CHAPTER 1
"Betrayal"
Kagome skipped through the woods merrily. Kouga had sent her off to pick berries for him. She didn't exactly know why, but she was happy to be able to do something for the wolf demon. He had taken her in when Inuyasha abandoned her for Kikyo, and she felt obliged to stay with him, especially after he offered to be her mate.
At first she had been afraid that Inuyasha would be extremely mad at her, when she made the decision to stay with Kouga for a while. However, when she had explained to him that Kouga had already claimed her, (an even though she never wanted to leave Inuyasha), the youkai seemed to understand. He HAD looked very hurt- but she figured it was because of the fact that they still had the Shikon no Kakera (The Shikon Shards) to find... Kagome closed her eyes, remembering the conversation that they had about a week or two ago...
~Flashback~ Kagome approached Inuyasha, who seemed to be asleep in a tree for the night. However, she knew he was very much awake; listening for any sounds that would signal danger. She smiled when his cute dog ears twitched at her arrival. "Inuyasha?" she called.
The hanyou opened one eye and looked down at her. "Hai?" he asked sleepily.
Kagome sighed. What she was about to tell him was very serious... and made her wish she didn't have to tell him at all. "Err... can I talk to you about something?" she asked nervously.
She saw him nod slightly, not showing much interest.
Kagome looked at the ground for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Then she looked straight up at Inuyasha, and muttered, "It's about Kouga."
She thought she heard Inuyasha gasp quietly when his enemy's name was mentioned. "What did that bastard do, Kagome? Did he hurt you?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head. "No, Inuyasha, he didn't hurt me. In fact, he would never hurt me... because he asked me to stay with him... and be his mate."
Inuyasha had been silent. At last, he spoke. "Kagome..." he murmured. "What... did you say to him about that?"
Kagome's heart was thumping in her chest. She decided to approach the situation a different way. "Inuyasha..." she began. "You know that Kouga loves me..." That obviously wasn't the answer the hanyou wanted to hear, for he was on the ground in front of her in a split second.
Kagome gulped, but told herself not to be intimidated. And she continued. "Kouga asked me to be his mate, and I couldn't say no... after all the care he has shown me... it is apparent that he does love me..."
Inuyasha cut her off, his voice cold and hard. "So you said yes."
The mortal sighed. "Yes, Inuyasha... what was I supposed to say? Tell him that I couldn't return his love because I didn't know him well enough? That wouldn't be fair! I needed to give him a chance!"
"You could have told him you were already planning to find the rest of the shards!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Oh, so that's why you are so concerned, huh?" Kagome cried. "You don't care for me at all... all I am to you is a mere shard detector... What a baka I am! How could I actually think that maybe you would be worried about me, instead of the shards? Kami-sama! I was a baka, indeed!"
Inuyasha had put his hands on her shoulders then. Kagome was surprised at this, and looked up at him.
"Kagome..." he muttered, "You're not a baka." He managed to say.
Kagome stepped back. "Inuyasha," she said, "This is just like you being with Kikyo... and telling me you loved her..."
Inuyasha blushed when the priestess's name was mentioned.
Kagome sighed. "You know as well as I do that you love Kikyo. She has shown that she still loves you too... It's apparent. She wants to be with you and only you... I mean, that's why she tries to kill me, right? To get rid of her 'competition?'"
The hanyou was silent, so Kagome continued.
"I understand that now... I see that you two were meant to be together." She managed to flash a weak smile. "And that's why I am okay with that."
Inuyasha seemed surprised as he looked down at her. "You're... okay with that?" he repeated.
Kagome nodded. "Everything happens for a reason." She said. "And I have to accept that. And that's why you should accept the fact that Kouga and I are going to be together from now on... please don't be mad at me."
Inuyasha had been very quiet, and very thoughtful. When he spoke, Kagome could hear a tone of understanding in his voice. "Kagome... I'm not mad... at you." Then he looked away from her, and added, "Promise to come back some times, to visit cuz I- err- I mean... everyone will miss you... you know how Shippô will get.."
