InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Talking in His Sleep ❯ Cries ( Chapter 3 )

[ ] Thinking

" " Speaking

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"Aishiteru," Kagome whispered with a smile, snuggling her back into his chest.

A low purr was his only reply, his chest moving in a heavy sigh as he drifted off to sleep. Feeling the tension in his body easing away, Kagome closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep as well. Just as she was on the verge of complete unconsciousness, his arm tugging her closer jarred her enough for her to hear him whispering in his sleep.

"Kikyo..."

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"No"

The strangled whisper escaped Kagome's lips as she lay stiffly in his arms. [He didn't just say that! Kami please!] A stab of pain ran through Kagome's body, tears welling in her horrified eyes.

[It wasn't me he was talking to, it wasn't me he…]

Feeling a wave of nausea overwhelm her, Kagome pulled away carefully, not wanting to wake him and have to deal with what had just happened. Slipping off the futon she struggled to hold back her tears at the evidence of what they'd just shared. Grabbing the pieces of the ripped yukata, she used them to clean herself and him carefully and quickly got dressed.

Ignoring the pain in her legs, she slipped on her shoes and hurried outside, the only thought in her mind to get away from Inuyasha as soon as possible. She made it to the front of the inn before the pain overwhelmed her, sending her to her knees on the ground as sobs wracked her small form.

[Why? Why aren't I good enough? Why can't he ever see me as myself and not as Kikyo's reincarnation? How could he do this to me?] Violent, gut-wrenching sobs ran through her, tears sliding down her cheeks continuously as she was overwhelmed by pain. A soft touch on her waist made her turn and smile in relief.

"Kirara, where've you been?"

[Perfect timing!] Picking up the small youkai, Kagome looked her in the eyes and explained. "I need to get back to the well Kirara, I don't have time to waste, could you take me there?"

The fire cat purred and jumped from her hands, transforming into her larger form. Ignoring the calls from her friends as they approached, Kagome climbed onto her back and ordered her to fly. "Get me there as fast as you can Kirara… please!"

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It had taken them four hours to arrive, but finally, Kagome could see the God tree and allowed herself to relax a bit. During the ride she'd concentrated on holding onto Kirara's back and ignoring the pain in her heart but now that they trip was about to end, her mind concentrated once again on Inuyasha's betrayal.

Just as they were about to reach the tree, Kirara made a sudden jump to her left, knocking an unsuspecting Kagome off her back in the process. With a hard thud, Kagome landed on her back on the forest floor, struggling to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her. [What happened?]

Shouting nearby and the sound of feet coming closer made her look up to her right, surprised to find a large group of youkai hunters coming out of the forest around her. There were about twelve of them all together, half of which were still concentrating on Kirara while the other half came towards her to see what had fallen off the youkai's back.

"Isn't that a girl?" one of them asked.

Another gave a whistle and grinned, standing above her now with a sly grin, "It sure is, and what a girl!"

Kagome winced, his tone of voice and hungry eyes roaming over her. Had her legs not been so sore she could have kicked them down, but from the activities of earlier that night and the fall from Kirara's back, she could hardly move.

Unfortunately, her voice was also weak due to her lack of breath, her threat sounding more like a plea. "Get away from me."

The man above her laughed and stepped over her with one foot so his legs straddled her, "Now why would I want to do that? Our women are four days travel from here and we've been awfully lonely."

Kagome's heart sped up, her body unwilling to obey her mental commands as she felt him drop down onto his knees above her and grab her hands that had been crossed above her chest. "Shinji come hold these while I get my turn, I'll do the same for you."

The other man who'd spoken came and readily agreed, pulling her arms up above her heard. Another joined them, grabbing her legs and holding them down. "Hurry up we all want a go at her."

"NO!" Kagome's panicked cries rang through the forest, her terrified screams getting louder while she struggled to pull away. Tears coursed down her cheeks as round hands ripped away her clothes for a second time that night. Through the panic that ran through her she felt a familiar wetness near her leg and screamed again, only to be surprised when he pulled away suddenly allowing the night's cool air to hit her naked body.

The hands on her arms and legs released her soon after and she curled up on her side instinctively, ignoring the screams of pain and howling around her as her sobs took control of her body. Her trembling seemed unending as pain and fear coursed through her, her mind calling out for help.

A soft voice near her kept mumbling something, then began whimpering softly beside her, a pair of soft hands touching her hair in soothing strokes. As the panic began to subside and her sobbing slowed, a familiar voice broke through the haze in her mind and surprised her.

