In the Beholders Eye

Written By Sarga

May/June 2006

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, I'm just taking a theme and running with it...

Chapter 18: Bushy Tailed

Kagome could barely contain her hopeful exuberance. The thought that in two nights she would be able to see her family again made her feel every second of the long afternoon. Even without a watch, Kagome could almost feel time slow to a crawl, the sun seeming to stop on its afternoon journey.

Wanting something, anything, to keep her mind occupied, Kagome offered to help Kaede with her afternoon chores. Kaede just smiled and shook her head in decline.

"Nay, child, I tend my gardens in the evening when there be less heat. I see the villagers as they need me. I am old and need not keep myself busy to be content." Kaede smiled sympathetically, patting Kagome's arm lightly. "Why don't ye go for a walk?" she suggested simply.

Ears drooping in defeat, Kagome nodded with a slight pout. Leaving the hut, Kagome turned to the roof. There sat Inuyasha, arms folded impatiently while he fidgeted.

"Lets go for a walk, Inu..." Before she could finish, the hanyou had bolted past her.

"Fine." His word was said like he wanted to do anything but, however his actions spoke for him. "Come on!" he demanded impatiently, motioning with his hand for her to follow.

'So much for a gentle walk,' Kagome sighed with half a smirk on her face. She jogged to catch up, and as she did, Inuyasha sped up to match her. Rather than a walk, it seemed they would be going for a jog.

Kagome picked up the pace a little as they broke through the trees, trying to pull ahead. Inuyasha followed suit and caught up.

Inuyasha sped up a little as they reached a narrow brook, trying to pull ahead. Kagome followed suit and caught up.

Pretty soon they were wordlessly racing to some undefined destination. Breaking into a small clearing, they both realized their goal: the God Tree.

Each spurred on with a last attempt to outdo the other, they sped up until they had reached it. At the same time.

Inuyasha glared at Kagome who just smirked back. After all, she had not been a half demon all of her life.

Sighing with contentment, Kagome plopped onto the grass at the base of the tree, sprawled out like she would on her bed. At home. In her room.

Kagome frowned.

Inuyasha tilted his head in confusion and opened his mouth to speak.

Instead of Inuyasha's voice, they heard another canine male; Kouga.

"You greedy bastard!" Kouga shouted from the edge of the clearing. "How could you just kill him without me? I gave Kagome the jewels on the condition that you," Kouga pointed sharply as he ran forwards. "would get me when you found him."

Kouga, devoid of his precious jewel shards, was still a speedy foe. He lunged at Inuyasha, anger spiking dangerously as he took a forceful, if not well placed, swing at his target.

That's when it hit her.

Kagome moaned lightly as Kouga's scent entered her nostrils. Was this what Inuyasha had smelled every time Kouga came near? Was this what he had been trying to prevent her from sensing when she had been a human?

At the sound of her tiny mewl, Kouga's anger quickly dropped, being replaced instead by confusion. He didn't see her, hidden as she was in the tall grass.

"Kagome?" he asked, as if he were unsure about who it was, as if he were trying to make sense of something that didn't quite fit.

Slightly light-headed from the pleasant aroma that now wafted into her field of scent, Kagome sat up. A shy grin played stupidly on her mouth as she leaned carelessly back on her arms. Her silver hair cascaded to the ground like a waterfall, accenting the shiny purple cloth covering her body.

"Mmm-hmm," she purred in ascent.

Eyes wide, Inuyasha forgotten, Kouga took a tentative step forward then grinned. Abandoning the startled hanyou, Kouga lunged past and leaped at Kagome, pushing her back into the grass. Giggling like a schoolgirl, which she still considered herself to be despite her current state of inhumanity, Kagome rolled Kouga off her and jumped lightly to her feet.

Kagome Offered her hand to the demon before her, and Kouga accepted, obviously trying to pull her down with him again. Bracing her feet, Kagome smiled warmly, her right eyebrow arched in amusement as she pulled with both hands.

Admitting defeat, Kouga stood and quickly clasped Kagome's hands with his own, pulling her closer. Eyebrows clenching together in a sudden onset of concern, Kouga's mouth turned solemn.

"Kagome," he said breathlessly.

He had her undivided attention.

"What did dog-breath do to you?"

Kagome blinked once, startled by his accusing tone. She averted her gaze and half-heartedly tried to pull away.

Grasping her arm softly with his left hand, Kouga pulled her back. He let is right hand travel lightly to her chin. Turning her head back up to meet his gaze, Kouga smiled gently.

