InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Wolf Prince's Love ❯ Always ( Chapter 15 )

A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! Here's the next chappie.

 

WARNING: There is a steamy situation in this chapter! (At least, what I consider a steamy situation.) If this offends you in any way, STAY AWAY. You have been warned, so if you don't like it, it's not my problem.

 

Chapter 15, Always:

 

Voices.

 

At first they were all he could comprehend.

 

Most were strange to him, saying things he didn't understand. But there was one that he recognized. How could he not? Everything about her was etched into his heart. Something bothered him though, as he listened to her voice on the edge of consciousness.

 

She was not happy. In fact, she sounded to be on the verge of hysteria.

 

“NO! KOUGA, NO! PLEASE WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO GET UP!” she shouted, the pain in her voice apparent to him with every word.

 

His eyebrows creased into a frown. Get up? Why?

 

“Please, please,” her voice was desperate as she pleaded with him for reasons he did not understand. “Get up, Kouga!”

 

All right. If that was what she wanted. Slowly, he began to lift his shoulder in response to her simple demands.

 

“Oh,” he moaned, dropping wearily back to the ground and wincing in agony when the effortless movement agitated the new hole in his chest, making him feel like his whole body was on fire.

 

Droplets of something wet fell to his cheeks. Tears? Why was she crying? She wasn't supposed to cry when he was around because he had vowed to protect her no matter what.

 

Don't cry. Please.

 

Attempting a new strategy, he leaned his weight on one elbow.

 

I'll get up. For you.

 

Eyes still closed, he subconsciously leaned forward again in his effort to please her.

 

Footsteps beside him alerted him to the presence of another. Friend or foe?

 

Strong hands pushed against his shoulders, forcing him to disobey her.

 

“What are you doing?” she demanded, but not to him. Her voice was a few octaves too high. She was alarmed.

 

Foe, then.

 

His body was useless if this ningen weakling could fend him off so easily. Perhaps a warning bluff would suffice. Pulling back his lips, he snarled. His voice betrayed him as it came out merely another groan of pain.

 

“Relax, kid. I'm with the police,” he said in a reassuring voice.

 

“I know that,” she snapped. He could easily imagine the frown on her beautiful face. “You're hurting him more!”

 

“No, I'm just trying to keep him still. He shouldn't be moved in this condition, not until the experts show up. So stop telling him to.”

 

“Experts?” she asked, a glimmer of hope evident in her voice.

 

“Yeah. We called an ambulance a few minutes ago. They should arrive any minute.”

 

Ambulance? What the heck was that? Was he dreaming? The throbbing in his torso told a different story.

 

“Thank goodness,” she whispered, sighing in reprieve. Her voice turned gentler as she spoke to him again. “Kouga,” she began; cool fingertips brushed his bangs away from his closed eyelids. “We're going to the hospital again.”

 

Hospital? That was a word he knew. Kagome had taken him there recently, after he'd been hurt in Sengoku Jidai, right? He shuddered as shadowy memories appeared, reminding him of needles and a lot of pain.

 

Crap.

 

He groaned in loathing anticipation. Her hands brushed absently at his face, fingertips stroking him comfortingly.

 

Whining impatiently, her hands stopped their motions for a moment. “When will they get here?”

 

Another set of footsteps thumped closer to him. “Soon. While we wait, I'm going to need some information, kid.” The same voice? When had he gone? Kouga's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember, only to draw a blank. So his senses were dulling, too. He really must be out of it.

 

“What do you want to know?” she asked, reluctantly removing her hand from him.

 

“Name?”

 

“Higurashi Kagome.”

 

There was a scratching sound, so he must be writing this down. “What's his name?” he asked.

 

“Yourouzoku Kouga.”

 

More scribbling.

 

“What's his relation to you?”

 

“He's my boyfriend,” Kagome answered, her voice tinged with surprise as if she had just realized this bit of information herself. She had. Sure, Yuka had already declared it to the whole lunchroom, but this time it was official.

 

“Mm-hmm,” he agreed, as if he'd already guessed that from the way she was acting. “Where were you coming from?”

 

“School.”

 

There was a pause in the steady writing. “Then why isn't he in uniform?” he asked.

 

“It's a long story,” she snapped, obviously tired of answering this same question all day.

 

“All right…do you know who shot him?”

