Disclaimer - It's not mine, never was.

Kouga and Inuyasha Find Out

Kagome walked along the worn path to Kaede's, her head full of unanswered questions and wondering what kind of reaction she was going to get from Inuyasha. Suddenly, a gale force wind blew up and she felt herself falling towards the ground because of its intensity. Her mind quickly registered a small funnel cloud in front of her. She braced herself for the impact with the ground, but it never came. Instead, she felt two very strong arms pick her up. She shook her head and looked up, knowing who was holding her, but not wanting to admit it to herself. She bit her lip as she took in the pensive look on Kouga's normally calm face. Without another word, he took off from the ground. Kagome let out a yelp and clung to him, not knowing what was going on. When she was able to breath normally again, she looked up at the wolf prince and glared.

"What are you doing, Kouga?!" she yelled. The wind was rushing past them, and she forced her self to yell at the man holding her. "Where are you taking me?! And what's the meaning of this?!" The wolf prince looked down at her and gave her the coldest glare she had ever seen. She immediately shrank down and shut up. She had never seen him this mad before.

"We've got to talk." he said simply. "And we won't be able to if dog-boy is breathing down your neck and trying to kill me in the process." Kagome looked stunned and shook her head.

"But Inuyasha's not here." she yelled.

"Look behind us." Kouga said gruffly. Kagome turned around and sure enough, saw the red of Inuyasha's fire rat haoiri. She gulped and Kouga felt her tense up. He also sensed the fear in her body. She clutched to him and cried out.

"Gods…no.." she whispered. "Kouga, I need to talk to him." The wolf prince shook his head and frowned. He took his eyes off of the skyline for one second to look down at her. His gaze softened and he shook his head.

"He already knows, Kagome." he said sadly. Kouga saw the unshed tears begin to build up in her eyes. And his heart nearly broke in two. "He knew the minute you stepped out of that well. Why do you think he's after us right now?"

"But…"

"No buts, Kagome!" he said fiercely. "At the moment, there's no telling what he'll do, to you or me. I'm not worried about me, I can handle him. But if he tries to lay a hand on you, I'll kill him. It's best to let him calm down for a little while before you talk to him." Kagome only nodded as the tears began to fall. She had wanted Inuyasha to find out, but not like this.

"Kouga, please… get me away from him. He's done enough damage already." she whispered. She could sense the anger coming off of Inuyasha, and her plan to explain everything to him suddenly went down the drain. The wolf youkai nodded and suddenly dived towards the forest floor. He could still sense the hanyou following him. He even picked up a few of the rather colorful threats the white-haired half demon was shouting. He put on an extra burst of speed and masked his and Kagome's scents a little more before loosing the hanyou in the thick cover of the forest. He quickly sat down right near a small lake and proceeded to walk behind the small waterfall that fed into it.

They entered the cave and Kouga sat the girl down gently. He made a motion to be quiet and Kagome complied. He walked away from her and stuck his head out from the cave, looking past the water to scan for any sign of Inuyasha. With his conscience clear, he went back to Kagome and sat down beside her. He had a feeling this was going to take a while…..

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Meanwhile, Inuyasha was cursing the gods for making him loose the trail of Kagome and the wolf. He had dove down after Kouga, following as best he could. Even without the jewel shards, Kouga was faster than him, and it irked Inuyasha knowing that. He sat down on the ground and looked around. His anger had clouded his thoughts and as soon as the adrenaline rush began to wear off, his mind started focusing right.

When he had caught Kagome's scent, he had been overjoyed to know that she had come back to the Warring States, even if it was not to see him. When he had picked up the smell of pregnancy, he had panicked, not knowing what to think. But when he had picked up the scent of Kagome, pregnancy, and Kouga, he got angry. Although he and Kagome had had words, and she had ultimately told him that she never wanted to see him again, he still harbored feelings for the girl. When he took off after them into the air, he could feel his rage starting to come through.

Kouga had picked her up and carried her off, and she was not even fighting him. Inuyasha had picked up the salty smell of her tears not long after that, but Kouga had dived into the forest, masking their scents and going into hiding. 'Why is she running?' he thought. 'She's knows I'm not going to hurt her.' He kicked some dead leaves and frowned. 'If she is pregnant, why would she run from me?' Then, like a ton of bricks it hit him, and he stopped. 'What if the child isn't mine?' he thought. He shook his head and frowned again. 'She wouldn't run to that wimpy wolf. She knows better than that. Kouga can't take care of her.' His mind was swimming with unanswered questions as he took off towards Kouga's den, intent on finding answers to his questions, even if he had to beat it out of the stupid wolves

Kikyou had told him that she needed to go to Kaede's village to ask her sister for some more herbs to help heal some of the children in her village, so he thought she would not be back for some time. Inuyasha had told her to go ahead and do what she needed to do, but he was coming with her. He had secretly been glad to be able to get closer to Kaede's village. When they had gotten to the edge of the forest, Inuyasha told Kikyou that he was staying right there because he did not know what kind of reception he would get. Kikyou had not argued, only said that she would be back in a few minutes. He had settled back into his tree right after the little run in with Kouga when he had picked up Kagome's scent and decided to go find her.

