"Get me my backpack!" Kagome roared, and Inuyasha blurred off, streaking away from the battlefield towards their army's camp. Hurry. Hurry! She begged it silently, bending over Miroku's prone form, putting all her weight on the gash in his side. The sight of the blood welling around her fingers made her heart pound violently, throat clenching in terror. He moaned, eyes rolling as she pushed harder, hands scrabbling in the bloody mud they lay in.

"Do something!" Sango screamed at her, eyes wild. An arrow landed uncomfortably close to them and she whirled around towards the enemy lines, baring her teeth like a hunting cat. Huojin galloped up on Changchang and leaned down to put a hand on the slayer's shoulder as his mare skidded to a stop.

"I'll cover you. They're turning tail as we speak. Get him safe! Go!" Sango sobbed up at him wordlessly, gritting her teeth, and he put a hand on her cheek for a moment. Then he nudged Changchang with his heels and they headed towards the scattered northern cavalry in a spray of muddy snow. He had out his sword and as he rode, his blue eyes lit up like unholy flames. Kagome glanced up for a moment and her eyes went wide; the dragon man descended upon a group of Mongols like a force of nature. Changchang laid about with iron-clad hooves, ears flat against her skull, rearing and plunging and sending the northern ponies bucking away in fear, but her master stayed glued to her back through it all. He wielded his sword like an extension of himself, and it seemed to Kagome that there was a faint light about him, though she couldn't tell if it was his aura she was sensing or an actual glow. A howling wind rose up and swept across the battlefield, sending the tears she didn't know she'd been crying sideways across her cheeks.

Sango dropped to her knees beside the wounded monk, putting her own hands atop Kagome's. "Should we move him? What do we do?"

Kagome grimaced. "Not yet. Just hang on, Inuyasha will be back any second and I can put gauze on this and wrap it up, I just want to stop the bleeding." She didn't dare move her hands, but she had gotten a good look at the wound before trying to help the monk, and it was bad enough she didn't feel comfortable telling Sango everything would be okay. "He'll be fine," she said anyway, putting strong conviction in her voice, though it was thick with tears.

Inuyasha materialized next to them, holding Kagome's battered backpack. "Here!" He thrust it at her, panting. "Need me?" Kagome shook her head, and with one golden glance at his fallen friend he took off after Huojin. With the two of them out there she knew the final stragglers of the northern troops would turn tail, if they lived long enough. Distantly she could make out Yue Fei barking orders and the twang of the archers' bowstrings as they let loose in near perfect unison, sending a rain of death whistling down onto the Mongols. She shook her head harshly, digging in her pack with one hand for what was left of her medical supplies, keeping the other pressed to his wound. The bleeding seemed to have tapered off a little, but Miroku's sickeningly white face made her think that wasn't a good thing. He was no longer struggling.

"Sango, we need to move our hands, okay? He's going to bleed but I need to disinfect this and then we'll bandage it." Her friend only looked at her dazedly for a moment, but then she blinked and nodded firmly, face settling into the courageous expression Kagome knew so well. God only knows what nastiness was on that Mongol's sword. Even if he survives the blood loss we'll probably have one hell of an infection to contend with.

"Okay. On three?"

They counted together and the moment they lifted the pressue from his wound, blood streamed out again, trickling down his torn robes. Kagome dumped hydrogen peroxide on the wound, biting her lip when Miroku didn't even twitch, and then she clapped a folded wad of gauze to it. She felt her stomach heave as it actually went into his side, but bit down her bile and just added more on top of it, wincing as she saw it begin turning red already. She and Sango wrapped him as tightly as they could manage, Sango lifting his upper body up from the ground so Kagome could pass the roll of bandages around his back. For a moment he came back to himself, muttering something, then his head lolled back against Sango's armored chest.

