Chapter Nine
She teasingly kissed his lips before pulling away, a playful smile on her face. He growled softly as he opened his eyes, searching for his prey that had moved out of his grasp. He saw her smile turn into a grin as she heard the sound, thinking the growl was nothing more than a sign of pleasure and slight annoyance, having no idea of the animal instincts that lay beneath the deceptive human exterior.
With movements more graceful than any human possessed, he sauntered forward, a hungry look in his eyes. He could hear her heart begin to pound as he came closer and he closed his eyes, enjoying immensely the scent of fear mingled along with desire that now came off her skin.
She was backed up against the side of the wall, no escape from the wolf in front of her, but she didn't mind. Escaping was one of the last things on her mind at this point. She whispered his name, the two syllables of it filled with such longing. It was all he needed before his lips descended on hers in a passionate kiss.
A soft moan escaped her, which only caused him to press his lips harder against hers until it was nearly a bruising kiss.
A hand landed roughly on his shoulder, spinning the fourteen- year-old around before throwing him to the ground. A muffled scream sounded, causing him to glance up at her, only to she another wolf holding her with a hand covering her mouth. Her eyes widened in fear and she screamed again. The wolf that held her dug his other clawed hand into her side and she quieted with a soft whimper.
Angrily, he began to rise, only to be kicked back down. Kicks came at his side, his head, his face. Every time he so much as moved, another harsh blow came upon him. Yet still, he would not give up. He moved his hand to help support his weight to rise. A boot descended down and crushed it.
A yell of pain, a stifled sob.
Then he was kicked again, sending him sprawling onto his back. Cruel words left the head wolf as he struck at his subordinate.
Worthless. Beneath him.
A growl full of malice left the wounded wolf's throat, so very different from the sound from minutes before as he pursued the girl.He started to rise again, this time unopposed. He stayed on his knees, his head down as the words continued to rain down on him. He was a foolish pup was a human whore, the leader had made clear. End it. They wanted him to end it.
The girl sunk to her knees, crying. She tried to suppress her sobs, though it only made her body shake instead as the occasional sound was let out. He took her in his arms, her head resting on his chest as he kept her close. Close to him, close to his heart.
The background melted away, the sky lost its color, the ground became dark. Nothing but darkness surrounded the two.
The girl in his arms quieted, becoming eerily silent. No longer did her body shake. It was unusually tense in his arms.
She roughly pushed him away, forcefully removing his strong arms from their embrace around her.
"Don't touch me."
Disgust. Loathing. Her voice was full of it.
He took a step forward, confused by her reaction.
"Stay away!"
Her voice was shrill, her eyes wide with fright. She backed away quicker than before. Her heart pounded in her chest once more, but this time there was no desire in her. She stank of fear.
What was she afraid of?
…him?
He looked down at himself, trying to see what was so horrifying. Then he noticed it. There were no hands in front of him, but paws instead. He was in his other form, his wolf form.
His ears flattened against his head as he whimpered, moving closer to the girl.
She let out a terrified scream.
"Kouga?" he heard the soft call behind him.
He spun around, hackles raised and a growl in his throat.
A scream began in Kagome's throat, but she clamped her hands over her mouth before it could erupt from her lips. Her eyes, however, spoke volumes of terror.
And Kouga felt anger. A great deal of fury welled up inside the beast.
He slowly advanced on the girl, snarling, stalking up to her as though she were his prey.
And she did the worse thing that she could possibly do at that moment. She took a frightened step back.
Rage blinding him, he pounced, forcing Kagome to fall onto her back with Kouga on top of her.
Tears came to her eyes. "Kouga, please…"
He snapped at the air just above her face and she let out a scream. The sound only caused him to give her a devilish, tooth-filled smile, making her cringe. She looked to the side as the tears spilled out, not able to look at the monster any longer.
A foolish action; it exposed her throat to him.
Such tender flesh…
He looked down at it, his anger still boiling inside him. Then in the next moment, he had snapped at her neck, sinking his teeth into flesh. Her blood filled his mouth and ran down her throat as a gurgled sound left her lips. She wriggled beneath him, her body thrown into spasms. The sickening crunch of breaking bones was heard.