"I'm so sorry Kagome"

[Inuyasha?] The idea of his apologizing made her turn hopeful eyes behind her, only to widen in surprise. Inuyasha hadn't saved her - the man kneeling beside her didn't wear red clothes or have silver hair. His hair was jet black and held back in a ponytail, and his piercing blue eyes were a softer shade than she'd ever seen before as regret shone in them as well as a plea for forgiveness.

"K-Kouga?" Kagome's scratchy voice whispered.

"Kagome I'm so sorry, I couldn't get here in time," his eyes filled with tears as his hands softly touched her face. "I couldn't save you."

He moved slowly, stretching out beside her on the grass before stretching his arms out towards her shivering body. He kept apologizing, even as the tears he'd been struggling to hold back slipped from his eyes.

Feeling the cold air hitting her body, Kagome shivered and touched his hand, silently asking him to come closer to her. As he slid his arms around her and kissed her forehead sweetly, Kagome felt the true love radiating off of him and felt her heart break once again remembering the loving embrace she'd shared earlier. Overwhelmed by everything that had happened so quickly, she let out a small cry and buried herself in his arms, tears and sobs once again taking over her small frame as she cried herself out and eventually fell into an exhausted sleep.

Kouga held her tightly and rocked her body slowly as her pain overwhelmed him also. Her aura radiated nothing but pain and suffering, her body trembled in his uncontrollably, causing him to keep tightening his hold until she finally cried herself to sleep. Guilt was flooding over him at her pain, her loss, he could smell the difference in her and knowing she'd been touched by such filthy hands made his skin crawl and a weight set itself over his heart.

Beside the guilt that crushed him down, anger and hate also consumed him as he cursed the stupid Inu youkai that had not been there with her. [Where the hell is that fucking dog? Why wasn't he protecting her as he should have been?! I allowed her to travel with him because he was supposed to be watching over her and keeping her safe!... wait 'till I get my hands on him… that baka's dead!]

A soft moan from the girl in his arms snapped him out of his murderous plans and he looked down, surprised to feel her shiver. [Duh, baka! Her clothes were torn off, of course she's got to be cold.]

Slipping away from her for a moment, he removed one of his animal skins and covered her as much as he could. Lifting her into his arms, he turned and was about to head towards one of his caverns when the youkai that had been with Kagome appeared.

"Go back and tell that baka Kagome is mine and won't be going back on their stupid quest anymore. And do not tell them what has happened."

Kirara growled, but looking at the unconscious girl in his arms, a wave of sympathy for her made her turn and quickly head back towards the others.

Kouga watched her leave before looking down at the girl in his arms. Her cheeks were tear-streaked and puffy, but she was still beautiful in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Kagome."

Holding her tight, he quickly headed away towards one of the small caves in the nearby mountains where he knew he wouldn't be bothered. [She's going to need some time to get over this and I do not want that baka hanyou anywhere near us.]

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"Inuyasha have you seen Kagome-chan? I can't find her anywhere!" Sango's voice woke him early the next morning.

"So Kagome's gone…" Inuyasha grumbled and buried his face back into the pillow before the thought actually processed. "WHAT?! What do you mean you can't find her?!"

The hanyou jumped and headed towards the door, suddenly realizing his state of undress.

"What the fuck?"

Heading back and getting into his clothes quickly, he could smell her scent in the room, although it had diminished quite a bit. Seeing her bag in a corner though, he figured she'd bathed and then re-joined the others for the festivities. [When did I come in here? Was it…]

Looking over at the bed, he frowned, wondering what had happened. [I had that dream and then one about Kikyo] He sighed, willing his body to forget the bliss he'd felt as he'd made love to Kagome in his dream. Stupid Kikyo even ruined things in his sleep, showing up moments after he'd been with the other girl.

Throwing open the shoji, he glared at the worried girl and walked past her out to where Miroku and Shippo stood watching the forest for any signs of her. "She might have gone for an early walk; she likes to do that sometimes."

"Its too early, even for her," Inuyasha sighed, "Besides, her scent dies here." [Including the tears] He frowned even harder at that thought, the scent of her salty tears still lingering on the wood beneath them.

Just as they were about to decide what to do, Kirara flew over and dropped at their feet. Giving a tired sigh, the fire cat went back to its smaller form and dropped to the ground. Inuyasha was on her immediately, lifting her up by the hair on her neck and dangling her in front of him.

"Where'd you take Kagome?"