"Okay," Kagome said after a moment, voice terse. She pushed her bangs back from her eyes, unaware of the ghoulish streak of blood her hands left; they were covered past the wrists. "You! Help us!" she ordered a passing soldier. He stared at her, brow furrowed in confusion. "Dammit," she moaned, making a beckoning motion with her hands and pointing to Miroku. "Help!"

He seemed to get the picture, even if he didn't understand her words, and he sheathed his sword and trudged over to help. The three of them managed to lift Miroku, and as they stumbled their way backwards out of range of enemy archers, Kagome cursed her small size. Sango had a good four inches on her own petite frame, and despite the muscle she'd gained in her years in the feudal era, the slayer was still much stronger.

After a horrific half hour of treacherous slips in the mud and a steady stream of invective flowing from Kagome's lips, they managed to reach the healer's tent, muscles burning from their frantic pace. It was full of rushing figures already and the air was peppered with both low moans and sharp cries of agony as Yue Fei's doctors pulled arrows, staunched wounds and cauterized missing limbs. Kagome wrinkled her nose. That's one smell I'll never get used to, she thought, feeling her stomach twist yet again at the stink.

She barely realized that she was panting hoarsely as she beckoned one of the healers over. He came right away, recognizing she and Sango, the strange female warriors who traveled with the mighty half-demons. She muttered something, barely hearing herself as she stared at Miroku's drawn face, and he nodded as if he understood perfectly, bending over the monk and gently cutting off the top of his robes, eyeing her messy bandaging. There was a scarlet bloom growing in the middle of the white gauze and Sango whimpered.

The healer, an older man with graying hair and a soft gaze, pressed his hands over the wound and closed his eyes for a moment; Kagome's brows went up as his aura flared out, a gentle yellowish luminance, like heat rising from pavement in the summer. She'd had no idea the Yue Fei's troops included those with spiritual powers. Does that mean I could help? I didn't even know you could heal wounds, Kaede never mentioned anything like this... On the spur of the moment she put her own hands over the healer's. He opened one eye and glanced at her, but when she concentrated and let her aura rise up he exhaled and said something. She shrugged and he chuckled a little before closing his eyes again, apparently accepting her help.

She shut her own eyes, trying to ignore the sounds and smells all around her, though it was difficult, especially with Sango's broken moans in her ears. One bloody hand rose up to clutch her cherry blossom pendant and suddenly, like the flick of a switch, everything was quiet and peaceful. What's that he's doing, exactly? She followed the healer's aura, feeling Miroku's own pale soul beneath them. It was wavering at the edges in a rather frantic way. She dived down into it, after the fizzy trail of the healer. It felt like plunging into a mountain stream, fast and ice-cold, pushing and pulling her every which way. She gritted her teeth, concentrating harder. Oh. There. Something dark and empty, something bad. She waded over towards it and began trying to fill it up, but everything she pushed into it just disappeared. It was like a damn black hole.

She felt Miroku's soul shake more strongly and poured more into the hole. I have to fix this. This is my fault. The healer was next to her, working on the hole, a pulsing bubbly presence. He's a happy person. I wonder why he's out here in the middle of a war? He sent a tendril out and prodded her gently as she started to wander off and she snapped back to attention, concentrating on the hole again. It was still there, but it felt a little better to her, smaller, and Miroku wasn't trembling as much around the edges. I have to fix this. She sent another stream of power into the hole, and another, and another. It wasn't until the healer prodded her again that she felt the bone-deep weariness settling into her. She could hardly think. He cradled her in gleaming tendrils and lifted her upwards and out, and it felt like breaking water after holding her breath; she gasped as she slammed back into her body, staggering before falling to the ground, vision blurry.

"Kagome? Kagome!" It was Sango's familiar voice, strong and vibrant, washing over her like the summer sun. She basked in it. There were hands on her, holding her, pulling her to her feet, and she felt like she was standing in a rainbow. All around her were souls, and many of them were wavering like Miroku's had. One went sputtered and went dark, and she cried out. She tried to take a step towards the nearest one. I want to help. I can fix him too.

