Author's Note: Yay! You guys did great on reviews, so I let both Kagome and Kikyo go (although some people wanted me to kill Kikyo while I had the chance…) InuYasha snarled at me, but then Kagome started screaming at him, and Kikyo tried to take him to Hell with her again. Oi Vey… Anyway, sorry this chapter's short. I wanted to get one out soon to reward you guys for your efforts.  Here it is! If you want the next one to be longer, don't forget to review! Remember, if you stop reviewing; I stop writing. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own, you don't sue.

Way Worn

Chapter 10: Green Demon

Nikomi lay on a soft bed of moss, mumbling incoherent nonsense, as a thin trickle of blood ran down her chin. Sweat beads were forming all over her body as she shivered uncontrollably. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, Dayu's thoughts continued to wonder about whether she would live or die.

            It wasn't hard to figure out that the Shikon jewel power that he had released killed every demon within a mile or so, perhaps even further. This fact also made it clear that Nikomi had been hurt from it, too. After all, half of the blood that coursed through her veins was youkai.

            The male hanyou crouched down above her, laying a clawed hand on her feverish forehead. Her skin was burning hot, no wonder she was sweating. He winced, and pulled his hand away.

            "I'm sorry," Dayu whispered to her, even though he was sure she wouldn't hear him.

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            He could smell the scent of her blood clearly on the wind. It was more than just outside of her body, he could smell it inside of her, trickling into places other than her veins. Nikomi was internally bleeding.

            InuYasha's mouth was set in a grin line. He had to find Nikomi and Dayu, and bring them back to Kagome. As it was, the female hanyou's scent told him that the miko might not be able to save her no matter how quickly the wounds were seen to.

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            "Who are you and what do you want?" Dayu demanded.

            "Me? I was simply pa…passing through." The green demon replied, shaking slightly.

            Dayu looked at him thoughtfully. This little toad-like demon did not seem to pose any threat. It did seem odd, though, that he was still alive. "Fine. You can go on your way now. I have a sickly friend to take care of, and I can't be bothered."

            "Sick you say?" It asked, glancing past the hanyou to the female on the moss, "How sick?" the creature looked up with a strange, almost delighted look upon his ugly face, "Do you fear she will die?"

            Dayu nodded. His stomach tightened, and threatened to turn on him as he did so. That simple nod was like admitting that she was already buried. It killed him inside.

            "Oh…" It hissed. After a few moments of pondering and watching the female hanyou shutter on the moss, it looked up again, "The… There might be a way to save her."

His grin was like ice, sending shivers down Dayu's spine.

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            Miroku crouched low over the footprint in the dirt. It was InuYasha's, no doubt. The monk sighed deeply as he picked up his staff, the rings on the top clanging together almost cheerfully. Miroku could not feel any joy today, no matter how beautiful the forest seemed.

            It had been so long ago. Fifteen years, and he could still remember the day she was born. He chuckled slightly, the memories bringing him a bit of happiness. He had attacked InuYasha, thinking that the hanyou was the cause of Sango's suffering. In fact, though, the poor creature had been just as startled as he was.

            The monk hadn't seen it then, but that day had been a blessing. Not only did he care for Nikomi as if she was his own daughter, but the child had brought he and Sango together.

            He had vowed to protect them, always and forever; and that was exactly what he intended to do.

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            "Tenseiga?" Dayu asked, his head cocked slightly to the side, "What is that?"

            "Ah… It is a most powerful sword, most powerful. It can heal the simplest wound, and even wake the dead if it's master bid it do so." The toad demon replied, his eyes wide.

            "It could heal Nikomi?" Dayu asked, glancing toward her as she groaned and shifted slightly.

            "Perhaps it could, perhaps it could. You have to convince the master of the sword to heal her for you. Of course, this is a problem. He'll ask you to do one favor for him. If you can do that…" Jakken was sweating now, and becoming slightly twitchy, "Lor—I mean, the sword master will save her."

That grin again… There was evil in it, Dayu knew. But in order to save Nikomi, he had no choice but to follow the creature's instructions.

Extra Author's Note: There are so many plot twists in this, I actually had to write them on sticky notes, and stick them around my monitor. It doesn't even look like a monitor anymore. It looks like… a screen with sticky notes around it, lol. If you want to find out what these plot twists are, then don't forget to review!