InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Wolf Prince's Love ❯ Bullet ( Chapter 14 )

A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks again for your reviews! You guys make me feel so good.

 

 

Chapter 14, Bullet:

 

And they were off, running as fast as they could, each student not wanting to face the shame of being the last to cross the finish line.

 

Kagome groaned and reluctantly started to run along with her classmates, Kouga at her side immediately. She didn't run fast like the others, rather saved her energy by pacing herself. Five laps were a lot on such a large track, especially for her. She wasn't exactly the most graceful person on the planet; in gym class she was known as Kagome the Klutz.

 

“What's the matter, Kagome?” Kouga asked, his concern for her apparent on his own face when he spied her frowning façade from the corner of his eye.

 

“Running…is the…worst,” she panted, glaring in covetous resentment at his comfortable, sweat-free face. “We're not even halfway done this lap,” she paused to catch her breath. “And we've got four more to go!” She finished, scowling.

 

Kouga chuckled lightly. “I could help you, you know,” he suggested with a smirk.

 

Kagome sighed. “I have to do it myself to get the grade,” she peeked up at him shyly. “Otherwise I'd take you up on your offer.”

 

He smiled at that. “I won't pick you up this time,” he alleged. “Besides,” he added, turning his head around to locate Katsura-sensei. He found him immediately, right where the class had left him at the beginning of their run. He was staring at him, his eyes focused, and following his every move. “I have to show off a little in front of your sensei,” he finished with a cocky grin.

 

“Kouga…” Kagome started, warning him with a doubtful glare, but it was too late. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he crushed her to his side securely, lifting her feet a few inches off the ground, and took off at a high speed.

 

Kagome gasped, darting her eyes around the track in horror. They were already on their second lap. “Kouga?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly when she realized that most of the class had stopped running to stare at them, open-mouthed. She paled significantly. What was he thinking? Now everyone would know Kouga wasn't human!

 

Kouga's voice was calm. “Don't worry, Kagome, they can still see us.” He said, grinning down at her as she breathed a sigh of relief. So he was holding himself back. He must have realized how fragile their secret was after all.

 

However, his next statement caught her off guard again. “So make sure your legs are moving, too.”

 

She gulped, hurriedly placing her feet on the ground again. Too fast. If not for Kouga's vice-like grip on her, she would have fallen. Gasping in fright, she picked her legs up again. She would just have to count on her classmates and sensei not to concentrate on her.

 

“Are you all right?” he asked, jerking his head toward her in alarm, and slowing down a bit. They were halfway finished their third lap.

 

“Y-yes,” she stuttered, closing her eyes, trying to block out the swirling blur that was the track. She was unsuccessful.

 

His laughter was muffled by the wind. “Almost done now,” he promised.

 

Kagome had barely finished nodding when he stopped suddenly, their five laps completed. She was glad he hadn't let go of her because Kagome's vision was still spinning.

 

“Y-y-you…!” Katsura-sensei was beside himself in his excitement. One hand was pressed against his forehead as he stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Kouga in disbelief. “!!!!!”

 

Kouga pressed his lips together to hide a smile. “Sir?”

 

Katsura-sensei shook his head, apparently still in a daze. “You…that was…” Kagome jumped and unceremoniously fell over onto her backside on the asphalt-covered ground when, with no warning, he threw back his head and guffawed uncontrollably.

 

Kouga turned his attention to her at once, his piercing cerulean eyes searching for any sign of an injury on her body. The two strong hands that were suddenly gripping his shoulders took him by surprise.

 

“You, my boy,” Katsura-sensei began, giving his shoulders a rough shake. “You will be the star of the track team! Please tell me you'll join!” he shouted. By now, every student had stopped pretending to run their laps to gape at them.

 

Kouga raised an eyebrow at the overly enthused sensei and looked down at Kagome for help. “Track…team?” he asked before he could stop himself.