And Kagome was absolutely still.
He jolted awake, half-sitting up with a sharp intake of breath. His heart hammered in his chest and pulsed loudly in his ears, drowning out all other sounds. Running a hand over his sweat-dampened face, he collapsed back onto his bed, trying to calm his stressed body.
Damn her, even haunting him in his dreams. But for Kagome to be in them too… and for him to have… It was as though he could taste the metallic liquid in his mouth.
Kouga shook his head violently and bared his teeth, getting even the thought of it out of his mind. His hands tightened around the sheets as he squeezed his eyes shut, but the tenser his body became, the closer his beast came to the surface.
The sleeping wolf at his feet awoke, tilting her head to regard him as a whimper began in her throat. Ayame rose and crept forward before butting her nose gently against his arm. Kouga opened his eyes, letting some of the tension ease out of his body as he sat up once more. He brought her closer by placing one arm around her, letting his hand rest on top of her head, scratching her behind one ear.
Ayame's eyes shut as his scent overlapped her. She could feel the sadness within him, seeping into the atmosphere around them. Sadness and… anger. Great amounts of anger.
He had nightmares often, but never spoke about them. He felt they were a weakness, a glimpse inside his most inner and private thoughts. So they were hidden away and only a few minimal wolves knew of the nightmares that plagued his sleep. Ayame herself had only become aware of their existence a few months ago when she had spent the night in his room, healing his wounds after he got into a fight.
She felt Kouga's grip tighten, his thoughts once again being taken over by whatever his dream had been about. Anxiety filled her and she did the only thing she could think of to comfort her leader and ease his mind.
She let out a low howl, full of unsaid emotions, of anguish and longing and so much more. Her voice wavered, rising in pitch before it slowly drowned out, fading to nothing. Then another wolf from somewhere within the apartment took up the song, followed by all others that were still awake after their long fight. Each brought something new to the chorus of voices that turned into a sorrowful song, the sound taking over the quiet night around them.
And somewhere in the woods, a lone wolf ran faster after hearing the harmonious music, trying to make it home after betraying her pack.
She stirred in her sleep, slowing waking up and becoming aware of her surroundings. She tried to remain in the sweet oblivion of sleep, but something was keeping her from it.
What was that sound?
She couldn't distinguish it and yet… it had woken her.
Kagome dragged herself out of bed, pausing for just a moment to figure out where the noise was coming from. Then she was at the window, opening it with a hard push. It protested, but finally squeaked open as she shoved it upward. Cool air seeped into her room, brought in by the wind and with it, the sound came to her.
Howling.
It was either distant or just softly done; which one it was, she didn't know. Goosebumps appeared on her skin, causing her to absentmindedly run her hands up and down her upper arms. The sound was beautiful and melodious, yet eerily sad. A chill ran down her spine as another wolf joined the chorus, adding its own mournful sound to the collection. Five or six different voices altogether, she decided after listening for awhile.
But why were they howling? And so sadly at that?
It ceased for a second, only for another wolf to take up the fallen song. As another shiver assaulted Kagome, she forcefully closed the window and went back to her bed. She heard the faint, very faint sound of howling for a short time after. Then finally, all was quiet outside, except for the gentle chirping of crickets.
But the memory of it still played in her head. An ominous and foreboding sense took over her, hindering her ability to sleep. She drifted in and out all throughout the early morning, never getting more than a few minutes of sleep. What was this sense of dread that filled her? Why did she feel that this was not going to be a pleasant day?
It was around nine that she finally gave up any delusions of actually getting sleep, deciding to get up and get ready for the day ahead instead. So she had a bad night's sleep, not to mention the ominous air around her, so what? That didn't mean anything. Surely it was some silly superstition, or something of that sort.
She was determined to make this day a good one.
"Wow, Kagome, you look like shit," her brother declared when she stepped into the kitchen.
Well, that thought lasted about five seconds.
She narrowed her eyes at him and hit the back of his head as she walked past him. "You're eight, don't curse," she told him while he rubbed the abused spot on his head. He stuck out his tongue defiantly, which she gladly mimicked before grabbing a box of cereal.
