Chapter 4
After a night of less than refreshing night's rest, Miroku was let out of the net. He wasn't mad, which made Kagome and Sango suspicious. 'I wonder if he's just trying to hide it... Who knows? Maybe he's just biding his time until he can get revenge... Oh gods I hope not! Who knows what that pervert is capable of?!' Kagome thought apprehensively. "Can we go now? We've already wasted so much time and there's a jewel shard that's rumored to be around here!" Inuyasha sighed impatiently. "Fine, Mr. One Track Mind..." Kagome said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. They walked on a small road that was bordered by a dark forest for miles without anyone breaking the silence that separated them. Inuyasha didn't mind the stillness of it all; He found it to be serene. He didn't tell anyone this, they might think that he liked when he wasn't fighting, making him seem weak. He loved fighting; The way it made him feel alive, the way it made him feel capable of anything, the way it reinforced his position as leader. He thought of his fellow travelers as a pack, and he would risk his life for all of them. 'Well, maybe not Shippou...' he thought with a smirk. Kagome was deep in thought at this point. 'YOU DO TOO!' 'I DO NOT!' 'YOU DO TOO!' 'DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!' She had had this mental battle many times before. She knew deep down that she had feelings for Inuyasha, but she could never bring herself to admit it. She always assumed that since she was a human, there was no way in heaven or hell that he could ever return the feelings that she held. 'He thinks I'm weak... Oh gods I'll probably end up with Hojo... no... if it comes to that I'll take a cyanide pill!' she told herself sarcastically. She dreaded the day when it would come to that. She also dreaded another day... 'When the Shikon No Tama is complete, I'm screwed! I'll have to leave and Inuyahsa will use it to either revive Kikyou or become a full-blooded demon. Well, either way it's gonna suck a lot of ass for me...' Sango had been watching Kagome for the past 5 minutes, amused by the expressions flashing across her face. She swore that once she had even looked sick to her stomach... (When she was thinking of Hojo... haha) "Kagome, what are you thinking about?" she asked, chuckling to herself. Kagome was shaken from her pensive conversation with no one. "Wha... Oh it's nothing... I was just... it's nothing." She replied, trying not to sound like she was troubled. She looked at her feet, which were slowly but surely pushing the pedals of her bike. 'I wonder what Inuyasha's thinking about...' 'Gods I want ramen... It's been like 5 days since I've had any! I wonder if Kagome has any in that huge ass bag of hers...?' "Kagome do you-" Inuyasha started as he turned to look at her. "THERE YOU ARE!" Kouga yelled as he ran out of the forest, cutting off Inuyasha. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Inuyasha yelled. 'This guy just can't take a hint can he?' "I'm here to see Kagome. After all, I have decided that she is now MY woman." he said, staring at her, smiling. Kagome dropped her bike in astonishment. For a minute, everyone was speechless, especially Kagome. 'WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!' "Come on Kagome, let's go back to my den and I can fully mark you." He put his arm around her shoulders and tried to lead her back into the forest. She pulled away from him and stood back, still pondering what he had said. 'If mark means what I think it does...' She shuddered at the thought. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Inuyasha finally managed to spit out. "A little slow, dog breath? I said that she's coming with me, she is my woman, after all." he stated, as if it should've been obvious. "She's not your woman, wimpy wolf!" He had no idea why he cared so much. "You haven't marked her, so she isn't yours, dog turd! I've decided that she's my woman, and she'll become a part of my pack. Then we'll mark each other and have pups..." he said, looking at the clouds as if he was trying to picture his sick fantasy. Inuyasha, who was thoroughly pissed off by now, was about to attack Kouga when he was stopped abruptly. "EXCUSE ME?! MY GODS KOUGA, I JUST MET YOU! WHAT KIND OF GIRL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!" Kagome exploded. 'What kind of sick bastard is he, anyways?' Kouga looked at her and smiled. He always loved a challenge. Her reaction only made him more certain that she was the girl for him. "I always liked my girls fiery..." he cooed, trying to pull her in by putting his arm around his waist. "DON'T TOUCH HER KOUGA! I'M GONNA BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Inuyasha shouted, sending several birds nesting in nearby trees flying. 'Is he... jealous?! No... he probably just wants to keep looking for the shards...' Kagome thought cheerlessly. She looked up at the youkai and half-youkai to find that they were fighting, and not with words. Inuyasha had charged at Kouga when Kagome's thoughts were elsewhere. He had unsheathed the tetsusaiga, and it had changed forms. Kouga easily dodged Inuyasha's attack, but was caught off guard when Inuyasha jumped in front of him. He had dropped the tetsusaiga, and was much faster without it's weight to carry. Sango, Shippou, and Miroku just sighed as they watched the scene before them. "They're so immature!" Shippou pointed out. The others just silently nodded. "STOP IT!" Kagome finally yelled, bringing the boys to a halt. "I'M NOBODY'S PROPERTY! HONESTLY YOU TWO CAN BE SO CHILDISH!" Having put her two cents in, she stormed off into the forest, looking for some time to herself. The two just looked after her, eyes wide and jaws dropped. "Look what you did, wimpy wolf! You drove her off!" "It was obviously you who drove her away! She just wanted to get away to think of how she will be accepting my offer." Kouga said, smirking to himself. "I have to go, but tell Kagome that I'll be seeing her soon." And with that, he took off into the other end of the woods.
