Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine! The Yamadera brothers and the other OCs in this story ARE mine, however, so no using them without permission from me. Kthxbai.
Chapter 13
In her office the next day, Kagome attempted to finish her work, but the unmoving presence of Kouga was already beginning to grate on her nerves. She repeatedly glanced over her computer monitor at the infuriatingly calm youkai, who had made himself at home on her sofa and appeared to be immersed in an old, dusty, leather bound book. She wondered where he had found it.
At last, when she could take it no longer, she leaned back in her chair and fixed him with a gimlet eye. "What are you doing?"
Kouga's blue eyes remained fixed on a page of the book. "Reading," he replied pleasantly.
"Yes, I can see that." She could barely refrain from snarling at the man. "Don't you have somewhere else where you need to be? Like back in Tokyo or something? Some place far from here?"
"Nope," was his aggravatingly calm reply.
"Why the hell not?" she demanded angrily, gritting her teeth.
This time, Kouga's gaze shifted from the book to Kagome's face. "Don't you remember? Sesshoumaru gave me instructions not to leave your side. I'm merely following orders, so you can just stop giving me the look of death." He cocked his head to one side, his bright blue eyes regarding her with amusement. "Do you know how adorable you are when you're angry?"
"Get out!" she cried, jumping to her feet and pointing wildly at the door. "I don't give a flying fuck if you're a general or not, you're getting on my damned nerves so just get out, Kouga! I will not be babysat!"
To her dismay, he merely shifted his broad shoulders slightly and yawned. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. You know full well that I'm not here to babysit you, as you so quaintly put it. I'm here to protect you. Oh, that reminds me." He patted his right trouser pocket and reached in to pull out the Shikon no Tama. "Here, you left this behind. You really should take better care of your possessions, Kagome. They're apt to get lost or stolen." He gave her an innocent smile.
Realizing with great annoyance that nothing short of Armageddon could make this exasperating male budge from his spot on the couch, Kagome sank back onto her chair and wept tears of frustration into her hands. "I think I hate you," she told him between sobs.
"But I know I love you." His voice was in her ear and Kagome turned her head sharply. Her nose came in hard contact with his face and she yelped.
"You… jerk!" she cried and clasped her hands over her injured nose. "Stop sneaking around like that!" Liquid, warm and thick began to trickle over her lips and down her chin. "Damn it! Now my nose is bleeding!"
Kouga, now all business, slipped easily into the role of nurse. "Here now, calm down. Let me have a look at it," he murmured soothingly at her.
But Kagome jerked away from him. "You stay away from me," she ordered, getting shakily out of her chair. "It was your fault I broke my nose on your face."
As Kagome watched with growing irritation, Kouga's eyes fairly danced with mirth. His lips began trembling as though he were attempting to keep from laughing, which he was. "It's not broken, Kagome." His voice shook slightly.
"You thoughtless prick! Is this fucking funny to you? I really do hate you now!" She swiped at her nose with the back of her hand, smearing blood all along her skin. "I never want you to touch me again! Hell, I never even want to see you again! Get the hell out of here! Do you hear me? Get… out!" Her voice rose shrilly.
Kouga stared hard at her and when he spoke again, his face was hard and grim. "Of course I can hear you. I'm positive the entire station can hear you as well."
She glared at him for a moment longer then made for the door. But Kouga reached it before she did and blocked her way, keeping his back to the door. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? I have to go wash the blood off my --"
His arms were around her and his lips were on hers before she had time to react. A long moment passed before she reached up to try to shove him away from her. But he held onto her, his eyes dark with ardor.
"What are you doing? I have blood all over my face!" Kagome was trembling with sheer rage.
But her anger did not deter Kouga one iota. Instead, it only seemed to encourage him more. "You can tell me anything, Kagome. You can call me any name you want. Hell, I'd even let you physically abuse me. But never tell me that you don't want me to touch or see you again. Do you understand? I would never be able to comply with that. I'd rather die first."
"Kouga, I--"
His tongue ran over her lips and chin, cleaning up the drying blood. Kagome felt like a kitten being painstakingly licked cleaned by its mother. Entranced, she watched as his soft tongue glided leisurely against her skin of her hand, leaving trails of passion-stoked fires in its wake. When he had finished lapping up the blood from her hand, she stared up at him with bewildered eyes.
He smiled lovingly down at her. "Don't look so surprised, my lady. I told you that I've chosen you as my mate. Wolf youkai look after each other, you know. Just like wolves, we care for our mates in times of illness or injury. If something happened to you, I would never leave your side, Kagome. The only times I would leave you would be to get food for you or to tend to my basic bodily needs, but that would be all. Nothing else in the world would matter to me until you recovered."
"But you licked up my blood," she muttered, trying to pull away from him. "Do you know how unsanitary that is? Or how creepy?"
Kouga threw his head back and laughed heartily. "I'm a youkai, Kagome. The taste of blood is not repulsive to me. But youkai or not, I'd still lick you. That's how much I love you."
She made a face up at him. "Love can only go so far," she told him with a grimace.
Again he sobered and tightened his grip on her. "My love goes as far I'm willing to take it, Kagome. When it comes to you, my love is endless. It must be, since I've waited over five hundred years to have you. I'd be willing to wait another five hundred, if that's what it takes."
There was a long silence as they stared at each other. Kagome was near to tears hearing him speak like that to her. It was a love that he knew he had for her; a love that was infinitely patient, infinitely gentle and it was a love that was completely and wholly hers, from a heart that had never been touched by another woman. This love was powerful and pure and innocent, just like man it emanated from.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, Kouga. I don't hate you," she whispered. Her hand had slid up to his chest and stopped at the point where she could feel his heart. It was pounding hard beneath her fingers.
"I know," he whispered in return, his blue gaze lovingly sweeping over her face.
There was another long silence.
"I should get back to work now."
"If that's what my lady desires."
He released her without another word and she returned to her desk and he resumed his seat on the couch. They remained like that until sunset when Kagome dressed to go out on patrol. Kouga stayed by her side the entire night, never once leaving her side.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
No action was taken against Gil Marsten in the matter of his attack on Kagome. Under the advice of his father, Jason Marsten, Gil resigned from the Corp. as soon as he could manage it. Kouga and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, for they both were glad to be rid of him.
April rolled around and by this time, Kouga had had Kagome moved to a more spacious accommodation closer to the village. She now lived in a quaint manor house that consisted of six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a library, a study, a parlor, a dining room, a large kitchen and a beautifully landscaped garden, complete with a few large ponds and a stream that ran along the edge of the property towards the back where there was a large, heavily wooded area.
At first, Kagome protested that it was far too large for her, but Kouga said that it had been rented by Sesshoumaru expressly for her and Kouga. Hearing that Sesshoumaru had been behind her move to this much larger domicile, Kagome had no choice but to acquiesce to his wishes.
