InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Wolf Prince's Love ❯ Shocking New World ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Seven:

She ran into a small clearing and stopped when she reached the familiar well. Kouga halted when he got to the well and peered into its cavernous depths.

“This?” He pointed down in a shocked manner. “This is where you live? Inside a well?”

“No, silly. I have to jump through the well to get home.”

Kouga raised an eyebrow.

Kagome sighed. “You'll see.”

With that, she grabbed him by the hand and leapt into the well, dragging him down with her.

Kouga opened his eyes. All around him were shining blue lights and he seemed to float in midair. He exhaled in awe of the beauteous sight. But it ended almost as soon as it began, and they landed gently at the bottom of the well. Kouga glanced up and gasped at what he saw next. They certainly weren't in Feudal Japan anymore!

0o0o0o0o0

In his eagerness to see this strange new world with his own eyes, the excited ookami scooped Kagome up into his arms, and with one powerful leap they were out of the well; this action, however, did nothing for his impatience considering the well was inside of the Higurashi's storage house. Though, the door wasn't far…

Kagome giggled softly from her position in the proud Prince's arms. His curiosity was plain to her from the look in his eyes and the expression on his face. Not to mention he was leaning his head toward the door in a vigilant manner, the same way a cautious deer would peer across a meadow before leaping out from its safe haven in the forest. Somehow, though, Kagome didn't think Kouga would appreciate being called a cautious deer…

Instead of bringing her previous thoughts to his attention, she decided to tease him more gently. “You know, there is a perfectly well-functioning ladder at the base of the well. Though, it is kind of nice to have my own personal elevator at hand.”

Kouga's fantasies of what lay just beyond the storage house's doorway were interrupted when she broke the silence between them. Upon hearing her teasing remark, a smile began to form at his lips, but faltered when his brain didn't comprehend a strange new word that he'd never recalled hearing before. “Kagome, what's an ele-…whatever you just said?”

Kagome raised a finger to her lips and wrinkled her brow in thought before answering his question. “Well, it's something we use in buildings that have more than one story to take the place of stairs. It's sort of like a room that transports people from one floor to the next, and gets them there faster than if they took the stairs.”

“I see,” he lied. Kagome giggled at the puzzled expression in his eyes and on his lips.

“Don't worry, you will soon enough,” she said as she hopped out of her own safe haven and landed on the tips of her toes. “Just as soon as we get you to the hospital.” A more serious expression donned her face as she spoke the last sentence. (A/N: that's actually a fragment, isn't it? LOL)

“Hospital?” Kouga asked. He spoke the word with distaste. He wasn't going to lie to her, he didn't know what the word meant; but he didn't exactly like the sound of it. Or the way Kagome looked at him when she said it.

“Yes, you're going to the hospital. Whether you like it or not,” she added with a look that had danger written all over it. Kouga nodded, not wishing to provoke her as he'd seen Inuyasha do just moments before, nearly losing his life. Kouga was a fast learner. Either that, or Inuyasha was just a total moron. Kouga decided on the latter.

Kagome smiled. That was a relief. Lucky for her, too. If he'd refused before he even knew what a hospital was, that would make the situation even more difficult than it already was going to be. “Okay then, let's go.”

As she spoke, the ningen turned on her heel and approached the doorway. Somewhat reluctantly, Kouga followed her. Whatever fear-er-discomfort he had been feeling about this new world was quickly set aside in his mind. He was strong, wasn't he? A proud wolf youkai like himself would be able to handle whatever was beyond that doorway.

Yes, he told himself as he straightened his tensed back and muscles, this was going to be cake.

Kagome suppressed a giggle as she watched him from the corner of her eye. He was trying so desperately hard to look unfazed by the ever-approaching doorway. She could only imagine what it was going to be like for him to see…well, everything from her modern era. She knew that if their roles were switched and she was the one entering a new era…wait a second, she already had! A frown played at her lips as she recalled every stressful incident she had gone through when she first traveled through the well to Sengoku Jidai. Yes, she told herself as she walked through the doorway, it was no piece of cake.

Kouga's jaw dropped when his eyes soaked in everything of his new surroundings. The house to his left was massive! To his right was a small gate that led down some stairs to an enormous road. Kagome smiled when their eyes met.

“This…this is where you live?” Kouga asked, pointing to the “enormous” house.

