Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.

Chapter 7

True to his word, Kouga did indeed call Kagome about the riding lessons. She was a bit nervous, but told Kouga that she would like to try it just once. He laughed heartily in her ear and told her that if she enjoyed being a passenger last night, she'd love it even more once being a driver.

An hour later, Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku showed up, the low rumblings of their bikes announcing their arrival. Kagome dashed out to greet them, with Kouga's jacket in hand. Hiro followed her out, locking the door behind him, then turning to eye the bikers warily. He knew that Kouga and his boys were seasoned riders, but he also knew that they tended to be a bit wild on their bikes, showing off.

Hiro sincerely hoped there would be no showing off today. Kagome's life would be at risk... and so would his neck should something happen to her.

"Oi, Hiro! Ready to ride?" called Kouga. "Oh hey, we forgot to completely introduce ourselves last night. Sorry about that. I know you don't really know who we are, Hiro, even though we work with your brother and all."

"Trust me, I know who you are, Matsuno," Hiro answered shortly.

"Yeah well, I'm mainly doing this for Kagome's benefit. Kagome, this is Kawase Ginta and the one with the mohawk is Kawase Hakkaku." The two brothers nodded to Kagome, who smiled and waved back at them while Kouga slipped a helmet onto her head and helped her onto his bike. There was a smirk on his face as he fastened the jacket on her. "It's been awhile, yeah?" Kouga asked Hiro. "Since you last rode a big boy's bike?"

With a scowl, Hiro glared at Kouga. "I'm not going to do this with you today, Kouga. Let's just go and get this over with."

Hakkaku whistled at Hiro, who was fishing in his trouser pocket for something. "Hey Hiro! Wanna ride with a real man?" he called out, giving Hiro a wink and a lewd grin. Ginta and Kouga gave themselves up to raucous laughter, while Kagome only looked confused.

Without bothering to look back at the hecklers, Hiro gave them the finger before going around to the side of the house. He disappeared for a moment and then a low, familiar rumbling noise erupted from the back of the house and a few seconds later, Hiro emerged on the back of shiny black Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Ginta and Hakkaku stared openly, mouths hanging open. Kouga looked suitably impressed and walked over to Hiro when he brought the bike to a rest. Shutting off the engine, Hiro sat back, a smug smile on his face.

"Wow, you got it after all," Kouga remarked, awe evident in his voice. He ran a finger lightly over the headlight. "She's beautiful."

"That, she is. This, gentlemen, is the VRSCDX Night Rod Special, 2007 model. What do you think?"

It took less than a second for the other guys to get over their shock and rush over for a closer inspection. They took turns sitting astride the coveted bike, turning it on and revving the engine.

Kouga stood beside Hiro while watching his friends examining the bike. "When did you get it? Did you have it shipped from America?" he asked in a low, almost breathless voice.

"Yeah, I got it from the States, though probably not legally." Hiro lowered his voice as well. "It was a present from Yuki. He's been trying to gain my favor in order to pursue Kagome. I can't believe he'd ordered it and had it delivered to me so quickly. Someone probably got knocked off for it." He and Kouga both cast concerned glances back over their shoulders at Kagome, who was still sitting astride Kouga's bike. Her hands were nervously fidgeting with the sleeves of the jacket and her head was bowed in submission, as though she were a child who had been told not to touch anything. "He must really want to take her out, though I can't understand why he would wish to. She isn't even his type."

"Will you let him?" Kouga asked, his blue eyes not leaving the slender form on his ride.

"Only if she wants him to," Hiro replied with a sigh, turning and walking over to Kagome. She looked up at him, her eyes peering out at him from inside the helmet. "Are you okay, sweetheart? Do you feel up to this?" he asked, taking one of her small hands in his and holding it against his body.

