InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In the Heat of Passion ❯ Chapter 14: Steps in the right direction ( Chapter 14 )

“Oh this is just great,” Sango said pulling on the dead animal in front of her. “How in the hell does Inuyasha expect us to get this thing back to Kaede's?”

 

Miroku had already rolled up his sleeves and was beginning to sweat, even in the cool weather. He wiped his brow and stood.

 

“I don't know,” he said. “We can't leave it here.”

 

“I wish Kirara was here,” Sango said. “She would be…”

 

“Meow!” the demon cat said as she scampered towards the two.

 

“Kirara!” Sango shouted as the demon cat leapt into her arms. “Kirara, we need your help. Do you think you can carry these back for us?”

 

Kirara looked down at the boar and deer. She leapt from Sango's arms and transformed into her larger demon form. She turned sideways and squatted slightly, signaling for Sango to put the animals on her back. Sango beamed as she and Miroku went to work hoisting the boar then the deer onto Kirara's back.

 

“Whew!” Sango said wiping her brow. “I don't know what we would have done had you not come along Kirara!”

 

She patted the demon cat as she released a purr of content in response. Miroku stepped forward and looked around.

 

“Kirara,” Miroku began. “Weren't you supposed to be with Kagome?”

 

Kirara nodded and slightly growled in response. Sango became concerned. The cat couldn't talk so she would just have to show them.

 

“Let's hurry back to Kaede's, drop off the meat, and then Kirara can show us what's going on,” Sango said.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Inuyasha wanted to scream, beat up something, kill Kouga, and cry all at the same time. He sat there helpless to do anything as he watched his enemy come on to the woman he was in love with. He dug his claws into the dirt. That damn wolf came around at the perfect time ALL the time. He growled, but then stopped himself when he realized that Kouga might have caught his scent.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kouga sniffed the air as Kagome continued chatting away. She looked up to get his response to something she had just said when she noticed he seemed very focused on something.

 

“Kouga?” she said. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Hmm?” he said reverting his attention back to her. “Oh, it's nothing he said. Continue with what you were saying.”

 

Kagome was skeptical, but continued nonetheless. As she talked, Kouga got lost in his own thoughts. `That mutt is out there somewhere,' he thought. `What the hell did he do to Kagome anyway? She seems fine to me…but it's pretty serious when I haven't seen the two together in days. What could possibly be going on? Oh well. No matter. At least I have Kagome all to myself. I just hope he didn't hurt her in any way.'

 

Kagome finished talking as she started laughing about something she had said. Kouga, lost in his own thoughts, had no idea what she was laughing about, but decided to laugh with her anyway. He stood to his feet and she followed in suit.

 

“Well, Kagome,” he said. “I've enjoyed our time together today, but I must go in search of those demons. I promise I shall return for you in due time.”

 

He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes as Kagome shifted uncomfortably under his stare.

 

Meanwhile in the bushes nearby…

 

“So that's what's going on,” Sango said, as she watched the scene before her.

 

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Kouga was seriously courting Kagome. He wasn't holding back in the slightest manner.

 

“Poor Inuyasha,” Miroku thought. Just then, something caught Miroku's attention. Just beyond the trees he noticed something red and silver. He nudged Sango and pointed in that direction.

 

“Oh wow!” Sango said. “Inuyasha has sat through all of this? Poor guy!”

 

Miroku and Sango shook their heads and looked back to Kouga and Kagome.

 

“I'll return for you shortly, my woman,” Kouga said lovingly.

 

“Ehehehe, really Kouga, you shouldn't…” she began, but was cut off as he placed a finger to her lips.

 

“Shh!” he said. “I know this is a tough transition for you, but I will help you with that.”

 

`Tough transition?' Kagome thought. `What the hell is he talking about?'

 

“Good-bye my love!” he said and leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

 

“What?!” Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha said in unison.