Eventually, Kagome received an email from Bakuya, reminding her that Jiro-san requested she and Sergeant Marsten return to Tokyo immediately to participate in Jiro-san's show. Kagome, already knowing that she would not be able to weasel her way out of this rather tiresome obligation, put a call through to Jiro-san's formidable personal assistant. She explained to Bakuya that the "scrumptious" Gil would not be able to attend, as he had left the Corp. to pursue other interests. In actuality, Kagome didn't know where the hell Gil had gone. She supposed he had returned to London, possibly to work for his father.
On the other end, Bakuya sounded very disappointed, but she accepted Gil's loss with good grace. She gave Kagome a time and place to show up for Jiro-san's fashion show. It was in a week's time.
Sergeant Blair took charge of the station when Kagome, accompanied by the ever present Kouga, travelled back to Japan. Kouga, who had never been to a fashion show before, was thoroughly excited. He couldn't wait to see his beloved dressed up in high fashion.
The moment she arrived, Jiro-san greeted his star in a small, makeshift office. He spent a full minute gushing about how well she looked then turned his sharp gaze on the tall, black-haired man standing behind Kagome. Purple glittered eyelids fluttered madly and Jiro-san very nearly swooned into the arms of Bakuya, who stood beside him, grinning madly.
When he could manage it, he cried, "Magnificent creature! Glorious piece of male flesh! You must be a part of my show! I will have you! Bakuya!" He flapped his hand at his personal
assistant. "Dress this exquisite specimen! He shall be my star!" exclaimed the excitable Jiro-san, who was simultaneously fanning himself madly with an ostentatious gold, green and purple hand-held silk fan and wiping his streaming eyes with a jet-black silk handkerchief.
"Yes sir!" Bakuya cried enthusiastically and saluted her amethyst-clad leader. She turned to Kouga, grabbed him by one arm and tried to drag him away from Kagome.
But Kouga had other ideas and seized Bakuya's arm. His fingers wrapped around her slim wrist like a steel vise and deftly removed her hand from his arm. "Do not touch me," he warned her in his coldest voice. Despite Bakuya's groan of pain, Kouga ignored her. "I am under orders to remain with Higurashi-san at all times. Is that understood?"
Bakuya stared up at Kouga with terror in her eyes then shot a look at her employer. That particular gentlemen stood swaying like a sapling bandied about in a strong breeze, his gold-trimmed purple kimono swirling gently about him. Jiro-san was now surrounded by his entourage, who began to wail and bemoan his condition. As one, they begged Jiro-san to sit down, so as to regain his strength. But Jiro-san resisted and quickly composing himself, walked over to Kouga.
"Where," asked Jiro-san imperiously, "has Kagome been hiding you?"
"What do you mean?" Kouga whirled around to find Kagome being dragged away by Bakuya. "Hey! Where are you taking her?" He tried to go after her, but Jiro-san's faithful followers blocked the doorway and kept him from going after her.
"My assistant is taking her to get dressed for my show, young man. Do not worry. Kagome is safe here." Jiro-san gave Kouga a piercing stare and to Kouga, it felt as though he was being sent a silent message.
Jiro-san continued. "I was impressed with the other one; the one called Gil. He had the look, the body, the sex appeal, oh yes. But there is something about you that I just cannot put my finger on." Jiro-san tilted his vibrantly purple-haired head to the side to study the male standing before him. "Please shut the door."
"No."
Jiro-san watched Kouga for a moment then shrugged. He told his people to leave, which they did at once, then he flicked his hand carelessly and the door behind Kouga slammed shut. Startled, Kouga shot a look behind him then returned his attention to the slim, garishly dressed and overly purple-hued young man before him.
"Who the hell are you?" Kouga demanded. "And what have you done with Kagome?"
The fashion designer perched his slim frame on a nearby table that served as his desk and crossed his legs. He fumbled around inside his kimono and pulled out cigarette pack. In one smooth motion he lit one. "I told you, Kagome has been taken away to get ready for my show. As to who I am-" He shot Kouga a furtive smile. Any trace of his outlandish and feminine behavior had completely disappeared and he appeared to be just a normal guy who was dressed in far too much purple. "Well, Kagome would know. At least, she would know my father." Jiro-san paused then added, "Inuyasha knew my father too."
Kouga's hand went to his side and flicked back his blazer, exposing his sidearm. "I won't ask you again. Who are you?"
That action only served to amuse the flamboyantly dressed male, who merely chuckled at the appearance of Kouga's gun. "My, my, you're a tenacious watchdog, aren't you? Kagome is lucky to have you by her side. Okay, I'll tell you who I am. I am the son of a hanyou and a human."
"You're a hanyou?" Kouga could not hide his surprise. "Or… what, exactly? Half of a hanyou?"
"Yes, something like that. I consider myself a hanyou. Luckily, I inherited the youkai trait of longevity. My father met Kagome a long time ago. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that meeting her was a life altering experience for him. Other than my grandmother, Kagome was the first woman to see and treat my father as a normal person. He was struck by her loveliness, her gentleness, her kindness. I must admit that she had the same effect on me when I met her for the first time." Jiro-san flicked the ash from his cigarette. "But what struck me more was the fact that she could have passed for my mother's twin." He glanced over at Kouga and smiled. "You knew my mother, I believe."
Kouga frowned in confusion. "I do?"
"Did. Past tense. My mother has been dead for centuries. She was human, you know." He took a slow drag off his cigarette. "She had been brought back to life by a youkai after your wolves killed her, Kouga. She met my father once as a child when on a mission to find a certain plant when a friend of hers was poisoned. Years later, she met up with my father again and they fell in love." Jiro-san paused again. He exhaled. "Her name was Rin and my father was Jinenji. He loved my mother greatly, but before he passed away he confessed to me that one of the reasons he loved my mother was because she looked and behaved so much like Kagome. By the time of his death, we all knew of Naraku's escape and my father and I had done our part to search Japan for that scumbag. This was about the time when you and the others had left to scour the rest of the earth. Anyway, he begged me to find Kagome and to look out for her, to keep her safe from Naraku if I could. When I asked how I would know this Kagome person, my father said to me, "Trust me, son, you will know Kagome when you see her." He died not long afterwards."
"I see. I'm sorry for your loss," Kouga muttered uncomfortably. "And I'm sorry for what my wolves did to your mother. That was such a long time ago, before--"
"Before you met Kagome, yes, I know. My mother's protector told me all about it. You must know him, of course. He just so happens to be Sesshoumaru."
Kouga winced. "Yes, I know this. Look, I can understand why you're bitter--"
Again, Jiro-san interrupted Kouga's flow of speech. "I'm not bitter, General Tobe. It causes you discomfort to speak of a time before you were civilized and in a way, I'm bringing up this uncomfortable subject for my mother. You see, my mother was the gentlest person I had ever had the pleasure to meet. She would not approve of me making you feel bad like this, but I feel that she deserves a little justice. You don't mind, do you? I mean, after all, you were responsible for her death when she was a child."
