Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha

A/N The second Final chapter!

Circus Dog

Chapter 16. Injuries

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Sango panted, lowering her weapon in awe. The entire mass of youkai she was fighting off along with Miroku had just disintegrated into nothing. They were all gone. All the wolf soldiers cheered loudly and threw their arms in the air in happiness.

It was all over.

They were free.

The monk sighed, glancing over to Sango and smiling softly, "We'd better find Kagome and Inuyasha. Knowing them, they're probably arguing right now."

Kirara trotted to their side and lowered herself to let them on her back. She had roared loudly and taken off into the air as soon as the two were sitting comfortably. They had flown by many tents that were torn to shreds, cages that were wrecked, and stands that were knocked over. They had also passed Kouga, Ayame, Kagura, and the wolves. There was nothing left of Goshinki, Sango noted, just like the demons that had disintegrated earlier.

"You were being reckless!"

"I was not! I'm a lot tougher than a human ya know!"

"Yeah, and look where that got you! You are so stupid sometimes, I could just kill you myself!"

"Keh, we all know that you don't have it in ya."

"Don't bet on it."

"I would actually."

"You…You…."

"You should calm yourself my dear, giving in to his taunts is just what he wants—"

"Be quiet Teruyuki."

"I'm just saying—"

"Zip it."

"Feh, I'm startin' to like this guy."

"Gah! You boys are impossible!"

Miroku grinned, "See, I told you they would be fighting when we found them."

Sango sighed, "How much do I owe you?" She motioned for Kirara to descend.

"A kiss?"

"How about a kick instead." Sango growled with narrowed eyes.

"On second thought, I don't need anything!" Miroku laughed sheepishly.

The fire neko had landed softly onto the ground, letting the two off. She had then transformed into her smaller form and mewed cutely.

Teruyuki bowed and said his hellos and farewells to everyone before returning to the sword to rest. Then the entire group united and made their way to Sesshoumaru's building. They had split up into groups and led different squads in different ways to the youkai building. They did not want any humans to spot an enormous group of creatures marching in the center of the streets so late at night. By sunrise, what was left of the cirque was transported to HQ, including any of the members that wanted to stay under the care of the youkai lord.

"Everything seems to be in order. Are you all positive that no human laid eyes on either of these youkai while coming to this building?" Sesshoumaru questioned the group leaders.

"We're all sure Sesshoumaru-sama. We were careful on our way here to the point where some had traveled by sewer." Miroku replied.

"Very well." Sesshoumaru buzzed a button on his desk.

"What is it Fluffy?" Rin piped.

"Do all our new guests have rooms Rin?"

"Of course! They're all settled in. Some have been paired up in an apartment, but they were fine with it, especially the wolf clan. The actual wolves however have been taken to the new, ahem, twin gym that had been formed earlier. They have a lot of space to run around in so they won't feel crammed." Rin replied.

Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha for a moment before telling her that she did a good job and to go back to her room to rest. Inuyasha had sent glares back to his older brother and had snorted at him.

"You may all return to your quarters to rest." Sesshoumaru announced, "There will be nurses waiting in your rooms to treat your wounds before you sleep."

Miroku smirked, 'Heh heh, nurses hmm? I can't wait—' He felt a shiver and turned shakily towards Sango. He froze instantly, seeing her eyes filled with anger and flames. "S-Sesshoumaru-sama… I can tr-treat my own wounds thank you.."

Inuyasha chuckled, "Same old perverted monk…" He mumbled.

With that said, everyone had left to return to their rooms, safe for Kagome. She was asked to stay behind despite the hanyou's protests. She had ushered him off and sat down on the sofa quietly.

"Kagome, you will leave as soon as possible to return to your home. The Higurashi shrine has been repaired, and your family is to arrive shortly from their vacation. I had several of my employees slow them down and keep them away for as long as possible to give you time to repair all the damages in this city." He pushed his chair away from his desk and rose, walking to his window to look down on the darkened Tokyo. "I trust this is to your liking?"

