CAUTION: This chapter will contain MILD gore. (Blood) I don't know how many of you are used to this, but please be warned.

Inuyasha was running, panting, forcing his feet to move faster. Black hair splayed out behind him, like a banner of weakness. But he kept running as fast as he could.

'Stupid idiots--I told them to wait, I told them not to go. But no one listens to me. If they die, it's not on my conscious.'

Kagome was flying down the stairs. She had recently nearly experienced a heart attack when she raised her eyes to the upstairs window, only to look down upon Sesshomaru facing off Miroku and Sango. That was all it took for her to go shooting down the stairs like someone had stuck a rocket up her butt.

The front door slammed open. "DON'T!" She shrieked.

But she had arrived only one moment to late.

It had already started.

Chapter 11: Duking It Out and a New Problem

"Don't!"

'That's Kagome's voice," Inuyasha ran even faster. He rounded the corner just in time to see the first hit.

Sesshomaru swung his sword down gracefully, clashing violently against Hiraikotsu, thrust upwards by Sango. Shock waves echoed in the small area, and with a grunt, Sango fell to her knees. Sesshomaru pushed harder, and small cracks began to form upon the boomerang. With sudden speed, Sango darted back to Miroku's side. She stood tall, but she was panting.

Miroku readied himself with his staff, and narrowed his eyes. Sesshomaru, however, didn't take him as seriously. Looking bored, he lazily addressed Miroku.

"If you wish to leave now I will not stop you. I have no wish to fight mere humans as yourselves."

Miroku scowled. "We will leave--with the slaves of this household. They are not humans, they are animals, and deserve right to be free." He replied darkly. Sesshomaru showed no change of expression.

"Then you have condemned yourself."

In an instant, he had vanished. Silver blurs were shooting around them, too fast for their eyes to follow.

"Ah!" Sango grabbed her arm in pain. Blood squeezed through her fingers and dripped to the ground.

"Sango!" Miroku moved towards her. "Are you a--ARG!" Miroku fell to his knees as blood sprayed up the back of his calves. Sango's eyes widened.

"Houshi-sama!" she cringed as another deep cut appeared on her other arm. She ran closer to him, and made to help him to his feet, she let out a blood curdling scream.

Kagome clapped both hands to her mouth as she watched Sango fall, blood pouring from a deep wound slit from her hip to shoulder blade.

Sango and Miroku sat close together grasping each other. Both were acquiring more and more cuts each second that passed.

Sango was trying not to cry, but she had lost so much blood that her mind wasn't working in the way that it should be. Tears were streaming down her face, and her vision blurred, Miroku's blood splattered nose only inches from her own.

"I…" Sango looked up. Miroku was raising his head slightly. There was a different gleam in his eye now. "I…I can't…take this anymore…" With sudden viciousness he ripped off the prayer beads that had always been wrapped around his right hand.

A screaming, black vortex opened on his palm. Wind whipped around Sango, throwing her hair out of its tight tie. Through the rushing air, no one heard her gasp, her eyes wide and jaw slack.

'How…how is this possible?'

The rushing silver blur suddenly stopped, only a small crease between his eyes to portray his minor surprise. Sesshomaru's sword shot from his grasp, and in the blink of an eye it had vanished into the swirling vortex.

Miroku clenched his fist shut and wrapped the beads around them. Breathing deeply, he rose to his feet, bringing Sango with him. Both of them faced Sesshomaru warily--he still had one more sword.

Sesshomaru gazed at them calmly. "Jaken, finish them."

And out of the bushes came a green lizard like creature. He held a staff with two heads, and he tottered towards them.

"Of course, Sesshomaru-sama." He held out the staff in front of him, and one of the mouths opened wide.

And on two separate sides of the front house, two different bodies and mind's kicked into gear.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha ran yelling in front of the wounded Miroku and Sango just as the staff floated off the ground and began to glow an unearthly blue. From the eyes of the woman on the staff, two beams of this blue light shot down and hit both Kagome and Inuyasha square in the chest.

