Author's Note: Thank you to everyone reading and supporting this story. Thank you to my new followers: Haramiya, Sesshiesfangirl, Joyouki, plwolf1, yuki kitsune ruler of the worl, magix234, and demongirl2003. The support is much appreciated. On with the story.

Disclaimer: Much to my dismay I do not own Inuyasha.

Ch. 11 Misunderstanding

His throat was dry, he felt hot, and his head was pounding. Alcohol was only so fun up until you start throwing up and wake up with a killer hangover. He turned his head and looked at the clock on the wall.

11:50 am.

Kouga was never one to oversleep, but due to last night, today would be an exception.

'What the hell happened to me last night?' he thought. He looked down and saw that he was in his bed, still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. He exhaled deeply when he realized that he needed to shower and take some medicine, and probably go back to sleep. All of these things would require getting up and walking; something that his body didn't think he was up for at the moment. He decided he would start that journey once he figured out why he was hung-over in the first place.

Small clips began to play themselves out of order, and soon began to re-order themselves in the proper sequence of events. As the sequence got later into the night, things got hazy; things were starting to blur. Aggravated by the sudden lack of clarity, Kouga stopped trying to think so hard and reached a heavy hand out to grab his phone. When he checked it, he saw it desperately needed to be charged, but he also saw a text message and one missed call from none other than Kagome Higurashi.

Kouga groaned in irritation. What the hell was she contacting him for? It couldn't possibly be to apologize. He hated apologies, and the way he was feeling now let him know that today would not be the day to hear them. Even though his anger was resurfacing, he dared check the message anyway.

'Kouga I swear what you saw was not what it looked like. I know that sounds cliché, but I promise you that. Please, give me time to explain. –Kagome'

'So, she's going to pull the –it's not what it looks like- card, eh?' he thought. 'I would have hoped she would have been cleverer than that.'

What he saw last night was when he wasn't drunk, so he knew damn well the clips of her on another man's lap were not drunken illusions. The more Kouga thought about it, the angrier he got.

'She must have a thing for guys with long, black hair.' Kouga saw that whoever this Inuyasha man was, he too had long, raven colored hair. 'Why would she even invite me over if she was planning on doing that?' Realizing that there was no logical answer to that question, he made the most logical assumption.

'She must not have know that her other guy was coming over and lost track of time when they were making out. She probably wants to explain that she's still a single woman and she's talking to more than one guy.'

Even that sounded like shit to Kouga, but it was all he could provide himself with. Maybe soon he'd be able to contact her and ask her for the truth, but today would not be that day. Now, the next challenge was trying to figure out what the hell happened the rest of the night. Just as he was about to resume thought, his bedroom door opened.

"You really need to go grocery shopping. How am I supposed to make breakfast with the junk in your refrigerator?"

Kouga made no attempt to hide his displeasure from the guest at his door. "What…the…fuck. Seri?"

888

"That's it! I'm going to Kagome's!" Sango yelled. She got up from her kitchen table and stomped her way back to her bedroom to find decent clothes to wear. Little did she care that Miroku was right behind her.

"She probably turned her phone off because she does not wish to be bothered. Give her some space" he assured, but his girlfriend was having none of it.

"She needs a friend, Miroku. I swear today will be the day I do something illegal. First I'm going to go buy Kagome's favorite ice cream and drop it off to her, and then I'm going straight to the Taisho's manner to kill Inuyasha!" When her boyfriend explained his tardiness to her house late last night, she damn near lost it. Friday night was supposed to be perfection for Kouga and Kagome, and leave it to Inu-trasha to fuck everything up. Sango had been spitting death threats to the air ever since last night. Finally, she had gotten too tired of being angry and being ignored by her best friend to stay awake any longer. But now that she was awake and rejuvenated, there would be hell to pay.

"The timing was bad, Sango. Think about it, if Inuyasha had dropped by on any other night except last night, would you be this angry?" Miroku asked kindly.

"No I wouldn't. I'm angry because he ruined something good for Kagome, once again!" Sango really just wanted to see her best friend happy. Before her surprisingly calm boyfriend continued, she did.