 

Katsura-sensei nodded, frowning slightly. “Yes, the track team! You've never made it onto the team…?” He asked, eyes widening at the incredulity of such a question.

 

“No, sir.”

 

He was laughing hysterically to himself again. Giving Kouga one final slap on the back, he said. “This is unbelievable! Am I really the first to spot such natural talent?!” he asked himself. “Never mind that, though.” He said, shaking his head. “You absolutely must join the team.”

 

“Sorry, sensei,” Kagome tugged on Kouga's shorts until he helped her to her feet. “Kouga doesn't go to this school, as you know, so he can't join the team,” she said, brushing the dirt off the backside of her uniform.

 

“Nani?!” He looked as if he was going to faint. “B-but that doesn't matter…you can still join the team, can't you?” he pleaded.

 

Kouga bit his lip and looked at Kagome for guidance.

 

“Sorry, sensei,” Kagome shook her head. “Kouga doesn't live around here. It would be impossible.”

 

 

oooooo

 

 

“So, Kouga-kun, if you don't live around here, where do you live? I'm Io, by the way.” Io was seated in the grass, in the center of the track field, beside Kouga. Kagome frowned at her from Kouga's other side. Io was a little too close to him for her comfort.

 

Kouga looked worriedly over at the gym teacher. He was pouting a few yards away, his back turned to them; he had no idea that the rest of the class had stopped obeying his instructions, he was so lost in his sudden depression.

 

“He lives in Kyoto,” was Kagome's curt reply.

 

Io frowned and narrowed her eyes at her. “Why do you always talk for him, Kagome? He's got a mouth of his own, you know,” she finished with a blush, staring at his lips with a hungry look in her eyes.

 

“Oh, I am sorry about that,” Kouga replied, flashing Io a repentant grin. “I'm afraid that I am terribly shy.” Kagome had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing out loud. Kouga shy? She certainly knew better than that. “Besides, Kagome always knows exactly what I'm thinking, don't you?” He asked, turning to Kagome and winking at her playfully.

 

“Oh, yes,” Kagome smiled devilishly, sudden inspiration pricking at the corners of her mind by his words. Snaking her arm around his waist, she scooted closer to him and nuzzled her cheek onto his shoulder. “Exactly.”

 

Io looked from Kouga's blushing face to Kagome's hand squeezing his. Her eyes widened in comprehension of their actions. “Oh-oh my gosh, are you two going out?” She asked, pointing two fingers and waggling them both at the two of them.

 

It was Kagome's turn to blush. “Ano…sort of…yeah.”

 

Katsura-sensei's voice made them all jump to their feet. “All right, guys, your bell's gonna ring in two minutes.” He said.

 

“Two minutes?!” Kagome shouted. “Chigau! Kouga, we're going to be late!” She said, taking off at an exhilarating pace.

 

`I thought she hated running…?' Kouga thought, dashing off after her.

 

Kagome paused, placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Before she knew what was happening, however, Kouga flung her over his shoulder and was at the school's entrance. He swung the door open and set her down at the door to the girls' locker room.

 

“See you in a minute,” his voice said, but he was already in the other locker room, getting changed.

 

Kagome blinked in shock. Gosh, was he fast.

 

“Oh! What am I doing?!” she shook her head and dashed inside the locker room to get changed.

 

 

oooooo

 

 

Panting, Kagome threw open the door to her last class of the day and walked in, Kouga following her closely.

 

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Higurashi-san,” A tall man with blonde hair and glasses said, crossing his arms and frowning down his nose at her. “And who is this?” he asked, nodding once at Kouga.

 

Kagome bowed, closing her eyes and blushing. “Gomen nasai, Kitahama-sensei. Katsura-sensei's gym class ran late…,” she said, glancing up shyly at him.

 

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

 

“Um…This is Yourouzoku Kouga. He's a friend of my family's and will be staying with us for a few days. He wanted to come to school with me today; I hope that's not a problem, sir?”