 

Kagome pulled away almost immediately. It didn't feel right…and she had to admit she didn't want his lips on her…she wanted Inuyasha's. Despite what he had done to her, she was still in love with him. Love couldn't be turned on and off like a switch. It just couldn't.

 

“Kouga, I can't,” she said backing away. “I'm sorry.”

 

`That a girl, Kagome!' Inuyasha smirked.

 

“Too soon?” Kouga said cupping her face with his hand. She nodded.

 

“Something like that, yeah,” she replied.

 

“Take your time, Kagome,” Kouga said. “I will wait for someone like you forever.”

 

And with that, he bounded away into the distance, leaving a confused Kagome staring after him.

 

Sango and Miroku looked over at Inuyasha who looked half-pissed and half-relieved. They stood and decided to walk over to him. Inuyasha's attention was fully focused on Kagome, but Sango and Miroku approaching broke through his thoughts. He straightened himself up and tried to pretend the scene hadn't bothered him.

 

“Well, Inuyasha,” Miroku began. “I assume you saw more than we did. Tell us. Is everything okay with Kagome? What was Kouga doing here?”

 

Inuyasha let out a low growl, but said nothing for a minute. He thought back to the way Kouga had held her…the way he had leaned down and kissed her…the way he had brought her flowers. Why had Inuyasha been so stupid? Why did he have to go and do what he did? It infuriated him! It made him sick to his stomache! He hated that mangy wolf!

 

“Hello? Inuyasha?” Sango said trying to break through his thoughts.

 

Inuyasha looked up, but said nothing. He let out a sigh and began walking away from them. Sango and Miroku exchange glances. They really didn't know what was going on, but they knew it couldn't be good judging from Inuyasha's reaction. When they looked back at Inuyasha they realized he had stopped. He now stood with his back to them.

 

“Kagome has agreed to help Kouga gather jewel shards,” Inuyasha stated flatly, almost sadly.

 

“WHAT???!!!” Sango and Miroku said in unison.

 

“Inuyasha, you can't be serious!” Sango exclaimed. “Kagome would never agree to something like that!”

 

“Sango I sat here and heard it with my own ears,” Inuyasha said calmly.

 

His demeanor was disturbing Miroku and Sango. Normally, Inuyasha would yell and cause a fuss, but now…now he just stood there. His voice lacked emotion. It was calm and to the point. The whole scene was rather depressing. Miroku took a step forward.

 

“Give Kagome a chance to explain herself,” Miroku said resting a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. “Maybe you misunderstood something.”

 

Inuyasha looked back and Sango and Miroku and with a quick nod, turned and walked into the forest. Sango and Miroku stared after him. They were concerned for their poor friend.

 

“Should we follow him?” Sango asked.

 

“No,” Miroku said, staring where he had last seen his friend. “I think it's best to leave him alone for now. In the meantime, let's get some answers from Kagome.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kagome looked after Kouga. He had a habit of doing that. He would come, express his love for her, and then leave. She touched her lips with her fingers. `But he never kissed me before,' she thought. She hadn't wanted to be kissed…not by him anyway. While Kouga was a very nice guy, he was too forceful and wanted her to be his wife just because she had the ability to see jewel shards. She really wished that he and Ayame would one day get together. She sighed and reached for her book that had been carelessly tossed aside. At this rate, she wouldn't get anything done. How was she supposed to study under these circumstances?

 

“Hello, Kagome,” Sango said from behind her.

 

`See what I mean,' Kagome thought as she slammed her book shut and looked up at her friend. “Hi Sango. What brings you here?”

 

“Oh…well…” Sango began, but couldn't think of anything.

 

“We came to let you know that dinner would be ready soon,” Miroku chimed in. “We will be having boar and deer, but we thought we could gather some roots and vegetables on the way back to go with it as well.”

 

“Boar and deer?” Kagome asked suspiciously. “How did the two of you manage to kill a boar AND a deer in a mere couple of hours? They're not exactly rampant near the village. You would have needed to walk a good ways and you guys left after I did.”

