InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Strings and Kevlar ❯ One Late Sunday Morning ( Chapter 20 )

The high-pitched shrill of a cell phone jerked Miroku out of the light doze he had finally achieved in the front seat of his Civic. He jumped and opened his eyes, cursing as the harsh morning sun blinded him, prompting an immediate headache. Struggling with his senses as he searched for the source of the horrid chime still screaming through the air, Miroku hurriedly took in his surroundings and remembered the reasons behind his current sleeping arrangements. With a new sense of urgency, he finally found the damn thing under his hat on the passenger seat, and answered it without checking the ID. “Sango?”

“Miroku! What the hell happened last night? Why am I at my parents' house?”

Miroku winced as Sango's panicked shrieks drilled into his head from the earpiece, bringing a hand to his aching forehead. “Take it down a notch, woman. I need my ears for Advanced Theory next semester.”

“Sorry, but I woke up in my old bedroom, and I'm still wearing the clothes I was wearing last night, and… and I'm just a little freaked out!”

“I can imagine.” Looking down again, he searched the front of the car for his sunglasses. That sun was killing him! “We went to my dorm last night, and I was practically carrying you in because you were so drunk, when your dad jumped out of the shadows like a fucking bat.”

“My dad was at your dorm? Wait, why didn't you just take me to my apartment? You know you could have stayed the night with me.”

Miroku hesitated, not sure how much he should tell her about his conversation with Inuyasha at the bar the night before. Finally finding his shades, he slid them on as he concocted a half-truth. “Well, I was a little buzzed myself and figured it was best if I didn't drive across town to your apartment. Besides, your dad had apparently gone there first,” he recalled, shaking his head at the memory.

*~*~*~*

“Just what do you think you're doing, young man?!”

Both of their heads shot up, and Sango gasped loudly, stumbling them both to a stop. Miroku's eyes widened in fear as the man quickly approached them, and he trembled under the livid scrutiny in those familiar brown eyes. “Mr. Higurashi! I -- she's… no, it's not what it looks like!”

“Really? Because it looks like you intoxicated my daughter, and then brought her to your dorm room in her weakened state to defile her!” he spat, rage flashing across his hardened visage.

“Otou-san!” Sango cried, still leaning on Miroku but sounding more sober than she'd been since Walk On's. “It's not like that, I promise! Miroku wouldn't --”

“Don't tell me what he wouldn't do!” Mr. Higurashi snapped, prompting Sango to shut her mouth. “I know what boys his age have on their minds! He could have just as easily taken you to your apartment and dropped you off. But with Kagome there, he wouldn't be able to take advantage of you, would he?” He turned on Miroku again. “I waited at their apartment for over an hour before finally coming here. How dare you take advantage of my daughter!”

Miroku bristled, his hold on Sango tightening subconsciously. “How did you know which dorm I live in?”

“That's none of your business, boy. Now let her go,” he demanded, taking a threatening step forward with the promise of pain in his eyes should he be met with refusal. “And don't make me say it twice.”

For the briefest of moments, Miroku hesitated. His gut reaction was to keep Sango at his side where he could protect her from the tyrant who demanded her. But his rational mind reminded him that this was her father, and if Miroku knew anything about him, he knew the man was viciously protective of his daughter. Not only would Mr. Higurashi not hurt Sango once she was in his care, even if he was angry with her, but Miroku had a feeling that he would not be so lucky if he refused to relinquish his hold on her. If anything was indicative of the fact that wrath and vengeance was hereditary in the Higurashi bloodline, it was the matching tempers of Sango and Kagome. Something told him Mr. Higurashi would be even worse to deal with, especially considering the man had never taken a liking to him.

Hating himself for feeling so powerless, Miroku looked down at Sango, her eyes wide with trepidation. She was scared for him. He smiled in a feeble attempt to soothe her. “Can you stand on your own?” he asked softly.

She relaxed slightly and nodded, withdrawing her arm from around his shoulders and allowing him to hold her until she was steady on her feet. “I'm sorry,” she whispered, moisture glistening on her dark lashes.

“Don't be,” he said, keeping his hands on her waist for a moment longer. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“The hell you will,” Mr. Higurashi seethed, having overheard their quiet conversation. “You are not to see my daughter anymore. I knew you couldn't be trusted, and the only reason I put up with you for this long is because my daughter thinks she's in love with you.” He sneered.

Sango tensed in his arms, but remained obediently quiet. Miroku understood. Her father was the one person she wouldn't lash back against; it was ingrained in their culture to always respect the parents. Miroku could admire that of Sango. He, however, was not bound to such restrictions. “Sir, with all due respect, I believe that decision should be left up to Sango. She is an adult --”

“Quiet!” he ordered. “Nobody asked you what you believed, boy!”

