Chapter Seven
Overture

Kouga gazed at her with those eternally sapphire eyes. "What is it?"

Kagome met those eyes, consumed by the brilliant sea that swirled among his intense stare. "I…I wanted to tell you, that…" she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. "…well…how much it has meant to me that you took me in, and let me stay with you and the wolves…for everything you have done for me, really."

He started to smile a soft smile and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut off his words.

"No. I mean, it's not that. Well, not just that, it's…Kouga…I…" She took in a deep breath and tried to clear her head. Just tell him Kagome! Stop rambling on like an idiot and just tell him that you feel…this way.

She stopped talking and rubbed the back of her neck. This wasn't going quite as she planned. "…I've never felt like this before, Kouga…I've never felt like I…belonged with anyone. Truly belonged. Like I could wake up each day with hope; even though my life may be at the deepest pit of hell…"

His expression changed. His blue eyes seemed to become darker like they had absorbed the shadows around him. His mouth worked into a weak grimace, muscles taught so the shadows only perfected the slope of his muscles. Kagome stood transfixed by it for that small moment. Wondering how she could have ever missed how handsome he was; how she had not been able to see the small movements of his body as she did now in such defined beauty.

"Kouga…we were enemies once, it seems so long ago, don't you think? I've never treated you like you should be treated. But now that I have been with you like this, I've seen you in a way that I never saw before…something beautiful and strong and—"

"No."

She blinked. Closing her mouth.

He turned his head away from her face, casting his eyes to the cold ground. "Please don't do this to me. Don't say this to me because you feel like you owe me. To be nice." She realized he was clenching his hands into a fist. So hard that his tanned knuckles were going white as his nails dug into his palms. "Don't feel like your obligated, I cannot bare you saying this to me out of pity. Please, just leave."

She stared at him. "I am not saying this to you out of pity, Kouga. I'm saying this because it is true!"

He blinked, the darkened shroud around his eyes wavering. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off—

"Kouga I have never felt this way about anyone. So deeply and true and…" She gathered what little courage she had and stepped closer to him, breathing in a deep breath, and stood up on the tips of her toes. And kissed him.

Kouga drew back. Stunned. Kagome wrapped her gentle arms around his torso and kissed him gently on the lips. He drew his fingers around her shoulders, trembling, daring to kiss her back softly. She hugged him as she drew him closer, and he kissed her fervently with his hands combing through her hair. After a few moments he parted his lips from hers and looked down at her. "I cannot believe this is real…" he whispered, "This must be a dream."

She smiled at him. "Have you dreamed this often?"

He grinned weakly. "Yes."

She hugged him with her head over his chest, hearing the steady yet fluttering beat of his heart in her ear. "This is not a dream, Kouga."

He wrapped his powerful arms around her and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I am dreaming…"

She shook her head at him.

Kouga leaned down and kissed her again. It began gentle, and then quickly turned passionate as he kissed her more deeply, exploring the sweet taste of her lips that he never thought he would have. His arms came around her, clutching the shirt on her back in his hands, his fingertips grazing the soft curve of her spine.

He knelt down and led her to lie on the brown fur on the floor of the cave, lying overtop of her. She smiled up at him and stroked the stray hairs from his face, her own hair spread in a disarrayed fan around her shoulders. She scrunched her nose, " I don't know how long it's been since I combed it, it must look like a nest of weeds…" she said with a frown, looking away.

"No, your beautiful, Kagome. Even with weeds in your hair your still the most beautiful woman I will ever see." He said to her gently, stroking her cheek with a smile. A rosy blush crept into her face and she smiled shyly back at him. "Thank you," she said, and drew him down to her and kissed his forehead tenderly. He closed his eyes and kissed her chin, having no idea how to tell her what a perfect moment this was, as he kissed her neck slowly and traced his mouth to the nape of her neck, biting her delicate skin with his fangs. Trailing his hand across her arm to her stomach and caressing it with his thumb, she sighed deeply and ran her fingers through his hair. "Kouga…"

He lifted her white shirt up her body and kissed her stomach up and down, which made her grin and laugh in spite of herself. He laughed too, his honey-deep voice echoing off the cave walls, and caressed her with his hands if only to tease her more about being ticklish. She covered her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter that would surely be loud enough to attract the attention of the entire pack. Kouga laughed again and kissed her on the mouth, drawing away with a mischievous look.

