A/N: Thank you so much for the love peeps! Also, don't wanna brag, but I'm getting pretty good at this updating multiple stories thing.

P.E Teacher

Chapter 3

"Why, why, why?"

Her life was always a mess. She had managed to forget a very important book right before the biggest exam of her life. She had barely managed to sneak past Inuyasha t make it to the well. She knew that the second he would notice her disappearance, he would make a dash for the well and snatch her away. To giver herself more time, she did not even tell her mother she was here. That way, she had time to go to school, snatch the book and return to the feudal era without causing too many problems. Well - to not piss off Inuyasha, mostly. The less shards they found, the more upset he was. She knew a lot was a stake for him and it made for a difficult situation. But she had a life here.

Kagome finally reached her locker, relief washing through her. She began fidgeting with the lock, trying to hurry.

"Sneaking in?"

Startled, she let out a yelp. Rapidly, she spun around, only to come face to face with Kouga. He stood there, his arms crossed in front of is chest, stretching the blue fabric across his muscles. He was smirking, showing his teeth, while his head was corked to the side.

"You gave me a heart attack." She let out a breath of air and allowed her muscles to relax. "Don't you work?"

"I'm pretty fast," he teased. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting my book and jumping through the well before Inuyasha realizes that I'm gone."

He arched an eyebrow before biting back a comment; Inuyasha was quite the watch dog. Did Inuyasha not realize how difficult her life was and how torn apart she was? She had to constantly divide herself and leave her life and family behind.

"I kind of sneaked away and I'm sure he's realized it by now." Making her way to school had taken her longer than she had expected…

"Oi! KAGOME!"

Kagome's eyes bulged as she heard the sound of the familiar voice. Panic filled her bloodstream as she prayed he had not caught sight of her yet. Already? What had he done to make it here so fast? Blast through the city? Scratch that, she did not want to know.

And Kouga was here.

"Oh no, no, no! You have to hide."

"I have to what?"

Inuyasha - he had not heard that voice in a long time. He sounded the exact same - hearing him even brought forth a rush of adrenaline. Something about Inuyasha triggered him. Perhaps it was the aggressiveness of his aura; he had not sensed that coming from another youkai in a long time. Plus hide? Where did she want him to go? It was not like he could speed away and hide himself the way he used to do it in the past.

"Where do you want me to go?"

"Anywhere," she pleased. He should not want to be found out either. For her, it was fine. She had a better grasp on time travel and she could process this situation. Inuyasha however could bring forth a problem both in the present and in the past and it had to be avoided.

Kouga's eyes darted the vicinity, trying to locate a place to hide. As he noticed Kagome's panic, his eyes narrowed. He could heard Inuyasha's upcoming footsteps, and he knew time was running out for them. How far did he have to hide? How smart was Inuyasha? Fortunately for Kouga, Kagome was faster than him and she spotted something that might just work. She grabbed him by the shirt, forcing him to follow, and she dragged him away from sight before he could even react. Suddenly, darkness befell around him and all he could hear was the sound of a door loudly slamming close. He felt stuck as he was being pressed and squeezed from all side.

Once Kouga opened his eyes, he realized their location; the janitor's closet. There was a broom and a mop leaning against the wall near his head, while many boxes laid across his feet. When he looked down, he could see the top of Kagome's head, her hair flaring in all direction. As the quietness of their location fell upon them, they both became painfully aware of how small the space surrounding them was. Her face was pressed into his chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles, while her hand awkwardly rested near his hips. His own arms were protectively wrapped around her tiny frame, a position he had taken during the rush of the events. His nose was touching the top of her hair, the scent of her shampoo tickling his nostrils.

What a location she chose.

Of course there was nothing strange about this situation. She was a young student - and now he was her teacher. It was not like they had this type of relationship before or now. The only reason her cheeks were burning was because of the awkwardness of the closeness and the Inuyasha's lurking presence. Kouga had centuries on her and he unfortunately simply got swept into the situation. They were simply hiding from Inuyasha… in a closet… like teenagers. Well she was a teenager. He was not.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice echoed through the hallway.

