A/N: Here's chapter three! Yay for me, right? LoL. No, just joking! Please review and let me know what you think!

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Unspoken
Chapter Three: Down Hill

Kagome groaned, tossing her alarm clock at the wall. She didn't want to go to school. Well, no one usually wants to go to school, but this was especially true for her. It would be her first day back at school since Kouga had bitten her two days ago. She had stayed out an extra day claiming that she was still sick, and luckily her mother bought the bogus story.

Her phone rang. "What?" she snapped in a whiny sort of voice.

"I'll see you at school today, Kags..." It was Kouga.

Kagome did not reply. She merely hung up the phone, grabbed her bag, and walked out the front door. Unfortunately, Kouga was already outside waiting for her when she got there.

"You didn't think I would let you make that long journey all by yourself, did you?" he smirked. "Now...why did you have to go and hang up on me like that?"

"I don't want a ride from you, Kouga. I don't want anything from you." Kagome practically snarled. "I can walk to school perfectly fine on my own."

Kouga shook his head. "Well, you aren't going to."

"What are you going to do, Kouga? Stop me in front of my family and anyone else? I don't think anyone would like you too much if they knew the real you. Why don't you go ahead? Then everyone can see what you are really like."

Kouga looked as if he had been slapped, but he recovered from the shock of her words quickly. "You have no right to say that to..."

"You're the one who doesn't have any right," Kagome hissed in a low, dangerous voice.

Seconds later, Sango pulled up, throwing open her car door as she did so. "Need a ride?" she smiled at Kagome. She glared daggers at Kouga as Kagome quickly jumped into the car.

"Thanks." Kagome whispered.

"Don't mention it. Besides, I have news. I think it's even good news...but I guess that depends on how you look at it," she added as an afterthought.

Kagome blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sango turned a corner, actually driving farther from the school, rather than to it.

Kagome stared. "What are you doing? School is the other way, Sango..."

"You can't tell me you actually want to go to school. You realize that you would have to see Kouga there, right?" Sango reminded her, and Kagome quieted. "You're going to need some time to hear all of this anyway. So just sit back, relax, listen, and enjoy the scenic, more interesting route to school..."

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"I just don't get how he is allowed to just do that to her!" Inuyasha yelled at his elder brother. "From what you just said..."

"Technically, he isn't..." Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Well, he is, but it is only binding if..."

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelped, jogging into the room and dragging a flustered looking Sango with him. "Inuyasha, we have news! And from what my dear Sango tells me, this is really good!"

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose. "Sango, I think that you maybe hit him one too many times on the head. How about you aim lower next time, huh?" Inuyasha smirked.

"Actually, he hasn't gone crazy or anything." Sango defended him.

Sesshoumaru suddenly looked more interested. "How do you mean?" he asked her, his expression not changing.

"I mean we just got back from Kagome's house..." Sango began.

Inuyasha huffed in irritation. He wished he was allowed to go visit Kagome, but no...

Sango glared at him, and continued her story. "Anyway, listen. I don't think that Kouga's mark is as binding as he seems to think it is. Kagome was unwilling to be marked by him in the first place. We know that much. So technically, the mark will not stick, because it isn't supposed to be there. From what I know, Kagome has to find someone else to remove the mark..."

"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked.

"That's what I was about to say before you burst in here as you did." Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. "In order for Kouga's mark to be removed, Kagome has to find someone else to remove the mark...someone whom she is willing to be marked by. In essence, someone she really loves, and not someone she is forced to love. The new mark from the one she loves may release her from Kouga's hold..."

"May release her?" Inuyasha repeated with a skepticism in his voice.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes...well, this kind of thing doesn't happen very often, so cases like this are very rare, actually..."

"So what do we do?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku shook his head. "We do nothing. You do something."

"Me?" Inuyasha looked confused.

"How do you feel about Kagome, Inuyasha? How do you really feel? Because Miroku and I realized something while we were at Kagome's house, and if we are right, then maybe you can help Kagome..."

"What is it?"

Sango took a deep breath. "Kouga warned Kagome to stay away from you. When she still didn't listen to that, that is when he marked her. He marked her because he knew that you would know to stay away from her once he did, and she would know that she wasn't allowed to be near you. It was like the ultimate punishment for disobeying him. Kouga must have sensed that there was something between the two of you, and so he did what he knew would keep the two of you apart..."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "That son-of-a..." he began.

Miroku held up his hands. "Back up, Inuyasha. Stay on topic here. Kagome..."

