Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. If I did, Kags wouldn't be with InuYasha. :)

{A/N:} Hullo readers! Welcome to the 4th installment of 'Left For Dead'!

Special thanks to juusan'ya for her coolness and help! :)

Looking back at my other chapters, I kinda wanna kick myself for my poor writing...but anyways, I noticed that I went nearly two chapters without any word from Sango, Miroku, and Shippo! :/ I srry SMS! lol So to make up for that, I'll devote the beginning and so on of this chapter to them! :)

Also- I have NO idea where I'm going with this story. Maybe you guys can give me some ideas of what to do with Sesshy in the coming chapter, of what to do with Kouga & Kagome. I'm kinda blocked right now. I hope this chapter comes out right!

Delectable cookies to the best ideas! That, and the honour(or shame, whichever), of having your ideas used!

I wanted to thank all of my reviewers, you readers, and my puppy. :) Without her, I would be rather unbecoming and very ornery. :)

**NEW** Just to answer a quick question: No, this isn't a Kouga and Kagome fic, it's a Sesshomaru*sigh* and a Kags fic.

ENJOY!

Chapter 4: Protect

I know, I've stood so long beside you
And I know, I should've left you right where I had found you
I know, I've stood so long beside you
And I know, I should've left you right where I had found you

-The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"I hadn't thought of that."

The small group walked slowly, unnerved by the silence of the woods around trees with branches twisted out of proportion loomed over them menacingly. The forest had an eerie silence about it. Where were the birds chirping? The wind through the trees, causing them to creak and sway, making the leaves dance and sing? Sango would even welcome some snap of a twig or something. The silence was almost overbearing. Well, come to think of it, there wasn't complete silence. Dry leaves cracked and crumbled as they stepped on them. Twigs did snap, but it wasn't from a different company. The silent group looked around them for any color other than black, leaf green, and brown but their hopes were in vain.

Sango knew who they were looking for. So did Miroku. but they both fiercely hoped that they would find a demon instead of InuYasha. Some vicious animal that they would be able to kill without a second thought. Their hopes were pointless, as they had seen the power of his sword and the furrows were his, not anything else's.

"Where is he-" Shippo whispered impatiently but stopped as Sango let out a gasp.

"Oh my-" she whispered, pointing through the brush at a tree. Lying at the base was a silver haired man wearing a red kimono...His head was bowed and no movement signaled to Sango that he was unconscious.

"InuYasha!" Shippo said with horror, looking to Miroku."Where's Kagome? I thought she was with him!"

Well. Some much for concern for his, although not very friendly, friend.

"We'll find out soon enough Shippo," Miroku said grimly, walking towards InuYasha fearlessly through the brush. Sango, Shippo, and Kirara followed less enthusiastically, staying back.

What he didn't allow the others to see were the preparations he made. He gripped his staff tighter and pulled out a spiritual ward, prepared to stop InuYasha if he had to.

Using the end of his staff, Miroku none too gently poked InuYasha's chest. Miroku waited a few seconds before rapping the hanyou head and saying,

"Hey, InuYasha!"

The moan that escaped InuYasha's lips made all of them jump in surprise.

"Wha-"he groaned, his head raising slowly up. His eyes were half opened and his looked terribly exhausted.

"InuYasha?" Sango nervously peaked her head over Miroku's weakened InuYasha turned instantly back into the old InuYasha with his usual snarky (A/N: Great word! Thanks to Dane Cook for giving it to me!) attitude at the sound of her pitying voice.

"What?" he snapped. InuYasha made a quick movement to stand but they were instantly quelled as the extent of his wounds caught up with him. He placed a steadying hand against the large oak tree he had been thrown against and the other hand grabbed his stomach.

"What happened to me?" he almost whispered, his uncalled for anger disappearing immediately and his eyes searching theirs desperately for answers. Sango shook her head and Miroku answered,

"Uh, well, we have no idea InuYasha," the monk shrugged."Where's Kagome?" he repeated Shippo's earlier question. The hanyou's eyes widened.