 

Sango looked to Miroku again. He knew Inuyasha better than she did so she would just let Miroku do the talking. Besides, if Miroku screwed it up, Inuyasha would pummel him to death…which after all of the groping he had done to her recently, it wouldn't be such a bad sight to see.

 

“Inuyasha brought them,” Miroku said as if it were nothing. “We actually hadn't made it far from the village before he headed us off with the boar and deer flung over his shoulder.”

 

“Oh,” Kagome muttered, slightly blushing. She wasn't quite sure why she was blushing, but for some reason it flattered her that he still thought of their well-being even after she had made him an outcast.

 

“Kagome,” Sango said, breaking through her thoughts. “We saw Kouga out here today. What did he want?”

 

“Oh!” Kagome said, snapping back to reality. “He said that he had been coming in this direction tracking a demon that was rumored to possess a jewel shard. He said he caught my scent and came to say hi.”

 

“Did he give you these?” Sango asked picking up the flowers.

 

“Yeah,” Kagome replied, blushing a little. “You know Kouga.”

 

“Are you going to go hunt for the shard with him?” Sango asked rather bluntly, taking Miroku and Kagome by surprise.

 

“Sango,” Kagome said, a little surprised by her friend's question. “Why would I do that? Besides, he has already taken off. There's no way I would catch up to him now even on Kirara. What would make you think that?”

 

“Well,” Sango began. “We kind of overheard a few things…”

 

“You were eavesdropping,” Kagome said flatly, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Ehehe…kind of,” Sango said.

 

Kagome rolled her eyes and shook her head. She thought back to what Sango could possibly be talking about…then it hit her!

 

“Oh!” she said. “Now I know what you must be talking about. Kouga said that if I help him locate the jewel shard on the demon's body, that he would allow me to have the jewel shard after he killed it.”

 

“So does this mean you are joining forces with Kouga?” Miroku asked, getting straight to the point.

 

“NO!” Kagome said quickly. “What's with you two? Why would I do something like that? I am just trying to add another jewel shard to our collection. You know as well as I do that if I allow Kouga to put those in his arms or legs, we'll never get them back.”

 

“That makes sense,” Miroku said.

 

“We were just concerned, Kagome,” Sango said. “After the thing with Inuyasha, we thought you might have finally decided just to…well…leave.”

 

Kagome stood and stared at Sango and Miroku. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She understood where her friends were coming from, but she wasn't that crazy!

 

“Look,” Kagome said calmly. “If I were going to leave, I would go back home. I wouldn't take off with Kouga. I just needed some time to myself. Even though the incident with Inuyasha…well…changed a few things…that doesn't mean I am going to abandon my friends.”

 

Sango and Miroku smiled. It looked like Kagome was making great progress. It was such a relief. If things couldn't get better soon they both were going to go insane. Sango stood and joined Miroku and Kagome. The three of them walked back towards Kaede's house. With the exception of a few small chats as they gathered some roots, the walk back was very quiet. Yet, it had a very happy and peaceful feeling to it.

 

When they arrived inside of Kaede's hut, Kagome gasped when she saw the huge boar and deer being chopped up by Kaede for dinner. The deer and boar were huge. It could easily feed all of them including Inuyasha for at least a week. `Inuyasha,' Kagome thought. She walked over and took the knife from Kaede.

 

“Perhaps Sango and I should do this Kaede,” Kagome offered. “You look tired. We brought some roots to boil. Why don't you tend to that instead?”

 

Kaede nodded and took the roots from Miroku. She walked back over to a bucket of water and immediately began washing them. Kagome looked at the beast in front of her trying to decided whether to just chop it up and roast it over the fire or make it into a stew. She decided the fire would be nicest since the meat was a fresh kill.

 

“Miroku, do you think you could gather us some firewood and build us a fire?” Kagome asked.

