.Chapter Four
…
She awoke to find herself behind bars in a dark dungeon. She went to rub her eyes to help them adjust to the darkness of the room, when she realized her arms were shackled. The young woman looked around the prison, struggling to remember how she had gotten here in the first place.
An ominous dark cloud rolled over the small village and the villagers all looked up to the sky in sheer terror. Along with the cloud came a great demonic aura. Everything stood still until one villager broke the silence.
"What could that cloud mean? A demon?"
The young woman stepped out of a nearby shrine and gazed up at the sky. Her insides churned in fear and slight disgust at the immense demonic aura that loomed over the village. She had to do something quickly.
"Everyone! Get away from this area immediately! Men, assist the elderly and children!" she shouted at the villagers. They all stood around confused for a moment and frightened at the same time.
"Priestess?" one man questioned.
"Do as I say, now!" She snapped at them. They all immediately scrambled away in different directions. However it was too late. A thick purple cloud of miasma descended from the sky and began to suffocate the villagers. Thinking quickly, the priestess fired her sacred arrows around the area, dispersing the poisonous vapours. She raised a sleeve to her nose to shield herself from the fumes. Ten of her trusted men stood by her side, determined to assist her in any way they could. They all readied their weapons, prepared to face whatever demon might emerge.
She kept her wits about her. She could sense the demon's presence everywhere, but she couldn't pinpoint its exact location. Her eyes scanned the now deserted village, but she could see nothing either.
"Be on your guard. The beast is close by."
"How perceptive of you, priestess…" came a sleek, disembodied voice.
"Who are you and what could you possibly want with this poor village? Name yourself!" she roared out to the voice.
"Oh don't be foolish girl. This village means nothing to me, but what's in it however…" It cooed.
"Whatever you want, you can have it! Just leave us in peace or I will be forced to destroy you, demon" She readied her arrows, and she also prepared herself to use the sword strapped to her side, if need be.
The demon decided to emerge from the shadows. He rose out of the ground from a shadow casted by one of the huts. He chuckled, causing a numbing chill to creep up their spines. "I am called Takeo of the Shadow, not that knowing my name will benefit you much." He paused only to smile, almost sweetly. "And you must be the priestess of this village, Mizuki, am I correct?"
She narrowed her eyes. "How do you know my name, wretch?" She stretched her bow back, preparing to fire on any given notice.
"I've been sent here to collect you is all." He said nonchalantly.
"You will be collecting no one from this village demon!" said one of her men. He lifted his axe and charged at the demon, only to be swallowed up by the earth. The others looked on in terror.
Takeo laughed out. "The fool! Did he hope to harm me with such a tactless move? Come with me now, I've grown bored of this." And with that, he dissolved into the shadows.
A black mass formed where he had merged with the ground and slithered towards them at high speeds. Without hesitation, the priestess fired a sacred arrow at the dark mass, only for it to dodge it. Within seconds, it was under her and she felt a hand grab at her ankles.
"Huh? What the…?"
The last thing she remembered was being sucked into the dark abyss and falling into unconsciousness.
"My, my, what a pretty one you are. I had not noticed your beauty when I first confronted you"
A voice interrupted Mizuki from her thoughts. It was the very demon that had captured her! He stood coolly against the wall on the outside of her prison. He kept his arms folded against his chest and looked at her from the corner of his eye. She got up suddenly and lunged at him, but was jolted back by her restraints.
"What could you possibly want with me demon? I've done you no harm."
Takeo finally turned to face the priestess. "It's not what I want with you. It's what Naraku wants."
"Naraku?"
…
His claws scratched relentlessly at the dry, tightly packed soil for almost an hour. His frustration was growing with each passing second. Kouga's forehead began to bead with perspiration and he swept the back of his hand across his face to smear some of it off. The situation seemed hopeless, but he was determined to keep trying.
