Hello Everyone! I was able to squeeze this chapter out of my head but I am still a bit writers blocked. Anyways thank-you to all reviewers! I love ya!

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Chapter Ten- So Close Yet So Far

There were only a few more hours until sunrise and according to Sesshomaru, they would be at his castle in around the afternoon, this was music to Kagome's ears, her legs were getting tired and incredibly sore since the last time they had stopped and she couldn't wait to actually sit down.

She froze when she sensed an almost demonic aura and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

Kuragari.

When Sesshomaru no longer heard Kagome's footsteps behind him, he turned around and saw that she was frozen to the spot where she was standing, turning around in a circle to view her surroundings. "What are you doing, miko?" he asked, slightly annoyed that she was slowing him down. Kagome remained silent and kept her attention on the trees surrounding them. She heard the sound that was brought back memories of InuYasha.

The sound of an unsheathing sword.

Like a flash of lightning, Kuragari shot out of the trees and aimed at Sesshomaru with an unsheathed katana. He didn't have enough time to dodge the attack and was only able to block himself with his arms, causing deep gashes that didn't hesitate to bleed.

Before Kagome could stop herself, she rushed over to his side to see what damage had been done. She looked down at the severed flesh and knew that they would have to be bandaged soon if Sesshomaru didn't want to bleed to death for the katana had struck some parts of the wrists where it bled the most if deep enough.

Sesshomaru was about to shoo her away from him but stopped when he heard the creaking sound of a bow being drawn all the way back, he looked around and saw Kuragari perched on a tree branch with an arrow aiming directly at Kagome. An adrenalin rush flowed through him at the exact moment Kuragari released the arrow he grabbed Kagome by the waist and jumped out of the way of the speeding arrow.

Kagome was slightly startled when she felt strong hands grab her around the waist and move her but immediately saw that Sesshomaru had done it to save her life. 'The world must be coming to an end if Sesshomaru had just helped me' she thought with a hint of sarcasm but it immediately died when she saw that the dark miko had retreated and she felt warm blood oozing through her thin shirt to her skin. She looked up at Sesshomaru and saw that he was panting heavily despite himself and the arm around her waist was shaking as well as the rest of his body. He dropped his hand back to his side, allowing a waterfall of blood to stream from his arm to his fingertips and started to walk away.

"Hey you have to bandage your wounds!" Kagome yelled after him, Sesshomaru didn't even hesitate to stop after what she said. She felt herself heat up with anger at his insolence and started after him, not wanting to get lost, especially in the dark.

'Kagome's scent is strong in the air' InuYasha thought, greatly relieved that she was still alive, "Hurry up Kagome isn't far from here!" he yelled at his lagging companions.

The Inu-tachi was having a hard time following their hanyou leader with so many trees and thorns around and they had to be careful Kirara didn't get stuck, especially since it was the dead of the night. The group sped up in the direction they thought InuYasha was going.

InuYasha kept on running at a speed that made him look like a red and silver blur, hoping to find Kagome before sunrise, he was taken by shear surprise when he felt something hit him hard in the shoulder, he looked around angrily at what caused him to stop and saw a miko face-to-face, he couldn't get over the fact that she looks so much like Kikyo, he was pulled from comparing her from Kikyo when the miko shot into the forest without a trace, InuYasha forced himself back into gear and went back to following Kagome's scent.

After a while, he slowed down when he spotted droplets of blood on the forest floor, the scent of the owner of the blood sent a stone brick crashing down in his stomach. 'If Sesshomaru is bleeding then there is a good chance that Kagome is wounded as well' he thought panic beginning to rush though him, 'Even if she's fine the blood will be enough to attract demons from miles around' he shook himself from the worst possibilities but did not last long when he spotted a piece of Kagome's fabric lying on the ground, specked with blood.

Sango and Miroku gave a sigh of relief when they saw InuYasha with his back turned to them.

"We thought we got separated from you InuYasha" Sango said, but she immediately knew something was wrong when he turned around and saw a look of horror written all over his face.

"I swear, when I find Sesshomaru, I am going to kill him with my own two hands" InuYasha said, but only a good two seconds later a shower of arrows came in their direction at an overwhelming rate.

"InuYasha, miasma is coming from these arrows…" Miroku wasn't able to finish when he inhaled too much of the purple haze and passed out, followed by Shippo, Sango and soon after, InuYasha.

Kuragari watched the group drop like flies after inhaling the miasma, "The only person who's going to kill Sesshomaru is Naraku, I'm not going to let that half-breed get in the way of his plans" she murmured before heading off in the direction of Naraku's castle.

Kagome couldn't pull her eyes away from the blood that was seeping through Sesshomaru's silks and the trail it was leaving behind on the ground when it dripped off the once white fabric. She saw that Sesshomaru had his hands in the opposite sleeve, signifying that he was clutching his wounds to try and cease their bleeding.

"You have to get those wounds bandaged or you could bleed to death" Kagome said, hoping that Sesshomaru would act smart this time and actually cover his injuries.

"I'll take care of everything when we get to the castle" He answered, "My wellbeing is none of your concern"

'Fine, have it your way but this time I'm not helping you when you pass-out' she thought, knowing perfectly well that she probably would help if he did.

'Man, how did I get myself in so deep?'

Glossary:

Hanyou- Half-Demon

Kuragari- Darkness

Youkai- Demon

Thats all for now folks! Thanxs again reviewers!