Disclaimer - It's not mine. It never was.
A/N - I hope you guys are enjoying this. I am really sorry for taking so long to update.
The Wedding, part II
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About that time….
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Kouga and Keiko were on their way to Kaede's village to speak with the old miko about some herbs that Keiko had found when they came upon the gathering of people surrounding Kaede's hut. Keiko looked around and noticed the ceremony being done at the front of the group. She smiled and nodded towards Kouga, who followed her in confusion. He had sighted Kagome, and had almost forgotten to breath. Keiko finally grabbed his ear and pulled him behind the hut.
"What's going on, Keiko?" he asked, confused as to why they were all standing around Kagome and her friends.
"The monk and the exterminator are being bound together." she said, as a way of explanation. "They are being wed, and it is not proper for us to interrupt while Lady Kaede is performing the ceremony." Kouga still looked a little confused at her words, so Keiko tried again. "They have chosen each other as mates, the exterminator and the monk, this is part of the mating ceremony for humans." Kouga understood that and turned back towards the grouping. "Where are you going, Kouga? I told you we will wait until the ceremony is over before speaking with Lady Kaede."
"I'm not going to do anything." he said gruffly. "I just want to see what happens." Keiko smiled and watched as the wolf prince walked around the hut and back towards the group.
When he got back to the group of surrounding people, he saw Kagome look out towards the sea of people. 'She must have sensed me.' he thought. Sure enough, Kagome's eyes settled almost immediately on his, and he was gifted with a smile from her. He saw surprise register on her face before her attention was turned to Kaede, and the speech. He watched as she played her part in the ceremony, handing Sango the ring that would bind Miroku to her for the rest of their mortal lives. Kouga noticed that there was a slight change in her posture when the monk kissed his wife and Kaede pronounced them man and wife. But it was fleeting, as she smiled at her friends, and picked the kitsune up to give him a hug.
The villagers began to disperse, none really taking note of the full blooded demon's presence since they had seen him many times since the mess with Kagome and Inuyasha had went down. He watched as Kagome hugged Miroku and Sango, giving them well wishes before coming over to him.
"What are you doing here, Kouga?" she asked nervously, remembering the conversation with Kuarasama earlier that day. Unbeknownst to her, Kuarasama had said nothing to anyone about her impromptu trip into Kaede's village, nor had she said anything about speaking with Kagome since the trip had only been meant to reassure Kagome of Kouga's intentions. Kouga smiled and hugged the girl gently, making sure not to squeeze her too hard.
"Keiko needed to speak with Lady Kaede about some herbs she had found in the forest, and I decided to come along to see if you were here." he said. "How are you feeling?" Kagome smiled.
"I'm fine actually." she said, rather quickly. "Sango and Miroku had decided to visit Kaede, so I'm glad I stayed a few extra days. I got to see them wed. So everything seems to be going good for a change." She knew she was babbling, but Shippou saved her from further embarrassment by jumping onto her shoulder and burrowing into her hair that was hanging.
"Shippou!" she scolded him lightly. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, Kagome." came the muffled response.
"Then why are you hiding?" she asked, trying to reach up and undo the kit from her hair.
"Miroku and Sango just told me that they're leaving to go back to her village in a few hours, and I've got to go with them so they can take me home." he whined. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you!" Shippou poked his head around her shoulder and looked at the girl with watery puppy eyes. "I don't have to go, do I Kagome?" he asked. "I don't have to go back if I don't want to, right? Besides, someone needs to make sure that you and the baby are safe. And I can't do that if I'm not here." Kagome blushed scarlet and looked at Kouga, who was holding back a laugh.
"Shippou, listen to me." Kagome said gently. "I'm going back home this evening."
"But Kagome… Why? Why do you have to go back so soon?"
"Now listen, Shippou," she said. "I've got to go back home and see the doctor about my baby. I've got to make sure that it is healthy and strong."
"It's part youkai," Shippou said matter of factly. "Of course it's strong, even if baka Inuyasha is the father." Kagome smiled and shook her head.
"Yes, I know, Shippou, but I still have to go."
"When are you going to come back?" the kitsune asked, eyeing his surrogate mother.
'Yeah, good question, kit. When is she coming back?' Kouga thought to himself.
