Enamored

A/N: I am so so sorry! I never meant to take so long to update. You all have permission to smack me. Also, this chapter might seem a little slow, and I apologize for that. I kinda needed Kagome to be hurt so she can't be all like talking and peppy. She's pretty much... just asleep.

I promise the third chapter is gonna be more... exciting!

Also this is not beta and I tend to write at weird hours. Mostly night time. I'm gonna look it over after I FINALLY get some sleep.

Enamored

Chapter 2: Bleeding Wounds

The sun set and the surroundings became darker as the night fell. Despite the amount of time that went by, Kouga did not leave Kagome's side. She was still unconscious, increasing his worry for her. Humans were weaker but… how long was it going to take before she was finally awake?

Suddenly, footsteps interrupted his train of thoughts. Ginta walked in, holding branches, and Hakkaku was not far behind with a flaming torch in his hand.

"We thought she might get cold and ya know - she lost all that blood."

Cold! Of course! She was probably freezing! He was unable to feel such a small amount of coldness and he was more concerned with checking if she was breathing that the thought did not occur to him. Idiot. Did he not fail her enough for today already?

Ginta and Hakkaku slowly settled the fire near Kagome which immediately brought warmth to the vicinity.

"Is she gettin' better?"

"Did ya change her bandages?"

"I know how to take care of my woman!"

Both Ginta and Hakkaku backed away at his tone. "We just wanna make sure Sis is alrigh'."

"I ain't gonna let her die."

To be honest, he had yet to change her bandages. Her clothes were extremely ripped which caused them to merge with the blood and wounds. If he was to put new bandages on there was no doubt that he would have to completely undress her. By now fresh kimonos were brought for her and they were neatly folded in a pile which would make that task easy...

But he still had to change her. Undress her.

He could always bring back one of the healers to do it. He was supposed to be the one to take care of her but the way he knew his Kagome and she would not appreciate it if he undressed her without her consent. Granted, she was his future mate… well, exactly… she was his future mate.

He did not want to get slap again. For a human, she hit hard.

"Bring Miku in here," he finally said.

Ginta nodded before the two of them left while Kouga dropped his hands to ground level. He gently ran his clawed fingers through Kagome's tangled, bloody locks and he watched as her chest barely rose with each breath she took. As long as the smell of death did not overtake her regular scent, he would keep himself from panicking.

Barely a few moments went by before Miku came into the den with concerned eyes. Kouga might be quite young to be the tribe's leader but he never showed any fear. He was always confident and led them to safety. She did see him afraid to lose the little ones, but nothing like the look he had in his eyes right now. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she kneeled down beside him.

"You called?"

"I can't change her bandages."

She nodded before moving closer to Kagome. The girl was in bad shape; there was no denying that. Considering the dry puddle of blood underneath her, Miku was surprised the girl had no faded yet.

"I'll take care o' her."

Kouga seemed somewhat relieved as he removed his hand from Kagome's hair. After throwing one last longing glance her way, he rose to his feet. "I'll be outside."

His footsteps were slow as he headed to the entrance of the den and once he reached it, he leaned against it. From here, he could still hear her heartbeat. It was slow and out of pace, but it was beating and he could not ask for more. It was hard for him to not take a peek at the sky as he expected to see another one of those wretched birds.

He knew they were all dead, he knew they searched, but he was going to send another hunting party tomorrow. He was not going to be at peace until the entire area was inspected over and over again. He brought her into this mess; it washis fault she was injured. If it was not for him the bird of paradise would not even know she existed.

For the first time since Kagome was brought into his tribe injured, he allowed himself take a deep breath. Kagome was going to live and regain her good health. It was the only way he could make it up to his mate. How was she supposed to consider him worthy if he failed her like this? She was different from the other females he knew – even human ones – but he did not think she wanted a weak alpha.

Kagome would not get injured again.

He swore on his life that it was the last time something like this happened to her. It was a mistake to leave her behind with Inuyasha despite his injured arm. He should have honored his duties and remained by her side to protect her. Even with an injury, he could have protected her better than Inuyasha did.

Talking about that idiot, where was he anyway? He was probably too ashamed of himself for letting Kagome almost die.He better not show his face around here, thought Kouga, or I'm going to slice his throat open. That stupid useless mutt.

"Kouga?"

He nearly jumped before spinning around. "Did something happen?"

She smiled. "No, she's fine. I didn't move her, but I changed her clothes. I left her o'd clothes in the corner."

"Thanks," he said with a nod.

