Chapter 9

Kagome sighed. Her and Inu Yasha had finally decided to go back to the Feudal times. They were gone for two days. Kaede had informed them that the others went to the next village for a demon extermination mission.

Both of them really didn't feel like going meet them. In fact all Kagome felt like at the moment was a good bath. She knew the water would be cold, but she didn't care. She just wanted to bathe. She went down to the river with her things. She bent low and felt the water.

"Odd," she realized. "That water is almost as warm as a hot spring." She looked up and around. Something oddly didn't feel right now that she thought about. She stepped back from the bank and decided it wasn't a great idea to take a bath.

She looked down at the water. "Jewel shards?" That means there was a demon below the water. She counted five shards total underwater. She had to go back and tell Inu Yasha. She turned around. There she was face to face with half a dozen soul collectors. She was about to let out a scream but the souls wrapped around her and one around her mouth. They held onto her to the point were she was immobile. She struggled but to no avail.

Suddenly something came out of the water. Kagome's eyes widened.

The priestess smiled at her. "These new power of the dragon spirit are most useful than I thought." Her brow narrowed. "Now, it would be most useful if you disappeared."

* * * *

Koga sat on the ledge. He had been going out by himself lately. He didn't usually did so. He always had Ginta and Hakkaku around, but not today. He didn't like to have many around when he was thinking, or confused, or thinking about why he was confused.

He lifted his fingers to his lips and gently rubbed him. She had caught him by a total shock. He didn't understand why she did it though. He didn't know why she was so depressed lately either. He hadn't seen her in days. He caught her scent now and then and the furthest she ever went was the river near her den.

It just wasn't like her. The last time he'd seen her so bummed out was that night when she lost everything and only gained him. "Maybe she's lonely?" What was he talking about? Val was always lonely. She was so strong that she never shown her emotions to anyone. At least the emotions she didn't want anyone to see she didn't show. She was a pro at hiding her emotions. Though, he had recalled a few times where they became so overbearing and they would all come out in one spur of the moment.

"Is that what happened?" If it was, then what did that mean? He removed his fingers from his lips and looked at them. Why could she just tell him what was going on in that head of hers?

"Koga."

Koga looked up from his thoughts. "Kagome?" He was a bit shocked to see her here. Even more shocked that he didn't smell her on her way here. He'd never missed her scent before. He must've really been in deep thought. He then noticed just how much she was crying. "Kagome!" He stood up and ran to her. "Kagome what's wrong!"

She threw her arms around him. "Oh, Koga! It's Inu Yasha!"

Koga narrowed his eyes. "What happened?" he demanded sternly.

"While we were in my time....he.....he...." she didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. "Then when we got here, we ran into Kikyo, and he betrayed me! Oh, Koga!" She wailed into his chest. Koga embraced her, taking in her scent. It was a little different from before, but he figured it was because of emotion.

"Kagome, it's alright," he cooed. "I'm right here. You don't have to worry, I won't betray you. I'll take care of you."

She pushed herself away some and looked up into his eyes. She smiled softly. "I know Koga. I know." She stood on her toes and kissed him.

Koga felt like he was in a dream. Everything was falling into place. He body was feeling numb from her touch. It was wonderful. This was wonderful....

WHACK!

"Hands off him witch!" Valdrianth's foot meet with Kagome's face. She fell to the ground.

"Val, what the hell are you doing?!" Koga demanded.

"Open your eyes, you baka!"

Then the feeling returned to his body and a horrible pain in his side. "Greh?!" He fell to his knees. He held onto his side. He glanced down and saw an awefully huge gap in his side. He looked over at Kagome who was getting her to her feet. His her hands a dagger. "Kagome...."

"Negative," Valdrianth growled.

The woman laughed as she returned to her form.

"Kikyo?!" Koga demanded. He felt as if he wanted to vomit. That bitch tricked him. It was obviously to get the jewel shards in his legs.

She laughed evilly. "How fortunate you are, wolf, to have such an obedient pet always by your side.

"You, bitch," he cursed, still on his knees. "You'll pay."

Soul collectors gathered around and took her away.

"Damnit!" he cursed. "How the hell did she so that?!"

Valdrianth walked to him and knelt beside him. "The dragon spirit could change forms as well." She looked at the wound. "Hmm, c'mon, I have something for this." She helped to his feet and took him to the other side of the cliff where her den was.

She began to treat the wound diligently.

"How the hell did I not smell her?!" he demanded. "I should've been able to tell the difference."

"Kagome and Kikyo are incarnations of each other," Valdrianth pointed out. "For sure their scent is going to be the same."

Koga snorted. "I should've been able to tell the difference. He breathed into his nose. The smell of salt tickled his nostrils.

"Well, it goes to show you had careless and foolish men are when it comes to women," she pointed out. "It was obvious she figured Kagome was your weakness. It would've been a fool proof plan if..."

"If you hadn't known better," he pointed out. "How did you know?"

"I didn't know at first," she replied. "Then I sensed the power of 5 shards in her body and knew it couldn't have been Kagome."

"Did you see?"

"Yes."

"While you thought she was Kagome?"

"Yes."

"What did you feel."

"I didn't care." She said it quickly and kept to his wound. He turned his head and looked at her. She was a good liar, but not good enough to fool him.

"So if it really was Kagome, what would've you done?"

"Left the two of alone," she replied. "My job would've at least been done."

"What have you been doing the past few days?"

"Just hanging around here," she replied. "Waiting for Kagome and Inu-boy to get back so I can finish up this job."

He looked away. Obviously he wasn't going to get any further with this. Valdrianth was so stubborn sometimes.