That very morning Kouga had set out to find Kagome, only to learn of her strange absence, not from the village, but from this time period. He learned that this very well in which he was tunnelling, was the passage between his world and hers. According to the monk, Kagome had the capability to pass back and forth between both worlds as she pleased. But apparently she had been gone for a little more than three months. This was very unusual for her. The monk suspected that she wasn't able to pass through the well again.
What changed now though? None of them seemed to have an exact answer but he was sure as hell he would be the one to find out. Or could it be that they were hiding some sort of secret concerning Kagome and her whereabouts? Not likely. If the monk was willing to tell him something this bizarre about Kagome, then what other secret could there be left to keep? Kouga couldn't be too sure, but he trusted the monk's words. His instinct told him to, and he was never one to doubt them. And mutt-face…seeing him back in the village, he wasn't the same. Kouga couldn't quite place his finger on it, but something seemed to be bothering him. He knew the dog must have been brooding over Kagome, but something else was bothering him deep within. His scent seemed off though he didn't give it any further thought. Kouga didn't give a rat's ass what mutt-face was obviously feeling shitty about, but if he had done anything to hurt Kagome, he would make sure he paid for it.
Kouga continued digging away at the earth beneath the well, hoping to trigger some sort of reaction, sign or something, anything. But to no avail. After a few more minutes of digging, he finally got fed up. He looked at the dirt beneath his claws and growled. Kouga had so much confidence in himself that he had decided long ago that he would get to Kagome today, no matter what it took, but he couldn't go to see her with filthy claws. With one quick leap, Kouga was out of the well and off to the nearest river.
…
"All I'm sayin' is that it was none of his god damn business!"
Kouga departed from the village hours ago and it was about early afternoon. The group had been peacefully enjoying lunch in their hut…well, almost peacefully. Inuyasha still hadn't stopped ranting and raving about Miroku explaining Kagome's situation to Kouga. Of course at first, they had all tried to enjoy their food quietly without entertaining the upset hanyou, but one could only ignore his long string of obscenities for so long…
"Inuyasha, for the hundredth time…" Miroku began, "what sense would it have made to keep this sort of information withheld from Kouga? You know just as well as I do that he would not have rested until he found Kagome's whereabouts."
Sango agreed. "He's right Inuyasha, you know Kouga. Even if we did try to send him out on a wild goose chase to the middle of nowhere, you know he's thick-headed enough to actually go through with it! Surely he would have returned when he didn't find her."
"Hmph, so what? Let the damn wolf go get lost and devoured by some demon or something. That'll be one less problem off my back!"
Shippo rolled his eyes, resting down his bowl of stew and folding his little arms. "You know Inuyasha, we all know you miss Kagome very much. We all do! But you've been so touchy these days. All you ever do is mope around the village all day and night, and now that Kouga shows up, you explode into fits of anger! I mean even way more than usual! You really must be deeply in love with Kagome if you're this-" Shippo didn't get to finish due to Inuyasha smacking his head with his fist.
"Oww Inuyasha you big meanie!" he whined as tears gathered in his eyes.
"I'm goin' out for a walk." Inuyasha left the hut without another word.
"You can't blame him for being so upset about this. He and Kagome didn't exactly leave on very good terms, you know. I really hate to say this, I refuse to believe it even, but there's a possibility that we may never see Kagome again. Inuyasha knows this, and considering what they've gone through together, in the end, he never got to apologize or to even tell her goodbye. The poor guy, he's really torn up about this." Sango said as they watched Inuyasha walk out of the village.
"Yes, you're absolutely right Sango. Inuyasha isn't quite sure what to do at this point, but then again, none of us are. Shippo, perhaps it is best to leave him be. He's been spending most of his days sitting by the well." Thinking back to a certain night few weeks ago when he spotted soul collectors and Inuyasha had re-entered the hut late at night, Miroku had a clue about what else could be causing turmoil in the half demon's heart.
