AN: Baka Neoshipper! Baka! _ Gomen! I've been behind in schedule again! And, if that wasn't bad enough, I can't go on the compy with Internet anymore ;_; So the updating process will be slow for a little bit until I can get Internet in my room.
Anyway, here's the next chappy, so sorry for the wait! _
~*^-^*~
"Kagome-chan!"
"Kouga-kun!"
Sango sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. She was exhausted and hungry and there was still no sign of Kagome or Kouga. Glancing up towards the trees, it had to be mid-day now. Frowning, she started forward again.
Somewhere in the distance she could vaguely hear Miroku calling for the missing party, and somewhere above the tree line was Kirara, searching from another viewpoint. Part of her reasoned that Kagome was with Kouga and she would be fine. But then there was that other part that argued and would nag her until she found them both unharmed.
A slight rustling in the bushes to her left caught her attention. Whirling around, she turned to face the disturbance. The bushes rustled again.
"Kagome-chan? Kouga-kun?" Taking a careful step forward, she removed Hiraikotsu from her shoulder. She cursed silently, wishing for some sort of backup should something go wrong.
The bushes growled, and Sango jumped, startled. In a blur of tan and black, Kirara sprung from the bushes and settled at her master's feet, hair raised.
"Kirara! You scared me! What is it?"
"Anata…"
Sango froze, afraid to look up. A pair of black and blue booted feet appeared in her line of vision. She closed her eyes and cursed. Not now, Kami-sama not now. She heard the clanking of metal and forced herself to look up and meet her brother's eyes. Dull, as they always were.
"Kohaku…"
Kirara hissed at Sango's feet, poised and ready to attack, even in her lesser form. Kohaku briefly glanced down at the neko youkai before looking back up at his rival.
"Kohaku, don't you remember me?"
Sango swore she saw a slight flash of recognition in his eyes, but whatever it was, it was gone. He raised his weapon above his head.
"Kohaku! Damme!"
Sango quickly moved Hiraikotsu in front of her and winced when she felt a jolt. So this is what it came to. Kohaku was never coming back. Gritting her teeth and fighting back the sting of tears, Sango moved back and prepared Hiraikotsu to fight.
~*^-^*~
"Kyaa!"
Kagome winced as her palms and knees were savagely torn up by the ground. She glared at the tree root over her shoulder before slowly getting to her feet.
"Baka, baka, baka." She hissed, turning around in a circle to survey her surroundings. She had run off after a stupid fight with Kouga and was now utterly and completely lost. Sighing, she allowed herself to slump down against a tree. Hopeless. She was hopeless.
"Kagome!?"
Kagome gasped and pressed her back more firmly against the tree she was leaning against. Kouga was nearby. Biting her teeth and forcing herself to be as still as possible, she waited. A few minutes of silence lapsed, and Kagome sighed. She wasn't ready to face him yet.
A twig snapped from in front of her and she frowned. She would have heard anyone if they were trying to sneak around her. Holding her breath, she forced herself to look up.
"I-Inuyasha!"
"Found ya, wench." He growled smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kagome quickly glanced to her left, then right. She was trapped. Inuyasha moved forward.
"If you take one step closer I'll…I'll scream!"
"Keh, scream all you want wench, but it won't help you in the end. You're all alone now. I can have your head before anyone could find you. Kagome grimaced and unconsciously reached for her neck. Inuyasha chuckled and stepped forward again.
Kagome bit back a whimper and instead kept her back pressed against the tree. She had to think, she was on her own this time. She didn't need any help, she'd show everyone. An idea suddenly popped in her head. It was a long shot, but it was better than sitting there and waiting to be eaten.
"OSUWARI!"
Sure enough, the prayer beads sent Inuyasha sprawling to the ground. Smiling despite the situation, Kagome used the tree to struggle to her feet.
"Why you little-"
"OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! O-S-U-W-A-R-I!!!!"
When she was sure the hole he was currently in was at least a foot deep, she ran. It didn't matter where to, she just knew she had to get out of there, and fast.
~*^-^*~
Kouga silently berated himself as he ran through the trees, calling for Kagome. The one person he wanted to keep close was the person he chased away. He growled angrily as he continued his search.
"Kagome!"
He slid to a halt and listened for something, anything. He could barely catch her scent amiss the animals and trees, so he was depending heavily on his hearing. Nothing. Cursing, he moved forward, eyes scanning the trees and bushes.
"OSUWARI! OSUWARI! OSUWARI! O-S-U-W-A-R-I!!!!"
Kouga sighed with relief, she as near by. His relief only lasted for a second before he started running towards her voice. There was only one person she could be with: Inuyasha.
~*^-^*~
"Kohaku! Stop this, onegai!"
Sango winced as Hiraikotsu took another beating. Shaking her head to clear away any thoughts, she backed away from her brother, now one of Naraku's henchmen. She had to focus. Had to keep to the task at hand. This was no longer her brother.
"Hiraikotsu!"
Even having come to that decision, she flinched as she hurtled her weapon, and even silently cheered when it missed. Kirara stood to the side, still hissing.
A twig behind her snapped and she whirled around. Was Kagura here too? She couldn't take on anyone else!
"H-Houshi-sama!" She exclaimed, surprised when the houshi burst from the bushes and into the clearing.
"Sango! Look out!"
Sango's relief was outlived when she saw Kohaku's sickle-like weapon coming for her head.
"Shimatta!" She barely had enough time to dodge to the side, and even then she felt the sharp edge of the blade catch on her cheek. Sango winced, trying very hard to ignore the blood trickling down her cheek to her chin.
"Sango, daijoubu?"
"H-hai." She smiled shakily, though she refused to turn around again. She could hear him approach from behind, Shakujou jingling as he walked. Kohaku seemed to hesitate for a second, suddenly outnumbered.
"I don't know if I can do it." She whispered, not tearing her eyes away from her brother. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder.
"You can do this, Sango. Whatever you decide, I'll support you."
"Houshi-sama…"
"Hai?"
"Arigatou."
~*^-^*~
AN: Phew, it's 11pm and I'm exhausted. Long day XP. Anyway, I'm glad I was finally able to update again. From the school computer, but hey, it's still an update. I've also finally updated my Sango/Miroku short stories, waii waii! Go check em' out if you haven't already ^-~
~*Neoshipper*~