"I'm not sure, Shippou." Kagome said. "But if you go with Miroku and Sango so they can bring you back to your parents, I'll bring you a big surprise when I do come back." Shippou suddenly smiled and started bouncing up and down.
"A surprise?" he asked quickly. "What kind of surprise? Huh, Kagome? What are you going to bring me?" Kouga smiled at the change in the child, and held back a laugh as Kagome knelt down and straightened the shirt the little boy had on.
"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" she said with a smile. Shippou shook his head and Kagome smiled again. "That's what I thought. Now, go get your stuff together and get ready to leave. I'll talk to you again before you leave." Shippou smiled and hugged his surrogate mother before bounding off into the hut to gather his things. Kagome stood up and looked at Kouga, who was grinning like a clown. "What?" she asked. "What'd I do?"
"Your way with children astounds me." he said simply. Kagome grinned and stepped back.
"Yeah, well, I like kids." she said.
"Your going to make a wonderful mother." Kouga said. Kagome's smile seemed to fade a little, but she would not let it go. He suddenly wanted to kick himself for saying anything about it.
"I sure hope so." she said.
"I've got faith in you, Kagome." he said. "You know that."
"Thank you, Kouga." she said. "I need that right now." The wolf prince only smiled and put an arm around the girl's shoulders. It was then that he noticed the combs in her hair.
"You're wearing the combs that Toma gave you!" he exclaimed. Kagome nodded and reached under her kimono, pulling out the wolf head pendant that the other children had given her.
"The pendant too." she said with a smile. "Don't look like you're going to have a heart attack, Kouga. What did you think I was going to do with them? Throw them away?"
"I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't for you to be wearing them." he admitted. Kagome shook her head and was about to walk off when Kouga stopped her again. He did not want to deal with Kaede right now, and he wanted to talk to Kagome a little more before he and Keiko left.
"Want to go for a walk?" he asked suddenly. Kagome seemed surprised but nodded anyway.
"Sure. Let's go." she said. They walked down the lane and into the forest before either of them said a word. Kouga seemed nervous and up tight about something, and Kagome wasn't sure as to why.
"Is something wrong, Kouga?" she asked quietly. "You seem a little out of sorts."
"I'm fine, Kagome." he said. "Just worried about……things."
"Oh, I see." she said. "Want to talk about it?" The wolf prince shook his head and looked out into the forest.
"No. There's nothing I can do about it really, so I don't even know why I'm worrying with it."
"I'm sure whatever it is will work its way out." Kagome said. They were at the river that fed into the hot springs south of the village. She suddenly got an idea and smirked. She walked over to Kouga and hugged him. Kouga seemed a little taken back by the unexpected move, but he hugged her anyway.
"Thanks, Kagome." he said. "I just needed some reassurance."
"I don't think you need to be thanking me yet." she mumbled.
"What?" he asked, confused. With that, Kagome pushed the demon into the warm river water.
Kouga wasn't expecting the shove, and even with his demon speed and balance, he wasn't able to stop himself from hitting the water. He came up from the water, sputtering and coughing. When he pushed his hear out of the way, he glared up at Kagome, who was laughing like crazy.
"What was that for, woman?" he growled. Kagome snickered and stepped away from the bank.
"You looked like you could use a good laugh." she said. " I just thought I'd supply you with one."
"Does it look like I'm laughing right now?" he menaced. If it would have been any other person, Kouga's growl would have sounded threatening. But since Kagome was used to it, she only laughed.
"You are laughing, on the inside at least." she smiled. She took another step back and laughed some more.
"You know what would be really funny, Kagome?" he asked, eyeing the girl and smirking. Kagome knew what that look meant and she turned tail and ran as fast as she could in the kimono. Unfortunately, Kouga caught her in two seconds. And two seconds after that, she felt herself fall into the warm river water.
She came up sputtering and coughing, much like Kouga had only minutes before hand. She looked to her left, where the wolf prince was standing on the bank, soaking wet and laughing like a hyena.
"Now THAT'S funny!" he said, laughing at her sullen expression. Kagome stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She hadn't intended on getting wet herself, she just wanted Kouga to lighten up a bit.
"You are in so much trouble when I get out of here." she said.