Souta stole glances from her before snickering and going back to eating as she grabbed what she needed to eat her breakfast. Finally when she had everything she sat down and glared at him, asking, "what?" in a sharp tone.
"Nothing," he told her, taking a sip of orange juice. "It's just that I've seen dolls given hair cuts by two year olds that have better hair then you do right now," he finished nonchalantly.
She opened her mouth to respond with some witty insult, but sadly found one. The sleepless night was already taking effect it seemed. So instead, she took the cereal box and slammed it down between the two, forcing Souta to have to stare at the unforgiving face of Captain Crunch. Sure, the cartoon was smiling on the box, but he was still cold and ruthless. Oh, yes.
Her mother entered the room then, in the middle of putting on one of her earring. "Kagome, what are you doing up so early?" She got a grumbled answer, but it seemed to satisfy her since she continued on. "Remember that I'll be leaving tomorrow to go visit your grandfather for a couple of days. At least try to pay some attention to your brother, I don't want him getting hurt. And Souta, don't annoy your sister too much."
"Why are you telling us this now?" Kagome inquired. Noticing her mother's attire she added with a frown, "are you working today? It's Saturday."
She nodded. "Since I'll miss a few days next week, I'm working today. I'll leave early tomorrow morning, so I might not get a chance to talk to you beforehand." She kissed both of her children on their foreheads. "Be good. Don't kill each other."
"Mom, I wanted to go out today!" Kagome protested as her mother left the room.
"If you go anywhere, take your brother," she called back.
Kagome winced as she heard the door close and looked over to her brother, who was smirking at her. "Alright, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. We could stay here and I can annoy the life outta you, or you can take me to the movies. And you're paying," he said, his smile getting wider.
Evil things little brothers are, aren't they?
Having no other choice in the matter (unless she wanted to be slowly tortured by the pranks he'd pull on her all day), she agreed to take him to a movie (PG-13, he demanded—if she'd been older, he would've probably gone for the R) but only after she took a shower and got ready.
"Oh, this should be a fun day," she muttered to herself as she trudged up the stairs.
Was this the reason for her foreboding sense? A day spent with her younger brother?
Considering all the awful things that happened in the world, she hoped so.
The she-wolf strode purposefully into the old apartment building, swallowing all her nervousness, or at least, trying to. But there were wolves all around her and if she showed or even felt at all apprehensive, the more observant of them would be able to notice instantly.
Sango shouldn't have been so uneasy; the rest of the pack had no idea that she had been the one to help Miroku, their captive, escape only hours ago, during the early morning. And as long as she stayed calm, they wouldn't figure it out.
Why did I even come back in the first place? she asked herself. Oh, right, she wanted to know what had happened once the wolves had discovered Miroku gone. Curiosity was said to have killed the cat, but she sure as hell hoped it didn't do anything to canines-type creatures.
She chided herself for thinking so bleakly. Besides, if she didn't come back to their den, some might become suspicious. She couldn't avoid her own pack forever. So right now, all she had to do was pretend everything was normal. And remember to breathe. Yes, breathing was good.
The tension continued to ease out of her body as she walked, seeing as how no one jumped out in front of her, pointing and yelling, 'you, you're the one that did it!', so she figured she was fine. She was just about to let out a sigh of relief, when a sound came to her ears.
Wh-tcssh.
Her walking quickened as she searched out the source of the noise, tracing it to a room in the northeast part of the building. She pushed the door open and was given an appalling shock at what she saw.
A werewolf, still in his human form, was crumbled on the ground, unmoving, as a whip was beaten repeatedly into his flesh. He was curled up into a small ball, positioned so that his back took most the thrashing, though his arms got hit as well. Most of the blows only bruised the skin, but some were just strong enough to break it, causing blood to trickle down his back. He whimpered at every hit.
Anger boiled deep within Sango, seeing the abused wolf, but what annoyed her even more were the others of the pack, only standing around and watching, though a few flinched and sympathy flashed in their eyes, while one wolf was being held down by two others in human forms.