Kagome's chest began to hurt from the rapid beating of her heart; she was stressed. This had been the worst idea. If Inuyasha got a wiff of her scent and found her like this, it would be even worse. She tilted her head backwards, trying to meet Kouga's eyes, hoping he would provide assistance. If she talked, they would be fund out. Luckily, he felt the shift of her head and glanced down at her, spotting the panic shining in her eyes. She was scared of being found out by Inuyasha. There was not much he could do, especially while they were trapped in such a small space. Perhaps his scent masking spell could extend to her but he was not certain that it could be done. Honestly, could he even get any closer to her? He did not think so.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

That was not Inuyasha's voice.

But no reply came - just a shuffle of the feet that caused Kouga's ears to twitch.

"He left," he whispered.

"What?"

"Another teacher scared him off."

Relief washed through her even though she knew it was nothing but momentary. It did not give her much time but it did give her a chance to make it to the well. At least Inuyasha did not try to fight the teacher…

"Are you sure you wanna go back?" he teased.

She groaned.

"I could fight him off."

"No thank you," she said with a laughter. "You two do that enough already."

Yes, he did have a tendency to fight Inuyasha on sight. However, it was hardly his fault. "I had a lot to prove back then." He was quite a young cub and he had to show that he was worthy of being the pack leader. "I mean, my dad just died, I took over the pack… and shit… I mean - during the first year I managed to lose more than half of the pack."

Oh.

Oh.

She was not expecting such a heartfelt confession, especially not when heir bodies were this close and touching in such a confine space. Her eyes softened and suddenly, she felt ridden with guilt. He had lost so much more than she ever realized. She could still vividly remember how heartbroken he was when he lost his pack and back then she did not even know how much pain he had gone through already. She did not know about his father… All she knew was that he had been the youngest pack leader but she had never found out the reasons why. She had stupidly assumed that it had to be because he had won a fight. After the loss of his father, it was no wonder that he was holding on to the shards and the power and strength they were giving him.

"I'm sorry Kouga, I didn't know."

Why did he keep doing this? Shit. "It was a long time ago."

"Now… but back then you were going through so much… and I didn't know."

"Kagome it's fine."

"No, it's not."

She had lot a parent and she knew how difficult it could be - and she never had to deal with the same responsibilities as he did.

Now Kouga was feeling the awkwardness, the warmth of her body against his, and he was not convinced this was the best setting.

"You should sneak away before you're found out."

She forced a smile on her features. "Probably." He was avoiding the topic at end - then again, as he had mentioned… for him it was a long time ago. The longer she waited, the longer she would have to sit Inuyasha. However, she did feel bad about leaving Kouga by himself after such a confession. "Sorry about shoving you in a closet," she said as it dawned upon her that to leave, they had to get out.

He chuckled. "I've been in worse situations."

Kouga swallowed before slowly backing away, her body heat leaving him as his back hit the door. He managed to move his arms away from her body, untangling himself from her, and he opened the door, shedding light upon her form. He managed to steal a quick glance, making sure Inuyasha was not in sight. He could tell that he was around but not near enough to spot them. It would give them a chance to part ways in privacy. Although these little encounters did not make him like Inuyasha. Now that he had the full story, he did not appreciate the way she was being treated - but it was none of his business.

"Coast is clear."

She shyly slipped out, staring left and right. "I better go before he spots me."

He nodded. "Good luck on your test."

She smiled. "Any way you can rig the grades?" she teased.

A chortle bubbled from his throat. "I'll see what I can do."

"See ya, Kouga."

"Bye Kagome."

He watched her sped down the clear hallway, an unsettling feeling in his chest. She always smiled. It did not matter how hard her life was, she kept on pushing. He wished he had known back then. He wished he could have done more, helped more. Perhaps it was impossible to change the past, but he could do something about the future.

