InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Talking in His Sleep ❯ Confidences ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

- Lyrics
" " Speaking
[ ] Thoughts

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"Why am I not surprised to see you here Inuyasha?"

Kikyo's cold voice woke him the next morning. Glancing down at the miko leaning against the trunk of the goshinboku, Inuyasha crossed his arms and jumped down.

"Something the matter? Where's the girl? Don't tell me you've finally realized she can't replace me and decided to come with me to hell." Kikyo raised a brow, a look of cold amusement in her eyes.

"Kagome's not here, I didn't come to go to hell with you either," Inuyasha growled, "I came to find out what the matter is."

She frowned, "With me? Nothing is the matter, I was merely passing by. I stopped in Edo for a quick visit but all the fighting there made it dangerous for me to stay, too many people and especially samurais to see my soul-gatherers and get suspicious."

"You didn't come here looking for me?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

"Should I have?" Kikyo tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned away, "My travels may cross paths with yours Inuyasha, but do not think it is always by design. Even I do not always know where to find you."

"You mean I left the others for no reason?" Inuyasha growled in annoyance, realizing by her smirk just how foolish he'd been. "Feh, its not like they need me right now anyways, what could happen in that stupid walled village?"

"You left them in Edo?" Kikyo stopped in her tracks, having moved away to leave again. "That is not just a village Inuyasha, its a large city and there are many dangers, even for humans. Especially for young girls I would say."

Inuyasha frowned, a sinking feeling coming over him, "Why for young girls?"

"The castle there was just raided in the past few days, the whole place is swarming with samurai, didn't you hear me say there were too many people there? Think about it though, a city with about four times as many men as there are women."

"Well shit"

Turning away from Kikyo, Inuysasha stomped towards the city. [I'm sure Kagome's fine! She's just trying to freak me out.]

"Take care with the wolves Inuyasha!"

Kikyo's voice stopped him short, glancing over his shoulder suspiciously, "Wolves?"

"Surely you heard them last night? Sounded like trouble," Kikyo shrugged, "It came from Edo or somewhere close to there."

"Damnit!"

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"What is that?"

Kouga looked over Sango's shoulder while she cooked, sniffing the vapors from the pot, he frowned and crinkled his nose. "What are you doing?! That meat's not supposed to be boiled! It takes away the flavor and nutrients!"

"Kagome likes it like this," Sango grit her teeth and added the carrots, "Perhaps you should go check on her? I think she might need a rest from Shippo's attentions, and her bandages need to be changed. I assume you know how to do that?"

"Of course I do!" Leaving the girl to continue ruining the fresh meat Ginta had brought earlier that day, Kouga walked across the room and stepped behind the screen that gave the resting girl some privacy.

Stopping short, he moved back and peeked in, observing with a smile the interaction between the kitsune and human. Kagome lay propped up on her side with some pillows by her stomach to help give support. Cradled on top of the one beside her chest, Shippo rested in a light doze, his head on her neck.

With her arms wrapped around his small body, Kagome kept her eyes closed as well, a soft smile on her lips while she hummed a tune. One hand keeping the kitsune's body tucked close, the other idly stroked down his back, along his arm, down his leg and over his fluffy tail. When her humming died down, Shippo yawned and nuzzled her neck, asking quietly for a lullaby.

"A lullaby?"

"Something nice, like the other day." Shippo whispered, "Something just for me."

"Hmm... give me a moment," Kagome hummed for a few more minutes, her voice soothing and warm when she sang.

- You and me together we'll be
- Forever you'll see
- We two can be good company
- You and me

- Yes together
- We - two
- Together that's - you
- Forever with - me
- We'll always be good company
- You and me

- Just wait and see

Giving a content sigh as she finished, Shippo slipped into a deep sleep. When Kagome tucked the blanket at her waist up around them both, she inadvertedly left Kouga only the view of Shippo's tail outside of it, making it easy for him to picture her holding a wolf pup instead. Smiling wider at the thought, Kouga conjured up three more, one curled in the crook of her bent legs, the other resting its head on her knees, its body pressed into the dip along her stomach, and the last and oldest with its back against hers in a protective position.

Yes, he could easily picture their children, strong young boys with hair as black as his and eyes the same honey-brown color as hers. A girl, with Kagome's long lashes, pouty pink lips and Kouga's deep blue eyes.

[Kami, our children will be beautiful]

Listening to her humming again, Kouga dropped down and stealthily made his way over, silencing her surprised gasp with a finger over her lips when he lay down beside her. Carefully sliding an arm under her head for her to rest on, he was glad to see her smile and hold Shippo closer when he moved the pillows out from between them

Tucking the kitsune close with one arm, she draped the free one over his chest, snuggling close when his hand around her waist pulled her closer. She shouldn't do it, she knew she shouldn't, but she was so tired of worrying over everyone else, it was nice to have someone who cared this much.

