"WIND SCAR!" Inuyasha's cry was punctuated by a deafening bang. The cries of the defeated swamp demon were inaudible against the wind. A wave of mud, blood, and demon parts rained down from the explosion.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha grabbed kagome around the waist, pulling her to his chest, trying to shelter her against the sloppy wall of sludge and blood. It was no use; they were already chest deep in putrid waste.

"Oh god." Kagome moaned. Bits of demon guts stuck in her raven hair.

The smell was so horrendous that Inuyasha's head started to spin, "focus, Kagome." The grip on her waist tightened and he drew strength from her closeness. "Where's the jewel shard?"

Groaning she said, "Oh god, I need a bath."

"Shard first. Bath second. Come on!" He gritted through clenched teeth. He tried desperately to cling to the extremely faint scent of jasmine that normally wafted from the top of her head.

Kagome looked around carefully, "Over there! It's in the palm of the demon's hand." She pointed to the place where the demon claw was floating half concealed by mud.

"I got it. You start making your way over to shore." Inuyasha said. Kagome gave him a curt nod.

Inuyasha held his breath and made slow progress towards the severed claw. Muttering angrily under his breath as he went "Had to be a fucking swamp demon. Couldn't be a sheep demon or something on dry land. Nooo of course fucking not."

He gripped the claw. As he reached for the shard he heard Kagome scream, "Inuyasha behind you!"

As he turned he felt a stinger pushing straight into is right shoulder. "AH!" Slipping back into sludge, the taste of mud covered his tongue. "Fuck!" Inuyasha sputtered and pushed himself back up right. He ripped the stinger out with one hand, flinging it into the air, coating his claws with blood. Crying out, "Blades of blood!" he vaporized the sting in one move. Flecks of demon spattered all over his muddied face. "Fuck fuck fuck!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out wading over to him "Are you alright?!" Panic was all over her face.

"I'm fine." Panting he gripped his shoulder. He was not fine. He was losing feeling in his legs and arms. God damnit, he thought, I'm becoming paralyzed. Kagome caught him around the wrist as he started to sink back into the mud.

"No you're not, Inuyasha. Can you move? Stay with me." Her brown eyes looked frightened.

"It's going to be ok Kagome. It'll pass." He felt so numb.

"Ok we need to get out of here." Kagome gagged on the smell as she gripped his arms, turning him so she could drag him against her chest.

"The shard Kagome. Get that first then worry about me. We aren't going to make it far if that thing regenerates."

"Right" Kagome pulled a mud-caked arrow from her quiver, wiping the tip on her already drenched blouse. She pulled Inuyasha to rest against her shoulder.

"Be careful woman." He growled as she stabbed the claw with the arrow. The soft light melted the flesh away leaving one shard lying a top the stagnant water.

"All this trouble...," Sighing, Kagome placed the shard into the now dirty bottle. Shoving it back into her submerged skirt pocket, she heaved Inuyasha under his arms she made her way back to shore, dragging him along with her, grunting as she pulled him onto dry land. Damn, she thought. She had lost her bag and bike in the battle; both were probably at the bottom of the swamp. She had nothing to begin cleaning them up.

"Ok Inuyasha. We need to get out of here, hopefully to a river or something, she said, her resolve hardening with each word.

He stared up at her with disbelief, "Keh! As if I can move upon your sheer will alone. Well I hate to tell you that you're shit out of luck."

Kagome knew she couldn't bare his weight by herself. She looked around the land, wet and scarred up from battle. Her eyes fell on a large sapling flattened against the ground.

"I may not be able to carry you dog-boy, but I can drag you," she said with a slight grin. Her triumph dissipating as she looked at Inuyasha. His body was covered head to toe in dark mud, his eyes were closed, his breath came out in pants.

She raced over to the sapling, dragging it across the ground to Inuyasha. "Come on Inuyasha, don't you leave me." She could've sworn she heard a soft "never" escape his lips.