Kagome smiled, feeling very relieved. Inuyasha was actually letting her to stay with Kouga! She decided to show her thanks as best she could by offering to still help to find the Shikon no Kakera. (The Shikon shards)
Inuyasha had nodded at that, before leaping into the tree once more. However, before he did so, Kagome thought she heard him mutter, "Be careful."
She looked up at him, and whispered, "I will." Then, she had walked away. Just like that! She had walked all the way back to the place Kouga had told her to meet him- by a small pond- and she knew Inuyasha had been following her to make sure she got there safely. Then, she met up with Kouga, and... everything went smoothly.
~End of Flashback~
Kagome picked up her basket that was full of berries and walked back to the cave where she and Kouga lived. She thought about being Kouga's mate... and she thought about when he would make his move on her... The wolf youkai hadn't done anything more than kiss her. Kagome figured it was because he was being careful and considerate. She admired that about Kouga. And she was pretty sure she had made a wise decision in choosing him over Inuyasha.
"Besides-" she thought to herself. "Inuyasha never even was my boyfriend- so why do I still have feelings for him?" That was something she knew could never be answered.
As Kagome got to the cave, she went inside. She was surprised to find the campfire that was usually burning inside the dark cave was out. A closer look told her it was still smoldering though, as if it had been put out not too long ago.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the cave, and called for Kouga.
A sudden whimper startled her. She followed the sound and gasped. Her heart twisted in painful agony.
There was Kouga, alright... on top of another woman! She seemed to be a wolf youkai as well, and the two of them were so lost in their deep love making that they didn't even notice Kagome sneak up on them- that is, untill the mortal dumped her basket full of berries right on Kouga's head!
Kouga yelped in surprise, as did the other youkai. However, when he saw Kagome standing there glaring at him, surprise was the least of his emotions.
"K-Kagome!" he stammered, leaping off of the female wolf youkai. "Kagome... it's not what it looks like!"
The mortal felt tears threatening to fall at any second. She didn't want them to see her crying, however, so she held it in as best she could. "It's not what it looks like? IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?!" she cried. "Well, I know that it certainly looks like you played me for a fool! This whole time you I thought that you loved me and that you were saving yourself to mate with me... AND NOW I SEE IT'S ALL BEEN A LIE!" With that, she turned and ran from the cave. Kouga gulped. "Kagome wait!" he called after her. "KAGOME!!" CHAPTER 2 "A Friend in Need"
Kagome ran blindly through the woods; her tears falling freely now. She felt so hurt... so betrayed. Kouga had said he loved her... he said he cared. And just when she had felt comfortable enough to give the wolf youkai her heart, he turned around and stomped on it.
She had no idea where she was heading. By now she had lost track of where she was going. Ah... she could be in some serious...
Suddenly, a ear-shattering scream echoed from the woods behind her. She turned around to see a giant spider-like demon come crashing through the trees. Kagome gasped.
The spider demon roared at her and took a step in her direction. Kagome stepped back in fear. What the hell was she supposed to do now?! She didn't even have her bow and arrows with her!
Kagome closed her eyes as she felt the spider's cold web wrap around her body. It squeezed her mercilessly and soon the demon pulled the mortal to the ground.
Kagome tried to get away from the blood-thirsty creature, but it was no use. She was trapped, this time, for sure!
She wracked her brain for a possible way to escape with her life. And her answer came flying out of her mouth in an eight-letter word...
"INUYASHA!!!!!!!"
The spider demon recognized the name to be that of the dangerous hanyou that slaughtered countless demons with a swipe of a sword, and hissed at Kagome. It pulled her towards it's fangs quickly; hoping to devour her before the hanyou got there.
Kagome felt tears falling. Why wasn't he there to rescue her? Could it be that he really DID hook up with Kikyo... and he is far away now... with her?!
Kagome braced herself for her pre-mature demise-- but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps that were rapidly approaching. She opened her eyes. Could it be?
Inuyasha raced over to Kagome and the spider demon. With one swipe of his Tetsusiga, the spider demon was cut in half. It's blood and guts (oh how nice) came spilling out all over the ground. Kagome fell to the ground.