The attacker pulled his whip back to strike once more and in the next moment Sango was moving faster than she ever thought she could. Without hardly even thinking, she was holding the fallen wolf in a protective way and the blow hit her back in his stead.
The wolf glanced up at his protector, but Sango missed the look; she was too busy glaring at his assailant. His face was not impassive or angry like she expected it to be. No, instead he his eyes held a hint of regret, surprisingly enough.
"Move," he instructed.
She bared her teeth in response. Another flash of remorse registered in his eyes before he lifted up the whip, but as he began to strike downward, Sango's hand shot out with lightning speed and grabbed for it. It struck part of her arm, drawing blood and she hissed slightly before yanking it from his grasps, tossing it away from them both.
Sango held his gaze, daring him to go after it.
"What the hell is going on?" A voice proclaimed as a new person stepped into the room. "I thought I told you to beat that boy until…" The voice died out for a moment, then continued with an, "Oh, it's you."
Sango's eyes sought out the owner of the (unfortunately) familiar voice and rested on Kagura as she came further into the room. Sango noticed with certain satisfaction the limp in her walk, Sango's own handy work from the day before.
Sango's eyes narrowed at the she-wolf. I should have done worse than shatter your kneecap, she thought darkly.
She stood up as Kagura approached, knowing that it would aggravate the she-wolf. Staying in the sitting position she had been in seemed like she was giving Kagura the respect a superior wolf expected. Instead, Sango stood, holding her head high, deliberately try to make it seem like they were equals, at the very least. She could see Kagura's lips press in a thin line, irritated at the display.
"This is your order? I should have known," Sango said, her throat rumbling as her anger built.
Kagura continued forward until the two were only a foot apart, looking menacingly down at Sango from her higher stance, trying to use her height superiority against her. "Yes, it was my order, but it's him that's at fault. He deserves what he gets."
Sango took a threatening step forward, putting them only inches from each other. In her mind all sorts of alarm bells were ringing. Did she not remember how Kagura had almost killed her just the day before? Yet still, she couldn't back down, or rather, she wouldn't.
"And what did he do that he deserves this punishment?"
She snapped back her answer as harsh as Sango's own words, if not harsher. "He wasn't doing as he was order. He fell asleep during his guard duty and because of it, the prisoner got away."
Sango's face blanched as the cold feeling of dread washed over her. For the first time she turned, looking down, and recognized the person she had protected, the same person she had stepped so silently over the night before as he slept the deep sleep of the drugged. Hakkaku.
Shit.
She quickly covered up the emotions, replacing them with anger since any other emotion would arise skepticism from the others around her. Sango calmed herself, schooling her face and leaving behind only the anger she did still feel, but now it was directed at herself as well. Though it still felt like a cold hand clutched her heart tightly in her chest.
However Kagura caught the sudden change in mood, but it was too quick for her to figure out what it had been. Her eyes narrowed at the younger werewolf, suspicion obvious in her gaze.
She needed to tear Kagura's scrutiny away from her and onto something else. She searched for anything that would distract her. Nothing came to mind, so she held the other she-wolf's gaze, trying not to show any signs of the treason she had committed against the pack.
"Kagura!" Kouga's voice ran sharply through the room. Sango noticed a slight wince from Kagura, though she didn't find out until later why. It seemed Hakkaku was one of Kouga's most trusted wolves and for Kagura to have done what she did without running it by him…
"I'll finish with you later," she growled out before storming away, though her limp ruined the effect of it.
Kouga watched her walk over with a hard look before his gaze darted past her and met Sango's eyes. He nodded slightly to her, leaving her in charge of the room now. Then he left as quick as he had come, ready to teach Kagura a rather painful lesson, if need be.
Sango let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, but it did nothing to make her feel better. Nonetheless she suppressed any bad thoughts, thinking only of the matter at hand as she turned to survey the room.
She noticed that two pack members were still holding another wolf down and told them that they could let him go. They hesitantly did as she commanded and the gray wolf she recognized as Ginta ran forward to his brother. He nudged himself under Hakkaku to help him sit up while Sango asked gingerly if he was alright. He nodded mutely and she helped him stand and walk back to his room.