-P-

A bath.

She had been craving one of these for weeks. She had really needed to scrub off the dirt of the recent battles. Usually, she preferred taking her baths while shielded by the darkness of the night but she had been unable to obtain such luxury. They had been traveling for weeks without coming across a shard and morals were at an all time low. She was already lucky to have been granted this little break - and it was mostly because Sango had required some time to polish and fix her weapon.

Kagome finished drying her hair with her white cotton towel, hoping to not get a cold from the dampness of her hair. She collected her yellow bag from the ground and nearly dropped it as a familiar zap went through her. As expected, a ew seconds later, the famous sound of Inuyasha's sword hitting the ground echoed through the forest, shaking it to its core. Oh god. She threw her bag over her shoulder and dashed to the campsite. As she thought, she was graced with the sight of an argument between Kouga and Inuyasha. Oh lord.

"Come on mutt face, that's all you've got?"

"You ain't seen nothing yet you mangy wolf."

Oh boy. "Inuyasha, sit."

The familiar thud echoed through as Inuyasha's face hit the ground.

"Why is it always me? He started it!" He was the one who showed up all cocky, demanding to know where his woman was. He had simply defended Kagome's honor and this was how she was repaying him? Keh.

"Because you start it."

Granted, she was not there for the beginning of the argument but usually Inuyasha was quick to pull out his sword - Kouga's mere presence was enough. She assumed it was the case again.

"I didn't! He did!"

"I just came for my woman."

Ah. She did not miss that.

"Both of you, stop."

She rolled her eyes and then walked into the middle of their fight. Why was it that they fought every time they saw each other? Well - Kouga did explain it to her a little… Crap. She just remembered his horrible situation. Future Kouga might be okay, but she was not convinced the same could be said about this Kouga. He had just lost his pack, his dad… at least he had Ginta and Hakkaku. It still did not change the amount of pain he was probably carrying around with him.

"I'm gonna —"

"Sit!" and thud.

"It ain't my fault you can't keep her safe."

"I can take care of myself," she pointed out. She did not need anyone to fight for her.

"He knows that."

"I don't need you two to talk for me," he barked at Ginta. "I know you can take care of yourself Kagome, I just don't think muttface over here is keepin' ya safe."

"Inuyasha," she stressed, "is just fine." A bit of an idiot but nothing she could not handle. Plus, he had saved her life on many occasions. He might have hurt her emotionally, but he was always protecting her from harm. "Do you two have to fight so much?"

"He's the one who keeps showing up!" defended Inuyasha as he rose from the ground. He quickly dusted up his sleeves, hoping the dirt would not stain the fabric.

"Inuyasha, Kouga wants what we want! He wants to get rid of Naraku just as much as we do."

"Keh, that wolf? He just wants petty revenge."

"It is not petty! He lost his pack Inuyasha. And he lost his dad, and - you of all people should know how difficult it is to lose family."

Lost his dad? Kouga quirked an eyebrow as he scrambled his brain, trying to remember when he shared with Kagome that his father had passed away. Except for when he had kidnapped her, their conversations had been fairly limited. Usually he sped away before Inuyasha completely went crazy - which he did to spare Kagome. Clearly it upset his woman when there was too much fighting. No matter how hard he tried to remember their previous conversations, he could not recall ever telling her that his father had died.

"Wench, what are you talking about his dad?"

Oh crap. Wait. Did - when - Future Kouga told her this. Crap. "Inuyasha, sit!"

And that seemed like the easiest way to get out of the conversation. Before he could recover, Kagome quickly spun on her heels, and stormed away from the group. Crap, crap, crap. She had long conversations with this Kouga in the past right? Like - hm, when he kidnapped her, they talked a little. It was believable that she would know this kind of information. Plus, he might not have noticed or heard was she said. She was just sitting Inuyasha and walking away as she had done many times in the past. There was nothing weird or peculiar about that. Nope, nothing at all.