“She is an adult,” Miroku continued in a calm, steady voice, ignoring Sango's tightened grip on his forearm. “And as such, she has the right to decide whom she dates. If it is her wish not to see me, then I will let her walk out of my life and mourn her absence. But if she still --”

“I've heard enough! Sango, come here!” Mr. Higurashi extended his hand, commanding her to go to him.

Miroku merely shook his head at the man's overbearing stubbornness. Looking down again, his eyes met those of Sango once more before he let his hands drop from her waist, prepared to steady her if she lost her balance again. She gave him a half-smile, her eyes still a little hazy from the liquor, and slowly pulled away and toward her father's outstretched hand.

Once she was within arm's distance, Mr. Higurashi gently wrapped his arm over her shoulders and glared at Miroku once more, silently daring him to say anything more. Miroku, now somehow unafraid of this man, caught his glare with calm indifference. His only concern was the woman now within her father's custody, and though it killed him to watch her be taken away, he found solace in the fact that she was safe where she was.

As they walked away and toward Mr. Higurashi's car, Sango glanced over her shoulder and mouthed, “I love you.” Miroku's heart broke inside his chest, but he put on a brave smile and returned the sentiment, and judging from the softness in Sango's eyes, she understood what he was trying to tell her: “I will most certainly be seeing you tomorrow. Nobody, including your dictator of a father, will keep me away from you. Ever.”

It wasn't until they had driven away that Miroku ran to his car and started the ignition. He would have to maintain a safe distance so as not to give himself away….

*~*~*~*

“God, I don't remember any of that.”

“Well, like I said, you were pretty drunk.” Miroku rubbed his temple. Between little sleep, his phone ringing, and the sun in his face, he had a bitch of a headache.

“I'm sorry, Miroku. I feel awful.”

“I told you last night, don't.” He started the car to get some air conditioning going and raised the windows. “Your father loves you and is just doing what he thinks is best for you. If he really thinks me unworthy of you, then I can't blame him for taking you away from me last night.”

“He's never been fond of you,” she confessed, “but Okaa-san loves you. But still, I can't imagine how you must have been feeling last night.”

His jaw clenched angrily at the memory, but he kept his voice even for her. “The worst night of my life,” he allowed himself to admit. “But I knew you were safe, and at the time, that was good enough.”

“Miroku….”

He smiled. Only he, and perhaps sometimes Kagome, got to hear this soft, loving tone from Sango. “I'm fine, Love, I promise you.”

Apparently satisfied for now, she sighed on the other end. “Well, I want to get the hell out of here, but my car is back in Baton Rouge. I doubt Otou-san plans on taking me back until as late as possible. I hate to ask, but is there any way you could --”

“I'm already here,” he said with a grin, running a hand through his messy hair as he eyed the expansive Higurashi estate. “I'm about a half a block up the street from your house.”

“Really? When did you get here?”

Miroku's heart warmed at the happiness in her voice. “Oh, about two minutes after you and your father did last night. I wanted to be here whenever you woke up because I knew he wouldn't drive you back until late tonight.”

“I love you so much. I'm on my way out now.”

“I love you, too, Sango, but what are you going to tell --” He stopped short when he heard the line go dead, and he shrugged and set his phone in the console. He supposed Sango knew how to appease her father best, so Miroku would leave her to it and just wait for her to come out.

He didn't have to wait long. Within ten seconds of hanging up, he saw movement in what he knew was Sango's bedroom window, and he squinted to make out what was happening. And then his eyes went wide, because he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

***

“Oof!” Sango grunted as she swung a leg out of her bedroom window, her body protesting the movement after a night of heavy drinking. She hadn't pulled this stunt since high school, but she knew exactly what she was doing and grinned when the tip of her shoe caught the dented edge of the siding she had hammered in long ago. Hoisting the rest of her body out the window, she made sure she had her balance before stretching her right foot over to reach the frame of the kitchen window. Then she reached for the lattice that hung below her brother's window and pulled herself over before carefully stepping along the frame, holding onto the lattice above her head to keep from falling. Once she was to the other edge, she took a deep breath and jumped off toward the second lattice that hung to the right of the kitchen window. Catching herself with practiced ease, she smiled as she descended the makeshift ladder, dropping to the ground once she was within a few feet.

Dusting off the front of her shirt, Sango looked back up to her bedroom window and smirked mischievously. `Ha! Still got it!'

Patting her pocket to make sure she still had her cell phone, she made quick work of the distance from the kitchen window to the gate opening, using the sumac trees lining the property as cover in case either of her parents was looking outside. At the gate, she looked back once to make sure nobody was watching, then broke into a dead run toward where she saw Miroku's car parked just up the block.

As she reached the car, Miroku stretched over the console and pushed the door open. “Am I going crazy, or did I just see you sneak out of your second story bedroom window in broad daylight?”

