Angel: Well, not much to put here today... Read, review and I hope for some understanding, you'll know what I mean when you read the note at the end.

Angel's Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own any characters in this story except Chad and the detectives. The rest belong to one Rumiko Takahashi and if I owned them Sesshoumaru would be locked away in the Hall of Bishis for eternity so no fan girls could get drool on his perfectness except me and I guess Inu could if she wants.

Things Change
by Wick3d Ang3l
Chapter Eighteen: The Consequence of Secrets

"Miss Higurashi, are you up for a visitor?" a nurse asked as she walked into the room.

Kagome looked at the clock, which read 8:30. "Who would be here this late?"

She looked down at a chart. "Kouga something or other, I tried to tell him visiting hours were over, but he said it was important."

Kagome smiled. "Of course he can come in, I've been waiting all night for him!"

The nurse nodded and left. A few minutes later Kouga walked in. Kagome's smile faded when she saw sadness on his face. "Hi," he said softly from the other side of the room.

"I've been waiting for you. Detective Tashinoa said you were giving your statement to her partner, I was afraid they would arrest you."

"They did."

"But everything is cleared up now, right?"

"Yea."

She looked at him, trying to read his blank face. "Kouga, please tell me what's wrong."

He looked at her, his eyes filled with pain. "Did you really think they wouldn't tell me? It just added fuel to their fire!"

"What did?"

"You know what!" he yelled. "Don't sit here and pretend that you don't know! How could you not tell me? Instead of hearing it from you I had to hear it from the detectives, now they think I attacked you!"

"I... I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you, I just... I didn't know how."

"So you could tell Houjo and not me?" He turned away from her. "If you had told me," he started softly. "If you had told me maybe I wouldn't have wasted so much time caring about a child that may not even be mine."

"You make it sound like I wanted this! Do you think I wanted Chad to rape me? Do you think I want this to be his child? I never asked for any of this! I was a normal teen and now look at me! Look what my life has become!" Kagome wiped at her tears and stared out the window. "I had dreams and he ruined them all..."

"I... they didn't tell me you were raped. They just said..."

"And what, you just assumed that I willingly had sex with the man I hate most? Get out."

He reached out to touch her. "Kag--"

"I said get out."

He sighed as he left.

Kagome wiped at her tears and grabbed the phone beside her bed. "Hi ... Yea, I'm uh, I'm in the hospital ... No, I'm not, I know it's late but can you ... Ok, I'll let the nurse know you're coming ... Bye."

--

"Did you know?" Kouga asked Kagome's mother, trying to overcome the unsettling silence in the waiting room

She looked up from her chair but he wasn't looking at her. "Not until she told me today. I should have seen it... maybe if I was around more."

Kouga looked at the ground. "I'm just as much to blame. I should have been able to protect her." He sat down beside her. "She kicked me out of her room..."

Her mom laughed a little. "Me too. I've been so stupid, she kept telling me to leave him and I wouldn't listen. I thought I needed him. I haven't even gone to see him. They keep asking me to sign all this paper work since I'm his wife. Part of me wants to tell them to just let him die, the other part wants him to live so he can pay for what he did to my little girl."

He nodded. "So where is Souta?"

"Grandpa took him to the hotel so he could rest. I couldn't tell him what happened to her... He thinks she just fell down the stairs. I told him we have to stay at a hotel because she got blood on the floor and I have to clean it. I couldn't bare to tell him that the cops have the whole place blocked off for their investigation."

"They think I hurt Kagome."

"I know you would never hurt my daughter and I understand why you did what you did."

Both of them looked up as a man walked up to the reception desk. "Excuse me miss, can you tell me where Kagome Higurashi is?"

"I'm sorry sir visiting hours are over, you'll have to come back tomorrow."

"No, she called me and told me she'd talk to the nurses and let them know I was coming."

The nurse sighed. "Let me call one of the nurses in her ward. Please have a seat and I will let you know in a minute."