Inuyasha cut her loose, and helped her to her feet. He looked straight into her eyes. "Kagome... are you ok?" Kagome nodded, and was unable to answer for a moment, from being so out of breath.
Inuyasha sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "Kagome, what where you doing out here all by yourself?! Where's... grrrrrrr... that wolf? He's supposed to be protecting you."
Kagome looked at the ground, feeling pain stab her heart once again. She wanted to tell Inuyasha about everything... but something stopped her. "Don't worry about it, Inuyasha. I'm fine now."
However, the hanyou was not satisfied with her answer. "Kagome, I asked you where the wolf is. WHERE'S KOUGA?!"
Kagome couldn't bear hearing the wolf youkai's name. She pushed away from the hanyou sharply. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" she cried.
Inuyasha was speechless from Kagome's outburst. He frowned when he smelled the scent of fresh tears coming from the young mortal.
Kagome tried to hold back her emotions, but a small tear drop managed to roll down her cheek.
Inuyasha felt a small pang of sadness for Kagome. However, it was soon replaced by anger and rancor towards Kouga, for he knew the wolf youkai must have done something...
Inuyasha placed his hands on her shoulders again, and spoke to her very gently, coming out of character. "Kagome... please tell me why you are crying."
Kagome looked surprised to hear his soft tone, and calmed down a bit. She sat down on the ground and fiddled with a strand of hair absentmindedly. "You wouldn't wanna know." She mumbled.
Inuyasha sat down next to her. "I do..." he said kindly.
Kagome shrugged. She was about to tell him all about Kouga, when she stopped herself. She could just hear Inuyasha's response now... she would tell him what had happened, and he would turn around, and say "I knew it!" or "I told ya so!" And she certainly did not want to hear that- not now, not ever!
"Ah, just forget it." She said. "It's no big deal."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "If it was no big deal, then why were you crying?"
Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, uh... you know me... heh-heh... I was just over-reacting... yea! Over-reacting!" she stood up. "You see? I'm all better now!" She plastered a fake smile on her face.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and looked at her for a moment, not trusting her word. Finally, he shrugged and dropped his eyes to the ground, watching as a tiny butterfly landed on a large pink and yellow flower.
Kagome cocked her head. Inuyasha sure was acting strange lately... Now it was her turn to check on her dog-eared friend. She sat back down next to him, and asked, "So... why are you so... quiet?"
Inuyasha looked at her and frowned. "I'm not quiet." Was all he said. Then, he went back to watching the butterfly on the beautiful flower.
Kagome sighed. "Look, Inuyasha... I know that you're trying to pull a fast one on me..."
Inuyasha snorted, but didn't say anything. So Kagome continued.
"Come on. I know that something is bothering you." She said. "So just tell me. I want to know."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and sighed. "If you really wanna know..." he began.
Kagome nodded and motioned for him to continue.
Inuyasha rested his chin on his hand. "It's Kikyo." He muttered.
At the sound of the miko's name, Kagome felt her heart tear. Even though she had told Inuyasha that she was over him and Kikyo, she really wasn't. Could he blame her? Night and day... all he thought about was Kikyo... she knew it. And that made her heart sink lower into the depths of her burning soul.
Inuyasha cleared his throat, bringing Kagome out of her deep thoughts. "Did ya hear me?" he was saying. "I asked you if you're ok!"
Kagome blushed sheepishly and nodded. "Yea, sorry... I was just... eh... spacing out. You know me... hehe..."
Inuyasha sighed. "Kagome, please."
The mortal turned to look at him. "Please what?" she asked.
Inuyasha looked at her, his eyes no longer soft and kind, but now full of irritability. Just like always.
"Please stop pretending with me. I can't believe you. You're acting like you have nothing on your mind... that there is no problem with you and Kouga. I am trying to be nice and listen to your problems, and you are trying to change the subject by asking me what's wrong."
Kagome crossed her arms defensively. "No... I wanna know what's wrong with you. I'm not trying to change the subject..."
Inuyasha growled in annoyance. "Yes you are!" he snarled. "You just want to hear about all of my problems so you can just laugh to yourself and say, 'Oh I guess my problems aren't THAT bad... oh well...'"