Inuyasha left the small village, his legs taking him somewhere, though his mind knew not where. It didn't matter. He had become so lost in thought that it didn't matter to him where he was going. Kagome had been gone for far too long now, and Naraku would definitely be on the move. Who knows what he had been up to these past few months? No doubt, he would be growing stronger and stronger with each passing day, and they couldn't allow that. But without Kagome's ability to see the shards of the Shikon jewel, how could they hope make any progress? They would be left to wander the lands aimlessly; was this destined to be their fate? Was Kagome destined to remain trapped in her time, leaving them severely crippled? Was Naraku intended to obtain the few remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel and consume Japan in his evil?
Inuyasha soon found himself facing the sacred tree. His golden eyes gazed upon it and lingered on the very spot where Kikyo's arrow had pierced its bark fifty years ago. So many memories of the incident came flooding back to his mind. The sharp sting of betrayal from the woman he loved…the fear he had of dying from her arrow; it all came back to him. Inuyasha always believed that the moment Kikyo had pinned him to this tree would be the very moment his life would end.
But then, his mind took him to the day he was reawakened fifty years later. He remembered meeting his Kagome and how he wrongfully mistook her for Kikyo. Inuyasha placed a palm over the spot where he was once bound. All those memories…
Leaving the tree, he soon found himself near the Bone Eater's Well. He took a few steps towards it but stopped when a certain scent assaulted his nose. 'Kouga's been here. He probably came sniffin' around here after hearing what Miroku had told him. '
Inuyasha's blood boiled at the thought of Kouga going anywhere near the well. Many of his and Kagome's most intimate moments were shared here by this very well and now Kouga had the nerve to come here. His fingers balled into a tight fist and he seethed with rage. Within a second he bounded off back towards the village.
'I've made up my mind. I just can't do this anymore.'
They were all completely caught off guard as a strong gust of wind came rushing through the door of the hut. They all turned to see a very angry hanyou standing before them in the doorway. Shippo squealed and scampered behind Sango, thinking that Inuyasha had come to take revenge on him for what he said earlier.
"Inuyasha, you're back?" Miroku asked, clearly surprised.
"Hm yeah, who'd ya expect?" he sneered.
"We didn't expect you back so soon, that's all. Is something the matter?" Sango asked.
Inuyasha did not move from his spot in the doorway. "Get your stuff guys, we're heading out."
The entire group was shocked to say the least. Just yesterday, he had been sulking around the village and the well, wishing for Kagome to come back.
"Head out? I don't suppose you have any leads as to where we would be able to find jewel shards do you?" Sango was very sceptical about Inuyasha's attitude. Was he just acting out of hurt and depression?
"No Sango, but don't you see? We're never gonna get anywhere if we sit here and wait around for Kagome! I dunno about you guys, but I've had enough waiting! You think Naraku is gonna sit there, wherever the hell he is, and wait around too? No. So we have to do something now and we cannot allow Naraku to grow any stronger than he already is."
Shippo jumped up from his place behind Sango to protest. "Yeah, but what if Kagome comes b-"
"Kagome is never coming back!" Inuyasha roared, causing the little kitsune to cower behind Sango again.
Inuyasha's eyes softened at him and he spoke more calmly now. "I'm sorry Shippo but you need to understand that. Kagome will never come back to us. I think we've waited long enough and we need to get a move on. We have to defeat Naraku, with or without Kagome" And with that he left the hut again, leaving no room for debate.
Everyone stared at the now empty doorway absolutely speechless. Shippo came out of hiding once he saw that Inuyasha had left. "What was all that about? And did Inuyasha just apologize to me for once? Now I'm really confused"
Miroku let out a heavy sigh as he stood up. "Well Inuyasha's right. I was hoping that it would never have come to this, but at this point, there's not much else we can do. And waiting here isn't doing us any good."
Sango watched as Miroku got up. "Yes, but where do you suggest we go? We don't have any leads or anything. We can't just wander around like lost, it's pointless!" Miroku simply smiled and offered her a hand. She accepted the gesture and was soon on her feet as well.
"I'm not sure what's got Inuyasha riled up like this, but I'm sure it won't hurt too much to investigate any suspicious activity around here. Should Kagome return, she can always wait for us here in the village. That way, we may be able to convince Inuyasha to return here every so often to see if she's come back. I think it may be good for him. Jewel hunting and fighting demons is probably the only way for him to vent his frustration right now."