 

“As you wish my lady,” Miroku said politely and walked out the door.

 

“You need help with that Kagome?” Sango asked walking over to her. Kagome smiled.

 

“That would be nice,” Kagome said. “You'd probably do a better job than I would.”

 

The two girls laughed and began to slice the meat. Kagome was almost nauseated sitting there slicing open an animal. It would have been worse had Kaede not already relieved it of its head. Miroku returned shortly with some firewood and had Shippo help him get it started. Sango and Kagome continued to chop the meat until she felt there was enough for everyone. `Everyone,' she thought. Sango picked up some of the meat and began carrying it outside to be placed over the fire. Kagome stared down at the animal and then at the meat. Without another thought, she sliced off another huge chunk of meat. When Sango returned to gather the remaining meat she noticed Kagome had chopped off more.

 

“Kagome,” Sango said in shock. “We have more than enough already. Why would you…” Sango's voice trailed off as she realized what the priestess was up to. Kagome looked at Sango and smiled.

 

“He killed it,” she said. “He should at least be able to partake in eating it.”

 

Kagome rinsed her bloody hands in a nearby pale of water and walked out the door. Miroku walked inside and looked at Kagome walking away. Sango had a suspicious smile on her face.

 

“What's going on?” Miroku asked. “Where's Kagome going?”

 

“To get Inuyasha,” Sango said happily. “She's asking him to join us for dinner.”

 

Miroku smiled. “Is she now?” he said.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kagome walked towards the forest. She knew Inuyasha would kill her if he knew she was out in the forest at this time of night, even if she was coming after him. A wolf howling in the distance startled her and made her shiver. She thought of calling out to Inuyasha, but she was afraid it might draw unwanted attention to her by others…just in case Inuyasha wasn't in the vicinity. She continued walking when she spotted two yellow eyes in the bushes. She jumped back, startling whatever it was, and it scampered off. `Whew,' she thought. `Must have just been some animal.' Trying to be a little more cautious she proceeded deeper into the forest. She could sense a demonic aura, but she wasn't sure if it was Inuyasha's or not. She was tempted to call out to him. For all she knew, he could be in the treetops looking down on her, not knowing she was looking for him. She decided to give it a try.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome called out. “Inuyasha! Where are you? Inuyasha?!”

 

She continued walking soon tripped over a tree root. It was getting dangerously dark in the forest and Kagome decided that she would try one more time then retreat back to the hut. She had forgotten her bow and arrows, and now was definitely not the time to be without them.

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome called out.

 

“Inuyasha,” something mocked her from behind.

 

Kagome turned around slowly to see some type of animal demon. She couldn't really make out what it was. It had the head of an ox, the legs of a horse, but it's body and arms were built like that of an oversized man. Its entire body was covered from head to toe in dark brown fur even down to its man-like fingers and it stood on two legs. Its eyes were a bloody red, and it had a set of razor sharp teeth. Kagome shook beneath his glare.

 

“You need to quit making all that racket!” the demon said glaring at her, then smirked. “You might attract unwanted attention!”

 

“From…uh…someone like you perhaps?” Kagome asked nervously.

 

The demon smiled evilly and took a step towards her. Kagome stepped backwards and tripped over a root falling flat on her back. The demon laughed.

 

“This is going to be easier than I thought,” the demon said as he lunged at her.

 

Kagome shielded herself and rolled into a ball bracing herself for impact…but the impact never came. From out of nowhere, Inuyasha came running around the corner just in the nick of time. He lunged at the beast and was now rolling on the ground fighting with it. Without an impact, Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha fighting with the beast. She gasped and leapt to her feet as she watched the scene unfold before her. The beast rolled over on top of Inuyasha and had him pinned down by the throat. He was easily three times larger than Inuyasha and his large hands could snap Inuyasha's neck in an instant. Kagome panicked. She didn't know what to do…so she reacted.

