Chapter 4: Promises
Kagome had slept in longer than she had intended to, but she was so exhausted from Kiba's crying the previous day. Luckily everyone, mind Inuyasha, thought she deserved the much needed rest. Not to mention that they were all incredibly grateful that Kagome could finally get Kiba to stop crying.
Shippo made his way over to Sango and Kagome, they were talking softly as Kiba laid on the floor beside them playing with a toy from the modern era which fascinated him. "Kagome, does that mean we're gonna keep Kiba?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Kagome smiled and nodded, "We don't have much choice. Besides, I think Akane entrusted me to watch over him. I wouldn't want to ignore her last wishes."
"Kagome, you know this won't be easy..." Miroku spoke softly from across the room. He hated to be the one to bring upon negativity, but he was inclined to remind everyone of the situation they were in.
Kagome frowned, "I know...but I have an idea." she paused for a moment, "It's pretty obvious I don't know anything about raising a demon, a baby for that matter. So I was thinking the best thing to do at this point is to seek Koga's help."
"You do know what that means Kagome." Sango started, "...as Kaede mentioned yesterday, male demons have no interest in raising children who are not their own. Koga is just as likely to reject this child as Inuyasha already has."
"Not to mention the fit Inuyasha will go into at the mere thought of seeking Koga out." Miroku added.
Kagome rolled her eyes, "He'll just have to get over it! Won't he Kiba!" She cooed to the pup, and he gurgled slightly.
"Oh! I know, I'll go and get Inuyasha!" Shippo exclaimed, running out of the hut before Kagome could stop him.
Kagome sighed heavily, she didn't want to start the day in a bad mood.
It was within mere minutes that Shippo came running in, Inuyasha not far behind. "Ya little brat, don't think you can hide behind Kagome after hitting me!" he hollered.
"I brought him for you, Kagome!" Shippo said proudly while sticking out his tongue at Inuyasha childishly.
Inuyasha took notice of Kagome and the infant, "Ya finally got that wolf to pipe down. I was going insane with it's cryin'!"
"With no help from you..." Kagome dully noted. She didn't want to get in an argument with Inuyasha, considering what she was about to ask him.
He scrunched his nose in disgust, "What did ya want me to do about it?"
Kagome shook her head, letting go of her building anger, "Never mind."
"Inuyasha, it seems clear to me that you have no interest in helping out with Kiba. Despite you being a half-demon, and any knowledge you have would help." Miroku spoke up.
"Keh. Of course not! Besides I know nothin' about raising a pup." Inuyasha stated simply.
Miroku grinned, "So you don't mind if we sought out….'professional' help."
Inuyasha glared at the monk, "Just what are ya getting at, Miroku?"
Miroku gestured to Kagome and she fidgeted slightly. She was hoping she had a little more time to better his mood.
"Well Kagome, got something to say? Spit it out!" Inuyasha demanded. He did not like where this was going one bit.
Kagome flinched, "Well...you know I've decided to take responsibility over Kiba."
"Well duh! You did make me haul all that junk from your era. I still think it's a dumb idea!" Inuyasha was getting more irritable by the second.
She sighed, "Well it's been decided and I'm not changing my mind! The thing is, I want to raise Kiba right. I'd be naive to think I can raise a demon child on my own with no knowledge of his kind. So I've decided I'm going to ask Koga for help." She finished slowly but confidently.
She was determined it was the right thing to do for Kiba. But she also knew it would do incredible damage to her already tattered relationship with Inuyasha.
He was silent for a moment, something no one expected. "Get out!" Inuyasha demanded, it was rather clear he wanted to talk to Kagome alone.
"Inuyasha…?" Kagome asked concerned as the rest of the group made haste to leave the hut, they didn't want to feel the rash of Inuyasha.
He stood silently not moving, he thought for a while trying to think of the right words. "Kagome….I know things haven't been great between us." he started.
