Disclaimer - Not mine, never was.
A/N - On with the story. Remember, if there are any typos or mistakes with names, please leave me a note referring to it and I will fix it as soon as I get a chance. Later.
Truths and Thanks
When Kagome awoke from her nap that evening, she was not surprised to see Kaede fixing something to eat for the inhabitants fo her small hut. Kagome crawled off of the futon and peeked around the door. The scene that met her eyes was comical to say the least.
Obviously Miroku felt that even though his hand was healed, he still had the right to grope around on Sango. Kagome stifled a laugh as she watched Sango smack the monk across the face with her boomerang. Sango sat down at the table and pointedly ignored the monk, ignoring the scolding her mother was giving her for being so rude to a follower of the spiritual world. Sango just rolled her eyes and proceeded to tell her mother that Miroku was not as innocent as he looked. Sango's father, on the other hand, had seemingly taken a liking to Miroku and was signaling for him to come sit by Sango. Kagome laughed and almost gave away her position when Miroku grinned and nodded. However, Sango's brother had other ideas. He glared at the offending monk and stuck out his tongue. He took the seat next to his sister and frowned at the monk. Kaede served the dinner and Kagome watched as Inuyasha gulped down a rather large helping of the ramen she had brought the last time she had come through the well.
In no time flat, Inuyasha was finished and had noticed that Kagome was up. He grinned and walked out of the front door, telling Kaede that he was going for a walk. Kagome took the hint and slipped quietly out of the back of Kaede's hut. She walked around the hut and was quickly grabbed up by Inuyasha.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. Kagome giggled and smiled.
"I was going to run off with Kouga." she said. "But, unfortunately, you seemed to have caught me before I could escape. Oh, darn." She sighed dramatically and looked up to her boyfriend. His eyes were slit and she could see the red starting to creep into his eyes. Inuyasha growled and sat her down on her feet with a frown. Kagome was startled at the sudden change of disposition. She tried to apologize to him before he could get any madder.
"Inuyasha," she said soothingly. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd get that mad at me for saying that." He only pushed her behind him and put his hand on his sword. Kagome watched in bewilderment. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?"
"Kouga's coming." he answered simply. Sure enough, three seconds later, a burst of wind settled through the town. It swirled the debris of the town around the two before depositing the wolf-prince in front of a very angry Inuyasha. As the dust settled, the inhabitants of Kaede's hut crammed outside of the small door. Shippo's eyes widened when they landed on Inuyasha.
"Uh-hu." he said. "Inuyasha's back from his walk." He pointed to where the hanyou was standing in a defensive stance in front of Kagome. Sango and Miroku shook their heads because they knew what was coming. Every time the wolf prince showed up, Inuyasha's temper and blood pressure would go through the roof.
"The fireworks are about to begin." Miroku muttered. Sango rolled her eyes and pushed her way out of the crowd. Miroku took her hint and went to stand beside her. Shippou wasn't too far behind.
"Kouga," Kagome said smoothly, trying to keep the fur from flying, "what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" The wolf prince looked around and spotted Kagome being held behind Inuyasha.
"No, lady Kagome." he said respectively. He bowed low and grinned at the girl, who immediately blushed in response. "I was coming to ask you a question."
"Get lost, you baka!" Inuyasha barked. "You've got no business here!" Kouga just grinned and shook his head.
"Dog-turd!" he said loudly. "You still hanging around my woman? I thought I told you to leave Kagome alone."
"Get lost, you piece of wolf trash." Inuyasha said. "Before I rip you apart for the pure fun of it." Kagome, already tired of the testosterone match before it ever began, walked from behind Inuyasha and stood between the two warriors.
"Inuyasha," she scolded gently, "calm down. He's not going to do anything." Inuyasha only growled in response. Kagome shook her head and turned to the prince of wolves.
"What can I help you with, Kouga?" she asked. Kouga looked at her and a genuine smile graced his lips.
"I wanted to know if it was you who had brought back the members of my pack." he asked. Kagome nodded, remembering that some of Kouga's pack had died at the hands of Naraku and his henchman.
