.Chapter 5
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Well I'm back with another chapter, thanks again to those who reviewed! My job kept me from finishing this chapter within the time I originally expected. But here it is nonetheless! In compensation, I tried to make this chapter a bit longer for you guys ^^
I had received an email from a reader that wanted to know more about the plotline of this story. Of course, Kouga breaks through Naraku's spell on the well and whatnot but it was brought to my attention that the original description was a bit vague. So I decided to post an extended description at the top of the first chapter. If anyone is interested, you can go back and read more of what this story is actually about. It's not much because I can't give away all my evil plans for this story but hopefully it will clear things up a bit.
Cheatcakes: Yeah he is like a knight who's armour happens to be shiny and furry xD But thinking about it yea I can totally picture Kuwabara saying that, hilarious!
Animenut09: Then you're going to love this chapter! Thanks again for your review =D
Anyways, it's time for me to shut the hell up and get on with the chapter!
Enjoy~!
…
Kouga ran to Kagome's side without a second thought. He was so anxious and excited to see her that he almost didn't know what to do with himself. However, seeing someone making an attempt to steal her innocence shattered the ecstasy he had felt from passing through the Bone Eater's Well. He was now overcome with concern for the young maiden's well-being. Kouga kneeled by her side and supported her back to help her stand up.
"You okay Kagome? What happened? What did he do to you?" he demanded.
Kagome's mind still hadn't fully digested the fact that this indeed was Kouga the wolf demon, standing here in her time, at her shrine's footsteps and had even almost killed a human. Her vision was still quite blurry, but she recognized that this was in fact Kouga here next to her. But that couldn't be. The how's and why's then began storming through her head.
"Kouga, what are you doing here?" She asked softly. Was she hallucinating? She had to have been. It seemed that Kouga was really there next to her, but he couldn't have been. The well had been closed off for months now and even Inuyasha hadn't come back for her. So how could Kouga just show up at her shrine's steps all of a sudden? He had never even visited her era before! It was just impossible.
'Kagome, this has to be some sort of hallucination. Seriously, lay off the alcohol next time' she mentally scolded herself. But how could any of this be a hallucination? Everything felt so real. She could feel his strong arm wrap firmly around her waist as he helped her stand up, the heat of his body pressed against hers, his deep, masculine voice. This was all too real to be an alcoholic fantasy.
"Why else? I came to see you Kagome. It's been awhile so of course I had to check up on my woman." He shot her his signature rogue-ish smirk, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.
Oh yeah, this was definitely Kouga alright. But how had he managed to get through the Bone Eater's Well? Forget even making it through, how the hell did he even find out that she was from the modern age to begin with? She had never even mentioned that to Kouga before. Did he hear it from her friends back in the Feudal Era? What about Inuyasha then? If Kouga was here then Inuyasha must've been somewhere close by.
"Kouga, there's no way you can be here. The well...I mean, you. How did you…? No way is this happening" Kagome stuttered as she tried to gather her thoughts and make sense of her words.
"Don't you worry about any of that Kagome, I'll tell ya later. But for now, let's get you somewhere safe so you can rest. Was that stone hut I passed back there your den?" he motioned with his head up the shrine's steps as he scooped her in his arms. Kouga made sure she was comfortable before he began walking up the steps leading to her home, not really waiting for an answer.
"Uhm, yes I guess you could call it that…" Kagome's face heated as Kouga carried her towards her house. Sure, Kouga had saved her a few times before during battle. But for some reason, this time felt…different. Perhaps it was the tender nature of his embrace and how he took caution to handle her gently.
He cradled her as if she were a delicate package that was his responsibility to carry to a place where it could be safe. And in his eyes, indeed she was. Thinking about it more now, those other times, Inuyasha or her friends were always around, so being carried bridal style by Kouga had never been close to being romantic.
'Oh, get a grip Kagome, you're losing it.' Come to think about it though, she had never been truly alone with Kouga before. Until now that is. Not that this would change the way she felt towards Inuyasha or anything. But given her ordeal just now and being in Kouga's arms tonight felt…
"Alright Kagome, we're here."
Kouga stopped in front of Kagome's home and looked up, taking note of every single architectural detail of the structure. He had really never seen anything like it. "Kagome, your pack must really be wealthy to be able to afford a den as big as this one."
Kagome couldn't help but giggle a bit at the way he referred to her home and her family. Kouga looked like an adorable little child that was absolutely intrigued by a shiny new trinket.
"I wish my family was rich, but believe it or not, most houses in my time are about this size. Some are even larger, Kouga."
Kouga looked on in amazement. Sure, he had seen this thing when he first left the Higurashi shrine, but he hadn't taken the time to examine it properly as he had rushed to help Kagome.
"So your entire pack lives in here? Will I get to meet them?"
Kagome grew slightly uncomfortable with that question. Let her family meet Kouga? Boy, she could only imagine how that would play out. But since he was already here, he would probably have to… She had to admit, that was something she wasn't exactly looking forward to.
"Maybe, but they're asleep right now Kouga. I don't want to wake them, so we'll have to go through my bedroom window. Be very quiet once we get inside okay?" Kagome pointed to a window on the upper floor of the house.