Kagome watched in silent horror, was this the talk she so desperately craved yet feared to come. Kiba squirmed in her arms, not liking the sudden tension.
"But I can't stand the thought of you asking that mangy wolf for help with that kid..." he paused and corrected himself, "...Kiba. I want to prove to you I can provide for you, for the both of you. Give me another chance."
"W-what?" Kagome asked confused, slightly angry. She'd given him so many chances, how was this fair to her.
He growled, "I know I've fucked up! A lot! But I know I can do this. ...Let me take care of Kiba with you, I won't let you down." He was desperate he had always clung selfishly to Kagome. And the thought Kagome seeking the help of any man sickened him, it was his job to provide for her.
She watched him with wide eyes, "I-I don't know Inuyasha..."
"I can do it!" he said with uncertainty. He couldn't explain it himself, he knew that the idea of raising any kid would piss him off. But this little brat made him much more irritable.
She thought for a moment. Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. She hadn't really given Inuyasha a chance to prove himself, maybe they didn't need to seek Koga's help after all. She'd given Inuyasha so many chances before, what was one more?
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Kagome sat in the hut, it was time to feed Kiba again it seemed. He got hungrier than human babies did, maybe she needed more formula than she'd originally thought…
Inuyasha abruptly took a seat next to her, he was quiet for a moment. "Do ya want me to feed him?" he said quickly.
She gave him a warm smile, she was surprised he even offered. He looked rather embarrassed to even ask. "That's be nice." a small amount of her hope restoring in him. She shifted Kiba in her arms, and passed him along to Inuyasha. "Be careful, he's really fragile!" she mentioned.
"Yeah. Yeah." he replied taking a hold of Kiba. The wolf demon looked up at Inuyasha, he sniffed lightly. His nose scrunched up and his fists closed tight as he began to cry uncontrollably.
"H-hey kid. Stop crying!" Inuyasha hollered, his ears pressing flat against his head. If there was one thing he could stand was this pup's crying.
Kagome took hold of Kiba immediately, "Don't yell at him, Inuyasha! He's just a baby, he doesn't understand!" She rocked Kiba in her arms gently, cooing soft words to him.
Inuyasha looked at the two with contempt, well mostly at Kiba. He growled, "What's wrong with him?"
Kagome shot him a dirty look, "Nothing is! You just scared him!"
He growled again, but he tried to calm himself. How was he going to prove to Kagome he could do this if the damn kid was scared of him? He sat closer towards Kagome and leaned over her shoulder.
Kiba looked up at him and began to whimper, Kiba didn't like this demon.
Kagome shot Inuyasha another look and pulled away from him slightly, "It's alright Kiba, he's just a big meanie!"
"I don't need this." Inuyasha growled and made quick haste to exit the hut. He brushed past Sango rather rudely as she came back to check up on how Kagome was doing.
"What's got him in such a bad mood?" Sango asked as she took a seat across Kagome, "I thought you said he was going to help you with Kiba."
Kagome sighed, "Yeah...I think he's just upset. I know Kiba isn't his, but I'm sure he'll warm up to him. Maybe it'll just take him a couple of days, knowing Inuyasha it might take weeks..."
Sango looked at her wearily, "Kagome...it doesn't exactly work like that. Inuyasha isn't like us. Like I mentioned before, his demon nature wants nothing to do with Kiba. But there is a chance he could bond with the child. That's under certain situations, and it usually only happens with a mate or intended mate. Even then, that's not a very good chance."
Kagome shook her head, "But Inuyasha is part-human! If we give him some time, I know they'll bond."
"I'll be honest don't know much about half-demons, but Inuyasha is acting the way any other demon would. If he really wanted to bond with the child, he would've accepted him by now. Bonding comes with time, but if Inuyasha's demon instinct refuses to accept Kiba right off the bat I don't think he ever will." Sango explained. She didn't want to dampen Kagome's hopes, but she needed to understand.
