Love, Jealousy and Betrayal

aka Snake Venom Chapter 2

By ArtikGato

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. This saddens me. I will go cry now. ;_;

Author's Notes: Here it is!! The chapter you've all been waiting for! This was originally another story on ff.net, but no one reviewed, so it's now chapter 2 of Snake Venom! There are at least two more chapters to this story. On that note, I have a vague idea for the next chapter. No lemon planned...the key word is planned... But review anyway! Okay, I'm through rambling. No lemon in this chapter or the next. Okey dokey, that's all. Oh, one more thing. Domou arigato to those of you who reviewed the first chapter! If you peoples hadn't requested a second chapter (you know who you are...), then I would NEVER have considered writing this. ^__^ With that said, on with Love, Jealousy and Betrayal!

"You say there's a hotspring nearby?" Kagome asked. The elderly woman they had been talking to nodded, and pointed them in one direction. The miko smiled and clapped her hands together. "Perfect! I don't think I could last another day without a bath!" she said, as she and her friends set off to find a suitable campsite. Unknown to them, Miroku and Sango exchanged a glance and knowing little grins.

"Kagome, I think it's only fair that you get to take a bath first, because of that whole, erm, mud incident," Sango said. Kagome glared at Inuyasha, who folded his arms and turned away from her.

"It was either I push you into the mud or you die a horrible and painful death!!" he shouted. A pack of nasty looking Bear Demons had attacked them earlier that day, and Kagome had bravely tried to shoot them down with her bow and arrows. Unfortunately, the arrows barely even tickled the Kumo Youkai. They had still tried to attack her, and Inuyasha had been forced to shove her into a big puddle of mud in order to keep her from being clawed to death. "I think you should be thanking me, anyway! Would you rather have mud on you or be clawed to death?!" he demanded.

"You didn't have to push me in FACE FIRST!!!" she snapped back at him.

"Touchy today, aren't we Kagome?!" he fired back.

"You'd be touchy too if YOU were shoved HEAD FIRST into a PILE OF MUD!!" she shrieked at him. Sango interrupted them, abruptly putting her Hiraikotsu between them in a threatening manner.

"It doesn't matter who did what! Just drop it!" the demon exterminator exclaimed. The hanyou and the miko turned away from eachother, arms folded, with two 'humph' s.

"Kagome, you go and get your bath done and over with, and we'll set up camp," Miroku said.

"We will?" Shippo asked.

Kagome made her way to their camp about forty-five minutes later, fluffy light blue towel wrapped around her hair and a new set of clothes on.

"The hotspring's all yours, Sango," Kagome said. The Demon Exterminator eagerly took off in the direction Kagome had just come from. The miko sighed, and sat down on her sleeping bag, which was near the newly made fire. After a few moments of silence, Miroku jumped up, grabbing his mandala from where he had rested it against a tree.

"I'm going for a WALK!" he exclaimed, too enthusiastically, and took off through the trees. Kagome and Inuyasha both sighed, in unison. They knew what 'taking a walk' meant. Shippo groaned, apparently he knew what 'taking a walk' meant, as well.

"Almost a month has passed since they were attacked by the snake demons. Or at least, since we learned that they were attacked by them," Kagome mused. She laughed, slightly. "At first we were all sure that the snake venom had caused them to , uh, do what they did, but since then that theory has been disproven. MANY times."

"Feh. Every time we camp somewhere with a hotspring nearby, they both leave, and come back an hour later, grinning like morons, and all lovey-dovey. Yeesh! You think they'd learn to at least try to hide it! Eugh. Those two are entirely TOO happy, in my opinion," Inuyasha thought, scowling at the tree stump in front of him.

"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked him. He didn't look up at her.

"What?" he asked, kind of annoyed.

"What's YOUR problem?!" she demanded, also annoyed.

"Oh no you don't! Don't start fighting!" Shippo exclaimed, quickly darting in between them and transforming into a big red heart with eyes and a fox tail. "Can't we all just love eachother?" Shippo asked. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him, and Kagome laughed.