Kagome gasped; clearly offended by what the hanyou was saying. "How dare you?!?!?" she shrieked. "I DO wanna know what's wrong with you! And, I would NEVER laugh at your problems! My problems are bad enough! Why would I wanna hear yours to make mine look better?!"
Inuyasha snorted. "Oh yea... I'm SURE your problems are SO BAD... yea, sure!"
Kagome, by this point, was getting pretty annoyed. And before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "And YOU have such a BAD problem? What? Did the all mighty Kikyo do something to you? Oh wait-- I forgot... SHE'S PERFECT!"
Inuyasha whirled around to face her. Kagome covered her mouth and backed away from him, afraid of what he might do to her.
Inuyasha got a hold of himself and turned away from Kagome. "Yea, ok? I DO have a BAD problem! And yes, it is about Kikyo! SHE LEFT!"
Kagome gasped. "She... left?" she echoed softly.
Inuyasha nodded. "Uh... YEA! That's what I said!"
Kagome was quiet for a moment. She didn't know what to say...
Inuyasha saw that she was thinking about what he had said and plopped down on the ground with a growl. He hadn't meant to tell Kagome about Kikyo... it had just slipped out.
Kagome walked over to the hanyou once again and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why did she leave?" she asked. "To go... pick berries?" she finished lamely, thinking back to the "job" Kouga had sent her to do so he could have time alone with the other woman.
Inuyasha snorted. "No." He said.
Kagome decided to try again. "Uh... she went on vacation?"
"NO!"
Kagome sighed and put a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Then what?!" she cried.
Inuyasha slammed a fist onto the ground. "She said she couldn't be with me anymore! That's why!"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "But why would she say something like that?" she asked gently.
Inuyasha blushed a little and his voice grew very soft. "Because she said that I thought about you and talked about you too much." He said.
Kagome gasped a little; her face turning bright red. "You... did?" she asked meekly.
Inuyasha nodded sheepishly. "Well, after you left me to be with Kouga, I... hooked up with Kikyo, and I kinda' called her 'Kagome' a few times... let's just say I picked the wrong times to get you two mixed up..." 'Yea, you mean when you two where about to mate...' he thought to himself. And THAT was something he would NEVER tell Kagome, for he had no idea what she would do after hearing that... She'd probably take it to mean that Inuyasha wished it was her he was making love with... atleast that's how Kikyo took it...
Kagome looked at the ground. "I didn't think you would miss me so much..."
Inuyasha's ears swiveled back in surprise. "Of course I would miss you!" he said. Then, afraid that he might accidentally reveal too much of his feelings for her, he added, "Well... you ARE my shard detector, you know..."
Kagome wanted to "sit" Inuyasha after hearing that remark, but she found herself lose control of her emotions as tears rolled down her cheeks. That last remark had snapped the last strand of happiness that was left in her after all that Kouga had done...
Inuyasha gasped when he saw Kagome crying. Careful not to give her the impression that he cared too much, he touched her shoulder gently. "K- Kagome?" he murmured. "What's wrong?" Kagome sighed and sniffed. "Oh, it's Kouga! He's such an incurable ass!" With that, she started to cry harder, laying her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.
The now beet-red hanyou put his arm around Kagome and stroked her hair gently to calm her. "What did he do to you, Kagome?" he asked kindly.
Kagome wiped her eyes to try to calm herself so she could talk. "He... he told me he would mate with me... that he was saving himself for me because he loved me so much..."
Inuyasha winced at the mental picture of Kouga and Kagome mating, but urged her to continue.
"He told me to go pick berries, and obviously I got back too early, because I found him with another woman... and they... they were..." Kagome's body shuddered as she started to cry all over again.
Inuyasha felt himself wanting to go find Kouga and kill him for hurting Kagome like this, but he also knew she needed him. So he stayed with her; his arm wrapped around her gently, and hugged her close to him, letting her cry her heart out. For there was no words he could say to her that would make everything better. What else could he do?
After a while, he noticed that Kagome had stopped crying. Looking down, he saw she had fallen asleep. Smiling one of his rare smiles, he scooped her up in his arms to bring her somewhere safer where they could rest.
