AN: Arigatou! I got many reviews ^-^ I honestly didn't expect that many reviews for three chapters, but don't stop on my account! I'm getting a lot of feedback about how normally you don't read Kouga x Kagome and try to stick to Inu x Kagome or Sess x Kagome. I'll admit that I was like that too ^-^ Before I saw Kouga, I read something about "A wolf boy that falls in love with Kagome" and I was like, "No! Inuyasha!" But after I saw the first episode with him in it, I was like, "OMG! I love him!" XD
Also, there seem to be a serious lack of Kouga stories XP And after watching that episode with Kikyo x Inuyasha, I got depressed -_- I only just finished DVD set four, so I have a while to go yet. And I'm reading things about some wolf girl named Ayame who's engaged to Kouga or something o.o
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I'm happy ^-^ And since I don't have to study for SAT's anymore, I can update! Waii waii!
~*^-^*~
"Inu…yasha?"
Kagome stopped breathing, her hands shaking and knees trembling. She had known he was going to be here, and yet, she half expected not to see him. Kouga snarled and took another step until he was in front of her, blocking her view of Inuyasha.
"Bastard, what are you doing here!?"
"Kagome, you…came back?" Inuyasha ignored Kouga for once, eyes trained past Kouga to the girl standing in front of him. He had smelled her, sensed her presence.
Kagome still couldn't get herself to say anything. And she was partly thankful for Kouga blocking her and saving her from fumbling with words. Someone grabbed her hand reassuringly, and she jumped.
"Daijoubu, Kagome-chan." Sango soothed, trying to calm her nervous friend. Kagome turned towards her, eyes wide.
"What do I do, Sango?" She had no idea of how to confront him. Never had she imagined she would meet with him again. Sango shrugged and Kagome knew that she couldn't ask her friend to answer that. Taking a deep breath, she put a hand on Kouga's shoulder.
"Kagome?" He glanced over his shoulder, confused. She shook her head slowly and offered a weak smile before moving in front of him. She had to face this. Alone.
"Ohayou, Inuyasha." She kept the trembling out of her voice as best she could. She thought she had just gotten control of her emotions when it hit her. He was looking at her like he did two years ago.
His eyes were filled with what looked like wisdom and sorrow. The same they had been that night. He wasn't looking away.
Kagome swayed slightly. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She'd prefer anger to this. She felt Kouga reach out and steady her through her haze. Inuyasha didn't flinch, didn't blink. A small whimper emitted from the back of her throat. Why was it suddenly so hard to breath? Why was there a ball in the back of her throat?
"Stop…" Kagome whispered, eyes wide with unwanted recollection. She was panicking, and she knew she was. But she couldn't stop it. Couldn't help it.
"S-stop it. D-don't look at me like that." She backed up a step, shaking her head. It was happening all over again. Her fear of returning overwhelmed her and she spun around, prepared to run.
"Kagome!" Kouga swiftly blocked her path to the well and grabbed her arms, loosely but firmly. She struggled against him, eyes wild with fear and the need to escape. That's what she was doing. Escaping.
"Kagome, get a hold of yourself!" Kouga gently shook her. She clawed at his arms and shook her head.
"Kagome-chan…" Sango watched Kagome struggle. Kami-sama, what happened to the strong girl they used to know? Miroku stepped beside her, a frightened Shippou in his arms.
"What's wrong with Kagome?"
"I don't know." Sango muttered as she sadly shook her head. Her heart ached for her friend, who looked ready to collapse at any moment. A soft gasp from Kagome made Sango focus her attention back on her. Her eyes widened.
"K-Kouga…kun?" Kagome whimpered, surprised. Kouga had her pulled flush against him, arms wrapped securely around her waist. She ceased struggling and let her arms dangle limply at her sides. Slowly, the spinning world stopped and everything was right again. Kagome closed her eyes tightly. It was happening again. Almost reluctantly, she pushed away from Kouga.
"A-arigatou, Kouga-kun. Gomen, I didn't control it this time."
"Control it? This time? What are you talking about, Kagome?" Kouga frowned and moved back further so he could see her face. She looked down, ashamed with herself.
"My panic attack."
"Panic attack?" Sango approached Kagome and hugged her friends' shoulders, watching her worriedly. Kagome nodded, eyes shielded by bangs. Sango briefly remembered Inuyasha being the cause of this so called 'panic attack', and turned slightly to look at him. He was still standing in the same spot, eyes now slightly larger than normal and confused.
"It started when I left, two years ago. Everything just went…wrong. I would walk by the well and for no reason I wouldn't be able to breathe. I would shake and even cry. Mama took me to the doctor when I started having these attacks more than once a day. He told me they were panic attacks."
"Isn't there some kind of medicine from your world that can help you?" Shippou tentatively approached Kagome. She smiled sadly and shook her head.
"Iie. There is no cure. Daijoubu, I'm fine now." Kagome smiled sadly. Kouga mumbled something before grabbing Kagome and pulling her back to his chest. She squeaked, startled by his sudden action. Behind her, Inuyasha growled.
"Kagome…I'll help you get better." He mumbled into her hair. Her eyes widened. This was not at all like the Kouga she knew two years ago. She hesitated before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. He was warm, and she could hear his heartbeat through his thin leather armor.
"Arigatou." She murmured, eyes half lidded. It felt good to be held like this again. She sighed softly.