"I know you mean well Sango, but Inuyasha isn't like any other demon!" Kagome was confident he would prove that.
Sango sighed sadly, "I know that. At this point Kagome I think it's been made clear Inuyasha's demon instincts want nothing to do with Kiba, but to give him the benefit of the doubt if Inuyasha doesn't accept Kiba by today. I don't think he ever will." She couldn't understand how she could have so much faith in a person who always let her down emotionally, it sounded exhausting and he broke Sango's heart to sit by and idly watch.
Kagome sat quietly. So if by the end of the day Inuyasha can't come to terms with Kiba, there was no hope. She had always put a lot of faith into Inuyasha, and she was going to do this to. This was their last chance. She swore it was.
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Three days had passed and Kagome was tired. She was so exhausted, there were times she just wanted to crumble into a ball of tears. Taking care of Kiba was part of the reason, he constantly needed to be fed and changed. There were times he would wake up in the middle of the night and would cry uncontrollable. Kagome worried he missed his mother too terribly. Kagome did her best for Kiba and she did not blame him for any of her problems. Kiba was still an infant, the bond between him and his mother had been broken not even a week ago. He slowly adjusted and began to accept Kagome, but she felt as if he still mourned the loss of his mother.
Kagome was grateful for the help and support that she recieved from her friends and the people in the village. However, she was at her wits end with Inuyasha hovering around trying to 'help' all day. All he succeeded in doing was getting unusually pissed off at her or Kiba or just anyone for that matter. She understood that raising a child that wasn't his was tough, but she still hadn't seen any progress from him at all.
Kagome finished feeding Kiba, changed him and placed him in a cradle-like contraption one of the other villagers had so kindly given to her. They had been very much accepting of Kiba, not that it was too much of a surprise seeing as they welcomed both Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kiara.
Inuyasha suddenly stormed into the hut, he had thought a lot about what happened today. He was frustrated, tired, and just wanted that brat out of their lives
"Can't we just leave the brat at Koga's place?! I'm sure he'd be happy to frolic in the mud with them or whatever the hell it is wolves do." Inuyasha spat out, having finally lost his patience.
Kagome grit her teeth, "I can't believe you just said that! There's no way I can abandon Kiba!"
Inuyasha cursed under his breath, there he went again. Fucking everything up. He took a deep breath and did his best to calm down, but his voice came out strained, "Kagome, I'm sorry. This is just really stressful...and..."
"Inuyasha, I know you want to help me. And I really wanted this to work, but you couldn't even last three days!I'm just as frustrated and tired as you are, if not more." Kagome said emotionally exhausted.
Inuyasha watched silently, everything she said was true. He didn't have the gull to admit to her that no matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't bond with that kid. But he figured she probably already knew that.
"Kiba is apart of my life now. Permanently. You can't just expect me to drop him to please you. If anything, this has made me realize how much we need Koga's help..." Kagome finished.
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While Kagome thought it was best to get to Koga as soon as possible, with Kiba transportation for everyone was not easy. Miroku suggested he get Hachi to give them a lift, but he wouldn't be able to until the following morning. Kagome reluctantly agreed.
The first thing the following morning the group was on their way to Koga's den. They'd been traveling for a few hours and it wouldn't be long before Koga would sense their familiar presence. Kagome, with Kiba in her arms, Sango, Miroku and Shippo were gathered together discussing matter. All the while Inuyasha sat away from the group, sulking.
"Kagome, are you sure this is a good idea?" Sango asked he younger girl unsure. She was worried of Koga's reaction to Kiba, he saw Kagome as his intended. If he thought of Kiba as a threat he may try to kill him.
Kagome spoke, "Well it's the best idea I got right now. I don't think I could raise Kiba without really knowing about wolf demons.
Miroku watched Kagome concerned, "And what if Koga doesn't help. What if he's like Inuyasha and can't stand to help you."
