I know I can't I can't answer reviewers… damned rule, really!

Chapter 16, Crushing pains

Everywhere was dark. His eyes wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried. Water. He was thirsty, but couldn't open his mouth to drink anything. It was hurting so much that he could have yelled, if he'd have strength to do it. He couldn't see, couldn't speak, but he heard. Heard the voices and felt the pain. Pain was so great that he couldn't resist anymore, he just wanted it to go away…

Kagome checked Kouga's pulse very worried. Then she turned towards the others with a very sad look on her face, making Sango and Miroku afraid.

"His pulse has weakened again." Kagome said silently. "At this rate he won't last for long."

Miroku took a glance towards the sun, which was setting in the direction of the river. It had been almost and hour already since Inuyasha had left.

And as usual, Myoga-jiichan had left too. After hearing what had happened earlier with Kagemaru, he had said something was surely going to attack them and it wasn't safe to be with them.

"Inuyasha should be here already." Miroku just said.

"Yeah. Maybe he hasn't found the water snake and…" Sango started.

"Stop talking like that!" Kagome snapped, making Sango confuse a bit. Kagome sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sango. I'm just worried about him, and Kouga, and Ayame…"

"It's okay." Sango said, forcing to smile. "He will find that snake. Kouga will be alright and then we will go and find Ayame. And kill that damned Kagemaru."

"Sango is right." Miroku agreed. "Just calm down and count on Inuyasha."

"Yeah. Okay." Kagome said, smiling tiredly. The others smiled too.

They all counted on Sango's words, though they knew it was probably too late to have hope. Kouga's heart was hardly beating anymore and he was pale like the snow.

If they would wait for too long, it would be too late for him to survive from the poison.

"Aaaaaah!" Inuyasha yelled in pain, when a giant water snake hit him with its tail.

"Damn it!" He cursed and tried to get up from the ground he had crushed because of the hit. "You…"

Inuyasha attacked towards the water snake, but it quickly avoided and hit him again, this time making him splash onto the water. Then it dived underwater and bit him, but he quickly jumped off of the water. Before the snake came back to surface Inuyasha made his move.

"Die you damned thing! Kaze no Kizu!"

The snake managed to avoid a bit, but some of the blows hit it, making it let out a strange voice of pain. Inuyasha hit again, slashing right through its mouth and killing it. At the same time he got the tooth.

And then he just stood there, watching the snake sinking into the river's blood-red turning water and holding the tooth in his hand.

'I made it.' Inuyasha thought tiredly. 'I really made it. Now I just have to get back quickly.'

He started to run back towards the place the others were, but was so wounded and tired that he couldn't continue running. He had to walk, breathing heavily and suffering with every step. But he was never ever going to give up.

It felt like something was trying to crush him. The pains had got even greater and he was sweating all over. The voices around him had dropped and he just wanted to give up, get loose from the pain. He wanted to sleep without pains, sleep endlessly without evil and pains and cruelty…

No. Something inside him still wanted him to live. Something from far away, something from beyond the pain. A voice, a picture of a girl. Calling out to him, begging him to hang on… Ayame.

No, he couldn't give up now! Ayame was captured somewhere, alone, and needed help. No, he couldn't die yet. He had to help her, save her from the hands of evil.

And the memory of Ayame made Kouga hang on and not to give up.

Miroku and Sango were sleeping under the tree. Kagome sensed Kouga was fighting and could just hope he would stand the pains just for a little longer. Just as long as Inuyasha would come back. And then, she heard a voice calling out to her.

"I found that damned tooth. Now make that medicine quickly." Inuyasha said tiredly and fell onto the ground, the tooth still in his hand. He had totally run out of strength.

I've been making anime web site so I haven't wrote in long time… hopefully I soon get interested of this again xD