Kagome skipped through the woods merrily. Kouga had sent her off to pick berries for him. She didn't exactly know why, but she was happy to be able to do something for the wolf demon. He had taken her in when Inuyasha abandoned her for Kikyo, and she felt obliged to stay with him, especially after he offered to be her mate.
At first she had been afraid that Inuyasha would be extremely mad at her, when she made the decision to stay with Kouga for a while. However, when she had explained to him that Kouga had already claimed her, (an even though she never wanted to leave Inuyasha), the youkai seemed to understand. He HAD looked very hurt- but she figured it was because of the fact that they still had the Shikon no Kakera (The Shikon Shards) to find... Kagome closed her eyes, remembering the conversation that they had about a week or two ago...
~Flashback~ Kagome approached Inuyasha, who seemed to be asleep in a tree for the night. However, she knew he was very much awake; listening for any sounds that would signal danger. She smiled when his cute dog ears twitched at her arrival. "Inuyasha?" she called.
The hanyou opened one eye and looked down at her. "Hai?" he asked sleepily.
Kagome sighed. What she was about to tell him was very serious... and made her wish she didn't have to tell him at all. "Err... can I talk to you about something?" she asked nervously.
She saw him nod slightly, not showing much interest.
Kagome looked at the ground for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Then she looked straight up at Inuyasha, and muttered, "It's about Kouga."
She thought she heard Inuyasha gasp quietly when his enemy's name was mentioned. "What did that bastard do, Kagome? Did he hurt you?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head. "No, Inuyasha, he didn't hurt me. In fact, he would never hurt me... because he asked me to stay with him... and be his mate."
Inuyasha had been silent. At last, he spoke. "Kagome..." he murmured. "What... did you say to him about that?"
Kagome's heart was thumping in her chest. She decided to approach the situation a different way. "Inuyasha..." she began. "You know that Kouga loves me..." That obviously wasn't the answer the hanyou wanted to hear, for he was on the ground in front of her in a split second.
Kagome gulped, but told herself not to be intimidated. And she continued. "Kouga asked me to be his mate, and I couldn't say no... after all the care he has shown me... it is apparent that he does love me..."
Inuyasha cut her off, his voice cold and hard. "So you said yes."
The mortal sighed. "Yes, Inuyasha... what was I supposed to say? Tell him that I couldn't return his love because I didn't know him well enough? That wouldn't be fair! I needed to give him a chance!"
"You could have told him you were already planning to find the rest of the shards!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Oh, so that's why you are so concerned, huh?" Kagome cried. "You don't care for me at all... all I am to you is a mere shard detector... What a baka I am! How could I actually think that maybe you would be worried about me, instead of the shards? Kami-sama! I was a baka, indeed!"
Inuyasha had put his hands on her shoulders then. Kagome was surprised at this, and looked up at him.
"Kagome..." he muttered, "You're not a baka." He managed to say.
Kagome stepped back. "Inuyasha," she said, "This is just like you being with Kikyo... and telling me you loved her..."
Inuyasha blushed when the priestess's name was mentioned.
Kagome sighed. "You know as well as I do that you love Kikyo. She has shown that she still loves you too... It's apparent. She wants to be with you and only you... I mean, that's why she tries to kill me, right? To get rid of her 'competition?'"
The hanyou was silent, so Kagome continued.
"I understand that now... I see that you two were meant to be together." She managed to flash a weak smile. "And that's why I am okay with that."
Inuyasha seemed surprised as he looked down at her. "You're... okay with that?" he repeated.
Kagome nodded. "Everything happens for a reason." She said. "And I have to accept that. And that's why you should accept the fact that Kouga and I are going to be together from now on... please don't be mad at me."
Inuyasha had been very quiet, and very thoughtful. When he spoke, Kagome could hear a tone of understanding in his voice. "Kagome... I'm not mad... at you." Then he looked away from her, and added, "Promise to come back some times, to visit cuz I- err- I mean... everyone will miss you... you know how Shippô will get.."