"Actually," she said. "it was Inuyasha who wished for the innocent people to be brought back. I had nothing to do with it." Kouga looked over at the hanyou and his grin faltered a little.
"So, the little hanyou is responsible for bringing back everyone." he said. "What happened, dog-turd. You don't want to become a full youkai anymore." Inuyasha growled and Sango and Miroku got between the two warriors.
"He decided that he could do more good with this wish than with any other one." Sango said evenly.
"Yes, he wanted to use the jewel for something other than self indulgence." Miroku added. Kouga seemed honestly shocked. He smirked and walked over to Inuyasha. He got right in front of the hanyou and bowed slightly.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Kouga said. "but thanks, dog-turd. My pack has been strengthened greatly due to that wish."
"Get lost, Kouga." Inuyasha muttered. "I didn't do it for you." Kouga only frowned and looked at the hanyou again. His brows furrowed and he looked at him curiously.
"What's that smell on you?" he asked, waving his hand in front of his face. "You smell like you fell in an herb garden." Inuyasha seemed to stiffen for a moment before he growled at the prince again.
"Get lost, little wolf." he said. "You're trying my patience." Kouga glared at the hanyou and turned back to Kagome.
"Once again, lady Kagome," he said sweetly. "If you need anything….please don't………………………………" Kouga's sentence trailed off as he noticed the scar on Kagome's neck. He went three shades of pasty before being able to regain his speech. His temper reached its peak when he realized that Kagome had been marked by the hanyou. His Kagome had been marked by that no good, half-breed Inuyasha.
"How could you??!!!" he roared at Inuyasha. "You marked her when you know that she is MINE!!!" He made for Inuyasha and only managed to grasp thin air. Inuyasha had jumped away and landed near Kagome. Kouga turned around, and saw the white-haired hanyou put a hand protectively around Kagome's waist.
"She's mine, wolfie." he smirked. "Get lost." Kouga looked at Kagome with the hurt present in his eyes.
"Kagome…." he murmured. "I….."
"I'm sorry, Kouga." she said quietly. "But I love Inuyasha." Kouga shook his head in dejection and backed away from the two.
"He won't make you happy, Kagome." he said quietly. "He won't always be there for you."
"Yes, I will." Inuyasha said through clenched teeth..
"Kouga, please." Kagome said. "I don't want to mess up our friendship because of this. Please leave before you two fight." Kouga glared at Inuyasha and shook his head.
"I will do as you wish, Lady Kagome." he said. "As I said before, if there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know."
"You can repay them by getting out of here." Sango's father said sternly. Kouga looked up at the man and nodded grimly.
"Good-bye, then." he said. He turned to Kagome and bowed again. "Until the next time we meet, my lady."
"Good-bye, Kouga." Kagome said quietly. Kouga turned around and walked a good distance from the group before he was swallowed up in a whirlwind of dust. When the whirlwind disappeared, Kagome let a small sigh of relief go. Kouga was a wonderful person, but he tended to be a little annoying when Inuyasha was around. He purposely ticked the hanyou off just to see him get mad. Kagome knew that Kouga loved her, or at least thought he did. She personally thought that the friction between the two warriors because of her was only another of Kouga's attempts to get under the hanyou's skin. She shook her head and turned to everyone.
"Ummm," she said uncertainly. "You can let go of me now, Inuyasha." Inuyasha blushed and let his hand drop. Kagome grinned and turned around right as Shippou ran towards her.
"Kaaagggooommmee!" he said. "You're awake." Kagome smiled wider and caught the kitsune in her arms.
"I'm fine, Shippou." she said.
"I was worried." he said quickly, hugging his surrogate mother. He quickly changed directions and jumped down from her arms. "Come meet my family, Kagome." he said. Kagome grinned and took the hand of the little kitsune.
