InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In the Heat of Passion ❯ Chapter 12: A Rival Returns ( Chapter 12 )

A/N: Okay so a lot of you guessed it right! Sorry for the ones who may not want this person to show up on this fic, but I promise this character will not be around for long and serves a very good purpose. Hope you like it! Oh, and I better get some good reviews…I AM POSTING THIS CHAPTER DURING A HURRICANE!!! I didn't know when it was going to hit so I hurried up and wrote the next chapter so I could post it before the power went out! It may be a few days to another week before the next chapter is posted due to the power being out as a result of Hurricane Frances! But anywho! Enjoy!

Chapter 12

"Kouga!" Kagome said as she turned around and looked up at the wolf demon behind her.

"How have you been? I caught your scent and decided to come see you," he said.

Kouga had always been very sweet to Kagome. He had always looked out for her and made it very apparent that he thought she was his woman. Kagome smiled to herself. She was actually kind of happy to see Kouga. He always treated her like a goddess and she could actually use some of that right now. It could help her take her mind off what just happened.

`I need to be able to think clearly,' Kagome thought. `Kouga always makes me feel really good about myself. Perhaps I should hang around him for a bit. Besides, maybe it could help me discover how I really feel about Inuyasha. It's true that Inuyasha hurt me to no end. Perhaps Kouga can distract me from those feelings of hurt long enough so that I can make a wise decision about where I stand with Inuyasha.'

Kagome stood up and brushed herself off with one hand and held the herbs she was supposed to pick with the other.

"I've been fine, Kouga. I was just picking a few herbs for Lady Kaede," Kagome said with a fake smile. Kouga eyed her warily.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," Kouga said.

"Oh, I'm not," she said pointing to Kirara.

"Do you still have the jewel shards?" Kouga asked. Kagome nodded. "Well, then you're going to need more than a demon cat to protect you. Here, allow me to walk you back." Kouga extended his arm for Kagome to take it. Kagome smiled and took Kouga's arm, and the two began walking back towards Kaede's hut. In the distance, they heard a tree crash.

"Hmm, perhaps the villagers are chopping down trees for firewood," Kouga said. "Winter is coming."

Kagome smiled and agreed, although she thought the tree falling might have been the result of something else.

Meanwhile, in the trees overhead….

`How dare he!' Inuyasha thought as he watched Kouga talk to a still kneeling Kagome. `Damnit! And his timing couldn't have been more perfect! Stupid wolf bastard! We haven't seen him since Naraku's battle and NOW he decides to show up! Just great!'

Inuyasha watched the two talk and fumed with angry jealousy. He could hardly bare to watch it. He was so angry, but he didn't dare show his face. He was afraid it might only make things worse with Kagome. No, he would give her her space. Just then, Kagome did something unexpected. She took Kouga's arm!

`WHAT THE FUCK!' Inuyasha thought. His face fumed an angry red and his claws broke completely through the branch he was gripping. He then angrily turned around and with one swipe of his claw sliced through the trunk of the tree. It plummeted to the ground with a loud crash.

`Shit!' Inuyasha thought. `Now what do I do? Kouga has always smothered her with kindness while I ran off to meet Kikyo. Damnit! Why couldn't I have thought more clearly? This is all my fault! I need to talk to Miroku.'

And with that, he bounded off towards Kaede's hut.

Meanwhile, Kagome and Kouga walked casually back towards the village and carried on casual conversation until they were soon mere yards away from Kaede's hut.

"So where's dog breath?" Kouga retorted. "I rarely ever see you without him next to you."

"Uhhhhh…." Kagome began, but didn't really quite know what to say. She didn't want to tell Kouga what happened because she knew he would immediately try to kill Inuyasha. "Um, I don't really know."

Kouga stopped and looked down at Kagome. He could sense her pain. He didn't know what was going on so he said the only thing he thought could have happened.

"Is dog crapp off with that other woman again?" Kouga asked. Kagome was taken aback, but decided it was better for him to think that than what really happened.

"Something like that, yeah," Kagome replied with a weak smile. Kouga growled.

"Kagome, you are so much more of a woman than to put up with this. Wolf demons are with their mates for life! You just need to give up that mutt and become my woman!" Kouga said triumphantly. Kagome smiled.