 

Inuyasha clawed at the demon's hand and though he was drawing blood and severely injuring the demon, he did not release his hold on Inuyasha. Suddenly, Inuyasha saw Kagome lunge herself at the beast. Kagome knew it was going to take all of her weight and strength to even budge the beast so she ran full speed and jumped shoulder first at him. The beast wasn't expecting the attack and was easily knocked off of Inuyasha, but as if it were in slow motion, on the way to the ground the beast rolled over in mid-air and sliced a claw across Kagome's shoulder sending her flying yards away.

 

“Kagome!” Inuyasha yelled as he watched Kagome slide to a stop, unconscious. Inuyasha was pissed. He drew tetsusaiga. He had only wanted to injure the poor beast, but now he wasn't playing around any more. He ran toward the beast, but the beast quickly showed his agility and speed as he dodged Inuyasha's first attack. Inuyasha looked back over at Kagome who still lay unconscious on the ground, blood seeping from her fresh wound. He had to get to her.

 

“Kaze no Kizu!!!” he shouted sending the attack straight at the demon. The beast couldn't dodge it and screamed out in horror as he dissipated into thin air.

 

Inuyasha returned tetsusaiga to its scabbard and ran over to Kagome. He fell to his knees next to her. He brushed the hair away from her face and examined her wound. Three bloody trenches were on her right shoulder. It was just a flesh wound, but it still needed medical treatment. Inuyasha glanced around. There was a stream nearby. He could take her there and get her fixed up…or…should he take her back to Kaede's? Kaede had medicinal herbs and would prove more useful than he would. He gathered Kagome up in his arms and began running back towards Kaede's hut. As he ran, his mind flashed back to when Kagome had lunged at the demon. `What was she thinking?!' he thought angrily. `She could have been killed! She's not going to hear the end of this one! I don't care if she is mad at me or not! She doesn't need to put herself in danger like that!' Then it hit him. Kagome had put herself in danger because HE was in danger. He had to admit that the beast had him in a vulnerable position. He might have been able to escape in due time, but Kagome probably didn't know that. She had risked the chance of injury and even death. He looked down at her. She looked almost lifeless in his arms, yet her angelic features kept their warm rosy color. He felt guilty. Even after what he had done to her, this amazing creature would do such a thing as to risk injury and possibly even death for his safety. He sighed. He picked up the pace and was soon back at Kaede's hut. Miroku was tending to the meat and the fire outside. Kirara sat next to him and meowed when she sensed Inuyasha approaching. When he looked up and saw Inuyasha carrying Kagome, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

 

“Inuyasha! Kagome!” Miroku said rushing over to them. “What happened to her?”

 

The fuss had caused Sango, Kaede, and Shippo to emerge from inside the hut. Upon noticing Kagome's limp form, they all rushed over to her.

 

“A demon attacked her,” Inuyasha said. “It's just a flesh wound, but it still needs some attention.”

 

“Hai,” Kaede said examining Kagome's wound. “She seems just to be temporarily unconscious and her wounds will be just fine in a matter of a day. The demon merely grazed her. Bring her inside and I will tend to her wounds.”

 

Everyone followed Kaede inside. Inuyasha set Kagome down carefully on a mat near the fire, placing a pillow under her head. Shippo whimpered a little next to Inuyasha. Inuyasha looked down at the kit and rubbed his head reassuringly. Sango and Miroku smiled at the hanyou's actions towards Shippo and Kagome. Inuyasha stared intently at Kagome as Kaede approached with water and herbs. They all watched as Kaede nursed Kagome's wounds. Kagome began to stir a little, but still remained unconscious. Kaede gathered her supplies and stood as soon as she was finished.

 

“She should be just fine,” Kaede said walking back towards the kitchen. “She should awake any time.”

 

With that, Inuyasha stood and began to walk out the door.

 

“Wait!” Sango shouted. Inuyasha looked at her. “Where are you going?”

