@ Ok, so to be honest, I really hadn't been planning to continue this story before I saw the reviews. Then, I realized how pissed I was when someone left something hanging with one chapter, so I went back and reread the start I had on the second chapter, as well as the first chapter, and suddenly I found that I couldn't release the story… The Ideas kept coming!!! So now I continue… @
Kagome's first fear was that Inuyasha would not come. But her self-esteem would not let her believe her plan had failed, or he did not love her anymore. That, and the memory of them together. Painful as hearing him say Kikyou's name was, her jealousy confirmed her love for him, and his falling back into the well when she appeared with scentless makeup proved he cared for her. His jealousy of Kouga was another example. But the question was: did he love her for her likeness to Kikyou, which he used to refute so often, or for herself, for the fact that she had a temper, for the way that she acted, for her studying and her arguing? For the fact that she wouldn't let him carry the Shikon shards that were hidden under her dresser? If he loved her for these things, then she knew everything would be all right…
Kagome's thought's were cut back into, and that second was over, that second she'd had between the roar of the wolves, unhappy about the delay in dinner, and the entering of the privacy with Kouga which she'd asked for. The thing that brought her out of her trance was the discovery of an iron door, which creaked as it opened.
"Here it is, the most private place in all the caves. It serves as office and occasionally as a jail for prisoners." Kouga spoke quietly, which Kagome found more than unnerving. "What was it you wanted to do that we had to be alone for?" It was obvious that he was asking if she'd truly decided upon him and only him.
"I… Look, this is going to take some adjusting to, even with a wonderful strong youkai like yourself… But the first thing I need is edible food, and that means cooking. Not just sitting by the fire for five minutes either…" Kagome tried to flatter him whenever possible, and his look softened with each word of praise. "I know that someone as brilliant as a leader as yourself should have no problem doing this, and more." Ok, so she admitted to herself that that was a challenge, but he seemed to like it even more, and moved closer to her. Anticipating a sticky situation, Kagome prepared to pull away, but Kouga's eyes held her. She began to think of the plan's effect on him…
Guilt set in quickly, and Kagome looked down, only to see that Kouga held a box in his hands, a box made of dried leaves glued with tree sap to wafer thin pieces of wood. The leaves were reds and golds, from last fall. The lid was made of flower petals, all of them neatly pressed and perfectly arrayed. Kagome felt a pang, it was so wrong to do this to him…
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Inuyasha stared for a moment at Kagome and Kouga. Kagome looked strange to him, she was not only done up in new clothes, but also her facial expression was not one from the Kagome he knew. The Kagome he knew had shown few non-hostile emotions towards him. There was glee, when something went right (or when she was with Shippou) and then there was heartache, when Kikyou was around, and a few other rare looks that might peek through her guards. He couldn't remember many others. The brief moment they'd shared before his slip, she had looked so tender and frail, and he'd wanted with all his heart to protect her forever. But then the hostility returned, for she was angry that he could say that name at such a wrong moment. Before he could search for more memories, or question his saying Kikyou's name, something occurred which left his mind blank and devoid of intelligence.
Kagome took a small box from Kouga's hands, and embraced him. And there were tears in her eyes. Joy? A part of him thought incredulously. JOY?! I'm worried for her, and she's enjoying herself! To the point that she's in TEARS? Coldness and stony resolve filled Inuyasha with a great determination to ruin this moment.
"I hope those are the Shikon Shards that he is giving us!" Inuyasha half-shouted. Cold, dark, tear-filled eyes turned towards Inuyasha.
"YOU made me do this! You, how could you? Break my heart, and you've made me do the same, then you have the callous nerve to come in here and talk of the jewel?" Suddenly Inuyasha understood- Kagome had been telling Kouga she didn't love him. She had been sad… And now she continued to cry even harder as another furious pair of eyes rotated to meet his. Kouga's.
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The tears wouldn't stop flowing. The moment she whispered the small, emotional "I'm Sorry…" They had come pouring down. Now, with Inuyasha and Kouga preparing to fight, Kagome felt very strange.