"Be honest, Miroku. How upset were you last night with your drunken friend for pulling the stunt he did with Kagome?" Miroku considered her question for some seconds before responding.

"I was quite upset. So was Kagome, and so were you."

"No, I am mad! Use the correct verb tense!" Sango resumed looking for something to wear when she felt warm and strong arms envelop her from behind.

"Sango, I know you are upset. But I believe we should leave out dear friend Kagome to sort this out on her own. I know you want to be that friend to help her, but if she needs some time, give her some time. It was wrong of Inuyasha to pop in on Kagome and Kouga's date last night, but try to understand his disposition. He's confused about what he wants, and last night just so happened to be the night he worked up some courage. Believe me, Inuyasha may be an idiot, but he's not cruel. He will wake up and remember his rude interruption, and he will properly apologize to Kagome and leave her alone for good." The two had assumed that Kouga was over Kagome's apartment when Inuyasha barged in, and he must have said something stupid causing Kouga to punch him in the lip and leave. If that wasn't what happened, then Kagome would have to be the one to clarify later on.

After his speech, Sango placed the folded up jeans she was holding back in the dresser, and placed her arms over Miroku's.

"You always know what to say" she breathed quietly. Miroku was used to her getting worked up over the people she cared about, even him, yet he always knew how to calm her down. He placed a light kiss to her neck and whispered in her ear.

"Only you are privileged to this special treatment." He placed another kiss on her neck, and turned her around to claim her lips. When she didn't object, he felt relieved and accomplished that he had prevented her from committing murder and being overbearing today. As anxious as he was for answers, he knew that he too would have to wait for Kagome to speak up.

888

"Not excited to see me?" Seri asked.

"Obviously not" Kouga answered rudely. He knew he said he was going to be nicer to Seri and talk things out with her, but his current state was preventing him from doing so. Plus, the person that inspired that decision was not in his good graces either. He shook his head quickly in attempt to stop thinking about Kagome; it would only make his head ache worse.

"Seri, don't lie to me. I can't remember most of last night, and I need you to fill me in. What the hell happened?"

With his question, Seri walked over nonchalantly to the foot of his bed and sat down facing him.

"Alright. But you cannot interrupt until I'm done" she demanded. Kouga nodded in understanding and waited for her to begin. Something told him he was going to dislike what he was about to hear.

"You came to the bar around eight o'clock last night. You looked pretty mad, and just barged in behind the bar and started pouring yourself a drink. When I asked you what was wrong, you told me not to worry about it. I didn't bother you, because it was obvious you were pissed off. You kept pouring drinks for yourself and making meaningless conversation with bar goers; which isn't anything out of the ordinary, except that last night you got drunk. You started being loud and obnoxious, making passes at random girls." With that last sentence she inhaled deeply and continued. "You put your number in a couple of random chick's phones and kept drinking. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that you shouldn't be drinking so much; especially not since after your accident. I figured too much might have a bad affect. Soon, you began getting rowdy with some other drunk guys and a fight nearly broke out. I had to go over there and talk you out of a sparring match that you singed yourself up for! I just let the other bartender handle the job and gather the tips for the rest of the night, and I brought you home. I swear by the time I led you back here to your room, you passed out on the bed. I slept on the couch because I knew you would want an explanation for your hangover and why your bike isn't here. It's still at the bar."

When her recap was over, Kouga was sure crimson was painting his cheeks. This entire situation he put himself in could have ended up dangerous. Knowing how he acted with girls when he drank, Kouga continued to question Seri. He needed the truth.

"What did I say to you, or do?"

Seri looked at him almost as if she was hoping he wouldn't ask that, but she knew better than to keep things from him at this point.

"When I dragged you to my car, you were asking if we were going back to my place or yours. I tried explaining that it wasn't that kind of night, but you kept…prodding me about it." Not long after that statement, Seri paused and Kouga noticed shades of embarrassment painting her cheeks as well. He was silently praying to the kamis that her speech was not going to end how he thought it was going to end. His silence and steady gaze on her made her nervous, and she had to stop herself from getting lost in his curious, deep blue gaze.