Then the healer was there again, effervescent and experienced, holding her together as she ricocheted all around the tent. She felt him gently corralling her, nudging her into proper shape, and she finally gave in with a sigh. The next time she opened her eyes her sight was clear, though her heart was beating like hummingbird wings. She saw the bustle around her, but it was human bodies, not glowing abstractions. She saw Sango's face, stunned and confused, and behind her- Miroku? The monk's eyes were open and his face was no longer deathly white. Kagome smiled at Sango and pointed. The slayer turned around and gave a surprised, "Oh!" at the sight of Miroku trying to sit up.

"I feel like someone threw me down a mountain," he muttered, wincing and giving up the attempt to sit up. Sango smiled down at him, tears glittering in her eyes. Kagome smiled as she watched the two. It took her a moment to realize the healer was beside her, holding her up, and she stared at him. He raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly towards Miroku.

Kagome laughed a little. "This is insane," she told him, feeling her legs quivering beneath her. "What was that? How did we do that?" He shrugged a little, smiling, before sitting her down on an empty cot. He moved off to help someone else, so she tried to lasso him with a thread of her senses, wanting to try to figure this whole thing out. He turned around just long enough to shake a stern finger at her, pushing away her loop easily.

Fine. She closed her eyes and laid down on the cot, ignoring the coppery smell of someone else's blood that was on it. I wonder what just happened... Miroku's pinched, lifeless face rose to her mind and she bit her lip, curling into herself a little. That was my fault. Shit, he almost died. She remembered Sango's cries and felt even worse, if that were possible.

She heard footsteps come to a stop next to her and opened one eye, pushing upright when she saw Inuyasha.

"He's okay, then?" he frowned at her. Obviously he hadn't missed the severity of Miroku's injury either.

"Yeah," she sighed, looking him up and down. He was absolutely filthy. There wasn't a trace of red left visible on his firerat under all the mud and bloodstains. She reached out and pulled a piece of someone's flesh off his shoulder with a shudder. I probably don't look much better. She gasped as something hit her. "Oh, shit. My bow. I left it out there."

He sat down beside her. "It's okay, I'll go get it in a second."

"We win?"

"Of course we won," he smirked at her. "Those Mongolian pussies are miles away by now. Yue Fei's practically dancin' a jig." She giggled at the thought of the dignified commander dancing.

"Good!" He was staring at her in an odd way, and she raised a brow. "What?"

"You smell funny," he told her. She scowled and he chuckled. "Not like that. You smell like you're really fuckin' tired, like about to pass out, except it's different. It's like you- shit, I don't know. It's almost like you're sick? Are you okay?" His nose was working curiously as he begin patting her down, hunting for wounds. She fended off his hands weakly.

"Uh- no, I'm fine. Something weird just happened." She looked across the tent to the gray haired healer, who was working on yet another wounded man. His hands were glowing gently. "Can you see that?" she asked Inuyasha, pointing. He followed her finger and raised his brows.

"The light shit? Yeah. It looks like your arrows when you bless them, kind of." He squinted. "What's he doin'?"

She frowned, not exactly sure herself beyond the obvious answer of 'fixing him', but then Sango broke in. "That's what you did, Kagome."

"Me?"

"Yeah. You put your hands on Miroku, and then you glowed," the slayer told her from her position next to Miroku. The monk tried to sit up again and she shoved him down with a warning glare.

"I did? But I don't- I mean-" she stared at Miroku, taking in the healthy color of his cheeks and obvious energy. "I guess I helped fix you. I followed the healer. You were all shaky, and there was a hole..." This is really cool. I saw their souls. That was so different from what I'm usually able to do. Normally it's just kind of a feeling at the back of my mind. This was vivid- I could actually see them, everyone, and I was in Miroku's soul... This means I can heal people! I don't have to worry about everyone dying anymore!

Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku were all staring at her, with varying expressions of surprise.