"That you could let yourself love two women is truly deplorable. But to hurt the REAL LIVE woman of the two by not deciding was even worse. And yet, Kagome endured. But now you have driven her to tears, and this I just cannot allow, even if she does not love me." Thus Kouga had spoken, followed by a formal challenge to a duel. And Kagome, the object of this duel, was left in such a situation that she couldn't help but cry harder. What do I do? If I apologize or explain, I'll be admitting I was wrong, but if either of them gets hurt especially Inuyasha then… Only bad will come… With this she did realize even more so how much she cared and feared for Inuyasha. Resolve fuelled her to try to stop the duel… Except Inuyasha and Kouga had left to prepare, and she suddenly realized that she had been locked in.
She banged on the door, calling for someone to let her out this instant. And a dizzy little fox came down the hall…
"Kagome! I'll get you out in a minute as soon as everything stops… OW!" The little fox-youkai ran into the wall opposite the door. "Stupid Inuyasha! Leaving me to be tossed about!" Kagome froze for a second- what if the wolves came by after or while she escaped? Shippou would be perfect!
"Shippou, can you imitate my form? Then you can reach the lock." When Shippou opened the door, looking as she normally did, she saw how much difference there was. "Shippou, exactly how do I look now?"
Shippou became a mirror and she saw how good she looked despite a few stray wisps of hair and a slight tear in the side of her skirt.
"Come with me Shippou, we have a fight to stop." Kagome said with such conviction the mirror flinched before it once again became Shippou. As they ran through the halls which were empty in anticipation of the fight, Kagome thought more of how she would go about this. She had to say something to each of them, so Kouga would revoke his challenge and Inuyasha would not feel so insulted as to challenge back. Kouga was pretty straightforward, she had to explain that she did not want him to be hurt, for Tetsusaiga had great power. She would also have to whisper that she didn't want Inuyasha hurt…
But Inuyasha would not respond to her asking him not to hurt Kouga, because he would blame her for coming here in the first place. It seemed as if she would have to play Inuyasha "by ear".
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Shippou was very confused. First Inuyasha runs off to the wolf den. Then Kagome, all dressed up, is locked in a room. Now they have to stop a fight. Shippou WAS very confused. Kagome was now running off, lost in her thoughts, so he couldn't ask what had happened, though he thought he knew. Inuyasha had screwed up, sending Kagome into the well. Kagome had decided she wanted to stay with Kouga, so she had dressed differently and a lot of other stuff. Kagome ran off to Kouga, Inuyasha followed. Inuyasha said something bad to make Kagome mad. Kouga and Inuyasha were going to fight because Inuyasha trespassed into the wolves' territory and communal cave.
OR Kouga kidnapped Kagome who stormed off because Inuyasha was mean and now they were fighting over her like she was an object.
Shippou was very confused!
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Inuyasha was a bit baffled. He had been confused, surely Kagome would have seen that much from his face, which had left open for her sake, even though Kouga was there. But when Kouga turned on him, he had to look stern. Wrong? With a human woman in the right? If anyone heard anything of the sort, HE would never hear the end of it. So Inuyasha had been challenged to a duel by the insignificant wolven-youkai leader, but that didn't mean much to him. The Tetsusaiga could beat him even with his Shikon no Tama shards.
But would he really be protecting a human? The human part of himself perhaps, but if Kagome wanted to stay with the wolf pack, even not as Kouga's mate, then how much could it faulted. Inuyasha knew he did love Kagome, and he had loved Kikyou, but could he say he loved Kagome any less or more? Would it be better for Kagome if he let her go, whether it be to Kouga or to her own time?
Troubled, Inuyasha continued to watch Kouga warm up. Kouga seemed different this time. Could he have more shards?
"Yo Dog Turd, do you need instructions on warming up?" Kouga called. He seemed to delight in every opportunity to make Inuyasha grumpy. If it weren't for Kagome he wouldn't be in this situation. Dealing with Kouga always struck a nerve in Inuyasha, right in the center of his spine, so that he wanted to mutilate something soon, preferable Kouga's face.
Kouga finished warming up, which he announced by zooming behind Inuyasha and taking Tetsusaiga.
"You won't be needing this, we're gonna fight on even ground. I'll even remove my Shikon shards, since no hanyou could handle me with them." To prove his point, he took out all of the Shikon shards Inuyasha knew of.
"Don't touch my sword!" Inuyasha took Tetsusaiga and punched him. Thus the fight had begun.
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@ Hey, thanks to everyone who reviewed, thanks to the makers of FF.net, and hope I can continue soon! @