He thanked her and thanked her and all she did was feel worse and worse as her stomach sank down to the floor. She forced a small smile on her face and firmly told him she didn't deserve her thanks. And she didn't. She was the one that caused him pain in the first place.
Quickly getting things settled, she took her leave, needing to get away from the pack. Once she was out of sight of the building, she ran as fast as she could. The chilly air nipped at her, but she didn't care, urging herself to go faster. As long as she moved, as long as she pushed herself, she wouldn't think about it.
Well, it was nice in theory.
Her conscience ate away at her, telling her what a terrible thing she had done. But what could she have done? It was either Hakkaku or Miroku. Her own pack or… her enemy. …How stupid was she?
But Miroku was always kind to her and that kiss had sent her mind spinning as a giddy feeling took over her. On the other hand, it was her pack… and Hakkaku had done nothing wrong. It was her fault. And now whatever Miroku did, if he ever hurt one of her pack in a fight, that would be her fault too. If she could go back and choose again, would she make the same decision?
Before she knew it she was in town, the people walking merrily, doing their early morning shopping. She calmed herself enough so that she wasn't on the edge of breaking down and looked around for some kind of distraction. Her eyes found none.
Sango sighed in defeat and sat down on an unoccupied bench, putting her face in her hands. How stupid could she be? Of course there had to be repercussion after a prisoner escaped! Somebody had to blamed… but she hadn't thought of any of that the night before. All she knew last night was that Miroku was in trouble and needed to be helped. He had helped her (though she hadn't really needed it) and she returned the favor. No thoughts of the consequences even passed through her mind until later. And now Hakkaku was hurting because of her and she knew other of the pack would blame him too.
What's worse was now he thought she had saved him, which only made her feel guiltier. He praised her and she felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into an abyss. Oh, what a fool she had been.
She was torn out of her thoughts when she felt a presence loom over her. She quickly looked up, noticing the difference in smell between her own pack and the enemies, knowing after only a few seconds that the person in front of her was not one of her allies.
The girl stood with her legs spread apart, hands on her hips as she glared down at Sango. Her eyes were burning with… something. Though it wasn't rage, she couldn't determine what it was. A bandana was tied around the girl's neck that just about matched the red of her hair. She looked like she'd be shorter than Sango, but she couldn't be sure since the latter wasn't standing up, but she was definitely a year or two younger than herself.
"I hope you don't expect a thank you!" the girl exclaimed. "I didn't ask for your help!"
She stared at the girl like she was insane before she comprehended. The scent… it was the same as the she-wolf that had attacked her the previous night. The same wolf that she had held by the throat, her life in her grasps until, realizing what she was doing, she had run. She had nearly forgotten about the whole thing.
"What's your name?"
The girl seemed surprised by the question and mistrustful at the very least, but in the end said, "Shurran."
Sango shook her head, looking down at the ground. "If I had never hurt you, defended you the whole night from other wolves or something like that, I'd expect a thank you." Again, she shook her head. "But for attacking you, just not killing you? That doesn't deserve any thanks, Shurran."
She eyed Sango cautiously, still waiting for some deception to come from her. When she said nothing more, Shurran asked, "you're new, aren't you? New to their pack?" She waited for a response, so Sango gave a curt nod. She continued with a sneer, "You'll learn. You'll become treacherous and dishonest just like the rest of your dirty pack."
Shurran waited, anticipating anger from the other she-wolf or some kind of annoyed comment. It aggravated her when the wolf only shrugged, her mind seeming to be somewhere else. "Your pack resorts to trickery constantly," she spat out, "at least we're noble and have some pride."
Shurran finally got a reaction from her, but it wasn't what she had guessed it would be. She thought she'd attack her or try to defend her unworthy pack. The she-wolf did neither.
Sango felt some of her anger from earlier come back. Did she have to tell her this? Did they have to keep telling her? Her and Miroku… she already knew. But it wasn't as though she could do anything about it.
She glanced up to meet Shurran's eyes. "Look, I know, but I can't help what I am. I never wanted this! I never wanted to get bitten, never wanted to become a wolf, let alone get thrown into the middle of a war."