"Thank you," the monk said suddenly. He managed to prop himself up on his elbows, ignoring his fiance's narrowed eyes. "I owe you my life, it seems," he added, smiling.

Kagome's euphoria vanished abruptly. She stood up from the cot, ignoring the exhaustion coursing through her. She felt like she hadn't slept in days. "You don't owe me anything, Miroku, it's my fault you were out here to get stabbed in the first place," she said angrily, stomping out of the tent, the memory of his limp body piercing her.

Inuyasha followed her instantly, falling into place at her side and taking her hand. She let him, though the gentleness of the action brought a lump to her throat. "Want me to go get your bow?" he asked softly. She nodded wordlessly and he squeezed her hand before bounding off, shouting gruffly at someone in his way.

Kagome staggered on, feeling more lightheaded with every step she took, but she finally made it to her tent, collapsing with a grateful sigh. She gave a full-bodied stretch, curling her lip as she felt her shoulders twinge, sore from the morning's battle. At least we won. They're thoroughly routed, I doubt they'll be back for a while, at least not through this pass. They'll probably try the smaller one to the west next, the one the men who captured me were trying to sneak through. I better tell Yue Fei they know about it. She raised her hands to rub her face and then stopped, grimcing at the dried blood that coated them. Miroku's blood, her faithful friend's blood, the love of her sister's life's blood. "Fuck," she groaned, rolling over with immense effort to grab an old shirt. She started scrubbing, reaching outside the tent for a handful of snow to help. Each movement felt like climbing a mountain.

A while later, Inuyasha stopped outside the tent, her shining bow on his back and her quiver in his hand, full of arrows; he'd searched the battlefield, finding as many whole ones as he could until her quiver was packed full. It'll save her a trip to the armory tent, at least. Her bow was miraculously clean, gleaming and lovely as ever, but to his dismay her fancy quiver had been nearly buried in bloody mud. He'd cleaned it as best he could but it was by no means a perfect job.

Too damn bad. We're all dirty anyway in this fuckin' place. He took a deep whiff of the air, sifting through the normal camp scents until he found Kagome. He frowned in consternation and was immediately inside the tent, sighing when he saw her. She doesn't even see me. The filthy girl in front of him was scrubbing at her hands, though they were already clean, making them red and raw. She looked tiny and hurt and he felt his chest tighten. Her smell was no damn good at all, stressed and guilty and exhausted to the bone. Damn stubborn woman. I wish she'd get over this fuckin' guilt complex of hers. He grabbed her hands gently to stop the scrubbing and she blinked up at him, brown eyes wide as she came out of her trance.

"Got your shit," he said and she smiled.

"Thanks."

"You owe me," he told her slyly and she laughed a little. He licked his thumb and rubbed off the smear of blood crusted on her forehead. I ever see that Xia bitch again and I'll teach her a lesson about tellin' people a whole fuckin' country depends on them, dragon or no. "So that was pretty cool what you did with Miroku. He scared the shit out of me to be honest."

She quirked her lip for a moment, furrowing her brows as her gaze grew distant. "Yeah, it was the strangest thing I've ever felt." Inuyasha took another sniff of her; confusion and wonder, the same way she smelled when she looked up at the night sky and all the stars. "I could see everyone's soul," she told him, and he made an impressed face.

"Huh. Is that normal? Kikyou never talked about that. She just said she could kinda feel stuff, never see it, except for the jewel shards."

She sent him a flat glare and he suppressed a sigh "Well, I'm not Kikyou, so..."

"Yeah, I know, I know. That's gonna be a useful trick, though, healin' shit," he mused, thinking back on all the times he'd had to fight with still-healing wounds. He might heal much faster than a human, but it didn't mean he didn't feel pain.

