Chapter 28
Yuki carried Kagome straight up into her old bedroom in Kouga's house. She was in a deep and healing sleep, thanks to the Shikon no Tama. Kouga himself was right behind them, worry splashed all over his handsome face.
"Yuki, you haven't answered my question. DID that bastard hurt Kagome?"
The elf could almost see Kouga's thoughts of revenge as he lay Kagome down on her former bed. He arranged her comfortably before turning to face the okami. "Not physically, no. He was very rude to her, though. He made her cry."
Despite the fact he was happy about this new turn of events, Yuki was angry. Sesshoumaru could have at least shown a little restraint when he told Kagome she was inferior to him.
Kouga's ice blue eyes glittered with rage. "He will never lay another finger on my woman." His voice was a guttural growl, low and infinitely dangerous. He went to Kagome's side and sat down beside her on the bed. "Buck up security measures, Yukio. Hiro is not to leave her side for whatever reason."
Yuki frowned slightly. "What about me? I can watch her if you want."
Kouga bared his fangs. "I let you take her out ONE time and she ends up pregnant. You won't go near her unless Hiro is with you, got it? As for that fool inu, HE will not allowed to pass my gates unless I give the word. Understand?"
Yuki's emerald eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Yeah. This should be fun." A quick grin shot across his perfect face and he left the room. Of course, he WOULD go near Kagome, with or without Hiro's permission.
Walking down the stairs, he whistled happily to himself. This was cause for a little celebration, ne? "Oh, hell yeah," he muttered to himself as he headed straight for Kouga's study and his precious stash of imported whiskey.
When Sesshoumaru woke, he felt as though his soul was empty. Regret then flooded it, nearly suffocating him. Kagome... Damn it! Why did he say those horrible things to her!
He sighed heavily to himself and was about to go back to sleep, fully intent on apologizing to her in the morning when he sniffed the air. Something was missing.
Frowning in the darkened room, he turned over. She was gone.
Alarmed, he put a hand out to touch the mattress, but the place where she should have been was cool to the touch. She hadn't been there for awhile.
Now thoroughly frantic, he switched the bedside lamp on and jumped out of bed. He looked to his right, where their bedroom door stood open. That wasn't right. He always shut the door when they slept just in case his housekeeper came up the stairs early in the morning.
Swiftly, he pulled on sweatpants before dashing out of the room and down the stairs. His nose led him to the back door, which also stood open.
Sesshoumaru felt his heart clench and he knew. She had gone to that damned fool elf...and he could guess as to where he had taken Kagome.
Turning off the room lights and leaving only the bedside lamp burning, Kouga lay beside Kagome when she began to shiver in her sleep. He had removed his dark blue silk robe and got in beside her, pulling the covers up around them.
She was pulled into his arms and his tail wrapped itself around her, giving her extra warmth.
Kagome stirred slightly and smiled. She was so warm! Before, she had been very cold and very sad. But now, mmmmm...
Her eyes opened and looked into Kouga's soft blue eyes. "Kouga-kun? What are you doing her?" She tried to push him away. "Please, you must go! If he catches you here..."
Kouga shook his head and chuckled. "What am I doing here? I live here, of course."
Kagome lifted her head slightly and saw that she was back in her old room. "Oh! But how did I get here? Did Yuki call me again?"
She thought she saw Kouga's eyes harden with some strong emotion, but it was gone before she could be sure. "Yuki brought you. He told me that Sesshoumaru had insulted you."
Kagome nodded. "I thought he had changed. But lately, he's been rude to me and tonight was no different except that he voiced his real opinion of me out loud. He said I was beneath him."
The bed shook with Kouga's growls. "Never again, koishii. Never again will I let you near him. He doesn't deserve you." He lifted a large hand and gently stroked her face.
Kagome yawned mightily. "Can we talk about this later, Kouga-kun? I'm really sleepy."
Kouga nodded and kissed her forehead. She smiled sleepily up at him before turning to him and burying her face into his warm chest. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.
He felt his heart overflow. He loved her so very much and thought that fate had given him yet another chance to make her his.
Kouga checked to make sure she wouldn't suffocate against his chest before resting his head on top of hers. He quietly followed her into sleep.
Sleep for him didn't last long. His youkai brought him out of the lovely dream he had been having with rude push.
Kouga sat up in bed when he heard the howl of a massive...inu?
He released Kagome's warm body from his tail and ran out of the room, into the hallway. Miroku and Sango were up, also apparently having been jerked awake by the howling outside the house.
"What in Kami's name IS that?" Sango gasped, staring at Kouga.
Kouga shook his head. "It sounds like a gigantic inu," he replied thoughtfully.
Sounds of pounding footsteps on the stairs diverted their attention. Hiro's dark, untidy head appeared, followed by the rest of him. "Shit, Kouga! Sesshoumaru's out there! He's huge and friggin' pissed off!"
"Where the hell's Yuki?" Kouga asked marching to his room to changed. Hiro trotted behind him.
"He's outside, keeping up a barrier. He won't last long, though." Hiro sounded agitated.