Surprisingly in the sign of slight trust, the wolf sighed and sat down next to Sango, her chin resting in her palm. "Things were a lot simpler when I was human."
To that, Sango could find no argument, for she wholeheartedly agreed.
"Kagome, we're going to be late for the movie!" Souta protested as he practically ran through town. "Could you walk any slower?"
Just to prove a point, Kagome slowed down even more until she was barely moving. A character in a movie played in slow motion would've been walking faster then Kagome was at that moment. Souta's mouth turned downward in a pout that kids were so good at, causing Kagome to laugh and go back to normal pace.
"Don't worry, we still have time. Though we might miss a few previews," she told him. In the back of her mind she heard him grumble, "but I like the previews," but her attention was taken away when she saw her friend sitting alone on a bench. "Sango!" she called out with a wave.
Her friend looked up sharply and smiled a very small smile when she saw her and waved back halfheartedly. Kagome took note of Sango's haggard appearance, as well as a bit of dried blood on her arm, though there appeared to be no wound. She felt a frown forming on her face, but Kagome forced it away, keeping the happy smile in place as her and her brother made their way over to her.
"We went to your house to see if you wanted to go to the movies, but your dad said you were out," Kagome informed her.
"Yeah, you're the reason we're going to be late to our movie," Souta chipped in, crossing his arms for added effect to show his annoyance, though it was feigned.
She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Kagome observed. "Sorry, Souta," she apologized.
He blushed and mumbled something about it being alright, while Kagome suppressed a giggle at his expense. Over the time Kagome and Sango had become friend, it became extremely obvious of Souta's little crush on Sango, which Kagome found amusing to no end. It also came in handy, blackmail-wise.
"Want to come along?" Kagome asked.
Sango inclined her head, than nodded with a soft "alright", but Kagome could tell there was something on her mind. Souta seemed happy about the added company and the three had a conversation on the way to the theater, though Sango only gave some distracted answers to questions the siblings asked her.
Kagome gave Souta her money, telling him to run ahead and get seats because if they didn't get there soon, it might be sold out. He nodded and ran off, leaving the two girls alone.
"Alright, spill," Kagome said, turning to her friend, "what's wrong?"
Sango looked startled, but quickly covered it. Does she really know me that well? "Wrong? Noth—"
"I know you better than that, Sango," Kagome told her gently.
"I… It's nothing… that I want to talk about," she said with a sigh. She wished she could talk about it, it would have been nice to discuss it with someone and get their opinion, but Kagome… Kagome was innocent. She still knew nothing about the horrible things that surrounded her. Sango didn't want to ruin that for her.
Kagome sighed as well. She hated when people did that. It seemed her friends did it to her too often. How was she suppose to help cheer them up if she didn't know what was wrong?
"Well, hopefully the movie will get whatever it is off your mind," Kagome told her, to which Sango nodded mutely. "And if you're a good girl and sit through the whole movie quietly, I might even buy you an ice cream after," she teased gently. It brought on the desired effect since a genuine smile came to Sango's face. Kagome put an arm around her friend while telling her, "come on, let's go pig-out on the concession stand candy. That can cheer any girl up."
Kagura supposed she should be happy; she had gotten off lightly with Kouga after explaining what had happened. Though he had pointed out he'd given the responsibility to her and she should have ran things by him first.
What she didn't fail to notice was how distracted he had been the entire time he spoke. Sure, he yelled and they argued like normal, but his mind was elsewhere. The fact that she hadn't got a punishment was evidence of that. Whatever was on his mind was bothering him a great deal and she could only wish she knew what it was. If she did, she'd know a way to turn it for her own advantage.
She shrugged it off her mind, thinking of more pleasant things. Like how lucky she was that the wolf that had wanted to rat her out happened to die in the fight between the two packs. He had wanted to tell Kouga who it had been that had attacked the young pup of the other pack, but he had met a tragic end before he could. So unfortunate, really.
Kagura smirked. Her wolves did her well. That'll teach anyone to try and defy me. But as quick as the devious smile had come, it was gone. The girl, Sango, she'd have to be dealt with. She was strong and what was worse, she did not fear her or her power at all, even after she'd almost killed her.