Kagome was thinking really hard again and it made his nose wrinkle sourly. He put a hand behind her head and pulled her in for a kiss, ignoring her startled squawk. She put a hand on his thigh as she leaned in and he nibbled on her lip, feeling his pulse rise at her soft little sounds. He licked her lip and she opened her mouth, tongue hot against his. He didn't even realize he had pushed her down and was hovering over her until she wrapped her legs around his hips, arms locked around his neck. She bit his lip suddenly, surprisingly, and he growled at the shock it sent through him, moving from her lips to the soft curve of her neck, sucking on it in a way that made her push against him. He ground back against her, panting at the sight of her flushed face and the growing scent of her arousal, and- Fuck. He paused for a moment. She smelled turned on, but she also smelled desperate, upset, guiltier than ever. She smelled desperate, not like someone relaxed and in love. That's not right. He pulled back a little, looking down at her confused face as she tried to pull him back to her. She's fucking exhausted, she just poured all her power into Miroku, we've been fighting all day. Guilt washed over him as he rolled off her.

"Shit," he yelped a second later as she straddled him, glaring at him. He ground his teeth furiously as she ripped open his shirt and bit him on the collarbone, pinning his arms down. Oh, this is just fucking unfair as hell. It took him a moment to find the strength to push her warm, soft, delicious curves off of him, but he managed, though he didn't think he'd ever wanted to kill something so badly.

"What are you doing," she barked at him and he sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair and trying to ignore the uncomfortable tightness of his firerat. He shifted a little, trying to stop himself from eyeing her chest, which even under layers of dirty clothes made his pulse rise.

"Kagome, you're not doing this because you really want to, you just want something to stop makin' you feel so damn guilty and stressed out all the time," he told her bluntly. Every man in the world is probably cursing me right now. She gaped at him and he took another sniff, hoping his nose had been lying, but no; she was distracted and so upset that it stung his nostrils a little.

"Are you seriously that stupid?" She tried to crawl on top of him again, eyes sparking, and he resisted, though he felt like he might cry in sexual frustration.

"Damnit all to hell!" he snarled, shaking his head. "Kagome, stop it. You think I don't want to? It's really fuckin' nice to have you finally let me touch you again, like, really nice, but you're tired as shit and you're all kinds of freaked out over Miroku again. I can smell it." She slit her eyes at him and it took several deep breaths before he could safely say he wouldn't pounce on her. Oh, fuck, she's hot when she's all bloody and pissed off.

"I- you- that's not true!" she said angrily, folding her arms in a way that accentuated her chest distractingly. He just looked at her and she wavered, then gave in, sighing. "Fine. Fine. You and your stupid cockblocking nose!" That one made him chuckle. He considered holding out his arms for her, but the blocked cock in question twitched and he hastily reconsidered the idea. "You're right," she said with another tired sigh, body drooping as she calmed down. "Miroku got hurt today and it's my fault for bringing everyone here." Her voice was positively pathetic.

He shook his head. "Now who's being stupid? Look, Kagome, we came because we're a package deal. You followed me around for two damn years helping with Naraku- who could have killed you just as easy as one of the Mongol bastards. You helped Miroku get rid of the wind tunnel, you helped Sango try to get her little brother back, avenge her family, all that shit. This is a cause that's important to you, so we're helpin' in the same way. Stop feeling so bad all the time!" He barked the last sentence, because he was really tired of her feeling like shit, and the way she was looking at him was making him a little uncomfortable; all doe-eyed and surprised, like he was the most wonderful thing in the world. When did I become the one who made her feel better? Shit, I don't talk things out like this. Sesshoumaru would laugh his ass off at me. The hanyou was irritated to feel his cheeks grow hot.

"Oh," she said quietly. Her delicate little brows drew together as she fell back into deep thought and he grinned at how pretty she looked with her faraway stare. That's my girl. About time she stopped all this shit. He took the ragged shirt she'd been using to clean her hands and quietly began to wipe off her quiver, smiling again when she fell asleep leaning against his shoulder.


Author says: Sorry about the wait! School kicked my ass this week. Let me know what you guys thought of thisl! Thanks for reading! :)