Journey of the Heart: Chapter 3 - Struggle
DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha and his companions are not mine to own.
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As Kagome woke up she felt warm and safe. A smile spread across her lips, and she cuddled deeper into the soft blanket, which seemed to be made of...fur? Her eyes shot open to see an amused wolf youkai smiling down at her.
"Comfortable?" he asked slyly.
"Kouga!" Kagome exclaimed, while clumsily untangling herself from the highly entertained demon. The flustered girl tripped at least three times upon freeing herself, and somehow managed to leave her clothes and hair in a general state of disarray in the process.
The, now standing, girl finally managed a somewhat controlled, "So, how long was I...um..."
"Sleeping?" he offered, while biting his bottom lip to hold in the building laugh.
"Yes!" she agreed a little too enthusiastically.
"Not long." His wry smile softened before adding, "You look really sweet when you sleep." He extended a clawed hand to brush some stray strands of hair out of her face. The light touch sent a shudder down her spine, and she found herself leaning into his caress as his palm rested against her cheek.
Her blush deepened, and after a long pause it was Kouga who removed the hand. "I said I would not touch you without permission. I apologize, Kagome."
Kagome felt terrible, and maybe a little...disappointed? "Oh Kouga, I am the one who is sorry. I was really mean to you earlier. Some things happened right before we got pulled in, and I haven't had time to deal with them. I took it out on you, and it wasn't fair."
Kagome dropped her head so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. "You have always been good to me. And, I never even thanked you for coming to my rescue."
He cupped her chin, and lifted her face. His usually playful blue eyes took on a serious cast. "You do not need to thank me. I will always be there for you." The mischievous sparkle returned as he continued, "Besides, it wasn't much of a rescue."
Kagome could not help but giggle. Kouga shot her a mock indignant look, and she nearly doubled over with laughter. "Are you mocking this youkai prince?" he asked jokingly.
"Hehehe, 'this youkai prince?' Are you imitating Sesshoumaru now?"
"How dare you compare me to that arrogant dog, Lady Kagome? You have besmirched my good name!" Kouga said, while entrenching himself in fake aristocratic airs.
Kagome suppressed her amusement to continue the act. "How may I make amends for my grievous misdeeds, my lord?"
"Yes, what would a good penance be for such a dire wrongdoing?" he asked himself, while exaggeratedly stroking his chin, and walking in small deliberate laps around Kagome. "Well, you could...hmmm...no that will never do. Or you could...no I suppose that would be impractical."
As he continued to present false ideas, Kagome found herself giggling madly. But her laughter stopped abruptly as he caught her hands in his own, and looked at her intently. "Would you really like to make it up to me?"
Their proximity, and the intensity of his expression were wreaking havoc on Kagome's senses. She felt her knees go weak, and heard her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She couldn't help but notice the way wild sprigs of dark hair were framing his handsome features. Kagome cursed her body's responses, but there was something so exotic about the man leaning toward her.
Kagome was speechless as she stared helplessly into his effervescent blue eyes. 'I should say no, but I do feel bad about before. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what he wants from me. Maybe I'm a little too curious. After all, I've been in, what I think is love, with Inuyasha for quite a while now, and I broke things off only a few hours ago.
'Oh god, he is sliding his thumb over the palm of my hand. Why does that feel so good? How can I already be so attracted to someone else? To be fair, it really isn't all that sudden, I mean, even when he was kidnapping me I thought he was kind of beautiful.
'Still, what about Inuyasha? It isn't like my feelings for him ended right after our conversation. I miss him, and I wish I could take back everything I said to him. The only problem is, I know I did the right thing.
'OK, Kagome, get a grip! This has been the mother of all marathon pauses. Kouga is going to get bored, and fall asleep if you leave him hanging any longer! All right, so what will I say? Well, there is no telling what Kouga is going to want from me, so I should definitely say no.'
So when a confident "yes" escaped her lips, he wasn't the only one who was surprised. Kouga recovered quickly, and a warm smile lit his face.