"Kouga, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha' harsh snarl brought Kagome back to reality. She blushed and pulled away. What was she thinking? This was Kouga!
"Stupid puppy, it's none of your business anymore." Kouga bit back with satisfaction at Inuyasha's rage. Kagome bit her lip. She knew she should stop it, but she didn't know how. And if she did stop it, she'd have to face Inuyasha. She wasn't ready.
Inuyasha's hand was dangerously close to his sword. Too close. She heard rustling cloth before Miroku and Sango were standing next to her.
"Kagome-sama, shouldn't we stop this?"
Kagome hesitated before shaking her head. She knew what Miroku was saying. Shouldn't she stop it. He opened his mouth to say something before Inuyasha let out a yell and charged, Tetsuaiga aimed at Kouga.
"Inuyasha! Damme!" Kagome forgot about her fear and was about to rush forward when a hand stopped her. Sango held her back, silently shaking her head.
"Look at Inuyasha. He's on the brink of transforming. If you rush in there now, there's no telling what he'll do."
"D-demo…"
Kagome reluctantly turned back to the fight. Kouga lunged out of the way of Inuyasha's sword, then leaped back for a rebound. He swiped at the dog with a claw, but missed.
"Kisama." Inuyasha let a low growl come from his throat. His bangs hid his eyes, but Kagome had a bad feeling she knew what was going to happen. She was right. Inuyasha chucked Tetsuaiga to the side.
"What are you doing, stupid puppy!?" Kouga circled his opponent, ready to attack or to run. It happened all at once. Inuyasha's head shot up, eyes blood red, claws extended. Kouga choked and backed up. He stumbled over a root. Too slow. Not enough time.
"DAMME!"
"Kagome-sama!"
"Kagome-chan!" Sango watched, eyes wide, as Kagome raced into Inuyasha's path. She skid to a halt in front of Kouga, arms outstretched in a defensive position. Kouga looked up in shock.
"Kagome, run!"
"Iie! Inuyasha will listen to me!" She stomped her foot, eyes trained on the approaching hanyou. He wasn't slowing down, pure rage in his eyes. Kagome realized the truth of Myoga-ji's words in those last few seconds. 'Inuyasha will eventually lose his mind in that form.'
Inuyasha curled his claws, eyes blazing as he stared at directly at Kagome, not really seeing her. And then he struck.
"KAGOME!!!!"
~*^-^*~
She was falling. It was dark. Where was she? Alone. The word echoed through her head over and over. She was alone. She was frightened. The walls were closing in on her as she tumbled through an endless void. Then, bright light shone in her eyes. Someone was calling her.
"KAGOME!!"
Slowly, painfully, Kagome opened her eyes. Her head throbbed, her whole body ached. The images around her still weren't focusing and she couldn't hear everything yet, just faint mumbles.
Someone took her hand, squeezing it, urging her to fight whatever was holding her back. She closed her eyes and struggled against the nausea and pain. And then she could see.
"K…Kouga….kun?" She whispered hoarsely, eyes half lidded. The man's face was all she could see, a look of worry, anger, and sheer relief on his face. He smiled shakily and caressed her cheek. She flinched slightly and he pulled back, gently smoothing down her hair.
"It hurts…" She whimpered and closed her eyes as a wave of pain washed through her. His grip on her hand tightened slightly, both comforting her and keeping her from loosing consciousness.
"Shhh, just stay awake." He soothed, which Kagome thought was the most un-Kouga like thing he had done since she had been with him. It was then she realized her head was in someone's lap. She strained her head back and smiled weakly, gritting her teeth.
"Sango-chan….you don't have to…"
"Hush. Houshi-sama and Shippou-chan went to get Kaede-sama."
Kagome nodded reluctantly and raised her free hand to her stomach. She pulled it back when she felt something thick and warm. Blood. What had happened? She remembered Inuyasha running to attack Kouga and then…Her eyes widened as she struggled to sit up.
"Don't move." Kouga gently pushed her back down. She frowned. What had happened to Inuyasha? He never attacked her. Hell, he almost never got mad at her. She fought back tears. Was he really like this? Had he changed to the point that he didn't care what happened to her?
"Where's Inuyasha?" She mumbled, closing her eyes against the pain. She felt Sango tense and Kouga squeeze her hand harder.
"He….ran away." Sango muttered. Kagome couldn't hide the shock on her face as her eyes flew open. He had hurt her and then left? She felt something wet slide down her cheek. A tear. Kouga brushed it away but said nothing, which Kagome was grateful for.
'Inuyasha…'
~*^-^*~
He ran. One hand was clamped securely over his mouth, eyes wide. He stumbled and fell against a tree. He let himself sink to the ground, breathing heavily. Kami-sama, what had he done?
All he could remember was a scream. Kagome's scream. And then he was looking down at her in Kouga's arms, his claws dripping with a thick, warm substance. Blood. Her blood. He choked on the bile that rose in his throat.
It was happening all over again. And Naraku wasn't even here.
~*^-^*~
AN: A little drama filled o.o Oh, and the panic idea came to me because I have a friend who gets panic attacks and it just seemed to fit with the whole incident. I'm not sure if Inuyasha found out about his demon side (when he looses Tetsuaiga) before or after episode 48, but if it's after, we'll pretend they already know, k?
Might have had a little OOCness, so please overlook that little glitch. Don't worry, a new update soon!
~Neoshipper~