Chapter 7: Problems With Love
When Kilala was out of site, Kagome walked back over to the well and yelled "Kouga, I know you're here, so come out!" Kouga slowly walked out of the shadow of the trees from the same direction that Kilala was heading.
"Why did you lie to me, Kagome?" Kouga looked hurt and slightly angry.
Kagome lowered her head, sighed then looked back up at Kouga. "I knew you wouldn't have gotten me the plant if it was for Inuyasha. I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry, but I couldn't let him die." Kagome replied.
Kouga was quiet and still for a while, then he walked over to Kagome and looked her right in the eyes. Kagome lowered her head again. "Do you love him?" Kouga asked Kagome. Kagome looked at him in slight confusion and backed away from him. Then she turned and was going to start to walk towards the village, but Kouga ran up in front of her and stopped her. "Kagome, just answer the question. Do you love Inuyasha or not?"
Kagome wrenched her arms from his grasp. "I don't know!" she screamed and ran past Kouga into the woods. Kagome just kept running and running and she intended to run until she got to the village, but she suddenly tripped over something.
She looked and found that she had fallen over a root of a tree; the same tree where Inuyasha and her had first met. She sat down with her knees up at her head. Then, she buried her head in her lap and started crying. "I have to get back to the village. I have to get to Inuyasha. He needs me." Kagome got up and started running again. She looked back at the tree and for a brief second, and saw Inuyasha sleeping still sealed to the tree. "I do love Inuyasha. I love him." Kagome thought as she ran into the village and then to Kaede's hut. She stopped in the doorway and looked in.
Sango and Miroku were there, and Kaede was mixing the antidote. Inuyasha was lying on the mat, sleeping she guessed because he was still breathing. "How is he?" Kagome asked quietly, slowly walking in and sitting down by Inuyasha's head. He still looked to be in his human form, Kagome guessed because of some effect of the poison.
"Sleeping right now. We got quite a fright this morning, and I'm guessing that he's overdid it slightly." Kaede answered.
"What do you mean by a fright, Lady Kaede?" Miroku asked, looking at her.
"Sesshoumaru visited us last night and told us that ye had failed on your mission. We thought that ye had been killed by Sesshoumaru." Kaede replied lightly. "What delayed ye so long, child?" she asked Kagome.
She handed Kaede the flowers she had picked earlier. "I thought they might help a little."
"They may help a bit. I'm not sure how much, though." Kaede took the flowers and set them down beside her. She finished mixing the antidote and woke Inuyasha enough to get him to drink it. Then she shooed everyone out of the hut.
"Do you think it will work?" Kagome asked Sango and Miroku worriedly. "How long ago had you gotten here?"
"It was almost twenty minutes before you arrived. What were you doing out there in the woods? It doesn't take twenty minutes to pick four flowers, which you had already picked when you yelled at us to leave." Kagome looked surprised by Miroku's accusation.
Kagome was quiet for a while, then Sango piped in. "Miroku's right; it shouldn't have taken twenty minutes to pick flowers that you already had." Kagome remained quiet for a while longer. She was about to explain about her encounter with Kouga, when Kaede called them all into the hut.
"Inuyasha is waking! I believe the antidote worked." Kaede exclaimed once they were all in the small building. His hair was turning silver, and his fuzzy doggy ears were back on top of his head.
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Inuyasha open his amber eyes and quickly sit up on the mat. "Inuyasha, lay back down." Kagome instructed, one of her hands on his shoulder.
"Kagome, you're back. When? How?" Inuyasha had a confused look on his face, but suddenly he smiled. "You're okay. I'm glad."
"I'm glad you're okay, too." Kagome responded as Inuyasha turned and leaned his back against the wall. Kagome sat facing him, watching him intently.
"Kagome, I need to talk to you." Inuyasha was looking straight in front of him, avoiding eye contact with Kagome. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kaede all looked curiously at Inuyasha. "That means get out!" Inuyasha yelled at them.
Kagome started at his outburst, but then smiled. He was back to normal; his quick tempered, normal self. When they were all out of the little hut, Kagome threw her arms around Inuyasha's waist, and placed her head on his chest.
"I thought you would die!" Kagome sobbed. "We almost didn't make it. I was so scared!" She buried her face further into his chest.
Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and they just held each other for a long while. "I was scared, too. I thought that Sesshoumaru had killed you while I wasn't there. I was afraid that I'd lost you." Kagome slowly lifted her head off his chest to stare up at him. He looked down at her and their eyes met.
They started to lean towards each other, about to touch lips, but Shippou called from outside "Are you two done talking yet?"
They pulled apart, and Kagome heard Inuyasha mutter "I'm gonna KILL that kit!" He stood up, walked over to the doorway, and walked out. Kagome heard Shippou complaining, and heard Inuyasha yell "No, so go do something useful instead of annoying me!" Kagome stood up just as Inuyasha walked back into the hut.
Inuyasha walked over to Kagome and grabbed her hand. "C'mon, let's go talk somewhere else." And Inuyasha gently pulled her out of the hut and into the Forrest of Inuyasha as the villagers call it.