 

Kitahama-sensei rolled his eyes. “Well, it's too late to do anything about it anyway, isn't it, Higurashi?” He snapped, tapping his foot impatiently. Kagome winced.

 

Kouga scowled and narrowed his eyes. “Oi!” He shouted. Kitahama-sensei turned his head sharply and glared at him from behind his glasses. “Don't talk to her that way! It isn't her fault I wanted to come with her today!” He shouted, taking a threatening step toward him. “And Katsura-sensei really did dismiss us too late, so it's not her fault we're late, either!”

 

Kitahama-sensei sighed, picking at his nails. “Are you done?” he asked. Kouga growled in answer. “First, I am the teacher, so I will speak to her as I please. Second, since I am the teacher, I will not allow you to be so disrespectful toward me without punishment. Because you were late and did not present me with a pass, you will both remain here after the bell for detention. Am I understood?”

 

Kagome nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir,” she said quietly.

 

Kitahama looked at Kouga and raised an eyebrow expectantly. However, it was not until Kagome gave him a look that he sighed and muttered a “Yes, sir.”

 

Kitahama-sensei smiled, looking pleased with himself. “Good, take your seats, then.”

 

Kagome nodded and started for the back row. Kouga gave him one last glare before following her.

 

They both froze at his next statement.

 

“I can understand why you don't have a uniform today, but there is no excuse for wearing a sweatshirt as a belt. It will not be worn that way in my classroom.”

 

Kouga gasped as the sensei's hand grasped the red jacket by its hood and yanked it off his body. As soon as the hoodie was off, however, Kagome was there. She flung herself at his back and wrapped her arms around his waist, sandwiching his tail between them.

 

Kitahama-sensei frowned and rolled his eyes. “Save it for after class, Higurashi.”

 

Kagome blushed and buried her face in his back. “The two seats in the back, Kouga,” Kagome whispered. Her voice was not audible to anyone else due to the drastic amount of noisy laughter filling the room, but she knew he could hear her. Kouga nodded.

 

A few awkward steps, with Kagome clinging to his back, and they were there. She made sure that his back was to the wall before she slid out from behind him and sat down beside him. A few minutes into the lecture, Kagome was still blushing like mad. She refused to look anywhere but down at the desk in front of her, keeping her hands folded in her lap and too embarrassed to make any other move but to breathe.

 

Kouga was anything but still as he fought to keep himself rooted in his seat, despite the uncomfortable position his tail was in. He'd had to fold it underneath him and lean all the way back in his chair in order to fully conceal it from view. A few minutes passed before he was able to risk a glance at Kagome.

 

His mouth went dry at the sight of her; she looked miserable. He frowned, mentally berating himself for drawing the teacher's attention to himself when they'd first entered the classroom; but he couldn't help himself. Kitahama-sensei was being ridiculous. No one was allowed to talk to Kagome that way, least of all when he was there.

 

The sound of Kagome's sigh interrupted him from his thoughts. He risked a sidelong glance at her again. Poor Kagome. She was horror-stricken. He didn't know exactly what a detention was, but he guessed that it wasn't a good thing. His sweet Kagome had probably never done anything close to deserving one. But now, because of his little breakdown, her perfect record had been tarnished.

 

Unable to sit still in misery any longer, he reached behind him to grab a piece of parchment from Kitahama's materials desk. He slapped it silently on his desk and turned around again to hunt for something to write with. On the table, he found one of the `pensills' that Kagome had written with earlier that day. He grabbed it and swung forward again, glancing up to make sure the teacher wasn't looking at him. When he was sure Kitahama's back was to him, he began to scrawl on the paper. He read over it once before folding it and tossing it to Kagome.

 

It landed on her desk. When it landed, she jumped, surprised. She waited until Kitahama-sensei was facing the board, writing something about English action verbs, before she glanced down at the note. She unfolded it and read:

 

Gomen nasai, Kagome. The fault is entirely mine that you got in trouble with the sensei. However, he had no right to speak with you that way, so I do not regret attempting to put him in his place. I am sorry if this upset you, but you must understand that no one will be allowed to speak ill of you when I am around. I love you too much to allow anything to happen to you.

