The Light in a Darkened Heart

This chapter was probably the most difficult so farsp; sp; I'm having so
much fun and I want to thank all my reviewers.  However, the author has a
request.  Will someone write me a Kouga/Kagome fic?  So many of you
are really good writers and I have been enjoying your work for months now; make
an author happy, write me a Kouga/Kagome lemon.  They are my favorite and
they are hard to come by.  Remember if you keep me happy, you won't have to
maim me to get chapters.  Read and let me know what you think.
 
 
Chapter 10 - Return to Stay
 
 
Kagome  awoke to warmth; warmth all around her.  She was completely
wrapped up and she was not alone.  The darkness now had a deep red hue to
it, indicating the presence of warmth.  She brought her hands up and ran
them over the solid object in front of her.  Her soft palms stroked over
warm skin, entwined with her own.  The swas was bare until she reached down
further to the owner of the skin's waist.  Knowing it was Kouga and not
quite sure what to say to him now, Kagome simply continued to stroke his soft
skin stretched out over the muscles of his abdomen. 
 
 
Kagome's touches enflamed the already out of control fire raging in Kouga's
body.  He took a deep breath and attempted to focus solely on the acts
being performed now and not anticipate what he hoped would come next. 
"Kagome, how do you feel.  Be honest with me, please."  Kagome
blushed.  "I feel very good, Kouga.  I feel very relaxed." 
 
 
"Anything else besides relaxed?"  He asked, trying not to show his
anxiety.  "It's embarrassing, I would never normally share feelings like
this."  Kagome whispered.  "You mustl mel me Kagome, I deserve to
know."  Kagome blushed again and Kouga noticed for the first time that
Kagome's blushes extended as far as he could see into her robe.  This in
itself was extremely intriguing.  "I feel....I ache, Kouga. I feel like I'm
in need and I don't know why.  After what we did earlier, I should be
satisfied but I want more.  Please don't think badly of me.  She
pleaded.  "I could never think badly of you, my love.  I am pleased
that you enjoyed what we did so much that you are already interested in a repeat
performance."  Kouga smirked. 
 
 
Inside he was relieved.  This was
the des res result of this approach to mating.  The only drawback was that
his own satisfaction would be delayed until such a time that the yearning of
Kagome's body and heart overwhelmed her.  Hopefully, since Kagome was a virgin and all of these feelings were new to her,
this wouldn't take much time . 
The only worry came, ironically, over the same reason.  Because Kagome was
a virgin she could easily mistake lust for love and misinterpret her heart's
messages.  Kouga could only hope that due to Kagome's forced maturation in
the hunt for jewel shards, she would be able to distinguish lust from love. 
 
 
Kouga smiled again.  There was ample time to play before morning. 
He gently ran his hand up the inside of Kagome's thigh and rubbed his fingers
gently against her nether lips.  He was pleased to find them slightly damp
and swollen with her anticipation.  He brought his other hand up and began
to untie her wrap.  Kagome moaned low in her throat but did not resist. 
Kouga managed to untie the knot and proceeded to lay the wrap open, exposing her
completely.  His movements were lazy as he explored her body.  He
began low, licking her belly with his warm tongue.  As he did this his hand
moved over her breasts, teasing her nipples into an erect state.  The soft,
slow licking, coupled with the teasing pressure of his fingers over her now
engorged nipples, was too much for Kagome.  She needed more.
 
 
Kouga could smell her blood rushing into her erectile tissue, engorging her
nipples and further swelling the outer lips of the delicate flower below her
waist.  In this position, Kouga could completely control the speed of her
arousal.  Now the only thing he had to worry about was her reaction when
he.....
 
 
"Oh, God!"  Kouga groaned as he felt Kagome's inquisitive fingers grasp
him through his lower covering.  Kouga had gotten into bed clad only in
small cloth waist cover.  This ended shortly below his upper thighs and was
only meant to cover his vital parts.  This now seemed like a poor choice of
garment;  well, it would have been appropriate if they were not still in the
initial stages of their mating ritual and Kouga could allow himself release. 
However, Kouga continued to arouse Kagome and allowed
her the freedom to mold his manhood through the cloth for a few more minutes. 
When he felt his control begin to slip, he reached down and pulled her fingers
away.  He scooted up and captured her lips in a quick, hard kiss.  He
then wrapped her up again and tied her belt.
 