"You got those anque plants from Kouga?" Inuyasha asked once they were out of earshot of the others. They were walking through the woods in the direction of the well and tree still holding hands.
"Yeah, we encountered him along the way." Kagome answered, remembering how she had fallen off of Kilala, and was plummeting towards the ground when Kouga caught her. She shuddered, but Inuyasha didn't seem to notice.
"Did he do anything to you?" Inuyasha asked, looking at her.
"No, no he didn't do anything to me." Kagome replied waving her arms comically in front of her, smiling at him.
"Good." Inuyasha smiled back and turned away from her. Kagome looked back in front of her and felt a slight stabbing pain in her arm where Kouga had grabbed her. She started to rub it a little. Suddenly, Inuyasha started sniffing the air and his attitude changed completely. "I smell a wolf!" Inuyasha said loudly, looking around.
Kagome didn't want to say anything earlier, but she knew that Kouga was still around. She could sense his Shikon fragments. "I think I know why it took you so long to get back to the hut after Sango and Miroku got there. You were talking to Kouga weren't you?" Inuyasha looked angrily at her, but she wasn't looking at him.
"How did you know that I arrived after the others?" Kagome asked, looking out in front of her. They had stopped walking around the time when Inuyasha got a whiff of Kouga.
"I heard your voice while I was out. I thought it was some kind of dream or something, but it wasn't. It was actually you talking. I also heard Kaede ask you what took so long." Inuyasha answered, still keeping an eye out for Kouga.
"Oh." Kagome was quiet for a while, then she spoke again. "Yes, I was with Kouga. I needed to talk to him about something important. I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but I had to. It couldn't be helped." Kagome suddenly noticed where they had stopped and sat down on a high up root.
Inuyasha stopped looking around to look at Kagome. Then, he too noticed where they had stopped. He looked up into the air, and into the branches of the Tree. "So, what did you have to talk to Kouga about, or don't you wanna tell me?"
"Uh, I'd prefer not to tell you." Kagome answered, looking at him. "Kouga's getting closer, I can feel it. I bet Inuyasha can, too. We had better go soon. I don't want Inuyasha and Kouga getting in another fight, especially since Inuyasha should be resting." "You know, maybe we should get back to the village, you need to rest some more." Kagome stood up and pointed in the direction of the village.
"I like it out here. I'd prolly get more rest here then in the village. Besides, you just want to leave so me and Kouga won't get in another fight." Inuyasha said matter-of-factly. He was lying on the grass with his arms behind his head.
"No, that's not why I wanna leave. I almost lost you, and it killed me, I don't want that to happen again." Kagome sat down next to Inuyasha. "I don't like it when you and Kouga fight, and if I could I would stop every squabble you two have, but I can't." She hesitated before continuing. "Kouga asked me if I loved you."
Inuyasha immediately sat up and stared at Kagome. "He asked you that? Wha... what did you..."
"I didn't know; that's what I told him." Inuyasha's shoulders sank somewhat. "But," Kagome continued and Inuyasha ears perked up. "I've known all along whether I loved you or not, I just never admitted it to myself or anyone else until now." Inuyasha looked straight into her eyes, and she looked straight into his. "It was right here in this very spot that I finally admitted that... that I love you, Inuyasha. I love you, I always have, always will." Kagome lowered her head, her cheeks pinkening. Inuyasha moved his hand under her chin and gently lifted her face to him. His eyes were sparkling and gentle. "Inuyasha, what are you..."
She didn't get to finish as he slowly leaned in and kissed her fully on the lips. She was surprised but went along with it, and his lips felt hot against hers. Kagome felt a warm tingling throughout her entire body, as she wrapped her arms around his thin waist. "I love you, too Kagome." Inuyasha answered once their lips had parted.
But, unbeknownst to the couple, Kouga was watching the whole situation from behind some trees, and he suddenly burst from hiding when he saw then together. There was fire in his eyes!
"Inuyasha, prepare to die!" Kouga yelled, charging Inuyasha. Kagome stood up and Inuyasha snapped his head in Kouga's direction as Kouga tackled him to the ground.
"Kouga! Kouga, stop!" Kagome screeched as he punched his rival. Inuyasha threw Kouga off of him and quickly stood up. He could see the anger and hatred in his eyes, and was slightly startled by it. Kagome saw it, too. "Kouga." She said softly.
Kouga had landed on his feet when Inuyasha threw him, and he was about ready to attack Inuyasha again. "What the hell is wrong with you, you mangy wolf?!" Inuyasha yelled, unsheathing Tetsusaiga and wiping some stray blood from his face.
"I've told you before to leave MY Kagome alone! I saw you kiss her, you stupid mutt!" Kouga looked roughly at Kagome, and their eyes met briefly until she looked away from him.
"Kouga, if you saw him kiss me, then you must've seen me kiss him back." Kagome stalked over to stand in front of the wolf demon. Kouga looked down at her, slightly calmer, but with a shocked look in his eyes. He didn't answer. "I'm sorry, but I don't... I don't love you. I love Inuyasha."
And finally the confession comes out! It's about time, too. Well, that's all for today, just remember the reviews. I need reviews or i won't continue.