"It sounds nice Kouga, but I just don't think I am ready for that just yet," Kagome said sadly. Kouga's countenance softened a little and he lifted her chin so she looked at him.

"It's okay, Kagome," he said. "Take your time. I've waited for you this long. I think I can manage to wait a little while longer."

Kagome smiled. It was a sincere smile. The first real smile she had given since Inuyasha had violated her. She gripped onto Kouga's arm a little tighter.

"Thank you, Kouga…for everything," Kagome finally said. Kouga blushed, but didn't say anything. Then, Kagome did something Kouga hadn't expected. She walked in front of him and stood on her toes and gave Kouga the biggest hug she could muster. Kouga blushed furiously, but hugged her back with great force. He thanked every god there was for this moment with Kagome. He held onto her like he would never be able to touch her again. Kagome had to admit she like the feeling too, not because it was Kouga, but because it felt good to feel loved like that. It felt good to have someone not hold anything back and just let all of their emotions out through a mere hug.

`I just wish this was Inuyasha,' Kagome thought. `What? No I don't! I hate Inuyasha! I hate him! I could never feel like this with him now that he has done what he has done to me! No, I could never do that!' Kagome's face softened. `Or could I? I'm just so confused. Why did all of this have to happen? WHY?'

Kouga glanced down and saw Kagome deep in thought and obviously hurting over something. He released himself from their hug and looked down at her.

"Kagome, are you okay? Did something happen? You've been acting strangely," Kouga said. Kagome snapped back to reality and put on a fake smile.

"No, really! I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind," she said. Kouga decided he would take that for now.

"Well, Kaede's hut is right there so I will let you go get some rest. It sounds like you need it. Sleep soundly my Kagome," Kouga said and hugged her one last time.

"Good night," Kagome said as Kouga raced off into the distance.

Meanwhile, everyone in Kaede's hut had been glued to the window and had seen the entire scene. They were in shock.

"Oh boy," Sango said as Kouga ran away. "He couldn't have come at worse time."

"Tell me about it," Miroku said. "I bet Inuyasha saw the entire thing too. Poor guy. I can't help but feel sorry for Inuyasha a little bit."

"Well, I don't!" Shippo said. Sango and Miroku looked down at Shippo in shock. "It serves him right! He two-timed Kagome with Kikyo and then…then…I don't even want to think about it! He's getting what he deserves if you ask me! He can't be feeling half the hurt Kagome felt!"

Miroku and Sango exchanged glances realizing the kitsune had a point. Inuyasha had been inconsiderate of Kagome's feelings since he first met her…especially when it came to Kikyo. Then, he went and raped her…despite not meaning to. Inuyasha had hurt Kagome more than a normal human being could withstand. Now the shoe was on the other foot, and Inuyasha was beginning to catch a glimpse into what Kagome had felt all that time. The others soon realized that Kagome was walking towards the hut. They quickly scattered and decided to pretend they hadn't seen anything for the time being.

"I'm back," Kagome said as she walked into the hut.

"Ai, Kagome!" Kaede said. "Did ye retrieve the herbs I asked ye for?"

Kagome nodded and laid the herbs on the table.

"Wonderful," Kaede said and began making her tea. "Many thanks."

"No problem, Kaede," Kagome said, then turned to walk towards the fire when she stopped dead in her tracks. Everyone was staring at her, then turned their heads quickly pretending to be engorged in their own tasks. Kagome walked cautiously over to the fire, eyeing her friends warily. She looked at Shippo who had more of smirk on his face. Sango seemed to be completely absorbed in her work to polish her boomerang, and Miroku pretended to be preoccupied in meditation. Kagome kept glancing back and forth between everyone suspiciously. She wanted to say something. Everyone was acted so weird.

"Is…everyone…okay?" she asked. Everyone continued to pretend to be involved in their own tasks. "Hellooooo?"

Finally, Shippo couldn't stand it any more.

"Kagomeeeee!" he said leaping into her arms. "You're not going to leave us and go be Kouga's woman are you?"

"WHAT????" Kagome exclaimed in utter shock.

"Way to go, Shippo," Sango said rolling her eyes. "Kagome, we saw you out there with Kouga. What's going on?"

"What?" Kagome said again. "What are you talking about???"

"We saw the whole thing," Miroku said. "You seemed to be in a pretty tight hug with Kouga."