"I'm scared." he said. "I'm so scared."
"Good." she said primly. "You should be.." Kouga watched as the girl took the outer, blue kimono off , as well as the obi. This left her in only a white t-shirt and a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts she had put on underneath it. She balled the material up and threw it at the wolf youkai. "Catch!" she said as she threw it at him. Kouga caught the mess and looked at it curiously.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Well, since I'm already wet, I might as well go for a swim." she said. "No point not to since you decided to dump me in the river." Kouga grinned and dropped the bundle of wet clothing. Kagome had ducked down under the water, and when she came back up, Kouga was standing right in front of her.
"What?" she asked. "You want something?" Kouga grinned and nodded. The water had made the white shirt she was wearing mold to her body completely. Under the water, he could see her long legs, covered barely by the denim shorts she was wearing.
"Payback." he said simply. Kagome shook her head and started backing up again.
"Uh-uh!" she said. "You already got your revenge by dumping me in the river. What else do you want?" Kouga grinned and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to go underwater. He let her go and she popped back up, swatting at him blindly. When she pushed her hair out of her eyes, she glared at the smug demon. "Happy now?" she asked. She reached up into her head to remove the combs, but they were tangled in her hair. Kouga suddenly lost the smile on his face as he walked back over to Kagome, intent on helping her get the combs out of her messy hair..
"Almost." he said quietly. He pushed Kagome's hands away and began to dis-entangle the combs from her hair. When he was finally able to get the two white combs from her hair, he handed them to her. Kagome smiled and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Kouga." she whispered. "Thank you so much." The wolf only smiled and nodded. His feelings for Kagome were multiplying rapidly, and the close proximity to her at the moment was wearing on his nerves.
"I think we need to go." he said. "Keiko should be done speaking with Kaede by now." Kagome nodded and walked out of the river. Kouga watched her carefully as she walked up the slight incline of the bank. He climbed out of the water and walked up to her.
He knew she may never return his feelings, but he had to try. Reaching out to her, he wrapped his arms around her small waist, mindful of the pressure he applied to her midsection. He buried his face in her wet hair and breathed deep. Her sweet smell invaded his senses, coupled with the smell of new life. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished that that smell of new life within her was because of him. 'One day, it will be.' he thought. He noticed that she did not shy away from him, or even tense up at the touch and that made him feel good knowing that she was not afraid of him.
Kagome was wondering what was going on when he hugged her so carefully. She had been away from Inuyasha for a little over a month, and the sensations of being held by a man again made her head spin. Inuyasha was the only one who had ever held her so tenderly, and her heart ached when she thought about it. But Kouga was not Inuyasha, and she knew that. She also knew that it was unlikely that she would ever have the hanyou to herself again, and for some odd reason it did not seem to bother her so much now when she thought about it.
She relaxed into the wolf prince's embrace and sighed. It felt good to be held again. She smiled when she felt him hold on a little tighter.
"I thought we were going back to the village." she said quietly.
"So did I." he said. She felt his hands on her sides, and Kagome's knees went weak. He was touching her so softly, so tenderly, so…lovingly. She suddenly remembered Kuarasama's words from earlier that morning. 'He would make you his mate right now, if you'd let him, Kagome.' she thought. She shook her head and tried to clear it.
"Kouga?" she said quietly. "Kouga, what are you doing?"
"Let me love you Kagome." he whispered to her. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know that." Kagome felt herself go weak at his words.
"Kouga...please…don't…" she said softly.
"Don't what, Kagome?" he asked, pushing her hair to one side and kissing her neck. Kagome shivered at the contact with the sensitive skin. The tension in the air was growing, and Kouga was sure he was about to suffocate from it. When he felt her shiver, his pride grew. The fact that he could elicit that kind of uncharacteristic response from her fueled his emotions.
"Kouga.."
"Let me help you, Kagome." he said quietly. "I don't want to see you hurting anymore. And today, at the ceremony for Miroku and Sango, you were hurting…badly. I saw it."
"I was…..happy for my….. friends." she said breathily. His touches were clouding her mind and her better judgment, but she did not want them to stop.
"Can you be happy for yourself?" he asked.
"I..I…"
"Please, Kagome…" he said. "Let me help you." He hugged her to him tighter, and Kagome was sure she could not stand on her feet if he had not have been holding her so tightly. She turned around to face the wolf demon. She searched is face for some sign that he was playing with her, some sign that he was only toying with her emotions. She found nothing but honest love and adoration.
"I don't want to hurt anymore, Kouga." she whispered.
"I won't let you, if you let me into your life, Kagome." he said. "Don't hold me at arms length because of what he done to you. I'm not Inuyasha." Kagome gave him a half hearted smile and cocked her head to one side.
"I'm glad your not." she said. "I don't think I'd be here right now if you were." Kouga smiled and kissed the miko's forehead. He wanted her to be happy. And he would do whatever it was to make her happy. "I know you won't do me like Inuyasha did, Kouga. You're more of a noble person than that."
"Then trust me, Kagome." he said.
"I…I already do." she said with a smile. "I have for a long time." Kouga smiled and leaned down closer to the girl. Kagome's breath caught and her eyes closed, unconsciously knowing that he was about to kiss her. When his lips were less than a millimeter from hers, he pulled her tighter and whispered,
"I'm glad to here that. Because you've had my trust, and my heart, since the first day I laid eyes on you." With that confession finally out of the way, he claimed Kagome's lips with a tender kiss that hid the real passion he felt for the strong woman. He wanted her with him, but he did not want to scare her from him. He pulled back and looked at Kagome, a small smirk on his lips as he took in her dazed expression. He kissed her again, this time a little harder, hoping that she would not turn away from him now. Much to his surprise, she matched him in intensity. He was in heaven, and would have stayed there, had they not been interrupted by a frantic Shippou looking for his surrogate mother.
"KAGOME! WHERE ARE YOU AT! KAGOME!" When the miko heard the kit's plaintive cry for her, she jumped out of Kouga's arms like she had been bitten by the very wolf who had been holding her. Kouga was a little dazed, but said nothing. He wanted to kill the little kit for interrupting them, but he was happy. Kagome, on the other hand, was utterly confusedto say the least. Kouga was worried that maybe he had hurt her, but when he went to reach out to her, Shippou came running through the underbrush and jumped into his surrogate mother's arms. He started firing questions at the young woman rapidly, and Kouga could not keep up with them all. His mind was recovering from the haze induced by Kagome's touch.
Before he could do anything, he saw Shippou running through the underbrush and back towards the village. He turned to Kagome and frowned.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Kagome looked at him and gave a half smile.
"Nothing." she said. "He is about to leave with Sango and Miroku, and he came to find me so I could tell them good-bye." She gathered up her soaking clothes and turned to leave, as though nothing had happened. Kouga, now out of the haze she had put him in, caught her gently and looked at her, fifty million questions running through his mind.
"Kagome, about what just happened….I'm sorry if I offended…" he said. Kagome smiled and placed one finger over his lips.
"It's alright, Kouga." she said with a true smile. "Don't be sorry, and please don't be offended. You did nothing wrong. You just helped me more than you realize. Just give me time to get myself straightened out. What we just did…well, let's just say it was your way of making my depressing day a whole lot better. A whole lot." She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss before turning around again. "And you don't know how much I appreciate it."
"So you're not mad at me?" he asked, relieved that she was not mad at him.
"No. Far from it in fact." she answered. "It's just going to take some more time, Kouga. Please…..bare with me."
"I'll wait as long as you need, Kagome." he said, hugging her again. "As long as you need." The girl smiled and nodded at him. She knew what he wanted from her now, and she was willing to give it a try. But she had some issues to sort out first. After she was done with that, then she and Kouga could work together and see what would happen.
Unfortunately, one of the main 'issues' she needed to take care of had been sitting in a tree, hidden by the thinning autumn leaves, since she and Kouga had arrived at the river. And needless to say, he was not happy with what had just transpired between his enemy…….and the woman who carried his child.
A/N - Okay. Now that THAT'S out of the way. Just so everyone knows, I wrote this chapter because someone e-mailed me and told me that Kouga needed to make some kind of move on Kagome. Well, personally, I thought it was too early in the story to do that, but the person was rather insistent -like 12 e-mails kind of insistent- so I wrote it.
Later.
A.A.
