InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Genuine Desires : Koga's Story ❯ Chapter Two : Compunction ( Chapter 2 )

Compunction

 

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`How long have I been here?' He thought dumbly, forcing his eyes open. He blinked against the fuzz that coated everything in the dark room and tried to cast his senses around. He picked up nothing familiar, and his sense of smell was thrown off kilter due to the throbbing ache that assailed his head. He struggled to sit up, digging his clothes into the soft fur that he laid upon as his body screamed with pain. He grunted and finally laid back.

 

`Where am I?' He thought, shifting so that he turned to his side. He bit back the pain from his screaming limbs and shifted so that he was laying on his side. The pain in that particular area began to dull, and he sighed with relief.

 

 

A familiar warmth covered him seconds before he heard footsteps bounding across the floor. The sound was hollow, and Koga concluded that he was inside of a cave. Soft hands touched his arm as they helped him to lay back on his back, and they felt his forehead. He strained against the headache, the fuzz in his head to place the name with her scent . . .

 

 

“Idiot,” She murmured, brushing his sweaty bangs out of his face.

 

 

He tried to reply, but his tongue was heavy and thick, and he just made a gurgling noise. Instead he tried to narrow his eyes, but was hit with a wave of fatigue. He fought with his eyes to stay open.

 

 

“Sleep,” She murmured softly, placing a hot clothe on his forehead. The clothe soothed him, and he finally gave in to the battle of sleep.

 

 

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“How is he?”

 

 

Ayame sighed as she stepped out of the cave and regarded Kai levelly. “He's pulling through the fever,” She said slowly. “But we still have to work the poison out of his body. It'll be some time before he's completely healthy again.”

 

 

Kai nodded slowly and shuffled his feet, fighting the urge to question her about the defeated look on her face---or how she took off when she was told he was dying. “So . . . he's . . .”

 

“An . . . old friend,” She supplied quickly.

 

 

Kai didn't respond. He watched as she wrung her hands together and glance back into the cave with worry. Their eyes locked, and he stepped forward, his arms outstretched. Suddenly, her youki wrapped around herself, and her gaze fell to the floor. His arms dropped and he bit back the jealousy that formed bitter in his throat.

 

 

Ayame bit back a sigh as she exchanged the cloth on Koga's forehead, whimpering when he groaned and turned his head, causing it to slide off. Maybe she should have told Kai the truth. Maybe then she wouldn't feel this turmoil, this guilt . . .

 

 

She took Koga's hand and rubbed her thumb across the top of his hand gently in a soothing manner. His groaning ceased and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly before he allowed his hand to drop. But she didn't let it go. She brought it to her face and nuzzled it, feeling the fever affect even his arms as she took a deep breath, inhaling his scent.

 

 

She watched as his eyes opened. She knew that he wasn't really awake . . . that he was still in the battles of the fever, but she couldn't stop herself as she reached forward, brushing his bangs out of his face. “Hey,” She whispered.

 

 

“I'm sorry,” He muttered, his eyes fluttering closed again.

 

 

He tried to pull his hands away, but she held them tightly, not letting go. “Why? Koga . . . what happened?”

 

 

“Northern Tribe . . .” He said with a groan. “I'm sorry . . .”

 

 

She smiled and reached forward, cupping his face with her hands. She turned his face towards her, and his eyes opened, full of pain, remorse and unshed tears.

 

 

And under the full moon, he never knew that she kissed away his tears, laying with him through the night, whispering words of love in his ears.

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Kagome pushed through the straw mat covering the entrance to the cave and stepped inside, blinking her eyes and becoming accustomed to the darkness. InuYasha stepped in behind her and frowned, glancing at her curiously.

 

 

They heard someone stand and feet shuffling towards them before Ayame came into the dim light, offering them a tired smile. Kagome empathetically gave her a hug, handing her the glass of medicine that Sango had sent for Koga.

 

 

“It'll help clean his system,” Sango had told her. “He has to take it for a half of year though.”

 

 

Ayame nodded as Kagome relayed the message Sango had sent. She disappeared for a couple of seconds and came back wrapped in a soft cloak and handed it to Kagome. “So you won't startle him,” She said, draping it over Kagome, and then InuYasha.