Kouga had no idea what a "bedroom window" was but he took the hint. He leaped up to the balcony and Kagome showed him how to slide the glass window open. Kouga was fascinated by the entire process. As soon as the window was opened, Kagome's scent came rushing to his nose, carried on a small gust of wind. He climbed inside without hesitation and set Kagome down. It was dark inside the room, though thanks to his keen eyesight, he was able to see everything just fine. Kagome stumbled a bit but Kouga caught her effortlessly of course.
"Thanks" she said as she walked to the wall of the room and fumbled around for the light switch. "There we go, much better." Light instantly filled the room which surprised Kouga. He looked around at all the bright colors and foreign materials about the room. "Kouga this is my room. Well, my 'den' as you seem to call it. Now you have to keep your voice down so we don't wake my family alright?"
Kouga nodded. He seemed to understand; that was good. Kagome took hold of his arm and lead him out of her room. "Now let's get that blood cleaned up off of you." Along the way, Kagome had tried to answer a few of Kouga's questions about this knick-knack and the next, but answering the constant flow of questions became tiresome. Finally they had made it down the hall and into the bathroom. She pushed him in first, followed him in and closed the door behind them both.
"This is a bathing room or bathroom as we call it. This is also where we relieve ourselves. We don't take baths together, just one person at a time, so this is a very private place…" She said as she turned on the faucet and washed his blood soaked hand. Kagome began to blush as she digested the situation. She realized just how small this bathroom actually was and how close Kouga was standing behind her. Then having to explain what happens in a bathroom… Kagome began to feel slightly uncomfortable under his towering form and looming gaze that she knew was directed onto her. Suddenly she felt like a deer that had been ensnared in the wolf's trap, simply waiting to be devoured. She turned slightly and caught a glimpse of him smirking at her.
"So Kagome, what were you thinking bringing me to this very private place?" he cooed right next to her ear. His warm breath tickled her ear and neck and Kagome felt a warm sensation run down her spine. He parted her hair away from one side of her neck, leaving the flesh exposed under his gaze. Kagome's blush spread, so did Kouga's smirk. Even though he wanted so much to have at her tender neck, he thought it was rather cute the way her face reddened and he enjoyed every second of it.
He traced a clawed finger very lightly up and down the length of her exposed neck, causing her to shudder. Kouga wouldn't dare make any actual advances on her, given the circumstances of what had almost happened to her, but he couldn't help but tease her just a little bit for fun.
"Don't you get any ideas buddy, it's NOT like that" Kagome warned. She tried to sound as threatening as possible but she knew Kouga didn't buy it for a second. Kagome just busied herself with cleaning Kouga's bloody hand instead…although he was less interested in indoor plumbing and more interested in the girl washing his hand.
"It's alright Kagome, I can do this by myself."
"Oh, good then. When you're done come straight back to my room and don't go anywhere else okay?" Kouga nodded and gave her a playful salute as she closed the door.
Kouga loved that he could make Kagome get so flustered the way she was. To him, that was a good sign. If he was able to get her to respond to his gestures in such a way then that must mean that she felt something for him, right? That's all he needed to know. He was determined to use this time he had alone with Kagome to truly let her know how he felt. After his hands were cleaned, he poked around at the various oddities in the bathroom. He grew bored quickly though and decided that Kagome, who was patiently awaiting him in the bedroom, would be much more interesting than anything the bathroom could offer.
Kagome quickly changed into some comfortable cotton shorts and a fitted white t-shirt to sleep in for the night. Kouga would have to sleep in her room tonight. Just the thought of that had Kagome's mind reeling with many different thoughts. The only person who had ever set foot in her room from the Feudal era was Inuyasha. He had even spent a few nights in her home, but that's because she trusted Inuyasha. That and the fact that she could sit him if he ever got out of hand. But could she really trust Kouga? As if on cue, Kouga stepped into Kagome's room and shut the door silently behind him. Kagome was removing the sheets from her bed and hadn't turned to face him yet.
"Alright I guess you'll have to spend the night here. Now remember, first thing in the morning we – "
Kagome was cut short when she turned around to see Kouga standing there behind her. He had taken his armour off and held it underneath his arm. There he stood half naked holding out a crumpled bouquet of flowers in his hand for her to see.
"I had picked these for you when I came to look for you in the village Kagome. Then I heard you weren't there so I just decided to hold onto them until I found you. I wanted to give these to you personally. And I remembered you loved the flowers I gave you last time..."
Kagome was shocked to say the least, though she wasn't sure if she was more taken back by gift or by the toned, sculpted body of the gift giver himself. She sure didn't' see this coming but she appreciated his gesture nonetheless. She gave Kouga one of her sweet smiles as she took the flowers.
"I pushed em' down into my armour earlier so I wouldn't forget them. Sorry they're so crushed up Kagome."
Kagome smiled again. "No Kouga, it's okay, they're perfect! I love them! I'll go set them in some water." Within seconds, Kagome left and returned with a clear container of water and set it on her dresser. "There we go."
"I'm glad you like them Kagome."
Kagome went about spreading a few quilts on her room floor for Kouga to sleep on. "You'll be sleeping here tonight." She completed the makeshift bed by tossing a pillow on top of the sheets and proceeded to lie in her own bed. Kagome had wanted so much to just crash as soon as she had gotten home, but now that Kouga was here, she had to make sure that he was comfortable too.