The helmet shifted a little as she nodded her head. She smiled up at him and as she did so, she heard the sound of Hiro's bike turn off suddenly. Everyone crowded around to look at her and out of habit, she shrank against Hiro, turning her face to his body. She hated when people stared at her like that, their eyes full of pity. She was already pitiful enough without being made to feel even more so.

As Hiro's arm went around her, she relaxed and hugged him back, taking comfort in his wonderfully calming presence. But another presence was beside her and she felt a large, warm hand on her shoulder. Kagome turned to see Kouga. He had bent down slightly, so that he was eye level with her. His eyes studied her through the mask of the helmet she wore, those smooth black brows furrowed with concern.

"You know, you don't have to do this today," he said softly, his blue eyes matching his voice. "I won't get mad if you aren't ready."

Kagome barely heard the words he spoke. She had somehow, gotten lost in those incredible sparkling blue eyes. If he'd asked her to commit grand theft auto with him, she knew she would have agreed without hesitation. "I'm fine. It's just that... I don't like people staring at me," she whispered, finally able to break the hold of his steady gaze, her eyes dropping down to the seat in front of her. "May we go now?"

"Yeah, sure." Kouga tipped her head up so she could look at him. His grin was almost as comforting as Hiro's embrace. He straightened and got on the seat in front of her. "Let's go, guys."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They rode to a large, empty school parking lot about ten miles away. While Hiro, Ginta and Hakkaku were discussing Hiro's new motorcycle, Kouga had moved behind Kagome, who had removed her helmet, and was showing her the basics. She had managed to snuggle up against Kouga, who did not seem to mind the closeness at all.

As for Hiro, he kept his eye on Kouga's hands to make sure they never went anywhere they weren't supposed to go. To his surprise however, Kouga was actually into the lesson, his handsome face serious as he explained how to shift the gears. Kagome stared up at Kouga admiringly and even had the grace to occasionally look at where Kouga was pointing out certain things to her. Though, whenever Kagome turned her face away, a tender little smile would cross over Kouga's face, telling Hiro that Kagome's driving instructor was enjoying her company immensely.

Two hours later, Kagome was riding around by herself on Kouga's motorcycle in front of her house. Her shifting skills still weren't completely smooth, but it was fair enough and Kouga was pleased with how fast she learned. When she came to a stop and turned off the engine, she put down the kickstand and launched herself at Kouga, thanking him profusely and proclaiming that riding a motorcycle was "just awesome".

Kouga laughed and held her close. He thought a moment and looked over at Hiro, a question in his eyes. Hiro looked from Kouga to Kagome and back again...then smiled, giving the black-haired man a nod of approval. Relief flooded Kouga and he pulled back. Kagome stared up at him, a bright smile plastered all over her face before she dashed off in the direction of Hiro's Harley, where it was resting in the half-empty two-car garage. Hakkaku and Ginta were still openly drooling over it.

Hiro walked over to Kouga, who was leaning against Hiro's car, which was parked outside, and was watching Kagome. "So... when did you figure this out?" Hiro asked, also glancing over to where Kagome and Ginta were chatting animatedly.

Running a hand through his hair Kouga said, "Today, although I must admit I'd had a few perverted fantasies about her when I first set eyes on her. I've been waiting for a chance to meet her for awhile now." Kouga chuckled ruefully, but soon grew serious. "I don't want her at your brother's mercy, that's for sure," he said quietly. "All he wants to do is use her and throw her away."

"I'm inclined to agree," muttered Hiro bitterly. "But I'm afraid she has innocently posed a challenge to him and of course, Yuki feels he must overcome it. He'd break her heart so fast..." His voice trailed off, but he continued to watch her as she started his bike. Ginta was behind her, giving her helpful hints as they shot forward out of the garage and out onto the street. She was laughing and Hiro felt his heart grow warm at the sound, for Kagome did not laugh much.

"I really like Kagome." Turning to Hiro, Kouga grasped his shoulder. "I won't hurt her, I swear."