"No, I don't mind." Kouga's body language, however, told a different story. Jiro-san noticed it and laughed.
"Well, I'm through with that," he assured Kouga with a wink. "I'm really not a spiteful person, but I do believe that justice must be served where it is due. Besides, it's not as though I could do any harm to you. I'm only a hanyou and you are a full-blooded youkai. I'd be a fool to attempt to take my revenge on you that way."
"Oh really. In what way would you take revenge on me, then?" asked the wolf warily.
Jiro-san grinned brightly at him. "How would you like to be my star for today? Since I was deprived of the very delectable Mr. Marsten, would you do me the honor of--"
"Absolutely not. I am not here to act like a fool," Kouga snapped, now feeling rather unkindly towards fashion shows. "I'm only here because Kagome is here. If you knew everything, you would not have asked her to possibly risk her life for your silly little fancy dress party."
A sly half-smile curled Jiro-san's lips. "Do you know how I got my start, General? No? Then allow me to enlighten you. My mother grew ill towards the end of her life. She was old and frail by then, and it was easy for people become sick in those days, as you well know. My father was an expert with medicinal herbs, but even his extensive knowledge he couldn't keep my mother's fever at bay. When it looked like the end for my mother, we sent for Sesshoumaru-sama and he came immediately." Jiro-san's eyes grew misty; his face was fixed into a solemn mask. "He knelt by mother's bed and listened to her as she whispered to him. She had asked him to watch over me for as long as I lived; to treat me as kindly as he had her. Sesshoumaru vowed to do so and he held her to him. She died in his arms." His voice broke and he looked away. He spent a moment meticulously putting out his cigarette before he was composed enough to be able to speak again. "Forgive me. Even after all this time, I find that it's still difficult to speak of my mother's death."
Kouga nodded. "I understand," he said consolingly.
Jiro-san sent the wolf youkai a watery smile and once again whipped out his black silk hankie. He dabbed it carefully against his eyes. "But like I was saying, Sesshoumaru swore to her that he would watch over me and he kept his promise. When I wanted to get into the fashion business, he set me up with my own shop, bought materials for me and so on." The handkerchief disappeared into one flowing purple sleeve. "And when he found out that
Kagome was sitting for me, he asked me to keep an eye on her too, just as my father had asked me to do. I told him I would and I have."
He uncrossed his legs and slid off the desktop. "When I told you that she was safe here, I meant it. She is protected from Naraku when she is with me. My father taught me how to use my youkai powers well." With a wave of his hand, the door flew open. "Well, this has been a lovely little chat, but I really must get going. Many things to do and not enough time do them."
Kouga stepped in front of the doorway before Jiro-san could leave. "Excuse me. May I have a look around? Strictly for security purposes, you understand. Kagome is my responsibility after all. I need to be certain she is going to be fine."
"Of course, of course. You may go anywhere except the women's dressing area. If you set foot in there, you would set my models' little hearts to racing and then nothing would get done! But I daresay that you would not let them get close enough to you to try anything funny. Your heart belongs to only one woman. Am I right?" When Kouga's face turned a bright red, Jiro-san grinned. "Of course I'm right. Anyway, when you get through inspecting everything, look for Bakuya. She will show you to your seat. Enjoy the show!" He winked at Kouga and slipping back into his colorful façade, he sailed out of the room and greeted his entourage loudly.
Watching Jiro-san and his little group walk off, Kouga heaved a huge sigh of relief before he went off to have a look around. There was a flurry of activity, but he managed to make it to the male models' dressing area.
As he approached the entrance, he heard a familiar voice say loudly and petulantly, "I can't believe I was his second choice! Look at me! Do I look like a second choice? No, I don't, damn it!"
A very irate model sat stiffly in his chair, impatiently staring at himself in the mirror while a white-faced young woman styled his golden locks. The model's angry emerald eyes glimpsed Kouga staring at him through the large mirror in front of him. "Kouga?" He put a hand up and whirled around just as the stylist lowered her comb and scissors.
"Yuki."
Yuki got up from his chair. "Thanks," he told the stylist carelessly and shooed her away. "What are you doing here? I thought this sort of thing wasn't, you know, your thing."
"It's not."
"Then why are you here?"
Kouga glowered at fair elf. "Business," he said briskly.
"Oh, I see. Got a girlfriend here?" Yuki cracked a mischievous smile and with a small jerk of his head, indicated the room behind him. "Or a boyfriend?"
The little snide remark made Kouga want to rip the elf's pretty face off. "I am not a homosexual," he replied in an angry whisper.
Yuki chuckled. "Okay, okay, don't get your panties up in a bundle. I was only kidding."
"Good." A thought struck Kouga and he asked casually, "I happened to over hear you say that you were second choice. Who was the first choice?"
It was Yuki's turn to scowl. From behind his white, perfectly straight teeth he ground out, "My cousin Gil! Can you believe that shit? How he got to be Jiro-san's first choice I will never understand! He's nowhere near star material. Do you know how much that hurts me? I'm always the star in Jiro-san's shows!" He gave a conceited toss of his golden head.
"Really? That's nice," Kouga murmured indifferently. He turned to go when Yuki laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you really here?" Yuki asked curiously. "Are you going to walk the runway too? I can give you pointers if you want."
"I wouldn't be caught dead doing such a thing," growled the youkai irritably. "You can keep your hairspray and makeup as far as I'm concerned. I'm here with someone. Now if you don't mind, I need to get going." He bowed to Yuki and quickly departed.
Bakuya was in a frenzy by the time Kouga found her. With a relieved smile, she led him to a front row seat before dashing off to do whatever it was that she did. While people began to fill up the seats, Kouga took the opportunity to glance around him. Amazingly enough, sitting across the runway from him, he saw Hiro sitting in between an amazingly beautiful blonde woman and a handsome dark-haired man that favored Hiro. The woman, he realized with a start, looked like the Lady Miranda, whom he had already had the pleasure of meeting.
Hiro looked across the runway and smiled. He got up and came around the runway to sit beside Kouga. "Hey, how are you, Kouga? I didn't know you came to these things. I'm here with my parents." He indicated the good-looking couple across the way from them.
"Normally, I wouldn't dream of being at a place like this, but this is business and I'm here to make certain something very precious is kept safe."
"Oh really? And what is that?" Hiro asked.
But Kouga was spared from having to answer when the lights in the audience went down low and the music began. Hiro rose, bowed and went to rejoin his parents, while Kouga sat back in his chair in anticipation. On a small stage just off to the right of the runway, Bakuya stepped forward, microphone in hand and the show began.