It was probably a good thing then, that he was too engrossed in his little escapade right now to notice that Kikyou had been standing less than twenty feet away from him, hidden in the tree's shadows, when he landed, and there was nothing in her person remotely resembling bandages, ointments, or any other type of medicines…

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Kouga's mind was racing when he sat down next to the still whimpering Kagome. Thoughts of Kagome mingled with thoughts of killing Inuyasha in more than one painful way. He let a small growl go, and Kagome looked over at him with tear filled eyes. She said nothing to him, but her body language said all he needed to know. Her head was bowed, her shoulders tense, and her arms hugging herself, seeking some form of reassurance.

She was upset and confused. Kouga watched her as she stared out to the fall where the water was crashing on the boulders. There was a slight breeze inside the cave, and Kouga's nose picked up her scent once again. Her naturally sweet smell was underlined with the smell of new life. And salty smell of her tears mixed in to form an interesting combination that he inhaled. He shook his head as the breeze shifted again, pulling the aroma away from him. He quickly got up and sat as close to her as possible. They remained silent for a few minutes, each one contemplating on what to say next. Kouga finally broke the uneasy silence.

"I'm sorry, Kagome." he said, not looking at her.

"Excuse me?" she asked, surprised that he was apologizing to her.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you when I got you from the well. When I smelled you scent, I was just so glad you had come back. But when I picked up the pregnancy smell…. I kinda lost my bearings for a few minutes. And, I'm sorry. I knew that dog-face was nearby, and I didn't want him to say anything to you about it." Kagome smiled and patted the wolf demon on the hand, giving him a sad half smile.

"It's alright. I've put up with worse. I traveled with Inuyasha for years. It's okay, I'm used to sudden outbursts of anger." she said. Kouga said nothing to her, just kept looking towards the entrance.

"You do know he is going to be looking for you now." he said. "He's going to want to ….."

"I know." she said quickly, cutting him off. " I just don't know what's going to happen when I get the guts up to face him. I don't know what he's going to do. And if this was just a preview of what he's going to do when I finally face him, I'm not sure I want him to know."

"But he already does, Kagome. He could smell it, just like me." Kouga pointed out. "When do you plan on facing him?"

"I was going to speak with Kaede today about some things before hand." Kagome answered. "There's some questions I need answers to. But I was planning on telling him tomorrow. I'll give him the rest of the day to cool off. Then go to the village and try to talk to him."

"The village where he and Kikyou lives?" Kouga asked in shock. Kagome nodded and Kouga shook his head.

"That's over a day and a half walk. You'd have to leave tonight if you wanted to be there by tomorrow." he pointed out.

"I know. I'm leaving this evening, after I speak with Kaede."

"Who's going with you?" he asked suddenly. He did not want her to face an angry Inuyasha on her own. It just was not safe, no matter what she thought. 'Not to mention that wench Kikyou.'

"I'm going by myself." she answered.

"No, your not! You can just wait and stay in the village tonight. Then I'll take you to the village where Inuyasha is myself."

"I don't want to intrude on your time, Kouga." she said. "I'm sure there are things you need to do for your pack."

"You're not intruding." he said firmly. "Besides, don't you owe the pups a visit? You said you'd come and visit when you came back." Kagome nodded and Kouga grinned, knowing that using the pups as an excuse would always work. Kagome was a sucker for kids, no matter whose they were. "Here's an idea. Let's go to the cave and you can play with the pups for a while. They're itching to see you again anyway."

"But it's almost evening." she said.

"I'll bring you back to Kaede's village after a while if you want."

"Kouga, I still don't think that's a good idea." she said quietly. "What if you pack….well…" She blushed, not wanting to think about what the others would think of her.

"Notices?"

"Yeah. I don't' want them to think less of me because of this." Kagome said softly. Kouga gave her a half hearted grin, deciding it was time to fill her in on a few things about demons, especially wolves.

"They won't do or say anything, Kagome." he said gently. "In fact, I'm sure Keiko will have a fit when she find out." Kouga smirked. 'They'll probably think it's mine anyways.' he thought with a grin. 'No harm in not telling them any different for the time being.'

"I do miss the kids." Kagome said wistfully. Her hand trailed over her lower abdomen, and she frowned. "And I did promise to come see them…" Kouga moved behind the girl and placed his own hand over hers. He heard her breath hitch as he clasped his hand around the one on the bottom of her stomach.

"They won't do or say anything." he whispered again. "Being with child is normal in the pack."

"But there aren't normal circumstances." Kagome said. "I'm not a member of your pack."

"Everyone else thinks you are." he said. "Remember what I told you before you left?" Kagome nodded as a faint redness tinged her cheeks. "It still stands."