Kagome smiled, feeling very relieved. Inuyasha was actually letting her to stay with Kouga! She decided to show her thanks as best she could by offering to still help to find the Shikon no Kakera. (The Shikon shards)
Inuyasha had nodded at that, before leaping into the tree once more. However, before he did so, Kagome thought she heard him mutter, "Be careful."
She looked up at him, and whispered, "I will." Then, she had walked away. Just like that! She had walked all the way back to the place Kouga had told her to meet him- by a small pond- and she knew Inuyasha had been following her to make sure she got there safely. Then, she met up with Kouga, and... everything went smoothly.
~End of Flashback~
Kagome picked up her basket that was full of berries and walked back to the cave where she and Kouga lived. She thought about being Kouga's mate... and she thought about when he would make his move on her... The wolf youkai hadn't done anything more than kiss her. Kagome figured it was because he was being careful and considerate. She admired that about Kouga. And she was pretty sure she had made a wise decision in choosing him over Inuyasha.
"Besides-" she thought to herself. "Inuyasha never even was my boyfriend- so why do I still have feelings for him?" That was something she knew could never be answered.
As Kagome got to the cave, she went inside. She was surprised to find the campfire that was usually burning inside the dark cave was out. A closer look told her it was still smoldering though, as if it had been put out not too long ago.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the cave, and called for Kouga.
A sudden whimper startled her. She followed the sound and gasped. Her heart twisted in painful agony.
There was Kouga, alright... on top of another woman! She seemed to be a wolf youkai as well, and the two of them were so lost in their deep love making that they didn't even notice Kagome sneak up on them- that is, untill the mortal dumped her basket full of berries right on Kouga's head!
Kouga yelped in surprise, as did the other youkai. However, when he saw Kagome standing there glaring at him, surprise was the least of his emotions.
"K-Kagome!" he stammered, leaping off of the female wolf youkai. "Kagome... it's not what it looks like!"
The mortal felt tears threatening to fall at any second. She didn't want them to see her crying, however, so she held it in as best she could. "It's not what it looks like? IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?!" she cried. "Well, I know that it certainly looks like you played me for a fool! This whole time you I thought that you loved me and that you were saving yourself to mate with me... AND NOW I SEE IT'S ALL BEEN A LIE!" With that, she turned and ran from the cave. Kouga gulped. "Kagome wait!" he called after her. "KAGOME!!" CHAPTER 2 "A Friend in Need"
Kagome ran blindly through the woods; her tears falling freely now. She felt so hurt... so betrayed. Kouga had said he loved her... he said he cared. And just when she had felt comfortable enough to give the wolf youkai her heart, he turned around and stomped on it.
She had no idea where she was heading. By now she had lost track of where she was going. Ah... she could be in some serious...
Suddenly, a ear-shattering scream echoed from the woods behind her. She turned around to see a giant spider-like demon come crashing through the trees. Kagome gasped.
The spider demon roared at her and took a step in her direction. Kagome stepped back in fear. What the hell was she supposed to do now?! She didn't even have her bow and arrows with her!
Kagome closed her eyes as she felt the spider's cold web wrap around her body. It squeezed her mercilessly and soon the demon pulled the mortal to the ground.
Kagome tried to get away from the blood-thirsty creature, but it was no use. She was trapped, this time, for sure!
She wracked her brain for a possible way to escape with her life. And her answer came flying out of her mouth in an eight-letter word...
"INUYASHA!!!!!!!"
The spider demon recognized the name to be that of the dangerous hanyou that slaughtered countless demons with a swipe of a sword, and hissed at Kagome. It pulled her towards it's fangs quickly; hoping to devour her before the hanyou got there.
Kagome felt tears falling. Why wasn't he there to rescue her? Could it be that he really DID hook up with Kikyo... and he is far away now... with her?!
Kagome braced herself for her pre-mature demise-- but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps that were rapidly approaching. She opened her eyes. Could it be?
Inuyasha raced over to Kagome and the spider demon. With one swipe of his Tetsusiga, the spider demon was cut in half. It's blood and guts (oh how nice) came spilling out all over the ground. Kagome fell to the ground.
Inuyasha cut her loose, and helped her to her feet. He looked straight into her eyes. "Kagome... are you ok?" Kagome nodded, and was unable to answer for a moment, from being so out of breath.