 

“I need to leave before Kagome awakes. I stayed only to know she would be okay,” Inuyasha explained.

 

“But aren't you at least going to tell us how this happened?” Miroku asked as Kaede returned to see what Inuyasha would say.

 

“She…she risked her life to save mine,” Inuyasha said avoiding eye contact as the entire room gasped. “A demon attacked her in the woods. I heard the commotion and caught Kagome's scent. I came as fast as I could and got there just in time. Unfortunately, I hadn't had enough time to unsheathe tetsusaiga so I had to lunge at the demon. The demon had pinned me and the next thing I knew, Kagome was lunging herself at the demon. She managed to knock the demon off of me, but the demon injured her in the process. I killed the demon and rushed her back here.”

 

Everyone exchanged glances of surprise and utter shock. Inuyasha sighed and turned to leave again when Sango stopped him.

 

“Don't you even want to know why Kagome was out there in the first place?” Sango asked.

 

Inuyasha turned towards her. He looked down at Kagome. He hadn't even thought of that. What had she been doing out there this late by herself? He looked at Sango urging her to continue.

 

“She was looking for you,” Sango said with a smile.

 

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat. He prayed it was true. Sango smiled again as she walked over to the place settings for dinner. She motioned towards Inuyasha's regular spot. He saw it was set for him.

 

“She was so appreciative of your kill today that she felt it was only right that you join us for dinner,” Sango said.

 

Inuyasha looked down at the beauty lying unconscious on the mat. He walked over to her and knelt by her side. Minding his claws, he brushed her hair from her face. He saw the mark the beast had left on her shoulder through her shredded blouse…then…he saw another mark…one he had left. His stomach turned and he thought he was going to throw up. He couldn't believe he could hurt such a creature. Tears welled in his eyes, but he fought them back. He looked up at Sango and Miroku who had been watching the whole thing. He stood.

 

“I'm going to move her into another room,” Inuyasha said. “There's no telling how long she will be out and she needs to be more comfortable than this. If dinner is ready before she awakes, eat without us.”

 

Sango, Miroku, and Kaede nodded. They all considered Inuyasha somewhat of their leader, and even though he had been gone for a while, it was second nature for them to follow what he said. Inuyasha looked down at a whimpering Shippo staring at Kagome. Inuyasha knelt next to Shippo.

 

“Hey Shippo,” Inuyasha said as Shippo looked up at him. “I'm going to move Kagome into the back room. You think you could meet me back there with some herbs, water, and a fresh cloth?”

 

Shippo eyes brightened as he nodded his head earnestly. He smiled happily and scurried off with Kaede. Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. They knew Inuyasha didn't have to include Shippo, but they also knew that Shippo would love knowing he had somehow helped Kagome. Inuyasha lifted Kagome and carried her slowly to the back room. Miroku and Sango decided to follow. They helped Inuyasha nestle her down just as Shippo came waddling through the door, his arms overflowing with supplies. Inuyasha smiled and took the supplies from him. Inuyasha knelt next to Kagome's futon. Miroku and Sango knew it was time to leave Inuyasha to care for Kagome. They were surprised at how little persuasion it took to make Shippo leave Kagome's side, but they supposed it was because he just hoped it would help the group become whole again.

 

“Let us know if you need anything,” Sango said with a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. “We'll let you know when dinner is ready.”

 

Inuyasha nodded and Sango left the room. Inuyasha stared at the unconscious Kagome that lay before him. He loved her. He would do anything to win her back. But…she didn't even know he loved her! Had he never told her? No…he hadn't. He stared at her. She was so beautiful, pure, and innocent…and he had violated her in the most loathsome of ways. He hated himself. He brushed his hand over her wound and realized it wasn't much different than that of the wound he had inflicted. He had witnessed what the demon had done to her. What could he have done to her? Inuyasha folded his hands in his haori as continued to stare at Kagome. He hadn't slept in days, and with the comfort of Kagome at his side, he slowly fell asleep.