"We should get going," he said, while releasing her hands.
"But..."
"We don't know anything about these lands, so we should do some exploring before it gets dark." She still looked perplexed so he added, "I will make my request again when you are really ready for it."
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His hanyou legs launched himself from the ground with incredible force as he ran. He was airborne for what seemed like an extraordinary amount of time with each leap. The casual observer would believe the silver haired man was flying, but even at this rate--pushing all of his power to its limits--wasn't enough.
"Damnit!" Inuyasha thundered aloud as he continued his fervent pace along the trail Kagura left. 'How the hell did she manage to get so far ahead of me? At this rate, I might even lose the trail before I find Naraku. I can't let that happen!
'I'm coming Kagome. Hold on. Please, just hold on.'
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"Can you see him?" Shippo asked, for what seemed like the billionth time since they had taken off on Kirara in pursuit of the determined hanyou.
"You are the youkai here, if your senses cannot pick him up, then what chance do we have?" Miroku explained calmly once again, knowing it would only keep the boy's nervousness assuaged for a few moments.
"Don't worry Shippo, Kirara still has his scent. We will find Inuyasha." What Sango didn't say, was her hope that finding Inuyasha would feed into finding her best friend, Kagome.
But they weren't talking about her anymore. The subject hurt too much. Everyone felt guilty about failing to protect her, and everyone was eager to see her returned. More than that though, they were afraid of saying what they worried about the most--that it might already be too late for their cheerful friend from the future.
"I do not like this situation." Miroku absently said under his breath, while he carefully examined the situation.
Sango stared at him for a long time before speaking. "I hardly think any of us would claim it is ideal."
"What?" he looked at her in surprise. He had not realized he said anything out loud. "Oh, of course not. What I meant, however, was that we seem to be playing into Naraku's plans."
"Why do you say that?"
"We are strongest as a unit, but he has already managed to separate us from Kagome, and Kouga for that matter. That takes away our ability to sense shards--not to mention cutting at the heart of our group. It also made it a simple matter to draw Inuyasha out on his own. Again, this weakens our overall attack strength.
Then think about Kagura--she has fought us many times before, but this is the first time she was unable to cover up her trail allowing us to follow," he finished with a furrowed brow.
"You think she is purposely leading us somewhere?" Sango asked.
"I do. And I think that may or may not be to Naraku. I just hope we will be able to turn things to our advantage when the time is right."
Miroku sighed heavily before continuing with his next point, "And there is another problem."
Sango's mind quickly spun through the recent events trying to figure out what Miroku could be talking about, but nothing came to mind. "What is that?" she finally asked.
"Inuyasha is going to turn human at nightfall."
The demon slayer and the monk shared a pointed look, and then simultaneously, encouraged Kirara to continue forward at an even faster pace. The fire cat agreed, and with great strain, managed to push even harder in search of Inuyasha.
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Kagome and Kouga had been surveying their surroundings for over two hours. He held in his arms, and used his incredible speed to cover more ground. It had taken much convincing on Kagome's part to assure Kouga she really would be fine with this arrangement after the outburst she had earlier that day.
She had explained that had more to do with her foul mood, and not being asked, than the actual situation. He offered to let her ride on his back, but she had just shaken her head vigorously. That particular method of travel was too closely tied to Inuyasha, and she preferred not to be reminded of him at present.
Being carried in Kouga's arms was also less strain on her own body, than having to hold on to his back. If she hadn't already had a nap she was sure she would just curl up against his chest, and fall blissfully asleep. 'His body is very warm, and although the armor is not exactly snuggly, that soft fur is. Oh stop! There I go again. What is wrong with me today? Kouga is just my friend.'
They had been traveling mostly in silence, since holding a conversation while being slammed with wind resistance wasn't exactly enjoyable, but after two hours of finding nothing of any interest Kagome spoke up. "Trees, rocks, grass, trees, rivers, cliffs, trees, and then some more trees just for good measure!" There was obvious frustration in her voice, and Kouga came to a halt.