Kagome braced herself for pain--but it never came. She could feel the energy that had been poured into her flowing through her body, and twitching slightly on her right wrist. She fell back to the ground feeling completely unharmed.

The staff fell back into the hands of Jaken and he grasped it, startled.

"Milord--I…I don't know what happened milord!" Sesshomaru gazed at them mildly.

"No matter. Their wounds are grievious--life will not sustain them long." Jaken scrambled to follow, but as soon as he did, the staff opened its mouth again and this time it spoke.

"And so it shall remain 'till you both are free."

Jaken cursed the staff and threw it against the house. "Sesshomaru-sama, the staff, it does not work…"

Kagome and Inuyasha kneeled where they were, next to Miroku and Sango. All of them felt relieved to be alive, and shocked at the occurrences.

There was a slight golden glow on everything now, and over the tree tops, past the house they could see the sun peeking over the mountains.

Their reactions to the golden orb were different. Miroku didn't seem to notice, while Sango slumped over in a mixture of defeat and exhaustion. Inuyasha smiled slightly, and shook his head as his black hair slithered to the ground, replaced by silver; his ears returned twitching to the top of his head. Kagome however, noticed something dark on her hands in the light.

It only took her a second to figure out what it was. Her hands were soaked in blood. There they all sat, sitting in a pool of Miroku and Sango's blood. With a shriek she turned to them all and proclaimed,

"We have to get you guys out of here! We have to get you tended to!" Sango nodded blearily, and Miroku tried to rise shakily to his feet, but he fell back due to the cuts on the back of his legs.

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at each other and nodded affirmatively. They both rose simultaneously, Kagome on his left, and helped the others to rise. Kagome draped Sango's arm around her shoulders, and supported her with her left arm. Inuyasha supported Miroku with his right, and they all traveled four across down the lane, and into the forest.

They all sat in the same small clearing where Inuyasha had first met them. Inuyasha dragged out a large kit and opened it to reveal medicine, and rolls upon roles of bandages and gauze.

He caught Kagome's raised brow. "I was expecting something like this," he answered sourly.

They both worked quietly for several minutes, bandaging and tying their wounds. This time was spent in silence.

When they were done, they all sat in a small circle facing each other. Against one tree--Kagome and Inuyasha who both looked in top shape--impeccably unharmed. Sitting across from them--Sango and Miroku, both looking like they'd just fought a war single handedly. They were covered in bandages everywhere, and Miroku had a nasty looking cut across his cheek, and Sango's forehead was still bleeding.

Silence.

"You're an idiot." Sango stated bluntly. "You shouldn't have come out there." Kagome blushed.

"You looked like you needed it." Both their faces softened.

"And we are thankful for that Kagome." Miroku smiled gently. "But, I suppose we need to be more careful now." Everyone nodded, all but Inuyasha, who sat cross legged, with his arms tucked in his sleeves.

"We can't go back to the mansion now," He said towards Kagome. "Dog-face is going to kill us for interfering. And you two" he nodded towards Miroku and Sango, "Can't be seen in public anymore. No doubt by tomorrow you'll have wanted posters with your pictures on them." Both nodded gloomily. This small motion caused Sango's head wound to drip a bit.

"Oh," Kagome said, rising. "I'll get that for you Sango."

Then she was slammed into the tree by an unseen force.

SBF: I know it was short again, but I tried to make it good. And I got a tiny bit of a plot! But tell me honestly; was that a really retarded or really evil way to end it?

Thank you so much for those who reviewed! I really don't think you guys know how much it means to me that you all review every time! It's really awesome!

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And another special thanks to : Miko no Kaze, toolazytologin, Szahara, karebare, and Raithya for all their suggestions. Thanks very much all you guys and girls! I really, really appreciate it!

Next Update: Sunday April 30