Kouga released the fur bind holding his ponytail and allowed his silky hair to fall around his shoulders and back. He shook his head a bit and ran his fingers through his ebony locks. He proceeded to remove his fur leggings before lying down on the blankets. Kagome collapsed on her bed, too. She landed with a thud and a heavy sigh of relief. Kagome was just about to nod off to sleep when Kouga spoke.
"Kagome, I know it's probably not something you want to talk about right now, but where were you coming from when that bastard attacked you?"
Kagome rolled over to the edge of the bed to look at Kouga. Though it was dark now, she could still see the outline of his chiseled body stretched out on her floor with his arms folded behind his head.
"Well, I was out with a few of my friends. We all live in this area so we walked home together. My home wasn't that far away from theirs so I figured I'd be able to get home safely. That man, whoever he was had been following us…"
Kouga listened very intently as she spoke. He had also noted that when he found her, she smelled of some sort of strange sake. Had Kagome been out drinking with her friends tonight? It seemed so. Kouga grinned inwardly. It seemed that Kagome did indeed have a wilder side that he had not yet discovered…
"But you know, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving me Kouga. Thank you." Kagome smiled down at the wolf prince.
"No need to thank me Kagome. You know I'd protect you from anything, even if it costs me my life. You're my woman; it's my natural instinct to protect you. " His voice sounded so deep and sincere; he really meant that. Sure he had said things like that to her all the time before, but now, it meant so much more… There was definitely something about Kouga tonight that seemed different than any other time she could recall.
"You know, you never did tell me exactly how you got here. For some reason, I haven't been able to get back to the Feudal era and I've been stuck here for months. But here you are popping up out of nowhere, what's going on?"
Kouga just shrugged. "Like I said Kagome, I came into a small village looking for you earlier where I met dog breath and your other friends."
"You saw Inuyasha?"
He nodded. "Of course the puppy tried to pick a fight with me but I was much more interested in finding you. That's when the monk explained everything to me. He told me how you would travel through a dry well in the nearby forest so I had to see this for myself."
"If you found them in a village near the well then that must mean that they were in Kaede's village! You mean to tell me they've been waiting there all this time?" excitement mounted in Kagome's voice. They had been waiting for her. Inuyasha had been waiting for her. But wait, that meant that it was just as she feared. Inuyasha was unable to get through the well too.
"Wait a sec Kouga, so if I couldn't pass and neither could Inuyasha, then how did you of all people make it through?"
Kouga pouted teasingly. "Aw c'mon Kagome, you didn't think I'd have what it takes to get through some stupid well? I'm shocked" He joked with a light chuckle and a glint of humour in his eyes.
His banter was contagious though and Kagome found herself smiling too. She playfully tossed a pillow at his head, causing him to throw up his arms to catch it.
"Kouga c'mon, tell me. It's important" she said, trying to hush her giggles.
"I honestly dunno how I got through." He said nonchalantly with a shrug. Kagome almost fell over at that answer. Kouga was her only lead to solving this problem right now…yet he didn't even know how he did it? She laid down on her back and sighed.
"I was sittin' in that strange well when I saw this really bright light. The shards in my legs got really, really warm, hot even, and the next thing I knew I was here."
Kouga was able to get here because of his jewel shards? If that was the case, then why had she and Inuyasha been able to travel back and forth without them before? It didn't make any sense. All of this gave Kagome one big headache…and her drunkenness hadn't helped either.
Kagome just yawned. "Alright Kouga I'm having a major headache right now. We'll talk about this again…tomorrow. I'll want all the details. Just don't…leave my room at…all until I wake up…you got that…?" Kagome's voice trailed off as she began to drift off to sleep.
"I gotcha, but you know Kagome, I was in that well for hours and I only got through when I really wished and prayed for it to take me to you. I know you probably think this sounds dumb but I think - " Kouga paused mid-sentence at the sound of Kagome's soft snoring. He raised an eyebrow; that was sort of disappointing. She must have been really hung over from all the sake she must've drank. He grinned at that the thought of his Kagome chugging down a bottle of sake. That would definitely be a sight to behold.
Kouga rolled over on his side and clung onto the soft bedding Kagome had laid out for him. Her scent was everywhere; causing his senses to go haywire. The wolf was far from feeling sleepy right now. How could he help it? He was mere inches away from his woman whom he had been so anxious to see, so sleeping was the last thing on Kouga's mind right now. It was ridiculous for Kagome to even ask him to sleep at a time like this!
He stifled out a low, frustrated growl as he turned over on his back again. He looked over to Kagome who was soundly asleep and groaned, restlessness. Kouga really appreciated Kagome's hospitality by allowing him to stay in her home but he could think of other things he would rather be doing with Kagome right now instead. His devious mind filled with various thoughts about doing this and that with Kagome, but he knew she wouldn't allow him to act them out. And he would certainly never try anything while she was asleep. But then again she would need her rest after what she had been through tonight. So those thoughts were thrown out of the window.
Kouga got up from the floor and decided that he would investigate Kagome's den for a while. He made his way over to what he could describe as a really tall table that had several clear vials of liquid sitting on top of it. He examined one of the bottles carefully. This thing Kagome called glass that humans came up with hadn't ceased to amaze him yet. He watched the pink liquid swoosh around inside of the bottle he was holding as he handled it. Kouga removed the lid and examined the strange nozzle. There seemed to be a certain scent coming from it so he held it up to his face. He accidentally pressed down on the nozzle which sent a spray of the scented liquid straight into his eyes.