Looking back at Kouga, Hiro saw the earnestness in those bright blue eyes and he knew instinctively that Kouga was telling the truth. It was strange to find out he had been completely mistaken in his views of that particular gentleman. "I know, Kouga. But I'll have to tell Sesshoumaru about this, you know. He relies on my opinions, seeing as how I know her better than anyone else. He'll allow you to date her, but only if she wants it. Of course, you'll have to ask Kagome yourself, but I've seen how she looks at you. She really admires you, Kouga." Hiro grinned and clapped Kouga on the back. "You shouldn't have any trouble on that front."

Kouga frowned. "Why does this Sesshoumaru person have to know? Is he like, her dad or something?"

Shaking his head, Hiro replied, "No. Sesshoumaru is her step-brother, as well as her guardian. He feels that it is his job to protect her at all costs."

"And that's why you're always with her?"

"Yes. He asked me to keep an eye on her since he was unable to do it himself."

"If he wanted to watch over her more closely, why let her live in a separate house?" asked Kouga. "What's with the overprotectiveness anyway? Does she have a terminal illness?"

With a laugh, Hiro shook his head. "Oh no, nothing like that!" he reassured the dark-haired man beside him and went on to tell him of Kagome's past. "So you see, he's afraid that if she becomes ill again, no one will be around to help her. But he doesn't want to smother her, which is why he lets her live in her own house."

After hearing all of that information, Kouga felt almost numb inside. "She nearly... died? Oh damn. I didn't know... No wonder he treats her like glass. I would too, if it ever came to that. Treat her like glass, that is." He looked over at Hiro, who was watching Kagome ride up and down the street with Ginta. "How do you do it? I mean, you have to report every little thing back to Sesshoumaru. Don't you ever go out with your friends? Party? Do you have a life at all?"

Hiro's face instantly sobered, his eyes growing sad. "I go out very seldom. But then, I don't really deserve to go out and have fun." He lowered his head. "I left her, deserted her when she needed me most. For five years, I went to school, partied... while she suffered." Squeezing his eyes shut, Hiro turned his head away. "And that bastard brother of mine... Yuki bribed me to come live with him, saying he'd pay for my college tuition, a new car, anything I wanted. So I stayed with him all that time, and he made sure I got hooked on pot, ecstasy and booze just so he could keep me under his thumb."

He turned his face to Kouga and stared at him with tear-filled eyes. "Want to know why he did that? Just so he could get back at our parents because he felt they turned me against him." Hiro swiped viciously at his eyes. "Of course, that was completely untrue. They loved him and were heartbroken when he ran away."

"Then why did you go to live with him?" asked Kouga in a hushed voice.

"To keep an eye on him. Report back to my parents on how he was doing. That went fine for awhile until Yuki found out. That was when he began pushing his lifestyle on me and I went along with it, because I believed that he loved me and would never let anything hurt me. I had never been so wrong in my life."

Kouga ran a hand through his black locks. "And what of Kagome? He let you call her every once in while, right?"

Hiro nodded. "Yeah, but I couldn't go to her. Even when the pain in her voice tore me in two, I still couldn't go. I begged and pleaded with Yuki, but he told me that if I left, he'd cut me off completely. At the end of the third year, when I thought I couldn't take anymore, I received a phone call from Sesshoumaru. He told me... he told me that Kagome's heart had nearly given out and that she was barely clinging to life." Straightening his back, Hiro stared ahead with angry eyes. "That snapped me back to reality. I went completely clean and two years later was able to finish college before I left Yuki. But before I went, I'd had a couple of lengthy conversations with Sesshoumaru, who agreed to allow me to take care of Kagome since he was busy running his company."

"I guess Kagome doesn't know any of this?"

"Hell no! I couldn't bring myself to tell her what I'd been up to, why I couldn't be there for her. It was bad enough leaving her to suffer all alone. Kami...and she nearly died! That almost killed me, Kouga. I couldn't have lived with myself if she'd died."