She'd felt she could die the day before as she'd handed over Inuyasha's haori. After the other night, when he'd been so distressed over the possibility that he might have hurt her, she'd thought there might be some hope for her cause. But then barely two days later, Kikyo showed up and he left again, taken his coat and run to her.

"Why?"

The word slipped from her mouth before she could think, Kouga's tensing beside her making her bite her lip.

"Why what?"

"Nothing, just... thinking," Kagome hoped he wouldn't press her further.

It was not to be.

"Why what Kagome? If it has to do with dog-turd, go ahead and ask." Kouga sighed and pulled her closer, "I know how your relationship is with him, you love him and he loves the pot of clay. You watch over him, protect him, risk your life for him and he still runs to her every chance he gets."

[Much like us... like me... you're exactly like me]

Kouga closed his eyes against that truth. He understood her, probably better than anyone else, because he was just like Kagome. He couldn't leave his pack, but he protected her every chance he got. He set up a guard after that last attack, had a wolf watching over her for any trouble. How he worried late at night while she was off with the mutt. For her safety, for her happiness, mainly for the baka to realize what he had beside him and give her what she most wanted. All he wanted was her, beside him, loving him... and she wanted Inuyasha.

Kagome nodded, breaking him from his thoughts, giving a big yawn before falling asleep, her voice whispering one last thing before she nodded off. "I just wonder... will I ever be good enough?"

Wanting to console her, but annoyed by the very fact that she'd brought him up, Kouga answered with the only thing he could think of at the moment.

"Will I?"

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"No"

Sango and Miroku shook their heads, Shippo and Kirara repeating their actions. No way was Kagome leaving their group.

"We can take better care of her, we have great provisions at Kaede-sama's hut, we just need to wait for Inuyasha to come back and we'll go there." Sango insisted.

Kouga glared, "My pack is excellent at tending to its wounded, Kagome needs rest, she won't be able to travel for a while and dog-turd will only make things worse. Let her come with me and my pack, she'll recover, get some time away to clear her thoughts and join you later."

"And have Inuyasha kill us?" Sango replied.

The wolf prince snarled, baring his fangs, pleased to see her eyes widen, "Would you prefer I do it?"

"Kouga!"

Kagome startled them, shouting through the screen, "Someone move the stupid thing out of the way so I can see you!"

Doing as told, Miroku stood and moved the item, smiling in relief at the sight of her face with some color again. His smile did not last long however, after she'd finished speaking again.

"Don't you dare harm a hair on her head mister! Not you nor one of your pack," Kagome yawned and winced at a tug in her back. "And you guys, I agree with Kouga."

"Nani?" Shippo squeaked, shocked at her words.

"I need some time to think about things, my back needs to mend, and to be completely honest I don't want to see Inuyasha right now."

"But Kagome..."

"If that is what you want, we'll explain to Inuyasha," Miroku cut off Sango's protests, understanding better than anyone else why Kagome needed time away from the hanyou.

"You choose to come with me?" Kouga asked quietly.

Kagome blushed, "If its ok, I just need some time..."

"Its fine! Its more than fine," Kouga beamed. "Ginta says there's trouble near the main cave, but you won't be there, the women and cubs have been taken to a safer location. You can stay with them."

"That'd be great," Kagome sighed, "My back is killing me. What happened to the boy? Miroku where's your friend?"

"Kenji has taken his new apprentice to his shop," Miroku explained. "When will you be leaving?"

"I have to get to my pack as soon as possible," Kouga frowned, looking down at Kagome. "But I can't move too quickly if I carry you the way I did the other night."

"Carry me on your back," Kagome lifted herself onto her elbows, "I should be ok."

"Kagome are you sure about this?" Sango asked again, "Don't you want any of us to come with you?"

"Kagome?" Shippo sniffled.

"Oh Shippo," Kagome's eyes saddened.

Kouga spoke then, "He can come."

Their eyes lit up, "Really?!"

"He's your pup, my pack will accept him as such," Kouga shrugged, "Even if he is a kitsune."

"Thank you!" Kagome beamed, the joy in her eyes bringing a warm smile to his features. "We can leave today if you need to."

"You're not well enough to travel," Sango reminded her.

"Just bandage me up tight, I'll be fine," Kagome insisted, "Inuyasha will doubtless show up tonight or early tomorrow, I want to be gone."

After a moment's hesitation, Sango gave up finally and sighed, "Fine, but you're going to owe us big time for the yelling we'll have to put up with Kagome-chan."

