I'm sorry about keeping you waiting for so long. School has been keeping me so busy, I haven't even had time to THINK about getting on the computer. Anyway, please be patient and I promise when summer comes, I will have chapters up more often. THANK YOU!!!! -

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Chapter 5: Dead, Alive, or Injured
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Two figures stood looking at a poster. It read "REWARD. Dangerous circus animal on the loose. Wanted alive."

"There's a pretty big reward out for catching that thing," one said, looking at the photo on the poster.

"And it's dangerous to let it wander around among common people," the other replied.

"This will be extremely difficult to bring it back unharmed."

"Where does it say unharmed? I only want it back alive," a voice behind them said.

The two turned to see a man with waist-length, wavy black hair and piercing red eyes.

"Do whatever it takes to get it back to me and I will see that you have your reward."
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Kagome groggily opened her eyes. The sun was shining softly through the trees and onto her face. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Inuyasha was already busy terrorizing the squirrels. Leaving him to his antics, Kagome began to make some oatmeal for breakfast. While it was cooking, she made a bright red haori and added the final touches to the kimono. Inuyasha, drawn by the scent of food, returned to the campsite. Kagome noticed that his wrists and neck were still caked with dry blood. However, they were near a stream and the oatmeal still wouldn't be ready for a while. After all, it was hard to cook anything with just a little campfire.

"Hey, Inuyasha. Let's go get you cleaned up and then I have something for you."

Inuyasha gave her an inquisitive look, but followed her down to the stream. He entered the stream and waited patiently while Kagome gently scrubbed the blood and dirt from his body with the icy water. He was rather tense at first, but gradually relaxed. Her hands were so soft and gentle...

Kagome could feel Inuyasha's uneasiness at her touch. She couldn't blame him, though, after what he'd probably been through. She washed the blood from his wrists, neck, and back, being careful not to re-open his healing wounds. It was a wonder he still had enough energy and cheer to chase squirrels.

"There! Let's get back to camp and dry you off."

Once back at camp, Kagome began digging through her backpack for something to dry Inuyasha off with. The only thing she found was some leftover cloth.

'Well, I guess this will have to do,' she thought.

Inuyasha had a different idea. He shook himself from head to toe, spraying water all over the campsite. Kagome shrieked as she was drenched with ice-cold water.

"Augh! Here!" she screamed, throwing the cloth at him. "USE it!"

Inuyasha did nothing of the sort. Kagome pulled the kimono out of her backpack.

"I don't know why I'm doing this for you, but this is for you," she said, holding the kimono up. "Well, come here and try it on."

She helped him put the kimono on, allowing him to keep his modesty by letting him keep on the shreds of what he had before. Once finished, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Wow! You look great!"

Inuyasha looked himself over as well as he could. He tripped on one of the over-sized sleeves while turning around and did a face-plant. Kagome couldn't help laughing. Inuyasha picked his face up out of the dirt and growled at her.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. You just looked so funny!"

Kagome began to spoon the oatmeal into the bowls for her and Inuyasha.

"So, do you like the kimono?"

Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome stopped with the spoon halfway to the bowl she was filling. 'Wait as second. Did he just... nod? Dogs don't nod, do they?'

Inuyasha let out an irritated growl and Kagome realized that she had been staring at him.

"Oh! Sorry!"

She finished serving breakfast and began eating.

="I've heard that long ago, he used to be almost exactly like a human."=

'Maybe,' she thought, 'maybe he has a chance of becoming human again.'
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It was a beautiful day. The birds were singing and a gentle breeze wafted through the trees. Overall, it was just a very peaceful day.

"INUYASHA!!!!!"

But then, peace never really lasts very long.

"Inuyasha you MUTT!! Get back here!!"

A sopping wet Kagome was chasing Inuyasha full speed through the forest, prepared to clobber him with a rock she shouldn't even be able to lift.

"Inuyasha!!!"

BAM!!!!

"All I was doing was trying to get the dishes halfway clean! You didn't HAVE to shove me into the friggin' river!"

