Disclaimer: Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi. Foxy

Rating: R - N17 for adult langue and sexual situations.

Author: Netealia Lane Foxwood

TRACES OF LOVE #1

Date: 06/23/2004 Revise: 09/06/2004

Reopening Old Wounds

A slight chill ran though the air as Kagome rested at The Bone Eaters well watching the sun rise and the morning dew settle on the grassy field around her. She let out a small sigh and rose from sitting on the edge of the well, she knew that Inuyasha would have picked up her sent by now with the way the wind was blowing and would be there any moment. 'Why do I even bother to come back here, as soon as he gets here all he is going to do is yell and call me names...' Kagome thought 'and god knows what he's going to say about my new elfit.' she let out a another sigh this one sad and began walking toward the Sacred Tree, where he always seemed to be.

Thinking a little more she forced a smile on her lips in hopes that it would really make her want to smile. Then suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as she sensed two shards of the sacred jewel approaching very quickly. At first Kagome was still and her heart speed up slightly, but then it dawned on her that she only knew of one person, or rather demon, who could move that fast and would have shards. She let herself relax when her presumption was proven right by the small tornado that stopped dead in front of her, reveling a tall dark haired man dressed in brown fur with deep blue eyes only he could have.

"Kouga, what brings you here?" Kagome tried to smile like normal, but ended up with one of those 'what does he want now' smiles instead, not that he knew the difference.

Kouga smiled and clasped her hands in his before he began to speak. "I was in the area when I caught your sent, and just wanted to see my woman since I couldn't smell shit head near you!" He heard her give off a few 'hehe's' before he noticed her change in clothing, with a wide grin painted on his face he opened his mouth to say something but Kagome cut him off before he had the chance.

"Kouga, you know that Inuyasha will be here any moment, and with you standing so close to me he is going to get angry. So if you would just let go of my han-" she stopped when he sniffed the air and turned his head to look in the direction Kagome knew was most likely Inuyasha would approach. "Kouga?"

He let his hands loosen on hers and one of his drop to his side before he took her left hand with his right and began to led her in that direction. "Come on, Kagome, we'll meet him half way." he stated walking at a pace that was quick for her so she stayed behind him as he basically dragged her into the dense forest.

He lead her in complete quite making sure to lead her around any twigs or bushes that would possible scrap her. Kagome was almost in panic when he led her. Her thoughts where more rambling than normal, '…he is leading me to Inuyasha? This can't be a good thing, can it? What's he up to anyway? Why is he being so quite? How does he know I was going to meet Inuyasha? And on that note why is he still holding my hand like I'm a lost child?…" as she thought she became angry, though she was working hard to push it back down. Suddenly she was stopped when she ran right into Kouga's back and fell to the ground on her back side. She looked up at him, she had been so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that he had stopped right before they had reached the small clearing of the sacred tree.

She was about to say something when she heard the faint sound of a 'Feh' and then a thud. 'What the hell was that?' she wanted to say but had already figured out by the time Kouga finished his sarcastic statement that had fallen out of his mouth like a lead plate.

"That was graceful, truly worthy of a half-breed such as yourself!"

:......Inuyasha's Forest......:

Inuyasha ran though his forest making hast to get to Kagome as quickly as possible. Normally he would have leaped form branch to branch to avoid having to making his way though the thick forest growth, but this morning he felt like seeing if he did stay on the ground if he could increase his speed form one distance to another. Shifting his weight form leg to leg to dodged the thick trunks of the forest trees, and other small plants. Then when the wind shifted he got a sniff of Kagome's sent once more, it was like the smell of rain before it hit the ground. Then letting his mind wonder 'Stupid wench. Why does she always have to leave? Doesn't she like it here with her friends and me? Well at lest she back now, I guess. I miss her so much every time she leaves, theres nothing to do, and then there's the fact that when she does we all have to stop and wait for her to return. Maybe if I asked her to stay she would. Yeah right!' Inuyasha shook his head in a attempt to clear his head and with a "Feh," ran dead into a large tree.

"That was graceful, truly worthy of a half-breed such as yourself!" the voice seeped into Inuyasha's ears as he fell to the ground with a hard impact, making him growl.

"What the fuck do you want you wimpy wolf?" Inuyasha snapped back growling even deeper. "Where's Kagome if you have gone any where near her I will rip your legs out form under you, you, you....." he let his words trail off before finishing his sentence in the calmest voice he had, "flee bag." His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach when Kagome walked out form behind him, and then to add to that he noticed what she was wearing. she was wearing a black skirt with hunter green trim that lined the bottom hem, it was the same style as her school uniform skirt, heeled sandals that where about two or three inches high also black, but what really shocked him was her black shirt, it covered none of her torso, it sat low on her shoulders so that it showed a small amount of cleavage and was plastered to her skin until the long sleeves belled out. The last thing he noticed about her new clothes was a small black choker about one inch thick with a tear shaped stone that hung form the center the same hunter green color as the lining on her skirt.