But she was not an immediate threat. That problem could be tended to at a later date. What she needed to do was figure out what to do with Kouga. He'd been harder to control lately, his mind on other things. He'd even yelled at them for attacking the enemy, for God's sake. What had brought this change in him?
She eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth as the answer came to her.
Her.
She was the real problem she had to deal with. And what was worse, Kouga seemed to possess some… feelings toward her.
No, Kouga would be her mate.
She'd worked so hard to get where she was, she wasn't about to let it all fall apart because of one stupid human wench.
Kagura sought out one of her loyal wolves, finding him quickly. He disapproved of the way Kouga lead the pack, which made it easy for Kagura to seduce him with notions of him being leader with her as his mate. It was lies, of course, but he didn't know that.
"Haruki, you know of the human girl, Kagome, do you not?" she asked him. He snarled slightly in response, while Kagura smiled inwardly. This'll be easier then I thought. "She's causing problems. I need you to… eliminate her for me."
He seemed suspicious, but she was able to convince him. Haruki did have a concern about killing a human, since Kouga strictly forbade it. To kill a human would bring an investigation, which could reveal the pack and no one wanted that. She assured him that she'd protect him if Kouga had any objections. Besides, he'd be doing the pack a favor. The bitch was in line with the other pack, since she was Inuyasha's girl. Or so the rest of their pack thought.
Didn't it just work out perfectly that no one knew of Kouga's attraction to the girl, but her?
Kouga stood just at the edge of the woods, looking at the house as the sun fell lower and lower in the sky. Within the hour it would be dark, but the fact hardly mattered to him.
He lost track of how long he stood in front of her house, contemplating what he was about to do. He thought about turning around, going back to his den… but then his nightmare would haunt him, while awake and sleeping. He needed to finish it, he needed the dreams to go away.
There was only one way to do that.
He strode forward purposefully, confidence in his steps that he didn't entirely feel. He jumped with ease onto the first-story roof, in the next second knocking on the window. Kagome's brother looked to the window in surprise, caution registering in his eyes.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Souta asked, raising his voice so that it could be heard through the glass. "Keep in mind there is a giant dog in this house I can sic on you at any moment if you break in," he added as an afterthought.
Kouga knew very well that there wasn't, otherwise he would have picked up the scent during one of the two times he'd been to Kagome's previously. The fact that her little brother would lie about it, made him smirk and think better of the kid.
"I'm looking for Kagome," he told him.
Souta eyed him for a second, but seemed satisfied with the answer. His sister had some weird friends, he could believe it. Besides, he didn't look serial killer-ish. But then again, what does a serial killer really look like? Walking down a street, can you just point to a person and say, 'oh yeah, he definitely looks like a serial killer'?
"Kagome, your friend's here!" he yelled as he opened the window a bit, letting Kouga do the rest of the work of hauling it open and sliding into the room. Kagome passed her brother's room, heading downstairs. "Not at the front door."
He heard her come back up before she began saying, "then where…" she stopped abruptly, seeing the new arrival. "Kouga," she said with surprise. Then frowning, she added, "don't you ever use a door?"
"And be like everyone else?" He strode forward with a smirk, but gave her a real answer. "I wasn't sure if your mom was around or not." He took her hand in his, making Souta raise an eyebrow, while silently wondering what happened to Inuyasha. Kouga continued in a serious tone, "come with me."
Kagome chewed her bottom lip in thought. The seriousness in his voice, it was odd coming from him. She wasn't use to hearing it from him. Making up her mind, she turned to Souta. "If Sango comes back when I'm gone, tell her to put her stuff in my room and keep her entertained. I'll be back soon."
Souta agreed, not at all upset about spending time alone with Sango. Kagome nearly rolled her eyes at how eagerly he complied. He'd probably get all shy around her when she came anyway.
Kouga led her toward the window and she followed faithfully, though she did pause when he jumped off the roof. He landed easily and turned toward her, holding his arms out so that he caught her when she jumped. It wasn't nearly as nerve-racking as it had been the first time she'd done it. He caught her once, he'd do it again. She knew he wouldn't let harm come to her.
