A/N: Well, after watching Inu-Yasha: The Final Act (Among The Twinkling Stars), I decided to write this fic. I already wrote a fic about Kikyo's point of view when she died back when the manga came out… So why not for the anime as well! Thank you for taking the time to read and please enjoy and review. Just a slight warning, the characters are a TAD BIT OOC… But it's due to the circumstance, I mean, if you were in Inu-Yasha's ((severe lack of)) shoes, you'd be like this too… A Friend
--KB
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu-Yasha in any way shape or form. All rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
That Night.
That night was the longest and hardest night that anyone of the group had ever had. It was filled with awkward glances, spontaneous tears, and silence. Shippo sat quietly petting Kirara while watching the fire lick away the darkness of the shadows cast by the dreary night. Miroku had long since laid down to sleep, overcome with guilt and worry over her and his Kazaana. Sango laid with him, tucked securely in the monk's arms, blocking out everything except for Miroku's breathing and her similar feeling guilt of the hate she had felt towards the woman just mere hours before.
Inu-Yasha was by far the worst.
He sat in the same spot for hours while Kagome sat and looked on in pain. For the most part, she kept her face buried in her tear stained knees but when she did look up, her heart broke in more ways than she cared to think. Between him hiding his face in his palm and his shaky shoulder spasms, Kagome felt fear well up in her chest. No matter what occurred, no matter what happened, Inu-Yasha always kept a strong face on. Now that he was so upset and just so… Utterly broken, she didn't know if he would ever return to having that strong face on again. With that thought, her legs pushed her upwards to walk slowly and quietly towards him.
The grass crunched under her feet as the chill of the night nipped at her bare skin. Her heart felt heavier with each approaching step as Inu-Yasha's ears didn't even twitch as she came close. She stood about a foot away from him before quietly swallowing down in attempts to clear her swollen throat.
"Is it alright if I sit with you?" The young girl asked weakly. For a moment, it was silent until Inu-Yasha nodded and she sat down. For the longest time, Kagome stared straight ahead, trying to grasp the courage she needed in order to say what he needed to hear. It was a ton of bricks when she realized there really was nothing she could say to make it better and just looked at him, trying to see his eyes past his shaggy silver bangs. "Inu-Yasha… I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say."
"There's nothing to say, Kagome." Inu-Yasha said in a dull monotone. She had never heard his voice like that, it scared her even more. "After sitting here for hours like an idiot crying my eyes out I still have nothing to say."
"You're not an idiot." She said soothingly. "Anyone would cry. We all cried."
"Why, it's not your fault that you couldn't protect her."
"And it's not your fault either. It's Naraku's fault and blaming yourself isn't going to do any good right now."
"Damn it, Kagome, you're being stupid. You just don't get it!" He said looking to his right and away from the priestess. Kagome searched herself and his words and came up with what to say after that. She knew that it wouldn't make herself feel any better, but she needed to help Inu-Yasha right now; and for the time being, her feelings could be put on hold.
"Of course I get it, Inu-Yasha, you loved her. How could I not get it?" At this, Inu-Yasha looked at her, his eyes red and brimming with unshed tears. She gasped and couldn't believe the pain that was etched into his face and how dull and weak his usually flaming and strong eyes had become. "No one expects you to just get over loving her that fast, not even me." Kagome said boldly, with the same amount of shock as Inu-Yasha. After a few moments of more heart-wrenching silence, Inu-Yasha nodded.
"I loved her more than anything." Inu-Yasha was looking straight in her eyes, which hurt more than anything she was already feeling.
"I-I know you did…"
"But now," He inhaled. "Now it's time to move on. Kikyo's finally at peace, which means I can be too." Inu-Yasha was speaking with a sense of maturity that was foreign as a few more tears slid down his cheeks. "And that means I can stop hurting you too, Kagome." He made no more attempts to hide his tearing eyes from Kagome as she brought her arm around him to pull him close to her. With no opposing force, he fell to her shoulder where Kagome placed her hand on the back of his head, lightly stroking the hair at the top of his head.
Kagome felt as if the roles were reversed in that moment. Normally she was the one who needed the comforting and someone to tell her that everything was okay. However, she felt as if now, she could repay the favor to Inu-Yasha, the one who was always there to make her laugh and forget all her troubles. She sat there with him quietly for a long time before he finally pushed back from her and looked into her eyes once again. Kagome smiled a warm smile before wiping his wet cheeks lightly with her fingers. Inu-Yasha's already flushed face looked away and said nothing. Kagome stood up and looked back at the fire where Shippo had followed suit with their two friends and was now asleep beside it. Her smile continued as she walked back to the camp and grabbed her sleeping blanket. She returned back to Inu-Yasha and draped it around his shoulders quietly before turning to head back once again. Inu-Yasha grabbed her hand with enough force to make her stop in her tracks.
"You can stay here, you know, if you want." He said, his same attitude becoming more present word by word. Kagome sat back down, still holding his hand, and nodded. When she did, Inu-Yasha put one of the sides of the blanket around her which drew her closer to him.
There was a different feeling between them as they sat together. They still sat as they always did, close, Kagome with her head on his shoulder. But something felt warmer between the two of them. Inu-Yasha's words echoed through Kagome's mind as her eyes closed. She felt his head on hers and smiled through her half-sleep.
"Kagome?"
"Hmm..?"
"Things will get better. I mean, with us, after Naraku's taken care of." