Love Hurts No Matter What

-Chapter 5-

Starting to Get Help

Inuyasha woke up slowly because of the sunlight shinning on his eyes. He noticed he stayed over at Kagome's apartment. His arm was around Kagome's shoulder when he woke up; they're backs against the wall, noticing that the blanket was over them, Kagome still in her pajamas and him still in his clothes from yesterday. Kagome's head was resting on his shoulder. Inuyasha looked at her face closely, looking at the black eye. She really does need help...get Kouga reported or at least get him into anger management class, which he probably won't participate in.

Inuyasha felt something vibrate against his thigh. He reached into his pants pocket and got out his cell phone. "Hello?" Inuyasha whispered quietly, trying not to wake up Kagome.

"Inuyasha! What happened to you last night? You said you'll be right back but instead you stood us up!" Miroku started to yell on the phone.

"Sorry, Miroku. But something urgent came up last night and I didn't have any time to call you and tell you."

"So, what happened?"

Inuyasha didn't answer, he sighed. He wasn't sure if he should tell Miroku, maybe he should get Kagome's permission first. "I'm not sure if I can tell you..."

"At least tell me where you are."

"...At Kagome's apartment."

"Did you-"

"No, I didn't do anything! There was something going on and...I just saw the whole thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said, I can't tell you. Not yet, anyway. Miroku, I want you to meet me back at my house, tell Sango to meet you there too, alright?"

"Sure, alright Inuyasha. See ya later."

They both hanged up, Inuyasha turned off his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. He started to move a little, but didn't want to wake Kagome up by moving. So he called her name.

"Hey...Kagome, wake up..."

Kagome first moaned and complained. "Five more minutes..." she said.

"Just wake up."

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head off of Inuyasha's shoulder; she rubbed her eyes and yawned. Inuyasha waited for a bit for Kagome to be wide awake. She turned to Inuyasha when she was done yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Morning..."

"Morning...you feeling okay?"

"Just a little..." Kagome looked around her apartment. "What time is it?"

Inuyasha lift up his arm to look at his watch on his wrist. "Almost eight-thirty..."

Kagome gasped. "Oh no!" Kagome quickly grabbed the blanket and stuffed it in the closet, she ran to her bathroom, taking her tooth brush and tooth paste to brush her teeth. Inuyasha just stared awkwardly at her, wondering why she was in a hurry. When Kagome was done and walked out of the bathroom, Inuyasha got up to talk to her.

"What?"

"Kouga comes here every morning at eight-thirty to check up on me!"

"What!? Then I should be going then."

"Too late, he should be here by now. You need to hide, go to my room and hide under the bed." Then there was a knock at the door, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at the door silently, then they faced each other, Kagome started to whisper. "Go now...to my room! Under the bed, now!"

Inuyasha nodded and walked fast to her room, and closed the door silently. Kagome noticed that he closed the door and walked up to the door, fixing her hair before she opened it. She put her hand on the door knob and turned it to open it, she saw Kouga with a smile on his face. But his smile turned to a frown.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Kagome asked him.

"You usually are dressed up when I come by," answered Kouga.

"Oh, well I decided to sleep in today I guess."

"You usually don't, what happened?"

"Nothing."

"I mean after I left last night."

"Oh...I don't remember. Everything went so fast..."

"Whatever, can I come in?" Before Kagome could even answer, Kouga just went inside and Kagome closed the door behind her and watched where Kouga was going. He stopped walking when he got to the living room, Kagome walked up to him.

"Is something wrong?"

"I thought you would've died..."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't' remember? I choked you until you passed out. And I left you on the floor like that!"

Kagome didn't want to remember that. She tried to get the scene out of her mind, it scared her to death when he grasped onto her neck.

Kouga stepped closer to her, he reached his hand out to touch her shoulder, but Kagome stepped back as soon as she saw that coming. She was afraid to get hurt badly once again; maybe she should listen to Kikyo. Break up with him before he tries to...kill her. But...how is she going to do that? If she breaks up with him, she might get killed anyway.

Kouga was getting a little frustrated. "What's wrong?" He said in a different tone.

"Just...don't touch me, okay? I don't want a hug."

"Why can't I touch you or even hold you?"

"Just...don't do it for awhile, okay?"

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"No, why do you say that?"

"It sounds like you are."