Managing a breathless giggle, Sango gratefully climbed into the air-conditioned car and shut the door. Barely nine o'clock, and it was already sweltering outside! “You saw it,” she confirmed, leaning to her left to greet her boyfriend properly with a good morning kiss. She playfully scrunched her nose as she pulled back. “You have morning breath!”

“Hey, you don't smell like roses, either,” Miroku shot back with a smile, reaching to put on his seatbelt.

Sango laughed, buckling herself in as well. “Man, I haven't done that in years! I can't believe nobody's fixed that siding yet!”

“I can't believe you did it to begin with. I almost died when you made that jump.” Miroku's lips dipped down in anxiety and he executed a perfect U-turn on the empty street and started toward the interstate. “And I can't believe I'm driving you back to Baton Rouge. Shit, Sango. Your dad's gonna kill me.”

“Probably,” she admitted with a teasing smile, reaching for his hand that wasn't on the wheel. “But at least then I'll finally make it onto the snare line.”

That brought another smile out of him, and he squeezed her hand as he stopped at the light. “My beautiful Sango. You've been holding out on me. I knew you were flexible,” he said, waggling his eyebrows, “but I didn't know you were that athletic. I may have to put this knowledge to use.”

“Oh?” She laughed, lolling her head to the side. “And how do you plan to do that?”

“Oh, I think you know.” He gave her one of his trademark smiles, but quickly turned serious when he took in her fatigue. “Get some rest, Love. It's still an hour before we'll be back.”

Watching as he turned back toward the road, Sango bit her lip. It was uncharacteristic of Miroku to pass up sex banter. In fact, as she noticed the resolute gleam in his violet eyes, he was acting so caring, but in a different way than he normally did. ...Fatherly, almost. It was rather unsettling, actually, but Sango was surprised to find that she didn't mind it from him. She just wished she knew what had triggered the change. `Maybe the fight with Otou-san last night?' she guessed as her eyelids slowly drooped. `Damn. I wish I could at least remember it. The last thing I remember is doing shots with Kags at…Walk On's, was it?' She drifted off, not noticing the pensive look Miroku sent her way as he merged onto I-10.

It didn't seem like longer than a few minutes before Sango was being jostled awake by the potholes on the exit ramp for downtown Baton Rouge. Cracking an eye open, she stretched her arm over her head and peeked at the clock in the dash: ten o'clock on the dot. “Here already?” she asked through a cavernous yawn, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

“Yep.” Miroku stopped at the light, taking the opportunity to take his sunglasses off and wipe his hand down his face. He looked tired. “Want to get some breakfast?”

“That sounds good, but can we swing by my Jeep first?” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and hit two on the keypad. “I don't even remember if I drove it to the bar last night, but it's bright as hell out today, and my sunglasses are in it.”

“Who are you calling?”

Sango stifled another yawn as the line started ringing. “Kagome. I'm hoping she grabbed my keys last night, because I don't have them.”

“No, I have your keys,” Miroku said quickly, opening the center console and pulling them out as the stoplight turned green.

“Oh, okay….” Sango was about to hang up when she heard her cousin's voice. “Kagome! Sorry to bother you. I was going to ask if you had my keys, but Miroku has them.”

“Good morning! Don't worry about calling. I'm glad he has your keys, though. That would have sucked if you lost them!”

Sango raised a brow at her upbeat tone. “You sound awfully chipper this morning. What has you in such a great mood?”

“Nothing really,” she answered with a laugh. Sango wasn't buying it. “Did you stay with Miroku last night?

“Uh, not really,” Sango mumbled, blushing a little. “It's a long story; I'll tell you when I get home. Do you want to go to breakfast with us?”

“Well, I think Inuyasha is planning on making breakfast….”

“Inuyasha?” Sango replied, looking at Miroku and noticing the grimace on his face. “Is he there with you?”

“Not at our place. He took me to his apartment last night. I was pretty drunk, and…”

“And what?” Sango asked, hoping her recent acceptance of the hanyou's motives weren't in vain.

“And… and he brought me here,” she finished uncertainly.

Sango could almost hear the wheels turning in Kagome's head. “Why would he take you to his place?” she coaxed.

“I…well, I don't really know, but it doesn't matter. It's not like he tried anything. Like I said, he's going to fix some breakfast once he gets back from the store.”

Satisfied her recent judgment was still intact--and knowing Kagome wasn't willing to discuss the situation at the moment--Sango relaxed a little in her seat. “So he just left you at his apartment while he went grocery shopping, huh? Pretty trusting.”

“Uh, yeah.” Sango didn't miss the hesitation in her voice. “Oh! Did you say you were on your way home? Because I think we're going to hang out today, and he said I could use his shower, but I could really use some deodorant and a change of clothes. The ones I have from last night are funky, and I'm so not asking to borrow Yasha's speedstick.”

