First Time, Last Chance
Kouga's soft, azure shaded eyes glowered with a hidden love as soon as he spotted the raven haired girl settled cozily by the fire, the ember glow dancing across her face. At the sight of Kagome, his heart filled with an immense longing to be near her. He was only faintly aware of the content smile that his lips had curved into, remembering what it was like to hear her voice, and to see her smile. But he felt a sudden rage creeping into his expression at the other sight that lay before him.
The damn hanyou Inuyasha was sitting beside Kagome.
The wolf demon scowled in intense hatred for the other demon. That is, half-demon. How was it possible that the mutt was the one seated with the love of his life, and he was the one crouched behind them with no company save for the trees that hid him?
Luck. That's what it was. The hanyou had been incredibly lucky. He had been the one that Kagome had stumbled upon. Kouga felt a pang of jealousy. Yes, how fortunate it was that the reincarnated miko had found the stupid dog, asleep with an arrow stuck through his chest. After being awakened by the spirit of the young girl, Inuyasha had recruited her as his own personal shard detector. It was obvious that he had grown attached to her. She reminded the dog of his former love, no doubt. Kouga cursed silently, a growl rumbling in his throat.
He tensed, seeing Kagome turn towards his direction, as if she had heard him. Her hazel eyes swept over his neck of the forest, and for a moment, their gazes seemed to meet. But, Kagome turned back around, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't seen him. It was rather surprising that the hanyou hadn't sniffed out his scent yet. Upon a deeper inspection of his enemy, Kouga realized exactly why that was.
Though Inuyasha had carefully maintained a casual expression, and his trademark scowl, Kouga could immediately tell that he was watching Kagome with a lovesick expression. While humans might not have been able to read the hanyou's starry-eyed gaze, a demon such as himself could distinguish it without hesitation.
Kouga stiffened angrily, glaring at Inuyasha, who had not yet removed his gaze from Kagome. She, having noticed nothing, smiled down at the fox cub who was asleep in her lap. As for the monk and the exterminator, they had separated from the others for a short while to be only in each other's presence under the starry sky. Kouga had passed them earlier, but hadn't bothered to pay attention to them. After all, it was Kagome he was interested in. Not her friends.
They all looked peaceful, and he knew the cause of that peace. After months of searching for the Shikon shards, Kagome, the mutt, and the others had finally discovered the last shard. He scowled slightly, feeling the emptiness of power clutch him. After Kagome had pleaded with him, he had finally given her the two Shikon shards that he had claimed as his own. He had never really noticed the absence of its incredible might until now.
As hard as it was to believe, the hanyou had not yet used the power of the Shikon Jewel to transform into a full demon. Kagome had told Kouga once that it was all that Inuyasha desired.
To become a true demon.
Even now, standing at an even distance away from the others, Kouga could feel the power of the jewel radiating across the midnight atmosphere. It was hidden safely away from view, he was sure. But, for some reason, he did not feel hungry for its power. At least, not so that he could use it to become invincible again.
A smile did touch his lips when he imagined the damage that he had managed to inflict upon the hanyou when he had possessed the strength. He shot a murderous glare at the back of Inuyasha's head.
And all of a sudden, Inuyasha seemed to snap out of his daze, a solemn type of look upon his face. Kouga leaned forward instinctively, knowing that the hanyou was going to say something vital. How right he was.
"Kagome..." the hanyou began.
"Hmm?" Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha, and Kouga felt his chest tighten with dread. It was rather obvious that something dramatic was unfolding before him.
He narrowed his eyes, his sharp hearing picking up every word that the hanyou spoke clearly.
Inuyasha folded his arms almost impatiently, turning his gaze away from her. He looked slightly irritated. "Now that we've found the last shard, there's really no need for you to stay here."
The wolf demon took note of the way that Kagome took the news. "Oh..." she replied, in a voice unlike her own. "If that's how you feel..." She prepared to get up, but had nearly forgotten the resting kitsune on her lap and had almost knocked the cub over in the process.
Inuyasha's arm reached out and gently stopped her. "Wait, Kagome. I wasn't finished yet." He scowled slightly, glancing at the soil beneath his feet. His fingers danced over Tetsusaiga's hilt in a nervous manner. "There's no point in you staying here. But..." he paused, still not daring to watch her. "...I want you to stay here anyway."
This produced a triple reaction. Kagome's expression was that of an indescribable joy; Inuyasha's was of a content sort of shock when Kagome hugged him; and Kouga's was that of somber understanding. It was now too late for him to do anything. Inuyasha had practically made a full confession in front of Kagome. And Kagome did not appear to be upset about this all.
That could have been him standing there with Kagome in his arms.
A sick feeling of nausea washed over him mercilessly. One moment. That one moment that Kagome had happened to spot Inuyasha on her first day in the feudal era. He and his pack had been in that very village that Kagome and Inuyasha had been near. Kouga had been prowling around the village for food. If he had lingered in the village for only one moment longer, she would have met him first.
One moment.
And this single moment here, when Inuyasha had subtly hinted at his true feelings for the girl.
He recalled his previous thought. That could have been him standing there with Kagome in his arms. No. He cast the thought aside with the angered toss of his head.
That should have been him standing there with Kagome in his arms.
Damn it. He could watch the two no more, feeling hurt, and dazed. Kouga turned to leave, ignoring the guilt in his heart. It had been his fault as well that Kagome was not here with him. He should have confessed his true feelings for her. The wolf demon sighed. When he had tried to explain it to Kagome the last time, she had misunderstood his interpretation for love, and instead had thought he only needed her to detect shards for him.