 
Kagome was frustrated beyond belief.  She only wanted Kouga to fill her,
to work her into another powerful orgasm and somehow she felt that she was being
cheated.  However, she was a little nervous about the part of him she had
been caressing through his undergarment.  He was so large!  The
diagrams they had been shown in biology were of humans, not demons and she had
not been prepared for the sheer size of him.  In her mind too she was
concerned about the fact that her sight had not yet returned and colors in the
darkness were consistently the only thing she could see.  This brought to
mind also the fact that she would return to her group tomorrow.  Although
she would be happy to see her friends again she was also aware of a rending pain
in her heart that she could not ignore.  Even worse than the last time she
had anticipated her return, this time she almost could not bear the thought of
being separated from the wolf prince.  Kagome acknowledged that her
feelings for Kouga were growing rapidly.
 
 
"Sleep now, love.  I'll wake you up in the morning and we'll go." Kouga
whispered.  He had thought long and hard about Kagome's return to her group
and what it would mean for not only their mating ritual but her own safety. 
Inuyasha could no longer be trusted to care for his pack members and this
presented a great deal of danger for Kagome.  He also needed to continue
his search for Naraku and could not remain at the den, even though staying here
with Kagome was far more than appealing.  Kouga wrestled the problem around
in his mind for a few more minutes before coming to a decision.  This could
potentially be either the best decision he had ever made or the worst. 
Only time would tell.
 
 
Kagome awoke to the smell of spiced meat frying and the hustle and bustle of
wolf pack daily living.&; Sh; She could hear a loud discussion being carried out
in the next room, although she could not here the specific details.  She
nervously opened one eye and sighed sadly.  She still could not see. 
What was she going to do without her sight?  Kagome was sure she could
still detect the shikon fragments by color, but how would she defend herself? 
A deep sense of fear began to overtake her being.  She attempted to shove
it aside, telling herself she was a strong woman who could handle anything. 
At the same time though she knew that loss of any sense at all in this era could
mean a death warrant.
 
 
In the greeting room Kouga had just informed the senior pack leaders of his
intentions and the discussions over it were quite thorough.&nbTheyThey had asked
every possible question and mentioned every conceivable scenario.  Kouga
patiently explained and detailed his plans, both primary and contingency. 
At this point they were laughing loudly and teasing each other.  He sensed
Kagome's awakened state and then smelled the onset of fear.  He bid his
pack mates farewell for the day and retrieved some of the cooking meat.  He
brought it through the living area and into the bedroom.  He set the plate
down on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed next to Kagome.
 
 
"What's wrong?"  He asked.  "Nothing, Kouga, nothing.  It's
just.....I still can't see and I know I have to go back to my group today." 
She explained.  "I guess I just a little nervous."  "It's okay,
Kagome, you have nothing to be afraid of, although I understand why you would be
afraid.  You can still do the job you were meant to do.  I will make
sure you are always safe.  I will not allow anything to happen to you. 
The fear I smelled was a lot more than nervousness.  Don't ask any
questions now but I will explain soon.  Trust me, I would give my life to
ensure that you get to live yours.  You will not be a burden either, don't
even think that.  Just do your job the best you can and let my do the
worrying.  Your sight will return."  He said confidently.
 
 
Kagome smiled at this and tears came to her unseeing eyes.  It was
almost unfathomable, the depth of emotion the wolf demon had for her.  She
was puzzled over his words.  She couldn't see how he would be able to
constantly protect her.  He had a pack to care for and his own mission to
complete.  Even if he checked on her as often as possible, she would still
have to rely on Inuyasha and the others to protect her both at night and in
battle.  Kagome decided to trust Kouga once again and allow him to help
her.  She didn't blame him for her lack of sight.  He had done
everything in his power to help her and had kept her safe the entire time she
had been without it.   She had made her decision, she would continue
to trust him.
 
 
Kouga then offered her the plate of food and Kagome accepted.  She began
to use her fingers to pick up the meat and eat it.  Seeing that she could
feed herself, at least for this meal, Kouga went to the closet and took out
Kagome's kimonos.  He placed them into a woven bag along with various other
items.  When she was finished he helped her off the bed and she allowed him
to remove her clothing and dress her in the fresh kimono.  At first she had
been nervous about having him see her nude but their newfound closeness excluded
any embarrassment.  He tied the sash around her waist and then sat her down
on the edge of the bed.  Kagome was curious as to what he had in mind but
nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
 
 
Kouga reached over onto the night table, picked up a brush, and began to
brush Kagome's hair.  His own hair hung free around his shoulders, gently
tickling Kagome's face and neck.  He brushed her slowly and massaged her
scalp as went.  She leaned her head back in ecstasy and Kouga ceased his
brushing and leaned down to smoothly kiss Kagome's parted lips.  He softly
licked her lips and gently ran his tongue over the top of hers, enticing it to
play.  Before they could start something they could not stop, Kouga broke
from her, panting softly.  He swept up the black curtain of his own hair
into it's trademark ponytail and moved to stand in front of Kagome, helping her
up.  "Let's do this before I decide to keep you here forever."  He
said huskily.
 