"ARRRGH! WHAT THE HELL!" Kouga dropped the bottle and covered his burning eyes. He stumbled backwards and bumped into Kagome's bureau, tumbling over the other perfume bottles.
"Oh shit" He hurriedly tried to gather the falling bottles, but to no avail. 'Damnit, Kagome's gonna kill me. She must've heard all that' Kouga was reluctant to turn around out of fear of meeting the eyes of a very angry girl. He took a peek over his shoulder, before turning around completely. There lay Kagome, still peacefully asleep.
'Phew' He breathed a sigh of relief. Kouga figured it would be best not to mess with Kagome's odd belongings. Instead, he returned to the comfort of the soft sheets. It was then that he heard a scratching noise at the door.
He jumped up immediately at the sound and growled. An intruder? How dare they try to invade Kagome's den! "Not while I'm around" Kouga growled out as he approached the door. He was about to lunge when he opened the door to find that there was nobody there.
"Mrrrrrroooooooowww?"
"Huh?" Kouga looked down to see a chubby cat walk into the room. "It's just a cat." He stated as he bent down to pick up Buyo by the scruff of his neck, much to the feline's dismay.
"This must be Kagome's pet. What the hell does she feed this thing? It's huge!" Kouga said while poking at its stomach with just the tip of his claw.
"Mroow!" And with one sweep of the paw, Buyo scratched Kouga's hand and wriggled free of his grasp.
"AGH! Stupid cat! I outta eat you alive!"
Buyo was totally un-phased by the wolf demon's threat though. Instead, he casually leaped onto Kagome's bed, stretched, then settled in a spot right next to the sleeping girl. He was as content as could be. Kouga scowled at the feline one last time before he returned to his spot on the floor. He laid there for a few minutes, listening to the sound of Kagome's soft snoring. It was actually quite relaxing he had to admit, but sleep still eluded him. He was becoming fed up at this point. He had already almost lost his sense of sight and smell because of Kagome's stingy stuff, then her cat nearly tore his hand off…and to top it all off, he had to wait until morning to talk to Kagome even though he had been away from her for so long. Just his luck. Kouga glanced at Kagome's sleeping form again, when an idea came to him.
'Why should I be down here when my woman is up there? Kagome won't mind if I move a little closer…' Kouga stood and faced Kagome's bed.
'It'll only be for tonight.'
"Alright, move over ya big lug." Kouga said as he rolled the sleepy Buyo away from Kagome. "It's my turn."
"Mrrrooowww" Buyo drowsily protested as he was being rolled away. He stretched and settled against Kagome's feet instead. Kouga carefully climbed into the bed and laid down next to Kagome. He was slightly unsure if he was doing the right thing but he had already gotten this far, so he might as well follow through with it. Once he was lying comfortably behind her, he carefully wrapped one arm around her waist and brought her to him. Kouga was surprised at how warm she was and he couldn't help but blush at their proximity. His heart was racing a thousand miles a minute but his tenseness eased when he saw that she hadn't woken up and pushed him away. He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed at the sleeping girl in admiration; she was truly beautiful.
A gust of wind came rushing in through the window and Kagome shivered in response. Kouga immediately began stroking her exposed arm and thighs in order to generate some heat on her body. He brought his head to sit atop hers while he rubbed her shoulder. That elicited a soft moan from Kagome, causing his face to take on an even deeper shade of red. Kouga knew that he could've just as easily grabbed one of the sheets that were lying on the floor to spread over them both, but he wanted to keep her warm himself. Somehow, it made him feel like she needed him tonight.
Laying here with Kagome in his arms, their bare legs intertwined with each other, the feel of Kagome's head lying against his chest…Kouga preferred it this way. He would have it no other. Just then, Kagome stirred next to him. Was she waking up? She turned to face him in her sleep and cuddled closer against his chest. Kouga began blushing even more than ever now and he brought his hand up behind her head and began stroking her raven hair. "Kagome…" he whispered as he continued caressing her.
"Inuyasha…" she mumbled out.
Kouga's breath hitched in his throat. 'She's dreaming of the mutt.' The thought that Kagome had been dreaming of Inuyasha right now did in fact hurt Kouga very deeply. But it didn't matter though. The only thing that mattered was being with his woman right now. He had never gotten the chance to hold Kagome like this and he sure as hell wasn't about to let mutt face ruin this for him. Not now. He only cradled Kagome tighter, relishing her warmth and her exquisite scent. Kouga would have her as his tonight…if only just for one night.
Daylight peeked through the bedroom window. A soft breeze wafted in, causing the curtains that hung loosely by the window to briefly billow up before returning back to their resting place. The soft glow of morning settled upon the sleeping faces of Kagome, Kouga and Buyo. Kouga, who was used to waking up at the break of dawn hadn't even so much as stirred from the position he had fallen asleep in a few hours before. Sleeping next to his woman and inhaling her intoxicating scent had been more than enough to pacify him for a few extra hours.
A pair of steps were heard climbing the stairs of the Higurashi home. As they reached the top of the stairway, they veered left towards Kagome's room. One turn of the doorknob and…
"AHHH! KAGOME HAS BEEN BEDDED BY A DEMON!" Kagome's grandfather shrieked at the top of his lungs at the sight of Kagome and Kouga asleep together on the bed. The two woke from their sleep as he proceeded to fling dozens of his "sacred sutras" all over them in an attempt to purify Kouga and save Kagome. As if those weren't enough, he followed that up with waves and waves of purification salts.