Inuyasha, now sporting a giant lump on his head, hid behind a bush and pretended not to listen.

"Geez! I'm going to go change. You'd better not peep unless you want another lump on your head!"

Kagome walked away, trying to wring some of the water out of her dripping green shirt. Inuyasha sulked behind his bush. After a couple of minutes, Inuyasha became bored and began looking for a squirrel to chase. Suddenly, his dog-like ears twitched. He cautiously sniffed the air. His eyes widened in fear and he ran in the direction of Kagome's scent. Kagome had just finished putting on her shirt when Inuyasha came tumbling into the clearing. He screeched to a halt when he saw Kagome's angered face.

"Inuyasha...! I told you not to come here!"

Inuyasha very quickly turned around and ran in the direction he came from, deciding that Kagome was more frightening than anything else at that moment. Kagome was searching for another rock to clobber him with when she heard a yelp from somewhere in the forest.

"Inuyasha?"

Kagome quickly abandoned any idea of finding a rock and ran off in the direction Inuyasha had gone. When she found him, two people wearing outfits bearing the circus emblem were trying to throw a net over him. Inuyasha dodged the net and prepared to gouge the men with his claws.

"Inuyasha, no! Don't hurt them!" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha stopped mid-swipe, stunned for a minute. He yelped as one of the men plunged a pocket knife into his shoulder. He turned around and delivered a kick to each of them instead, knocking them both unconscious. Kagome immediately ran up and knelt down beside him.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" she asked, reaching to pull out the knife in his shoulder. He growled and pulled away when she touched the knife.

"I'm sorry if it hurts, but we have to take it out."

Inuyasha continued to growl, but allowed her to pull the knife out.

"We'd better get this bandaged up. Wait right here."

Kagome dashed back to her backpack and snatched a handkerchief since she didn't have any bandages, then ran back to Inuyasha. Dropping down beside him, she tied the handkerchief around his shoulder as gently as she could so she wouldn't hurt him.

"There. I hope it's not too tight."

She frowned as a small amount of blood soaked through the handkerchief.

'Dangit! I liked that handkerchief!'

She glanced at the unconscious forms of the two men. "So, I guess these must be Naraku's goons."

Inuyasha growled in response.

"Shippo was right. Do you think you can walk, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha snorted and took an arrogant step forward, only to nearly fall on his face as soon as he put weight on his arm.

"I guess we'll be staying here for the night. You shouldn't be walking on it if it hurts that much. Let's at least get away from these guys, though," Kagome said, gesturing towards the fallen men. "I'll help you walk."

Inuyasha once again snorted, but allowed Kagome to help him get back to the campsite.

"I'm going to run into town to get some bandages and medicine for you. You wait here and rest. And no squirrel chasing in your condition, okay?"

Inuyasha turned his head to the side and made a noise that sounded something like "feh."

"I'll take that as an okay," Kagome said dryly. "Be back soon!"

Only when Kagome was out of sight did Inuyasha let his pride fall and he fell asleep, exhausted.
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Kagome wandered down the streets, looking for a cheap place to buy some medical supplies. Perhaps a first aid kit or something. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the word REWARD written in large red letters. Her curiosity took over once again and she turned down the alley. She wasn't very surprised when she saw Inuyasha's picture in the middle of the poster. However, she was fairly worried.

'This is great,' she thought. 'Now they've got mercenaries out looking for Inuyasha, too.'

Suddenly, a blur of red rushed past her.

'Inuyasha? What's he doing here?'

"Stop, beast!"

Kagome looked behind her to see four men, all with circus emblems sewn to their shirts, running towards her. Or rather, towards Inuyasha. Without any further hesitation, Kagome ran after Inuyasha.

-----

Sango and Miroku were walking down the street and simply enjoying the day. Suddenly and without warning, a blur of red and silver sped past them, nearly knocking them over. Seconds later, a girl ran past, followed by four shouting men.

"Did you see what I saw?" Sango asked Miroku.

"Indeed I did. I think we just found what we were looking for."
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Sorry. Writer's block. - I hope you liked it anyway! Review please!