AN: Whoo! Neoshipper has finally gotten herself a computer! Which means…I can update more often, yay! X3

I got lots of constructive feedback, which I am very grateful for. I do realize that recently I've been leaning a little too far towards Sango/Miroku, but I promise to try and stop. I also re-read most of the story, and found quite a few mistakes, including the one pointed out that Kagome ran away and was injured, but she was well enough to run. Oops! I really should proof read things. ::sigh::

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the story, and I'm so sorry that I haven't had something to update on.

~*^-^*~

Her side ached terribly, one hand clutching feebly at the bandage wrapped around her stomach which was now coming undone. Looking down, Kagome grimaced. The bandage had taken on a dark pink hue, telling her that the running had reopened her wound. Mumbling under her breath, she stopped and leaned on a tree for support.

She didn't know how long she had been running, but she knew two things. She couldn't run anymore and she was utterly lost.

"If only I had stayed with Kouga, none of this would have happened. Kagome no baka." Talking to herself seemed to be the only thing keeping her from breaking into a complete panic, so she continued to whisper to herself under her breath.

A twig snapped from behind her, and she gasped, throwing herself forward, forcing her legs to carry her. Maybe she could still outrun him. A hand caught her arm and she cried out, frantically clawing and kicking, anything to pull away.

"Kagome! It's me!"

Kagome stopped struggling and glanced over her shoulder. Relief made her body sag as she saw Kouga was the owner of the hand. Allowing herself to take a few deep breaths, she offered a small smile.

"Gomen. I shouldn't have run off."

"Baka." He mumbled and pulled her into his arms, pressing her against his chest. Kagome whimpered, feeling the pelt around his waist digging into the tender wound on her side. He pulled back, but still kept his arms on her shoulders.

"You're bleeding!"

"Mm, I was running and I guess it was too much for me to handle right now." She giggled sheepishly and looked away. She heard Kouga sigh and move until he was kneeling in front of her. Alarmed, Kagome watched as he reached for the hem of her shirt.

"W-What are you doing!?" She slapped his hands away and pulled her shirt down as far as she could. Kouga gently took both her hands into one of his and pried them from their white-knuckled grip on the fabric.

"Trust me." He said, looking up into her eyes before once again reaching for the hem of her shirt. This time, she didn't stop him. She couldn't. Blinking, she watched as he rolled the shirt up gently until it rest just beneath her breasts.

"Hold this and don't let it go."

Kagome nodded mutely and grabbed the shirt, watching as he carefully reached around her to unwind the bandage. Unwillingly, a blush rose into her cheeks. Unable to turn away, Kagome watched with rapt attention as he worked, and shuddered every time his hand brushed her skin.

When the last of the soiled bandage was pulled off, Kagome winced. Indeed, it was bleeding again, but thankfully not too much.

"You're going to have to trust me on this, Kagome."

"T-trust you? What are you going to do?" Her knees trembled at the sheer closeness of him. Her voice was breathy and a little too high. Even before he said anything, she had a frightening though of what he was about to do.

"We need to clean the wound before we can bandage it back up."

"Kouga, how are you going to-"

Kagome froze as his tongue came in contact with her skin, dangerously close to the wound in her side. Her heart pounded in her chest, her eyes focused solely on the man who was no, oddly enough, licking her. His tongue ran against her skin in small, quick flicks, cleaning away the blood that had been there only moments before.

Without removing his mouth from her skin, Kouga rolled his eyes up, meeting Kagome's widened eyes. She held his gaze through half lidded eyes, and couldn't help but feel heat spread through her stomach into lower places. It took every ounce of control she had just keep from pushing her hips forward and arching her back in delight.

She watched as he pulled back, reluctantly. Immediately, the warmth receded and the cool breeze made her shudder when it caressed her damp skin. Now that he was done, she was suddenly embarrassed, and she wanted to yank her shirt down. Unfortunately, Kouga had other plans, as he grabbed a piece of her shirt sleeve and tore it.

"Ah! That's my shirt!" She cried in protest, watching as he easily tore it at the seams until her right arm was bared.

"Well now this just looks ridiculous!"

"We can fix that." He chuckled and before she could react, grabbed her other sleeve and tugged. Dismayed, she watched as he tied the two sleeves together and used them as a fresh bandage.

"I liked this shirt too." She pouted, allowing her shirt to fall and cover her. Peering down the length of her arms, she sighed.

"It was for your benefit. I don't think wolf fur would have been the most appropriate thing to put on a wound."

"Yea, I suppose you're right." Kagome nodded, though it still did not change the fact that she had really liked that shirt.