"BE GONE YOU FILTHY DEMON! BE GONE!"
Kagome's head was pounding as she was rudely awakened from her sleep. However, Kouga was ten times more annoyed than Kagome was and was now baring his fangs while shielding his face from the powder. Kagome had just opened her eyes when she noticed a very finely defined, lean body right next to her face. She blushed as her sleepy eyes trailed upwards to meet the sight of Kouga's handsome face. His ebony hair was not bound in a ponytail as she was accustomed to seeing. Instead, it fell around his shoulders and chest and was slightly tussled. Kagome stared at him for a few seconds in awe before she actually realized what was going on.
"K-Kouga!" she backed away from him as if he had just bitten her. "W-what are you doing in my bed!"
"My poor Kagome, that evil demon has seduced you! Get away from there and get behind me so I can protect you child!" the old man hollered as he continued throwing his sutras and salts.
"GRANDPA?"
Kagome could've sworn that her headache had gotten a hundred times worse. This was definitely not the way she had envisioned introducing Kouga to her family. She noticed Kouga next to her baring his fangs and growling, clearly holding himself back. 'At least he's behaving.'
"No grandpa, stop! He's a good guy, like Inuyasha"
Kouga's eyebrow twitched in absolute annoyance. 'She could've at least left out the Inuyasha part.'
"Listen here old man, relax, I aint here to hurt Kagome" Kouga said getting out of the bed to confront him.
"Then what exactly are your intentions with my granddaughter demon?" he questioned, while sizing him up.
"I intend to make Kagome my mate one day." Kouga replied simply.
Kagome wanted to just fade out of existence at that precise moment and never return to this utterly mortifying reality. Kouga never had any subtlety when it came to proclaiming his love for her. Sure she thought it was sweet and all but she knew her grandpa definitely wouldn't react well to what Kouga said. And she was right.
"NO! Kagome will never become the mate of a demon! Kagome, stand back while I vanquish this demon that has defiled you!"
"Defiled?" Kouga and Kagome repeated in unison.
"No grandpa, I know what it looks like but you've got it all wrong! Nothing happened!" Kagome exclaimed. 'Did it?' After all, she had been passed out the entire night and if she remembered correctly, Kouga was still quite wide awake next to her.
"Don't worry. Nothing happened between me and Kagome, you got that?"
"See grandpa, I told you. He's a good demon. Now we'll both be down in a minute and then I can explain what's going on here. " Kagome said as she escorted him out of her room.
"Hey, Kagome who's that?" came another voice.
"Oh no…" Kagome's morning couldn't get any worse. Her brother Souta had been passing through the hall and came to see what the commotion was about. And all this talk of her being a demon's mate was definitely not something she wanted her kid brother to hear. Souta poked his head into the room and his eyes went wide when he saw Kouga standing there.
"Where'd he come from Kagome? Is he a friend of yours? And did I hear grandpa say he was a demon? That's so cool!" the boy began rambling on with all sorts of questions. Kagome's head was beginning to spin and fast. Her grandfather was still going on about them sharing the same bed and now Souta was here. Kagome swore she'd lose her sanity any moment now.
"OKAY ENOUGH ALREADY!"
Everyone stopped and the room fell silent as all eyes were now trained on her. "Grandpa, Souta, I'll meet you both downstairs in a minute. Ask mom to set out another plate for breakfast please and thank you." And with that she shooed both of them through the door and closed it behind them. Kagome braced against the door with a heavy sigh of relief.
"Sorry about all this Kouga, I had no idea my grandfather would come in to check up on me." Kagome said as she approached him and began to dust off the purification salts from his hair.
"It's alright Kagome. Are they always this charming?" he asked sarcastically.
Kagome smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. My grandfather claims to have exorcized many demons back in his day, so that's why he went totally ballistic on you just now. So I'm really sorry about this Kouga" she explained with a small chuckle.
Just then, Kouga took Kagome's hands in his and stared intensely into her chocolate brown eyes as he normally would. "There's no need to apologize, Kagome. I'm just grateful that you've allowed me to spend the night in your home, and with you."
"Kouga, can you tell me what you were doing in my bed this morning?" she asked flatly.
"Well you looked pretty cold and lonely last night so I came to keep you warm." He leaned in close to her and lowered his voice to a husky whisper right next to her ear. "What better way to keep you warm than using my own body heat, Kagome?"
Now Kagome was really rattled and her face reddened instantly. 'He's doing it again! He must be doing this on purpose! I'm sure he's just getting a kick out of getting me worked up like this!' Kagome's hands flew to her face, possibly trying to hide her intense blush that she knew crept onto her face. 'Alright Kagome, breathe and take it easy. Don't let him get the better of you. It's only Kouga, remember?' With Kouga so close to her now, that was much easier said than done. She decided to change the subject and hopefully create a diversion.
"Well I'm gonna have to explain you to my family Kouga. So it's best that you get cleaned up first." Kagome said as she turned away and busied herself with various things around her bedroom. "You could use a shower."
"A shower?"