Shippo jumped up onto Miroku's shoulder. "You think it'll work Miroku?"
He simply shrugged. "I hope so."
Within the hour, the group had said their final goodbyes to Kaede and set out on their journey once again. They now walked on a worn road which was commonly used by merchants as they travelled from village to village. Inuyasha seemed to be in a strange mood however.
"Geez, is he having some serious mood swings lately or what? Just look at him go." Shippo whispered from his spot on Sango's shoulder. They all watched Inuyasha up ahead swinging his transformed Tetsusaiga around and rambling on with something about chopping Naraku's head off himself.
Sango grinned to herself. "Perhaps you were right Miroku. Travelling without Kagome is going to take a lot of getting used to for all of us, but getting out of the village was exactly what Inuyasha needed."
After Kouga returned from the river, he decided to take a moment to think this situation over again, but he came up with nothing. 'Damnit Kagome, why won't this stupid thing work?' All this magic well stuff gave him a bit of a headache. Kouga decided that he would rest and clear his head, just for a minute while he thought of what to do next. Before he knew it, he had fallen fast asleep. Hours had flown by when a cold chill yanked him out of his sleep. He slowly got up from the cool grass, stretched and looked around.
"Oh shit, it's late! Ugh, how could I have fallen asleep for so long? Stupid!" Kouga really wanted to kick himself in the ass now. He was supposed to be figuring out a way to make the well work, not slacking off on the job!
Kouga's mind promptly went back to his two friends Ginta and Hakakku and how he'd caught them countless times sleeping during their duties, too. He chuckled as he got up, dusting himself off. He knew the pack would be wondering where he was by now. He never stayed away from them for more than a few hours at a time, unless he was off hunting Naraku. 'They'll be fine' he reassured himself. He knew his pack was fully capable of taking care of themselves for a while. 'Now on to the matter at hand...'
It was now pitch black in the forest of the Bone Eater's Well and Kouga had yet to figure out how to use it to get to Kagome's time. He sat on the cool grass again and leaned against the well's frame. He had tried just about everything he could think of, but still nothing. 'This well must work with some weird magic or somethin'…Regardless. I need to get to Kagome. I'll do what mutt-face couldn't and make my own way through this damn thing. I just need a better strategy, hmmm…'
What was he thinking? Rationally, he knew he couldn't possibly hope to make it through this thing tonight. What if he really wasn't able to activate the well on his own? He would probably have to seek out help from someone who was skilled with these sorts of spells.
Kouga carelessly scraped at the wooden exterior of the well with the claw of his pointer finger, immersed in his own thoughts. Maybe the well worked through its own spiritual powers and not through magic? No, that couldn't be right. If that was the case then mutt-face shouldn't have been able to pass through it, being half demon and all. So then what was it? Kouga stood up and faced the well while scratching his head. Then he got the idea to try something else. He was convinced that this plan was definitely fool proof.
"Bone Eater's Well! I command you to take me to Kagome's time right now!" And with that Kouga leaped in through the well only to be met with the cold hard earth.
"Ughh, well that sure as hell didn't work. Let's try again"
Kouga took in a deep breath and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "WELL! I DEMAND THAT YOU TAKE ME TO KAGOME'S TIME!" His voice echoed loudly throughout the entire area but the only thing Kouga managed to do was to frighten a few birds.
"Eh, so that didn't work either" Kouga sighed and sat at the bottom of the well in defeat.
"What now then?"
Kagome was having the time of her life at the club and she hadn't a care in the world. At first, she had felt really self-conscious among the large crowd of people, but as her drink got lighter and lighter, the more at ease she became, and the more she began to enjoy the scene. For a moment, she forgot about all the problems she faced. All her fears of finding a way back to the Feudal Era, of never seeing Inuyasha or her friends again…all of those fears seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. The only thing that mattered was the here and now. And right now, she was having the time of her life; something she hadn't been able to do for a very long time.
