After the 72-hour mark passed Sesshomaru was starting to consider trying to find a way to get through the well so he could find out what the hell was going on. As the first orange of the setting sun began to show, he started to make his way to the old miko’s hut to question about the well and how someone could get through it.
Just as he saw her tiny hut, as well as the hanyou’s pack seated outside of it, a whirlwind tore into town and stopped right next to him. Looking at Kouga, Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow at the odd way the ookami was dressed. Just as his mouth was opening to ask about Kagome the wolf demon’s eyes began to turn reed and he let out a loud snarl. Looking the direction the ookami prince was he saw the source of the man’s ire: Inuyasha. Before he could even blink, Kouga tore off that direction.
Spying Inuyasha, hatred such as he had never known washed over Kouga and he took off towards him, screaming, “You STUPID fucking bastard! I’m going to kill you!”
Just as the words filtered into the hanyou’s brain and he stood up, Kouga launched himself at him then tackled him. Landing on his back with a loud “oof”, Inuyasha had no time to put up any kind of defense as Kouga landed on top of him. Straddling his body, he put his knees on the half-breed’s arms then proceeded to beat the hell out of him, screaming at the top of his lungs the whole time.
Quickly, Miroku and members of Kouga’s pack tried to pry the enraged wolf-demon off, but were all thrown aside. Finally, Sesshomaru waded into the fray and was able to pry the enraged ookami off his all but defenseless half-brother. Hauling the spitting, snarling, and screaming ookami a short ways away, he snarled at him, his youkai telling the wolf demons to calm down.
When Kouga finally regained a bit of his composure, while watching the hanyou’s pack pry a thoroughly beaten Inuyasha off the ground, Sesshomaru asked gruffly, “Is Kagome alive?”
Sango and Miroku heard the question and, once they deposited the bloody and bruised Inuyasha outside the door of Kaede’s hut, hurried over to them.
Sighing, Kouga nodded, “She’s alive and recovering.”
Both humans sighed in relief. Even Sesshomaru seemed to relax a bit, worry starting to lift finally.
Looking at Kouga’s odd manner of dress, he was in some kind of pants and a pullover shirt. It was obvious to the humans that he had been to Kagome’s time. Then they began to bombard him with questions about her. Quickly, he related what happened once he materialized in her time, trying to explain things the best way he could with all the new terminology and other things he hadn’t seen or heard of before.
After coming out of the well house, he head met up with her mother, who had completely panicked at the sight of her daughter covered in blood. It was her grandfather who called for the ambulance and had the forethought to get him into an old sweat suit so no one would ask questions and he could blend in. He had ridden to the hospital with the old priest while her mother had ridden with Kagome in the ambulance. By the time they had arrived, she was very close to death from shock and blood loss. They poured blood and fluids into her as fast as they could to try to get her stabilized. Later on they had told him and her mother that if they had been just 15 minutes later she wouldn’t have made it.
In a hitched voice, he described how she had screamed and cried to be left alone to die while they were trying to stem the blood flow from her wounds and were stitching the wounds up. Shaking his head, he let out a ragged sigh, “I never in my life want to hear anything like that again. Plus, I seriously doubt I will ever forget hearing her scream that she wanted to die.” Glaring over at where Inuyasha was sitting, and because of his acute hearing-listening, Kouga growled, “If certain someone had been there I would have killed him, I swear!” he stated bluntly, a snarl in his voice.
Glaring over at his brother, Sesshomaru felt the same urge Kouga did but was able to keep it under tight control. Now wasn’t the time or place for it. “What’s her condition now?” he asked, turning his attention back to Kouga.
“They sewed her arms up and they are starting to heal nicely. They keep giving her some kind of medicine to help the pain and it makes her sleep a lot. But she still blames herself for the whole thing. I wonder where she got that idea?” he sneered, looking back over his shoulder at Inuyasha, whose ears flattened a bit.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the group. “She sleeps most of the time and doesn’t want to talk to anyone. She’ll talk to me and her family a bit, but not much. When she’s awake she just lays there, looking out the window. Her mother says it’s something called depression.”
Once he finished he answered all the questions, and there were a lot of them, the best he could before excusing himself to talk to Sesshomaru privately.
The Western Lord asked several more detailed questions about her condition before coming to the one he really wanted to know about. “Is there a way for me to pass through the well?”
For the first time since returning, Kouga grinned, “She’s gotten to you too hasn’t she?”
The look on the taiyoukai’s face, something that seemed to convey an emotional attachment, flickered across it before his normal emotionless mask slipped back into place, told him all he needed to know. Without waiting for an answer, he pressed on.
“Yeah, I know how you can get through. Kagome’s grandfather told me how it can be done. He’s a crazy old codger, a bit like an older version of Miroku, but he seems to know his stuff about things like the well.”
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a jewel shard. “Just carry that and you should be able to pass through. I told her mother that I thought you wanted to see Kagome and explained to her who you are. I’ll go through with you so she knows for sure then will come back here.”
Nodding, the stoic lord took the shard and began walking towards the well.
Kouga walked back over to Sango and Miroku, “I’ll be back in a bit to talk more.” Tossing the exterminator Kagome’s journal he said gruffly, “Read the last few pages,” then he headed after Sesshomaru.
Before getting too far away he stopped and looked at Ginta and Hakkaku, who were quietly talking to each other a few feet from Kaede’s hut. Growling, he said, “Don’t let dog-breath anywhere near the well. Kill him if you have to, but don’t let him near it or there will be hell to pay when I get back.” Then he hurried off.