There was a shriek and both men ran, panic-stricken, out onto the street. Kagome was driving pretty fast and Ginta was holding on to her, saying something in her ear. Kagome was shook her head and yanked her hands off the handle bars and used them to cover her eyes. With a laugh, Ginta easily took over, slowing down the bike. He steered them back over to where Hakkaku stood in the garage, laughing so hard he was bent over double. Ginta, who was now laughing too, helped a trembling yet giggling Kagome off the bike.

Hiro looked at Kouga, who's face had turned white with fright. "I think you'd better go ask her out now before she tries to kill herself going too fast on a motorcycle."

Nodding absently, Kouga replied in a shaking voice, "Um, yeah, I should. Right now...?" Bringing his hands up to his hips, he slid his palms down the sides of his pants. "Damn, I'm nervous." His voice shook even more. "I... I've never been nervous about asking a girl out before. Weird, huh?"

"Then you'd better do it now before you lose what little nerve you have left," quipped Hiro, giving Kouga a good shove in Kagome's direction.

Stiffening his spine, Kouga managed to schlepp his way over to where Kagome stood talking with the brothers. Hiro watched with some amusement as Kouga shooed away his friends and when they didn't budge, he took Kagome by the hand and gently pulled her away from them and out to where the cherry tree stood in the front yard.

Ginta and Hakkaku looked puzzled and both shot questioning glances at Hiro, who only grinned back. They walked over to him and Hakkaku asked, "What's he doing?"

As the grin grew wider, Hiro murmured, "What do you think?"

ooooooooo

Once he had Kagome all to himself, Kouga cleared his throat. 'It should not be this hard!' his mind screamed at him. "Um, Kagome? I know we only met last night, but um..."

Kagome's huge chocolate brown eyes widened with some surprise. "Yes, Kouga?"

"Well, I've been watching you for awhile now and..." Kouga began and then faltered. I've been watching you for awhile now? Damn, how creepy was that? That made him sound like some kind of stalker or something and damn, those eyes of hers were really doing something weird to his insides. Concentrate, baka!

"Would you like to go out with me sometime? Just the two of us?" he asked softly. "If you don't want to or if this is way too early for you, I can always wait. I'll understand. Its just that... well... you're different from the women I normally date and--"

Kagome put a hand out and lightly touched his shirt. "If you really mean it, then I would love to go out with you, Kouga-kun. You seem to be very nice and I'm not afraid to be with you. It seems that Hiro approves of you, so I guess that means I can trust you, too." She gave him a shy, uncertain smile.

As for Kouga, it took him a minute before he realized that she had agreed to go out with him. He grinned stupidly back down at her before snapping her hand up and pressing a light kiss on the knuckles. "You can trust me, Kagome. I only hope I'm good enough for you."

Kagome smiled at him again when her cell phone went off. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the small screen. "Excuse me, Kouga-kun!" she said and moved away to answer it. "Sesshoumaru! Hi!"

While she was talking, Kouga moved away to where his buddies and Hiro stood. There was a decided spring in his step, not to mention that he was grinning from ear to ear. "I guess she said yes," Hiro said, tilting his head to the side, his dark eyes twinkling.

Blushing to the roots of his black hair, Kouga nodded, which sent the Kawase brothers into shouts of joy. They pounced on Kouga, each trying to give him a massive noogie. Kouga fought back, wrestling them both to the ground, all of them laughing.

Hiro smiled down at them then turned his attention to Kagome, who leaned back against the trunk of the cherry tree. She was frowning.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Sesshoumaru! Hi!" chirped Kagome happily.

A deep chuckle sounded in her ear. "Hello, beloved. I see you're having a good day. Did Hiro take you out somewhere?"

"Not just Hiro, Sesshoumaru! Kouga-kun and his friends came over! He taught me how to ride a motorcycle! Wasn't that nice of him?"

"Yes it was. You said Hiro went with you? Hmm. I don't believe I've met your new friends."