Inuyasha sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. "Kagome, what where you doing out here all by yourself?! Where's... grrrrrrr... that wolf? He's supposed to be protecting you."
Kagome looked at the ground, feeling pain stab her heart once again. She wanted to tell Inuyasha about everything... but something stopped her. "Don't worry about it, Inuyasha. I'm fine now."
However, the hanyou was not satisfied with her answer. "Kagome, I asked you where the wolf is. WHERE'S KOUGA?!"
Kagome couldn't bear hearing the wolf youkai's name. She pushed away from the hanyou sharply. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!" she cried.
Inuyasha was speechless from Kagome's outburst. He frowned when he smelled the scent of fresh tears coming from the young mortal.
Kagome tried to hold back her emotions, but a small tear drop managed to roll down her cheek.
Inuyasha felt a small pang of sadness for Kagome. However, it was soon replaced by anger and rancor towards Kouga, for he knew the wolf youkai must have done something...
Inuyasha placed his hands on her shoulders again, and spoke to her very gently, coming out of character. "Kagome... please tell me why you are crying."
Kagome looked surprised to hear his soft tone, and calmed down a bit. She sat down on the ground and fiddled with a strand of hair absentmindedly. "You wouldn't wanna know." She mumbled.
Inuyasha sat down next to her. "I do..." he said kindly.
Kagome shrugged. She was about to tell him all about Kouga, when she stopped herself. She could just hear Inuyasha's response now... she would tell him what had happened, and he would turn around, and say "I knew it!" or "I told ya so!" And she certainly did not want to hear that- not now, not ever!
"Ah, just forget it." She said. "It's no big deal."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "If it was no big deal, then why were you crying?"
Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, uh... you know me... heh-heh... I was just over-reacting... yea! Over-reacting!" she stood up. "You see? I'm all better now!" She plastered a fake smile on her face.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and looked at her for a moment, not trusting her word. Finally, he shrugged and dropped his eyes to the ground, watching as a tiny butterfly landed on a large pink and yellow flower.
Kagome cocked her head. Inuyasha sure was acting strange lately... Now it was her turn to check on her dog-eared friend. She sat back down next to him, and asked, "So... why are you so... quiet?"
Inuyasha looked at her and frowned. "I'm not quiet." Was all he said. Then, he went back to watching the butterfly on the beautiful flower.
Kagome sighed. "Look, Inuyasha... I know that you're trying to pull a fast one on me..."
Inuyasha snorted, but didn't say anything. So Kagome continued.
"Come on. I know that something is bothering you." She said. "So just tell me. I want to know."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and sighed. "If you really wanna know..." he began.
Kagome nodded and motioned for him to continue.
Inuyasha rested his chin on his hand. "It's Kikyo." He muttered.
At the sound of the miko's name, Kagome felt her heart tear. Even though she had told Inuyasha that she was over him and Kikyo, she really wasn't. Could he blame her? Night and day... all he thought about was Kikyo... she knew it. And that made her heart sink lower into the depths of her burning soul.
Inuyasha cleared his throat, bringing Kagome out of her deep thoughts. "Did ya hear me?" he was saying. "I asked you if you're ok!"
Kagome blushed sheepishly and nodded. "Yea, sorry... I was just... eh... spacing out. You know me... hehe..."
Inuyasha sighed. "Kagome, please."
The mortal turned to look at him. "Please what?" she asked.
Inuyasha looked at her, his eyes no longer soft and kind, but now full of irritability. Just like always.
"Please stop pretending with me. I can't believe you. You're acting like you have nothing on your mind... that there is no problem with you and Kouga. I am trying to be nice and listen to your problems, and you are trying to change the subject by asking me what's wrong."
Kagome crossed her arms defensively. "No... I wanna know what's wrong with you. I'm not trying to change the subject..."
Inuyasha growled in annoyance. "Yes you are!" he snarled. "You just want to hear about all of my problems so you can just laugh to yourself and say, 'Oh I guess my problems aren't THAT bad... oh well...'"