"You turned the music up, not that I cared, but at a certain point I pulled up to a red light, and…" she paused once again and continued "you grabbed my chin and tilted my head your way, and you kissed me."

It…was…official…

He was never drinking again. From here on out, it would only be water in his system. No sodas, energy drinks, and especially not alcohol. Anything that had a chance of altering his mental status was no longer allowed.

'Of all the fucking…' he began to think 'why did I act so stupid?' He knew why. He obviously was using alcohol do drown out his anger and, dare he say, hurt from what Kagome did, and he made some really poor choices. He used to drink like a dog and party hard back his early adult hood, but now he really didn't feel up for it. It may have been entertaining the first couple times around; waking up in a bed that wasn't yours next to a pretty girl who was going to remember what an awesome night she had, but not his name. Sooner than he expected, that dangerous lifestyle grew old to him. Realizing that Seri had been waiting on him to say something, Kouga spoke up.

"Is that all? Did I touch you in any other way? If I did, I sincerely apologize, and don't forget, it was the booze." He finally found enough strength to sit up so he was eye to eye level with Seri from a distance.

"No! I promise you that is as bold as you got. You did keep saying something about someone named Kagome though." Upon uttering those words, Kouga's body went more rigged, if that was possible.

"Is she the reason why you were drinking so much?"

He wanted to tell her no. He wanted to tell her to shut the hell up and stay out of business; that it wasn't what it sounded like, but then he would by lying. In response to her actions, Kouga lost control of himself and nearly drank himself to death; all because of her.

"Don't worry yourself about it, Seri. I suppose I should thank you though. Bringing me home probably saved my life considering the state I was in last night." He stood up and groaned at the sudden pounding in his head that was protesting movement, but he needed to escort Seri out, and take care of himself. Seri saw this as an invitation to leave, and obliged. The two trudged out of his room and made the way to the front door. When he opened it for her, he didn't forget the fact that she hadn't said 'you're welcome', but he wasn't too concerned as to why.

When she was on the doorstep, she quickly turned around before Kouga could slam the door in her face, and spoke.

"I should be thanking you. After I popped in on you all drunk, this was karma kicking my ass." Kouga nodded his head and closed his eyes and spoke.

"We're just going to pretend like that didn't happen, Seri. And once again, I apologize for my actions last night. It will surely not happen again." When he stated that sentence, he didn't miss the poorly hidden expression of disappointment cross Seri's face.

"Yea I understand. Kouga?"

"Yea?"

"Who is Kagome?"

Why was she asking him this? Was she truly that concerned about his well being? In any other situation Kouga might have been flattered, but he knew that Seri wanted to know who Kagome was for her own selfish reasons.

"Just this chick I used to talk to." When he spoke those words, a tiny pain hit his chest. Yes, he was going to say 'used to' because he was trying to convince himself that after last night, he and Kagome would no longer be associating, but part of him felt as if that was a lie.

"Oh" Seri stated quietly "well whoever she is, she had no right to piss you off like that."

Kouga let out a heavy breath of irritation and calmed himself. If Seri was trying to pity or empathize with him, he swore he was going to lose his mind. Pity was always a useless feeling in his eyes, especially when the person pitying you had no clue what was wrong with you. When she said that, his mind quickly recapped seeing Kagome kissing another man, and all his anger resurfaced.

"You know what Seri, just stop. You don't care about what happened to me, so don't fake it. The only reason you're showing me kindness is because you're trying to get in my bed, and I must say that's pretty pathetic. Maybe I would take you up on that if you acted more like an adult and less like a child obsessed with a toy. So don't ask me what happened between me and Kagome. You just want to know what not to do if I ever gave you a chance, which will never be happening."

He instantly regretted his words. Kouga didn't mean to tongue lash the girl, but he was beyond irritated. Seri did not even respond, but he saw tears well up in her eyes before she reached in her pocket and handed him his keys to his bike, and stormed off. She peeled out of his driveway as fast as she could, and he was sure she would never be coming back.

