Here goes sry about keeping u wait!

Chapter 14, Barely alive

Inuyasha lift his head and sniffed the air. He frowned and stood up, unsure about the smell. The others too saw he was acting strange and got worried.

"What is it now Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"I can smell blood." Inuyasha answered.

"Has someone been attacked?" Miroku asked and tried to stand up.

"Don't move. You're not healed yet." Sango said and pushed him back to sit.

"No, this is Kouga's blood. They're in trouble." Inuyasha told.

And after saying that he ran towards the direction of the river. Kagome stood up too and ran after him, leaving Sango and Miroku under the tree they had been resting.

"I bet some Kagemaru's demon attacked them." Miroku mumbled.

"Yeah. I hope they're alright." Sango agreed.

When Inuyasha reached the river, he saw Kouga lying on the ground unconscious. His wound was bleeding and he was sweating all over. Ayame was gone, and that made Inuyasha even more worried.

"Hey, wolf." He said and kneeled. "Are you alive? What happened?"

Without getting reply he turned the wolf demon around and saw he was just barely breathing. He frowned, knowing that Kouga didn't have much time left.

Kagome ran there too and gasped when she saw Kouga. She carefully walked to him and Inuyasha, kneeled and asked: "Is he…"

"Not yet. But soon if we won't do something." Inuyasha answered and lifted Kouga onto his back.

"What's happened to Ayame?" Kagome asked, looking towards the mountains.

"I don't know. We'll get some answers if this wimpy wolf awakes." Inuyasha answered.

"Yeah, now it's more important to take care his wounds." Kagome agreed.

So they two returned to Miroku and Sango, which seemed to be very shocked when they saw Kouga's wounds. Inuyasha put him down under the tree and sighed.

"Do what you do. I'll take a walk." He said and walked away.

For a while the other looked after him. Then Kagome took her first aid kit and started to tend Kouga's wounds. His heartbeats had weakened a lot, and she was very worried.

"Do you think he will die?" Kagome asked quietly after a while.

"I don't think so." Miroku reassured, smiling. "Your medicines are good enough to save him."

"I don't mean that. I think there is poison in his body." Kagome said.

"From what?" Sango asked. "Damn that Kagemaru! This was surely his doing!"

"Maybe Myoga-sama would know the antidote?" Miroku suggested.

"Sure. But at a time like this he won't appear." Kagome sighed.

"What? Are you saying I would run away?"

"Myoga-jiichan!" Kagome said amazed. "I thought you were hiding somewhere!"

"Humph! I would never leave Inuyasha-sama!" Myoga sniffed.

"But you did so." Miroku remarked. "Inuyasha left for a walk."

"Do you know what's wrong with Kouga-kun?" Sango asked.

Myoga jumped down to Kouga's chest and looked at the wound, with thoughtful look on his face. Then he said: "There's poison, yes. I think the only help now would be a Shikon shard."

"But the Shikon no Tama is in Kaede's village." Kagome said.

"Do you mean, if we don't break it and get a shard, Kouga will…" Sango started.

"I'm afraid yes. Or…" Myoga mumbled and sniffed the wound.

"Or?" The other asked at the same time.

"These wounds look like a water snake has done them. If it's so, there's another cure than a Shikon shard. But it's impossible to get it." Myoga told.

"Well what is it? Maybe we can try to get it." Kagome asked.

"If we take teeth of water snake and make medicine of it, it will help." Myoga answered.

The others knew it was impossible to get that tooth. And they knew the end was near for Kouga.

And what happens now…