Two full days had come and gone without his spoken word. Sweat drenched his neck and back, and he could no longer control his shakes. Had he resigned himself to die? His eyes stared dully at the ground before his feet–empty, unfeeling. His head drooped in the same position for hours at a time, thick strands of his hair efficiently hiding his face. The wound on his chest had formed into a crusty sore, gluing his shirt to his skin with dried blood as it healed. He was disgusting, self-loathing, and yes, he was waiting to die.

He cursed himself mentally; his safety should have come first. Why did the only time in his life he ever cared for someone cost him everything? No, that wasn't entirely true–he had loved his mother deeply. But now his actions were completely irrational–he didn't even know Kagome. How could he throw his life away? He foolishly thought she would save him. He cursed himself for being weak, for needing to be saved.

His mouth was dry around the cloth gag–an uncomfortable reminder that he couldn't be trusted by the girl he tried to save. He mentally laughed at himself, feeling hysterical. He was a disgrace to his bloodline. None of that mattered now.

Kagome shuffled around the room, checking and re-checking her wards. Anything to keep herself occupied. Petty card games had lost their interest long ago and it pained her to look at Inuyasha. She could feel the seconds count by mixed with the heavy beating of her heart as she waited for Sango to return with the location of the exchange and half of the payment. What if she didn't return? What if this was the wrong thing to do? Could she do this? She left her questions unanswered, save for one. This was the wrong thing to do.

He forced himself not to watch her. Nothing could be done now. He refused to die while pleading for her mercy. This was how he would die, of all ways, by a coward rival who couldn't face him in a fight.

"You have a good heart, Inuyasha," she called to him, breaking the hut's silence for the first time in hours as she walked directly in front of him.

He snorted to hide his pain. She enjoyed torturing him.

She continued oblivious to his agony. "I felt it when I kissed you."

He looked to her hotly, wanting to yell at her, but remained silent. Look what she had done to him. He should have killed her when he had the chance. He might have regretted it, but at least he would have lived to feel that pain.

Her words sounded empty as if she was focusing her attention on something else as she spoke. "Sango will not return to us," she continued, ignoring his glare, "and something powerful is coming. My barriers will not hold. You do understand, don't you?"

He barely had time to register her words as the whirlwind hit the small shack, shattering the wood to pieces. The force of the winds made it painful to breathe as wood splinters shot through the air, the shack now demolished completely. As the wind died down and the dirt clouds settled, he glanced up, noticing the pink shimmer in the air around him. Kagome was on her knees before him in resistance to the force, her twin blades crossed defensively blocking the attack. The defense had clearly taken a lot out of her.

A harsh female laugh floated down upon them, causing them both to glance upward, spotting the woman youkai as she seemed to hover on a large white feather. She fanned herself idly as she settled her condescending stare on Inuyasha. "Just the hanyou I was looking for."

In an instant she had slashed the air with her fan, sending another attack, but this time Kagome had anticipated it and was quicker. She stabbed her left-hand sword into the ground causing a solid wall of earth to rise as she turned and grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's shirt, jerking him roughly to his feet. Her words could barely be heard above the roar of the wind as she screamed aloud what she was finally forced to admit to herself: "I don't want you to die!"

To his amazement, his bindings fell away loosely, and she shoved him forward in the direction of his sword. The dirt wall had shattered, absorbing the force of the wind, giving him moments to find the weapon in the rubble of the shack before another attack would be launched.

Exhilarated, he clutched the hilt of the rusted sword and jerked it up in time to block another attack. Instantly, he jumped at the woman, slicing her to no effect. He landed, claws digging into the earth to stop his skid, cursing at the ineffective sword. Why had it not transformed? He couldn't figure out what caused it to work at certain times and not others. He would have to attack with his claws–they were less effective but more reliable.

He wondered how long he could fight in his weakened state as he blocked another attack and launched one of his own. His energy was returning but too slowly to aid him now. He heard a startled cry and lost his focus, turning to search for her instantly. "Kagome!"

He launched himself at her, scooping her up and out of the way of the next series of Fuujin no Mai. He set her down behind one of the larger trees before turning his attention back to the fight. She grabbed for his arm and he scowled at her. "Just stay out of the way. You'll only get yourself killed faster."

"Are you saying there's no hope for me?" she cried gripping the hilt of her katana tighter, hesitation staining her face.

He tossed her his red haori that he had retrieved with his sword. "Wear that; your defenses wont last against Kagura."

She glared at him and started to reply, but he had already returned to face the wind user.

"Inuyasha, too afraid to face me?" she taunted him, her words condescending. "Would you like to watch as I slay the girl? Or do you prefer that I kill you first?"

He gritted his teeth, gripping Tessaiga with two hands in front of him. Kagome, please, run away from here. His heart felt desperate, and suddenly the sword flared to life, transforming into the shape of a fang. Surprised, at the reaction from his sword, he leapt at Kagura intent to slice her before she had a chance to attack. However, he was too slow and was forced to dodge the attacks as he sliced the air, missing her by inches, yet managing to sever her feather.

She cried out as she fell toward the ground, but pulled another feather from her hair to catch herself. As she rose higher into the air, she called out, "Fool, don't presume to think you could finish me!"

The wind suddenly swirled violently, causing Inuyasha to shield his eyes, and when it had died she was gone.

"Coward," he breathed into the air, sheathing his sword at his side and turning back to the direction where he left Kagome.

"Oi, Kagome," he called out as he leapt over, landing at the base of the tree. He was met with only the image of his red haori lying crumpled on the ground where she had previously stood. He sighed, both grateful and hurt that she had chosen to leave him. "So she did run away."

Had she thought him unable to protect her, or had she feared his claws once he finished Kagura? He should have known she wouldn't trust him after what he said. But they were both alive and that was good enough for him. It was best that she was gone now. He picked up his haori and smiled, flinging it over his shoulder as he walked away.