 

“No. There were five men dressed in black. It was one of them, but I don't remember any faces, it's all a blur,” her voice cracked and he caught the scent of her shampoo as she shook her head.

 

“That doesn't help very much,” the officer said in a disapproving tone.

 

Kagome sighed. “Can I call my mom?”

 

There was a shuffling as the notebook was pocketed. “We were going to handle that, but I suppose it would be easier for her to hear from you directly.” Something was withdrawn from another pocket and handed to her very carefully. Kagome flipped it open. There was a beeping sound as buttons were pressed.

 

A moment of silence. Then, “Mom? It's me,” she said in a shaky voice. “Listen, don't panic, but you have to come to the hospital right away.”

 

A hysteric voice on the other line was definitely heard, but Kouga couldn't make out anything she said.

 

“It's not me, Mom, I'm fine. It's…Kouga,” her voice broke and she was sobbing again. “He's been shot.” Her voice was only a whisper, but the intensity of her pain shouted at him, breaking his heart.

 

Suddenly, loud sirens were heard and bright lights flashed behind the protection of his closed eyelids.

 

“They're here!” an officer shouted.

 

“Make way!” another ordered.

 

“Mom, I have to go, the ambulance is here, just please, meet me at the hospital fast; I need you,” she cried. There was a slapping sound as she closed the appliance and handed it back to its owner. “Arigatou.”

 

“He's over here!” someone shouted. There was a grating sound as doors were opened in the vehicle.

 

“Where was he shot?” A new voice asked.

 

“Chest.” Their officer answered.

 

“Shimata! Lift him carefully, boys.”

 

Strong arms lifted him at the same time and gently placed him on a piece of cloth, which they picked up and hauled to the vehicle.

 

“I'm coming too!” Kagome shouted, scrambling inside with the rest of the medics.

 

Kouga winced as they placed him down on another bed inside. Kagome's hands found his hand and face immediately. “It's all right, Kouga. We'll be there soon.” She promised, reassuring herself just as much as him.

 

A cold metal object against his stomach made him flinch. A few snips and his shirt was cut straight from the bottom seams to the collar. Two more sets of hands cut from the tips of his sleeves to the end of the black fabric by his shoulders.

 

Four sets of voices winced in unison when they saw his wound. She cried even harder. “This is going to be painful,” someone said, then to Kagome, “We're going to have to drug him. He's going to want to be completely unconscious for this.”

 

Kagome sniffed. “Okay,” she agreed, squeezing his hand harder. He frowned when a mask was placed on his face and hooked behind his ears. There was something odd about this. It was forcing him to breathe in strange air…and why was he feeling so tired all of a sudden?

 

Exhaustion swept over him like a plague. He was losing the remainder of his consciousness fast. He fought it in vain, wishing only to hear her speak to him again.

 

“You'll be all right,” Kagome's nervous voice was pleading instead of reassuring.

 

He frowned. He was losing the battle against whatever drug was now coursing through his veins.

 

Say it again, his subconscious begged of her. Just one more time.

 

“I love you, Kouga. I love you,” she said, leaning over him and pressing her lips softly to his cheek.

 

The corners of his lips pulled up in a lazy smile.

 

Sleep overcame him.

 

 

oooooo

 

 

A beeping sound.

 

Kouga almost gasped when he realized it was in tune with his heartbeat. As consciousness came to him, slowly but surely this time, more pieces of information became known.

 

His chest still hurt, though the pain was nowhere near the excruciating level of anguish it had reached in the beginning. He was in a strange bed, propped up in an almost sitting position; the bottoms of his wrists were stinging and he immediately grasped that something small and sharp (probably more of those needles) was stuck in each of them; and a small hand was holding his.

 

He breathed in and out slowly and opened his eyes. The soft glow of a small lamp beside the bed, which was the only light source in the room, made him blink a few times to readjust his eyes. When he was sure he could see properly again, he turned his head to the side of the bed. Kagome was there, holding his hand and seated in what looked to be a very uncomfortable chair, though the upper half of her body was resting against his bed. Her eyes were closed in an uncomfortable sleep.

 

He smiled warmly down at her. Glancing around the room, he searched for her mother, whom he now remembered had known that he'd been hurt. She was nowhere to be seen. In fact, he and Kagome were the only ones in the room.