The male models went first, but Kouga was only mildly interested in the clothes they wore. He was, however, surprised that the clothing was not as loud and gaudy as the designer who created them. They were actually quite tasteful and even to Kouga's untrained eye he could tell that Jiro-san was a genius when it came to designing clothes. Yuki, of course, was as stunning as always. The elf strode down the catwalk with absolute confidence, a look of lazy contemplation on his haughty, beautiful face.
Next came the women, and without thinking, Kouga sat stiffly upright. When Kagome first sashayed onto the runway, he felt his heart soar. She looked like a dominatrix in the leather outfit she wore; her lips were a tantalizing shade of blood red and at her side was a samurai sword. By the time she had made her third trip to the runway Kouga noticed that she still carried the sword against her hip. Confused, he looked over at Bakuya. In response, she nodded solemnly back at Kouga and sent him a conspiratorial wink. Relief washed over Kouga
and he silently thanked Jiro-san for his thoughtfulness. Just in case something happened, Kagome would at least be able to defend herself if he couldn't get to her in time.
In her fourth trip out, she appeared in a flowing, shimmering champagne-hued satin gown, sans sword. The gown was liberally sprinkled with colorful crystal beads that resembled a rainbow that started at the right shoulder and spiraled downwards around her torso, around her waist and ended at her left hip. The material flowed flawlessly over her perfect little figure, molding itself to every curve.
In his seat, Kouga groaned silently and he began to sweat profusely. As she moved sultrily down the runway, his youkai struggled to get out. It wanted Kagome and it took all the strength he had to keep it at bay. Even when she disappeared backstage, it refused to back down. The damned thing was howling in his head to go after her.
At long last, the show was finally over. The male models and the female models strode out onto the runway, followed by Jiro-san with Kagome and Yuki on each arm. They reached the end of the runway and soon every person in the room was on their feet, applauding a happy, blushing and extremely purple Jiro-san.
By then Kouga felt himself go back to normal… until he spied Yuki inching close to Kagome. The elf's hand reached out to touch Kagome's bottom. Unbidden, rage flew through Kouga. He felt his fangs lengthen as his vision began to turn a hazy shade of red. His leg muscles tensed; he was on the verge of springing on the elf and ripping the bastard to shreds.
Almost as if he could sense Kouga's distress, Jiro-san took Kagome by the hand and swirled her away from Yuki in a dance-like move. With a flirtatious smile, he bent over her hand and kissed it. Kouga sat back in his chair, considerably relieved. With a smug smile, he could see Yuki's perfect face slide into a barely perceptible frown.
A half an hour later, Kouga was waiting impatiently outside the dressing rooms for Kagome. He stood, his eyes trained on the door. His body stiffened when the door opened at last. Several slim females exited the dressing room, but he could see no signs of Kagome among them.
A few of the models took notice of the tall, black-haired male and they went up to him, each trying to attract his attention. To their chagrin, he mostly ignored them, only giving them monosyllabic replies. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the door of the dressing room. When Kagome finally emerged, his entire face lit up and he, very politely, pushed his way through the women.
"Kagome!" Kouga came up to her, his blue eyes dancing. "You looked so beautiful up there! Um, that's not to say that you aren't beautiful at any other time, you understand. It's just that I've never seen you dressed up like that." He took her hands, turned them over and kissed the underside of her wrists. "I especially loved seeing you in that evening gown. If I bought it for you, would you wear it for me?"
She stared up at him with a tremulous smile. "Kouga?"
He gazed down at her in earnest. "The gown. Would you wear it for me?" he asked again. "Just for me?"
Seeing his passion flare in his eyes turned Kagome on like nothing else. How many times had she wished for a man to look at her like this, to speak to her as Kouga spoke to her? "But Kouga," she began, her eyes going to the disgruntled women he had pushed to the side, "What about those women over there? It looked like they wanted to speak to you. They keep staring at you."
Kouga was staring so intently at Kagome that it took him a moment for the question to sink in. He blinked absently. "Huh? What women?" She pointed to a spot behind him and he turned to glance over his shoulder. "Them? Why should I want to speak to them? I didn't even notice them."
Kagome laughed. "How could you not notice them? I'm sure they got right in your face! Besides, they're all so beautiful."
But Kouga frowned at her. "I don't recall if they were or not, Kagome. I wasn't looking at them." He sighed. "Don't you know by now? I have eyes for only one woman." The look he bestowed on Kagome left no doubt in her mind just who that one woman was.
"Ah, young love!" Jiro-san swept forward and clapped Kouga on the shoulder. "I do adore a good love affair. The heated glances, pounding hearts, labored breathing... the flushed cheeks," he said with a chuckle and touched Kagome's face. "Such lovely flushed cheeks you do have, my dear. Did you know that at this very moment, they are the color of ripe peaches? May I kiss them?" Without waiting for Kagome's answer, Jiro-san's lips headed, not for Kagome's flushed cheeks, but for her mouth. He pressed a gentle kiss on her then backed away slowly, fully aware of the furious youkai glaring at him. "Oh dear, what a pity," moaned Jiro-san and brought a hand to his heart. "I'm simple heartbroken! You do not love me! Look! Your cheeks are no longer flushed!" He heaved a tragic sigh. "I guess only Kouga can make you blush like the world's loveliest rose."
Kouga did not know whether to strangle the man or hug him. He really was the most perceptive person he'd ever met. "I was about to take Kagome to dinner. Would you and Bakuya like to join us?" he asked politely.
oooo
The foursome ended up meeting at an extremely upscale restaurant. They all had to go home and change into something formal. Kagome wore a slinky, maroon dress with a ring neck and sparkling black crystal beading. Bakuya was stunning in a simple, strapless sheath in metallic bottle green.
Kouga wore his dress uniform and to his and Kagome's surprise, Jiro-san wore a simple tuxedo. He had washed the purple dye from his hair and removed his purple eye makeup and purple fingernail polish. Seeing him in his natural state was quite a shock for Kagome.
"You look so different, Jiro-san," she told him when he and Bakuya had arrived. "It's quite an amazing transformation."
"Why, thank you, my dear. I'm glad you approve of the real me." He smiled and kissed her cheeks. "But please, just call me Jiro. Kagome, once we order, I think you and I should have a little chat."
The hostess led them to a table in the corner with plush, semi-circular seating. After they had ordered, Jiro-san leaned over and put his hand over Kagome's. "Thank you for modeling for me today. My father would have been really proud of you."
"Your father?"
He nodded. "Oh yes. He cared about you very much, you know. You made such an impression on him. But then, you tend to do that, don't you? Make an impression on people, I mean."
Their champagne arrived and once they had toasted Jiro-san's success, Kagome asked him what he wanted to talk about. Jiro took another sip of his champagne and reached over to grab her hand.
"Before my father died," he began quietly, "he asked me to keep an eye on you." Briefly, he told Kagome the story he had already related to Kouga. When he had finished, he sat back and took another sip of his drink.