Kagome could detect the worry in his voice and she hurried to reassure him. "No, you haven't met them yet. Oh! Hiro rode with us on his own motorcycle! I wish you could see it, Sesshoumaru! It's really pretty." She giggled. "It goes pretty fast, too. Kouga-kun and his friends are really nice. You'd like them, I think."

"I see. I'm glad you are happy, darling. Actually, I was calling to ask if you would like to eat dinner at the house tonight."

She frowned slightly. "But I don't feel sick today and I've been eating pretty well lately. Really I have! Besides, its only Monday. Is something wrong?"

Sesshoumaru laughed. "No, no! I know it's only Monday. I would like us to eat together as a family tonight. Inuyasha will be moving to Kagoshima tomorrow and he'll be gone for six months. It would be nice for all of us to be together before he leaves."

Her breathing quickened and she looked up, seeing Hiro watching her steadily with those dark, keen eyes of his. Quickly, she turned away and moved to the other side of the tree. "You're sending Inuyasha away? For six months? But Sesshoumaru, he didn't really do anything to me. Wasn't that a bit harsh?" She tried to keep the panic from her voice and hoped to kami she'd succeeded.

There was a heavy silence on Sesshoumaru's end for a moment. Then he spoke, his tone neutral. "Originally, I had planned that he was to be gone for an entire year, but I relented at the last minute and shortened it to only half a year. He disobeyed me, Kagome. I will not stand for disobediance from my employees and that goes double for my own flesh and blood." There was a sigh and he went on in a gentler voice, "The reason I shortened his sentence was because he said he loved you, Kagome. I said that if he felt the same in six months' time after he's matured somewhat, that he may pursue you, if, and only if, you wish him to."

For a moment, Kagome felt faint and she clutched at the tree. "And you believed him?" She peered around the tree trunk and stared over at Hiro again, but this time, Kouga was watching her as well and she felt her face turn bright red. The faintness returned, a little stronger this time.

"He did seem very sincere in his confession," Sesshoumaru admitted. "Tears were shed."

"He cried?" Kagome squeaked. She couldn't believe that! Inuyasha? Crying? Over her?? That can't be good, she thought. Not good at all! Despite what most people believe, Sesshoumaru was one of the kindest men she'd ever met. He had a soft spot for all of his siblings, blood-related or otherwise. All Inuyasha would need to do to wriggle out of the trouble he was in was to play upon Sesshoumaru's emotions and it was quite obvious that he had succeeded.

Oh man... all of this was her fault! Should she have just let Inuyasha have his way at the beginning? She'd kept on refusing him. Was this his way of getting back at her? No doubt Inuyasha blamed her for what happened to him. Sesshoumaru had just given him six months to plot his revenge AND the green light to pursue her when those six months were up. Her only saving grace was that the final word would be hers, which in turn would be Sesshoumaru's.

"Yes," replied her stepbrother. "But as I said, Kagome, it will be up to you. Understand?"

She nearly groaned aloud. Right, like THAT would make a difference to Inuyasha! After all, hadn't he managed to sneak into her house while Hiro was away and gotten a date out of her through blackmail? It would be better to have the restraining order against him!

Kagome turned her back on the men standing in her driveway, leaned back against the trunk and slid down to the ground. "Y-yes, Sesshoumaru. I understand. What time shall I be there? Do you wish Hiro to come?" She was really fighting to keep the tears at bay, but felt herself losing the battle.

"Hmm. Let's say seven, okay? No, Hiro does not need to come. He spends enough time with you, don't you think? Its only fair that he share you with you own family every now and then."

"Okay. I'll be there at seven," she heard herself saying before murmuring a soft goodbye and snapping her phone shut.

What would Inuyasha do to her? What would he say? Pulling her knees up to her chest, Kagome sat there, staring into space, totally unaware of the tears rolling down her cheeks. Inuyasha had never been punished so severely before. He'd lived in Tokyo all his life and now he was being forced to move away... all because of her.

