Chapter Sixteen : Boksuno The Demon Tree And Naraku's Visions

Five days later...

Naraku has been walking for five days without rest or sleep... He was beginning to see the woman in his dreams every where he looked, his lack of sleep and state of worry was not helping him either... He was weakening... He could barely focus on the task at hand as he wondered aimlessly around the countryside looking for the wise demon tree...

' Boksuno... ' Naraku thought to himself, ' I hope that you can give me aid in my despair and tell me how to stop my dream from becoming reality... I need peace... I need that woman safe from harm... '

Naraku really didn't have much reason to eat, but his body needed nutrients to sustain him... So he wondered, stumbling along until he came to a large Grove of fruit trees... Feeling himself becoming increasingly dizzy, Naraku sat down to rest a few minutes before slowly climbing up the trunk of a large peach tree, he picked several sweet looking fruits and stuck them into his kimono... There were also pairs and almond trees nearby, so Naraku picked several of each and sat down to eat his meal, unaware that someone was watching him... Kikyo watched in surprise as Naraku began eating the various fruits and nuts he'd picked...

'Naraku?! What on earth is he up to?!' Kikyo wondered in shock...

Kikyo walked towards Naraku with her arrow drawn...

"Naraku... What are you scheming... " Kikyo asked suspiciously...

"I am plotting nothing... Lady Kikyo, only wishing to find whatever I can to aid me..." Naraku said sadly, "It's my burden to bare... "

"Are you not going to try and kill me once more?" Kikyo asked in shock, "Nothing's ever stopped you in the past... "

"That was the past... " Naraku said looking away, "I've got something far more important to do... "

"And what would that be Naraku?!" Kikyo said with sudden venom in her voice, " Kill children?! Terrorize innocent villagers?!"

"No... " Naraku said sadly.

"What then?!" Kikyo hissed, "What are you planning?!"

"I need to know where I can find Boksuno... " Naraku said, his eyes closed...

Kikyo was stunned momentarily...

"Why?" Kikyo asked, "What knowledge could you possibly gain from Boksuno?!"

"It's not your concern... " Naraku said tiredly.

It was as if all the fight had gone out of him...

'What could be ailing him so much that he would refuse to even fight me?!' Kikyo wondered... 'Is Naraku... Could he be dying?!'

"You'll find Boksuno in the black forest, west of the ox tiger... " Kikyo said...

Kikyo then vanished just as swiftly as she'd appeared... Naraku smiled to himself...

"Thank you... Lady Kikyo... " Naraku said...

After a little more rest, he headed west to the Black Forest near the Ox Tiger...

Back in Kagome's time...

Kagome had finally woken up and was eating breakfast when a nurse burst into her room unannounced...

"Shya! What is it?!" Kagome gasped worriedly.

"I know it's against protocol dear, but that wolf demon outside is tearing up the hospital grounds! Not even the other demon can calm him!" Shya said frantically.

"It's alright Shya, he's just worried about me is all... Once he sees I'm OK, I'm sure he'll calm down... " Kagome said smiling reassuringly.

Despite still being in quite a lot of pain, kagome carefully got up and dressed in the gown nurse Shya had washed for her since the hospital gown was far too revealing to wear out in public... Brushing her hair out until it shown, Kagome pleated her hair into a neat braid and went out to great a very large Koga... Kagome had forgotten that in his anger, he'd gone full demon... Kagome cautiously walked up to the giant wolf, hoping that if it really was him, he would recognize her and not try to kill her...

"Um... Koga?" Kagome asked nervously.

Koga backed out a loud bark and immediately began nuzzling her with his big silky head...

"It is you!" Kagome said giggling, "You got big!"

Koga wagged his tail and raised his head up proudly.

"Well, I'm feeling better now, so... Can you go back to your other form please?!" Kagome asked sweetly.

Koga barked once more as a swirling vortex of demonic energy engulfed him, neither aware as, once again, Kat Kusura was hiding close by, her film crew filming silently... Kagome watched as the vortex began to grow smaller... When the vortex faded away, there stood the Koga she remembered... Walking up to her, Koga purred happily as she allowed him to embrace her, the way a mate would... Koga nuzzled her neck for a bit, making Kagome feel a bit dizzy from the sensation... Kagome sighed... Even she didn't love Koga the way he wished her to, she still cared very deeply for him as a friend... Kagome laid her head against the silky smooth skin of his chest...

'Wait! Since when does Koga go without his armor?!' Kagome gasped to herself...

Taking a deep breath, Kagome let her eyes travel over Koga's body... Kagome gasped and covered her eyes... Her face instantly stained blood red and she screamed...

Koga laughed, a deep demonic rumbling growl...

"Uh... Koga... Can... You please get some clothes on?!" Kagome squeaked nervously...

Instead of listening right away, Koga pulled her to him in another warm embrace, his chest rumbling as he felt Kagome's heart speed up rapidly... Kagome looked into Koga's eyes and gasped when she realized the whites were still dark crimson...

"Koga?! Your still in your demon form?!" Kagome asked worriedly...

Koga growled a low purr like growl once more and before she could stop him, captured her lips in a warm deep kiss... Kagome's head spun... She kept telling herself to stop him... Do something... But instead, she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck... Kagome gasped when she felt Koga lick her bottom lip, requesting interence. Kagome didn't hesitate to let him in... She was still in quite a lot of pain and Koga being around really was a comfort to her... Admittedly, she enjoyed the kiss as well... While inuyasha was indeed a good friend, she just couldn't bare the thought of being rejected by him yet again... So she'd hardened her heart, afraid that, if she opened herself up, hoping to find love again, it would tear her soul apart if she ever had to deal with a broken heart again... So, when Koga pulled away to look at her flushed cheeks and smiled a warm smile, she simply smiled and put her hands on her hips... And turned around to avoid seeing his naked body...