Kagome was staring at him, eyes wide in her face. "Jinenji and Rin-chan? They were your parents? Oh, Jiro, it all seems so… so… incredible! And you, Bakuya. I never would have known you were an elf. After living with them for so long, I should have figured it out a long time ago."
Bakuya giggled and took Jiro's hand. "I'm sorry we had to keep such secrets from you, Kagome. But Jiro wanted to tell you all in good time. He felt that you weren't ready to learn the truth about us."
Right before the dessert course, Kouga excused himself from the table. The moment he was gone, Jiro leaned over and said to Kagome, "I hope you won't be so foolish as to let that man get away."
"Let him get away? Are you kidding me? He won't go away, Jiro." She scowled into her water glass and tipped it back. After taking a refreshing gulp, she set it back down on the table. "Believe me, I've tried to make him leave but he refuses to listen to me."
"Why would you want to do that?"
Kagome's cheek turned pink. "Well… because… he says that he loves me and that he wants me to be his mate."
"And this is a problem… why?"
A small, sad smile appeared on Kagome's face. "This may sound crazy, but I have this feeling that if I allow him to mark me, something will prevent me from becoming a true mate to him. Should that occur, he will be unable to be with another woman. That's silly I know, but youkai ways are strange. The bottom line is, if something did happen to me, I want him to be free find someone else."
Puzzled, Jiro stared hard at Kagome. "What makes you think something will happen to you if he marks you?"
Looking down at her lap, Kagome frowned. "I'm not saying that if he marks me, that that would be a bad thing, Jiro. What I'm saying is that I have a feeling that I will die after he marks me." She cast sad brown eyes up at him. "I know that I would leave him to face the rest of his life alone and I just can't do that to him."
"What about Yuki and Akira?" Jiro poured himself another glass of champagne then refilled Bakuya's glass.
With amazement, Kagome stared at Jiro. "How did you know about them?"
He laughed a deep, throaty laugh. "My dear, please! If I wasn't as observant as I am, I wouldn't have become as successful as I have. Of course I noticed; how could I not? When I posed you with Akira, he grew more animated than I'd ever seen him and a bit nervous, but his eyes never left you. Yuki disliked watching you posing with his brothers and when it came time for the two of you to be snapped together, he had a very possessive air about him and a look on his face saying "this is mine". It was quite amusing to watch. He was competing with his brothers even though there really was no competition to begin with."
"It doesn't matter." Kagome downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. "I don't have to worry about the Yamadera brothers anymore. They want no more to do with me and that's just fine
with me. I haven't seen them in well over a year. They probably forgot all about me; they certainly got rid of me fast enough."
Clearing her throat, Bakuya shifted in her seat. "I beg to differ, Kagome. Once an elf falls in love, it is a love that flourishes for life." She and Jiro shared an affectionate gaze. "Those two boys loved you. Anyone could see that. But I think the question here is, whom do you love, Kagome? You have three very different men at your feet. So what is your choice?"
Kouga returned just in time to catch Bakuya's last sentence. "Are we choosing dessert already?" he asked as he slid into his seat beside Kagome. He took Kagome's hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. "I know what I want for dessert."
Kagome felt her insides flutter madly, as though she had thousands of butterflies flitting crazily inside her. Even if he hadn't spoken a word, just the look in his eyes would have sent those butterflies into their manic flight. Never had she met a man who made her want to surrender completely to him.
As he continued to stare at Kagome, Kouga could smell her excitement. Her scent was driving him insane. She wanted him; that much was clear. Slowly, he took her hand and intertwined their fingers together. He loved how small her hand was compared to his. He adored the slimness of her carefully manicured digits; the warmth of them. Once more he lifted her hand and turned it over. He bowed his head to press a kiss on her wrist. His lips lingered against her skin; he could feel her tiny pulse beating just beneath the surface.
His eyes went to her face. She was staring, wide-eyed, back at him. Her lips were parted slightly and she was panting heavily, as though she had been running. He smiled.
"This really is quite a heartwarming scene," Jiro said, breaking the silence at the table as delicately as he could, "but I'm dying for something sinfully sweet. May we order now? Please?"
Kouga and Kagome managed to look away from each other and saw a grinning waiter with the dessert cart. They blushed and Kagome scooted a short ways away from Kouga.
Dessert was delicious and after the bill had been paid, the two couples said their farewells and went their separate ways. But before they departed, Bakuya whispered in Kagome's ear, "I know who you choose. You won't regret your choice, Kagome." She hugged Kagome and taking Jiro's arm, they walked away together down the street.
"What did she say to you?" Kouga casually asked as he slipped Kagome's arm through his.
"Oh, nothing," replied Kagome. She wanted to come across as being calm, but she knew he probably could hear her heart racing.
"Hmm. I didn't know that nothing could make your heart race like that," he said quietly and sent her a curious glance. When she tried to pull her arm away from him, he only gripped it more tightly. "Okay, I'm sorry. I won't ask you about it again."
As he drove them back to her house, Kagome kept feeling that he desperately wanted to know what it was that Bakuya had whispered to her. Maybe one day she would tell him…
ooooooooooooooooooo
"Well dad? What did you think of her? Wasn't she lovely?" Yuki eagerly asked of his parents. They were just finishing up dinner. His spirits had lifted considerably when he laid eyes on Kagome for the first time in well over a year and he knew that Hiro had felt the same. At first, it had been quite a shock seeing her in person, but at the end of the show, Yuki couldn't help but want to touch her. If only Jiro-san hadn't moved her away from him! It was almost as if the sneaky man had done it on purpose. Yuki wouldn't put it past him to do something like that; Jiro-san had stolen plenty of kisses from Kagome right under his nose.
Lord Ryuji turned to look at his eldest son and nodded. "Yes, she certainly is that. What was her name again?"
"Kagome," Hiro and Yuki said in unison.
"Higurashi Kagome?" asked their father thoughtfully.
"Yes," replied his sons.
"Is this the same Higurashi Kagome who was engaged to Miranda's boy?" asked Lady Rini curiously.
"Yes, mother," Hiro replied. He looked over at his brother, whose face had grown dark with anger at the memory. He said quickly, "But Kagome broke it off with Gil. Aunt Miranda was rather upset about it but it was all Gil's fault, apparently. She said that Kagome had flatly refused to marry a man who expressed such extreme prejudice against her youkai friends."
Rini set her fork down beside her empty plate. "He would ruin something so important," she remarked sententiously. "That boy has no sense whatsoever. I suppose that is just the human in him. I'm glad the young lady finally saw the error of her ways." She cast an adoring look at her eldest son and smiled. "How she came to choose him over you, I will never know," she said to Yuki. She stretched out a hand and caressed his cheek. "My sweet, beautiful little boy."