 
He picked Kagome up and rushed out the den.  He ran down the path and
into the cavernous room behind the waterfall.  Kagome felt the spray on her
face once again as they passed through the water and out the other side. 
When they reached the open path, Kouga picked up speed and clutched Kagome
tightly.
 
 
Back at the forest:
 
 
Inuyasha sighed for what seemed to Sango to be the millionth time.  He
angrily cursed under his breath.  "The sun is already high, we could have
been on the road three hours ago if she would just get here on time.  If
they don't get here in the next hour, we're goin' to Kouga's den and gettin'
Kagome!"  He announced.  Sango rolled her eyes as Miroku tried to look
Zen-like next to her.  He didn't know if Sango knew, but there was a small
hole on her exterminator outfit.....on the inside of her thigh.....right where
he could see it.  He was utterly entranced by the exposure of such luscious
flesh, even if it was only an inch wide.  He was currently trying to decide
what the worst possible outcome of him inserting a finger into that hole was. 
He was weighing the benefits of such an act against the  bodily harm that
was sure to be inflicted on him.  'You only live once.'  He decided in
his mind.  Just as he was reaching for the hole, intent on touching skin,
any skin, Inuyasha stiffened.  "Wolf!"  He snarled.  Kouga's
tornado could be seen sweeping closer.
 
 
Kouga slowed down on his approach, mentally preparing himself for the
confrontation that was about to take place.  "Where the hell have you
been?"  Inuyasha growled.  Kouga gently set Kagome on her feet. 
"She still cannot see, asshole."  Kouga bit out.  "What the fuck do we
do now?"  Inuyasha demanded.  Kagome interrupted, "I can see the aura
of the shards even in the darkness.  I will still be able to locate them. 
Unfortunately, now I am an even bigger liability in battle.  I'm so sorry." 
"Don't worry, Kagome-chan.  We will ensure your safety."  Sango
reassured her.  Inuyasha also broke in, "I have always protected us before,
I will just have to be more careful now.   Just don't fall behind."
 
 
"Sorry, Inuyasha, but that's not good enough for me."  Kouga stated. 
"From now on I will travel with you and make it my job to protect Kagome. 
She is the key to destroying Naraku and that is paramount right now.  I
will not allow a single mistake to be made with her life while she is trying to
complete this mission.  My future depends on her safety and I will not
leave it to anyone else."  The look on Inuyasha's face was enough to peel
paint but Kouga continued.  "You have all done fine until now but the
danger has increased.  You would benefit by having another join your party
to help fight.  Ginta and Hakkaku will join us in a few days but they will
spend much of their time scouting for us so we can make sure we are moving in
the right direction."  He stopped and looked at the group.
 
 
Inuyasha's face was almost purple.  He was extremely angry.  "No
way, you shitty wolf.  We don't need you and you'll only cause problems. 
I am the leader of this pack!"  Kouga shook his head.  "I'm not
challenging your position as leader, I'm only here to protect Kagome and lend a
helping hand.  My goal is to see Naraku defeated so that I can concentrate
on more important things."  Kouga gaze slid to Kagome.  She was
standing there quietly listening. Kouga went in for the kill.  "This way if
you become 'distracted' with other things, like the other night, and things get
out of hand, I'll be there to help."  This served as a warning to Inuyasha
who now knew that Kagome still was not aware of where Inuyasha had been the
night of the attack.  He couldn't let her find out; if she did, she might
blame him for her blindness and then leave.  He couldn't allow her to leave
him.  If he refused to acquiesce to Kouga's demands, the wolf would surely
tell Kagome the truth to keep her with him and then he would lose everything. 
The shards, his chance to be a full demon, Kikyo, even Kagome would all be lost.
 
 
"Fine."  He ground out.  "Just make sure you don't get in the way
and don't forget your place here.  I'm in charge."  Kouga squinted but
said nothing.  He had won this battle.  Now Kagome would be safe and
he could see the mission completed.  If he hadn't been so stubborn he would
have done this long ago but he had been convinced he could find Naraku and kill
him right away.  Now the playing field had changed;  he had to make
sure Kagome did not get injured and he would not allow his pride to come between
he and his future with Kagome.  Simply following her group from time to
time and then moving ahead of them was no longer good enough.  If he did
not remain with her at all times, he could lose her in the blink of an eye. 
He felt no small measure of guilt over her current injury.  If he had been
with her from the start it would never have happened.  That kind of mistake
would never happen again.  Naraku was now an annoyance, a barrier to the
rest of his life with Kagome.  Naraku needed to be put down.  For now
he would swallow his pride and concentrate only on Kagome, even if that meant
putting up with Inuyasha. 
 
 
Kouga turned and walked over to Kagome, ready to explain his latest surprise.