 

 

InuYasha snorted and stepped back when Ayame came to him. “I'll pass,” He bit out.

 

 

Ayame, too tired to argue, took Kagome's hand and led her further into the cave to where Koga lay before a dying fire. Koga, dressed simply in his kilt, lay turned on his side, his back to them. Ayame rushed forward and pushed him back onto his back, murmuring stern words to him as Kagome came forward. She fell to her knees and touched his cheek. “Koga,” She sang softly.

 

 

Koga's eyes sprang open and they stared at her, not seeing. Kagome began to chat away softly, telling him that he was an idiot for getting so sick. Then, she began to dig in her bag, telling Koga he'd better be happy. “InuYasha threw a fit when I went back home,” Kagome whispered to Ayame. “It took me two weeks to get this stuff, but here it is.”

 

 

Ayame fingered the box that Kagome had given her, covered in weird writing and pictures of humans with red noses. She sniffed it and coughed, the smell of the medication seeping through the box dulling her nose. Kagome giggled and took it from her. “It'll get rid of the fever,” Kagome told her. “Once the fever breaks, just give him some of this,” She said, handing Ayame two more bottles, “and he'll be as good as new.”

 

 

“What is it?” Ayame asked curiously.

 

“Well, this one,” Kagome said, pointed to the box, “Will help get rid of the fever. It has medicine in it specifically for fevers. These are vitamins that'll help him get his strength back. And the last bottle is aspirins. He'll be bed ridden most days, and I'm sure his limbs are killing him.”

 

 

Ayame smiled at Kagome and thanked her, setting the medicine to the side. Koga's eyes had fluttered closed, and Ayame realized that his hand was stretched towards her. She grabbed it and began to stroke the skin on top of it, giving a sad little smile as Koga sighed and settled a little deeper into a soft slumber.

 

 

Kagome stood up and snuck off to the front of the cave, grabbing InuYasha and yanking him out of the cave. “What about---“

 

 

“He'll be fine,” She told him with a laugh. “Trust me.”

 

 

 

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“Why?” The man asked dumbly, staring into the clear of the spring that sat just outside of the tribe. He sat upon a large boulder that allowed him to sit over the water, his feet dangling lazily as he balled his fists and slammed it into the rock. “Dammit! Why him?”

 

 

The bitter anger from earlier arose in his throat and he cursed again, staring deep into the water. There were healers in the tribe that she could have appointed, but she opted to take care of the Northern Tribe leader herself. She told him that they were just friends, but what was the connection between those two?

 

 

A youki appeared behind him, but he didn't bother to turn around. He knew who it was. He patted the seat beside him and sighed, feeling her feet shuffle towards him seconds before Ayame sat next to him, pushing him gently with her shoulder. “Where have you been all day?”

 

He scoffed and glanced at her with narrowed eyes. “Where have you been all day?”

 

 

Ayame flinched and quickly averted her gaze. She heard him snort and scoot away from her a little bit. She reached out and grabbed his arm, fearing that he would get up and leave. “That's not fair,” She admonished. “Koga's an old friend . . . I couldn't just leave him to die.”

“You could've had one of the healers assigned to him,” Kai accused.

 

 

“I could've,” She allowed easily. “But Koga's an old friend. I wanted to see him get well, not just hear about it. Is that so bad?”

 

 

Kai didn't respond. She felt him tense in anger and his youki began to lash. She sighed and brushed her bangs out of her face, feeling exasperation make her head throb. She turned and looked at him, gasping when he stared at her, his brown eyes smoldering and dark. “W-what?” She asked, her face exploding in color.

 

 

He cupped her face and moved close to her, so close she could feel the heat from his breath on her lips. Instead, he laid his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as he took both of her hands into his, bringing them between them and kissing them tenderly. A warm feeling flowed through her and she smiled, closing her eyes as he kissed her on her forehead, and then on her nose before putting his forehead back against hers. “Mine,” He muttered.

 

 

She didn't---couldn't---say anything. She felt him squeeze her hands before he pulled back. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder, squeaking with surprise when he pulled her between his legs and back against his chest. She leaned back and shut her eyes, feeling fatigue creep into every limb in her body. “Sleep,” She muttered. She heard him laugh as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber, feeling his heartbeat thumping against her back.

