AN: DC brought up that Sango crumpled at a critical moment. I re-read it, and while it may have been a tad OOC, I don't think it was too bad. Sango seems to get very emotional when her brother is involved. Or if you're talking about when Miroku collapsed, I know that Sango panics. **SPOILER** (i.e: In a later episode when Miroku used Kazanna to suck up Naraku's bees so Inuyasha could go find Sango, Kohaku, and Kagome. When Miroku is resting, Sango thinks it's her fault that he's hurt. He wakes up, reassures her, then "passes out", from which Sango tries to wake him up a little frantically.) Sure she got a little emotional, but she was watching her brother suffer and Miroku sacrifice himself. That's just my opinion, but I'll keep it in mind what you've said ^-^ And I just felt I should give Kikyo feelings. I'm very glad you appreciate that ^-~ I'm not a Kikyo fan, in fact, I despise her. Gomen to any Kikyo fans ^-^;; But that doesn't mean she doesn't have (had) feelings. Even though I said I don't like Kikyo, before everyone abandons me to read another fic, let me just say that I won't bash her. Who knows, she may even have a big part coming up in one of the future chapters. ^-~

Oh! And as for Kouga not going to help them or sending help, I had to keep everyone else out of the way for the "split in the group" to work. Otherwise I might have to kill off some people ^-^;; which I prefer to save for later ^-~

::head spins at all the comments she had to make::

Gomen! I've babbled! _ If anyone actually read through this, I applaud you.

Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own Inuyasha tachi. Wish I did ::sigh:: Hehe, Elk sighs a lot. ::glomps Elk:: Does anyone else play .hack??? ^-^

~*^-^*~

"Bastard!"

Kagome awoke to a harsh battle cry. Moaning, she rubbed her eyes. What time was it? Where was she? A growl from her side made her open her eyes. Kouga? What was he doing sitting next to her? With his arm around her? Blushing, she turned to look at the unwelcome visitor.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome, now fully awake, sat up and stared at the hanyou. He was agitated, which was painfully obvious. Low growls rumbled from the back of his throat as they usually did when he was angered or on the brink of a transformation. Kagome panicked for only a second until she sought out his sword, still tightly at his side. They were safe for now.

"Where did you go? I couldn't find you anywhere! I was worried!"

"Feh! You look real worried all over this wimpy wolf." Inuyasha jabbed his finger at Kouga. The wolf snarled in response, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Kagome bit her lip to keep from yelling back. Yelling would get her nowhere.

"I was NOT all over him. I was sleeping."

"Yea, with him."

"OSUWARI!"

THUD

Kouga smirked gleefully as he watched Inuyasha struggle to rise off the ground. Didn't the dog see he was fighting a losing battle?

"You fuckin' wench, I swear I'll…."

"You lay one filthy paw on her and I'll rip you to pieces!"

Kouga jumped up and stood protectively in front of Kagome. She whimpered as she felt the familiar panicking sensation spread from her head to her toes. Taking short, shallow breaths, Kagome backed up until the wall supported her back.

"Kagome?" Kouga turned when he heard her breathing become uneven. Inuyasha grinned before lunging forward, Tetsuaiga out of its' sheath and aimed at Kouga's chest.

"Kouga-kun! Watch out!" Kagome shrieked as she hid her face behind her arms. She heard metal contact with solid ground and gave a sigh of relief. Kouga, who had rolled out of the way, quickly sprang up and dove for Inuyasha. A few cheers were heard from the cave entrance where the wolf youkai tribe watched on.

Kagome watched, horrified as the two leaped at each other. They were fighting for blood.

~*^-^*~

"Hang on, Houshi-sama."

Sango untied the sash around her waist and hurriedly pressed it against the wounds on Mirokus' back. Gritting her teeth, she ripped pieces of his robes until his back was completely visible.

"Kirara! Go get Kagome-chan! We need some of her supplies, it'll be too risky to try and move him!"

