened with unshed tears and her body shook with anger and hatred. The wolf wanted so badly to pull her into his embrace and tell her everything was going to be alright. He wanted to make all of her pain go away and never see her hurting again.

Just as he had resolved to run up to her and whisk her away from the deplorable sight, the young miko cleared her throat loudly, capturing everyone's attention.

I am older now with regret,

Of how my heart you would always taint,

From the day that we first met,

I should have known you were no saint;

"K-kagome…" InuYasha whispered.

"Yes, InuYasha?"

"I-I can explain."

"Oh, really? Then by all means. Please do. I can't wait to hear your excuse this time." she retorted coldly.

InuYasha, taken aback by the sharp edge to the tone of her voice, stumbled over his words. "Well, I um…you see…um that is…I uh…"

"Spit it out! I haven't got all night. I need my beauty sleep you know. Though not as much as her…"

"What was that bitch? You know what? I'll answer you. InuYasha has chosen me over you. Is that clear enough for you?" Kikyou gnashed out.

"Crystal." Kagome replied. Her voice was now stoic, void of any emotion, which worried Kouga to no end. He never wanted to see her like this again. And he never would if he had anything to say about it. Kagome's bell-like laughter echoed through the forest, yet it was eerily hollow. " It's funny though. Just a few hours ago InuYasha told me that he would take me as his mate after the whole Naraku thing blew over. And now he's telling you the same thing. I guess he really hasn't chosen anyone yet. But he will…right now. Go ahead InuYasha. Choose." By this time, Kagome noticed Kouga's presence, and she was relieved that he was here for her. She was going to need someone's shoulder to cry on, and she knew Kouga could help her through this.

InuYasha stood there, not saying a word for what seemed like hours until… "No. I won't choose. I love you both."

A male's voice laughing from behind him made him jump out of his skin. To him it sounded almost like…barking? But as suddenly as it came, it stopped and Kouga stepped out from the shadows. His voice was now menacing and icily cold. "You bastard. If that's how you feel, then you don't deserve a woman as fine as Kagome. You aren't even worthy to breathe the same air as her." He looked over to see Kagome smiling at him, her eyes filled with appreciation, trust, and possibly…love. "If you loved Kagome, then you wouldn't put her through this. Look at her! She's on the verge of tears because of YOU! It's YOUR fault she's hurting!"

The hanyou dared not look at Kagome; he knew Kouga was right and he just could not stand to see her in pain. Instead he turned on Kouga and gave him the nastiest glare he could muster. "And what the hell are you doing here anyway, flea-bag! This is none of your damn business!"

"Quite the contrary." the wolf replied as he crossed the glen, never taking his sapphire orbs off of Kagome's brown ones. "I, unlike you, DO love Kagome. And it hurts me to see her upset, so I will do whatever I can to heal her heart. That is, if she'll let me." He directed that last comment to said miko, who blushed lightly under his gaze.

"K-kouga…" she whispered as a few tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks. Kagome dropped her head to allow her bangs to shield those chocolate colored eyes, but Kouga wouldn't have it. He hooked a finger under her chin, and lifted her head to stare into her eyes. "Kouga…what do you want me to say?"

"You don't have to say anything Kagome. Just let me help you. I don't want to see you in pain anymore. It kills me to see you like this."

Her tears began to fall more freely as she buried her face in his chest. "It hurts so much. I just want to know why he did this to me. Why he always does this to me. I can't take it anymore!"

Kouga wrapped his arms around the girl's slender waist and pulled her close, as he whispered words to calm her. "Calm down, Kagome. Everything will be fine. I'm right here and I plan on making sure he won't ever hurt you again…." A small smile graced his lips when he remembered why he was there in the first place. "Oh yeah! I brought you somethin'." He stepped back and pulled out the bouquet of azaleas he had picked earlier.

"Oh Kouga! They're beautiful!" Kagome squealed in delight, taking the flowers and inhaling deeply. "Thank you."

Kouga grinned. "Anything for you, Kagome. I hoped they would cheer you up."

Kikyou, tired of being ignored, spoke up. "Well it looks like Ms. goody-two-shoes has her own little secret. That's all the better for me. You can have that mangy mongrel, and I'll get InuYasha."

InuYasha was furious. How dare that dirty wolf have its filthy claws all over what was his. "Hey you scrawny wolf! Get your paws off of Kagome! She is MINE!"

Kagome pulled gently out of Kouga's embrace and turned towards the hanyou. Her voice was yet again emotionless. "Yeah, okay. Right. I belong to you. Well what about her?" she scoffed, jabbing her thumb in Kikyou's direction. "Is she yours too? You can't have us both InuYasha. Kouga is right. I don't deserve to be treated this way. I refuse to be put on the back burner whenever you feel the need to go running off with her. So since you can't decide, I will decide for you. You can have that piece of filth you call a priestess because I'm not going to put up with you anymore. I hereby wash my hands of you. You know she's only going to continue hurting you InuYasha. She's betrayed you to Naraku before and I can promise you that she'll do it again. But maybe that's for the best. That way you'll know how I felt every time you shattered a piece of MY heart."

As a few more tears quietly slid down Kagome's soft cheeks, Kouga quickly cupped her face in his hands and wiped them away. "Please Kagome, I don't want to see you crying anymore." He smiled warmly. "Tears don't befit your beautiful face."

Kagome laughed lightly and looked up into his sapphire eyes. "I'm not beautiful Kouga. If I was, InuYasha wouldn't have put me through this."

The wolf demon shook his head and pulled her closer. "Don't even think like that. You're wrong. InuYasha was an idiot to choose that…that thing over you." he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust to emphasize his point. Kagome giggled. "Why don't you come with me, Kagome? I love you and only you. Please Kagome. Please agree to be my mate."

"Kouga, I…"

"She ain't going anywhere!" InuYasha interrupted.

"You stay out of this Inu-koro! You can't boss her around. She is a brilliant woman who can do whatever she damn well pleases!" Kouga turned back to the miko who was now sporting a deep red blush.

"You really do care about me, don't you Kouga? I don't know why I never noticed it before. But I think I'm falling in love with you too. I think I have been for a long time, but I was too blinded by my feelings for InuYasha to realize it. I'm not ready to settle down yet, though. I would love to come stay at the den with you, but I can't agree to be your mate yet. Is that okay?"

Kouga's face lit up like he had just won the lottery. "Of course it's okay! I'll wait as long as it takes." Before anyone could say a word, the wolf prince wrapped his muscular arms around the miko's lithe body and gave her the sweetest, most passionate kiss ever. He smirked when he felt her kiss back, and grinned as he felt a pair of golden eyes filled with hatred and malice burn through him like fire. Kouga broke the kiss and pressed his lips gently to her temple. "Let's go home, love." And with that, he picked her up bridal style and was off, leaving the mutt and the clay pot spitting out dirt.

Just give me time, I'll be fine,

But you have crossed the depraved line.

So, what's the verdict? Was it any good? For some reason I have this thing where I think it's adorable when a guy gives a girl flowers…I'm a hopeless romantic!

And just to let you know, I am still working on LLF and I'm going to rework PFM and add to it! Plus I have ideas for other chapter stories, one-shots, and maybe an idea for a TMM fic!

Bye for now!

Ja-ne!