 

 

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Heat. The first thing that registered to his mind was the heat that made his skin itch. He pushed against the fur pelt that was draped against him and pushed himself away from the blazing fire, feeling a throbbing pain flow from his feet to the crown of his head. He had to get out of the cave . . . . he had to get back to the mountain . . . and start over . . .

 

 

He felt hands grabbing his and trying to turn him back over. He thrashed against them, flinching when he felt someone grabbing his face and forcing it to turn and look at them. Intense green eyes stared into chocolate ones seconds before her youki and scent registered in his brain. He tried to talk, but his tongue was heavy against his mouth.

 

 

She helped him sit up, grinning from ear to ear as she used a cloth to wipe the sweat from his face and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. He took a couple of deep breaths before he began to cough, his whole body quaking with the force of them. She glanced around and grabbed a box, taking the clear top off and filling it with a liquid that irritated his nose. “Take it,” She told him, sounding far away.

 

 

He shook his head, feeling the fuzziness in his head intensify as he tried to swat the cup away. She grabbed his wrist and placed it at his mouth stubbornly. “Take the medicine,” She repeated.

 

 

When he tried to knock it away again, she grabbed his head and pushed it back, opening his mouth and dumping it into his mouth. Then like lightening, she clamped his mouth shut and tilted it back even further, forcing him to swallow it. He yanked his head away and growled at her as she cleaned the top in a bucket of water. She turned and bared her fangs at him. “You should be happy,” She growled at him.

 

 

He stopped growling at her, instead glaring as she began to massage his limbs. He glanced around, noticing finally the different herbs and things that was around the room. It was covered in the scent of her and his sickness, and he saw the moonlight seeping through near the opening of the cave. He swallowed, wincing when his t hroat began to throb and tried to ask her how long had he been here.

 

 

She shook her head at him and sighed. “A week and a half,” She told him softly.

 

 

He leaned forward, dropping his face into his hands. His hair fell forward in a black cascade of silky locks. She reached forward and grabbed some of it, taking it back and pulled it into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He glanced at her in appreciation before he slammed his fist into the floor in anger. “Damn,” He managed to say.

 

 

“So you can curse, huh?” She asked him jokingly.

 

 

He glared at her, and when he saw her smiling, he shrugged. “I feel like shit,” He managed to ground out. His throat began to loosen up, the more he talked, the less it throbbed. “Water,” he rasped.

 

 

“Tea,” She told him, handing him a cup of the steaming liquid.

 

 

He went to grab it, but she didn't let the cup go, instead helping him as he drank it. Once he finished, she moved it, wiping his mouth with a cloth before she placed the cup down. “I'm not pup,” He told her.

 

She shrugged and handed him the cup again, letting it go when he narrowed his eyes at her. She sat back and watched as he drank all of it, grimacing when he swallowed it. He cleared his throat and placed the cup down, looking at her for a while. Her hair was loose, and she was drossed in a pelt and a light fabric covering her top, barely covering her chest and stomach. Her long legs was plain for him to see, and he felt himself shift uncomfortably when he stared into her eyes.

 

 

They were wide and intense, staring at him with an emotion that he was afraid he shared. He watched as he cheeks pinked, and he watched her mouth part slightly, her small tongue darting out and going over them slowly, seductively . . .

 

 

He tore his gaze away before he did something foolish . . . like kiss her . . .

 

 

“Koga?”

 

 

“You should go,” He told her softly.

 

 

“No, it's alright,”

 

 

“No, I'll be fine.” He glanced at her, then quickly looked away at her hurt expression. “Come back in the morning. I'll be here.”

 

 

She stood and dusted off her bottom, allowing her scent to drift to him in waves. He felt his skin erupt in goosebumps, and he willed his body not to react. She walked over to him and cupped his cheek, coming dangerously close to his face. She stared in his eyes with that emotion that they shared before, and then she smiled at him sadly. Something registered in her gaze seconds before she stood again. “I'll see you in the morning,” She told him. Then she left the cave.