Kouga had gained his bedroom. Quickly he undressed and then dressed in a pair of hakamas, leaving his chest bare. He pulled his hair up into a high ponytail. "Why is that?" he asked, after a few moments of silence.
Hiro sighed and spread his hands. "Because, the baka is drunk off his ass."
Outside, Yuki laughed and taunted the massive white inu. His barrier was still holding, but Sesshoumaru, now in a furious frenzy to get to Kagome, was ramming into it steadily with his enormous head.
"Oi, you shtupid mutt! Kagome'sh mine!" His words slurred horribly but he meant every word of what he said. No way was he gonna let this baka take that beautiful little woman away from him.
The earth trembled in time with Sesshoumaru's deafening growls. His massive fangs shone huge, white, and deadly sharp. He lifted one mammoth paw and swung at the barrier. It held, just barely.
Yuki laughed again. The world spun crazily but he wouldn't let Sesshoumaru in. It was his duty to protect Kagome.
Sesshoumaru felt nothing but murderous rage as he tried again and again to get past this drunken elf. Kagome was HIS!
Kagome woke with a start to find herself alone in the bed. Kouga was gone.
She frowned. What was that noise outside the house? It was...odd.
Then she heard it. A lone howl, followed by earth-shaking growls.
Sesshoumaru! He had come for her!
Kagome felt her youkai rise up, wanting to come out, to join her mate. She let it come forth, for she wanted to be with him.
She ran out of the room and down the stairs in a flash. No one was in the foyer. Good.
Kagome rushed out of the front door, where she was greeted with the sight of her mate being held back by a blue tinted barrier. She did not even notice her friends standing outside watching the spectacle.
"Sesshoumaru!" she screamed and ran towards him, but a pair of strong arms held her back.
An ear-splitting roar shattered the night. Sesshoumaru's red eyes blazed with fury when he saw Kouga grab his mate and hold her back.
Kagome strained desperately against Kouga's arms, wanting to be free...free to go to her beloved mate. But Kouga was much stronger than she and she could not free herself. She growled and snarled, but the iron-like grip around her did not budge.
Kouga called Hiro over. "Soothe her. Put her to sleep. I have to get her away from here...away from him." He looked pleadingly at his old friend.
Hiro nodded and placed his hand over his heart. Instantly, Kagome stilled in Kouga's arms and whimpered.
"Hurry, Kouga!" Shippo yelled. "The barrier's gonna give any moment now!"
Hiro looked steadily at Kouga. "Why not just give her to Sesshoumaru, Kouga? If we leave with her, he'll only follow. Something THAT size will be a bitch to shake. We wouldn't make it out of the gates."
Kouga's eyes hardened. "Hell no! He's insulted her! I won't forgive him for that! He doesn't deserve to have Kagome!"
With Kagome cradled to his chest, Kouga took off running to the back of the house, where there was a safe place. He had it made specifically for a situation like this, with the help of Hiro.
He ran until they reached a small building, a shed really. It was actually a shrine he had specially built for Kagome's protection, only recently constructed. New, but it would hold.
Kouga gently placed Kagome inside the shrine and stepped back quickly. A barrier was instantly activated the moment she passed through the doorway. Even though Yuki's barrier was about to break, THIS barrier wouldn't.
It was a barrier created by the Shikon no Tama itself, with or without Kagome's assistance.
Sesshoumaru finally managed to break the elf's annoying barrier. As if HE could keep this Sesshoumaru away from his mate! He jumped over the fence and bounded off in the direction that Kouga went. Kagome's scent lead him straight to her, where he found her in a little wooden shrine.
"Sesshoumaru!" she whimpered in the doorway.
He swatted at the pathetic little building but was jolted backwards. Sesshoumaru stared at the hut. It had repelled him!
And not only that... Sesshoumaru realized with astonishment that his inu form was fading and he was returning to his normal self. How in Kami's name did that happen?
With blinding rage, he grabbed Tokijin from his side and swung viciously at the building.
It held. It had held, despite being struck at by Tokijin's blade. Sesshoumaru couldn't understand. He looked at Kagome, who was on her knees, hands resting on something like a barrier.
She was weeping. "Sesshoumaru, please, I've done nothing wrong!" she cried pitifully at him. "I didn't know...I couldn't help myself..."
His heart ached. He wanted to rush in and rescue her, touch her, but the aura of this new barrier was all too familiar and far too powerful, even for him. He wouldn't be able to touch her while she was behind it.
"Kagome...I'm...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, koishii. Please, I didn't mean a word of it."
He swung the demon blade again. Again, the blade did no damage.
"That won't work, Sesshoumaru."
Sesshoumaru turned hate-filled red eyes to the one who dared address him.
Hiro glared back at him, his eyes burning an angry shade of blue. "You will not touch her. You are the one beneath HER, not she beneath YOU. The jewel has seen to it that you cannot have her. It has deemed you unworthy of such a holy creature."
Sesshoumaru's growls filled the air between them. Tokijin flared, causing Hiro to stagger backwards.