 

He raised the arm that was not being clung to and stretched it as far as it would go. He breathed a sigh of relief when this action didn't bother his chest at all. His chest. Kouga gulped and looked down at the injury, not sure what to expect. He frowned in disappointment. A white shirt was hanging loosely on his shoulders, but was left unbuttoned down his front. His chest was bare except for a few white bandages that were wrapped tightly around the wound, shielding it from his inspection.

 

Oh well. He shrugged and leaned his head back against the bed, closing his eyes. Beside him, Kagome stirred. His eyes popped open.

 

She breathed in and out evenly and blinked her eyes open, only to frown when she remembered where she was. Her hand tightened around his.

 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

 

Kagome jumped, sitting up fully and stared at him in surprise. Her eyes were wide and she looked at him warily.

 

Kouga blinked. She was acting strangely. “Kagome, daijoubu?” he asked, leaning forward and slowly grasping her hand again, making sure that she saw every one of his movements. When she didn't answer him, he sat up fully and turned to face her on the bed. “Look, Kagome, I'm fine,” he said, placing a hand over his heart, over the wound. Still no reaction. He decided a joking approach would be best in this situation. He didn't want to startle her. “Hmph, you thought a strong guy like me would die from something like that?” he asked, lifting an arm and flexing the muscle boastfully.

 

When her strange behavior didn't lessen, (apart from her flinch at the word `die') he dropped his arm and frowned at her. “Kagome?” he asked her softly. Guilt gnawed at his heart, making it feel broken and raw, when he detected horror in her eyes. “Kagome, I am so sorry. It's all my fault that you were…that that man…” His hands clenched into fists and shook in his anger. “I should have gotten there sooner…how could you ever forgive me?” He asked himself quietly. Ashamed, he tore his gaze from her and looked miserably at his fists.

 

Her shaking fingertips gently touched his trembling fist; he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. Her other hand reached up to softly caress his cheek, turning his head upward to look at her. His saddened eyes deepened in their misery when he noticed that tears were steadily flowing down her cheeks.

 

“I…I thought you were dead…I didn't know what to do…but…” her lips turned up into a grateful smile. “You're alive! Oh, Kouga…” Without any warning, she flung herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her chest to his. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes for a moment before touching her lips to his. Kouga gasped against her lips, eyes widening. It didn't take him long to respond to her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, one pressing against the small of her back, the other sweeping through her hair only to rest at the base of her neck, holding her in place.

 

He kissed her softly at first, contented in the fact that she was kissing him. She had chosen him. She loved him. But when Kagome's hands began to explore, he lost control. One ducked under his shirt to touch his bare back, fingernails scratching him lightly as she moved upward. She raised the other slowly, tickling the back of his neck, to tear off the strip of leather that held his hair in a ponytail. When his black hair cascaded down his back in loose strands, some falling to touch her face, she knotted her hand in the feathery soft threads, making him moan in pleasure.

 

He kissed her harder, opening his mouth to get to her bottom lip and slipping his hand under her shirt, caressing her back softly. She made a surprised squeaking sound, but did not protest; instead adjusting herself so that she was sprawled on top of him, either knee resting against both of his hips. He growled, a deep rumbling in his chest, liking the way she felt on top of him. Kagome gasped, opening her mouth, and pressed her waist down harder against him. He seized the opportunity at once and moved his tongue alongside her mouth.

 

She responded at once, making another sound, though this one a moan of contentment. She moved her hand down lower on his back, hooking it around his waist and hugging him closer to her, if that was even possible.

 

Kouga gasped and broke the kiss suddenly, pulling his head up out of her reach when she tried to kiss him again. He sniffed at the air cautiously.

 

“Kouga?” she asked, breathing hard. Had she done something wrong?

 

Kouga smiled down at her lovingly. “Sorry, Kagome, but your mom's on her way in. I don't think she'll be very pleased if she finds you like this with me,” he said, sliding his hand out from underneath her shirt and patting the small of her back. Kagome jumped up when she realized she was still straddling him. Instead of sitting back down on the hard chair, however, she merely sat in the bed with him, snuggling up against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled tiredly when she placed her hand on top of his. He closed his eyes.

 

She glanced up at him in worry. “Does your wound hurt?” she asked, double-checking that her head wasn't anywhere near the hole in his chest.

 

“No, not much,” he answered. “But I am quite exhausted, especially after that little piece of heaven.”