"But…how will…?" she started.

"It doesn't matter." he replied. He rubbed his hand on her stomach as a chill went down his spine, unconsciously causing him to pull her a little closer to him. "You're carrying a new life inside of you. There is nothing shameful about that. You were marked as dog-face's mate when the child was conceived; therefore, you did nothing wrong. You are giving life to a child. Nothing is more sacred and precious than that. Just because Inuyasha is the father isn't a reason to shun you." he grinned and hugged her. "They might question your sanity since it is him and not me, but they won't do anything else." Kagome hit him on the shoulder, but smiled at his obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

"Thank you, Kouga." she grinned, wiping away some of the unshed tears in her eyes.

"It's not a problem." he said, grinning at her again. "Besides, if push comes to shove, I'll tell them it's mine."

"Kouga!!" she exclaimed, the blush on her face rising terribly.

"What?" he asked innocently. "What'd I say?"

"You wouldn't?!" she said. His gaze fell a little as he looked at her.

"Geez. Is it really that bad of a situation to imagine yourself in?" he asked quietly. Kagome smiled and shook her head, but began to squirm under his intense gaze.

"No, it wouldn't be. At least I'm sure you wouldn't leave me for some revived clay pigeon."

"You seem awful sure about that." he teased again. Kagome frowned and shook her finger at him.

"Don't make me loose my faith in you." she warned. Kouga grinned and put his hands up in defeat. "Besides, your pack would turn on you if something like that ever happened and you turned against me." she said with a smug grin. "I have assurances from Keiko and Kuarasama that you would be overthrown and replaced."

"See, I told you that my pack loves you." he said happily. "I'm glad they're loyal to someone, even it isn't me." He put a hurt expression on his face and Kagome grinned. "And that's why they won't condemn you because of this. They love you. Hell, the pups will get a kick out of having someone else to play with." He watched as Kagome went over her options. She finally looked at him and grinned.

"Okay, you've got me convinced." Kagome smiled. "Let me go get my bag. The surprise for the kids is in there."

"I'll go with you. What did you bring them anyways?" he asked out of morbid curiosity.

"Just some sweets from my time, candy, chocolate, licorice. Little things like that." she said. Kouga groaned, remembering the last time Kagome had given the pups chocolate. They were bouncing off the walls of the cave for hours afterwards.

"Uh. Kagome, how about you give them the chocolate in the morning. You do remember what happened the last time, don't you?"

"Yes, I remember." she grinned. "I'll wait till morning." The walked in a companiable silence until Kouga looked up at the sky and noticed how late it was getting. He stopped walking and Kagome turned around.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"If you want to spend the evening with the pups, we need to hurry." Kagome needed and Kouga swept her up bridal style, being careful to be as gently as possible with her. Kagome smiled and a light blush covered her cheeks as they took off.

"I'm not going to break, Kouga." she said quietly The wolf demon only grinned at her, a soft look of adoration in his eyes.

"I know that, but I'm not taking any chances, with you or that little guy." he said, holding her with one arm and patting her lower stomach gently. "Someone has to take care of you."

"I can take care…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You can take care of yourself." he said flippantly . He gripped her more tightly and flew on. "But let my demon ego have it's way, will you? It'll make me feel better in the long run."

"Okay, okay. Whatever you want." she said. "I'm not arguing with you." He gave her a cocky grin of dominance that she quickly felt like wiping of his smug face. "Crazy, egotistical, dominating male demons." she muttered. "They're all the same." Kouga laughed and Kagome felt the rumble in his chest.

"It's not like you would have it any other way." he smirked. Kagome smiled, but her happiness fell when a sudden thought struck her.

"Kouga?" she asked gently. "What will happen if he doesn't want anything to do with me or the child?" Kouga stopped in midair and looked down at her. His face was grim, but he held onto her.

"If he does that, Kagome, then he forfeits all rights to the child for the rest of its life." Kagome looked a little worried.

"I don't know what I'm going to do if he doesn't accept the baby." she said. "I don't think a child with demon blood will be able to live in my time and have a normal life." She looked away and shook her head. "I'll find out soon, won't I?" she said grimly. Kouga nodded absently and took off again towards Kaede's village. He looked down at the girl and sighed. 'I swear Kagome," he vowed silently. 'If that bastard rejects that child, I'll help you to raise it. You shouldn't be left alone to fight it out on your own. I'll teach it everything it needs to know about the demon world. Don't you worry, you won't be alone. I promise you that……'

A/N - Hello everyone. How are you guys doing? I hope you enjoyed this little chappy. I know that Kouga is probably acting majorly weird, but take into account that he does truly love Kagome. (Too bad I can't find a guy like that!) And the characters are older, and more mature, now (well, maybe not Inuyasha, but we'll see).

Anyway, remember to leave me a review telling me what you thought. It helps me to write more.