Kagome felt the familiar call of two jewel shards that were coming their way, "He's here." There wasn't anymore time to think of what Koga would do, those thought had been wracking her brain since the night prior. All she could do was hope for the best.
Hachi began descending towards a open area, he landed on the ground softly and the group off his back. He transformed back to his much smaller form and the group waiting anxiously for Koga to arrive.
It wasn't long before a whirlwind of air came into view, immediately dispersing a few meters away. He was immediately followed by several wolves. Kagome suddenly felt uneasy not liking the idea of being surrounded by wolf demons, with a foreign wolf demon child. She didn't know what to expect, and pulled Kiba closer to her chest subconsciously.
Koga walked straight towards Kagome following his normal routine, he was glad to see her. "Kagome, I noticed you guys were heading my way! Thought I'd stop by and say hi to my gorgeous girl. How've ya been? It's been a while since…." he stopped speaking suddenly noticing a bundle in her arms. He sniffed precariously towards it, he took a step back in surprise.
"Er. Hi, Koga." Kagome said timidly, "I guess you've already noticed Kiba."
He smiled nervously, "O-oh is that his name." This was an unexpected turn of events. He'd intended on talking and maybe flirting with Kagome, he'd never imagined to find her with a wolf pup. "How'd you manage to get a hold of this little guy?"
She smiled wearily hoping this was a good sign so far, "Well we came upon a wolf demoness and Kiba, but the wolf demoness passed away a several days ago….so I've decided to try and take care of Kiba since he has no one else. That's why I'm here..!" she paused suddenly embarrassed, "I was hoping you could help me." Kagome's face had slowly turned red as she continued, this wasn't the way she imagined this would transpire.
Ordinarily Koga would want nothing to do with a pup that wasn't his own, not that he'd ever had one. Wolves were naturally social, he'd played with pups before but that's as far is it went. He wasn't going to lie, he felt hesitant about saying yes. At first his demon instinct was against raising a pup that wasn't his. He looked at Kagome, she had hopeful eyes. Pleading almost.
Koga still wasn't sure, he knew Kagome had a caring personality. But this was a wolf pup, one he didn't know, he wasn't even sure what tribe it hailed from. And while it was true she was watching over Shippo the fox kit was older and mature enough not to be so dependent on it's original parents. Other problems arose, the chances of surviving without it's mother was low. The wolf pup's only chance was to imprint on another female, the chances of that was even lower.
He walked closer to the pup, he allowed his demonic presence to gently caress the wolf pup in an attempt to wake him from his nap. The wolf pup immediately responded opening his eyes, looking up at Koga. The wolf pup seemed to recognize Koga as a male wolf, and whimpered up at him. Calling for his mother. It was what Koga feared, the pup had no interest on imprinting on another female. But to his ultimate surprise the pup looked up at Kagome and smiled, gurgling happily. The wolf pup while he yearned for his mother, was very much attached to Kagome.
He sighed, "I'll can see what I can do." Kagome was a big weakness for him, he'd do anything to please her. His demon instincts knew this, they ceased they're annoyed displeasure and remained silent.
"Y-you will?" Kagome asked in disbelief. She expected reluctance, she'd expected she'd have to plead and beg. Bargain even.
He smiled and stepped closer putting an arm around Kagome, "Of course. You're my woman. If your kind heart has enough love to accept a pup that isn't yours, then I will do all I can to support you. I'd be happy to raise Kiba with you."
Kagome blushed and squeaked out, "R-raise?"
"That's it. I've heard enough of this crap!" Inuyasha stepped in, "You're not helping her raise him. If anything you're just giving us advice, and then we're moving on!"
Koga growled at him, "I can't just give you 'advice.' Raising a wolf pup ain't easy, mutt face!"
Inuyasha, whose mood had been incredibly horrible these days, had been itching for a fight to let off some steam. This was perfect. "I'm gonna take you down!" he growled angrily.