Her stomach roiled and she suddenly felt very ill. Inuyasha would get back at her, she knew. He would hurt her, make her pay for disrupting his life like that. Whimpering softly, she dropped her forehead onto her knees as those cruel words from the past came flooding back. Inuyasha had hated her once, when she had done nothing to him. What would he do now, when because of her, he was being sent away from the only home he'd ever known? Nothing good would come of this, she was sure of it.

Warm arms wrapped themselves around her and she found herself hugged to a very masculine chest. With a sob, she allowed the arms to hold her tightly while she wept into his shirt.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" the owner of the chest asked in a worried voice.

Startled, she wrenched away, her gaze meeting bright blue eyes. "Kouga-kun?"

He nodded, his black hair falling into his eyes as he stared down at her. "Are you okay? What did Sesshoumaru say to you?"

"It was nothing," she said, giving him a watery smile. "I am to have dinner with my family tonight."

"And that's what made you cry?" Hiro asked incredulously. Sesshoumaru had inadvertantly told her something very upsetting. Inadvertantly, because Sesshoumaru would never intentionally upset Kagome.

Scrambling to her feet, Kagome looked around at the circle of concerned faces. "I'm fine, really. Please, don't worry about me. I'm just...hormonal." Her eyes shifted away when there was a round of throat-clearing. "Sorry." That was the best excuse she could come up with? Pathetic!

"No, no, that's okay. I'm used to hearing about female complaints," Kouga reassured her, massaging one of her shoulders. "I guess we should go ahead and leave. I'm sure Kagome would like to rest before she gets ready to see her family."

There was a murmur of agreement. Ginta and Hakkaku each gave her a hug goodbye and went to their motorcycles. Hiro went with them, leaving Kagome alone with Kouga, who shot him a grateful look.

Kouga turned to Kagome and took her hands in his. "Did you really mean it when you said you'd go out with me?" he asked in a low, hesitant voice.

The shyness in his voice and bright blue eyes touched Kagome. She nodded. "Yes, I really meant it. Thank you for taking an interest in me, Kouga-kun."

His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Thank you for giving me a chance. I'll make you happy, I swear." He leaned down and lightly kissed her forehead. "I'll call you later, Kagome."

With that, he went to his bike and a minute later, he and his friends were gone. Hiro went over to Kagome, who stared down the street after Kouga. Gathering her into his arms, Hiro bent down and kissed her temple. "You like him."

"Yes. Very much," she said wistfully, leaning back against him. "Kouga-kun is very kind."

"Think I was wrong about him?"

Turning in his embrace, she looked up at him, eyes twinkling. "Yeah, I think you were."

Grinning down at her, he took her hand and they went inside the house.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Two hours later, Kagome pulled up into the driveway of the sprawling Morikawa estate. But she did not go inside immediately. She sat in the car with the engine off and stared off into space. Her mind kept going over what Inuyasha would say to her when she walked in the front door.

How long she sat behind the wheel of her car, she did not know, but soon there was movement off to her right that caused her to jump. She turned to see Inuyasha staring back at her through the driver's side window.

"Kagome, you okay?" he asked, his hand going for the door handle. The door came open and he stepped around it, crouching down beside her. "I suppose he told you that I was leaving tomorrow."

She nodded, her eyes warily fixed on his face and he continued.

"I'll be gone for six months, but when I return, I'd like to take you out again and this time, I'll ask you out only if you want me to. I won't force you into it or trick you. That was stupid of me and I want to apologze for my behavior. Forgive me?"

He held out his hand to her, his eyes watching her steadily. Kagome took his hand hesitantly. His fingers closed lightly over hers and bending his head over her hand, kissed the knuckles. Lifting his eyes to hers, he smiled at her and reached over her slim figure and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Come on, everyone's waiting."

ooooooooooooooooooooo