She swayed her hips and body to the rhythm of the pulsating music. The flashing neon lights twisted and twirled around the room and bounced off of her moving form while outlining her body flawlessly. A pair of eyes gazed at Kagome intently from the corner of the room and they watched her every move carefully. They had been since the moment she had walked through the door. She was simply too irresistible to ignore and there was something about her that made her stand out from the crowd.
'I must have her..'
After a few more hours of dancing, drinking and "guy watching", Kagome's friends had decided to call it a night. The trains and buses had all stopped running for the evening, but it didn't matter. Kagome and her friends were perfectly comfortable walking home together, because of how close they lived to each other. They could look out for one another on the way home, and so they felt safe. After all, their homes were only a few blocks away from the district they were currently in.
"Did you see the way he looked at you Yuka? That guy totally had the hots for you!" Eri cheered.
Yuka bowed her head and blushed. "He was kinda cute but he looked kinda creepy too! I mean he was wearing all those chains and that weird makeup on his eyes! And did you see that hair of his?" They all burst with uncontrollable laughter.
"And what about you Kagome? You were getting quite a few looks yourself." Ayumi said while raising a suggestive eyebrow.
Kagome's face took on a reddish hue and she grinned nervously while waving a hand in dismissal, "Who me? Nah, no way. You must've been seeing things. Those drinks must've gotten to your head!"
Eri pretended to whisper to the other girls, knowing quite well that Kagome could hear her. "Oh yes, that's right. Kagome is still hooked on Mr. Bad Attitude even though he hasn't called her in weeks!" They all giggled when Kagome shot them threatening glares.
Kagome and her friends continued to laugh and talk as they traveled home, still feeling giddy. They giggled and wobbled all over each other, sometimes the four of them nearly toppling themselves over which made them burst out into more wild fits of laughter. Neither girl minded a bit though. They were just teenagers, out on a Friday night and enjoying each other's company; Kagome wouldn't have it any other way.
Lately, she had been so depressed about being trapped in her own time. She'd been worrying so much about her friends back in the Feudal Era, about collecting jewel shards and defeating Naraku. By bringing her on this outing, Kagome's friends had done much more for her than they could've ever known. Kagome was deep within her own thoughts when Ayumi called her name.
"Heeelloo, earth to Kag. I'm leaving." Ayumi waved a hand near her face as if to snap Kagome out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh we're here already?" Kagome said, looking around. They had arrived at Ayumi's house first and Yuka's was but a block away. The girls said their goodbyes and goodnights to each other before departing. Eventually, Kagome found herself walking alone with Eri. There was light conversation between the two, but their trip was made mostly in silence. Then finally, they came upon Eri's home, with Kagome's still being a short distance away.
"Kagome, it's late. Are you sure you're going to be alright walking around out there? I can get my mom to drive you."
Kagome smiled. "Oh don't worry, I'll be fine. My house isn't that far away from here so I can make it on my own. Besides, your mom is probably fast asleep by now and I wouldn't want you to wake her up on my behalf." Eri was still hesitant to let her friend walk home alone, but she decided to trust Kagome and hope that she'd be okay.
Her head spun from the effects of the alcohol. She also grew fatigued and her eyelids felt really heavy. 'Ugh...the first thing I'm going to do when I get home is take a nice warm bubble bath and then get to bed' She thought to herself. Kagome continued on along the dark street, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was...off. Travelling in the warring era and experiencing powerful demonic auras had honed Kagome's ability to detect when a situation was…wrong. And right now, something definitely didn't feel right; and it wasn't the alcohol causing it. This was something she could sense. Somebody was there, and Kagome got a feeling that their intentions were not in her best interest.
Kagome picked up her pace a bit and wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm or perhaps out of nervousness. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but something didn't feel right and she wasn't about to sit around and find out what it was. Then she heard heavy, booted footsteps on the sidewalk behind her and immediately, her heart sank. Somebody was following her and she didn't dare look back to see who it was.