"Mom, please! Not in public!" Yuki pleaded, embarrassed. He ducked his head to hide his burning cheeks, but that only allowed his doting mother access to his golden hair. Feeling her fingers threading through his locks, he had no choice but to wait until she was through.
Meanwhile, Hiro glanced over at his father. Lord Ryuji looked distracted and Hiro immediately knew what was occupying his father's thoughts. If anything, it would not be Yuki who would get the girl. It would be Akira, the son that Rini despised.
ooo
When they returned to Yuki's and Hiro's house, they opened a portal to the Elven realm. Rini grabbed Yuki's hand dragged him through with her before he could open his mouth to protest. Lord Ryuji turned to bid Hiro a good night, but Hiro came over and whispered into his father's ear, "I need to speak with you."
Lord Ryuji nodded and the two went upstairs so Hiro could check in on Akira and his temporary nursemaid. From her chair beside Akira's bed, Lady Miranda turned and greeted them with a smile. Akira was fast asleep, his fingers clutching a hand of playing cards. By his side was a decent-sized pool of money.
Hiro dropped a kiss on his aunt's head. "Thank you for sitting with him," he whispered.
"Not at all," she whispered back. She got to her feet and the three of them left the room and headed downstairs. Once in the living room, Miranda stretched like a cat and headed for the wet bar to mix a stiff whisky and soda. "Poor boy wanted to go to the show, but he didn't want to be near Rini. I can't say I blame him. So," she said, adding ice to her drink, "in order to take his mind off of things, we played cards." She laughed softly. "I never knew how good he was. That's the last time I ever wager money in a card game with him. Did you see that pile of cash next to him? He cleaned me out."
Hiro and Ryuji joined in her at the bar. "Anyone who has ever played with him twice will only play for the sheer challenge of it; either that or to try to discover how he's cheating them. Of course he doesn't cheat." Hiro made a couple of gin and tonics for himself and his father, who made himself at home on one of the sofas. "He's just really skilled."
"Well, anyway you look at it, you could make a killing off him," Miranda said with a laugh. She went over to sit next to Ryuji and curled up in the corner of the sofa, drink in hand. "When you do, cut me in on the winnings."
Hiro chuckled. "You bet." He handed his father one of the drinks before sitting down on the loveseat. "Um, dad? May I ask you a question? It's about Yuki and Akira."
Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but then cast a questioning glance at Miranda. She was about to take a sip, but lowered her glass. "If you need me to go, I will. I don't want to pry into private affairs."
"Aunt Miranda, no. It's fine. You're part of the family. Heck, you could probably help." Hiro turned to his father. "Dad, Akira and Gil aren't the only ones who want to marry Kagome. Yuki does too. When we were in the Sengoku Jidai, he blurted out that he had actually proposed to her, right in front of Sesshoumaru of all people. Sesshoumaru corroborated Yuki's story. I mean, I sort of knew that Yuki wanted to do something like that, but he has never been the marrying type, so naturally it took me by surprise when he came out and admitted it." Hiro paused for breath. "Does the fact that Yuki was the one to propose to Kagome first alter the outcome for Akira's suit?"
After taking a swig of his gin and tonic, Ryuji shook his head. "No. Akira announced his intention of marrying her first, so he won the right to court her. No other elf may do so." He looked rather pleased. "I'm happy for Akira. After all he has gone through, deserves happiness."
"Please don't be upset, but I'm afraid I have some bad news." Miranda looked from father to son while her hand gripped her glass and swirled the liquid inside it around and around.
"What's the bad news?" asked Hiro curiously.
Looking somewhat guilty, Miranda sighed. "I just now thought of it. I can't imagine how I'd let it slip my mind, but Akira was not first to declare his intention to marry Kagome."
Ryuji and Hiro looked at each other. "But then, who was?" Ryuji asked, mystified.
Miranda lifted luminous blue eyes to her male relatives. "Gil. He has been in love with Kagome for a long time now; several years, in fact. I remember the day it all began. I was busy in the kitchen getting ready for a dinner party, so I sent Gil to the store on the corner to get me my favorite magazine. I had a habit of always getting it the very first day it appeared on the stands. Anyway, when he returned to the house, he had a strange, dazed look on his face. I asked him what the matter was, but he just handed me the magazine and dashed out of the house. Later, I found him in his room with his own copy of the magazine. A few days later, I asked him again if anything was wrong and he came clean. He said that he had completely fallen in love with the female slayer featured in the magazine with his cousins. I told him that was a lovely thought, but that it was only a dream. There would be a very slim chance he would ever get to meet her, but he kept insisting that he wanted her and only her; nothing would get in his way of his having her."
Hiro was stunned. "But… that magazine came out several years ago. You mean to say that Gil has carried a torch for Kagome all this time?"
Miranda nodded and Ryuji spoke up. "Then that changes everything." He looked over at Miranda. "I believe you, Miranda. No matter what Gil has done, his suit undoubtedly came before Akira's. That means that he alone retains the sole right to court her."
"Dad!" Hiro's eyes widened with fright. "What about Akira? You know how he reacted last week when you told him that Gil was engaged to her. If he finds out that Gil's suit truly has precedence over his, he'll lose it. I don't think he could recover from a blow like that." Hiro glanced upwards, as if he was afraid that Akira was listening in on their conversation.
Ryuji turned his attention back to his sister-in-law. "Miranda, is Gil still in love with Kagome?"
There was a heavy silence as Miranda hesitated. Nervously, she chewed on her lower lip for a moment before speaking. "I'm afraid so, Ryu. You don't seriously believe he'd give up on her so easily, do you? Not after all this time he wouldn't." Seeing her brother-in-law and nephew watch her with grim faces, she tossed back the remainder of her drink and jumped to her feet. "Well, it's late and I really think that I should get going. I'll see myself out, okay?" She graced the two men with a brilliant smile and beat a hasty retreat.
Hiro turned to his silent father, whose gaze followed Miranda as she practically ran out of the room. Dad? What's wrong?"
Ryuji blinked. "Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." He brought his glass to his lips and drank down the rest. He stared at the bottom of his glass, which was now empty. "She is quite lovely, isn't she?"