"Oh...it's just that, my body is getting weaker now. I might die if you continue to hold me...just don't do it for awhile, just kissing is fine."

"Someone came here last night, huh?" Kagome looked at him in the eye. "Well?"

"I don't know..."

"You're lying..."

"Kouga, I don't know what happened. All I know is that I woke up, my back against the wall."

"You're still lying...well, I can tell you're not telling me the whole truth."

"Maybe...I don't know, I don't remember. I'm sorry Kouga..."

"Kagome..."

"Hm?"

"Is someone in your room?"

"No, why?"

"Because your door is closed, you usually leave it open."

"Maybe I wanted to go for a little change."

"What is going on?"

"Nothing...can you leave?"

"Why?"

"I'm going to make some breakfast."

"Let's go out then."

"No, I want to eat my pancakes alone. Please leave...I'll meet you later."

Kouga looked at her blankly and then walked past her angrily and slammed the door on his way out. Kagome quickly went to her door and locked it, before Kouga got a chance to come back. She quickly went to her room to search for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha..." she whispered quietly. She heard movement behind her, so she turned around and found Inuyasha standing right behind her. "What..."

"I couldn't fit under the bed so I hid behind the door..." Inuyasha said quickly.

"You could've used the closet, you know?"

"Really?"

Kagome sighed... "You want some pancakes?"

"You mean I stay longer and have some?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. I need company."

"Yeah, okay, no problem."

(Later...)

Inuyasha came home in the afternoon from Kagome's house. He just went upstairs to his room, threw his jacket on the chair, and jumped on bed, landing on his back. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking of how Kagome should get help. Who should he call? He can't call Miroku or Sango...wait...that reminds him.

Inuyasha felt another vibrate on his thigh; he reached for his cell phone in his pocket and took it out. "Hello?"

"Inuyasha!"

"What is it Miroku?"

"You told us to meet you at your house!"

"Where are you?"

"Right here!"

"Where's here?"

Inuyasha heard his door open and sat up to look who it is; he sighed and hanged up his cell phone when he saw Miroku and Sango at the door. "How did you guys get in here?"

"Your dad let us in; we told him that we were supposed to meet you here."

"Oh..."

"Don't tell me you forgot to meet us here."

"Sorry, I kind of did."

"Man...How could you do that?"

"Sorry..."

"How's Kagome doing?" Asked Sango.

Inuyasha didn't answer. "Hey...can you guys give me a minute? I need to make a phone call," said Inuyasha.

"Alright...we'll be downstairs in the kitchen," said Miroku. He closed the door behind him, and Inuyasha got his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Said a voice at the other end.

"Hey, it's Inuyasha..."

"It's been awhile huh? When was the last we talked?"

"The freshmen year...like...some time three years ago."

"So anything new? Is Kagome alright?"

"Well...not really."

"What do you mean by that, Inuyasha?"

"Well...there's something you should know about Kagome...near the end of the freshmen year, me and her broke up, hadn't talk for a long time to each other, the first time we talked in three years was our senior year, the beginning of it."

"So...did she get any boyfriends after you guys break up?"

"Yeah...just one, it's what I need to tell you about." Inuyasha told the guy about Kagome; what he saw and what he heard, what he did after Kagome past out in her apartment, and the guy said something that Inuyasha couldn't hear very well. "Say that again?"

"Oh...I was talking to myself."

"Are you going to visit her?"

"Yeah, I was driving when you called me, I'm in the city now, and I'm going to drop by her place in a few minutes."

"Okay..."

"You're worried about her, huh?"

"Yeah, ever since I bumped into her in the hall, that's when I started to get worried. She tells me not to worry, but I feel I have too."

"You're a good man, Inuyasha. Helping the woman you love is really good, especially if you're calling her older brother."

"Wait, who said I was in love with Kagome!?"

"You called for a reason right?"

"Only to tell you about Kagome!"

"And because you love her."

"I do not!"

"There must be some other reason why you called."

"There is, I-!"

"Whatever! Bye Inuyasha!"

"Wait! I-!" But it was too late; he hanged before Inuyasha could say anything. Inuyasha got pissed and hanged up his cell phone. But a question came across his mind: Why did he want to call Kagome's older brother? One; because she's in some serious trouble. Two; he felt her older brother should know what's going on in her life. And three....wait, what were three? There always should be a third reason if necessary.

Maybe he does love her...