'Alright don't panic, think Kagome, think…'
All she needed to do was buy time for a few more minutes and she would be on the Higurashi shrine property. Kagome came up with no other plan but to make a break for it and hope that she could get away. The person followed suit and had managed to take a firm grip on her upper arm just before she could get far enough. He shoved her towards him with one rough jerk and she landed against his broad, stiff chest. She squealed from the sudden movement and pain from colliding with the man's body.
He smirked evilly "So you're the one they call Kagome huh?"
Kouga had been going at his strange antics for a while, trying to figure out some way to make the well work. Of course, nothing he tried worked. He figured he should go get help, but from who? Maybe some sort of sorcerer or a priestess would know what to do? He just didn't know. But then again, no mortal in their right mind would help a demon anyways. Kouga's high spirits began to plummet. Here he was at the bottom of a dry well, late at night with no hope whatsoever of reaching his Kagome. At first, he was determined that he would defy the well and break through its seal to visit Kagome, but now it seemed that the well would not be altered…and that he had failed.
He became disheartened. If only there was some way to get into Kagome's time. He hadn't seen her in such a long time, his heart yearned and ached desperately for the girl. He fell to his knees and leaned forward until he was on all fours. He clutched some loose dirt in his claws and closed his eyes.
"Kagome…"
Kagome writhed and squirmed trying to free herself from her assailant's cast iron grip but to no avail. Her struggling only made his smirk grow even wider. He licked his lips even. Kagome was now very freaked out and disgusted. What the hell was this man intending to do? Judging by the look in his eyes, Kagome knew she wouldn't like it one bit.
"Look, I can give you whatever money I have if that's what you're looking for!" Kagome shoved her small purse to him. "Here, just take it and leave me alone!" Kagome tried yanking herself free again but he only pulled her closer.
"Girl, it's not your money I want."
Kouga didn't know if he was feeling depressed, lonely, miserable, angry or frustrated. Perhaps it was a nasty mixture of all of them. Whatever it was, Kouga felt the worst he had ever felt, possibly in his entire life. He felt totally helpless and vulnerable. The only other time he had felt this way was when his clan was ruthlessly slaughtered by Kagura. Even though it happened a while ago, thinking back on the incident still terrified him. He remembered feeling powerless to help his friends…his family.
No, Kouga felt worse now, because those negative feelings were now tinged with longing. He had always thought of Kagome as his future mate, and as her male, it was his duty to always protect her. Due to certain circumstances, Kouga was unable to be with her as often as he'd like to; so he had entrusted her protection to the mutt, unfortunately. The dog was pretty tough though. He had proved this himself time and time again. Kouga wouldn't admit it, but he felt a little bit relieved to have Inuyasha protect Kagome while he was gone. But now Inuyasha didn't even know what had happened to his Kagome. Now, it was his turn to step up and pick up where the dog had failed. However, he wasn't doing a good job at that either seeing as how he couldn't even get to her, just to know that she was alright. He was worried. But he knew that Kagome was a strong willed girl. She was capable of handling herself in her own time, that much he was sure of, but Kouga couldn't help but worry. The sheer frustration of just not knowing was eating him alive.
Kouga couldn't help but wonder what Kagome could be up to right now…
A swift kick to the groin and the man was huddled on his knees in pain. "You bitch! You're going to pay for that!"
Kagome kept running though, not daring to look back. Her legs felt as heavy as bricks and her head was still woozy from her drinking. She was getting close to the shrine property. She tried to propel herself even faster towards the steps leading to her home. Her vision was blurry and the broken street light nearby did absolutely nothing to help the situation…but she knew she was almost there. Kagome knew she could make it. Then finally, she hit the shrine's steps and she immediately began scampering up them.
"MOM, GRANPA, SOUT-" but she was cut short by the feeling of being yanked backwards. Her breath hitched in her throat while she tumbled down the steps and grunted as they scraped painfully against her back. She heard her assailant make a "shh" noise. He placed a hand over her mouth and proceeded to drag her into some nearby bushes.