"You look ridiculous!" she exclaimed, and Shippo turned back to his old Shippo self, laughing with her. Inuyasha just shook his head, sitting down, with a slight smile on his face. Seeing Kagome laugh always made him do that.

"So, hey, what were you scowling about earlier?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha was about to reply, when he heard something off to their right. His ear twitched, and he picked up the sound of rapid footsteps, getting louder and more rapid the closer they came. He turned to the direction the noise was coming in, just in time to dodge a blurry form. The blurry speeding form flew right over his head and into a tree. Kagome blinked and turned to look at the new arrival. He looked suspiciously familiar... The guy suddenly jumped up, and in an instant was kneeling before a surprised Kagome, clasping her hands in both of his.

"Kagome! It is great to see you!" Kouga exclaimed.

"Oh...hi Kouga," she said, unenthusiastically. Kouga didn't notice the monotone to her voice, and just sighed contentedly,

"Long time no see, wolf!" Inuyasha exclaimed, Tetsusaiga drawn and ready to slice the Wolf Demon in half. Kouga just shook his head, and stood up, preparing for battle.

"You never learn, do you hanyou?" Kouga replied. The two lunged for eachother, but Kagome jumped between them, stopping the fight.

"Children! Geesh! You demons are all just children! Look at you two fighting! What's the point? You aren't enemies!" Kagome started.

"Wanna bet?!" Inuyasha interjected, getting into a battle stance, the Tetsusaiga gleaming as he held it in front of him. Kouga got into a battle stance as well.

"Kagome, don't tell me that you care for this half-breed loser!" Kouga exclaimed.

"Of course I do! He's my friend!" she replied.

"So, do you care for me the same way, or are you protecting him?" Kouga asked, confused.

"Yes, I care about you the same way because you are my friend too!" she replied. Inuyasha looked a little peeved at this. He had saved her COUNTLESS times from evil demons that wanted to kill her, and Kouga had KIDNAPPED her, and she still cared about them equally? How was that fair?

He hadn't realized that he had said that out loud. Kagome stared at him, more than a little surprised. Kouga grinned wickedly.

"Jealous, Inuyasha?" the wolf demon asked. The hanyou narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah right," Inuyasha spat out. The two glared at eachother around Kagome.

"Hey!" she protested, wheeling around and glaring at Kouga. Kouga blinked, surprised. He suddenly turned angry, glaring back at her. It was her turn to look surprised.

"Kouga?" she asked.

"Kagome, it is time you stop toying with my fragile heart!" Kouga exclaimed.

"Eh?" Inuyasha and Kagome asked, baffled. Kouga pointed at the dog-demon behind her.

"It's time to end this feud! Who do you really love, Kagome, me or him?!" Kouga demanded. She was completely caught off guard about this.

"Wha?!" she demanded.

"I know it will be hard for you to hurt poor Inuyasha, Kagome, but you must! You must tell me once and for all that you love me!" the wolf demon continued.

"He's obviously delusional," Inuyasha muttered. Kagome laughed a little, nervously. Kouga looked up at her with tears in his eyes, and she arched an eyebrow.

"Please tell us who you love so this ridiculous fight can be settled! If you love me, I will make you a queen of demons! All of Japan will bow before your feet!!" Kouga started.

"Yeah right," Inuyasha muttered.

"...but, if you truly love this half-breed mongrel, then that is your choice," he said, and appeared to be crying at the thought. Kagome just stood there, an absolutely confused expression on her face. "Decide now, Kagome!"

Kagome was like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She just stood stone still, not knowing what she was supposed to do. Her problem wasn't with the ultimate answer to the question. She knew-she had always known deep down-that she loved Inuyasha. The problem was that she wasn't sure she wanted him to know just yet. She was afraid that he would just reject her. She could almost hear his response, ringing in her ears, filling her soul with anguish. 'Feh. Just another weak human girl in love with me. You humans are all alike. You think that I could ever love you? The only human I ever loved was Kikyo. And you are not her,' Kagome could feel tears welling up into her eyes. She stood still with her back to the hanyou, unmoving. She felt...betrayed.