"Not a fan of trees?" he quipped, perhaps unwisely.
She shot him a look, but otherwise allowed the comment to pass. "I just wish there was something. ANYTHING! Anything, except all this generic landscape full of nothing. How can there be so much of so little?"
"Kagome, what is really bothering you?"
Her stance went from confrontational to vulnerable instantly. 'What is it about him that makes me want to pour my heart out? Inuyasha never wants to talk about how I'm feeling. Ugh! I've got to stop comparing them. It is just driving me crazy. Or crazier, anyway.'
"It's just that, this is another situation I've gotten someone involved in, and I'm not being much help at fixing it," she finally answered.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the one who got pulled into the well, bringing the Shikon jewel back. I'm the one who shattered it. I'm the one who always gets kidnapped or attacked. And now, I'm the one who got pulled into a vortex."
Kouga cringed slightly at the mention of kidnapping, but did not interrupt until he was sure she had finished. "While I cannot place all of the references you made, I don't have to, because I know the most important parts already. I know that you are a good and caring person who would never let harm come to anyone if you could prevent it. If things have happened to cause hardship, then they could not be your fault."
"Kouga, that is sweet, but..."
"No, Kagome. You may not see it, but you are a positive force." He tentatively reached out his hand, this time allowing her to decide if she wished to grasp it. She did. "You have already changed me for the better."
She timidly asked, "How have I changed you?"
"My pack was always important to me, but before I met you, little else mattered to me. Now I am much more considerate of all creatures. I have become a better leader, and a better man because of you."
As Kouga finished his short, but heartfelt speech he leaned in toward Kagome. She could feel him getting closer, and she didn't pull away. Their lips were only inches apart, and their eyes slowly began to close as she could feel his warm breath fan across her mouth. Closer and closer they moved until she felt herself being violently ripped from his arms.
Kagome screamed at the sudden upheaval. She found herself in the talons of a strange flying creature. It had a bird's head and talons with a slender scaly body and long reptilian tail.
Before she had time to struggle against its grasp, she found herself landing hard on the ground. Kouga had managed to launch himself to the escaping monster. His fists were pounding against its neck fervently as the beast desperately sought to remove him with its giant beak.
'Ouch. OK, quick check--nothing is broken, but my backside is going to be sore for a while. Kouga seems intent on defeating him even though I'm safe now. If only I had my bow and arrow, then maybe I could help him. So what am I supposed to do--watch?'
She stood up, and scanned the area for anything that might be helpful. There were some fist-sized rocks loosely resting nearby. 'Those look pretty heavy, but if I could throw one high enough to hit that thing, it might give Kouga the distraction he needs to take it out.'
Luckily the distraught beast was circling the general area instead of fleeing, which meant Kagome could remain where she was instead of running after them with an armful of heavy rocks. She took one in her small hand, and struck a pose like she had seen discus throwers use on the Olympics. Mustering all her strength and determination, she swung her body, and released the stone with all her might.
The results were less than impressive.
The rock sailed only a few feet in front of her--never threatening to make contact with the thrashing demons. "Damn!" she said out loud, shocking herself.
'I really have been hanging out with Inuyasha too much. OK, I need to keep trying. I wasn't able to shoot an arrow straight the first time either.'
She retrieved another rock, and this time she gripped it with both hands low to the ground, and thrust them up at the same time. It was the same move she had used when one of her friends tried to teach her basketball, much to the dismay of her friend. The rock still failed to hit its target, but not by as much.
Getting discouraged, she looked toward the airborne fight, hoping that he had everything under control. She saw a battered and bloodied Kouga still raging against the larger demon. He wasn't exactly winning, but he was holding his own.
But that all changed, when his attention turned to her for a second. Their eyes met across the distance, and in that moment the monster saw an opportunity. It grasped Kouga in its beak, and began to crush him.