Kagome couldn't believe what was happening to her. She knew exactly where this was going and she began to regret her decisions tonight. If only she had taken Eri up on her offer, she probably wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. If she hadn't drunk so much, she'd probably have a better chance of getting away from her attacker. Just one bad decision after another.
The man forced Kagome to duck into the shallow shrubbery near the shrine's steps. The bushes were just tall enough to conceal what was about to take place from the outside world. Quickly, he used a free hand to loosen his belt from around his waist and used it to bind Kagome's hands upwards. Then he proceeded, never once removing his hand from her mouth so that her screams were muffled. Now that she was properly bound, he used his other hand to free her breasts from her top and began to bite and suck at them, hard. Kagome winced from the soreness of her breasts but she was not definitely prepared for what was about to come next. She heard a zipper undo.
She couldn't believe it! This was happening! This was really happening to her! Kagome's eyes welled up with tears as the reality of the situation hit her hard. She had been put into some serious dangerous situations before, but she always had her friends by her side, especially Inuyasha. She was never alone. No matter how rough things got, he was always there for her. But now, she was truly alone, drunk and unable to fend for herself. The sad truth was that her handsome dog demon wouldn't be coming for her this time…
He fussed to undo her jeans and roughly yanked them down her thighs. Kagome tried to create as much resistance as possible, but she was still too sluggish to make a real difference. She managed to glance downwards to see his now protruding erection and she became even more horrified. This certainly was not the way Kagome had imagined losing her virginity; no girl would. Tears began to flow much more freely from her eyes now as he stroked himself for a brief moment, relishing in the luscious sight before him. He decided that he would have a little bit of fun first, before taking his prey. He scooted up until he sat on top of her chest. He pushed himself near her mouth.
"Come on girl, you know what to do."
Kagome's face was flushed with tears as he poked himself around on her lips, trying to get her to open her mouth. Then she suddenly felt something cold against her neck. It was the coolness of a metal blade pressed against her neck.
"Scream or bite me, and I'll kill you. Now open."
Kagome didn't know what to do next. Would she rather die than to be the victim of this man's sick and twisted fantasy? Right about now, dying sounded much better than this. Her mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts as to what she should do next but she couldn't figure out a plan. Whenever Kagome found herself in a hopeless situation, there was only one thing she could think to do, only one plea she could think to make.
'INUYASHA!'
Kouga sulked at the bottom of the well. He was just about ready to give up. What was he thinking trying to get into Kagome's time? It was a fool's errand to begin with. 'But Kagome, you've been gone for so long…I need to see you. Just to know that you're alright. Please…take me to her' was Kouga's heartfelt request. He had never been more sincere about anything else in his entire life.
He felt a pulse beneath his feet, then another one. Kouga watched in awe as a soft, blue light surrounded him. Everything faded from his view and he was no longer deep within the confines of the dark, dry well. Rather, he was floating adrift in the soft blue light. Kouga then felt something warm emanating from his legs. He looked down to see the two jewel shards in his legs giving off a vibrant pink glow. The glow was so intense that he had to shield his eyes from their sheer brilliance. As quickly as the blue light came, it dissipated. Kouga felt his feet touch solid earth again and he collapsed on all fours. He had never, even in his wildest dreams witness something so ethereal in nature. And it had all come and gone so quickly. It was really dark now. Kouga glanced up and was shocked to see a wooden roof above his head.
"Now where in the world did that come from?"
Kouga leaped out of the well and found himself within a shrine. None of this was here a moment ago. A few moments ago, there was grass, trees, and a broad open sky around the well, not this shrine. That could only mean one possible thing. He couldn't believe it. Had he actually made it to Kagome's time? Kouga's heart skipped two beats and his excitement mounted with each passing second. Kagome's scent was faded here, but she had definitely visited this place recently. His heart raced a million miles a second as the realness of the situation actually settled in. He had done what the mutt couldn't.
Kouga had passed into Kagome's time.