 

Kagome giggled and closed her eyes, resting her head back against his chest again. Footsteps just outside the door made her stiffen in place. What would be her mother's reaction to the position she was in now? It was innocent enough, in her opinion, but then again, she had just been kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Compared to that, this one was rated G. But, just in case…

 

“Kouga, pretend to be asleep!” she whispered.

 

“No problem there,” he muttered sleepily, just as her mother opened the door. Kouga's breathing became slower and more rhythmic to better his appearance of being asleep.

 

“Kagome?” she whispered, stepping into the room with a plastic bag hanging from her arm. “Are you still asleep, dear?” she asked.

 

“No, but Kouga is, so don't make any loud noises.”

 

Higurashi-san nodded, walking over to the bed and sitting down in the hard chair Kagome had just recently evacuated. She raised an eyebrow, glancing from Kouga's arm around her to Kagome's face and back again. “Hmm. Looks like he woke up while I was gone,” she muttered knowingly.

 

Kagome fought at the blush that threatened to cover her cheeks.

 

Rummaging through the plastic bag in her hands, she pulled out a soda and placed it on the table beside the bed. “I went out to get something to drink,” she admitted. “Oh, dear, you do look thirsty, your lips are all swollen!”

 

It was much harder this time to suppress the redness in her cheeks. She turned her head away from her mother and buried her face in Kouga's chest. His amusement at her situation was apparent to her when he sighed in fake-sleep, tightening his grip around her.

 

“I'm fine, Mom. But I am tired,” she yawned appropriately, though a bit too big in Kouga's opinion. “I'm going back to sleep.”

 

“All right,” she said with a nod, standing up from the chair beside the bed. “I'm going to my room now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Notaishita paused, turning her head around when she reached the doorframe. “Oh, Kagome,” she began.

 

“Yes?” Kagome asked, warily opening her eyes and glancing up at her mother.

 

Notaishita looked at Kouga and smiled. “From what you've told me about last night, Kagome, it sounds to me like he really loves you,” she said.

 

Kagome smiled, shifting her hand to lock fingers with him. “He does, Mom. He really does.”

 

“He's a good boy,” she said, smiling in amusement when she realized that it sounded like she was talking about a dog. Well, she wasn't too far off. “It seems like he cares greatly for you and only you.” She hinted.

 

Kagome smirked at her mother's failure to disguise her hints. “Mom, if you're trying to convince me to stop liking Inuyasha, it's already done,” she said triumphantly.

 

“Oh?”

 

Kagome nodded. “Don't get me wrong, he's still my friend; but I'll never love anyone else but my Wolf Prince, ever again.” Kouga squeezed her hand.

 

Her mother smiled. “I approve. On one condition.”

 

“Condition?”

 

“You both have to come visit me once a week.”

 

Kouga squeezed her hand again, and she guessed that meant he approved as well. “I think that can be arranged.”

 

She started to walk out of the room again, but paused and turned around again. “I know you can hear me, so answer me this, Kouga. You will look out for her and protect her for me, won't you?”

 

“Of course I will,” He alleged, opening his eyes and looking at her. “Always.”

 

Notaishita ignored the surprised look on her daughter's face and smiled at him gratefully; then she left.

 

“Does that mean you'll love me forever, too?” Kagome asked, turning her head around to look at him.

 

He smiled tiredly down at her. “My heart was yours the moment I met you, Kagome. It will belong to you for all eternity.”

 

Kagome giggled. “You're always so romantic,” she said, sitting up and pressing her lips to his in a sweet goodnight kiss.

 

His amusement came out as a tired sigh.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, snuggling up against him once more and closing her eyes, preparing for sleep.

 

“I love you.” He answered, kissing the top of her head gently.

 

Kagome starred in his dreams that night, as usual, but this time her kiss had been real.

 

 

 

 

A/N: And you actually thought I could kill Kouga? Please.

 

No, this is not the last chapter, though it may seem like a closure, but the end of WPL is coming closer…another few chapters at most, I think. But, if you guys are interested, I was thinking about writing a sequel. I don't know what it would be about yet, so I'm open to any ideas.

 

Oh, and sorry about the kiss…was it too long? Too steamy? Well, I liked it, anyway. And I did promise you guys some fluff and sap in this chapter, so the majority is just that.

 

Now, do what you do best! ::wink::

 

Until next time.