Kagome gasped; clearly offended by what the hanyou was saying. "How dare you?!?!?" she shrieked. "I DO wanna know what's wrong with you! And, I would NEVER laugh at your problems! My problems are bad enough! Why would I wanna hear yours to make mine look better?!"
Inuyasha snorted. "Oh yea... I'm SURE your problems are SO BAD... yea, sure!"
Kagome, by this point, was getting pretty annoyed. And before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "And YOU have such a BAD problem? What? Did the all mighty Kikyo do something to you? Oh wait-- I forgot... SHE'S PERFECT!"
Inuyasha whirled around to face her. Kagome covered her mouth and backed away from him, afraid of what he might do to her.
Inuyasha got a hold of himself and turned away from Kagome. "Yea, ok? I DO have a BAD problem! And yes, it is about Kikyo! SHE LEFT!"
Kagome gasped. "She... left?" she echoed softly.
Inuyasha nodded. "Uh... YEA! That's what I said!"
Kagome was quiet for a moment. She didn't know what to say...
Inuyasha saw that she was thinking about what he had said and plopped down on the ground with a growl. He hadn't meant to tell Kagome about Kikyo... it had just slipped out.
Kagome walked over to the hanyou once again and put a hand on his shoulder. "Why did she leave?" she asked. "To go... pick berries?" she finished lamely, thinking back to the "job" Kouga had sent her to do so he could have time alone with the other woman.
Inuyasha snorted. "No." He said.
Kagome decided to try again. "Uh... she went on vacation?"
"NO!"
Kagome sighed and put a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Then what?!" she cried.
Inuyasha slammed a fist onto the ground. "She said she couldn't be with me anymore! That's why!"
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "But why would she say something like that?" she asked gently.
Inuyasha blushed a little and his voice grew very soft. "Because she said that I thought about you and talked about you too much." He said.
Kagome gasped a little; her face turning bright red. "You... did?" she asked meekly.
Inuyasha nodded sheepishly. "Well, after you left me to be with Kouga, I... hooked up with Kikyo, and I kinda' called her 'Kagome' a few times... let's just say I picked the wrong times to get you two mixed up..." 'Yea, you mean when you two where about to mate...' he thought to himself. And THAT was something he would NEVER tell Kagome, for he had no idea what she would do after hearing that... She'd probably take it to mean that Inuyasha wished it was her he was making love with... atleast that's how Kikyo took it...
Kagome looked at the ground. "I didn't think you would miss me so much..."
Inuyasha's ears swiveled back in surprise. "Of course I would miss you!" he said. Then, afraid that he might accidentally reveal too much of his feelings for her, he added, "Well... you ARE my shard detector, you know..."
Kagome wanted to "sit" Inuyasha after hearing that remark, but she found herself lose control of her emotions as tears rolled down her cheeks. That last remark had snapped the last strand of happiness that was left in her after all that Kouga had done...
Inuyasha gasped when he saw Kagome crying. Careful not to give her the impression that he cared too much, he touched her shoulder gently. "K- Kagome?" he murmured. "What's wrong?" Kagome sighed and sniffed. "Oh, it's Kouga! He's such an incurable ass!" With that, she started to cry harder, laying her head on Inuyasha's shoulder.
The now beet-red hanyou put his arm around Kagome and stroked her hair gently to calm her. "What did he do to you, Kagome?" he asked kindly.
Kagome wiped her eyes to try to calm herself so she could talk. "He... he told me he would mate with me... that he was saving himself for me because he loved me so much..."
Inuyasha winced at the mental picture of Kouga and Kagome mating, but urged her to continue.
"He told me to go pick berries, and obviously I got back too early, because I found him with another woman... and they... they were..." Kagome's body shuddered as she started to cry all over again.
Inuyasha felt himself wanting to go find Kouga and kill him for hurting Kagome like this, but he also knew she needed him. So he stayed with her; his arm wrapped around her gently, and hugged her close to him, letting her cry her heart out. For there was no words he could say to her that would make everything better. What else could he do?
After a while, he noticed that Kagome had stopped crying. Looking down, he saw she had fallen asleep. Smiling one of his rare smiles, he scooped her up in his arms to bring her somewhere safer where they could rest.