He grinned widely as he approached the shrine's exit. "Yeah! I made it through that damn well! Don't you worry Kagome, Kouga's comin' to see ya and-" Kouga froze when he opened the doors of the shrine. There was no way he could've properly prepared himself for the sights and smells of the twenty first century. His hands instantly flew to his nose to stop the burning sensation he got when he stepped outside. The air was laden with smog and it caused his demonic sense of smell to go haywire.
"Kagome's world smells terrible! How can she stand to live in a place like this?" Kouga wanted to puke but then after sifting through the many smells, he caught the scent he'd been searching for. But it wasn't good.
Kouga wasted no time and he took off in the direction of Kagome's scent. He leaped down the tall staircase with ease and shoved his way through the bushes at the bottom of it. What Kouga saw made his demon blood boil. There lay his Kagome bruised and in tears with this strange man on top of her, trying to force his himself into her mouth. Kouga growled loudly, a deep threatening wolf's growl that rumbled from within his throat. His ocean blue eyes had narrowed to mere slits as he attempted to keep his demonic rage at bay…for Kagome's sake only.
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF MY MATE" Kouga snatched the man by the neck and lifted him, ensuring that his claws more than punctured his skin. He delighted in seeing the man's blood run down his wrist and arm. He wanted more. He needed, no, demanded more of this man's blood on his claws for what he was trying to do to his woman. Kouga watched the man squirm in vain but it only fanned the flames of his bloodlust even more.
Kagome felt the man's weight lift off of her suddenly and she was taken aback. She turned her head upwards to see the man being hoisted in the air by another person. She could barely make out the silhouette of her saviour, but she was more than grateful nonetheless.
"I-Inuyasha…?" she whispered, still quite woozy.
Kouga was seething with rage. He delivered a swift punch to the man's face so that he was sent flying and crashed against a wall. Kagome sat up, rubbed her head and squinted to see who this new person was. He turned away from her and headed towards the man and it was then that Kagome saw his long dark ponytail and a wolf's tail…
Kouga approached the man who still couldn't quite grasp what had happened. He was gripping tightly onto his bleeding throat as the blood spilled everywhere. He was horrified…and he had every right to be. Blood bubbled up within his throat when he attempted to beg for his life but he only managed to make gargle and cough. Kouga fully intended to finish this now. How could this lowlife scum even dare to force himself on his Kagome? He needed to pay with his life and Kouga would not stop until more of the man's blood was spilled.
Since Kouga had met Kagome, a human's blood had never stained his claws or his teeth again. He had taken an oath never to harm a human being again and had even made this law in his pack. But this man was inexcusable. He'd rip apart anybody that tried to force himself on Kagome, human or demon. Kouga neared the man. He tried to scamper away but Kouga wouldn't allow any of that. He snatched the man by the throat again, his claws digging into the very same wounds he had inflicted earlier.
"You worthless piece of shit…I'm going to tear you to shreds." He spoke slowly, his voice was now searing with anger. He held the man at his eye level just to allow his inner demon to feed off of the man's fear during his last moments of life. Kouga was about to tear into the man's stomach with his claws, with every intention of killing him.
"Kouga"
Kouga was instantly brought out of his demonic rage by the sound of Kagome's trembling voice. He turned to see her sitting upright and gazing at him and his heart broke seeing her tears flow down her face. Kagome gazed at him, pleading with her eyes. She hadn't said anything more but he knew she was telling him something. He had a good idea of exactly what that was too.
"Don't kill him". Kouga knew Kagome would disapprove of him killing a human, hell, so did he. But what this man had done to Kagome…how could he even think about sparing his life?
"Kouga, please don't…"
That soft plea was enough to weaken Kouga's heart enough to release his death grip from around the man's throat, although he wasn't happy about it at all. He did so with a very frustrated growl and shoved the man not so gently to the ground.
"Fine. Now get the hell away from here before I change my god damned mind!" Kouga barked out at the man, but he didn't need to speak twice. The man scampered away from the furious wolf chief, never to be seen again.