 

Your charming (laugh) wolf prince, Kouga

 

Kagome sighed dreamily as she read and placed a hand over her heart. She re-read it two more times before folding it again and placing it in her pocket with care. She made a mental note to show it to Sango later on. Her best friend would undoubtedly squeal and tell her she was so lucky. She smiled softly as she thought of what to say back to him.

 

Kouga caught the folded parchment before it could land on his desk, all the while watching Kitahama-sensei to make sure he wasn't going to call on them anytime soon. He unfolded it and read it hurriedly.

 

Oh my gosh Kouga, you're so sweet. I'm not mad at you; I'm just embarrassed. I've never gotten a detention before, and I've never been chastised in front of the class before either, but none of that is your fault, baka. In fact, I'm really glad that you stuck up for me back there; and in the lunchroom, too. Arigatou.

 

Love, Kagome

 

P.S. Since when can you write so well?! Jeez, Kouga, you never cease to amaze me. :)

 

Kouga gazed over at her and smirked. He tore off the bottom half of the note, which hadn't been written on, and scrawled a second note to her.

 

Kagome snatched it off her desk when he tossed it to her and unfolded it quietly.

 

What can I say? I'm just an amazing kind of guy.

 

She giggled silently as she wrote her response and tossed it over to him. But he never got it.

 

“Baka ookami?” Kitahama-sensei asked, crumpling the note in one hand. The class erupted into hysterics as Kagome turned bright red. Luckily, the bell rang at that moment and the entire class, except for Kouga, Kagome and Kitahama evacuated the classroom.

 

“I suppose he does sort of look like a wolf,” the sensei said, turning on his heel and walking to the front of the classroom.

 

“Thanks.” Kouga smirked.

 

Kitahama did not answer as he turned around to face them again. “Your detention starts now. Yourouzoku, go sit over there,” he pointed to the desk farthest from Kagome, though luckily, it was still in the back row. Kouga stood carefully and slowly edged toward the other desk, keeping his tail very still.

 

“Higurashi, you will grade these papers,” he said, placing a stack of papers on her desk, “using this red pen and answer book. They're ten questions each, so one wrong is a ninety and so on.”

 

Kagome nodded and pretended to start working. When his back was to her, however, she glanced nervously up at Kouga. If he made him stand up, that was it. They would be in serious trouble.

 

“Yourouzoku, you will take one of each of these,” he dropped two huge stacks of paper on his desk. “And staple them together, the paper on the left on top.” He said, placing a stapler on his desk as well.

 

“Staple?” he asked before he could stop himself.

 

“Hmm?” Kitahama asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

 

“Ano, Sensei, Kouga's never used a stapler before.” Kagome said, glancing apologetically up at him.

 

Kitahama frowned. “Never?”

 

Kouga shook his head in affirmative.

 

“O…kay. Higurashi, show him how and I'll be right back. I have a short fifteen minute meeting to attend. If either of you are out of your seats when I come back, you'll stay an extra hour. And no talking, am I understood?” He asked, taking a step out the doorway. When they both nodded, he left.

 

 

oooooo

 

 

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as they walked under the school gate and turned left, away from all of the troubles she'd faced that day. Kouga smirked down at her with a low chuckle.

 

“You look like you could use a nap,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

 

“You're right about that one,” she muttered, stifling a yawn.

 

“I could always carry you, you know,” he suggested, shrugging his shoulder.

 

Kagome frowned. “I'm not that tired,” she said. “But, why don't we take a shortcut back to the shrine?” she suggested, leading him down a more secluded side street. “This'll keep us off the main roads and away from traffic.” She spoke the last word with great distaste.

 

Kouga shrugged. “Lead the way.”

 

Kagome nodded drowsily, mapping out the new route home in her mind.