Inuyasha paused. "Kagome...is my best friend in the world. I...I would tell her anything. I would do anything for her. I..." He gasped in realization. "I think I love her..."

Sango nodded with a smile. "We knew you did, dog-boy. We've known for quite a while." she whispered. "We also know that because of that, you might be able to help her..."

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Kagome paled as Sango finished her story. "You didn't, Sango! You told him? What happens if Kouga finds out? If he finds out I'm toast!" She worried.

Sango sighed. "Don't worry, Kagome. We already warned Inuyasha. He's not going to say anything, all right? We still have to figure out how to manage this without getting you into some kind of trouble."

"Let me know when you figure that one out..."

"We already have. Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Miroku, and Shippo are all waiting for us at Sesshoumaru's office. You and Inuyasha can meet there until we figure the rest of this out, all right? Sesshoumaru has given something to Inuyasha to mask his scent, so it should be all right to be around him for a little bit at a time." Sango told her.

"Really?" Kagome smiled.

Sango laughed. "Yes, really..."

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"Inuyasha!" Kagome grinned, running to him and wrapping him in a hug. "I am so glad to see you!" she smiled. "I've missed you so much, but Kouga..." her expression darkened. "What am I going to do?" Her eyes began to fill with tears.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Everything is going to be fine, Kagome. You'll see."

"I'm sure it's not that simple..." Kagome sighed. "And if Kouga figures out that I was here..." she paled.

"He won't touch you." Inuyasha replied sternly. "I would kill him with my bare hands..."

"But he...Inuyasha..." Kagome stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "Inuyasha, I'm afraid of him. I'm scared of what he might do if he..."

"Kouga trampled all over demon law as if it didn't apply to him at all..." Sesshoumaru growled. "What he has done to you is unforgivable. After we have dealt with this, he himself will be swiftly dealt with. If any harm comes to you in the mean time, that will be one more thing he has to answer for...and his track record thus far is not exactly promising." Sesshoumaru reminded them. He looked at the clock. "You all had better hurry off," he said quickly. "We don't want him to suspect anything..."

"But what about...?" Kagome began.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "That can not be done so simply or quickly, Kagome. Placing a mark on you was not that hard...removing it for another is a totally different story. We know it can be done, but we are not sure if something could happen to you, and we have to be able to answer that question safely before we proceed."

Kagome nodded sadly. "All right. Come on, Sango..." Her voice had an air of defeat behind it.

"It'll be all right, Kags," Inuyasha promised her as she left. "We'll help you as soon as we know that it will be safe. I swear it."

Kagome nodded, slowly following Sango out of the building. Ginta scowled with satisfaction as he watched the girls leave the building. Kouga would certainly find this bit of information very interesting.

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"What?" Kouga snapped.

"Yes, and I believe Inuyasha was there." Ginta reported. "What are you going to do?"

Kouga frowned deeply. "She'll pay for disobeying me, Ginta. I'll make sure of it."

"But Kouga, he's her friend. I mean, I know you wanted me to keep tabs, but I don't really think that it is necessary to...hurt her." he worried.

Kouga shook his head. "Hurt her?" he smirked. "I could do something much worse than that...and I wouldn't even have to lift a hand against her..." He paused. "She'll think twice before she goes to him again. I'm sure of that."

"What do you mean? Inuyasha...?" Ginta asked uncertainly.

Kouga laughed. "Exactly."

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The phone rang. Kagome didn't want to answer it, but after the third ring, she knew that the only way it would stop would be for her to pick it up. She sighed deeply, yanking the phone off of it's hook and groaning, "Higurashi residence. This is Kagome..."

"Thought you could get away with it, did you? Well, Kags, I found out! You think I won't do something about it? Did you think I was just going to overlook it and let it continue?"

Kagome paled. "Kouga...I don't know what you're talking about. I just...I wasn't doing anything!" she swore to him. It was a lie, but she had to say something.

"Liar!" he accused her. "I know you went to meet him! Now you'll pay!"

"Kouga, don't! Please...I won't do it again...I promise..."

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Kagome. I was planning on keeping you around. But dog-shit? Well, he isn't going to be so lucky."

"No!" Kagome screamed. "Kouga, don't you dare! Don't touch him! Please..."

"It's him or you, Kagome...but I'm already on my way to your house to pick you up. You had better make a quick decision..."

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A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates, guys! When my foreign exchange student got here, I thought I had already put this chapter up, and I realized last night that I hadn't and went 'oops...'

So here it is, and updates for both of the new ones will be coming soon!