"I want to apologize," she finally said.

"For what?"

"My behavior the other day," she replied. "All of it. I had no right to act like the way I did." She stopped. "There all finished. You should heal pretty soon."

"Arigatou." He looked at her again. "You don't have to be sorry for your emotions, Val. You have a right to feel."

"Not really."

He snorted at her. "What the hell has been wrong with you?!"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"If I told you anyway, it would just make you unhappy," she replied. "So it's best we just forget about it."

"Forget about it?!" he demanded. "Damnit, Val, I'm getting tired of this! Why don't you start to concentrate on something else for a change. Like, making yourself happy for once!"

She pulled her knees to her chest. "It's enough for me to know that you're happy."

"Eh?"

"Making you happy, makes me happy."

He blinked a few times. "You're not making any sense, Val."

"It's alright," she replied. "I don't expect to understand it." Her tail curled. "You can go now if you want." He could already smelled the salt.

"And leave you here just so you can cry!?" he demanded. "At least tell me what the hell you're crying over!"

She didn't reply to him. She just buried her face in her knees. She couldn't tell him. She wanted to, but she couldn't. It would only make things worse off if she did. She knew she was a baka for it. She was well aware of that, but it wasn't worth it.

A sob escaped her. Oh, no, now she was crying in front of him again. She was showing him how weak she was and how unstable.

"C'mon, Val, don't do that." She turned his body to her. "I hate to see you like this." He leaned over and embraced her. "Just tell me what's wrong. You can tell me anything. You know that."

" 'I'm in love with you, Kagome.'"

He froze. She was repeating what he told Kagome the day they went attack the Harpies. He could start to feel her body tremble. He was making her cry. He was making her do something, she really didn't want to do. Worst of all, he was making her do something that was hurting.

Koga grabbed onto Val's shoulders and pushed her in front of him so he could look at her eye to eye. "If it makes you hurt so damn much, then why the hell are you doing it?!"

"Because," she replied. "You love her. You want her for your own. She'll make you happy. And when Koga-sama is happy, I'm happy." She managed to smile weakly.

Koga's eyes softened. He was really hating himself at the moment. Here she was, crying and smiling at the same time, all because of him, and his selfishness. He should've asked first. He never expected. . . .

Valdrianth backed away and rubbed her eyes. "Hey, I think I smell Inu-boy's breath. That means Kagome is back to. Do you want to go see her? We can go see her you know?" She smiled big.

He looked up at her in disbelief.

"Actually," she perked up. "I think Inu-boy is running this way." She blinked a few times.

"He is?" Koga looked the way. Sure enough Inu Yasha ran into the entrance of the cave.

"Alright you damn wolf!" he yelled. "Where the hell is Kagome?"

Koga looked at him in awe. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

"You know exactly what I mean!" he yelled. "Where's Kagome?!"

"Cool down, Inu-boy," Valdrianth replied. "We haven't seen her sense she left for her time." She folded her arms across her chest. "We thought she'd be with you."

Koga lifted an eyebrow. "We didn't see Kagome, but we might as well have."

"What's the supposed to mean?" Inu Yasha questioned.

"Kikyo showed up," Val replied. "Disguised as Kagome."

"What?"

"It's an ability she picked up when she absorbed that dragon spirit," she replied. "She tricked Koga into believing she was Kagome, and well, look what happened." She pointed to his side. "She was playing him on so she could snatch the jewel shards from his legs."

Inu Yasha twitched some. The thought of Koga embracing Kikyo nauseated him. The thought of him embracing Kagome in anyway made him want to vomit.

"So, she's not here, mutt face," Koga spat at him. "Alright." He glared up at him.

"Hey, you don't think Kikyo kidnapped Kagome do you?" Val questioned out loud. The three looked at each other.

Koga stood to his feet quickly. "Shit!" He winced and held onto his side. "That wench better not have laid a finger on her." He regretted the words the moment he said them. However, neither Val or Inu Yasha flinched.

"You're in no shape," Inu Yasha said. "I'm going find her myself. I can pick up Kikyo's scent no matter what."

"Hell, no, I ain't letting you go alone."

"He's right, Koga," Val replied. "You really aren't in the shape. You just stay here. I'll go help Inu Yasha."

"Val, why are you. . . .?"

"Kagome is my friend," she stated. "I'm not going to loose another one." She took off after Inu Yasha out of the cave.

Koga sat back down against the wall. He held his forehead with his hand. All this time she had been suffering and never had she let him know that she was. He promised himself all those years ago that he would never let Val suffer ever again. It was so horrible to see her like she was that night. He never felt such a heavier heart when he saw her wailing on the ground that night.

He promised never to have her suffer again. Yet, here she was. She suffered every night. She was suffering under his nose and he never realized it. Here he was promising to never let her suffer again, and he was the reason why she cried at night.

It was true he never felt so protective over anyone other than Valdrianth. He remember the first few weeks when she lived with the rest of the pack how bad off she was. She had no idea how to survive as a youkai. Then one day it just she just snapped. You'd swear she had been one her entire life. She could take him out any and every day. She didn't really need for him to physically protect her anymore.

That's when she moved into her own den not far from the tribe's. She lived there by herself all this time. Was the real reason she moved was so that he didn't have to see her cry. She knew how unhappy it made him to see her like that.

Koga brought his finger to his lip and nipped at it in thought. She had told him that making him happy made her happy. How could she even think like that? It was only something a baka would think of. And, he knew damn well Valdrianth was the furthest thing from a baka. And, if it really made her happy, then why did it make her cry?

"Oh, Val, what do want me to do?"

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I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I certainly enjoyed writing it. Please Review!!