She gently patted him on the shoulder before walking past him. It was going to be a long night for their leader and she prayed the girl would live and be awake by morning. If she passed away, she did not think her leader would handle it very well.

Kouga took little steps inside almost as if he was afraid to disturb Kagome's peacefulness. It was foolish since she was clearly unconscious but he still wanted to be careful. Once he was fully inside his den, he found her lying in a pearly white kimono with beautiful pink sakura flowers spread all over the soft fabric.

He moved a bit further from her body and picked up a few furs to lie over her body. There might be a fire but he wanted to make sure she was not going to suffer from the cold. He already ignored that factor once and he was not going to do it twice.

Once she was properly tucked in, he leaned in against the nearest rock wall with his head inclined backwards. He did not need much sleep and he was especially not going to rest tonight. Nonetheless, his heart was still pumping rather fast and he needed to calm down. His Kagome was fine for now and if something occurred, he had a whole tribe at his disposition. All he had to do – actually all he could do - was wait.

-E-

Light was peeking into the den through the entrance, its bright rays caressing Kagome's face. The disturbance was enough to force her to stir from her sleep. She forcefully shut her eyes before trying to open them again. Everything was blurry and her head was pounding like drum, bringing her pain.

While the blurriness dissipated, she realized she did not recognize her surroundings. As she was about to lift her upper body to inspect the vicinity, she realized she had no strength. She was stuck lying down on the ground, unable to move herself.

Instead of words coming out of her mouth, all she could utter were groans of anguish. What was happening? Why was the light hurting her eyes so badly and why could she not move? Panic took hold of her and she tried to wriggle free of whatever was holding her down. She wanted to scream, help please, but not words came out of her mouth.

The sounds of her torment increased but nobody came for her. Where was Inuyasha, Sango or even Miroku? Why wasn't anybody helping her? Was this a plan from Naraku?

"Kagome? Kagome, calm down!"

This voice – it was – wait, it was Kouga? She lifted her head to the best of her abilities and glanced up. There he was, his blue eyes shining with concern as he hovered on top of her.

"Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

When she first started to move, he was not certain if it was real or he was hallucinating it. After all, he spent the entire night staring at her and he would not be surprised if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Nonetheless, after he heard a few more grunts coming from her direction, he realized she was indeed awake. Unfortunately, she did not appear to be in a good state.

"P-pa-in," she managed to say.

He gently brought a hand to her head and caressed her hair. "I'm sorry Kagome."

Kouga was able to see in her eyes that she was confused, especially since she was looking in every direction with tears forming in her eyes.

"You're home. You're in my den, Kagome. You were injured." And near death but he was not going to tell her that.

She offered him what seemed like a nod before closing her eyes, which caused some tears to fall and slide down her cheeks. Witnessing that made Kouga experience a new kind of agony. It was like he was dying and his heart was not beating. She was crying. He preferred her yelling than crying!

"Try not to move too much. You got lots of bandages."

Bandages? He mentioned an injury but – and then it all rushed back to her. She remembered the fight with Inuyasha and then how she planned on going home but then she was attacked. Oh yes! One of the damn birds attacked her and Kirara! Oh no Kirara! Was she here? Did Kouga help her or did she die? Oh my god, what if she died?

No, Kirara was a youkai of some sort, she would be fine, she would survive a small attack like this. Although, she could remember there was a lot blood… Despite the pain, Kagome tried to turn her neck and see if see could catch a glimpse of Kirara but regardless of her efforts, she was barely able to move.

"Hey, hey, don't move like that," Kouga said before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ki-kirara!"

Who the hell was Kirara? His eyes shifted to the left then to the right as he tried to remember. Oh. Wasn't that the big cat they had following them around?

"She's not here."

Her heart dropped slightly and she found herself hoping that Sango and the others managed to find her before it was too late.

Kouga's face saddened at the shift in her scent and he began to feel guilty. He did not know about her injured friend! But if it was this important to her, then it was important to him. He dared to rise to his feet and rushed to the entrance of the den. He would send some of his men to try and retrieve the cat for her. Anything he could do to make her more comfortable, he would.

Kagome lay there and tried to move her head forward. It was then that she was able to feel something soft, like fur, on her face. Maybe it was the weight of the fur that prevented her from standing up. If she was weak, it would be enough to hold her down. Perhaps she could get Kouga to move them once he would return.

Wait. Kouga. How did he find her? She could not have gone that far from the well could she? Inuyasha should have returned to Kaede's village and she was certain he would have smelled blood and followed the trail. Then again, during all the confusion they may have strayed further than she realized from their path.