"Aunt Miranda, do you mean?" Hiro asked. When his father nodded he said, "Yes, she is." He continued to watch his father's face, which was devoid of emotion save his eyes. His somber green eyes had a faraway look in them. "Dad? About Akira…"
The elven lord rose and went over to the wet bar to fix himself another drink. "It's not that I don't love your mother," Ryuji began, ignoring his son's words, "because I do love her. But I must admit that she was not the one I wanted. Rini fell in love with me, but I did not fall in love with her." He smiled wearily at his son. "I met Rini first, you see. Her parents introduced us. Apparently, Rini had seen me several times before at social functions and she was determined to have me. Unfortunately for her, I did not really take to her at our first meeting, but on our second meeting, I fell in love with her. She was charming and kind and the feelings I felt for her so overwhelmed me that I did not realize that her personality had completely
altered from our first encounter. Utterly smitten, I went to her father and asked for her hand. It wasn't until after we were married that I found out that she had a twin sister. In order to secure me as her life mate, Rini used my naïveté and my infatuation against me. She had Miranda pretend to be her in order to get me to wed her. As horrible as it sounds, no one would have her despite her high rank and incredible beauty. Her personality has never been attractive; Miranda has always been the appealing one." He resumed his seat and looked at his son. "I hope you can forgive me for being so unkind to your mother, Hiro. But this has been a weight on my shoulders since my wedding day. All this talk of engagements and courting has brought to mind my own past troubles. I apologize, Hiro."
As shocking and candid as his father's revelation was Hiro could not bring himself to hate his father for what he had done. "There's no need to apologize to me, dad," he said kindly. "Aunt Miranda is a wonderful woman. I can see why you fell in love with her." He sat next to his father and put an arm around him. "I'm sorry you had to put up with mom all these years. I know it couldn't have been easy."
"It hasn't been, Hiro. There have been so many times when I wanted to call it quits with her, but I couldn't. It's not easy to wish to be separated from the Emperor's great-granddaughter. I might as well ask for death. But I do love her in a way, Hiro. I mean, after all, she gave me three beautiful elflings that I'm so very proud of." He shot his middle child a cheerful grin. "That kept me from leaving her a long time ago. Well, that and the fact that she is royalty. It wouldn't do to desert the Emperor's great-grandchild. Might piss off the Emperor." He took a swig of his drink.
"Can't you tell someone that mom tricked you into marrying her? Isn't that against our laws?"
Ryuji shook his head. "No, because I can't prove it happened. Though Miranda and your mother rarely get along, she would never snitch on her sister. Besides, who would believe me? Everyone would suppose that I wanted to wriggle out of my commitment to her."
"But that's what you wanted to do," Hiro pointed out reasonably.
"Yes, I know it is, but I couldn't let her gain a foothold over you three boys. She might try to take you away from me and I couldn't bear that. If she could stoop so low as to trick me into
marrying her, she wouldn't think twice about using my sons into getting what she wanted from me. I had to protect you from her manipulative ways."
They sat together in companionable silence for a long time. Then Hiro turned to his father and asked what they were to do about Akira's predicament.
"I'm not certain, son," he told Hiro quietly. "Akira could appeal to the High Council but I don't think he would have much a case."
"Why not? Gil is only half-elf. He probably doesn't even know about the elven mating rituals."
Ryuji shook his head again. "The fact that he is only a half-breed and ignorant of our way of life does not exclude him from having the same rights as the rest of us."
"But dad, he's half human! He's lived his entire life as a human in the human realm. How can he--"
"Just because he has human blood in him makes no difference, Hiro. His mother is a pure-bred elf of royal blood and because of that, Gil's birth has been written down in our records. He holds the same status as you and your brothers."
"I see." Hiro got up and began pacing the length of the room. "Then what does Akira do now?"
"Well, there I believe there is a way out, but it's a double-edged sword. The female in question is human, correct? Sure, Akira could win the right to mate her, but she is not of our race. Ultimately, since she is a human, the only way Akira would be able to mate her is if she was in complete agreement with that arrangement."
"So, if she happens to be in love with someone else, say, a human or a youkai, Akira would lose her anyway."
Ryuji nodded. "Exactly. If Kagome were a she-elf, this would be easy enough to resolve. It would be Gil who would win the right to mate her. Elven law would rule it to be so. Alas, Akira's suit came too late. But since she is human, the High Council's verdict could only go so
far. Because she is not of our race, they cannot force her to wed Gil, nor Akira. She would have to choose one of them of her own free will."
ooo
Later, as Hiro was preparing for bed, Yuki finally arrived home. He burst into Hiro's bedroom, his hair and clothes a mess. Hiro eyed his brother with wry amusement. "What on earth happened? Did she rape you?"
Yuki groaned. "That was not funny, Hiro," muttered the blond. His green eyes filled with tears and his lower lip trembled. He looked like a frightened child. "You have no idea how close you are to being right on the mark."
"Yuki!" gasped Hiro in alarm. "What are you saying?!"
Yuki sank wearily down on Hiro's bed. "I don't know what's going on with that woman," he muttered wearily, shaking his head. "It feels like every year that passes, she gets a little nuttier." His voice dropped down to a frightened whisper. "Hiro, she wanted me to put her to bed and rock her to sleep, as though she were a child!"
"No way. Was she drunk?"
"Don't be ridiculous. You know she doesn't touch the stuff." Yuki fell backwards onto the mattress and shut his eyes. "There is something odd going on with her, Hiro. She's been clinging onto me more and more lately. I don't understand it."
Hiro, who was in the process of putting up some freshly laundered clothes, pondered his brother's predicament. "Well," he said after awhile, "I think perhaps the reason she's been clinging to you lately is because she feels that she's beginning to lose you."
"Lose me?" Yuki sat up slightly and propped himself on his elbows. "What do you mean?"
"Well," began his brother, "she must be aware of your desire to wed Kagome. She implied as much at dinner tonight. All of us know that she prefers you to Akira or me. If you got married, to her it would be like losing the only son she has. That has to be a distressing thought."
"Wow. I'd never even thought of that." Yuki smiled up at his brother. "You're so smart, Hiro. I want to be like you when I grow up."
Hiro pulled a face. "Whatever, dumb ass. But like I was saying, mom must be scared of losing her precious baby boy to another woman, so she's holding onto you with an even tighter grip than usual." When he had put away his last pair of boxers, he looked at his brother. "Personally, I think this is a good time to break her strangle hold on you, Yuki. If you don't, you'll never escape her grasp. You'll never have a normal life. Do you think that if she were given the chance, she would actually allow you to marry? She doesn't give a crap if Akira and I do or not, but you know damn well that mom would prefer that you remain by her side, tied to her apron strings like a good little mama's boy."
"That's not true!" Yuki croaked, sitting straight up on the bed. "I'm not a--"
Hiro broke in and got right in Yuki's face. "Let me tell you something, aniue, these cozy little apron strings you don't have the power to break now will end up feeling like a hangman's noose later and you'd do anything to escape their death grip on your pretty little neck."
Mouth hanging agape, Yuki blinked up at Hiro. His wide, cat-like green eyes were filled with horror. "I'm a… a mama's boy?"
"Dude, please. Everyone knows you are. You cater to her every whim and you never complain about it. I mean, if you bitched about it now and then, people would think that you were merely playing the part of the dutiful son. But you don't, so what else are we to think?"
Leaning forward, Yuki rested his head in hands and moaned softly. "Oh gods, I'm a mama's boy. I feel as if my life were over."