Kagome sighed in relief, "Thank the gods it was all redone… But it must have cost so much money, it's only right that I repay you in some way Sesshoumaru-sama."

"There is no need. Saving my brother, re-claiming the Shikon, and destroying Naraku are plenty. Above all, you saved a great deal of youkai and brought the rest of them here. I will be able to provide charms for all of them to hide their demonic forms. However, this will not stop me from going public. I will inform the media and hold a press conference to reveal our identities so that we can all live in peace."

"It won't be easy." Kagome said worriedly.

"No, but it must be done. You may leave now, I'm sure my brother is very annoyed by now." Sesshoumaru turned towards her and made a small smile.

"Right." Kagome stood up and nodded walking out. She closed the doors behind her and breathed out, 'Jeez, I'm so tired.. My body aches and I feel so gross being covered in dry blood and dirt.' She thought.

'I think that's the first time the demon lord has ever smiled.'

'Nah, I think he's smiled plenty of times before with Rin.'

'But never with us my dear.'

'I bet he's never even smiled to Inuyasha'

'Probably not..'

Kagome walked away from the doors and to the elevator, slightly limping. 'Owie..'

'Are you alright?'

'Yeah, my feet just hurt along with the rest of my body.' Kagome thought back, huffing and leaning against the wall as they rose to their floor. She had walked out and down the hall towards her apartment, wincing as she heard the hanyou yell at the nurse. She opened the door, but did not expect to be greeted by the young Kitsune Shippou.

"Kagome! Tell Inuyasha to sit down so I can treat his wounds!" The boy whined.

"Inuyasha." Kagome sighed, "Stop being difficult you—" She blinked, the room was getting hazy. She could briefly hear Shippou's squeaks and Inuyasha's yell before everything went black.

.:.:.:. Dream Sequence .:.:.:.

"Teruyuki? Where am I?" Kagome questioned, glancing around. They were in a field of long grass and flowers. The wind blew gently, causing the grass to rustle.

The demon twitched his ears and glanced at her, "Kagome? You must have fallen asleep." He grinned, "You were a lot more worn out than I thought." He shrugged, "Anyways, we're in your dreams right now, and there is someone you should meet."

A woman clad in armor had materialized in front of the two kneeling. She lifted her head and smiled, greeting them with her warm brown eyes. "Hello Kagome, we finally meet." She lifted herself up, her jet black hair blowing behind her elegantly. "My name is Midoriko, also known as the creator and prisoner of the Shikon jewel."

"M-Midoriko?" Kagome gaped, "H-hi! But how can you talk to me? I mean, you're in the jewel and all.." She trailed off.

"As long as I am within your grasp, I can communicate with you. I cannot stay for long given that I am using a great portion of my power to speak with you. Therefore, I will be as brief as possible." She replied, "I am trapped within the Shikon with a mass of powerful youkai that had merged together. It is your decision weather or not I stay within this Jewel. My wish was for you to know what it consisted of and not to be reckless of its power." Patches of her form began to blur.

"Wait, is there any way for me to destroy the jewel?"

"Yes, you can simply purify it." She said.

"H-how? Can you tell me how to do it?"

Midoriko's mouth moved, but not a sound was coming out.

"I can't hear you—"

She shook her head and smiled apologetically, her body beginning to dematerialize. She had waved and smiled at Teruyuki before completely disappearing.

"Wait! Midoriko-san!" Kagome called.

"Sorry Kagome, but she had to return to the battle."

"Battle?"

"Yes, she's trapped with a bunch of demons. She is ensnared in an internal war with them to keep the Shikon pure. Thanks to you, she is a lot stronger and fighting them off with the equal amount of strength that they have, but that's not enough to kill them." Teruyuki sighed, "Although it is better than before. She was nearly erased from the jewel because of Naraku's darkness."

Kagome sat down, followed by Teruyuki. "I have to find a way to purify the jewel then and set her free."

"You know, you can make a wish on it." Teruyuki suggested.

"A wish?"