A few seconds passed before Kouga was by her side again. Instead of looking at her, his eyes were glancing over her body. The blood from her wounds managed to soak through the fur, staining it. They were going to have to change her again because he could not keep her in such dirty clothes. Although that also brought forward another problem.

He might change her clothes constantly but that did not change the state of her body and wounds. They were going to have to wash her eventually but she looked so weak that he was not sure he trusted her in the owater by herself.

"Fur, c-an y-ou take—off."

He quirked his eyebrows before understanding what she was saying. Gently, he picked up the fur from her body and laid it on the ground. Once again, he watched as she tried to sit up without much success. Since he could see she was not going to give up on that idea, he decided to help her. Kouga dropped down to his knees, her head touching his legs.

Gently, Kouga grabbed her by the shoulders and began to lift her up as delicately as he could. Slowly, with both their help, they managed to get her in a sitting position with her back pressed against his chest. He was mindful of her injuries as he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her up.

The effort of maintaining her own head up proved to be too much for her and she immediately leaned her head backwards to rest on his chest. As soon as she did that, he found himself regretting not taking off his armor. It was probably not very comfortable for her. He tried to shift around but he then came to the conclusion that it probably was not helping.

Kagome was so far gone, she did not even know it was something hard instead of soft beneath her head. Since Kouga pulled away the fur she found herself cold but now that she was close to Kouga's body she was warm again. It was crazy the amount of heat coming from his body. However, the change in her position did cause a problem; she could feel herself bleeding.

"My- wound-s- they-opened up."

Kouga peered down at her body only to notice the blood stains on her kimono increased in size. "I'll get someone."

Before he was able to move, she dug her fingers in his arm out of pain. Her face was grunted into an expression of suffering and all the sudden he felt guilt spread through his body. Everyone – at least those not keeping guard – were resting before the morning hunt. Was he going to be back on time? The scent of blood was increasing fast and he did not like it.

Maybe he would have to undress her by himself.

At that thought, his heart skipped a beat. He did not want to invade her privacy but… he could not watch her die either. He gulped before bending his head forward slightly.

"Kagome?" She probably would not reply but he wanted to get her attention at least. "I- I need to undress you – your wounds…"

He could not even phrase it. As a matter of fact, it was getting harder to ignore the blush burning his cheeks.

Kagome never once peeked at Kouga. Instead, she loked straight ahead. The blood spilling from her wounds was warm as it leaked down her stomach and legs. It made her dizzy and light headed, but despite that, she did understand his words. If her blood supply was not so low, she was certain a pink hue would be covering her face right now.

She did - not – well - she was – it was embarrassing, but she was dying. At least, it felt like she was. All she could give him as an answer was a weak nod while her consciousness was slowly slipping away from her.

Kouga gulped once more while his usually steady hands trembled. He fumbled with the knots until he managed to untie them. The front of the kimono opened and revealed her bandaged upper body. Everything was covered but it did not make him feel better since the white bandages were now a dark crimson color. He had to remove them all and apply the weird green substance that was left behind by the healers… and then bandage her up again.

He inhaled deeply before he slowly began to unwrap her. She winced each time he pulled the fabric away from one of her wounds and it made his heart swell with pain. If he could prevent her any suffering he would, but he had to remove everything. His tan hands were tainted red but he did not notice as he removed the last of her bandages.

Kouga lifted his eyes to look at the ceiling as he uncovered her breasts. Nervously, he reached out for the paste and dipped in fingers into it. Now he had to look.

At that point, Kagome laid flat on the ground instead of on his lap. He peered down at her body while he lowered his hand, doing his best to keep it steady. He applied it on her wounds, pressing his hand to her stomach. The higher his hand went, the harder it was to breathe. Then it happened. His fingers grazed her two soft mounds as he lightly applied the paste. They were large, bouncy and – oh. Beneath his touch, her nipples were hardening and his mouth went dry.

That was enough.

He shakily dropped the pot on the ground and reached out for bandages. He clumsily wrapped her back up, his body refusing to cooperate. It was taking him everything just to not growl while he compressed her breasts against her chest.

Kouga hurried to close up her kimono and then leaned into the wall with a sigh. Her eyes were fully closed and he did not think she felt any of it.

One thing was for sure; he chose his mate well.

-E-

"Sango? Are you okay?"

The slayer kept glancing over her shoulder, searching the sky. "Yeah, I just. Shouldn't Kirara be back by now? I don't think the well was that far."

