Chapter 15
Cast in stone
By zeldagurl
Authors note: Okay, well, I'm writing this at school for you guys, and I hope that you all like this chapter. Please keep reviewing and making comments on this story.
Kagome was pretty sure that Inuyasha had been asleep when she had left. She had a rough time sneaking past her room, trying not to make a sound.
She heard Inuyasha's soft snoring.
Kagome knew that he wouldn't like the fact that she was going out alone, but she had to look around for any clue as to where her family was. Her mother, brother and her adopted son had been missing for a week now, and she was frantic with worry; ignoring sleep and school for the sake of trying to wrack her brain for reasons.
Why…? Why weren't they home yet? They were supposed to be home, with her and Inuyasha, marveling at the fact that the one she loved was alive.
Shippo was supposed to be able to see his otou-san. He was supposed to be happy, because almost all of his family was united as one again.
They were all supposed to be together; that's how it should have been…
Kagome opened the door to the outside quietly and closed it behind her, taking a breath of the fresh air, as she always did.
The goshinbouku tree waved at her serenely, with its old branches that had weathered time.
"Kagome… I'm surprised to see you outside. I was just going to knock." She turned her head and saw the swilling figure of kouga, walking the last few steps to the shrine.
She smiled and walked forward a little to meet him.
"You haven't found out anything more about my family, have you kouga?" She asked with a glimmer of worry in her eyes.
He shook his head and smiled,
"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure that the combined efforts of dog breath and myself will be enough to find 'em." He looked toward the house and began to walk toward the closed door that kagome had just stepped out of.
"Kouga… just… be careful, okay? Inuyasha doesn't know about you and ayame getting together and stuff. You know how he is." She gave him a quizzical look and hurried to catch up with his large stride.
"Have no worries, sweet kagome." He grinned at her and opened the door.
"That would include the sweet talk as well…" She muttered and cringed as she imagined Inuyasha's reaction.
As if summoned by her thoughts, both kouga and kagome heard a loud crash, followed by a…
"What the…!" It was muffled by the distance between them, and barely heard, but it ushered in a lot more loud banging and thumps, that got louder with each second.
Suddenly, Inuyasha burst through the door, wearing only a towel around his waist.
Kagome blushed in embarrassment, so he HAD figured out how to work the shower…
It didn't help that he was sopping wet, dripping all over the wood floors. Not to mention the look of his muscles flexing, enhancing the wet look.
'It's getting a little hot in here…' kagome yanked on her collar quickly, and hid her eyes.
"What is this kagome?" He accused in an incriminating voice that was unusually quiet, probably with suppressed anger, kagome guessed.
"It's not what you think dog-breath, just calm down and I'll explain…" kouga closed his eyes and held up his hands in a peace gesture, showing unusual calmness under immediate pressure.
"There's nothing to explain! All I want to know is why you're here, with kagome! Even when I've obviously claimed her!" The last part of his rant was spoken quietly and delicately, so that kagome could barely hear him, although it was still spoken with anger.
She wasn't sure if 'claimed' was the right terminology for what he had done…
Sure, he had kissed her; and it was great that he had. But kissing was something that initiated affection, not marriage or mating… At least not yet…
Not that she wouldn't mind if he wanted to do something like that…
"Ack!"
Kagome smacked her head to try and get rid of the dirty thoughts that lurked there at the moment.
"bad mind, bad mind!" She looked up in the midst of her smacking, and realized that both demons were staring at her awkwardly.
"Don't ask…" She waved her hands in front of her, laughing nervously.
Kouga shook his head and then looked back at Inuyasha,
"Anyway, you shouldn't assume things… I've mated with ayame, so I'm no danger to your feelings for kagome."
Inuyasha blushed and looked down, avoiding kagome's eyes for an obvious reason.
"In fact, I'll bring the cubs here sometime; we didn't have the second one until10 years ago."