To his credit, he didn't scream, but he couldn't subdue the painful wince that contorted his face. Conversely, Kagome's voice was becoming raw from yelling his name. She saw he was still alive--still struggling, but it wasn't enough. "Oh Kami! NO!"
'I'm watching him die. I have to do something,' she thought frantically.
Tears blurred her vision, but her eyes landed upon another of the rocks she had gathered. Kagome grabbed the stone, knowing it was Kouga's only hope now. She was too focused on Kouga to notice the pink energy halo crackling around her as she launched the stone at the beast.
It hit.
And that impact was more powerful than any she had ever infused an arrow with. Her miko powers instantly dissolved the beast from the sky, causing the gravely injured Kouga to freefall.
"NO!" she screamed outstretching her hands as she watched him drop, knowing the fall itself could finish him off. But he didn't fall. He was surrounded in the same pink light, and hovered midair. Kagome watched in shock, not fully understanding what was happening, but instinctively her hand lowered, and as it did, so did Kouga.
Kagome was at his side in seconds. "Kouga!" she gasped out of breath. 'There is so much blood, and he isn't moving!' "Come on Kouga, wake up!" she yelled before whispering, "Please," and burying her head against his blood stained neck.
As tears leaked from her tortured eyes a new glow emerged from her body. It expanded to encompass them both, and as it did so Kouga's wounds healed. Bones reset themselves, and flesh sealed, even the splattered blood that coated them both was vanishing.
Kagome hugged his prone figure. Her body was racked with sobs, and she took no notice of the healing energies that were coming from inside her. She was inconsolable with grief over her dying friend, until his, now fully healed, arm curled around her waist.
"K-Kouga?!" she choked out, barely daring to open her eyes. Instead of a blood-streaked face, she saw brilliant blue eyes staring into her glistening cinnamon ones. Relief and joy washed over Kagome.
Tears of happiness now streamed from her eyes, where once there had only been anguish. His free hand wiped away the salty evidence from her cheeks. Kagome slowly lowered herself to him.
At first their lips lightly brushed against each other, but soon they were pressing hard in a full needful kiss.
She wouldn't think about Inuyasha now, or the quest for the shikon, or her friends who were waiting for her safe return. All that mattered at that moment were his lips skillfully pressing and nipping against hers, and the steady beat of his heart against her palm.
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Author's Note: Whoo! I never thought I would get that chapter done. I would love feedback on this story. I am having a really hard time evaluating it objectively. This is one of my favorite pairings, and it is important to me that I do them justice. Constructive criticism is perfectly welcome, and if you want to e-mail directly to me, that is cool too. I know I hate to publicly critique someone. E-mail:
FF Reviewers, you are awesome, and it is time I give some credit for that! So, a big thank you to Exquisite Cherry, BelleDayNight (a constant source of inspiration and assistance), A naughty mouse, Angel6585 (thanks for following me from my fic, Crossing the Line!), Imagenation Queen, CherryBlossomLove, Nichole Hibiki (I hope you felt Kagome was a little nicer this chapter), BC1, ZmajGoddess, I love Kouga! (I wasn't sure what to make of your review. But the idea that it was both good and uninteresting did make me laugh, so I'll take it as a positive experience. I guess you will have to let me know if I caught your interest this time around. Oh, and to answer your first review, I probably won't say much more about Kikyo than I already have.), and xSilverShadowsx.
MM Reviewers, thanks so much, but why do I get so few reviews from this site? Tough crowd? Anyway, thanks RabidFangirl101 and pandyl!
AFF Reviewers, a big thanks to you guys! Ashley, Fairia13 (I was so excited to get your review because I've been LOVING your story, Stronger. Everyone who is reading this, go check it out right now!), sphinx, TAJE, KogasHentaiLuver (things are going to heat up, but I don't think they are going to necessitate a switch to NC-17 by any means, sorry. I hope I don't lose you as a reader because of it), and last, but certainly not least thanks to, Jasmine Fields.