"I still love you, Kagome. Nothing could change that." Frowning again, Kouga continued. "But I still want to know what he did to change you." He looked deep into her eyes, a solid gaze burning with pure emotion; passion, love, anger, hurt.

She moaned again, his scent, his raw emotion too much for her to handle. She felt as her chin was drawn towards his and he kissed her gently, yet with an overwhelming passion that bespoke of yearning, of desire.

Pulling gently away, his eyes still locked with hers, Kouga let the corner of his mouth smirk with arrogance. Lowering the hand that had been coddling her arm, he let it drift into her hand. Turning his attention to one seething hanyou, he was once again fulfilling the roll of the cocky demon.

"Looks like she chose me, dog-breath." Kouga sneered lightly as he spoke.

"Chose...?" whispering, her eyes clouded and distant, Kagome could barely think, let alone argue. That had been her first kiss, and, boy, what a first kiss.

"...and now that she's mine, she won't be needing you anymore. I won't let our pups come to harm, like you would."

"Pups...?" Kagome's thoughts grew clearer, despite the still-pleasant scent that wafted next to her. "Kouga, what...?" She tried to pull her hand away and found that it was firmly affixed.

"She'll make a fine mate," Kouga continued. "She may not be my Alpha female, but she'll make a wonderful Beta. The strength of our pups will be much greater than if she was a human." He smirked and turned back to Kagome, as if she had agreed to all of this with her kiss.

"Kouga, I never said I would bear your..." Kagome started but was quickly silenced.

"Come on Kagome," Kouga coaxed her arm to follow. "We wouldn't want to keep the pack waiting, after all."

"Kouga, wait I..." she was being pulled against her will and he wouldn't listen. "Kouga, I said stop!" she yelled.

As if released from some invisible leash, Inuyasha dashed towards the pair. Kagome strained to free herself, and Kouga sent her a confused look.

Finally seeing the blur of red coming towards him, Kouga let her go, focusing instead on the predator attacking him. Kagome flew to the ground with the full force of her pull.

A new scent bombarded Kagome's nose. 'Is that...' Looking up from the grass, she felt herself flush covetously. 'Inuyasha?' His scent, more powerful than she had ever sensed it, overwhelmed Kouga's, leaving Kagome breathless. Kagome steadied herself and prepared to stand.

Then she heard it.

"Stay."

Barely a whisper, and she was immobilized. She couldn't even open her mouth to retaliate.

Inuyasha dove forward, using his powerful claws to tear at Kouga. Jumping nimbly away, Inuyasha's claws instead grazed a fuzzy tail. Growling with rage, Inuyasha lunged to where the wolf demon had landed. Snarling, Kouga jumped forward, grabbing Inuyasha's hands in his own. Locked in a struggle for dominance, the pair looked as if they were a pair of gleeful schoolgirls embraced in a happy dance. Except for the sweat on their brows and their grunts of exertion, that is.

Their draw apparent, Inuyasha threw Kouga to the side and let him stumble sideways.

Inuyasha reached for the Tetsusaiga, drawing it out fully formed in all of its glory.

"That's it, stupid wolf," he growled. "You're goin' down!"

Inuyasha's sword glowed dangerously as he raised its blade high in the air as he...found himself on the ground.

He had not heard the word, so why was he on the ground? Confusion rampant, Inuyasha jumped up and whirled towards the flurry of blows that were taking place before his very eyes.

There stood Kagome, lashing out furiously at a startled wolf demon. Sensing the sincerity of her attack, Kouga defended himself as strongly as if it were Inuyasha before him instead.

Inuyasha snarled with frustration. "This is my fight, dammit!" he yelled jumping to his feet. But he did not interrupt.

No, this was now her fight.

Kagome swung her claws towards the nimble demon, but he leaped deftly away. Her fury, held at bay by small mutterings of "Shippo" and "Fuzzy bunny", seemed to embody itself in her hands. A blue haze surrounded her claws, seeping out like a fine mist.

She swiped again and made contact with an arm.

The reaction was instantaneous.

With an almost imperceptible hissing sound, the wound on Kouga's arm started to eat away at the flesh near it. Nursing his wound, Kouga jumped back, eying Kagome warily as she suddenly stopped, shocked into inaction.

Wincing slightly, Kouga grinned at her. His eyes gleamed with pride.

"I take it back." His voice was laced with desire. "You can be my Alpha."

End of Chapter

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: I've heard that Kagome actually kisses Inuyasha in one of the episodes in the middle of the series. I haven't seen this, so of course that means in my narrow little universe it doesn't exist.

As always, your reviews inspire me to continue. Once a week was my goal but with all of the reviews coming in, I've been spurred onwards! Keep 'em coming!