"Kagome."

Crap.

She knew that voice - and though it was a bit lighter than the one she was getting used to now, she knew it was him. His speed was much faster in this era and he caught up to her in no time. "Hey."

"Kouga, hey. What - what is it?"

Kagome was face to face with what felt like a child. Gone were the wrinkles, gone was the maturity in his eyes. He was lost. Kouga always had a cocky attitude about him but for the first time, she was unable to find that side of him.

"When did I tell ya about my dad?" He did not share that often, and he was surprised he told her. He was the alpha of the pack, he had to be strong and he had to protect everyone. He had failed at that task, but it did not mean he was not going to rectify the situation. He would also protect Kagome. She had put her life on the line to defend her pack from the birds of paradise and she was one of their own. How could he protect her if she thought less of him?

"Hm, I -" Five hundred years in the future. Somehow that did not feel like the best answer to give him. "Just - I'm not sure."

"I can take care of the pack."

"I know."

"I will kill that Naraku."

"I know."

This was it. These were the emotions she had been expecting when Kouga told her he lost everything. This version of himself was still feeling the pain deeply.

"I don't need anybody's help to do it."

Inuyasha had come during the attack - Kagome had helped him as well. But he could do it just fine by himself. He did not need others to protect him or watch him.

"Kouga… it's okay if you need help."

"Pft, as if that bastard could catch me."

And there was the Kouga she knew.

"Nobody's doubting you Kouga."

Suddenly, the familiar warmth of his fingers enveloped her hands, and he quickly closed the distance between them. "I am happy that you're worried about me Kagome, but I'll be fine."

Eh boy. This was not quite turning out how she had expected but - but she was going to let him have this one. She remembered how alone in the world she had felt when her dad passed away. Kouga did not seem like the type of person to voice that loneliness. So, for once, she'd let him grab her hands and spurt out his nonsense. Because he needed it.

"I know."

-P-

"Kouga… it's okay if you need help."

Sweat dripped from his back as he violently sat up in his bed. His face turned ashen while his hands clammed up, his fingers crisping around his beige sheets. The pulse of his heart was visible on his neck as his heartbeat kept increasing. He wiped the build up of sweat on his upper lip and leaned into his wooden headboard. What the fuck was that? His peaceful rest had been interrupted by a vivid flash that shook him through his core. He had a dream? Was it a dream? Kagome was in it… she was talking to him but - he - he did not remember that moment between them.

She spoke of his father.

She spoke of his death.

He cleared his throat, his mind nothing more than a cloud of confusion. It was not a dream.

It was a memory.

He had — a new memory?

He stretched the skin of his face downwards with the palms of his hands, realization settling in. He had mentioned it but he had not been sure - her back and forth did affect the timeline. Whatever he said, whatever they did… it had an impact. Else, this would have happened already, it would not be a new memory. For him, he had gone on his way, and Kagome had followed her path. All of this, had led to the destruction of Naraku and the destruction of the jewel. Could their meeting impact the major events of the timeline? What was necessary? What could not be changed?

Fuck.

No, it could not work like that. Time could not work like this. He did not give a shit about time travels and rules. He refused to believe it would end up like this. Perhaps it would change a few things here and there, but it was impossible that his presence in her life would affect the outcome of the battle. It could not. They were not great friends back then, and they were acquaintances now. It was fine. He was just panicked and startled because of this new memory. The feel of it had turned his mind numb and it made nauseous.

Was it because it was the first time or would it always be like this?

Shit, there was no way he was going back to sleep now.

What the fuck was this supposed to mean?

-P-

"Wacdonald's?"

"Hey, I spend my time running around. I deserve this."