Sango couldn't help but smile. `Yasha,' she thought, shaking her head at her cousin's giddiness. “Sure, you want me to bring you some things? I think Miroku knows how to get to his place.”

“Actually, can you just come pick me up? It's not far from where we live, and since I rode with you to campus yesterday, I can just pick my car up from the apartment and drive it back here. I'd probably be back before he returns; he just left about ten minutes ago.”

Sango shrugged noncommittally. “Okay, if that's what you want.” She looked over to Miroku to tell him the new plan, but stopped herself when she noticed he was wearing quite the contemplative expression, as if he were trying to figure something out. Her brows knitted curiously. “Miroku?”

The look he gave her was one she hadn't seen from him before, and she wasn't sure how to interpret it. Whatever it was, he wasn't happy. “Yeah?” he asked.

Deciding to keep the interrogation for later, she continued. “Can we swing by Inuyasha's apartment and pick up Kagome? She wants to get some things from our place.”

He nodded slowly, as if he didn't really hear her, but made a turn she didn't recognize and could only assume they were heading toward Kagome. “Yeah, we can do that,” he intoned, clearly distracted by his thoughts.

Sango huffed at his ambiguity and turned back to the phone. “We're on our way. See you in a bit.”

“Thanks, Sango!”

Finishing the call, Sango turned narrow brown eyes on her boyfriend. “Okay, what is up with you? Something you want to tell me?”

Miroku cracked a wry grin and peeked her way, looking much more alert now, before glancing at the clock. “Inuyasha went grocery shopping, you say. Alone. And it's just after ten o'clock, huh?”

Checking for herself, Sango shrugged as they pulled into an apartment complex. “Yeah, so?”

He nodded and pulled up in front of Inuyasha's building, beeping the horn once so Kagome knew they were there. “Oh, I have a feeling today is going to be a lot more interesting than we may have thought.”

***

Kouga pulled into a visitor's spot that was in the shade provided by a looming magnolia tree and cut the engine. Looking up to make sure Kagome's green Camry was parked in her usual space, he glanced at his Movado. “I'm a little early,” he noticed, unfastening the button on his cuff to roll up his sleeves. “Might as well give her until ten like I said I would.” He knew LSU had won the game the night before, which made it even more likely that she went out drinking afterward. He just hoped she wasn't hungover this morning; a grumpy Kagome was never fun to deal with.

Running an anxious hand through his bangs, Kouga leaned back in his seat and looked up at Kagome's apartment door. He never heard back from her the night before when he sent her those two text messages, and he had to wonder if she had even received them. Then again, she had never been great about replying unless he explicitly asked for one, so perhaps he was just being paranoid. He certainly had reason to be. The woman had considerably distanced herself from him over the past week--`or longer,' he admitted with a frown--and it left a sour taste in his mouth.

`Two years.' His frown deepened. For two and a half years he had courted her, proving his loyalty to her with agonizing control over his baser instincts. Surely she realized how difficult it had been for him. He was no virgin, and two years without any sort of sexual intimacy was… straining. `Very straining,' he thought, running a finger along the inside of his collar to cool his skin. If Kagome only knew how many times he had gone home and masturbated because she had left him wanting, she would probably think him a sexual deviant.

But wandering eyes--or any other body parts--were simply not an option. He loved Kagome with everything he had, and being disloyal to his lady for the sake of a fuck was simply out of the question. She meant too much to him to lose over something as trivial as sex, and he could never betray her that way anyway. So, Kouga had remained faithful to his love with the knowledge that she would accept him fully someday, and for his devotion, he expected hers in return. So why was it any wonder he had been angry when he discovered she harbored feelings for the mutt she went to school with?

The image of that little shit came to mind, and Kouga clenched his jaw angrily. The kid had balls, trying to move in on his woman like that, and when all was said and done, Kouga would give him that, at least. But the fact that he had openly pursued Kagome knowing she wasn't available was unforgiveable. He'd never forget the longing he saw in that bastard's eyes when he looked at his Kagome at the charity ball last week. And then she wanted to try to break up with Kouga the next night, and she didn't want him to think it was because of that half-breed? How stupid did she think he was?

Feeling something give under his fingers, Kouga looked to the right where his hand was resting on the passenger headrest, only to see his own claws embedded in the stone-colored leather with tufts of stuffing already peeking out. `Damn,' he thought, carefully pulling himself free. He had gotten himself more worked up than he thought.

Hearing another car pull into the parking lot, Kouga was reminded of his current whereabouts, and lowered his eyes to the dash in an attempt to calm himself. It wouldn't do to meet up with Kagome with vengeance on his brain, no matter what the reason. The purpose of today was to reconnect with his woman and settle this silly little break-up business she'd concocted the week before. No time to deal with half-breed maggots right now; that would just have to wait until another day.