"Keh, knowing Kagome, she probably made her do a million stops. Who knows, maybe they went to see wolf boy." That stinking wolf.

Miroku resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Inuyasha was being very obvious. Then again, he could hardly blame him; Kouga had some good techniques. Such confidence! If only he could pull off that kind of things… maybe Sango wouldn't slap him every time he tried to compliment her rear.

"Yeah," Sango answered, distracted.

She did not know why but she had a bad feeling about this. Maybe she was paranoid but – No, everybody was fine. They had to be.

-E-

"How sis?"

"Did she wake up?"

"Can she walk?"

"Is she dead?"

"If she dies, do we eat her?"

"Shut up," Kouga growled as he sat down in front of the fire.

Kagome was sleeping in the cave with Miku watching over her. He did not want to leave her side but he had a tribe to look after. Without him, they were useless. "She's fine. She woke up." Her wounds seemed better this morning. "She isnot dead and she's gonna be walkin' just fine once she's all healed up."

"Yeah but she's human."

"I said shut up."

The wolf gulped and nodded before trying to disappear into the background. Their leader was not in a good mood today.

"So, when are you gonna make Kagome your woman?"

"Not now you idiot. She's hurt."

The memory of last night flashed through his mind and quickly a blush decorated his cheeks. Her skin was so soft and her breasts perky. If he could only –

"Hey Kouga, Kagome is human."

"I know that you idiot. I told you, it doesn't matter she's human! She can see the jewel shards!"

"I know, I know… but… don't we eat humans?"

Oh. Yeah he did not really think that one through. He could see Kagome being pretty upset if they kept that up. "Not anymore," he declared. They were just going to have to hunt something else.

"No- no more humans?"

"That's right. We don't harm humans anymore."

A few grumbled, clearly unhappy but nobody voiced their opinion. Humans were so much easier to come by then other animals… They were going to work twice as hard for their food now.

"Hey, remember. With Kagome by our side, we're going to be unstoppable."

They might not be pleased but nobody would go against him. They all knew they had no chance to winning; he had three –well two now – jewel shards. Nobody could catch up to him.

"Now, I need some of you to search the woods for a big – cat." What was its name again? Oh yeah. "Kirara."

"A cat?"

"Its Kagome's friend. Its hurt."

"We'll look for it," volunteered Ginta. Beside him, Hakkuka nodded enthusiastically.

"The rest of you go hunting. My woman needs food." He knew she did not eat humans but what did she eat? He saw humans eat those – those vegetables but did they eat anything else? They did eat regular meat did they not?

Everyone hurried to their feet and obeyed his order. Considering how aggravated Kouga was, the less they were around him, the better.

Meanwhile, Kouga found himself planning his future. Soon, Kagome would be back on her feet and she would be by his side while he organized the tribe. Her kindness and loyalty would be very good additions to the pack. She would lead them well.

The closer he got to his den, the strong her scent was. It was appeasing, soft and enticing. He could not wait to have her body wrapped around his while he claimed her.

"How is she?" he asked as he poked his head into his den.

"Asleep, but her breathing is better."

Relieved, he walked inside. She looked more peaceful than the other nights. It seemed her wounds stopped bleeding as well. Even sick, she was beautiful. Her skin was paler than usual, contrasting with her long ebony locks. She would make a fine mate.

He did not care that she said Inutrasha had a claim on her. That mutt failed her, he let her get injured. Kouga just proved he was a better male than that idiot. She had no choice be to be his now. Regardless, he was not afraid of fighting Inuyasha if it came down to it. Kagome was his and he would prove it no matter what.

Kouga gently tucked her hair behind her ear and let his fingers caress her cheek. She stirred in her sleep and turned her head, leaning against his palm. He smiled, pride swelling his chest. She did like him. He knew it. Inuyasha was just messing with her brain but now that she was getting used to being around a real warrior, she was slowly forgetting about the mutt.

"I'll leave the two of you alone," Miku said with a chuckle before leaving.

As soon as they were alone, Kouga removed his armor. His bare chest would be much more comfortable for her. He lifted her up, sneaking an arm under her knees and cuddled her against his chest. Immediately she pressed her small palm against torso and he growled. It rumbled through his chest and he tucked her head under his chin. She never stir, she never woke up. She trusted him, she was comfortable around him.

When she denied his request and left with Inuyasha, he thought he was not going to see her for a while. Though he regretted it happened this way, he was happy to have her back in his den. During her sleep, she touched his skin with her mouth and he sighed. He wanted her to get better so that he could make her his.