'But Inuyasha can't possibly be that heartless, can he? No, I've seen a side of him that shows his true feelings. He would never say that,' a voice in her head told her. Was it her heart? Or her conscience? She didn't know.

'But I can't tell him! I can't! What if he really...what if...I...I don't want to be...' she replied to the voice. The voice seemed to scoff at her.

'Ha! If you take that attitude toward love then you don't deserve him! At least that damned wretch Kikyo told him!'

Kagome was silent.

'Love requires taking risks! Even if he doesn't love you in return in the end, it would be better to just tell him and get it over with! That way you won't have to live with the 'what ifs' down the road!'' the voice exclaimed. Kagome nodded, and gulped a little, willing away the unshed tears from her eyes. She turned slowly to face Inuyasha.

He blinked at the look in her eyes. Fear. She was afraid. But why?

'Maybe she's just afraid to tell me...' he shook his head mentally. 'No, she shouldn't be! She told me that she would follow me wherever I went, to the ends of the Earth if need be. Isn't that the same?' he thought. Then a thought dawned on him. Maybe she was afraid to tell him what she was going to tell him, but not because she was afraid he would reject her...because she was afraid of how angry he would be if she really did love that mangy wolf youkai. His eyes narrowed. It could be either one...but he was more inclined to believe the second choice. After all, if she had admitted that she wanted to be with him, that she had to be with him, then surely she could admit that she loved him.

Of course, Inuyasha didn't understand the psyche of a teenage schoolgirl from the 21st century.

"Inuyasha...I..." Kagome started, slowly and uneasily. Inuyasha glared at her, and turned around, running off into the forest.

"I don't need to hear this," he said, angrily, and in an instant he was gone.

"Inuyasha!!!" she called after him, shocked. Behind her, Kouga chuckled. She whirled around on him.

"What are you laughing at?!" she demanded, fury in her eyes. Kouga looked confused.

"Huh?" he asked. She glared at him, and took a step closer toward him.

"What's so funny?!" she exclaimed.

"But...but I...I thought...didn't you just choose me?!" he asked, confused.

"Why would you think that?!"

"Because he just ran away!" Kouga shouted. She stopped, shocked.

'That's why he ran away...' she thought. 'Of course! That wasn't scorn in his eyes, it was sorrow! He thought I really had chosen Kouga!' Kouga laughed at her shocked expression, and made a move to put a hand on her shoulder. She smacked it away roughly and glared at him with a murderous look of rage in her eyes.

"For your information, I was going to tell him that I love him, not you," she said, a deadly tone to her usual calm and cheerful voice. He looked shocked at first, then sad. She was about to turn and walk away, when he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"That is your decision. I cannot change that. Just...be happy," the wolf demon said. She smiled a little bittersweetly.

"Good-bye, Kouga," she said, giving a friendly kiss on the cheek. He looked at her remorsefully one more time, as if she might change her mind any minute. Then, he was gone, disappearing as swift as the wind.

Inuyasha wouldn't go back. Couldn't go back. He heard her frantic cry for him to come back, but he didn't stop. He just...ran.

"I saw what happened," said an oddly familiar masculine voice. He stopped dead in his tracks, and turned to face the speaker. Long, white hair, a red and white kimono, and a huge fluffy tail. It was Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru...what a pleasant surprise," he said, unenthusiastically. He was expecting Sesshomaru to smirk at him and talk some nonsense trash at him, but instead he looked at him... in an almost apologetic way. Inuyasha blinked, and looked at his brother again. He wasn't seeing things. Sesshomaru was looking at him with a look of sympathy.

'Whoa...either I've walked through a FEW too many of those weird smelling plants or I'm in an alternate dimension...'

"Don't look so shocked, little brother. It doesn't suit you," Sesshomaru said, his trademark smirk gracing his face. Inuyasha was about to reply with some smart-ass comment, but Sesshomaru stopped him.

"I saw what happened back at your campsite. I was going to attack you and try once more to take back the Tetsusaiga...but I decided that it's not fair to attack you when you're distracted. I want to kill you when you are fighting at top shape," Sesshomaru said, smirking wider.