Kagome knew that Inuyasha was probably relieved in his own way, but he sure wasn't showing it. As far as kagome could see anyway…
"Well then, what did you come here for?" Inuyasha had calmed his tone a tiny bit, although his glare remained focused on the confident wolf demon.
"Kagome met with us two days ago, concerning her family. Sesshoumaru and I have picked up a hint of where they might be, so I came to tell her about it. I also wanted to make sure she was okay being alone with you dog-breath…"
The flustered miko lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling Inuyasha's steely stare on her back.
"What was it that you found kouga?" She said quietly, twiddling her thumbs and ignoring Inuyasha.
"Well… I found a slip of paper yesterday when I was sniffing around this place, it was behind that huge tree outside that I found it." Kouga took a breath and let it out in a heavy sigh.
"I originally went down there because I sensed a very strong emotional aura. What was awkward about it, was that the aura was completely composed of love, and sadness… A strange mix…"
Kagome blushed to herself at that…
"But, on this slip of paper, it had a strange rhyme… It read:
Alone in the world,
the caretaker shall be,
The hell of sadness,
she shall see.
One by one,
all of loves eyes chopped away
Until blindness conquers
in the light of day."
Kouga reached in his pocket and searched for the paper.
"Here…"
He shoved it at her, and glared at Inuyasha.
"Well, Ayame told me to be home quickly, so I'll be leavin' you for now. Take good care of yourself, and I'll see you soon."
And like that, kouga was gone. Now it left Inuyasha to deal with…
"Kagome… I wanna talk to you."
The miko looked down and began walking up the stairs to her room, ignoring his command.
"Oh no you don't!" He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back to face him. Preceding, very conveniently, to corner her and back her into the wall.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because there was nothing to tell!" She looked up into his golden eyes that were extremely close to her face, not to mention his lips…
'Quit it kagome!' She thought, 'now is not the time to think about that!'
She glared at him, with some of the old fire that she had possessed long ago, when their fights would remain as stupid and meaningless as this one.
"You need to stop being so possessive! It's not like I ever liked kouga!" She shouted.
"I have no proof of that! All the time that you're ever around him, you let him crawl all over you!" His grip tightened around her arm as his anger escalated.
"Even if I did; why shouldn't I let him, huh! It's not like you really care, other than being jealous!"
"Damn it! It's because we're together, stupid! I care about you more than that wimpy wolf ever would, and you can't see that! Can you!"
Kagome froze while readying herself to yell again, taking in the depth of what Inuyasha had just told her.
"What? Inuyasha…"
His face relaxed, as he realized what he had just shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Kagome… I…"
His throat froze up, so that he was unable to even take what he had just said back. Kagome just stared, her brown eyes searching his golden ones, trying to read the emotion in them.
"Oh Inuyasha…"
His hand loosened, as she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his middle, and burying her head in his chest.
"I'm so glad to hear it."
His voice finally began working again, as he whispered her name and allowed himself to bury his nose into her beautiful black hair.
So the wolf wasn't that bad…
But he still got in between him and kagome, even if he was supposedly mated to ayame. He knew that kouga wasn't a threat anymore, but he still had a horrible sinking feeling, that he knew was only his instinct to protect kagome, acting up.
But could anyone blame him?
Inuyasha had always been forced to be ready to give his life for her at any time. He hadn't really minded, back in the feudal era…
After all, the alternative without her was bleak and empty, without meaning for the hanyou. And he never wanted his life to be without meaning again… He had enough of that from the time before she came and freed him from that damn sacred tree.
"Hey… Inuyasha…" He felt her speak into his chest, not bothering to lift her head out of the warmth, he bet.
"Mm?"
"Do you think that maybe tonight we can go out…?" She looked up at him and then blushed.
"I mean to look for my family and stuff" She smiled agreeably.
"Sure… Why not."
-
A.N. The chase is on! I finally updated, after writing from school!'
Ugh! What a pain! I'll start writing chapter 16 as soon as I can!
Enjoy!