He nodded, "Yes, the jewel has been known to be used for wishing purposes. Usually the wish doesn't work properly if it is a selfish wish. But if you use a pure wish, you may be able to make it work."

Kagome thought for a moment and sighed, collapsing in the grass. "I don't know.."

.:.:.:. End of Dream Sequence .:.:.:.

She opened her eyes, feeling great amount of pain. She clenched her teeth, swallowing back a groan of pain. 'The adrenalin from the fight must have finally worn off, and now I'm feeling worse than before.' She thought as her various wounds that she was not aware of beforehand, seared with an incredible soreness.

"Kagome!" Shippou gasped. "Please don't move, you have a lot of scratches, and some are infected with poison!"

She blinked at him, and lifted her head slightly to stare down at herself. Her arms were blanketed in bandages, however she could not see her legs due to the blankets. She pouted her lips, but a smile tugged at her lips as Inuyasha entered the room, shouting at Shippou for being so annoying and waking her up.

"B-but--!"

"Get. Out. Of. Here. Runt." Inuyasha growled through his grinding fangs.

The Kitsune squeaked and scampered off the bed and out the apartment to treat others.

He glared at the door before sitting on the edge of the bed and turning to Kagome with soft eyes, "Wench, you gave us a scare."

She nodded her head, "Sorry, I didn't realize I was so injured."

"You are a human Kagome, you aren't invincible."

"Not this again." Kagome muttered in disbelief.

He grinned, "Keh, idiot."

She smirked, "I see I'm not the only one who's severely bandaged." She took notice to the plastered band aids on his cheeks, and the bandages around his hands and torso.

He snorted and blushed, looking away. "Feh, Shippou went crazy with his bandages."

"Suuuure."

"Aiiie! Don't hit so hard Sango my dearest."

"You never learn!"

"Great." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Shippou must have sent them here to piss me off." He bent down and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "You are not to move wench. I'm going to take care of this."

Kagome giggled and watched him leave. Teruyuki had materialized next to her, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"There goes your hero, bravely defending his maiden from the horrible annoyance of her friends." He noted.

Kagome eyed him, "Go back to your sword."

He eyes lowered from her face a bit, "Hmmm?"

She growled, "Stop imagining me without clothes you pervert." She tried to bring her arms and bared shoulders underneath the covers but failed miserably. "Hentai."

Teruyuki huffed, "It's no fun to do this when you can't move.. Get better soon my dear." He dematerialized and flew back into the blade as Inuyasha returned.

"Damn idiots. Came to tell us they finally became a couple, except Sango was already close to breaking up with the pervert." He chuckled in disbelief of the two, sitting back on the edge. "I told them you were fine but needed your rest. I do have something to talk to you about though before you go back to sleep."

"I'm all ears."

"Why were you talking to yourself on the battlefield?"

Kagome chewed on her lip nervously, 'He means when Midoriko suddenly started to talk to me…' "I-I d-don't remember?" She squeaked at his penetrating gaze. 'I can't lie to him.' "It's about the jewel. I'll tell you later, I promise."

"Feh." He climbed across the bed and laid himself next to her. "Then we will talk later. Right now it's around nine in the morning. I bet we won't get up till tonight." He winced at his wounds and moved close to her, nuzzling her neck lovingly. "Goodnight Koishii."

"Don't you mean good morning, Koibito?" She teased, rubbing her cheek against his head.

"Feh."

They both fell asleep together, mindful of each others wounds.

.:.:.:. With Sango and Miroku Before the encounter with Inuyasha .:.:.:.

Miroku hissed when Sango slapped on another sticky bandage. "Aiie!"

"That's what you get for touching my rear, hentai Houshi." She growled dangerously.

Shippou continued to wrap the monks arm, huffing. 'These two are pathetic..' He stared down at his medical kit, "Hmm, we need more supplies. I used a lot on the bossy man and Kagome." He stood up on his fox feet, "I'll be back soon!" He scurried to the door, "Don't hurt him too much Sango." With that said he had run off.