"Kagome." he whispered, stunned."I-" he faltered for he had started to move his hair out of his eyes but stopped as he realized his hand and partially up his arm were coated in blood. Forgetting that he was hurt and needed support, he brought the other arm up to examine it too. After the initial shock of blood wore off, he cried out in horror and threw them away from him, as if doing so would remove them permanently from his body. He lost his balance as he stumbled away and landed painfully on the not-so-soft ground. He stiffened.

"Ugh," InuYasha groaned, eyes shut tight in pain.

"InuYasha," Sango said urgently, kneeling down beside him and placing a pleading hand on his shoulder."I-I know you're hurt but you have to tell us where Kagome is."

"Uh..."InuYasha slowly opened his eyes and looked vaguely at the canopy above him."She was at Kaede's hut when I left with Kouga to kick his pathetic little wolf self. That's the last time I saw her."

Sango sighed in relief as she stood. So she hadn'tbeen here when this mess started. At least InuYasha and Kouga had had enough sense to keep her away...

"Do you remember how you got this way?" Miroku's voice interrupted her thoughts. Realizing she had been staring off into the woods, Sango mentally shook her head and focused her gaze on the fallen hanyou.

InuYasha shook his head,"I barely remember anything after Kouga and I reached the clearing. Uh..." he thought a minute. Suddenly his face dropped,"I-I know why I'm like this."

Before he divulged his knowledge on his state, he held a hand out to Miroku for the monk to help him up. Miroku grasped his forearm and pulled InuYasha up. Sango silently side stepped the men and disappeared into the trees, only to reappear seconds later with a thick limb to be used as a walking stick for the injured half demon.

Thanking her with a simple nod of his head, InuYasha looked desperately at them as he took it and leaned against it.

"Please don't get mad at me, guys."

"Just get on with it InuYasha!" Shippo snapped,"We gotta find Kagome!"

InuYasha did an odd thing- he nodded. He didn't snap back, he just nodded.

"Well when we got to the clearing, I was so consumed with hate. All I wanted to do was to kill him. I was so tiredof his talk, of him always coming in and ruining me and Kagome's moments! I- I just wanted to shut him up so....so I....I threw away my sword..."he hung his head in shame.

"So you intentionally endangered Kouga?" Sango's voice shook with suppressed rage as she stepped forward from her spot beside Miroku. She continued until she was nearly offensively close to the hanyou and snarled,"Also, while you were stewing in your anger, planning out your revenge, did you ever stop to notice who else you were going to kill? You intentionally endangered Kagome, you imbecile!"

"No I did not Sango!" InuYasha spat back, his remorse having disappeared.

"Yes, I'm afraid you did InuYasha," Miroku interrupted calmly. His head cocked curiously to the side."InuYasha, were you actually foolishenough to assume that Kagome would not follow you? Did you actuallythink that she would be able to stand idly by whilst you two battled it out?" Miroku sighed," For such an intelligent person, you can be incredibly retarded sometimes."

Kouga snarled at his comrade, his nose wrinkling up and his teeth baring to the lesser wolf demon. "How dare you question me!"Kouga was half-crouched, ready to spring at the man and tear him into shreds.

How unblessed with intelligence, this man was. How darehe question Kouga's motives.

"Kouga, I-" the man started, raising his hands in defeat and backing away.

"No!" Kouga spat, getting in the demon's face."Don't speak!"

The man's face crumpled as his last hopes of explaining or apologizing were deflated. The demon could see his future crumbling down, as Kouga would surely kill him.

"I thought you were taught better mannerisms." Kouga snapped, his eyes calculating the man ruthlessly."Is it your place to question me even if I bring a hundred women here?"

The man shook his head mutely, terrified to say anything.

Upon looking at the man's face and seeing the fear, his anger melted somewhat. How could he stay so angry at his young brother for his curiosity? Though he didneed to learn that he was not to question someone of his authority, he would learn it that day, therefore, never doing it again."I'm sorry, Harou. I've had a long day, to say the least."

He turned and disappeared into his room, where she was sleeping.