Kagome slowly descended the stairway of the Higurashi home with Kouga as well as Buyo in tow. She had to admit that she was somewhat nervous about letting Kouga meet her family. But what choice did she have? After that embarrassing encounter with her grandfather not very long ago, she definitely owed them an explanation…
Kouga had been a little tense about meeting Kagome's family too though he would never admit it. The only other humans besides Kagome he had ever met were her two companions, the monk and the demon slayer. He was hoping he wouldn't offend them in any way. After all, first impressions were lasting ones, weren't they? These people could quite possibly be his pack one day so Kouga had to be sure this went right. This home of Kagome's was quite strange though. He couldn't help but examine every little thing. He scanned each and every detail throughout the home as they approached the dinner table. The two were greeted by Kagome's mother who had just finished laying out the last set of dishes for their breakfast.
"So you must be this demon grandpa has told me about." Kagome's mother said as she examined Kouga carefully.
"Mom, this is Kouga. He's a friend of mine from the Feudal Era. Kouga this is my mother, my grandpa that you met earlier, and my little brother Souta." Kagome said as she gestured towards each person sitting at the table.
Kagome's grandfather just scowled to himself. He was still upset by the fact that this demon had shared a bed with his granddaughter and was now a welcomed guest at their dining table. Souta was all too interested in the demon to notice his grandfather's troubled expression and made his way over to Kouga.
"Wow, so you're a demon like Inuyasha?" he asked wide eyed as he circled Kouga. "Oh but look! He's got a tail Kagome!"
"Well Souta he's not exactly like Inuyasha…" Kagome began, noticing Kouga's irate expression. She knew he hated being compared to Inuyasha, but she couldn't help it if Souta didn't know any better.
"Mutt face is a half demon, and he's just a mongrel dog. Iam a full blooded wolf demon, leader of the Eastern wolf demon tribe…" Kouga began, only to find that Souta was much more interested in poking at his tail. 'Kids' he thought, rolling his eyes. Kagome's mother shooed her zealous son away from Kouga's tail and gestured for them to sit at the dinner table.
"So, Kouga was it? Can you tell us how you got here? You obviously came from the Feudal Era, but how? Kagome hasn't been able to get back for months now."
"Well I'm not really sure to be honest. All I know was there was this really bright light coming from my jewel shards and the next thing I knew, I ended up here" he explained. Kouga was more occupied with inspecting the various foods laid out on the table, unsure of what exactly they were.
"And if that's the case, then I'm hoping that whatever was wrong with the well is fixed now and I can go back to the Feudal Era today." Kagome piped happily. Then she looked over to Kouga to find him fiddling with his pair of chopsticks and cursing under his breath. She had totally forgotten that Kouga was probably used to eating with his hands his entire life so of course he wouldn't know how to work chopsticks. She smiled as she leaned over and adjusted the chopsticks in his hands.
'At least he's trying.'
"Here, like this." Kagome said as she demonstrated using her own chopsticks. After some fiddling around with them, Kouga finally got the hang of it and happily gobbled down the strange human food.
"This stuff…is pretty good" he said in between mouthfuls. Kagome's mother just smiled, not minding his apparent lack of table manners one bit.
"Well I'm glad you like it Kouga, eat to your heart's content."
"Hmph, well onto more pressing matters, what was this demon doing in your bedroom last night Kagome?" her grandfather asked her suspiciously, though he never took his gaze from Kouga.
"Don't worry grandpa, Kouga actually saved me from being attacked last night on my way home." Her family looked at her in surprise.
"Somebody attacked you? Are you alright dear? Did you get a good look at them?" Kagome's mother asked with urgency and worry evident in her voice.
"I'm fine mom. Like I said, Kouga came in the nick of time and he saved me. Though it sure hasn't been the first time he's saved me in battle." Kagome didn't think that she had the heart to tell her family that she had almost been raped by a complete stranger that had followed her home. "And after what Kouga did to the guy, I don't think he'll ever be coming near here again either" she finished with a triumphant smile.
While he was eating, Kouga had been intently listening to Kagome tell her family of what happened, and he couldn't have been more proud than he was at that moment. Hearing his woman speak of how he had come to her rescue made his chest burst with pride and it elated his very spirit to hear it. He just smiled inwardly as he gobbled down the last bit of food in his bowl before setting it down with a satisfied sigh.
"Oh Kouga, I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter"
He simply shrugged. "No need to thank me. I'd do absolutely anything to keep Kagome safe and out of harm's way. Protecting her from some low life is nothing."
"It's a good thing you showed up when you did or who knows what would've happened to her." Kagome's mother bowed to him in respect. Kagome's grandfather still eyed Kouga suspiciously from across the table. This one seemed genuine enough, but being a demon he could never be completely trusted. But he decided he would leave the wolf be…for now.
"Wow, so what did you do to the guy, Kouga? You must've beaten him pretty bad huh?" Souta asked, absolutely spellbound with the wolf demon now.
"You know it, kid. I wanted to rip that guy to shreds for making an attempt on Kagome. Believe me, I would have but Kagome told me I should spare the worm's life so I didn't bother to finish him off." Kouga finished with a bit of a huff and crossed arms. If Kagome wasn't so kind hearted, he would've done exactly as he just said he would, probably even worse.
"So grandpa, is there any reason you came looking for me this morning?" Kagome decided to ask before the conversation diverged into a bloody tale of heroism.
"Hm? Oh yes, your friends called here looking for you Kagome. Now what was it…what did they say now…" The elderly man answered deep in thought. He stroked his beard as he struggled to remember what it was he needed to tell Kagome. "That's right; they called to say that they were coming over to finish a group project you all had. They should be here in five minutes."