For the rest of the evening, Kagome was introduced to Shippou's and Sango's families. As dark fell, Kagome pulled Inuyasha outside to talk for a little while. She had been in the Warring States for over a month now, and she figured it was time to go home for a while. When she and Inuyasha got away from the village, she told him her plans.
"Inuyasha," she said. " I wanted to ask you something."
"Something wrong, Kagome?" he asked quickly.
"No, no, nothing is wrong." she said quickly. "I just wanted to know if it would be okay with you if I went home for a while." Inuyasha looked at her, no expression on his face.
"Why do you want to go home?" he asked. "You're not happy here, with me?"
"No, no, no." she said quickly. "I want to go see my mother. I've been gone for over a month from my time. I miss my mother and brother and grandfather." Inuyasha looked around and nodded in agreement. He had never kept her away from the modern era for this long. Any other time, she would go back after a week and half or so.
"How long are you going to stay?" he asked.
"I don't know." she said. They continued to walk for a while before she broke the silence again. "You're not mad at me, are you?"
"Uh-hu." he said. "I was just wondering how long you were going to leave me by myself, all alone in this place." He put on his best puppy dog face and tried to get her to grin.
"You could always come with me." she said with a grin.
"I don't think so, Kagome." he said. "Don't get me wrong, I love your family. But, your grandfather doesn't seem to like it when I'm there. That, and the fact that your brother likes to drive me nuts with those video games." Kagome smiled and nodded, knowing that Inuyasha only voluntarily spent time in the modern era during the new moon.
"It's fine." she said. "I'll only be gone for about two weeks." Inuyasha nodded and stopped walking. He looked at her and grinned. Kagome looked back and shook her head. "What?"
"When do you plan on leaving?" he asked with a mischievous grin.
"Tomorrow, why?" she asked. Inuyasha smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.
"Then I suggest we make the most of the time we have before you go home." he said quietly. Kagome grinned and shivered as she felt his hands caress her curves lovingly.
"Hmmm." she moaned. "Sounds like a good idea to me." Inuyasha grinned and gathered her into his arms, quickly jumping into the sky and taking them to a more secluded place. He was definitely going to enjoy what time he had left.
***** Back at Kaede's Hut *****
Sango and Miroku were helping Kaede pull more blankets out of closets and drawers that evening after Inuyasha and Kagome left. They piled them in the middle of the floor and began to sort them into beds. Miroku had been quiet since the evening meal, and this surprised Sango to no end. Sango was about to break the silence when Shippou came running into the room.
"Sango," he said. "Where did Inuyasha go this evening when he took a walk?" Sango looked down at the little kitsune and frowned.
"I'm not sure, Shippou." she answered. "Why do you ask?" Shippou frowned and shook his head.
"Because he smelled like Kaede's herb basket when he came back this evening. It wasn't a strong scent, but I noticed it after Kouga left."
"Maybe he went to gather some herbs for Kaede." Miroku said, pulling another blanket out of the pile.
"I don't think so." Shippou said. "Kaede was just saying that she needed to go gathering in the morning."
"Well, my little kitsune." Sango said with a grin. "I don't know where the elusive hanyou went this evening." Shippou just nodded and began to help them carry the blankets into the next room.
'I wonder if Kouga picked up that scent as Kikyou's?' he thought to himself. He put the blankets down and walked outside and into the cooler night time air. 'Inuyasha, if you hurt Kagome in any way, shape, or form, I'll kill you with my bare hands.' He vowed to himself. He knew that the hanyou loved Kagome, but he didn't know how much. And he also knew that Inuyasha had never got rid of his lingering feelings for the once dead miko. 'And if I can't put you out of your misery, I'm sure Kouga will be more than happy to.' He kicked a small clump of dirt and scattered it onto the night time wind. He looked up to the stars and wondered what that blasted baka hanyou was up to before sighing and going back inside. 'I swear, Inuyasha. You've been warned!'
A/N - Well, how'd I do? Hope you are enjoying this. I'm needing some ideas. Please, leave my ideas. Like I said, I'm new to the story line, so please help out an ignorant goober-head. J J J Later.
