The next morning he decided to give notice of his survival. Inuyasha thought he was extending his stay at Kagome's but in reality, it was going to be the last time he slept in the house. They had been sleeping together since day two because Inuyasha found out that Kagome took the couch. There weren't any more beds left, so he traded her, but she couldn't take the bed from a sick hanyo, so in the end, they shared. He was living his fantasy of having her near him every day. He had been spending about an hour laying still in the bed before falling asleep every night, just enjoying her presence.
This morning she looked messy, hair all over her face, still she was extremely pretty. He had a flighting stab of jealousy remembering Hobo and he actually shook his head to rid of the thoughts; they were leading him nowhere, so he started a new thread. Odious and violent things appeared in his mind's eye. He knew that something was bothering him. This was proof enough, so he analyzed that idea. His ears were sharper at any sound coming near the door, but when time passed and no one came, he couldn't quite place what was still wrong.
Not until later that day.
Kagome cooked something delicious for breakfast, he ate, and when she took her brother to school; he went out to a place watched over by his people, reassuring Kagome that he felt better. When that didn't fully convince her, he told her that business must be taken care of. She wanted to ask questions, he could see that and promised to answer at his return.
They monitored the alley 24/7. It was close to the barrier, the border that separated the human city from the yokai territory. The barrier could have been a wall, a physical border, but yokai knew humans were aware of their inferiority, they didn't need something to contain them, they just needed to leave them be. Together, but apart. Inuyasha looked up at one of the security cameras and walked away. That should do it. He went back to Kagome's home feeling uneasy, wanting to go unnoticed. That was when he realized his problem with Hobo and the violent images. They were the same, an idea that went into his subconscious when someone knocked on the door and he thought his enemies had found him. The fleeting thought of Kagome dead in his arms put the seed in his mind, 'She would be safer without me'.
.
Kagome, as the other half of this relationship, woke up in his arms. He waited for her to leave the bed and then he followed. Inuyasha seemed like a gentleman, asking for her interests and opinions. Her brother loved Inuyasha. Sota talked about how strong and interesting he was and even asked him for advice with a little girl. Her boyfriend seemed to like him back. They had been spending the mornings together just before school. She was in love with him since childhood, so this couldn't get any better. She was happy.
This particular morning Inuyasha was bragging to a naïve Sota about the multiple motorcycles that he owned, and after her brother went to school he went out to give notice of his survival. At least that was what he implied. She was worried; it seemed obvious that he was in a dangerous situation as the right hand of Sesshomaru. She hadn't heard of them before. Humans knew demons ruled the world in darkness, but no one knew specifics. It was surely just how yokais wanted things to be. The significant damage done to Inuyasha's body made her realize that his business, as he called it, was probably neither easy nor safe. She was going to be worried every time he left; she was sure of it. Koga sometimes couldn't walk properly, and other times he would grip the table a little too hard to stabilize himself. Inuyasha lived that life too, they were all in that world, after all, even she. Kagome just avoided it all because she was hiding.
Her thoughts consumed Kagome when the door opened… a shadowed figure entered so fast that she didn't even saw him. He clutched her hand and kissed it.
A manly voice spoke, "Hey baby, how are you?" Koga took one step back and froze. The smell of another yokai had hit his nose, it was familiar somehow.
"Hi," she said smiling, and he knew she was ok, but the smell was coming from her body too.
"Are you with someone?" he said with a false smile. Even when he kind of knew that the scent wasn't fresh, his nose wasn't as good as Inuyasha's.
"No, Sota is at school". It seemed like an awkward conversation to Kagome somehow, and she broke the tension. She hugged him. At least a couple of weeks had passed since he visited her and she missed him. Immediately, she felt a pull, something hard but somehow soft pushed her in a swift motion. She saw an enormous form in front of her, blocking her view of Koga.
"This is what you do when I'm gone?!" Inuyasha said, almost shouting. She could feel the sound of his words reverberating in his back, as Inuyasha positioned himself between Kagome and Koga.
The latter could have easily blocked him or anyone really, because the power of the two fragments of the pearl made him the fastest being alive. When he realized that the scent belonged to Inuyasha, he let things unfold. He knew him as an ally, and Kagome didn't seem scared. 'How could she have crossed paths with the hanyo'. "Sorry baby, I thought you were alone, so I used my key," he said flashing this tiny piece of metal that Inuyasha also knew did nothing to stop a yokai from entering, but the gesture was to imply a betrayal on Kagome's part, a test. Inuyasha obviously took the bait. He was beyond mad, the fucker had a KEY to her place and called her baby, she would have to explain everything to him.