"Inuyasha, sit boy!" Kagome commanded and Inuyasha's face planted into the ground. She wasn't in the mood for this, and she really hoped she wouldn't have had to use the command on Inuyasha. She'd made it a point not to do so these past few days, but Inuyasha had far pushed her over the edge.
He looked up from the ground, anger and hurt flickering across his eyes. Kagome sighed upset, Inuyasha was obviously already hurt enough. She was hopeful there was another way, one that didn't involve her staying alone with Koga.
"Is there any possibility you would take interest in traveling with us?" Miroku asked, hoping to set a more positive mood.
Koga shook his head, "Nah, that won't work. I can't just leave the pack and travel with ya guys, I'm the leader of a wolf pack ya know."
"You can't be suggesting that we stay at the wolf den with you." Sango stated incredulously.
Koga scoffed, "Of course not! What I'm saying is that Kagome and Kiba will stay here. That way I can help raise Kiba, and watch over my woman."
Inuyasha pushed himself off the ground as the power of the necklace faded away, but kept his distance in fears of being 'sat' again. "Like hell you are! Kagome ain't staying with you." Inuyasha growled.
Koga pulled away from Kagome and faced her, ignoring Inuyasha. His mood suddenly serious, "Kagome. If I could I really would go with you, but I can't. I have a lot of responsibilities with my pack. I think you should consider my offer to stay at my den, raising Kiba isn't going to be easy on your own."
Koga knew Kagome was serious about raising Kiba and while he would never force her to do anything she didn't want to do, she had to understand the situation.
Kagome thought for a long while. She knew the right thing to do for Kiba was to stay with Koga, and she had subconsciously prepared to stay with Koga. But what about the others? She couldn't just abandon them...
"You're not considering this are you?!" Inuyasha asked, her silence making him fear the worst. Kagome gave him a sad look, and he felt his stomach turn.
Sango walked closer to Kagome, "Kagome, as crazy as this may sound coming for me, I think you should stay. Well at least temporarily."
Kagome looked at her with wide eyes, "Y-you do? But what about the jewel shards and Naraku!"
"I agree with Sango. Your main concern is Kiba, there's no safe way to go about raising a wolf pup and travel to fight a demon at the same time. At this point most of the jewel shards have been collected. And Inuyasha has Naraku's scent and will work on tracking him down." Miroku offered. He was eager to take down Naraku, but Kagome had other priorities.
Sango spoke up, "But we do have conditions. You can't just take Kagome with you and expect her drop everything to please your needs, she has a family and friends who care about her. I suggest Kagome spend a certain amount of time with you, and you do the same for her." She gave Koga a hard look, she appreciated Koga helping Kagome but he couldn't expect her to drop her life for him because he didn't want to travel.
Koga didn't appreciate being spoken this way by the demon slayer. Anyone for that matter.
"Koga, please. I know you have responsibilities but I have some too. I want to learn how to take care of Kiba, but I have to find the jewel shards too. The quicker I can do so, the faster I can focus on taking care of Kiba." Kagome pleaded. She was willing to stay with him for a while, but she couldn't wait for Kiba to grow up unfortunately. They're just wasn't enough time for that.
Once again Koga felt his resolve wavering the eyes of the woman he cared for most, "Fine. You'll stay with me for three months, and then we'll go travel with your friends."
"Three months? Fuck no, she's not staying with you for three months. Actually she ain't staying with you at all!" Inuyasha growled, why were they making these deals without his consent. He was alpha, this wasn't how it was supposed to be.
Miroku sighed, "What he means to say is three months is a very long time. Time we don't have unfortunately. Would you consider shortening the length to a month an a half?"
"I guess that's fine. I'll have to make arrangements for it." Koga finally agreed after a few moments of contemplating, he figured if Kagome had to sacrifice so much, he could afford to sacrifice some himself too.