The monk narrowed his eyes, "What an adorable kid.." He muttered under his breath.

Sango rolled her eyes and moved to his front, scanning his chest. "Your wounds aren't infected, that I know of." She grabbed a cloth and drenched it in clean water, brushing away at his wounds delicately. "Does this hurt?"

Miroku's eye's glittered with amusement as the Slayer cleaned his wounds. "No, I'm fine." He replied. She had dabbed a sore spot and he had hissed, grabbing her hand as she apologized and glanced up at him. "It's alright. It was nothing." He smiled reassuringly.

Sango nodded hesitantly, her eyes watering. "Miro-Miroku.." She sniffled.

He blinked, "Sango? What's the matter?" He gaped as she hugged him. "I swear it didn't hurt that much."

"No.. I just can't believe.. This battle.. This war of youkai and our destinies being mixed up by a woman.. We just survived something incredible.. But I was so scared.. For my life out there.. So scared.." She cried, "…Scared to loose you.. And everyone!"

Miroku wrapped his arms around her tenderly and stroked her hair. "It's alright Sango." He soothed, "It's alright.. We're fine. Everything will be fine. As long as you are safe then I'm content and we will be happy." His heart pounded, his cheeks burned.

"Miroku." She sniffled, rubbing her cheek against his bare chest. "You are such a comfort when you aren't lecherous." He chuckled at her remark, "But I love you nonetheless of your terrible habits."

Miroku's cheeks burned red hot as did Sango's after her confession, and he pulled away. He stared into her dark chocolate orbs, his ocean blue eyes glittering with joy. "As do I, my dearest Sango. I love you too." A smile tugged at his lips as he dipped down, kissing her passionately. His lips grazed hers lovingly, and he nibbled at her bottom lip before his tongue ran over it, demanding entrance to her wondrous caves.

"Miroku I brought mo—mor—a-acck!" Shippou squealed, falling back on his tail and covering his eyes. "E-ew-ew-ew! St-stop!"

Sango broke apart from him to glance at the boy, blushing. "Sh-Shippou-chan!"

Shippou breathed heavily, "Uhhhh.. w-why don't you go visit K-Kagome? She may be awake.." He muttered, his face rosy and his eyes burning from the scene in disgust.

"W-we'll do that!" Sango giggled nervously, standing.

Miroku had put on a shirt and left with the Slayer where they had been greeted by a pissed hanyou who claimed she was sleeping soundly and to leave. Now.

Miroku huffed, "He can be so rude." He rubbed the slap mark on his cheek.

Sango nodded, "But he wouldn't be Inuyasha if he didn't say something rude every two minutes." She winked at him and stopped in the middle of the hall.

"What is it?" Miroku asked.

Sango walked to a door and twisted the doorknob, revealing a janitor closet filled with supplies for the apartments. "I bet Shippou-chan is still in our apartment in tears about our kissing habits.."

Miroku smirked and grabbed the blushing Sango by her wrist, tugging her into the closet and closing the door, locking it.

'My Sango.. I knew we were destined to be together.'

'Just like Inuyasha and Kagome.'

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A/N Yay another chappy! But be warned, this is not the epilogue! I repeat, this is NOT AN EPILOGUE. There is another chapter left. ONE MORE LEFT. Okay? Yay! R&R

Inu: Making out in a closet? Kinky..

Kag: Sit

Inu: owie..

Kag: I prefer the elevator.

Sess: As do I.

Kag: you just like to pop in to say that, don't you?

Rin: Fluffy is the best! –hugs and makes outs in elevator-

Kag: My eyes! My virgin eyes!

Inu: Feh, damn brother..

-Kag and Inu walk away-

Sess: Now that they're gone.. –puts on tutu- Let's dance!

Teruyuki: GAAAAAHHHH!!! Now I have to join the Circus.. –runs away and cries-

Moi: But 'Yuki! The circus doesn't exist anymore! Come back my love!! –trots after him-

Rin: o.o R&R