Another glance at his watch indicated it was ten o'clock, so, taking a final deep breath to dampen his anger, Kouga checked himself briefly in the rearview mirror and opened the car door. `Time to get her back into my arms,' he decided, shutting the door and pulling the long-stemmed red roses out of the backseat. He closed his eyes, cracked his neck once, and put on the smile he knew always melted her heart. Ready to win her back, Kouga turned to head toward Kagome's apartment door.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he turned around to face the building again. Ideally, it would have been Kagome coming to greet him, but he probably wouldn't have been surprised if it had been someone coming out of their apartment on their way to church, or maybe some kids riding their bikes. Hell, even Sango or her boyfriend would have been nice to say hello to.

This, however, was completely unexpected.

“She's not here, asswipe,” said the half-breed, leaning casually against a silver Benz and looking far too confident for his own good. “And she ain't gonna be here, so turn your happy ass back around and go home. You're stinking up the whole parish.”

The flowers fell to the pavement like a casualty as shocked anger tore its way through Kouga's body. Any calm that he had managed to coax into his being was immediately a thing of the past. “What the fuck are you doing here, you little shit?!”

“I'm here to tell you to get lost,” he said, pushing off his car and locking his arms across his chest. “And to make sure you don't come sniffing around Kagome again.”

The sound of his woman's name from that filth's mouth made Kouga see red. It was then that he realized what he had first said, and Kouga took a menacing step forward, keeping his voice eerily steady even as bad scenarios played through his head. “What have you done with her? What have you done with my Kagome?”

“She ain't yours, dick.” The mutt took a step forward as well, shortening the gap of twenty-or-so yards between them. “You have no claim on her, and besides that, she doesn't even want you. You're just too fucking dense to realize it.”

“What have you done with her?!” Kouga roared, clenching his fists until blood dripped down his knuckles and landed on the blacktop, splattering on his loafers. The half-breed was keeping her from Kouga somehow, and damn if he wouldn't pay for it with his life if she was hurt in any way. “Tell me where she is, you worthless, cock-sucking mutt! Where the hell have you taken her?!”

“She's safe, where you can't hurt her again!” he fired back.

“Hurt her?! How dare you! I would never hurt her! It's you she needs to be protected from! You're the one who stares at her like --” Kouga's rant was cut short by a shift in the wind, and the scent it brought with it. His breath caught in his throat, and he shuddered in denial. `Kagome… my sweet Kagome. No, you couldn't have….' But it was true. Plain as day, her scent lay upon the creature not worthy of speaking her name. He didn't smell like pussy, so Kouga could at least be comforted by the fact that he hadn't defiled her, but the fact that they had touched each other was still too much for his bruised heart to handle, and it beat wildly within his chest in response to the news. He gnashed his teeth painfully. Pure, unadulterated rage coursed through his veins like a tidal wave, making him tremble with the effort it took to restrain himself from the shit who had dared touch Kagome.

The mutt smirked insolently, clearly reading Kouga's realization. “That's right, wolf. Kagome's with me now, and there ain't shit you can do about it. So hightail it out of here before I decide to sharpen my claws on your face.”

It happened so quickly. One second, the mutt was running his mouth, and the next, Kouga was on him, landing a solid fist across his left jaw with the force of a truck. Inuyasha spun with the impact, but responded quickly, rounding on Kouga faster than the wolf could follow and punching him in the back, clearly aiming for his left kidney.

Kouga roared as a sharp pain stabbed through his torso from the hit, nearly bringing him to his knees. “Fucking whelp! You have no honor!” he accused, spinning around and landing a roundhouse kick to the face, sending the mutt sprawling on the pavement. `If he wants to fight dirty, so be it,' he thought, readying himself for the next round as he watched his opponent quickly rise back to his feet.

“Don't preach honor to me, you mangy wolf! You did everything but demand a woman go out with you--in a text message, for fuck's sake--after she dumped your sorry ass last week!” He turned his head to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood before facing Kouga again. “That's beyond dishonorable. That's fucking pathetic!”

“What do you know about it?” Kouga bellowed, lurching forward to throw another punch. The mutt saw this one coming, though, and side-stepped at the last moment to dodge the attack. Growling in frustration, Kouga turned on him again, only to meet Inuyasha's right hook. The surprisingly powerful hit knocked him to the side, unleashing an explosion of pain throughout the entire left side of his face and nose. Kouga's vision darkened for the briefest of seconds as he staggered, threatening his hold on consciousness, but he blinked a few times and it cleared. Blood was gushing from his nose, which was undoubtedly broken. Quickly facing him again, he noticed his adversary had not taken the opportunity to finish the fight during Kouga's lapse of focus. Dumb move.