He chuckled as he sat down in front of her. She had sent him a quick message as she had popped back into this side of the well, and he had answered. He knew the final exams were coming and he assumed this was the reason for her few days trip to the modern era. He had not seen her in weeks, and he had yet to be plagued with another memory, which led him to assume everything was back as it should be. After all, if she had changed anything else, he would have known by now.

"How are things over there?"

She shrugged. "It's okay." She shook her head. "Almost got killed by a moth-demon, but we made it out."

"A moth-demon?"

"Yeah, he was trying to use us to make a new body - it's complicated."

"I'm surprised you don't hang out with your friends more often. You'd have a lot to talk about."

"You mean before or after they have me locked up in an asylum?"

They shared a laughter as she softly shook her head; it was strange to be able to talk about her days like this. Any time she saw her friends, she had to make up stories and with her mother - well, she tried to keep the danger to a minimum. She was not lying to her but she did not want to overly worry for nothing. It honestly sounded a lot worse than it actually was. Sure, she almost died a couple of times, but usually it worked out in the end.

"Any meetings with a dashing young man?" Of course, he already knew the answer to that question.

"A dashing young man? No. I did see this annoying guy -"

"Let me guess, he called you his woman?"

"Yeah, about that," she said with a smile. "Any tips on trying to get you to… not call me that?"

"Tough luck. I was pretty in love with you." There was a pause. "Back then."

Kagome purposefully omitted the little situation that happened. He was not bringing it up, which meant he did not know and it changed nothing for him. In that case, why should she be making a big deal out of a tiny slip up? There was no reason for it.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"If you are - were - so in love with me. Why did you keep leaving?" He had proclaimed his love for her on top of the mountain, he kept calling her his woman… but he easily walked away. It did not make sense to her.

He offered her a shrug of the shoulders. "You know, all that cocky? It's kinda for show." Alright - he was a cocky person, but a little bit of it was for appearance. "I did kinda realize you might not be that into me," he pointed out. After all, he was stubborn but not blind. "I just figured that if I showed you I was better than him, you'd end up seeing it."

"But you would leave?"

"Because it was clear that you wanted to be with your pack. I couldn't stay there or me and muttface would kill each other." She smiled at the use of the nickname. "But I wasn't gonna take ya away. I mean, I kidnapped you once, and that got me slapped. I kinda gave up on that plan."

"Yeah, I would say sorry, but you did deserve it."

"You're the first and only woman who's ever slapped me."

"I have a hard time believing that."

He displayed a wide grin at her comment. To be fair, he had not gone out of his way to look for someone. She was most likely right; back then, he probably could have found someone to slap him. It had taken him a long time to shed the cockiness - and some would stay he still had not. However, in his older age, he had learn to pick and chose his battles. Especially now that his people were a mere memory.

"I guess I'm not that good at the flirting game."

"Well, if you cut out the kidnapping, you're not that bad." He was not a bad guy - he had never been. It was quite swooning to proclaim your love for someone while on top of a mountain. "My friends thought so."

Now he was intrigued. "Your friends?"

"You might have come up - but I think they pictured you differently."

He laughed. "No tail?"

"Can you imagine?"

He ignored the little ping he felt in his chest at the thought that she had mentioned him before. "Hopefully you weren't too good at describing me, or we might have some problems."

He was her teacher - it was their teacher as well. It did not cross her mind that Wacdonald might actually be too public for this type of meeting. She might not see him often, but her friends did attend their classes as they should and would probably be able to pick him out of a crowd… that was not good.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry… I got… lost in thoughts." She cleared her throat. "So, any gossips about me?"

"No, but your boyfriend worries about you a lot."

"My boyfriend?"

"Hojo?"

She groaned. "Really? Still?"

Granted, she had never properly turned him down… but she had no time to do that. Plus, he was not a bad guy and she did not want to hurt his feelings.

"You have a trail of suitors - in both eras."

Her reaction worried him; was that how she reacted when he sped through the forest to meet up with her back in the feudal era? "How annoying am I?"

"What do you mean?"