(Kagome's apartment.)

Kagome was walking up the stairs of the apartment building. Walking up really slow cause she just got done with her job, so tired, after what happened. She got to her apartment room, but finding the door unlock. How could this be? She's the only one who has the keys to the apartment, unless the owner of the building went inside to do some inspecting or something. But...wouldn't the owner warn her or something? Not just barge into her apartment.

Kagome put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening it and looked inside. She saw someone on the couch, he was looking at her. For some reason, Kagome was like...disappointed, she expected someone else instead of her older brother, Bankotsu. She sighed and closed the door behind her, walking down the hall, dropping her keys and jacket on the counter and went to the kitchen to get some coffee for him and her. She got the filter and water ready, but that's when Bankotsu came into the kitchen.

"I don't want any coffee..." said Bankotsu.

"Fine, I'll just make some for myself," said Kagome.

Bankotsu walked up to her and grabbed her hand gently. "No, we need to talk, in the living room."

"Alright..." She walked to the living room with Bankotsu, he sat on the couch, and she sat at the end of the couch, trying to ignore he's there. "So...why are you here?"

"Just to check if my little sister is doing alright."

"She's doing fine."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"How's school, then?"

"Hard...I keep forgetting my homework."

"Algebra?"

"Yeah..."

"How about a boyfriend?"

"What about it?"

"Do you have one?"

"Yeah..."

"Who is it?"

"Kouga..."

"And..."

"What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to know what happened with my sister over the past three years while I was out of high school and in college!"

"You don't need to worry about me!"

Bankotsu calmed himself down; he doesn't want to get himself or her angry. He should question her now. "Come here..."

"Why should I?"

"Please?"

Is he actually asking her? He usually gives commands instead of asking. Maybe he has changed for the past few months, she only has called him or he has called her. But rarely...what made him stopped calling?

Kagome sighed and she scooted closer to Bankotsu, right next to him. Bankotsu put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder, rubbing her upper arm up and down. He sighed before thinking of anything. How should he find out about the bruises? Maybe to roll up her sleeve if she can sleep like this.

"Kagome..."

"Hm?"

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"....No...."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Is there anything you're hiding from me?"

"Maybe."

"It's better to tell me, you know?"

"I know...but..."

"But?"

"It's nothing."

"Kagome, I'm your older brother. I look after you, and I need to know what's going on in your life."

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Kagome...I have to tell you something. He told me what happened."

"He?"

Bankotsu sat straight up and grabbed both of Kagome's arms; he rolled up the sleeves of her shirt, and saw some of the bruises. He rolled up the shirt to see her stomach, a couple of bruises there too. Inuyasha was right...Kagome is being abused by this new boyfriend or whatever he is. Kagome didn't say anything, it's like she wanted him to know. She didn't move, her bands where covering her eyes, not showing whether she's about to cry or scream.

"He was right...Inuyasha wanted me to know. He did the right thing and you know that," said Bankotsu, he took her into his arms again, holding her tight, one hand on her head, and his other arm around her back, hugging her close, rubbing her back to comfort her just in case she was crying. Bankotsu's eyes started to heat up, he can't believe it was true. Well, he believes it, but he never knew the bruises would be so real. Bankotsu started to have tears rolling down his cheeks. "Kagome...I wish you would've told me. Because now...I'm disappointed in you. You know you can tell me anything. You can even tell me if you lost your virginity, which I hope you didn't, why couldn't you tell me?"

Kagome didn't answer, she could tell he was crying. Kagome loves her big brother...but he's too over-protective. She knows it shows that he loves her, but she knew that Bankotsu would scare Kouga off before the abuse started. Maybe she should've told him about Kouga.

"Kagome...you don't have to talk to me, but listen to me at least. You should know I love you, and that I'll protect you from any guy that hurts you. I'll even beat up a guy who breaks your heart. You just need to tell me these things, alright? Inuyasha tells me he's worried about you. He says he's been worried ever since the day you guys bumped into each other in the halls. He wants to help you and so do I, you just need to accept it and let us help you."

Kagome slowly wrapped her arms around Bankotsu, crying also, Bankotsu rubbed her back again. Trying to comfort her and him as well.

"Okay..." Kagome whispered. "I'll accept the help...but only from you and Inuyasha...I don't want anyone else to know..."

Bankotsu hugged her tighter. And his tears dried.