“What do you know about it?” he challenged again, widening his stance for balance. Damn, that kid had one hell of a hook. “You don't know what's going on between me and my woman. You don't know, and it's none of your business anyway, so butt the hell out, half-breed!” As he issued his threat, he shot forward again, this time catching the mutt off-guard and landing his shoulder in the middle of his chest. Kouga caught his balance before he fell with the momentum, and watched as Inuyasha fell back on his ass, hitting his head on the blacktop with an audible thud.

Seeing his chance, Kouga pounced, rearing back and kicking him in the ribs while he was still down. When Inuyasha shouted and doubled over on his side in pain, Kouga kicked him again, in the face, effectively snapping the mutt's head back with the force. “You get it now, half-breed?” he taunted, dropping to one knee and grabbing him by the front of his shirt with both hands. The mutt's head lolled back, barely conscious. “You don't have any right to her! She's mine, and she will always be mine, and you'll always be nothing but a shit stain on the bottom of our shoes!” Keeping hold of him with one hand, Kouga wound up and punched him hard across his nose, feeling bone and cartilage crunch under his knuckles. Blood sprayed across their clothes, painting them both in dark red spatter. “So you are the one who is to stay away from her, you worthless piece of shit! You will never touch her again, or so help me, I'll gut you myself and make her watch!” He punched him again, this time feeling his cheekbone crack. The mutt grunted with the hit but otherwise did nothing, apparently too physically stunned to defend himself.

Kouga sneered. “God, you're fucking pitiful, you know that?!” he spat, rising to his feet and pulling the mutt up with him. He brought him close, sickened by the stench of him. “Look at you. Nothing but a pitiful excuse of a half-demon, with no morals or honor. And you think you're worthy of my Kagome? You're a disgrace! You hear me, half-breed?! A fucking disgrace!” After a few good shakes to get the mutt's head to stand up straight, Kouga held him up with one hand again, rearing back to deliver the finishing blow.

“INUYASHA!”

Kouga froze at the sound of her panicked scream, if only for a moment. `Ka…Kagome?' The running footsteps behind him confirmed she was there, and, not knowing what else to do, he dropped the mutt in a bloody heap on the pavement and took a step back. She screamed again, and a half second later, she was there, kneeling at the side of he who didn't deserve her pity.

Kouga could only watch, incredulously, as the woman he loved sobbed over the half-conscious man he had beaten, crying his name and cupping his bruised and battered face between her small hands. Raw jealousy stabbed at Kouga's heart seeing her fuss over the mutt with such affection, and he barely resisted the urge to pull her away from him. The worst of it, however, was the stench of dog already radiating from her body. She smelled as if she had been wallowing in his funk for the last several hours, and the possessive creature inside of him howled in a jealous rage. She did not give her innocence to him; that much Kouga knew. But what did she do with him?

Intent on getting some answers, Kouga clenched his fists at his sides and leveled her with a heavy stare that brooked no defiance. “Where have you been, Kagome? Why weren't you at your apartment?”

She whipped her head around suddenly, as if she had just realized Kouga was there, and he was wholly unprepared for the storm he saw in her wet, darkened eyes. “What did you do to him?” she screamed hysterically, scrambling to her feet. She rushed him and shoved him back with both hands on his chest, pushing him back with surprising strength for such a small girl. “What did you do to him?!” she demanded again. “Look! Look at him, Kouga! Why? Why?!”

Admittedly shocked by her behavior, Kouga bit back a growl that was meant to dominate. She was testing his instincts again, and the alpha male that he kept buried deep inside--for her sake--didn't like it. “Answer me, Kagome. Where were you?”

“Answer me, Kouga! Why the fuck did you do this to him?” she screamed in his face, her cheeks flushed and wet. “What are you doing here anyway? Who told you to come?!”

Behind her, Sango and Miroku were tending to the mutt, inspecting the damage he had rightfully earned. Making a mental note of where they stood in this situation, Kouga swerved his eyes back to Kagome's and spoke in an even voice. “I told you last night: I was taking you to brunch today. I said I would be here at ten o'clock, and you weren't here. So now that I've answered your fucking question, Kagome, tell me. Where were you?” he finished, his voice rising steadily.

“Brunch?!” she asked disbelievingly. “Are you serious? Brunch?!” She slapped him hard across the face, snapping his head to the side and stinging the flesh that was still bruised from the mutt's right hook. “You're a monster, Kouga! Is that why you're here? I didn't know anything about this; when did you tell me that? When did…?” Kagome trailed off, her eyes widening in apparent realization. “Your text….”

Kouga was furious. She actually struck him? “Yes, my fucking text!” he roared, the muscles in his neck tightening painfully. “What, did you forget? Let me guess; you were drunk, right? Or were you just too busy letting that filth try to fuck you to remember we had a date?!”