"Gre-eat," Inuyasha replied, sarcastically, "Well what do you think I should do about it, smarty-pants?" the hanyou asked, again sarcastically.

"Go back and tell her how you feel, dimwit!" Sesshomaru exclaimed.

"What good will that do?!" Inuyasha demanded.

"I've seen the way she looks at you. If she loves that weak wolf-demon instead of you, then there is something seriously wrong with her," Sesshomaru replied. Inuyasha blinked.

"That's...a good point," Inuyasha replied. Silence. Inuyasha shook his head, not actually believing what he was about to say. "Thanks, Sesshomaru," Then the half dog-demon was gone in a flash. Sesshomaru blinked in disbelief.

"What in the name of all things holy happened to me to make me give him advice?" Sesshomaru asked. Then he shrugged, walking off into the forest muttering about evil blue plants that smell funny.

Kagome, Shippo, and the grinning Miroku and Sango were sitting around the fire. Shippo had turned into an assortment of animals and other things to try to cheer Kagome up. Miroku and Sango weren't helping matters much, them being sickeningly lovey-dovey all of the time. Shippo's ears suddenly twitched, and he turned back into his normal self, looking at the bushes to their right. Night had fallen about thirty minutes ago, and Inuyasha still wasn't back. They were getting kind of worried about him...but they were more worried about all of the demons in this area that might decide that they were a good snack. And, even between the four of them, they were pretty sure that they couldn't fight all of the forest demons.

"Who's there?" Kagome called, as Sango readied her Hiraikotsu and Miroku loosened the prayer beads on his gloved hand. Much to their relief, Inuyasha stepped out from the bushes. They all sighed in relief.

"Inuyasha, you scared the bejesus out of us! We thought you were a big nasty demon!" Shippo exclaimed. Inuyasha had a VERY serious expression on his face, and looked down at Kagome, who was looking up at him with a look that was almost remorse. He almost had to bite his lip. It was heart wrenching to see her with such a pained expression on her face.

"Kagome...we have to talk," he said, walking up to the miko and pulling her to her feet somewhat roughly by a wrist.

"Hey!" she protested, and prepared to yell 'sit', but noted the serious expression on his face. Instead she just nodded, solemnly. They walked a few steps, before he turned around and growled menacingly at the two humans and the fox demon by the campfire.

"Alone," he said, threateningly.

"Umm...what's say we stay here and guard the campsite, guys?" Miroku asked, nervously. Sango and Shippo nodded fervently. Inuyasha turned back around, and, before Kagome could protest, he had picked her up and jumped up a few hundred feet. Kagome wasn't scared of the height, what with the many times she and Inuyasha had gone 'flying' since they had met. She wasn't particularly scared of him dropping her either. It was the sudden movement which put her a LOT closer to Inuyasha that made her shriek in surprise.

Naraku sat in a tree, watching the pair sail through the air above him and land a few hundred meters away from him in the forest. He chuckled.

"Pitiful fools," he said, and snapped his fingers. Someone appeared below his tree. The person stood motionless, and he was completely cloaked in shadows save for his unnaturally red glowing eyes. Naraku chuckled malevolently, and threw another shard of the Shikon no Tama down at the person. The Shard imbedded itself in the person's forehead. But, instead of screaming, the person only laughed, as his muscles increased in size, and he grew taller. Naraku laughed diabolically.

"Don't worry...soon you will have your revenge on those two...Kouga,"

The two touched down on the ground underneath a large oak tree. It was spring, so the tree was full of leaves, and the night was just cool enough to be pleasant. Inuyasha set Kagome on her feet in front of him. The two just stood there for a few tense minutes.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started. Inuyasha silenced her by putting a finger up to her lips. She started to blush at this gesture.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I ran off earlier," he said. When she didn't say anything, he continued, not being able to look her in the eyes. "But I just want for you to know that, no matter whether you love Kouga over me or not, I..." he started. She nearly held her breath in suspense. "...I love you," he finally said, closing his eyes and waiting for the 'sits' to come. She didn't say a word. "I may not always show it, but I do," he said, shakily, finally opening his eyes and looking into hers. He saw that they were shimmering from unshed tears that were threatening to spill. But she didn't look sad, this time. She looked happier than he had ever seen her. He had made her happy. It was the greatest feeling in the world for the hanyou to know that. Kagome jumped up and threw her arms around him happily, and drawing her face precariously close to his. They stayed like that for a few seconds before they were enveloped in a sweet, loving kiss.