Kagome sat down on the edge of a log that was lying next to a quiet pond. She heard someone coming up behind her and responded without looking to see who it was. "Kouga I really don't want to talk right now, so I suggest you leave." She didn't have time for his crap right now, she had enough on her mind. "It's me..." she heard a husky voice respond. "Oh, Inuyasha..." she said dully, never taking her eyes from the tranquil pond she was facing. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously. He knew that she was upset, and he didn't want to make it worse. She finally opened up to him. "I'm just so sick of all the crap that I have to go through. It's no different here than it was in my time! Everything is decided for me! I hate it!" "What's decided for you? You don't have to go with that mangy wolf! Unless... you want to..." he muttered. She looked up to see that he had sat down next to her and was now staring at the other side of the pond. "What? You know that I would never go with Kouga." "You... you wouldn't?" "Of course not. It's pretty depressing that he's the only guy who likes me though. Well, who likes me more than a friend, you know what I mean?" He wanted to correct her. He wanted to hug her and tell her that she was more than liked. She was loved. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her so he could breathe in her lovely scent that drove him wild. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet, anyways. There was an uncomfortable silence for about fifteen minutes, in which they both just took in their surroundings. A thought came to her that she had to bring across, though... "Inuyasha... what is being 'marked'?" He blushed slightly, but answered her question nonetheless. "Marking is what demons do to who they want their mate to be... It's a bite on the neck that instantly fades, and only other youkai can see, warning them to stay away. Messing with someone else's mate will get you killed." he stated quietly. "Kouga... but he said that... ewwwww..." she stuck out her tongue at the thought. He had wanted to mark her? She had just met him! Then she was bothered by a question. "Inuyasha... Did you ever... mark Kikyou?" He immediately turned to look at her, then quickly stood up. "Inu... Inuyasha I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked... Of course you did, you loved her..." she murmured. "No, I didn't mark her. She wanted to wait until I was human for us to be together." She immediately looked up at him and instantly felt the pain he was trying so desperately to hide. Before he knew what was happening, she had him in a tight embrace. "Oh Inuyahsa... How could anyone ever want you to be any different than you are right now? You're perfect the way you are..." she whispered into his shirt. Inuyasha felt the pain melt away and slowly put his arm around her shoulders, holding her softly. "You always know what to say Kagome..."
After a night of less than refreshing night's rest, Miroku was let out of the net. He wasn't mad, which made Kagome and Sango suspicious. 'I wonder if he's just trying to hide it... Who knows? Maybe he's just biding his time until he can get revenge... Oh gods I hope not! Who knows what that pervert is capable of?!' Kagome thought apprehensively. "Can we go now? We've already wasted so much time and there's a jewel shard that's rumored to be around here!" Inuyasha sighed impatiently. "Fine, Mr. One Track Mind..." Kagome said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. They walked on a small road that was bordered by a dark forest for miles without anyone breaking the silence that separated them. Inuyasha didn't mind the stillness of it all; He found it to be serene. He didn't tell anyone this, they might think that he liked when he wasn't fighting, making him seem weak. He loved fighting; The way it made him feel alive, the way it made him feel capable of anything, the way it reinforced his position as leader. He thought of his fellow travelers as a pack, and he would risk his life for all of them. 'Well, maybe not Shippou...' he thought with a smirk. Kagome was deep in thought at this point. 'YOU DO TOO!' 'I DO NOT!' 'YOU DO TOO!' 'DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!' She had had this mental battle many times before. She knew deep down that she had feelings for Inuyasha, but she could never bring herself to admit it. She always assumed that since she was a human, there was no way in heaven or hell that he could ever return the feelings that she held. 'He thinks I'm weak... Oh gods I'll probably end up with Hojo... no... if it comes to that I'll take a cyanide pill!' she told herself sarcastically. She dreaded the day when it would come to that. She also dreaded another day... 'When the Shikon No Tama is complete, I'm screwed! I'll have to leave and Inuyahsa will use it to either revive Kikyou or become a full-blooded demon. Well, either way it's gonna suck a lot of ass for me...' Sango had been watching Kagome for the past 5 minutes, amused by the expressions flashing across her face. She swore that once she had even looked sick to her stomach... (When she was thinking of Hojo... haha) "Kagome, what are you thinking about?" she asked, chuckling to herself. Kagome was shaken from her pensive conversation with no one. "Wha... Oh it's nothing... I was just... it's nothing." She replied, trying not to sound like she was troubled. She looked at her feet, which were slowly but surely pushing the pedals of her bike. 'I wonder what Inuyasha's thinking about...' 'Gods I want ramen... It's been like 5 days since I've had any! I wonder if Kagome has any in that huge ass bag of hers...?' "Kagome do you-" Inuyasha started as he turned to look at her. "THERE YOU ARE!" Kouga yelled as he ran out of the forest, cutting off Inuyasha. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Inuyasha yelled. 