“Yes.” She paused a bit, letting this new information sink into the ookami-youkai's brain. “Would you like to meet my family?”

“A-aah.” He said, though his eyes were not focused on the one who asked the question, but rather on the enormous “human-cave” they were about to enter.

Kagome suppressed a sigh. The situation was more difficult than she had thought it would be.

It was strange enough for Inuyasha the first time he entered her world. Though, in Inuyasha's situation, at least he had known what a house was, or rather, a hut. He was used to seeing the everyday lives of humans from five hundred years in the past, so, though it took a while, he needed only to get past the shock of seeing those human huts a bit more modernized.

Kouga, however, wasn't even used to seeing those huts from five hundred years ago. He had lived in a cave his entire life! Kagome now feared for his sanity. And for hers too! It would take a lot of her energy to keep him calmed down in this situation, especially in the hospital. This time, Kagome couldn't suppress the groan that accumulated from the massive amount of stress weighing on her mind.

“Kagome, is something wrong?” Kouga asked, a worried expression donning his face.

“No, no, everything's going to be just fine, Kouga!” She grinned artificially, hoping he wouldn't recognize the falseness in her voice. “Now, come on, let me introduce you to my family! They're just inside the house here.” With that being said, she started toward the house again, hoping he would follow without any questions.

To her relief he did. But what she didn't know was that he had indeed caught on to her little lie back there. Lucky for her he decided not to press the matter any further. He knew she had done it so that he wouldn't worry over her, but in truth, she worried him even more by not telling him what the problem really was. He had a feeling it was all connected to this hospital place. Oh, how he prayed it wasn't anything like the hell he was imagining it to be!

A few more steps and they were through the door. Without another glance toward her friend, Kagome decided to announce their presence to her family, whom she knew was around somewhere.

“Mama, Grandpa, Souta, I'm home!” She called. There was a slight movement to the left, and when they inclined their heads to the sudden sound, a young boy was seen staring at them from behind the sofa. (Or, in Kouga's perspective, a soft, cushiony blob of goosh.) His eyes were focused on the gooshy substance rather than the boy, so it was a surprise to him when he suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Kagome, who's this? And where's Inuyasha? Why isn't he here? I was looking forward to seeing him again…”

Kouga stared at the boy in shock. He raised an eyebrow and knelt down until he was eye-level with the boy.

“How in the heck can you look forward to seeing that inu-koro? I just don't get what you people see in him.” He shook his head with a sigh.

“Kouga…” Kagome warned. Kouga sighed outwardly.

“All right, I'm sorry, Kagome.” He said, making sure their eyes met when he apologized to her. He hated the Inu-hanyou, but he wasn't about to allow himself to fall out of Kagome's favor. At least he hoped he was in Kagome's favor.

Something stirred in the young Miko when Kouga looked at her like that and asked for her forgiveness. A slight blush tainted her cheeks when she thought about it. Why had he apologized like that? When Inuyasha was in the same predicament with her, which he oftentimes was, especially after an encounter with Kouga, he would always brush her off and do anything but say he was sorry.

She knew the two canines hated each other, so it was obvious that they wouldn't try to conceal their feelings of hatred towards one another; but Kouga was different from Inuyasha. He chose to honor Kagome's feelings over his own pride, a trait Kagome truly admired in him.

Kouga cocked his head in confusion at the sight of Kagome's soft smile directed toward him. His cheeks emitted a slight reddish hue and he gladly smiled back at her.

Meanwhile, Souta was getting even more confused.

“Kagome, who is this guy?” He asked with a frown. Kagome shook herself out of the daze she had fallen into.

“Oh, Souta, this is Kouga. He's one of my very dear friends from beyond the well.”

Kouga rose from his squatted position on the floor to his full height and eyed Souta with pride. He had just been called one of Kagome's “very dear friends”. Souta, however, frowned upon hearing his sister's words.

“But, Kagome, how can you call this guy your friend? He just called Inuyasha inu-koro!” He shouted. Kagome sighed for the thousandth time that day.

“Well, Inuyasha and Kouga aren't exactly what you would call friends.” Kagome carefully broke the news to her little brother.

“Why not?” Souta pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His role-model would be treated with respect as long as he was around, he would make sure of it!