"How do you know Kirara had anything to do with it? She hasn't been with us for the past week!" Sango angrily defended her kitten.

"She smells like her," Shippo explained, jumping from Miroku's shoulder to Inuyasha's.

"Where'd Kagome go? Why didn't she tell us anything?"

Kirara mewled and explained to the young kitsune, part of what had happened, omitting the attack in the forest as Kouga had ordered her to. After she'd finished, Shippo glared at Inuyasha and jumped back to Miroku, ordering for him to let go of Kirara.

"What'd she say? I can't understand her," Inuyasha growled, knowing Kirara had spoken another cat dialect to keep him from understanding.

"What did you do to Kagome?!" Shippo yelled back, still glaring at Inuyasha, who dropped Kirara into Sango's hands.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I had a few drinks and went to bed, I didn't even see her last night!" Inuyasha growled, crossing his arms angrily.

"Kirara said she found Kagome crying on her knees here last night and that Kagome asked her to take her back to the well. We all know she only goes back to her time when you do something to upset her!" Shippo crossed his arms also.

"Feh, I told you I didn't see her last night, I didn't make her cry." Inuyasha tapped his foot impatiently. "What else did she say? Where is Kagome?"

Shippo lost his confidence, shrinking back from the explosion he knew was to come.

"She's with Kouga."

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha glared at the cat again. "You let that mangy wolf take her?"

"Kirara had no choice, apparently Kagome wasn't feeling well and she passed out, Kouga appeared and took her from Kirara, telling her to tell you that Kagome was his and wouldn't be joining us in the quest anymore." Shippo's eyes watered at the thought of Kagome leaving them for the wolf.

"This has got to be joke!" Inuyasha growled and walked away, calling over his shoulder.

"Get back to Kaede's village, I'm going to find Kagome and bring her back there."

"Inuyasha what could have made Kagome want to go home so suddenly if you two didn't argue?" Miroku asked, deeply troubled by the miko's strange behavior.

"I don't know, just do as I said already, I'll get her from that wolf and she can explain to all of us back at Kaede's." The hanyou wasted no more time, running off at break-neck speed toward the wolf's den.

[He'd better not try anything with her or I swear he'll regret it.]

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To Kouga's relief, Kagome didn't waken while he set her down and covered her with furs. While he went about the cave, lighting a couple of fires and torches to tidy it up, he kept glancing at the girl in the straw nest, relieved she was getting some sleep. [She must have been up all night for some reason. But why would she be out in the forest without that baka? His scent wasn't anywhere nearby.]

He thanked the Kamis for his urge to take a run in the middle of the night, shuddering to think of what might have happened had he not heard her terrified cries. The panic and terror expressed in her voice had been enough to chill his bones for a moment before he ran in to save her. But still, the change was there, hardly noticeable if you weren't looking but there.

[She was raped… by those stupid humans! They took her innocence!] His hands closed tightly until his claws bit into his flesh. The anger he felt made him want to go out and kill something, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't leave Kagome alone there in the cave. What if she called for him and he was gone? She didn't know where she was and she would be frightened.

A shifting behind him made him turn his head and smile at the sight. Kagome had turned onto her side and lay curled up in a little ball, her cheek resting on one of his favorite pelts. Feeling the lack of sleep taking a toll on him also, Kouga went back and slipped onto the pelts beside her, curling around her back to offer his heat. Nuzzling her head, the smell of berries and jasmine that always seemed to follow her soothed his anger and made him tighten his protective hold on her.

Kagome woke up to the feel of someone nuzzling her hair. [This is nice] Turning towards the warmth behind her, Kagome smiled, keeping her eyes closed and sighed, a familiar growling near her ear lulling her back to sleep.

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Quick Notes:

Not much of a cliffhanger ending or anything like that, but I hope you liked this chapter. I just wanted to thank those of you who took the time to review.

FallenAngel7901: I'm glad you liked the story, what did you think of this chapter?

Heaven's Angel Chick: Sorry the 3rd update took a while but its finally up.

LadyNight: Thank you! I love your screen name btw.

Naome_Ikahen: I'm sorry it took a while to update, but just in case you made those sketches of a beat up Kikyo I'd love to see them. ^_^

stesnus: Thanks for the info, I've read that before, but for some reason Kazaana just won't stick in my head. I hope you liked this update.

And that's the end of the thank yous!

I just wanted to say if anyone wants me to let them know about updates, leave me your e-mail address and I'll send you an e-mail. Thanks again to everyone reading and keep reviewing!