Kagome blushed furiously. She stood up with her hands balled into fists at her side.

"What do you mean pretty tight hug?! I hugged him good-bye! I don't understand what the big deal is," she said. "So I hugged him! Big freakin' deal! What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Sango said a little startled by her outburst. "We were just wondering if this meant that you were interested in Kouga. That's all."

Kagome's face softened a little. She didn't want to become Kouga's woman. She just wanted to feel like she was cared about. That's what she needed right now.

"I am not interested in Kouga like that," Kagome said solemnly. "I just want to feel appreciated right now. Kouga makes me feel that way. I told him I wasn't ready to become his woman and he respects that. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to be around him for a bit so he could take my mind off of Inuyasha. You guys…Inuyasha really hurt me. I just don't know how else to express it. I trusted Inuyasha with my life before this. I know that he didn't mean to do it, but still. All of those times with Kikyo and now this? I can't just pretend none of this happened and go on. It's not that easy. That's the reason I decided to hang out with Kouga for today. I just thought it might help me realize the way I truly feel about Inuyasha."

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. They didn't know what to say. Sango looked sympathetically at her friend. She wanted Kagome to be happy. She wanted her to make a decision about all of this as well, but she didn't want her to go to Kouga for answers.

"Kagome," Sango began. "Are you sure that Kouga is the best person to be around right now? I mean, Inuyasha and Kouga fought over you many times. I just don't know if he would be the best person to be around during a time like this."

"Sango does have a point," Miroku said. "I mean, we want you to be happy and if you think Kouga will help you with your decision then by all means do what your heart tells you. Just try to remember that Kouga would do anything to have you as his woman, and could be very influential."

"I've taken that into consideration," Kagome said. "Look, I am not saying that I am going to be hanging around Kouga like I do Inuyasha. If Kouga happens to come around and want to hang out then I will do it. I think you guys are reading into this too much. I don't want to be with Kouga. I want to be with you guys." Kagome sighed and stared at the ground. "I know Inuyasha didn't mean to do what he did to me, and I don't want to lose him as a friend. I'm just so confused! I don't know what to think any more. I keep hoping that this is some awful nightmare that I will wake up from at any minute, but then the realization hits me that this is real…whether I want it to be or not. I don't want the group to be separated like this. It just feels empty without Inuyasha here, but at the same time I can't be around him right now. It just hurts too much. I want Inuyasha to stay away from me for a while…just until I can decide if I even want to be here in the past anymore."

Sango, Miroku, and Shippo gasped.

"But Kagome," Miroku said. "Without you here, we will never be able to gather all of the shikon shards!"

"I know," Kagome said looking sadly at Miroku. "That's something else I have to decide. It just seems like a ton of decisions have been placed on me at once. It's stressful and confusing and I just don't know what to do! I wish someone would give me the answers so I would know what I needed to do! I hate not having answers and now…now…"

Kagome collapsed to her knees sobbing her eyes out. Miroku and Sango immediately ran next to their friend in an effort to comfort her. Sango hugged her friend. Sango couldn't help but cry also. She didn't want to see her friend in pain. She just didn't understand why all of this had to happen. Inuyasha and Kagome were good people. They didn't deserve this.

"Why did this have to happen?!" Kagome cried out. "Why?!!!"

Miroku rubbed Kagome's back gently. Sango kept Kagome in a tight hug and rocked her gently back and forth until Kagome's crying finally began to calm down. Miroku felt sorry for his friend and continued to rub her back. Something caught his eye. He saw a flash of red outside the window. He looked to the next window and saw two golden orbs staring into the window. Miroku and the golden orbs soon made eye contact.

"I'll be right back," Miroku said. Sango gave Miroku a suspicious look, but was too worried about her friend to think about what he was up to. Miroku walked outside and looked left to right. He soon saw a flash of red to his left and followed it. When he walked around the corner, he saw Inuyasha standing there with his arms folded into his haori. He opened his eyes when he sensed Miroku's presence.

"I'm assuming you saw all that," Miroku said before Inuyasha could say anything.

"Yeah," he retorted. "Including the part where Kagome embraced Kouga like he was her long lost lover!"

Inuyasha growled and punched a tree causing it to lean away from him.

"Shhhh," Miroku said motioning for Inuyasha to be quiet. "We don't want to attract the girls. Let's go for a walk so you can let everything out. We are too close to the hut to talk about this right now."