"Arigatou." She blushed, adding as an after thought as she turned her back to Kouga. How embarrassing!

"Well, isn't this touching?"

Kagome froze. Kouga turned around and growled, eyes narrowing. Inuyasha stood before them, arms crossed comfortably over his chest. His relaxed pose made him seem almost normal, uncaring. But his eyes betrayed his body, a cold hatred burning for Kouga. For both of them. Kagome turned around slowly and shuddered. She didn't know which look she hated more: The one he gave her when had chosen Kikyou, or this one.

~*^-^*~

Sango grimaced, wiping sweat from her brow. Kohaku circled her steadily, his weapon poised over his head, the blade coated in a think layer of blood. Glancing over to her side, she could see Miroku favoring his left arm.

"Kohaku! Why are you doing this? Snap out of it! You have to remember!" She knew it was a worthless attempt, but Sango was loosing hope fast. With the Shikon shard buried in his back, Naraku was free to control him, whenever and wherever he pleased. And he wanted Sango to know.

"Sango, he can't hear you!" Miroku dodged as Kohaku slashed at him. Sango watched numbly, blindly, for a few moments before finally unsheathing her katana. Taking a deep breath, she charged.

Kohaku was too late to move, and he only stood and stared as Sango came at him, her sword pointed towards his chest. His heart. He could see tears fill her eyes as she came at him, and he wanted to comfort her. To tell her it would all be all right. And then he felt pain. Then numb. Then nothing.

~*^-^*~

"So, this is it?" Kagome asked shakily, staring between the two men. Inuyasha moved his eyes to stare at her. Kouga growled. The corrupted shards Inuyasha held flared to life, a deep purple that reeked of Naraku. How could he be so blind when his true enemy was so close!?

"Kagome, back up." Kouga held out his arm as if to keep her from moving forward. But Kagome did want to move forward. She had to see Inuyasha. She had to talk to him, to try and make him understand. It was a long shot, and a risk, but a risk she was willing to take. One that, had she decided not to, she knew she would regret it.

"Inuyasha…Will you please, just listen to what I have to say?" She stepped forward until she couldn't move without bumping into Kouga's outstretched arm. Inuyasha continued to eye her, seeming to weigh his options. Kill now, or kill later. Kagome took his silence as a sign to continue.

"Inuyasha, I know you don't want to believe me, but just listen! What happened to fighting Naraku? Since when did we become your enemies? Sango? Miroku-sama? Shippou-chan? Kirara? Kouga? Me?"

Inuyasha growled, deep in his throat, clearly not approving what she had been saying up until that point. Kagome tried to ignore him, knowing she had to tell him everything now.

"You rejected me two years ago, Inuyasha. You chose Kikyou, I couldn't compete with her!" Tears filled her eyes as she thought back to all the times Kikyou was near. And every time he went back to her. He always went to her.

"When Kouga came…I was happy. Happier than I had been in the past two years. For once, I felt wanted. Like Kikyou must feel now that she has you. If you don't stop Inuyasha, you'll lose everything you were fighting for!"

"Kagome…" Kouga glanced over his shoulder, his eyes softening as he listened to the woman he had come to love. Inuyasha was a fool to give her up.

He didn't know how to react. He wanted to listen, to believe everything she said was true. Deep down he knew it was his stupid mistake that made her run. He practically opened the door for Kouga. But there was a sense of betrayal, of stubborn pride that prevented him from backing down.

Kagome watched him struggle, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. Biting her lip, she prayed for him to come back to her. The Inuyasha she once knew and loved. Kouga turned his attention back to his rival, alert.

'Kill them. Kill the girl.'

Inuyasha bowed over, clutching at his head. The voice wouldn't leave him alone. It wouldn't until he did as he was ordered. With a new vengeance, Inuyasha stood tall and stared at the couple before him. He took one last look into Kagome's hopeful eyes before lunging forward with his sword.

~*^-^*~

AN: Whoo! So much suspense! It's even killing me! Ahh, it's so good to have a computer again X3 I love it!

The part with Kouga "tending" to Kagome's wound was quite random actually, and I thought it would add for some nice, Kouga/Kagome fluff. And besides, it wasn't like either of them had water, and I would rather have Kouga lick me than no have my wound attended to at all, wouldn't you ^-^

Needless to say, it's your reviews and this spiffy new computer that help me continue to update. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for encouraging me and for the helpful comments. It's really made writing this fun ^-^

Hmmm, that kinda sounded like a goodbye speech, ne? Like, maybe I'll…STOP THE STORY HERE!! XD Naw, I'm having to much fun!

~*Neoshipper*~