"You better stop doing that if you know what's good for you!" She accused him, nudging him in the ribs with her knee. He seemed only to smile more. "Maybe I should just to see the look on everyone's faces when—"

She wrapped her arms around him in attempt to silence him and banish the thought from his head, and tried to wrestle him to the ground, only to find him wrap himself around her as they tumbled through the fur and grass. She dizzily found herself on top of him and blinked, staring down at that roguish grin on Kouga's face she knew so well. "One day I will be able to beat your strength, I swear it…" she said to him with a small smile. His eyes clouded after she said that, and she grew quiet. After a moment he looked at her, saying nothing. But Kagome understood. One day, she thought, never be afraid of that, Kouga…I will never leave you. I will be with you forever.

She found herself wrapped in his arms again after a long moment of kissing that left her breathless and in another spot of the cave they weren't at before. Kouga slid his able hands through her shirt, but froze. Kagome looked to him, and saw his hands underneath her breasts.

"I don't want to rush you, Kagome…"

She took in a slow breath. She sat up and carefully lifted up the white tank top over her head and set it aside. "Its ok…" she whispered.

Kouga's eyes drank in the sight of her. He lifted his hand and caressed the side of her cheek with his fingers. "I never thought I would see you like this. Never." His eyes seemed to sparkle in the darkness like gemstones to her. "You are so beautiful Kagome."

She blushed, looking away. He took her hand in his and put it over the armor covering his chest. She paused…then let her fingers untie the leather that kept it on, and gently removed it over his head, as he moved to let her, and put it away from them. She leaned forward and ran her hand along his chest, blushing even more at the sculpted muscles of his lean body. Kouga sighed with a deep breath and shuttered as she did so, closing his hand around her neck and drawing her near, kissing the slope between her breasts. He let his hand linger, brushing the soft, rosy skin of her breasts. Kagome whimpered quietly and stroked his long black hair, murmuring his name.

He drew her to his side, stroking her leg gently. She nestled into the fur beneath them and pulled Kouga into a hug, resting his head at her heart and smoothing her hand through his hair.

Kouga's warm breath flowed over her blushing skin. "I could stay like this forever, listening to your heart."

She nodded, gazing down at him tenderly. "Kouga…?"

He looked up at her. "Yes?"

She swallowed on the fear that suddenly rose in her throat and tried to compose herself. "Could I…could I stay with you?"

His face washed with a mix of sadness and ecstatic joy. "Oh, Kagome!" he choked, sweeping her into his arms passionately. "You would really want to stay with me?"

Kagome felt tears in her eyes at the emotion in his words. "Yes…" she said softly, "Of course…" She let him embrace her and felt her tears overflow, gliding down her cheeks as she spoke, her voice shaking…

"Kouga…I love you…"

Kouga exhaled a deep breath, his voice choking as he heard her say those words. His sapphire eyes welled up with unshed tears, making Kagome smile only with more tears of her own; never before seeing the powerful wolf demon with such emotion as he looked at her now. "Kagome…" he whispered, his hand trembling as he stroked her beautiful face, kissing her so softly it felt like a brush of feathers. His eyes spoke to her in a way words could never describe; and the love she found in them made her heart soar in happiness. She knew this was right. This was destiny.

She kissed him with all the love in her heart, and felt his tears melt in her lips. He lifted her into his arms off the ground, and opened his mouth to speak—when a terrible sound ripped through the air, and made them stop in terror.

"Kouga!"

Kagome gasped in horror when a wolf came stumbling into the cave, blood spattering beneath its wounded body. "Kouga…Kouga!"

Kouga stood, bringing Kagome to his chest to cover her, her ivory skin gleaming in the moonlight. "What is going on?" he demanded.

The wolf doubled over, clutching its stomach. "The…the tribe is being attacked!" it retched, "It's…it's…you must…" it collapsed, groaning uncontrollably.

Kouga stepped forward with hate and sorrow in every muscle of his body. "Who could have done this!?" He seethed. He bared his fangs, ready to kill, when another sound moaned and echoed through the night.

"KAGOME!!!"

Kagome froze; the voice calling her name resonated through the black night in pure fury for her. Everything in her body paralyzed with fear. "No…" she whispered. Kouga turned to her, and she ran into him, holding him tightly with her eyes wide in panic. "It can't…"

Kouga held her to him, looking out of the cave into the night. Hate raging inside of him. He knew.

Kagome parted her lips, shaking.

"Inuyasha."