The cat roared before heeding her master's wishes and taking off to get help. Sango sighed as she continued to soak up the blood.

"Houshi no baka."

She wiped away a tear and shook her head. Was it her fate to have people close to her hurt? Or was it written across her forehead: "Please make sure you hurt/kill anyone close to Sango."? Curiously, Sango ran a finger down the side of his face to his jaw. She was mildly surprised to feel a soft stubble on his chin. Smiling despite heself, she brushed an unruly bang out of his face. How can someone who looked so innocent in their sleep be such a hentai when awake?

"You really are a baka."

"Am I? Didn't I just save your life?" Came a raspy reply. Sango gasped, startled, and fell back onto her butt. Miroku grinned weakly and cracked an eye open, enjoying the look of shock sitting clearly on the taijiya's face.

"How? But you're-weren't you…?"

Sango felt heat rise into her cheeks. How stupid could she be? Of course he would be awake, if anything that screamed female was within a three mile radius, Miroku would be the first to know.

"Weren't I what?"

She could hear the playful tone as he raised an eyebrow. Groaning in frustration, she turned away, refusing to meet his eye.

"Nothing."

Silently, she prayed for the quick return of Kirara, fully aware of Miroku's attention honed onto her. His hand brushed hers and she jumped, before turning to glare at him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Sango."

"H-houshi-sama, I should be glad you're okay." Her glare softened as a blush tinted her cheeks. Why was it that he had this effect on her? He was the only one who could make her blush.

"Sango…"

"Maa maa, you should rest until Kagome-chan can get here with the medicine." She said as she busied herself dabbing the blood away from his back. Busying herself was not helping keep her mind off of Miroku. Especially when busying herself meant cleaning his back. Underneath the fabric of the sash she could feel his muscles ripple with tension, then slowly relax.

'Kagome-chan! Hurry!'

Sango prayed silently, this time not for Miroku's health, but for her own.

~*^-^*~

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome gasped as Kouga's claw ripped into Inuyasha's shoulder. Appalled, she watched the two dive then retreat, then come in again for an attack. She had tried calling out to them and even threatening, but nothing averted their attention.

A small 'mewl' sounded from her side and Kagome glanced down. Kirara brushed against Kagome's leg until she was scooped up.

"Kirara! What are you doing here? Where's Sango-chan? Miroku-sama?"

Kirara mewled again and bit down on Kagome's sleeve. Startled by the cat's strength and determination, she stood and let Kirara jump out of her arms.

"Kagome?"

The fight had stopped for the time being, both participants watching the small cat youkai transform until she was large enough to ride.

"I think she wants us to follow. Something's wrong." Acting on instinct, Kagome grabbed her bag and slid onto Kirara's back. Fighting down the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she turned towards Inuyasha and Kouga.

"Follow Kirara!"

Both nodded, silently agreeing to finish the fight later. Kouga, having shikon shards equipped in his legs, was faster than both Inuyasha and Kirara, and picked up a scent.

"Blood."

Frowning, Kouga took off again in a whirlwind of air until he came to a halt in a small clearing. Suspicions confirmed, Sango was there with Miroku face down at her side. It only took another minute before both Inuyasha and Kirara arrived.

"Sango-chan! Miroku-sama! Daijoubu?" Kagome ran awkwardly towards the coupled. Sango looked up, relief painted on her face, and nodded.

"I was able to slow the bleeding, but his wounds need to be cleaned and he needs proper bandaging." She motioned to the makeshift sash tied loosely around his back, blood seeping through.

"I have some peroxide and bandages here. I always knew it would come in handy."

"P-per-ox…ide?" Sango tried the foreign word on her tongue. Kagome nodded absently as she pulled a large brown bottle, small puffy white clouds (Sango later found out that these were cotton balls), and clean white bandages.

"Is he awake?"

"I am now, Kagome-sama." He muttered, his face buried in the grass. Sango rolled her eyes. How long had he been faking sleep this time? Luckily, she hadn't slipped and said anything.