'Damnit!' he chided himself. Kouga wasn't sure where all this hostility against Seri came from, but he needed to get a grip. He shouldn't have called her out like that. To be honest, he never had a problem with her liking him, but it was just her unjust possessiveness that turned him off. Plus she kept trying to bring up Kagome, and that's where the anger stemmed from. He didn't want to think about her, talk to her, look at her, or hear her name because all of those things brought on a heavy feeling in his chest.

Kouga made his way to his kitchen to down some medicine for his headache, and made his way make to the shower to clean up. He was hoping that his mind would be too tired to wander, but it did anyway.

'Why would she do that to me? I didn't think that she would be that type of woman.' Kouga was utterly confused by her actions, and as badly as he wanted to talk to her about it, his stubbornness and pride wouldn't allow it. He wasn't blind; he knew what he saw. He had always thought about what he would do if he was ever cheated on; what it would feel like. But now that he was here, he wasn't sure how to feel.

His eyes saddened as he showered and analyzed his conflicted feelings. Part of him wanted to act like her actions didn't faze him, and continue on with his life. Another part wanted to be angry and curse her for what she did. But the third, and greatest, part of him wanted to feel sad; he wanted to feel pain from what she did. And that was what unnerved him.

Kouga had only been talking to Kagome for three weeks, yet her trifling actions hit him in the heart. He would never confess that to anyone though, especially not her. He was literally moments away from committing to a happy relationship last night, but all that changed when he saw that her heart was never really with him in the first place.

The humorous and genuine conversations, the text messages, the flirting, the dates, the kisses, the passion; what was the point of engaging in any of that if she wasn't going to be serious in the first place? Images of her smiling, laughing, and cheering in his ear while she rode his bike crossed his mind, causing his head to hurt more. Her warm words of comfort when he told her his chest was still hurting also crossed his mind. Her startled and sweet moans that she rendered when he kissed and touched her on the cliff resonated in his head, and that weight on his chest began to get heavier.

'Why, Kagome?' he asked himself. 'I don't understand.'

He stopped the water, realizing that a hot shower was not helping his headache or mood. Dressing in lounge clothing, walked around turning all the lights off in his house, and crawled back into his bed. He had to work tonight, so he needed to sleep off the remainder of this hangover. Kouga checked his phone one more time to see if anyone, specifically Kagome, had contacted him, but he found that his phone had already died.

'Maybe that's a sign that I really don't need to talk to anyone anyway' he thought. He didn't know why, but he was silently hoping that Kagome would try to call him again. He was sure that she only called him that one time last night to apologize out of shame for him catching her in the act. So, if she didn't call him today, or any other day, then he would assume that she didn't really care at all. There was no way he was going to contact her first, no matter how badly he wanted answers.

Kouga had no clue why he was trying to reason with himself, or fight with himself. It would be better to go ahead and admit why this was affecting him so much, then maybe he could find closure and move on. A month ago, he would have never thought that he would be lying in bed, saddened over one woman. But Kagome Amelia Higurashi was not just any woman. She was gentle, yet fiery. Kind, yet not one to be pushed over. Innocent, but had passion to her as if she wasn't. Caring towards everyone, but truly loving to only a few. And Kouga had felt as if he had become one of the few that she had shown her love to. Even now, when he knew he should be upset with her betrayal, he couldn't help himself from thinking about all the great things she showed him, and how she made him feel. And it was then that he knew why his chest continued to feel heavy.

He loved her.

Author's Note: Thank you to all my followers, favoritors, and readers supporting this story. Once again, it is all appreciated. So both Kagome and Kouga are hurting from this situation, huh? Don't worry, Inuyasha's got his coming, just be patient. I know this is a smaller chapter, but I felt like I needed to go ahead and post something, even if it was just a little interlude on Kouga's feelings. The next couple of weeks are going to be majorly busy for me, but like I said, by the middle of March, this story should have my full attention once again.

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