Shippo shyly made his way to her, "I don't mind either, Kagome! Kiba needs your help." He turned towards Koga, "We can visit her, right?"
"Course, Kiddo." Koga gave him a grin.
Kagome was grateful for their reasoning with Koga, while living with him this upcoming month and a half would be difficult she'd learn to adapt for the sake of Kiba. She looked at Koga and smiled gratefully, "I know I'm asking so much of you, and I'm so glad Koga that you're willing to help me."
"Anything for you, Kagome." Koga couldn't stop grinning, being graced with her genuine smiles, as opposed to the fake ones she usually gave him, was enough to make his day. And he was sincere in his statement, he cared for Kagome. This was the perfect opportunity to show her how much he truly cared for her, and he was going to make every second count.
Kagome turned and looked at her gratefully, but she knew they would be supportive. Inuyasha was another case. He was growing irritable as his protests fell on deaf ears, it seemed that no one else cared for his opinion.
Kagome sighed, she couldn't ignore Inuyasha for much longer. "Do you guys mind if I talk to Inuyasha alone?"
"Sure thing." Sango mentioned. After exchanging several heartfelt hugs, and teary goodbyes Sango ushered Miroku and Shippo away, back to where Hachi was resting in the shade.
With the happiest grin Kagome had ever seen on Koga's face, he outstretched his arms, "Want me to take Kiba off your hands?"
Kagome looked at him wearily and he grinned, "Don't worry, I've taken care of pups before."
She carefully placed Kiba in his arms and to her shock he didn't cry. He simply looked up at Kiba, fascinated by him. "How…?" she asked not sure what she really wanted to know. Kiba had refused to let anyone hold him, except for herself. It was nothing short of a miracle to her.
"Pfft. I'm the alpha and he knows it. This pup's pretty smart!" he grinned before walking off. He was a nice guy and was willing to give Kagome a chance to say goodbye to the mutt. He didn't mind, seeing that Kagome was going home with him. He ushered the other wolves that shoved between the others to stand closer to Koga and take a whiff of the pup.
Kagome turned and smiled softly at Miroku, Sango, and Shippo waving at them before they left. Leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone. It was the first time they were completely alone since they came across Kiba.
She felt a headache coming, just from the thought of the argument they were going to have. After trying to reason with him, Inuyasha would yell at her for being 'stupid.' She would lose her temper and 'sit' him. All the while having both of their feelings hurt in the process. It was a painful and sad cycle they've never been able to break.
Finally Inuyasha broke the silence.
"Wait for me." he spoke softly.
She looked up at him in complete shock, she took a step back not prepared for this. While he wasn't, this was the equivalence of any other man on his knees begging. Kagome had never seen him beg for something before. This wasn't Inuyasha. He was desperately reaching for something she was tired of offering. "You can't ask that of me." she responded lowering her head, looking at the ground.
He shook his head and stated rather gruffly, "I wasn't asking." His voice was deeper than usual.
Kagome shivered, but shook her head defiantly, "You don't get to ask that, not anymore."
"I need you." he growled loudly and pulled her into a reluctant embrace. His arms enveloping her, as inviting as it always was.
She didn't fight back, but she refused to accept him either. Her resolves she had come to terms with the last couple of days were fading before her eyes.
Inuyasha was her weakness.
She refused to speak, she feared her mouth would betray her.
"I'll come back for you. Just you wait." he whispered, his breath brushing across her cheek. He wasn't stupid, he knew he was losing her. All he could do was make promises, those of which he hoped he could keep. Hoping that she would wait.
He pulled away and left without another glance, ignoring the fresh scent of salt in the air.
She watched him, it took every once of strength not to let her tears fall. She so desperately wished her heart stopped yearning for him, would she ever be set free. Free to love someone who actually treated her the way she deserved. Or was she doomed to love only Inuyasha for the rest of her life?
A/N:
Still making small minor changes and fixes. Thank you for your patience.
Until next time! :3