To his amazement, Kagome slapped him again, on the same cheek, and harder than the first time. “Shut your mouth! Not that it's any of your business, but nobody fucked anybody last night!”

`Bitch!' Working his jaw, he turned to face her again, slowly and deliberately. “Don't hit me again,” he warned through clenched teeth.

“Or what?”

Kouga and Kagome both turned at the sound of the mutt's voice, seeing him rise to his feet with the aid of Miroku and Sango, both of whom were watching the altercation very closely but remaining silent. “Just what do you think I'll let you do to her if she hits you again, ookami? You really think I'll let you lay a single finger on her without getting it broken off?” Now standing on his own, he wiped a hand under his broken nose, leaving a grotesque sleeve of blood and mucous on his forearm.

“Let me?” Kouga snorted. “You won't `let me,' huh? Pretty big words for someone who just got the piss beaten out of him.” Ignoring his comical growl, Kouga turned his attention back on Kagome, who was suddenly looking a little dazed from all the information she was processing. He held a hand out to her beckoningly. “Come on, Kagome. We need to talk. Let me clean up a little first, and then we can --”

“I'm not going anywhere with you,” she interrupted, her voice substantially softer than it was before, but still angry. Her eyes were softer, too, even as she took a step back, distancing herself from him.

Reading the past in her eyes, Kouga immediately knew the reason for her sudden shift in behavior, and as much as he hated to take advantage of it, he had little choice at the moment; he had to get her away from the others so they could talk. Inwardly sighing, he blinked a few times and extended his hand a little further. “Please, Kagome? I just want to talk with you. Give me a chance to explain, please? I love you, Kagome, more than anything. Don't walk away….”

The tremble in her lower lip signaled the success of his tactic. She was no longer seeing Kouga; she was now four years in the past. Despite the guilt that clouded his heart, he took a small step toward her, being careful as to not undo his progress. “I'm begging you, Kagome. Don't give up on me yet. Let me prove I meant you no harm. I only want what's best for you, because I love you. Let's go talk in private. Please?”

Her eyes watered, and the step back she took this time was more hesitant. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and Kouga couldn't stop the inward grin. Off to the side, the mutt sounded as if he were about to start lashing out again, and Kouga was already calculating ways to eliminate his interruption, but Kagome's cousin beat him to it.

“Stop it!” Sango shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger at Kouga. “I know what you're doing, and you'd better just stop it right now! It's the same thing you did to her last week, isn't it? You mind-fucked her, didn't you, Kouga? You pulled some crazy shit to make her remember Hojo! That's why you were able to keep her from breaking up with you, isn't it?! That's why she thinks you two are still together!”

The mutt stuttered at that announcement, and despite the situation, Kouga couldn't help but be a little amused. So, Kagome hadn't told him that much, eh? He thought she was free to see him, did he? Kouga would have reveled in this small victory a moment longer, but Kagome's voice brought everything to a halt.

“You… you did that?” she asked, her eyes widened in shock. “You made… You knew what… on purpose?”

Kouga watched her fingers wring together anxiously as she put everything together, and his heart started pounding inside his chest. He could feel the heartache rolling off of her as he struggled to come up with a feasible answer, and it killed him to know he had caused her this pain. But it had been the only way! If he hadn't have done what he did, she'd have been long gone a week ago, and dammit, that just wasn't an option! He'd done what was necessary, that's all. But even so, the distress in her voice was making him think twice.

Shock apparently wore off quickly for Kagome, and suddenly, her ire had returned tenfold. “Tell me, Kouga,” she demanded, her voice hardening once again. Watery brown eyes dared him to lie, and he actually found himself nervous. “Tell me you didn't.”

“I….” Kouga swallowed and glanced at the half-breed, noticing he looked as if he would attack again at any moment. That wasn't Kouga's problem right now, though; right now, he needed to placate Kagome and make sure she didn't think he did anything wrong. “I did nothing of the sort,” he finally said, facing Kagome again. “You came over to talk, and you left before we could work everything out. Remember? You were in such a rush to leave.”

Kagome frowned, her eyes shifting as she recalled the events of that night. “Yes, because you were scaring me. That's right!” She gasped suddenly, her mouth dropping open in disgust. “You were! You were using what I had told you about… about….” A trembling hand rose and covered her mouth. “Oh, shit! Kouga! How could you?!”

“I didn't do anything wrong!” he argued, fighting for a sliver of integrity. “Kagome, you were being irrational! All I wanted was for you to look at everything from my point of view, and the truth was, you were breaking my heart! What was I supposed to do, just let you shatter me and walk out of my life? I would have died, Kagome! Can't you see how much I love you?!”