But, their tender moment was over before they had ever wished it to be.

"DIE HANYOU BASTARD!!" someone shrieked behind them. Inuyasha broke the kiss abruptly and spun around facing the direction of the voice. He was just in time to see his attacker before he was violently blown back into a tree.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. The attacker stood up from the crouch he was in. He turned to look at her.

"Hello, Kagome," he said, with a very sinister tone to his voice.

"K-Kouga?" she asked, stepping back in fear. He had a malevolent look on his face, and his eyes were glowing with a blood red color.

"In the flesh," he said.

"What happened to you?" she asked, shocked. He grinned evilly.

"You happened to me," he replied.

"What?" she asked. He snickered.

"How could you choose that pitiful hanyou over me?" he demanded.

"I thought-" Kagome started, but she was interrupted as Inuyasha jumped into the air behind Kouga, Tetsusaiga raised and ready to cut him down.

"I'll show YOU pitiful!!" he yelled, and slashed down at Kouga with the mighty sword. Kouga laughed, and caught it in his hands. Inuyasha was so caught off-guard by shock, that Kouga easily was able to rip the Tetsusaiga from his hands, throwing him into another tree from the momentum.

"Kouga please stop!" Kagome pleaded. The wolf demon turned to her, and smirked.

"Just wait your turn. I'm gonna have fun with you once I cut down your little boyfriend," he replied to her, darkly, seeming to laugh at the suggestion. She looked appalled, and then angry.

"The Kouga I know would never do that! You're a fake!" she exclaimed, and slapped him hard across the face, causing him to stumble backwards and drop the Tetsusaiga, which he was still holding." You're Naraku in disguise!" Kouga laughed a little.

"No, but you're close. I'm 100 percent Kouga," he said. She narrowed her eyes, and searched his body for jewel shards. She found two, glowing a malevolent red.

"Naraku is controlling you," it wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Master Naraku has shown me the light. With these two Jewel shards, I am ten times more powerful than I was before. And that's more than enough to get back at you and your little dog friend for breaking my heart-no, not breaking it...shattering it!" Kouga explained.

"I've heard enough of your jabbering!" Inuyasha exclaimed, running up, grabbing the Tetsusaiga, and slashing down at Kouga. The wolf demon jumped into the air, completely avoiding the slash. Inuyasha ran to stand protectively in front of Kagome.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. But Kouga is being controlled by Naraku!" Kagome replied.

"I figured as much,"

"So how do we stop him without seriously hurting him?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha replied.

"Prepare to die!" Kouga shouted, jumping out of the trees beside Kagome. Inuyasha whirled around, and saw that Kouga had an attack aimed straight at her. Thinking fast, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her toward him. Kouga flew by and skidded to a stop a few feet away. He jumped toward them, intent on killing them. Inuyasha raised the Tetsusaiga over his head

"Don't kill him!" Kagome protested. Thinking fast, Inuyasha turned the sword, and conked the rampaging Kouga on the head with a flat side. Kouga stumbled around drunkenly for a few seconds with @'s in his eyes, and then fell to the ground.

Just as they let out sighs of relief, they heard someone clapping behind them, Inuyasha whirled around to face the applauder, keeping Kagome behind him protectively.

"Bravo, bravo," said someone. They emerged from the bushes nearby, to reveal themselves as someone tall and dressed in a baboon skin. Naraku.

"Naraku!" Inuyasha exclaimed. His grip on the Tetsusaiga tightened, and energy flared from it, dancing around it like fire.