"OK... You kissed me... Can you please put some clothes on now?!" Kagome asked embarrassed...

Kagome heard another deep chuckle and turned around to see Koga fully clothed in a regal light blue kimono with black pants and boots and dark turquoise blue and black armor on... But the most amazing detail of all was his long flowing black hair... It must have come loose during his transformation because his flowing silky hair hung down his back, ending just above his waist... Kagome blushed all over again... Of course, being a woman, Kat Kusura was quite happy about Koga not having any clothes on... His body was nothing but hard packed muscles...

"If only I could find a true love like that... " Kat said sighing...

Kat watched as the now fully clothed Koga pulled Kagome into his arms once more and kissed her yet again... Kagome tried... She truly tried not to give in to her hopes of Koga's feelings being true... But after the ordeal she'd gone through, she needed to be loved... So she let him continue to kiss her senseless... After they're second kiss, Shya came running out waving some paper work at Kagome...

"Kagome! The doctor says you can go home! All you have to do is sign these papers!" Shya said happily.

"Gladly!" Kagome said happily...

Kagome sighed the papers and handed them over to Shya, then turned to look at Koga with a shy smile...

"Do you want to walk me home?" Kagome asked shyly.

Koga gave what sounded to Kagome like an approving growl and quickly swept her up into his strong arms... Kagome squeaked at how fast he'd picked her up, issuing a deep rumbling laugh from him... Once they got to Kagome's house, Koga put her down on the couch, still visibly concerned about her injuries... When she tried to get up, to her surprise, Koga gently nipped her neck with his fangs and growled!

"Did... Did you just bite me?!" Kagome asked nervously...

Suddenly she heard a different laugh and looked to see inuyasha standing in the shadows with a huge grin on his face... He obviously found the whole scene rather amusing...

"What's so funny?!" Kagome asked aggrivatedly, "I have to use the bathroom and he won't let me up!"

"Well duh... Of course not... Your still badly hurt, so with his beast wanting you as a mate and the powerful pull of the blood bond as well, Koga is going to be pretty damn protective of you... " inuyasha said still grinning, "That is why he won't let you up... His beast is afraid moving too much will break open your wounds... Guess you'll have to get use to that for at least a few more days... "

Kagome sighed in defeat. Then a thought struck her...

"Hey, what about you?! Where are you going?!" Kagome asked suspiciously...

"Home. You'll be safe enough with Koga... I won't underestimate his powers ever again... " inuyasha said winking.

"Wait! Inuyasha! You can't leave me alone with him!" Kagome yelled, getting her another swift nip from Koga...

"I can't really see how I'd be much help... Koga will keep you safe... Even if his way is a bit annoying... " inuyasha said grinning.

"Yeah... Got that right... " Kagome said annoyed...

Koga growled and nipped Kagome again...

"Ouch!" Kagome said angrily, "Knock it off will ya?! "

Koga whined and nuzzled her neck where he'd just bitten her in affection... This made Kagome calm down quite a bit, making inuyasha smile...

'This will be good for Kagome... I can't love her the she wants me too because she's just like a sister to me... But you Koga... ' inuyasha thought as he studied the two, ' You were destined to be her soul mate... That's why she felt the need to call for you when she was being hurt... That's why she asked for you when she was ill... You two belong together, you just need to help her realize it... '

"See you later Kagome..." inuyasha said smiling.

Inuyasha's eyes had gone back to they're regular golden color earlier that day and were shining with amusement... Inuyasha slowly walked over to where the two sat and patted Kagome on the head. Then, placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead he left for the bone eaters well...

Three days later, Koga's beast had receded and Koga's eyes turned their normal crystal teal blue color... It took some convincing, but after talking to him for a while, kagome had convinced Koga to go home and check on his family and friends...

"Are you sure your okay? " Koga asked worriedly...

"Yes... I'll be back in a few more days anyway... Thank you so much for taking care of me... " Kagome said blushing.

"Your welcome... " Koga said gently holding her...

Unaware that Hiyuke was watching from the doorway, Koga hugged Kagome to him, letting his beast come out just enough to give a low, purr like growl as a means of comforting her one more time before he went home... Hiyuke couldn't help herself, taking her camera out, she snapped a few pictures of her little love birds. As Koga began to pull away, kagome held on a little tighter...

"Kagome?" Koga asked.

Kagome gently placed her palm on Koga's cheek and raised up on her tip toes... She then gently placed a petal soft kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush crimson... Koga gasped and looked at the little human wrapped in his arms...

"Kagome?! What was that for?!" Koga asked in shock...

"For being so sweet and taking care of me... Thank you... " Kagome said hugging him.

"Your welcome. " Koga said smiling.

After they said they're goodbyes, Koga left for the feudal era...

Back in the feudal era...

Naraku's journey was coming to an end as he neared the Black Forest where Boksuno lived. His heart began to quicken as Boksuno soon came into view...

"Ah... Naraku, your nightmares finally getting the better of you I see... " Boksuno said wisely...

"You... You knew I was coming?!" Naraku gasped...

"Indeed... I had a vision of you coming to see me about the lovely human woman who died in your arms to protect you... You've been tormented by these visions for quite some time... Have you not?" Boksuno asked.

"Yes... But I don't know why! It... It frightens me... I feel emotions I've never felt before... " Naraku said worriedly, "Tell me, do you know where the woman lives? Or what her name is?" Naraku asked.

"She lives not in this time... She is from 500 years from now... " Boksuno said closing his eyes, "Though it is destined for the two of you to meet, getting to her will be no easy task... "

"Tell me Boksuno... How do I get to her.. " Naraku said sincerely...

Boksuno, the old tree demon just smiled...