There was no point in him being here.
Not anymore.
He moved to cast one last glance at the object of his affections...
'Goodbye, Kagome...'
...When a small glare of light caught his eye. His brow wrinkled in bewilderment. What had that been? And then he felt its power, seemingly directed at him. It had been the Shikon Jewel; a moonbeam had splayed across its surface and shot a ray of incandescence forth. It had been inside Kagome's bag, but when Kagome had risen halfway to her feet, she had knocked the bag over, forcing the Jewel from its hidden position. That was all.
The damn Shikon Jewel. The reason behind Kagome and Inuyasha's pairing in the first place. It had been the search for the celestial entity that had led to...
Kouga glanced bitterly towards the two, who were staring into the fire, still unaware that he was watching. Inuyasha's arm had slipped around Kagome's shoulders, and she had placed her head tenderly on his shoulder. Jealously surged through the wolf demon once more.
The Shikon Jewel.
Wait.
His heart nearly stopped in his chest, overwhelmed by the flood of dawning that had been unleashed in his mind. His eyes widened slightly.
The Shikon Jewel had been said to have the capability of a single wish.
He was an idiot. Why hadn't he realized this sooner? In all of his anguish, Kouga had temporarily forgotten that Inuyasha previously wanted to use the Jewel to become a full-blooded demon.
It could grant a wish.
He mused silently. Any wish?
The newly formed thought sank into his head with ease.
If it could grant any wish...
Then he'd be able to change time.
He'd be able to change it all. Kouga was not as foolish as to wish for Kagome to fall in love with him through the Shikon Jewel's power; he knew that it would lead to utter devastation and chaos if he dared to interfere with history that much.
His wish remained unspoken in his mind, for he did not want to curse a desire that had not yet been cast, but he could still feel the deathly grip of another opportunity. Another chance to be with Kagome. His last chance, in fact.
He'd do it. He'd do whatever it took to make Kagome his.
There was no hesitation as he leapt from nature's cover, startling the hanyou and the ningen girl.
"Kouga?"
"Hey! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
He could hear her voice crying out in confusion. He could also hear the mutt's voice snapping in anger. His heart nearly melted at the sound of Kagome's voice, and it was hard not to look at her and permit himself a glance of her beauty. But he waved the voices away, reminding himself to stay focused.
Where was it? He cursed silently. The jewel had fallen onto the ground somewhere. And though he was able to see in the dark, he could not make out its crystalline figure amidst the things scattered all over the ground. His eyes swept hastily over towards Kagome's knapsack.
There it was! The Jewel!
The bag laid there, the contents spilled upon the grass. The Shikon Jewel was exposed, glittering softly as it called out for him. He reached out for it.
Finally, the hanyou realized what he was after, growling as he jumped to his feet. But it was too late. The wolf demon's fingers grasped the cool, smooth jewel, feeling its power grip him in a dead lock.
The jewel began to glow, and the wind began to pick up speed, rustling the leaves among the trees. The sky darkened even more, turning into the charcoal shade that reminded Kouga of death. The fire roared, the flames licking at the air with a vicious response.
The hanyou had stopped moving, unable to go any further. The jewel's power had forced him to halt in his tracks, for it had created some sort of unseen force field around the wolf demon. Kouga was only a few inches away from the hanyou. Kagome stood behind Inuyasha, her hazel eyes filled with a great despair. Although they could not physically touch him, or move any further towards him, they could still speak.
"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha snarled at him.
"Kouga...?" Kagome whispered softly, her expression that of disbelief. He could still hear the traces of alarm and panic in her voice.
He had already made up his mind. There was no going back. Not even if it was scaring Kagome. He lowered his head in apology to her.
Not wanting to wait any longer, the wolf demon thrust the hand into the air, the jewel clenched tightly in his fingers. Lightening pawed at the darkness, illuminating his face. And for a moment, Kouga could hear nothing but the sound of his own breathing. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes.
"Shikon Jewel, I command you to alter time! Let me be the first one that Kagome met!" Kouga yelled into the night. He opened his eyes again, his eyes flickering in anticipation.
The ground beneath them began to tremble violently.
"No! Kouga!" Kagome yelled. She didn't understand what he had wished for, but he knew that she feared he had abused its power. The lightening flashed again, this time striking the ground and causing a chain reaction. Several beams of light plummeted to the ground. Kouga covered his eyes to protect himself from going blind; the light was far too bright. He had seen Kagome and Inuyasha do the same.
And the ground suddenly gave way.
They were all falling.
And she was falling right beside him.
He reached out for Kagome...
Their fingers touched, and so did their gazes.
She was frightened.
He tried to grab on to her, to hold her for this one time before everything was changed. But they were drifting further apart from each other.
"Kouga!" Kagome yelled.
He couldn't make himself reply.
Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. He had simply vanished somewhere. It had begun, Kouga thought, with a light satisfaction. Time was being rewritten. He would meet Inuyasha again, that was for sure. But hopefully, it would not be soon.
Kouga conjured his last thought before being encased in a blanket of endless light.
'Kagome...I love you."
And then the world was no more.
(A.N. Here I am, attempting to write yet another story, knowing that I still haven't updated the other fanfiction stories that I wrote. Eep. I haven't had the time to finish writing everything, but I will update in the next two weeks! I just had the inspiration to write this story, and so here it is. I have a couple more ideas for stories, and I wish I had more time to write them all. Time goes by far too fast, wouldn't you all agree? I really hope you guys liked this chapter. If you did, please do review and let me know! Thanks for your time. ^^)