"That's where you're wrong! It's not over! You can break her vice-like grip on your balls, Yuki!"
"But how?" the fair elf whimpered into his hands.
Hiro grabbed Yuki's wrist and pulled his hands away from his face. "You need to start putting your foot down with her. When she demands that you do something for her, tell her no. Be
polite about it, but be firm. You have to let her know how you feel about her intruding into your life so much. And the rocking to sleep part has got to stop. That's just not cool, man."
Shifting his gaze to Hiro's face, Yuki lifted one elegant eyebrow in mild contempt. "You know, it's easy for you to sit there and say all these things. You're not the one who will have to tell her to back off. I'm the one who will and to be quite honest, I'm not looking forward to it."
"Well, okay," Hiro said and got up from the bed. "When you want to stop being a sissified mama's boy, then you seriously need to grow a pair. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to check on Akira and then I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning." Without a backwards glance, he left his room.
After Hiro had gone, Yuki still sat on the bed and appeared to be pondering what his brother had just said.
ooooooooo
Kagome lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was dark in her bedroom, but some light from outside her windows managed to push its way out from behind her curtains. Damn it. Why couldn't the stupid curtains cover the entire window? She could just see the outline of her bedroom door, which stood open. The hallway beyond it was nothing but inky blackness.
A creepy thought went through her mind: what if Kouga was outside her room right now, watching her from the darkened hallway? If he was, she couldn't detect any motion. Why should she? She didn't have the heightened senses of a youkai. Kouga could quite easily move about, as silent as a cat and—
'Stop it!' her mind cried and she groaned softly. What the hell was wrong with her? What was up with these crazy thoughts?
With a sigh, she turned over on her side and away from the gaping black hole that was her doorway. That must be the reason her mind was going off on a weird tangent. She really hated sleeping with the bedroom door open, but she had to have it open because Kouga had demanded that it be so. Why did he have to be a prick about it? What was so wrong about having her door closed? Couldn't she have at least some privacy? The only time he allowed
her to be by herself was when she was in the bathroom. That wasn't nearly enough alone time. She utterly treasured her privacy.
She sighed again and shut her eyes in an attempt to go to sleep. But the nagging thought that the stupid door was open kept her from falling asleep. Briefly, she wondered if she had Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. She would have gotten up and tried to shut it as silently as possible, but she'd already attempted that. In that incident, Kouga was in her room before she even made it to the door and ordered her to get back into bed.
"Damn you, Kouga," she hissed through gritted teeth.
The silence in the house was deafening and Kagome thought about turning on a radio or something, just to keep her mind occupied since it wouldn't shut off for the night. Just as she reached up to fling back the covers, the mattress shifted behind her and a pair of arms went around her.
Instinct took over and Kagome slammed her elbow into the ribcage of her attacker. There was a yell and the arms were instantly retracted.
"Shit, woman that hurt!" Kouga howled in her ear.
Scrambling out of bed, Kagome quickly switched on the lamp that stood on the nightstand beside her bed. "What the hell are you doing sneaking into my bed? You scared me half to death!" She glared down at his writhing figure, fists planted firmly against her lips. "You're not even hurt, are you?" she demanded.
There was a muffled laugh and Kouga straightened his body. He rolled over onto his side to face her and propped his head up on his hand. Bright blue eyes twinkled with laughter up at her. "No, not really," he replied blithely.
"You're an asshole," she snapped and turned away from him. She couldn't stand to see him laugh at her. "I hate you."
Her bed creaked behind her. She turned to see Kouga kneeling on her bed, the laughter in his eyes gone. "You don't hate me," he said softly.
"Yes I do," she retorted and pulled away from him.
His hands shot out and drew her back towards him. "No, you don't. Why are you lying to me like this?"
Their eyes locked together. "Who said I was lying?" she asked with a defiant lift of her chin.
Kouga scowled. "You don't have to say a word, Kagome. I can smell the lie on you. You don't hate me; on the contrary, you love me, you want me. Do you truly believe that you can put one over on me, little girl?" His scowl vanished and he shook her gently. "All I have to do is look in your eyes, for they always betray your true feelings." When she tried to avert her eyes, Kouga caught her chin and held her head in place. "Please don't hide your beautiful eyes from me."
Kagome felt her body begin to shake. She put her hands up and pushed against his chest in an effort to free herself. "Let me go," she pleaded with him in an unsteady voice.
"I don't think so," was his reply. With a deft twist of his body, he had her lying on her back on the bed as he loomed over her. "Tell me, why do you keep trying to push me away?"
"Kouga--"
"You are, so there's no use in denying it. Just tell me the truth, Kagome. Please. I deserve no less, don't you think?"
For a moment, all Kagome could do was stare up at him. Then she panics and this time, successfully manages to shove Kouga away from her. Her feet move her away from Kouga and she starts agitatedly pacing around the room. Kouga got on his feet and asked her what was wrong.
"Stay away from me!" she shrieked.
That was when Kouga noticed her tears. "Kagome, what's wrong, damn it? Why are you crying?"
But Kagome shook her head and sobbed wretchedly. "Please, for your own sake, let me go," she begged of him. "If you stay with me, you will only end up heartbroken. I can't do that to you."
The misery in her face tore at Kouga's heart. "I can't let you go," he told her quietly. "You know that's impossible for me."
The weeping grew more violent. Kagome slid to the floor onto her knees, her entire body wracked with sobs. "You don't understand!" she wailed piteously. He drew close to her and pulled her into his arms. As expected, she made an effort to keep him at an arm's length from her, but he held her firmly. At last, she ceased her struggles. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. "You're right as always, Kouga. I am trying to push you away, but I'm only doing so because I love you. If you mark me and something happens to me--"
He bent tilted her back to kiss her. "But nothing will happen to you, my love. You know I will watch over you."
"But something will happen to me, Kouga. I know it will. I can feel it." Kagome's eyes slid shut as he kissed her again, but the feeling of desolation swept over her again and she turned her head away with a sob. "When I die, you'll be left to face the future alone. That's why I don't want you to mark me, Kouga. I want you to be free to mate and have children."
Neither of them said a word for a long moment. He continued to hold her to him, his lips pressing gently against her skull. Eventually, he spoke. "You love me. Do you know happy it makes me to hear you tell me that? I've waited so long to hear you say those words to me. But if something does happen to you, of course I will be heartbroken. But at least I could say that you were mine. Did you think I haven't thought of how much shorter your lifespan is than mine? I've had five hundred years to think about it and I've accepted it. I just want to have a normal life with you, my love. Children, though nice, don't have to be a part of the bargain. Just as long as you are mine, I'm satisfied."
ooo
The next morning, Kouga and Kagome were on a plane back to England. Eventually, they arrived at London's Heathrow Airport and found their way to Kouga's car. They got in and drove straight back to Horningsham.