"Oh, hello Inuyasha," Naraku said, almost casually. He looked down at the flaring Tetsusaiga. "I see you still want to kill me,"

"That's an understatement," Inuyasha said, coldly, the Tetsusaiga flaring even brighter. He held the Tetsusaiga up in front of him, and readied himself for battle. Kagome took a step back from the hanyou, and pulled an arrow out of the quiver on her back, getting her bow ready with the other hand. By now it was almost second nature to carry her bow and arrows with her every time she left camp, what with this being the Feudal Era and demons being just as common as people.

"Let's skip the preliminaries," Naraku suggested.

"Fine by me," Inuyasha replied.

The two jumped into battle, Inuyasha slashing furiously with the Tetsusaiga and Naraku dodging the slashes almost effortlessly, laughing all the way. This only made Inuyasha even more mad, and made him swing that more wildly. Kagome just stood at the ready, keeping her arrow locked on Naraku, ready at any moment to fire a destructive energy arrow at the demon.

"Damn you!!" Inuyasha shouted, slashing at Naraku. Naraku just laughed, dodging aside again. This time, however, the sword cut cleanly through the baboon skin he was wearing. He blinked a little, surprised, allowing Inuyasha to get in a good hit at him. But, a good hit was not enough. Naraku jumped backwards, landing on the ground. He discarded the shredded baboon pelt, his red glowing eyes glaring up at Inuyasha. Inuyasha landed, and prepared to jump into another assault. Naraku suddenly jumped, and gathered black energy around him.

"I grow bored of this!" he shouted, and prepared to release a cloud of destruction. He was suddenly struck in the chest by a glowing, pink arrow. The black clouds of energy dissappated, and he fell back down to the ground. growling in fury, he ripped the arrow from his chest, breaking it in half despite it still glowing pink, and jumped to attack the person who had shot it. Kagome.

"Leave her out of this!" Inuyasha exclaimed, jumping and slashing powerfully with the Tetsusaiga, forcing him to give up attacking her and focus on him. Kagome wordlessly took another arrow from her quiver, and got ready to fire again

'My first arrow seems to have slowed him down. If I can hit him in the heart, I might be able to bring him down,' she thought, keeping her arrow locked on it's ultimate target.

Inuyasha slashed furiously with the Tetsusaiga, and Naraku dodged or blocked every slash, eyes glowing with anger.

'I will NOT be beaten by a half-breed and a pitiful human girl,' he thought. Inuyasha tried stabbing with the mighty sword, and Naraku dodged just enough that it stabbed into the air beside his head and above his shoulder. He brought his hand upward and hit the Tetsusaiga with such a force that it was torn from Inuyasha's hands to stab into the ground nearby. Steam came from it as it returned to it's rickety normal state.

"Oh no!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Naraku moved to give Inuyasha a blow that would most certainly kill the hanyou.

"Sit!" Kagome exclaimed, and fired her arrow with deadly precision. The hanyou plummeted to the ground face first, and Naraku was distracted long enough by this not to notice the arrow before it was too late. Kagome's arrow found it's mark right in the center of Naraku's demon heart. Pink energy crackled around him like lightning, and he screamed in agony. Inuyasha got up rubbing his face in pain, just as Naraku landed in front of him, desperately clawing at the arrow in his heart but not being able to touch it.

"Inuyasha, while he's distracted!" Kagome shouted, panting. She had put almost all of her energy into that arrow, and now she only had enough left to keep standing up. Inuyasha jumped over to where the Tetsusaiga was stabbed into the ground, grabbed it, and jumped back toward Naraku, powering up the sword in the air. He slashed down at Naraku with it. He never knew what hit him until it was too late.

Naraku's dieing scream was abruptly cut short by his body disintegrating into dark energy. Black energy exploded in waves from the vile demon's body, filling the air with clouds of destruction. The grass and trees nearby wilted and soon disintegrated into nothingness.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, and ran to where Kagome was.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"No time to explain!" he exclaimed, scooping her into his arms and jumping away, just as the dark energy hit the tree she was standing in front of, turning it into ashes. As soon as he hit the ground, he took off running, away from the rapidly approaching clouds of blackness.