“Ano, because…” Kagome raised a nervous finger to her lips as she anticipated how she was going to explain this delicate situation to her younger brother.

“Kagome, you're home!” Her grandpa interrupted and enveloped the girl in a hug. Lucky for her, too; she hadn't been looking forward to telling Souta the story behind Inuyasha and Kouga's rivalry.

“Kagome, dear! Welcome back!” Said Mama, who had just walked through the front door after taking a walk to the grocery store, arms full of groceries.

“Grandpa, Mama, before anything else happens, I want you to meet Kouga. He's-“

“Youkai!! Everyone, stand back!” Grandpa shouted instructions to the family before giving Kouga a rough shove. The blow was unexpected and Kouga was considerably weak from the poison, so it was no surprise when he was pushed into the wall a few feet behind him.

Sutras whizzed out of Grandpa's pockets and were stuck to random parts of Kouga's body in seconds. Their effect and damage done to his weakened body was shocking...to no one but Grandpa.

Kouga raised an eyebrow at one of the strange white pieces of paper stuck to him as he peeled it off of his arm, seemingly unfazed. Kagome sighed and helped the bewildered ookami pick the annoying things off his body, one by one.

“Kagome, what do you think you're doing, young lady? This youkai must be taken care of before he-“

“Grandpa!” She closed her eyes and shouted angrily, causing everyone to stare wide-eyed at her due to her sudden outburst. “He's not a yo- well, he is, but he's not a bad one! He's one of my best and closest friends from Sengoku Jidai, and I expect all of you to treat him the way a normal guest should be treated!”

She looked fiercely at her family who was standing across from her. Souta was scared, good. Grandpa was scared, even better. Mama was…not standing next to Souta like she had been just a few moments ago.

“Mama?” Grandpa pointed to Kouga, whose head was turned towards his back, wearily eyeing the middle-aged woman whom Kagome was looking for. She was crouching on her ankles and her hand was dangerously close to his tail.

“This can't be real…” She stated as she clamped her hand over the sensitive brown furry object in question. Kouga whined as if he were one of his wolves.

“Oh, yes it can!” He shouted and grabbed back his precious and newly confirmed body part before putting his hands on Kagome's shoulders and ducking behind her.

“Mama!” Kagome reprimanded. She rubbed her temples anxiously as she thought about what she had to say next. “Mama, please don't freak out, but I need you to drive Kouga and I to the hospital.”

“The hospital!” Grandpa exclaimed his apparent concern for his granddaughter.

“Kagome, why?” Mama worriedly asked.

“Because,” Kagome blinked back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. “Kouga was poisoned when he was protecting me just a few hours ago.” Kouga's face softened when he smelled the tears Kagome was about to shed on his behalf. Gripping her shoulders, he turned her around and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

“Oh, Kagome, don't cry.” Twice now; this was the second time she had cried for him that night. “Please don't cry.” She melted in his arms and sobbed, despite his request.

“I'm so scared, Kouga.” She whispered so softly that she knew only he could hear her. “I don't want to lose you.” He sighed shakily and hugged her even tighter, dipping his head down and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Nothing's going to happen to me, I promise.” Kouga glanced up, expecting death glares from the family because he had touched her, but received none. In fact, no one was in the room now except for Kagome and himself.

Kagome turned her head to see where everyone had gone, but didn't pull away from Kouga's embrace. Kouga smirked at her actions and reveled in the last few moments he had alone with her.

Grandpa and Souta were heard dialing and talking on the phone in the kitchen. They were alerting the hospital that a room would be needed soon. Mama was in the garage, starting the car. The car…

Kagome leaned the back of her head against Kouga's chest and wearily looked him in the eyes.

“Kouga, in order to get to the hospital as fast as we can, we have to ride in the car. It's a box with wheels and an engine that allows it to go really fast. Will you ride in it, please?”

The car was visible to them through the window to their left. Mama was sounding the horn, motioning for them to hurry outside. Kouga didn't like the looks of the contraption. Kagome could tell.

“For me?” She pleaded. He shut his eyes in anxiety. Even so, Kouga knew it would be best if he complied, so he did.

“All right. For you.”

Kagome's smile clearly expressed her gratitude for his cooperation, and that was all he needed to feel reassured.

“Arigatou, Kouga.”

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and sorry for the wait!

Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!

Until next time.