"Good. You're kinda twisted at a weird angle, can you pillow your arms underneath your head, but still stay on your stomach?" Kagome asked as she opened the bottle of peroxide. Sango picked it up and curiously sniffed it. Her face scrunched up and she hurriedly put the bottle away. It smelled awful!

"It doesn't only smell bad, Sango-chan. It stings too."

"Stings?"

Miroku frowned, looking up at the girls from his newly found position. Kagome shushed him and soaked a cotton ball. She was about to place it on his back when she caught Sango staring.

"Ne, Sango-chan, do you think you can do this? I need to talk to Inuyasha and Kouga-kun. They were having a little fight before Kirara got us."

"Sure, Kaogme-chan." She said, eyeing the girl wearily. Taking the wet cotton ball from her friend, she testingly dabbed it on a not particularly deep scratch. Miroku hissed.

"It helps if you blow on it, Sango-chan!"

"Arigatou, Kagome-chan." Sango ground out before leaning over and gently blowing on the freshly cleaned spot.

Miroku shuddered beneath her, her soft breath tickling his skin. It didn't go unnoticed by Sango, who grinned wickedly. Time for her revenge.

Every time she applied more medicine, she accompanied it with a long, tantalizing blow. Miroku dug his fingers into the grass, clearly frustrated being so close to a female and half dressed and not being able to do anything.

He stifled a groan when he felt her hair tickle his back at the same time her breath warmed his skin. Unable to keep still any longer, Miroku grabbed Sango's hand and pulled her to him, at the same rolling so he was on his back.

Sango shrieked, clearly startled, and let the peroxide and cottonballs fall to the ground. She only worried about them for a second as she stared at Miroku's face. They were close. Too close.

"H-Houshi-sama, what are you doing? I have to dress your wounds." She protested, struggling to move off of him. She heard a startled gasp from behind and had no doubt how this must look to Kagome. Despite her struggling, Miroku did not loosen his grip, merely smirking instead.

"My wounds are fine, thanks to you." He growled huskily. Sango's eyes widened in shock. Miroku chuckled and buried his head against her neck. Sango tensed, waiting for him to try something, but all she felt was his breath against her skin. She shivered, suddenly realizing that she was being tortured in the same fashion he just was!

"You smell like wild flowers." He muttered, his lips moving against her skin as he spoke. Sango gulped, unsure of what she was to do. She knew she couldn't beat him senseless because he was injured. To her surprise, she found she didn't want to leave his arms. What the hell was wrong with her!?

"Ne, Houshi-sama, I need to get up." Sango said as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. Reluctantly, he let her go and watched as she quickly crawled away from him.

"It's getting late, we should head back." Kagome said as she approached Sango. Kouga nodded and came up behind her.

"These woods are dangerous at night, wouldn't want Kagome to get hurt." He smirked when he saw Kagome blush. Sango nodded mutely and helped pull Miroku to his feet. His robes were still not on all the way, and he was bare from the waist down. Sango averted her eyes quickly and picked up her abandoned Hiraikotsu.

"Let's go." Kouga said as he kneeled down so Kagome could climb on his back. Inuyasha growled from behind them.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome turned her head to look at him, her eyes saddened. He only glared and went off ahead of them. Kagome sighed.

"This is one huge mess."

"Daijoubu, Kagome. I'll help you fix it." Kouga winked before heading back to the den. That left just Sango, Miroku, and Kirara."

"C'mon, Houshi-sama." Sango muttered as she mounted Kirara. Miroku nodded and after a few moments of struggling, was able to pull himself on behind her. She noticed, with guilt, that he slumped heavily against her back, Shakujou barely gripped in his hands.

"Arigatou." She murmured before nudging Kirara forward. Miroku smiled into the fabric of her clothes, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her.

~*^-^*~

AN: Wow, I am so sorry this took so long to finish! ^-^;; I'm very open to suggestions for what should happen next. I'm kinda having a little writer's block. XP Yucky!

Review please!

~Neoshipper~