Meanwhile, Kagome felt in heaven. She was surrounded by warmth and softness. She felt fur touching her legs and it felt like silk. In her sleep, she reached out for it and gently stroke it.

Because she was in a sleep induced daze, she failed to notice the way Kouga froze underneath her touch. He remained still, not even breathing, as her fingers caressed the fur of his tail. Nobody ever pet his tail before; nobody was allowed to. Her simple touch sent shivers of pleasure down his spine and he found himself staring down at her, lusty hunger shining in his blue eyes.

She was fragile, he had to remember that.

Kagome rubbed her cheek against her pillow and smiled. Her body was heavy, so heavy, but this was nice. Her heart was beating fast, too fast. She dared to open her eyes and cast a glance upon tan skin. Wait - tan skin? Her eyes opened wide before she realized her new pillow was Kouga. She jolted in his arms, releasing his tail. Involuntarily, he whimpered.

Her sudden movements brought her pain and she winced. Right away, he buried his nose in her hair and nuzzled against her. "It's okay Kagome. You're with me." His voice was soft and low as if he was speaking to a fragile animal.

Kouga. Ri-ght. He saved her did he not? She tried to remember the events that occurred but it was a bit hazy. She woke up in his cave bloody and he mumbled something about her injuries and then – well she did not remember anything else. She knew everything in her body hurt though and she felt like her bones were crushed. Simply breathing was painful

His clawed hand gently ran through her hair, trying to soothe her. He was rather pleased than despite the fact that she was awake, she remained close to him. Her little body fitted so well against his.

Kagome was still dazed and out of it. Her belly felt warmer than the rest of her body and if her pain was any indication, her worse injuries were located there. Was she still bleeding? She remembered seeing so much blood and – oh. She stiffened in his hold, panicked. Kirara! Oh no, she never saw her!

"Ginta and Hakkaku are looking for Kirara," he said before brushing her bangs away with his hand.

She was so predictable. She had the same reaction when she woke up the first time. His woman cared more about others than herself.

She breathed a little better and leaned even more into his chest. Kirara. They were going to find her. They had to. Maybe Inuyasha and the others did already. She glided her hand across his chest, the muscles ripped under her touch. It was not until she reached the fur covering his lower body that her actions dawned upon her. She was touching Kouga's chest. Kouga's naked chest. She was pressed against Kouga's naked chest.

Heat rose to her face and for a moment, she tried to pull away but his strong hold kept her close. "You're gonna make your injuries worse," he almost snapped.

Why was she fighting him? He was only trying to protect her.

A heavy blush was on her pale cheeks as she closed her eyes. He was right. The more she moved the more the pain increased. But – the closeness… the… she saw a naked guy before she even kissed one! Technically he was not fully naked but still. This was wrong. This was Kouga. Him and his pack did protect her and he was nice to her but… well he also kidnapped her! She was purposefully leaving aside all of his declarations of love.

She did want to pull away but she was so exhausted and he was so warm. Maybe if she stayed just a little while longer. One more nap and she would feel better right? Then – Kouga would find Inuyasha for her and she would be back on her way. Yes, she only needed to stay with Kouga a bit longer. She tried to reposition herself but she was too weak to move her own body.

Once again, Kagome relaxed in his arms and it pleased him. "I'll take care of you."

She knew he meant it. She did trust him. Her fate could have been worse when she was attacked. At least with Kouga her safety was assured. He did have two jewel shards. It was no sword but…

He bent down and pressed his mouth to the top of her head, the scorching heat of her flesh warming his lips. The simple fact that she was awake and feisty made him happy. He knew she would recover; his woman was strong. He began softly growling against her hair, speaking a tongue she did not understand.

The sounds against her head actually soothed the pain throbbing through her brain. "Mm. More," she mumbled barely audibly. It was the first time she was not in agony and she wanted to hold on to that feeling.

He tried his best not to smirk as he kept going, just as she requested. He let his nose brush up against her forehead and he inhaled her scent. Her scent was memorized in his brain; he would recognize it no matter what. He would always be able to find her.

She looked so innocent in his arms but he remembered the fire inside of her. Her eyes light up when she smacked him after he announced to everyone that she was going to be his woman. The pack accepted her and the only thing she ever said was that someone else made a claim. Inuyasha had to be out of the way by now. She had no reason to not accept him.

He slid his fingers down to her neck and gently rubbed her skin. She made a sound resembling a moan and he smirked. She was extremely receptive to his touch and it pleased him.

Soon, the woman of his dreams would be all his.

-E-