"What?" said Kagome, and stepping from behind Inuyasha, trying to diffuse the situation because she knew how territorial yokai could be, said "Koga do you know my boyfriend, Inuyasha?". She couldn't know that they had met.
Koga looked at him, "yes actually, I am familiar with his boss because we hold the same position, Inuyasha is his second in command. I have 3 people in that same position, so if he is just one, he must be good." Koga waited for animosity, but Kagome was pleased
"Oh, I didn't know that, but it's great that you have met each other" She was relieved. They were allies in whatever organization yokais formed, Koga didn't tell Kagome much. Inuyasha on the other hand was very aware that Kouga placed himself above him in the mind of Kagome. Strangely, this didn't make him angry. It showed him that the wolf prince didn't really understand her. She wasn't some female yokai wanting to mate the strongest, or more influential. The idiot had nothing.
"I hope you don't mind that I used my key baby if you want I can give it back," said Koga. Inuyasha answered yes at the same time that Kagome said no, they looked each other in the eyes and she giggled, he was not happy.
"Would you like to eat Koga? I cooked some ramen for Inu and there's some left",
"Yeah, I think I can..". Inuyasha stepped forward and said "you should go, NOW", Koga gave him a lazy smile and Kagome frowned.
Inuyasha warned him, "should I tell Sesshomaru that you are breaking yokai law?". Koga became serious for the first time. She said that they were dating, but not that they were going to be mates. He just visited her two weeks before, and the only yokai smell was his own. They must have met recently. The mutt was irrelevant. Still, he avoided the fight. He remembered the rumors about Inuyasha, hotheaded, a stupid half breed that was only useful in battle, and he must be good, Sesshomaru demanded excellence.
Koga tried to lighten the mood "come on, I didn't…".
Inuyasha heard the firm tone Kagome used while saying his name, but proceeded. "you know the penalties fucking wolf, don't make me angry". Koga subtly positioned himself ready to attack and watched Inuyasha's body do the same when an idea struck him.
Going limp he said to Kagome "I don't want to cause trouble honey, I'll go" she protested, but he was fast, a little too fast actually, and the room was left with only Inuyasha and Kagome in it.
As soon as Koga left, Kagome demanded an apology, but Inuyasha refused, demanding explanations instead. She insisted that he was unkind and that first, he needed to apologize for his behavior. Inuyasha wanted to know the extent of their involvement. Their emotions consumed both. The real winner was, of course, Koga. To any yokai, Kagome's actions defended the right of the wolf to claim her as his own, female yokais only accepted gifts and invitations from their intended, the fact that the fucking wolf had a free pass to her house spoke volumes of her intentions, and she didn't want to retract the claim now that he was in her life, that really made him lose it.
"If you are going to let him have a key, then I cannot continue to live here, it's fucking clear that you want him and he must think that you are his already," said Inuyasha.
Kagome's voice was a bit cracked, "stop Inuyasha, you don't even know him."
"Didn't you pay attention, Kagome?. Besides, I know him, he wants to amass power and expand his territory, he always talks about that, the boring fucker. You are a prize to him, with your powers and all".
"I don't know what you are talking about, he never discuses those things with me, we are just friends, wonderful friends".
"It all makes sense now, he doesn't want to mate the redhead because of you".
"Stop it Inuyasha, he doesn't… well, even if he does, I don't…". Inuyasha interrupted her, "were you going to have us both? To make me protect you, and care for you and still have him?."
She replied, "You don't understand, he IS protecting me, I told you before, he is the one who took us out, who gave me a job, who saved me and Sota".
Inuyasha felt crazed, hurt, "you don't need me then if you have him, so I think I'm going home".
"No Inuyasha, I have nothing to do with him please," she begged, and his throat felt constricted.
"Our kind doesn't do any favors to you humans, without something in return…".
She understood the implications in his words, "It's not like that, we trust each other and...". She put a hand on his face, "I don't want to be with someone else ok?".
He listened but couldn't stay. She was deciding to give privileges, respect, to that fucker. Instead of showing him that her heart was taken, she wanted to leave a window opened to the possibility of another. Cultural customs dictated he must rid himself of her, but he didn't manage to just let her go. He stood all these years by Kikyo's side because she looked like Kagome. Of course, he would not give her to him. He needed to think and to kill him maybe, but Sesshomaru would have to be consulted. "you are nothing like you used to be Kagome," he thought, while grabbing his sword, the only item that was truly his. He walked out. Kagome stood there a few minutes utterly confused and then began prepping for dinner, Sota was coming home soon and Inuyasha's disappearance would hurt him, so his favorite food was on the menu. There would be time, in the night, for her to cry, to understand why her perfect pretty world had burned fast.