Kagome quickly broke the silence both boys where in, "Hello, Inuyasha. Thank you Kouga." Inuyasha felt his heart snap when she turned on her heels to face Koga and turned her back to him. "Thank you for walking me, but I..." she stopped what she was saying when she noticed the way her voice was being faded out by Inuyasha loud growling. Again Kagome turned on her heels, this time to not only face Inuyasha but to walk up to him. As she began to walk away form Kouga she felt a hand snake from behind her and rest on her bare stomach and pull her back into something solid. Kagome blinked a few times before she could speak, "Kouga, you really shouldn't do that. Now please let go." She let out a 'yep' and her face turned bright red when he spread his fingers apart to fan them on her torso and press her closer to him. The hole thing making her feel like there where little ants that where wearing combat boots doing the tango inside her stomach. She wasn't atracted to Kouga but that didn't mean she didn't uninteshaly respond to his advance, letting her sent give off the slightest perfume of arousle.

"Kagome you smell nice." Kouga spoke in a husky voice with a smirk on his face staring straight at Inuyasha, but also making it so Kagome couldn't see the features on his face the way he had shifted. Inuyasha snapped when he pushed harder on her stomach making her inhale shapely in surprise and her aroused sent take a spike, she was in shock and could not find any words that where willing to leave her mouth so she simply tried to push away, well she would have pushed away if Inuyasha hadn't ripped her form Kouga's grasp.

"Don't you EVER TOUCH KAGOME AGAIN, you whelp. She is not your woman, she belongs to me, her protector, her companion!" Inuyasha would have drew Tetsusaiga if Kagome was not grasping his arms to keep him at bay, though she herself was having a hard time standing after Inuyasha's last comment. She was so lost one minute you would think he hated her very presents and then he was being sweet... Well maybe not sweet but you would think he cared at times.

"She IS my woman, dog breath so get used to it," was all Kouga said before the growling in Inuyasha chest grew to new levels every second, then he gave one of his own not quite as loud but enough to be heard.

"STOP! I'm not some object. I don't belong to anyone!" Kagome cried as the sent of fear rolled off her, in fear that if they stared fighting this time that she wouldn't be able to stop them. Their fights had been getting worse lately, last time she thought Kouga really was dead when his comrades carried him off, and Inuyasha was bed riden for six days. It had been so near the new moon she had had nightmares where she would wakeup sceaming not really sure if he was still there or he really had passed away in his weakened state. Kagome just couldn't go though that again, after all she still woke up in a cold sweat with thoes recuring nightmares once and awile, but too much for her liking altogeher.

"OK. well I guess that I will be off, Kagome, I'll be back for you after I have hunted down Naraku, and then I will kill that half-breed so you are free to love me." With that said he ran to Kagome and kissed her so quick that by the time either Inuyasha or Kagome had realized what had happened he was out of sight.

"Get back here and fight me, you fucking wolf!" Inuyasha screamed. In the mean time Kagome was so shocked that she didn't notice Inuyasha had pulled form her embrace to start chasing after Koga, but that didn't last long because when she noticed, he was still yelling in the direction Kouga had just took of in.

"SIT BOY," Kagome yelled over Inuyasha's voice, his body running face first with the hard ground. "I happened to have a head ache, so if you would be so kind as to stop yelling so I can at least try to make as if I don't have one by the time we get to the village. I would hate............" this was completely claim but was all she got out before she fell on her hands and knees in mild pain. Inuyasha jumped to her side so quickly, anyone would have guessed he was there to begin with instead of infront of her in the clearing about twenty feet away. "don't... say... anything...." He began to panic before he himself fell to his knees beside her trying to figure out how to help. By reflex he reahed out to make soothing cycles on her back, but her body had gone num and she could not feel the action that would had been more than comferting to her.

"What's the matter, Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered so soft she could hardly hear him. she looked into his amber depths noticing the worried and panic in them and tried to smile.

'You would almost think he really does care for me by the look in his eyes, but that can't be he loves Kikouy.'

"Its nothing," she said as the pain stared to fade. "Like I said I have a head ache, I just need some rest is all." with the last part of her speech Inuyasha picked her up not really noticing what he was doing and pulled her in his lap to cradle her to sleep. She seemed to fit to his chest perfectly as he tucked her head under his chin inhaleing her sent to see if she was sick or wounded, and just to enjoy the sent that was her. Kagome didn't have the energy to acted surprised when she was hosted into his lap and cradled to sleep witch came faster than normal, but it was a dreamless sleep, a sleep caused by fainting.

Out of all the long three years Inuyasha had known Kagome she had done this several times before and she had passed out and woke a few hours later just fine. He hoped that was the case this time too. 'What is wrong with her does she have old wounds that just wouldn't go away, is she sick, or something?' he moved to stand then with her still in his arms leapt up into the Sacred Tree and fall into a light sleep wile he awaited for her to wake before they returned to the village. With anyone else he would have rushed them to Kaede, but all the other times this had happened she had pleeded with him not to just telling him she wasn't sleeping well, or she was stressed. 'Kagome what is the matter? I wish I knew, I wish you would tell me if you have old wounds that cause you pain once and awhile... What's the matter with you my Kagome? Don't you know I would do anything to keep you safe? you are my greates secret keep-safe...'

Author Notes: Please r/r! this is my first fiction so try to be nice but i would like to hear form you either way... I went over this chapter and changed and added a few things like a million times, well I think I fixed everything. And I know its a little OOC.

Summery for next chapter: Kagome finally starts to worry about why she is continually passing out, and seeks Kaede for the answer...