Chapter Five: Unexpected
Kouga brought Kagome to his temporary den. His companion youkai, who had since had cubs and mates of their own thus expanding the pack effeciently, were patiently waiting for his return. Two females, Ginta, Hakkaku, and two cubs ran with Kouga and the other wolves now, and once Kouga appeared from the bushes surrounding their small clearing and cave further up one of the river's tributaries, they pounced on him and Kagome.
"Kagome-neechan!" Ginta and Hakkaku cried in unison, leaping on her and huging the miko tightly.
"Kagome-neechan, we missed you!" Ginta told her enthusiastically.
"I missed you two too," Kagome admitted, hugging them back. Kouga stood off to the side, allowing his two best friends to reacquaint themselves with his woman. He watched the cubs, a boy and a girl, wrestle while their mothers, Sarane and Hairiko, kept an eye on their mates.
"Kagome-neechan," Hakkaku said, finally releasing her. "This is my mate, Sarane." Sarane stepped forward. She had clear violet eyes and a paler complexion than the boys, but she obviously could fight. Kagome nodded as Sarane flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. "And my cub, Jintsen."
Jintsen, temporarily summoned away from play time, presented himself in front of his mother.
"Hello, Sarane-chan, Jintsen-chan," Kagome smiled.
Ginta stood straighter and beckoned his mate and cub. "My mate, Hairiko, and my cub, Katsue."
In the same fashion as Sarane and Jintsen, Kagome greeted Hairiko and the female cub. Katsue and Jintsen tumbled off to play again, ignoring Kagome, Kouga, Ginta, Hairiko, Hakkaku, and Sarane. Kouga joined the rest of his pack once introductions were over, trusting the real wolves to guard the children, and allowed his arm to settle around her waist when she didn't protest.
Something displeases you, my butterfly, Kouga observed. I know because not two minutes after I left you, you called on me and said you had changed your mind. Well, my dove, I will have to get you to sort your mind out and go back to that silly Inukkuro. Then you can decide whether you truly desire me or not.
"Ginta, Hakkaku...take care of things here for a few moments? I need to speak with Kagome in private," Kouga explained as he steered Kagome off to the side, behind a cluster of trees opposite the cubs. "Kagome," he said softly. "Why are you here?"
"Becuase I'm tired of Inuyasha," she said slowly.
"Tired of Inukkuro?" Kouga repeated, disbelief coloring his voices. "How so?"
Kagome leaned heavily against a tree trunk and sighed. "It's complicated," she said at last.
"I don't have anywhere to be," Kouga assured her. "You called me for a reason, Kagome. Why did you choose me? You chose me because I will listen to your problems. You chose me because you need someone to listen to you." He approached her and took her hand in his. "So let me listen, Kagome."
Touched, Kagome sniffled. "You remember when Naraku was defeated, right?" Kouga nodded. "Well," she continued, her voice watery, "I...I made a promise to someone Inuyasha doesn't like shortly afterwards. And he comes to see me on Inuyasha's human nights. Inuyasha never realized until a couple days ago and he went ballistic. Last night, the man I made a promise to came to see me again even though it wasn't Inuyasha's human night, and Inuyasha found out. He wasn't angry that time...not as much as he was...hurt...I guess." Sighing, she looked down, taking her hand out of Kouga's and fiddling with her skirt. "Inuyasha told me earlier today to go home because I'm a," her voice cracked, "a traitor." Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I'm not needed anymore because I'm a traitor."
Kouga hugged Kagome then, as he took in her story. Quite frankly, if he and Kagome had been in the same situation, Kouga would have done the same as Inuyasha. Without thinking, he told Kagome as much. "Kagome," he told her softly, holding her out at arm's length, blue eyes level with hers. He brushed her hair from her face. "I will let you stay here until you sort things out, but thten you have to go back to Inukkuro, got it? You belong with him and your group right now, not me or the man you promised whatever to." To himself, he added, Plus, you're just using me.