'This guy just can't take a hint can he?' "I'm here to see Kagome. After all, I have decided that she is now MY woman." he said, staring at her, smiling. Kagome dropped her bike in astonishment. For a minute, everyone was speechless, especially Kagome. 'WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!' "Come on Kagome, let's go back to my den and I can fully mark you." He put his arm around her shoulders and tried to lead her back into the forest. She pulled away from him and stood back, still pondering what he had said. 'If mark means what I think it does...' She shuddered at the thought. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Inuyasha finally managed to spit out. "A little slow, dog breath? I said that she's coming with me, she is my woman, after all." he stated, as if it should've been obvious. "She's not your woman, wimpy wolf!" He had no idea why he cared so much. "You haven't marked her, so she isn't yours, dog turd! I've decided that she's my woman, and she'll become a part of my pack. Then we'll mark each other and have pups..." he said, looking at the clouds as if he was trying to picture his sick fantasy. Inuyasha, who was thoroughly pissed off by now, was about to attack Kouga when he was stopped abruptly. "EXCUSE ME?! MY GODS KOUGA, I JUST MET YOU! WHAT KIND OF GIRL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!" Kagome exploded. 'What kind of sick bastard is he, anyways?' Kouga looked at her and smiled. He always loved a challenge. Her reaction only made him more certain that she was the girl for him. "I always liked my girls fiery..." he cooed, trying to pull her in by putting his arm around his waist. "DON'T TOUCH HER KOUGA! I'M GONNA BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Inuyasha shouted, sending several birds nesting in nearby trees flying. 'Is he... jealous?! No... he probably just wants to keep looking for the shards...' Kagome thought cheerlessly. She looked up at the youkai and half-youkai to find that they were fighting, and not with words. Inuyasha had charged at Kouga when Kagome's thoughts were elsewhere. He had unsheathed the tetsusaiga, and it had changed forms. Kouga easily dodged Inuyasha's attack, but was caught off guard when Inuyasha jumped in front of him. He had dropped the tetsusaiga, and was much faster without it's weight to carry. Sango, Shippou, and Miroku just sighed as they watched the scene before them. "They're so immature!" Shippou pointed out. The others just silently nodded. "STOP IT!" Kagome finally yelled, bringing the boys to a halt. "I'M NOBODY'S PROPERTY! HONESTLY YOU TWO CAN BE SO CHILDISH!" Having put her two cents in, she stormed off into the forest, looking for some time to herself. The two just looked after her, eyes wide and jaws dropped. "Look what you did, wimpy wolf! You drove her off!" "It was obviously you who drove her away! She just wanted to get away to think of how she will be accepting my offer." Kouga said, smirking to himself. "I have to go, but tell Kagome that I'll be seeing her soon." And with that, he took off into the other end of the woods.
Kagome sat down on the edge of a log that was lying next to a quiet pond. She heard someone coming up behind her and responded without looking to see who it was. "Kouga I really don't want to talk right now, so I suggest you leave." She didn't have time for his crap right now, she had enough on her mind. "It's me..." she heard a husky voice respond. "Oh, Inuyasha..." she said dully, never taking her eyes from the tranquil pond she was facing. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously. He knew that she was upset, and he didn't want to make it worse. She finally opened up to him. "I'm just so sick of all the crap that I have to go through. It's no different here than it was in my time! Everything is decided for me! I hate it!" "What's decided for you? You don't have to go with that mangy wolf! Unless... you want to..." he muttered. She looked up to see that he had sat down next to her and was now staring at the other side of the pond. "What? You know that I would never go with Kouga." "You... you wouldn't?" "Of course not. It's pretty depressing that he's the only guy who likes me though. Well, who likes me more than a friend, you know what I mean?" He wanted to correct her. He wanted to hug her and tell her that she was more than liked. She was loved. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her so he could breathe in her lovely scent that drove him wild. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet, anyways. There was an uncomfortable silence for about fifteen minutes, in which they both just took in their surroundings. A thought came to her that she had to bring across, though... "Inuyasha... what is being 'marked'?" He blushed slightly, but answered her question nonetheless. "Marking is what demons do to who they want their mate to be... It's a bite on the neck that instantly fades, and only other youkai can see, warning them to stay away. Messing with someone else's mate will get you killed." he stated quietly. "Kouga... but he said that... ewwwww..." she stuck out her tongue at the thought. He had wanted to mark her? She had just met him! Then she was bothered by a question. "Inuyasha... Did you ever... mark Kikyou?" He immediately turned to look at her, then quickly stood up. "Inu... Inuyasha I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked... Of course you did, you loved her..." she murmured. "No, I didn't mark her. She wanted to wait until I was human for us to be together." She immediately looked up at him and instantly felt the pain he was trying so desperately to hide. Before he knew what was happening, she had him in a tight embrace. "Oh Inuyahsa... How could anyone ever want you to be any different than you are right now? You're perfect the way you are..." she whispered into his shirt. Inuyasha felt the pain melt away and slowly put his arm around her shoulders, holding her softly. "You always know what to say Kagome..."