"Ignore the baka," Kouga instructed easily.

Barely over an hour later, Kagome was lifted onto Kouga's back by Sango and Miroku, careful of her freshly bandaged wounds. After thanking them and tucking Shippo close between her stomach and Kouga, they were off, leaving an angry and slightly hurt taijiya behind with the houshi.

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"Damnit I can smell the damned wolf, he's been here all right, he'd just better not have touched Kagome!"

Inuyasha growled, running faster, following the smells of wolf to a small hut. Stopping and smelling the air outside, he was growling even more as he picked up both Kagome and Kouga's scents. They had just been there, he could hear Sango and Miroku's voices and growled again when Sango yelled at the houshi for letting Kagome go with Kouga.

"Why? There's something going on Miroku! Something you and Kagome didn't tell us about!" Sango was pissed, almost as much as Inuyasha.

He was about to step inside and demand some answers himself, but stopped when Miroku answered.

"She couldn't tell you in front of Inuyasha! I promised not to tell Sango, he has to figure out what he did on his own." Miroku tried to explain.

"And what about me? I don't get to know this big secret?! Why did she tell you?" Sango snapped, hurt obvious in her tone.

Miroku sighed, his voice calmer now that he realized what was bothering her. "Because she needed someone to talk to, I think just getting things off her chest helped. I was the one out the other night, so I was the one she spoke to. There hasn't been any chance for the two of you to talk without being overheard by Inuyasha, has there?"

"Well no," Sango agreed, "Could you tell me? You know I won't say anything to him but I'm so worried Miroku. What could he have done? She's been avoiding him since we left, things are not right and it seems I'm the only one who doesn't completely know why."

"Inuysha doesn't know either," Miroku sighed, Inuyasha could practically see the glare that earned him. "All right, but you cannot speak to even Kagome about this, understood? If she tells you later on you must be able to feign surprise."

"Of course," Sango agreed.

Miroku hesitated a moment but finally spoke, "The night Inuyasha got drunk, you remember Kagome went to bed early?"

"Hai"

"Apparently Inuyasha was very drunk, and he entered your room by mistake," Miroku hesitated but eventually continued, "Kagome took a bath in your room, she had just dried herself off and was settling down on her futon when he came in."

"He didn't!" Sango immediately jumped to conclusions.

Inuyasha froze, silently shaking his head in denial.

[Tell me I didn't!]

"He didn't rape her," Miroku rushed to assure Sango, "In fact, well, Kagome was quite pleased with the way things went."

Inuyasha let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding, relief flooding him at the knowledge that he hadn't raped her.

"Until he called out Kikyo's name."

Sango's gasp was horrified, Inuyasha froze yet again.

"He wouldn't!" Sango whispered, so softly that even Inuyasha barely heard.

"He did," Miroku's voice was both sorrowful and angry, "He made love to her, he even told her he loved her, he called her anata and then, after... he called out to Kikyo."

"Kami..." The scent of tears reached Inuyasha and he realized Sango was crying, "If there's anything that could break her heart it would definitely be Kikyo."

Miroku moved, probably to comfort the girl, "I can hardly fathom it, he was holding her, had her wrapped in his arms, having just taken her innocence, and he called out for that clay pot."

Sango sniffled, "Poor Kagome... no wonder she left with Kouga... at least she knows he loves her."

"Hai, Kouga really loves her," Miroku agreed.

Outside the hut, a stunned and horrified Inuyasha turned away, racing numbly from the city.

[It can't be! That night... I dreamed of her... it was just a dream ...it HAD to be a dream!]

Memories of the morning after, his nakedness, the scent of her tears in the air, assaulted him all at once. Stopping at the top of a tree, he gasped for air, slumping against the trunk. He could remember vaguely, her soft body beneath his, whispering aishiteru, the soft cries she'd made, but they had been part of his dream.

"Damnit it was just a dream!"

He growled, slashed a branch nearby off the tree and sighed, "It had to have been a dream."

[Kagome wouldn't sleep with me just like that... but then why else would she cry?]

He remembered her words from the other night and knew with a sinking feeling that it was true.

"But you did hurt me, Inuyasha, you hurt me in the worst way possible... and you don't even remember."

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Shorter chapter, but effective ne-?

Let me know what you think. Also I'm again, hesitating about the outcome of this story, I've slowly fallen in love with the wolf youkai, but I also love the hanyou. Oh the possibilities, I'm thinking that a couple more chapters might do it for this story.

Vote now for your favorite!

Arigato to all my reviewers! You guys are the best. I can't believe this story's gotten over 40 reviews! WAI!

You guys are the best!

Ja matta!