Kagome studied him for a moment then sighed and pushed him away, walking back over to Ginta, Hakkaku, Sarane, Hairiko, Katsue, and Jintsen. As much as she didn't want to believe him, Kouga was right. She really was only using the poor wolf youkai, and she truly belonged back at camp with Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and...Inuyasha. Nonethesless, she still wanted to stay with Kouga and his pack because they didn't confuse her. They didn't get angry with her. They showed gratitude towards her. Granted, most of her true group did as well, except for Inuyasha. She was simply tired of Inuyasha, as she had told Kouga at first.
Night had descended upon them while Kouga and Kagome had talked, she realized with a yawn. She quickly ate dinner and turned in, missing Shippou in her arms. However, she didn't have long to miss the kitsune as two wolf youkai cubs curled up on either side of her. Kouga slept near her as well, moving Jintsen to the same side as Katsue and settling on the vacant spot.
Kagome sighed and fell asleep.
"Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said, "where are we going?"
Morning had awaken not too long ago. The moment Rin woke up, Sesshoumaru had picked her up and left, leaving Jaken to hurry up with Aun. "I smell Kagome," Sesshoumaru offered as an explanation. "I don't smell Inuyasha or the others she is usually with. I do, however, smell wolves."
"Kagome-mama's with wolves?" Rin asked fearfully. "Sesshoumaru-papa...we have to save Kagome-mama!"
Sesshoumaru didn't answer but picked up his pace as Kagome's scent grew stronger. A wolf youkai pack denned near this spot, he remembered. One that took particular pleasure in harassing his brother and also the one that had killed Rin. What on earth would Kagome be doing there? Unless...unless they had kidnapped her to get something from Inuyasha.
For some reason, that made Sesshoumaru panic.
He burst through into the clearing where the wolves denned, finding less of them than he had anticipated. He didn't care, though. What mattered was the fact a wolf youkai had his arm around Kagome's waist and the other wolves were closing in on her.
Sesshoumaru sprang through the shrubbery, leaving Rin, Jaken, and Aun behind. He grabbed Kagome, hoisted her over his shoulder, and took off before the wolves had realized what happened.
"Bye!" Rin told Kouga, not recognizing him, and ran off after Sesshoumaru. Jaken was slightly slower in starting, as Aun refused to move. "Sessho--" Rin started to call, but found herself lifted from the ground and involved in a high-speed chase. "Hey! Put me down!" Rin kicked and tried to bite Kouga. "Put me do--ahhhhhhh!"
The whirlwind that was Kouga came to an abrupt half in front of the speeding Sesshoumaru. Rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru raised his hand to attack Kouga and realized the wolf youkai held Rin. Frustratedly, Sesshoumaru lowered his hand and glared.
"Give me back my woman, you bastard," Kouga growled.
How do I get myself into these things? Kagome thought exasperatedly. What are you doing, Sesshoumaru-kun?
"Your woman?" Sesshoumaru repeated. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "She isn't your woman."
Again, Kouga growled. "She is too my woman!"
Kagome refrained from participating.
"Listen." Carelessly, Kouga held out Rin, his hands under her arms. "I'll give you back your little girl if you give me back my woman."
"Sesshoumaru-papa!" Rin cried while struggling in Kouga's hold. "Why does this man want Kagome--" Kouga almost dropped her, "--Mama?"
"M...mama?" Kouga echoed. He stared at the girl in front of him. He turned his gaze to Kagome. "Mama?" He looked next to Sesshoumaru. Once again, he looked at Rin, then Kagome, then Sesshoumaru, and finally back at Rin. Rin looked like Kagome. Sesshoumaru had some vague resemblance to Rin, but she acted like him. Panicking, Kouga dropped her and took off at a run back to his den.
Panting, Kouga collapsed between Ginta and Hakkaku. "Sesshoumaru...Kagome...they...they did...they did that! I...I didn't...I could've sworn that Sesshoumaru wasn't that kind of guy!"
In his shock, Kouga failed to realize that Kagome would have had to have been six years old for Rin to be her daughter. He also failed to notice Katsue and Jintsen both had found the left-behind Jaken, who had been abandoned by Aun, and had begun to play with him. Of course, their version of "play" differed vastly from Rin's version of "play." By then, their version of "play" was wrestling and jumping on one another.
"Sesshoumaru-sama...help...!"