“He's doing it again!” Sango cried, grabbing Kagome's upper arm and making her turn away from Kouga. “Kags, don't listen to him! He's totally bullshitting you!”

“The fuck I am!” he shouted, drawing everybody's attention again. “I love her, dammit! And I told her that night that I just wanted some more time, and she didn't refuse me. So yes, Kagome and I are still together, which makes that,” he pointed to the mutt, “a dishonorable bastard who wants to take what isn't up for the taking!”

“Fuck you, asswipe!” he shot back.

Kouga growled threateningly. This had gone on long enough. “So I'll say it again, you little maggot: stay away from Kagome. That's the last time I'll tell you.”

Inuyasha flexed his bloodied hand, his knuckles cracking audibly. “And I'll tell you again: she doesn't want you. I don't give a shit what happened between you two last Sunday; it's obvious she can't stand you. So just give up, wolf, and go the fuck home. Nobody wants you here, right, Kagome?”

The girl blinked, clearly feeling put on the spot, but Kouga had a more pressing matter to deal with. “Mutt,” he growled, quickly closing the distance between him and his target, “I told you to not say her fucking name!”

“Inuyasha!” Kagome screamed for the second time that day, and before he could blink, she was in front of him, standing between Kouga and his target. The fire in her eyes spoke of her promise to bring pain to Kouga should he hurt the half-breed again. A laughable concept in and of itself, but the meaning behind it was what stung the most. “Don't you dare touch him again!” she shouted, the tears reappearing in the corners of her eyes. “I won't let you touch him again! Just leave, Kouga! You shouldn't be here!”

It was as if she had buried her hand into his chest and ripped out his heart, leaving nothing but an empty, aching cavity. A dull, throbbing pain spread throughout his upper body, and swallowing was suddenly difficult. `That passion in her eyes… she's so determined to protect him. Kagome… she truly wants him,' Kouga realized, his shoulders slumping heavily as he took in the two of them together, `and not me.' She was still clearly distraught over the injuries Kouga had inflicted, and she was willing to provide whatever protection she could against him, of all people, all for a dirty little half-breed. That hurt. But nonetheless, knowing now how strongly she felt about Inuyasha, Kouga couldn't bring himself to attack him in front of her. It would hurt her too much, and she would hate him for it. The truth was, he really did love her, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause her anymore pain. Kagome wanted no more blood, and Kouga would grant her that… for now.

But when Inuyasha put his hands on Kagome's shoulders, Kouga could not stop the growl from ripping up his throat. She may have been lost to him, but his instincts would not be convinced so easily. He watched as the mutt gently guided a protesting Kagome to his side where Miroku and Sango were still watching. Inuyasha said nothing, even as he stepped up to Kouga, but the message was clear:

This isn't over.

You got that right, asshole.

Kouga took one last look at Kagome, enfolded in her cousin's arms and glaring disbelievingly at him, and shook his head. “It wasn't supposed to be this way, Kagome,” he said, ignoring the angry tears that rolled down her flushed cheeks. “It was supposed to be you and me. I loved you, dammit. I love you now, still.”

“Enough,” the mutt declared, drawing his attention again. He then lowered his voice, obviously not wanting Kagome to hear him. “I underestimated you. Trust me, it will not happen again.” His lips peeled back in a threatening sneer, showing the blood still coating his fangs. “Playing mind games to trick her into staying with you? God help you if I ever catch you sniffing around her again, you sick fuck.”

The fool was testing him, but Kouga would not rise to his banter again, not today. Working the last of the blood in his mouth, he spit on the ground one last time, showing the mutt what he thought of his threat, and slowly turned away. He took his time walking to his car, knowing all eyes were on him, and unbuttoned his shirt as he made his way there, stepping over the roses he'd brought for Kagome as they lay where he'd dropped them instead of kicking them like he wanted to. Once he reached the car, he pulled the bloody shirt from his body, then folded it once and tossed it onto the floor mat in front of the passenger seat as he got in. He'd be damned if he got nasty half-breed blood on his leather seats.

Starting the car, Kouga shot a final glare at the group assembled behind the Benz, noticing Kagome was watching him intently as he pulled away. He could read the regret in her eyes, and he knew that at least part of it was due to the way things between them had played out. She may not have wanted him anymore, but Kagome was not one to intentionally harm those who cared for her. That was all right, though. She got what she fucking wanted, and he was leaving.

But even as he pulled onto the main street, feeling the warm wind in his hair, he couldn't push away the pain in his chest. It wasn't just her betrayal, or even her rejection. It was the name she had screamed when she had found them, and again when Kouga was gearing up to hit him again. One way or another, that mutt had truly captured Kagome's heart. `What a load of bullshit.'

Kouga's fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he glanced down at the empty seat next to him. “Dammit, Kagome,” he said aloud, his eye twitching. “This isn't how it's supposed to be.”