 

“So, how did I do today?” he asked, trying to keep her awake.

 

Kagome sighed. “You were fine. It's the other students and teachers that bothered me today,” she said, making a right into a deserted area filled with debris and spray-painted walls.

 

“Hmph. You can say that again,” Kouga muttered darkly.

 

Kagome frowned, stepping over a mud-covered, overturned trash can, and looked up at him curiously. He was scowling. She smirked knowingly. “Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're still upset about Houjo-kun, Kouga,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him playfully.

 

The corners of his lips fell down into a frown and he looked the other way, slowing his pace down. “So what if I am?” He asked, stopping altogether.

 

Kagome giggled. “Oh, stop it,” she said, poking him playfully in the chest. Her giggling ended abruptly in a gasp when she realized he wasn't smiling again.

 

“Kouga?” she asked, taking a concerned step forward.

 

Kouga sighed, glancing down at her with mirthless cerulean eyes. “Both he and Inuyasha see you much more often than I do, Kagome. They've known you longer. He, at least, seems devoted to you, and you're with Inuyasha everyday, so what if one of them claims your heart when I'm not around?” he asked, seriously.

 

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? It took her a moment to force her mouth to speak the words. “Not…around?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Her chest ached at the mere thought of not seeing him, talking to him, being with him. She did not risk looking away from him, though her eyes swam with painful tears. These past few days with him had really changed her views on the wolf prince and now that she knew what it was like to be with him, she couldn't imagine herself being separated from him.

 

Her mind taunted her, reminding her that in Sengoku Jidai, she would go months without seeing him or thinking of him without any problem. Those had been the days that she had been in love with Inuyasha, or thought she had. She realized now, of course, that their relationship had only been a crush. The feelings she had toward Kouga, she knew were something much stronger.

 

Kouga's eyes widened when he caught the wild look of panic in hers. He took a step toward her, gripping his hands on her shoulders and squeezing. “When we go back to my time, I'll be around, of course, just as I always have. But, there will be occasions that I won't see you for weeks at a time, just as I always have,” he finished in an agonizing whisper, making her realize that those days were hardest for him.

 

“Why?” she asked, voice shaking at the question.

 

Kouga frowned slightly. “Because, you know Inuyasha and I don't get along. But if that were the only reason, I would stay with you, Kagome, even if the fact that my feelings toward you are different than yours for me never changes. I have a responsibility to my people. I am their only leader. I couldn't abandon them, even if it meant that I could be with you every day.” He lifted his hand from her shoulder and cupped her cheek gently. “I can't.” His voice shook and he shut his eyes in agony.

 

Kagome leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him, and buried her face in his chest. Was that really how he saw their relationship? She decided she'd better clear things up with him once and for all. “I would never ask you to do that, Kouga,” she whispered as he hugged her closer and nuzzled his cheek in her hair. “But…I was hoping…that I could…go with…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. Lifting her head, she took a step back so she could look him in the eyes and catch his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. He glanced down at her in surprise. She squeezed his hand and lifted it up to show him her hand in his. “See?” she asked. “You're the only one I do this with.”

 

Kouga stared at her in disbelief, his mind refusing to accept this. “Not even Inuyasha?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper, as he looked deep into her chocolate-brown eyes he'd gotten lost in one too many times.

 

“No,” she shook her head, keeping her gaze locked onto his. “And I have no intention of doing so with anyone but you.” She whispered gently.

 

“Me?” He breathed. “Then you choose…you want to stay with…” he trailed off in disbelief when she closed the distance between them, reaching her hand up to touch his cheek.

 

“Only you. Forever.”

 

A clicking noise made them both jump and look toward the heart of the secluded road.

 

“How touching.” A man dressed completely in black said in a cold, sarcastic voice. Kagome gulped, and felt the blood drain from her face. He was holding a revolver.