A long day.

Ha.

It had been more than just 'a long day'. To describe it accurately might have been using the words nerve-racking, or adrenaline filled, or terrifying. A day filled with complete and utter hell.

**Flashback**

Kouga paced outside of the den, looking occasionally at the semi-dark land before him. He was glad it dawn. At this hour, everyone was sleeping so he didn't have to put up with their questioning glances. Just when he decided to go after him himself, the demon in question appeared at the edge of the forest.

"K-Kouga...." Ginta wheezed, falling to his knees.

"Ginta!" Kouga jumped from the mountainside and landed gracefully on the ground next to it. As soon as his feet touched ground, though, Kouga was immediately beside his fallen comrade, scooping him up. He hastily checked his friend for injuries and found none.

What did they do to him?

"D-don't carry....me," Ginta panted, tiredly pushing Kouga away.

"Why?" asked Kouga, bewildered.

"'Cause it looks so gay!" Ginta wheezed.

Kouga allowed an unamused chuckle to come out before doing as Ginta asked. Stepping back, he knelt beside the heavily breathing wolf demon and questioned urgently,

"Well? How is she?"

It took a minute before Ginta was able to collect himself. He shook his head,"Not good Kouga."

Kouga was taken aback, but it was replaced with concern,"'Not good'?" he repeated,"What do you mean? What's wrong with her?"

Ginta stood."I shouldn't be the one to tell you, Kouga. You should go check her out yourself. I'm- I'm just warning you beforehand that-"he faltered at the stare that Kouga was giving him.

"Ginta." Kouga snarled, struggling to stay still and not find Kagome,"What is wrong with her?"

Ginta hung his head sadly,"She's been attacked." he whispered,"And she's torn up horribly."

"What?" Kouga shouted, rising."What happened?"

Ginta's eyes filled up with tears,"InuYasha."

And with that uttered word, Kouga's ears went deaf, his vision began to cloud over before he felt something grab him. Looking down through his blurry eyes, he saw Ginta attached to his leg, unshakable.

His hearing turned back on slightly as he heard himself say,"Let go."

Ginta shook his head furiously and clung tighter to Kouga's leg,"No Kouga! You'll kill him!"

"That's the point, you moron, so let go of my leg. I have a mutt to kill." Kouga shook his leg impatiently.

Ginta shook his head again,"Don't! You'll hurt Kagome more!"

Kouga stopped his efforts to shake the demon off of his leg and snapped,"What do you mean? I would never hurt her! I love her!"

**End Flashback**

After that, Ginta had managed to calm him down, but he couldn't stop Kouga from leaving to see his beloved.

Now, she slept soundlessly on his bed in his room...or rather, his section of the massive home his clan shared.

Kouga sighed and ran his hand through his raven hair as he watched Kagome sleep. It soon became his favorite past time after a few hours of waiting for her to wake up. Still watching her, he walked forward and sat on the edge of his bed.

"She looks so beautiful when she sleeps, huh?" a gentle voice murmured behind him. Jumping and cursing, Kouga turned his head to see Hakkaku leaning against the entrance to his 'room', smiling slightly.

"Yeah." Kouga muttered, returning his gaze back to Kagome. "What do you want?" he threw over his shoulder.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see how my sis was doing, since you asked so nicely."

Turning his gaze back to the wolf, he said,"Watch out for the hanyou. He might come for her and if I didn't think she might wake up some time soon, I would go watch myself. I don't want her to wake up without me here."

Nodding, Hakkaku left.

I enjoyed allowing Sango to call InuYasha an imbecile...well, he can be one! Leaving Kags and all and then, he has the nerveto be completely bewildered when she didn't come back! Gah!

You might be wondering where Sesshomaru is. Well, I know some of you, or one of you..., are cause I got a review asking. I'm just letting everything get settled down before I bring in the Ice King. He'll be in the next chapter. I'm kinda drawing these things out, mainly to keep you here. ;)

Either review or I might set an ultimatum, and I don't really wanna do dat. :)