"WHAT?"
Kagome had completely forgotten about the term project she and her friends Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had agreed to finish at her house this morning. She turned to look at Kouga. 'And what am I supposed to do with him?' Great. Kagome really wished there was a guide out there for hiding your egotistical wolf demon from your prying modern day friends, but unfortunately there wasn't. She had no clue where to start. "Grandpa, you know you could've mentioned that a lot sooner."
"Sorry Kagome, I must've forgotten."
"What am I gonna do now? I can't possibly let those three see Kouga" Kagome said with a sigh.
"And why not? There something wrong with me?"
"No but people in this time aren't used to seeing long claws and fangs on people, Kouga." Souta interjected. "They'd totally freak!"
As if on cue, there was a knock heard on the front door. "Kagome, it's us! Are you home?" she heard Ayumi call out from the outside.
"No! They're here already!" Kagome frantically jumped up from the table and looked around the room quickly, as if trying to find some way to conceal Kouga. "Souta!" she roared out, causing him to flinch a bit at her tone.
"Y-yeah, sis?"
"I'll need you to keep Kouga upstairs in my room for a while!" Allowing no room for argument, she began to push the both of them up the stairs. "And make sure he doesn't leave! You hear that Kouga?"
"Kagome, there's no way you're gonna get me back in there again! I came all this way just to -"
"Kouga you're going!" she shouted which flabbergasted him, no doubt.
"I'm sorry Kouga but I really need you to cooperate with me right now okay? We'll be done in a minute, I promise." And with that she shoved them both up the staircase and into the hallway and hurriedly ran back downstairs. After Kagome was sure the both of them were gone she bolted for the door to greet her friends.
"Hey guys, we were just finishing up breakfast here." Kagome said a bit more unevenly than she would've liked. "Come on in."
Her friends followed her inside. "Oh, hi girls" Kagome's mom sweetly greeted as she cleared the plates from the table. They bowed to her in respect.
"So Kagome, was last night a lotta fun or what!" Eri cheered.
"Eh heh, yeah, sure. Let's get started shall we guys? We still have a lot of work to do."
"So remind me why I'm stuck in here again, kid?" Kouga was still quite confused as to what had transpired just now but by the way Kagome handled them both, he almost mistook her for an alpha female. That was the second time Kagome had put him in his place and left him speechless. But he sure didn't mind it one single bit. 'That's my woman.'
"Kagome's nosey friends are down there and if they see you, Kouga they'll freak out! Remember, there aren't any demons in this time. Plus they're probably gonna end up thinking you're Kagome's boyfriend or something. Then they definitely won't leave!"
"Woah, wait a sec kid. You think there aren't any demons in this time?" Kouga almost wanted to burst into laughter at the outrageous claim.
Souta just shrugged. "It's a fact Kouga. You just don't see people running around with claws and fangs these days."
"Yeah, but we demons can live for hundreds of years, easy. I'm sure as hell there's demons around here somewhere."
"Yeah well none of that stuff matters right now Kouga. We just havta keep you hidden until Kagome's friends are gone okay? Kagome's room is boring though… I know! You can come hang out my room. I have all sorts of cool stuff to show you!" And without warning Souta latched onto the wolf demon's arm and dragged him into his room. Kouga's dull expression couldn't hide the fact that he was definitely feeling bummed about having to baby sit Kagome's child brother instead of spending time with her like he had been dying to do.
The two had been together for a few hours, Souta bombarding the misfortunate wolf demon with all sorts of trinkets and things from the modern era. However, none of them fascinated him more than the bright image box that the kid had called a "tee-vee". Kouga had been enthralled with it ever since he first laid eyes on the strange device. Souta attempted to explain electricity to Kouga and how it powered the television, but Kouga decided that the peculiar thing was clearly possessed with some sort of magic. But it was still fascinating nonetheless.
Time passed and the two now settled comfortably on the carpeted floor while a movie played on in the background, the television long forgotten. Souta was showing Kouga some of his handheld racing video games and even taught him to play them. Kouga was amused by the little device but there was something nagging at the back of his mind.
"So whaddya think Kagome is up to right now?" Kouga asked, not removing his gaze from the screen in front of him.
"I dunno, they're probably still finishing up their project or talkin' about clothes and boys or something" Was Souta's mumbled reply. The young boy was obviously more interested in beating Kouga in the race they were both competing in.
"Boys, huh?" That certainly caught Kouga's interest. "She ever talk about me, kid?"
"Uhm maybe. I think so…"
"Either you know or you don't."
"Mhm.."
"Well which is it?" Kouga was beginning to grow impatient.
"YES! I made it! First place!" Souta jumped up and cheered in triumph.
Kouga looked down at his screen again to see that he had ranked last. "Yeah, yeah, you beat me. Now are you gonna answer my question or not?"
"Huh? What question was that?"
'Geez this kid's got an attention span worse than a damn sloth demon!' "I asked you if Kagome ever talks about me" He ground out slowly, trying to hold back the urge to strike the kid in the head for not listening. After all, he was the alpha of a wolf demon pack so Kouga couldn't help it if he wasn't used to having to repeat himself.
"Oh, well uh, no not really. She does talk about Inuyasha a whole lot."