 

Kouga's skin prickled uncomfortably. He wasn't sure why, but his senses were screaming at him that this man was dangerous. In one fluid motion, he roughly shoved Kagome behind him, shielding her from whatever threat this man proved to them.

 

The man laughed darkly, tapping the barrel of the gun in his hand over and over again. “Get her,” he said to someone Kouga could not see. He whirled around when he sensed movement behind him, but he was too late. Kagome cried out in fear and pain as a second man dressed in black appeared behind them and grabbed her by her forearm, dragging her a few feet away.

 

Kouga gasped in alarm. “Kagome!” He shouted, lifting his foot to spring after them. A third and fourth set of hands grabbed his arms, restraining him, but not for long. He flung his fist backward and broke the nose of the man on his left, who collapsed in pain. He used his free hand to swing fully toward the man on his right, but the ringing sound of a blade being unsheathed caused him to hesitate. He jerked his head toward Kagome just as her restrainer positioned the knife beside her throat.

 

“Don't move, or the girl dies,” the man with the revolver said. Then, turning to a dark corner, he nodded toward him and said, “This one requires some more.” Two men stepped out of the dark spot, one ambling toward Kouga, the other toward Kagome. “Hold him,” he instructed to the two guys beside Kouga.

 

Kouga's eyes never left Kagome, even as his arms were roughly clenched onto and swung behind him.

 

“Search her,” the leader commanded the newest member who was closest to Kagome and her restrainer. Kouga growled low in his throat as he nodded and lifted his hands toward her. He started at the pockets of her skirt, digging his hands inside for any loose cash. When he found none, he worked his way up her shirt to search for hidden pockets.

 

Kagome gasped in fear, shaking from head to toe when an evil, lustful look filled the man's eyes. Kouga's growl turned into a loud snarl as he anticipated what was going to happen next. “NO! NO, LEAVE HER ALONE!” he shouted as loud as his voice would go.

 

“Shut up!” the man on his left shouted, slashing him across the chest with the sharp edge of a knife. Kouga barely winced, though the blade had cut him deeply.

 

The villain jerked his hand upward, gripping her breast and grinning wickedly. Kagome's cheeks were wet with tears as she sobbed in fear and revulsion. Kouga shook from head to toe in his fury. “NO! KAGOME!” He shouted. Unable to sit still and watch this nightmare come into reality any longer, he shrugged the men from his arms and dashed toward her, bloodlust seeping through every core of his being. He saw only red as his thoughts centered on this man's death. He would die for defiling her. His death was assured…

 

Kagome heard the grunts of pain from where Kouga had just been. She glanced back toward him just in time to see the leader point his gun at him and pull the trigger.

 

There was a loud explosion and Kouga was knocked back a few feet by an invisible force against his arm. Kagome screamed. Kouga glanced down at his limb, which was slowly being covered with crimson blood, and back at the men surrounding Kagome with a snarl. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he darted forward again, intent on his mission to rescue her.

 

Another explosion was followed closely by the high-pitched squeals of a siren somewhere close by, but neither was as loud as Kagome's heart-wrenching scream. Kouga sank to his knees, one hand clutching at his chest, eyes wide.

 

“Police! It's the police! Let's retreat!” the leader shouted, running down the road and making a turn. The rest of the men followed him closely.

 

Tears streaming down her cheeks and choking with sobs, Kagome ran to him immediately, falling to her knees and catching him as he fell forward.

 

“Kouga! Kouga!” She sobbed, unsure of what else to do. “Don't die! Don't leave me! Please don't die! I love you! I love you so much!”

 

Kouga smiled into her shoulder. How ironic it was that after all these years of waiting and longing for her to say those words to him, he wouldn't hear them until he was sure he was going to die. He exhaled a shaky laugh and was vaguely aware of men in uniform surrounding them. “Love you,” he mumbled.

 

And then Kouga's world went black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Um. Don't kill me, k? I promise there will be loads of sap in the next one to make up for this evil cliffie. But until then, I feed off of reviews, so you know what to do!

 

Until next time.