Inuyasha nodded and the two began walking down the same path Kagome had taken earlier. At first, neither of them said a word. As soon as the hut was out of sight, Miroku spoke.

"So how do you feel about all of this?" Miroku asked.

"I feel like killing that wolf bastard for even laying a hand on Kagome!" Inuyasha said.

"You have to calm down, Inuyasha. Otherwise, you will never be able to focus on our main objective: getting Kagome back," Miroku said.

"Feh!" Inuyasha huffed. "I just don't know what to do Miroku. I didn't mean to do what I did! I seriously didn't! I don't even remember doing it! I think I would feel a lot better about the situation if I even remembered doing it! At least I would know what I was needing to get over!"

"I know," Miroku said. "And I also know Kagome knows that as well."

"Really?" Inuyasha said curiously.

"Yes," Miroku said. "Kagome said that she knew you didn't mean to do it. She even made the comment that the group feels empty without you there." Inuyasha's ears perked up. "Kagome just acts like she wants to be left alone. She needs her space right now to clear her head. That's saying a lot. Kagome must already be thinking clearly if she is concerned with making a wise decision about all of this."

"That's true," Inuyasha said. "I would like to know that no matter what decision she makes, that she made it because it was what she truly wanted rather than some spur of the moment emotion."

"Precisely," Miroku said. "Now, I know you want to hurry things up just as much as we do, but try to have patience with her for the next few days. She is going to need time in order to make the right decision."

"Okay, but what did she say about Kouga?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku gulped. He really didn't want to tell him what she said.

"Well," Miroku began. "I think Kagome just wants to be around people that care about her. I think she just needs to feel appreciated and loved right now. She knows that Kouga has always treated her like she was some form of royalty, and I think she just wants to be treated well in order to get over all of these emotions she is feeling right now. She basically wants to be treated like a princess so that she can get over these negative feelings…in a manner of speaking."

"So what does that mean for her and Kouga?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, Kagome told us that she was not interested in Kouga, but she also said that if he came around wanting to spend time with her, she wasn't going to protest," Miroku said as Inuyasha's anger steadily rose.

"You mean she is going to allow that piece of shit to court her?!!!!" Inuyasha shouted as his eyes flashed red.

"Agh! No!" Miroku said out of sheer fear. "I just said she was going to allow him to see her if he wanted to!"

"What the fuck do you think demon courting is?!!!" Inuyasha shouted at Miroku.

"Listen, Inuyasha," Miroku said trying to calm Inuyasha down. "Kagome is a smart girl. She can take care of herself. Meanwhile, I think you need to be focusing on how you can win Kagome over rather than focusing on what Kouga is doing. Think about it. Kagome has had plenty opportunities to allow Kouga to court her and hasn't done it. She is not about to start now. Besides, Kagome told us back in the hut that she is not interested in Kouga and that she told him today that she didn't want to be his woman. I know you don't approve of him being around her, but just let Kagome make her own decisions for right now."

"I want to speak with her," Inuyasha said suddenly. "I want to see her. I'm tired of this."

"I know," Miroku replied. "But just try to hang in there just a little longer."

"Can't you see that this is tearing me apart, Miroku?" Inuyasha said frantically as he looked at his best friend. Miroku was a little taken aback. He definitely could tell that this was tearing Inuyasha apart. He had NEVER seen Inuyasha act like this. Inuyasha was an emotional wreck.

`I can't say as I blame him,' Miroku thought. `I can't imagine how I would feel if I were in his shoes.'

"What do you think I should do, Miroku? I want to give Kagome her space but at the same time I want her to be with me again," Inuyasha said sadly.

"Just be patient," Miroku said sympathetically. "Continue with your plan of doing little things for her and ignore the fact that Kouga is now in the picture. You know how Kagome always hated it when you two argued back and forth."

Inuyasha nodded. He understood what he had to do, but he still didn't like the idea of that wimpy wolf being around Kagome and calling her his woman all of the damn time.

`I have to act quickly,' Inuyasha thought. `Though I am not quite sure what those actions are supposed to be.'

A/N: Yay! The end of another chapter! Again my computer may be down for the next couple of days so I won't have the opportunity to update! Hurricane Frances is being a little bitch right now! LOL! Read and Review! See ya!