"Thank you," he said as he walked into the waiting room. Kagome's mother jumped up and hugged him. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I know you've been busy with your internship... I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me!? I love her, this is more important then any job."

Kouga cleared his throat. "Uh, I... Hello."

Houjo looked at Kouga. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot..."

"Um, the detectives want to talk to you, they said they are going to bring you in soon."

"Me?"

"Yea, Kagome told them that you knew... They think you told me, which would give me a motive for both attacks."

He nodded. "I'll be sure to let them know we haven't spoken. I, uh, I'm sorry about the first time we met. It really was all innocent at first and the kiss... Kagome freaked out right after and took off. I do love her, but I'm not going to sacrifice her happiness for my fleeting dreams. She cares a lot about you."

"I know and like an idiot I betrayed her trust and believed something I shouldn't have. I hurt her, a deeper hurt then Chad could ever..." He turned away. "Please tell her I'm sorry and... and that I love her."

"Sir, the nurse from her ward said to go on back and she'll show you to the room," the nurse at the desk called to Houjo.

He hugged Kagome's mom and shook Kouga's hand. "That's my cue. I'll talk to her, if there is one thing Kagome is it's forgiving." He walked down the hall and ran into the nurse. She took him to a room and opened the door. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Hello Clarice."

Kagome smiled through her tears. "Hi Houjo."

"You know, Kouga said he's really sorry..."

"I don't even want to talk about that."

"You can't avoid him forever," he said sitting in a chair beside her bed.

"No, but I can ignore him long enough that he realizes what a baka he is."

"He really is sorry Kagome."

"Why are you defending him? I thought you two would be mortal enemies or something."

He shrugged. "Being an adult means accepting that you can't always get what you want, and doing what you can for your friends."

"I don't really think of you and Kouga as friends."

"Who said I was talking about Kouga? You care a lot about him Kagome, don't let this one screw up be the deal breaker."

"Screw up? You say that like he just stepped on my foot instead of my heart."

"I didn't want to play this card, but you give me no choice. How many chances did you give Inuyasha? How many times did he trample on you?"

"That's different," she replied quietly.

"Really? How so? He kept leaving you for his ex and you kept taking him back!"

"Kouga thought I was having sex with Chad. That's a little different then not being able to make up your mind about who you want."

"Those detectives told him you were sleeping with Chad."

"Yea well, he should know better then to believe it... Do you really think I'm wrong for being mad?"

"No, but you can't stay mad at him forever. You guys are going to need each other to get through this."

"Why do you have to be so smart all the time? You think of everything."

"I know, it's a gift." He hugged her. "Now I'm going to send Kouga back, oh and you should talk to your mom too. She does feel really guilty."

"You're pushing it..."

"Just saying."

--

Kouga grabbed the suitcase out of the trunk as Kagome climbed out of the passenger seat. After a week in the hospital the doctors finally cleared her to go home and since she still wasn't talking to her mom they decided it was best if she stayed with him.

Chad was still in intensive care for the time being although he had woken up. Kagome remembered what had happened that day and when the detectives questioned Chad his story contradicted itself so many times they had no choice but to believe hers. They posted a guard at his door and planned to arrest him as soon as he was allowed to leave.

Kouga grabbed her hand and led her into the house. He looked around and smiled at her, maybe this didn't happen the way it did for normal people, but there were happy and that was all that mattered. "So, are you sure this is what you want?" he asked as he sat her suitcase on the floor.

Kagome nodded and hugged him. "You have been so great to me, to us." Her eyes watered. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about Chad. I was so afraid, he told me he'd hurt my family and hurt me, but I promise, no more secrets."

"No more secrets," he whispered, kissing her neck.

--

From this point all stories are on hold indefinitely. My husband and I are separating for a while and until I get a job and get on my feet I won't be able to afford the internet or a computer for that matter... I'm hoping to have maybe one more chapter up before we get the house sold and everything done, but I thought I would let you all know.