Kouga cast his gaze to the floor in disappointment. 'Of course she does.' What else could he have expected?
"Sometimes she does come home crying though. Then she locks herself in her room. Mom usually talks to her to help her through it but I think it always ends up having something to do with Inuyasha."
"What the hell do you mean she comes home crying? Does mutt face hurt her?" Kouga's fangs were bared and he could already feel his blood boiling at just the thought of that dog making his woman cry. He would definitely make it a point to ask Kagome about it later and to pummel Inuyasha to a bloody pulp.
His reaction did not go unnoticed by Souta. He eyed Kouga for a while before slowly speaking. "Kouga…you don't like Inuyasha very much…do you…?"
"Yeah, what was your first hint kid?" was his sarcastic reply.
"Why? He seems pretty cool to me and he seems to really like Kagome, too." Souta studied the demon's annoyed expression for a few moments. It was then that his eyes went wide with realization. "Kouga, you love Kagome too, don't you? That's why you don't like Inuyasha!"
The wolf demon got up from his place on the floor and walked to the door. He definitely wasn't in the mood to talk about mutt face right now. Not after what he had just heard.
"You're smarter than I thought, kid."
"Hey wait! Where are you going?"
"Where do ya think? I'm gonna go see what Kagome's doing" He found that his time spent with Souta was rather interesting but he decided that he had enough of the child's company and desired that of Kagome's instead.
Souta scrambled to his feet and raced to the door, ahead of Kouga. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and leaned against the door. "I can't let you leave yet Kouga. Her friends are probably still down there. Kagome is gonna kill me if I let them see you!"
"Don't worry about it kid, I just wanna take a quick look. They won't even know I'm here, I promise." Kouga assured as he picked up the child in front of him and tossed him over his shoulder effortlessly. Kouga was a bit frustrated having been cooped up inside for so long. He at least wanted to stretch his legs a bit. A few pointless protests from Souta and the two were soon out the door and in the hallway. Kouga hadn't bothered to let Souta down, figuring that the boy would be too clumsy trying to sneak behind him which would result in them being caught. So he skilfully stealthed through the hallway and stopped short of the railing that overlooked the living room as well as the dining room where the girls worked.
Both pairs of eyes peered down the railing at the unsuspecting girls below them. "See Kouga, they're not doing anything interesting so let's go back. " Souta whispered next to Kouga's ear.
Kagome's eye twitched. She could sense his jewel shards hovering right above her head. Did they honestly believe she was stupid and wouldn't notice? She glanced up at the stairway she was facing and saw both Kouga and Souta peeking out from behind the wall. Kagome wasted no time in casting them both a frightening death glare that neither of them would be sure to forget anytime soon. Ayumi glanced up at Kagome in curiosity.
"Hey Kagome, are you alright?" she turned her head to see just what it was Kagome had been glowering at but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
"Oh it's nothing, really!" she reassured. "Now let's look at this second paragraph here…" 'That was too close. He and Souta are gonna get an earful of it when I'm done here!'
"Y-you think that other girl saw us Kouga?" Souta asked, clearly shaken up and breathing heavily.
Kouga just smirked, showing off his fangs. "Nah, I was too fast for her human eyes to keep up."
Souta rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, now let's go."
Two more hours of being trapped in Souta's room and Kouga swore he was losing his sanity. He needed fresh air, to run and feel the wind rushing against his face again. Kouga paced back and forth impatiently throughout the room while Souta sat, watching a cartoon on T.V.
"Just try to relax for a few more minutes Kouga. I'm sure they'll be done soon." Souta spoke over his shoulder towards the irritable wolf demon.
"You said that hours ago!" Kouga barked out.
Souta sighed and turned around to face him fully, not frightened in the least by Kouga's rage. "Look, I know they've been down there forever, but school work is complicated. And it's a term project they're working on so they've gotta make sure they get it right."
Kouga just frowned. He didn't have a single clue as to what "school work" or a "term project" was but whatever they were, he had developed a hatred for them if they kept Kagome busy for this long. Kouga decided that he would have to find another way out, without worrying the little human child. He could've sworn the kid would have a heart attack when they snuck out into the hallway before. So what else could he do? Kouga suddenly stopped pacing back and forth and smirked to himself.
"Hey, you said earlier that there aren't any demons in this time right?"
"Yeah, so what about it?"
"Well how much do you wanna bet that there are demons in this world? You just don't know it."
Kouga definitely captured the boy's full attention now. "No way, grandpa says there aren't any! He says all of the demons were killed off a long, long time ago!" Kouga's eyes darkened with mischievousness as he knew his plan was working.
He pretended to examine his claws casually. "We demons can disguise ourselves much better than you might think, especially from humans. A demon may have walked right passed you yesterday and you didn't even know it."
"How can you be so sure Kouga?"
"A demon can always sense another demon ya know. And I dunno kid, I've been gettin' some pretty strange vibes about this place…" Kouga walked around the room, seemingly examining or searching for something, though it was actually nothing at all. It didn't matter though. He could tell by Souta's wide eyes and gaping mouth that he had him wrapped tightly around his clawed finger already.
"You're saying there's a demon close by?"
Kouga simply nodded. "Very close. But of course you'd probably be too afraid to fight a real, man-eating demon…" he ventured off.
"No way! I'm not afraid of some stupid demon! What should we do Kouga?"
"Let's go on a demon hunt."