Title: Where You Belong
Author: Nicluv1787
Rating: K
Genre: Angst, Romance
CU/AU: CU
Prompt: Afraid
Characters: Kagome/ Kouga
Words: 489
Summary: Kouga recognizes how Kagome changed him
Kouga had never been afraid. He was a leader, a warrior, a champion, and at times a ruthless killer. Those who stood against him fell beneath his greatness. He had no need for doubt; he took what he wanted without heeding the consequences, that's how he'd gotten to where he was. One didn't rise to the top without stepping on a few toes along the way. He thought he had it all figured out, until he met her. Kagome changed him; she changed the way he thought about humans, the way he thought about himself. He feared for her like she was his pack, somewhere along the way she'd gotten under his skin.
He wanted her. Initially it was because she could sense the jewels. But it deepened to more; she saw a side of him, touched a part of that no one knew, one that he didn't even know that existed. He fell over himself to impress her. He did all the right things, was there for her, he did all he possibly could, but that wasn't good enough because whether or not he wanted to deny it she only had eyes for the mutt. He tried to deny it. He made sure to move in really close to Kagome, rile up Inuyasha, make Kagome see how well he could protect her. In the end it was futile.
At one point he had come to the realization that she could never be his. Maybe it was sometime after Mount Hakurei, the way she fell into Inuyasha's arms. The way she clung to Inuyasha in a way she would never cling to him. That's when he knew, he knew it was over for him. That didn't stop him from trying though, if anything he was persistent.
It really ended for him when Kikyo died. It was his final moment, his final goodbye. He held her that last moment, a moment lost in time, a brief respite in the eons he would spend without her. Because he knew then there wasn't anything to hold Inuyasha and her back any longer, there were no more obstacles. Try as he might he couldn't fight destiny.
He didn't see her for a longtime after that, years passed, he heard from the mutt she'd gone back to her family. He was surprised he was sure Inuyasha would have taken her for his mate. Then one day he happened by that village, he wasn't sure what kept bringing him back there, but whenever he was in the area he always came back. Then he'd saw it, the final blow, she emerged from the well, like a beacon of light her face signing with radiance he'd only experienced second hand, then she fell into Inuyasha's arms. It had taken him a while but he realized that's where she belonged, that's who she belonged with. And in the end he was happy for her; because that's was where she belonged.