"Other me."

"Oh. Well, you're not annoying. You've saved me a couple of times. I think you're persistent."

"Pushy," he corrected.

"Pushy, but Kouga, you were never a bad guy."

"It was fine once I left?"

"That's not what I meant."

"It's fine, I know I was very driven. I wanted to kill that bastard. Before you."

"Before me?"

"It might have suited you when I left you with your pack, but it suited me too. I wanted to get him before you."

"Why?"

"So he wouldn't hurt you," he said honestly. "Naraku used people's weaknesses. You were mine. I saw what he did to my pack and I was scared he'd do it to you too. I didn't care what happened to me as long as you were safe. If I found him first while you and were pack were looking for him, it was better. I wanted you as far away as danger as possible."

She stared at him, wide eyed. Kouga had been hard to pin down for her. They barely talk, she knew nothing about his life or his past. She did find it strange that he kept leaving despite proclaiming his love for her but she did not think further into the matter. Now that he was offering this new perspective, she felt an ache in her heart. There were many things she did not know about him. Actually, she did not know him at all. It was the first time that she was offered this point of view, and it hurt a little. He was a good guy, he was protective and he was suffering. She felt bad for all those times she might have been able to help.

But she did not know.

"I'm sorry."

He frowned. "About what?"

"I didn't - I didn't know you."

He had to stop making her sad and feeling guilty all the time. "Hey, it's not your fault."

"But you were -"

"No," he cut her off. "It's not like I was going about it the right way. You didn't know me because I didn't let you know me." He ran his fingers through his long locks, trying to find the right words. "I thought just me being me was enough. I was a cocky bastard, and I thought that would pay off." In the end, it did not.

It was not until he completely let go of his ego that he realized the truth; Kagome would always love Inuyasha. It was at that moment that he bid her farewell for real. Obviously, she knew she was never going to pick him, but he gave her the closure he needed. It also let her know that he would not be popping out of a bush to claim her again. They were friends and nothing more.

"You thought that kidnapping me was the way to woo me?"

"It's not my fault you modern women are so picky."

She exploded into a laughter, her shoulders vibrating with the sound. "Yes, if I had been from the feudal era, you would have won me over."

But she was not - and that was why he fell for her in the first place. She was different, she was feisty - she was everything he wanted and everything he needed.

"If I had known sooner, I wouldn't have wasted my time," he said with a smirk.

And if she had known about him a little sooner, she might have interacted with him differently. She could have helped him and she could have led him to realize that they could all take down Naraku together. There was no reason the two of them should have been working towards the same goal at different pace. Kouga had valid reasons to want him dead and - he should be able to hunt him down with them. She knew that him and Inuyasha would probably kill each other if they traveled together… and Kouga from the past did not have the same maturity has the Kouga sitting in front of her… but… what if it was possible?

She did not want him to get killed. He could not take Naraku down by himself. Clearly, he had not died since he was standing in front of her, but that did not mean nothing happened. Perhaps it was possible for them to be in this fight together. And Kouga had two of the shards… at some point, they were going to need him and them. At this point it sounded like an absolutely insane plan but… it felt like the fair thing to do. Granted, she could not just whip it up and propose it… but what if it could work?

Kouga deserved to avenge his pack and he needed a win.

Why should he fight on his own?

Naraku was stronger than all of them, and at this point - jewel or not - she was not even convinced that they could take him down.

But she was not going to tell him that. "But how could you resist the school girl uniform?"

He chortled. "It makes more sense now."

Actually, he did not know how he did not make the connection until now. He had seen her run around in that outfit for years. Then again, what was the vague memory of an outfit at that point?

"There was nothing more…practical?"

"I'm used to it." It was not always the smartest plan but it worked. "Plus, it's easier for when I have to travel back and forth all the time."

"Good point."

She laughed with him, slowly planning her new idea. It would be perfect.

As long as they did not kill each other….

-P-