He led her into the woods, going deeper and deeper and she began to worry. It would get dark soon, what if they couldn't find their way back? Things tended to look different in the dark, it'd be harder to find home. Plus she had to get home since Sango was coming to sleep over. Whatever was troubling her friend, she wasn't about to leave her alone so her thoughts would eat away at her.
They came to a stop and Kouga faced her again, not having done so since they had left Souta's room. Again, there was that dreadfully solemn look upon his face. She didn't like it; it was unlike him and brought that bad feeling she had had when she woke up back to her again.
Kouga watched the different emotions that flickered over her face carefully, taking painful notice of the nervousness that set itself on her face in the end.
It's now or never."Kagome…" he said slowly, his voice low. A chill ran down her spine. "Some people aren't as they seem."
It'll eat at me if I don't. I need to know… Will she react like her?He moved closer to her and she was frozen, not daring to move. She stared up at him, her eyes wide with innocence, above all other things. Such purity lay within her, untouched by the cruel world around her. Would he take that away from her?
Her lips parted slightly as though she were about to utter a soft word, but his lips descended upon hers in a heated kiss before she could. She didn't protest at all, unlike the first two times, instead sinking into the feeling, loving how he felt against her. His lips were insistent, pressing hard against hers trying to satisfy the never-ending supply of desire within him.
He licked her bottom lip, a slight whimper in his throat and she complied promptly, allowing him entrance. Fireworks exploded behind her closed eyes as he ravished her mouth, bringing her to new heights of sensation.
All the while kissing her, he took her by the wrists and ran her hands over his form; from his neck down to his broad shoulders, then his chest. From there he moved them to his sides and ran them down until they rested on his waist. Her hands tightened there, showing her refusal to go any lower and he smirked inwardly. He hadn't been planning to bring her hands farther down anyway.
She deserves to know…
The thought ran through his head and he finally tore away, stumbling back a few steps. Kagome opened unfocused eyes, staggering back as well because of his abrupt action.
Her mind was spinning in a pleasant way, but it made the thought process very hard. Only one thing within her was certain. His actions confused her; he kissed her as though it were the last time.
Kagome shook her head slowly, trying to bring some of her senses back. "Kouga…" she spoke, her voice hardly more than a whisper.
He stood with his back to her and his hands reached for the edges of his shirt, then before she knew it, he had taken it off, discarding it to the side.
"W-what are you doing?" she asked, her face flushed.
"You told me I was keeping something from you," he told her, still not facing her. And that's why you wouldn't let me close.
He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to continue, so he stopped talking. He turned around and faced her, knowing he couldn't do it with his back to her. He met her eyes, holding them as blue clashed with brown.
Accept it…
His body was thrown into spasms and he fell to his knees on the ground. Kagome began to rush forward, asking if he was alright, but her words were drowned out. She stopped halfway, however, as her body protested going near, her instincts kicking in.
Kouga's nails dug deep into the earth as he let out hisses of pain. The hair on his body began to grow thicker and darker, though a few patches became a snowy white. He shuttered as his bones popped out of their sockets, rearranging and transforming in a painful sounding change. It made a grotesque noise that hurt even worse than it sounded. His ears slid upward and became pointed while a tail appeared and grew at the end of his spine. His fingers became shorter as his nails grew and his jaw extended out as sharp teeth replaced dull ones and his hisses turned into snarls. Then he stood on all fours, breathing heavily.
The change was complete.
Kagome took one shaky step back, then another. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, differently then how it had when he kissed her. Her back hit against a tree and she nearly jumped out of her skin, but ended up sinking down its trunk.
Kouga couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes, knowing the fear that would certainly be there.
His ears flattened against his head and he took a retreating step back, before he fled.
She was terrified, she had to have been. Her heart was pounding and she moved away… It's just the same! She won't come near me after this. What the fuck was I thinking?
But he knew. He had hoped… He had hoped she'd be able to accept him as he was, just the way she couldn't.
He'd been terribly mistaken.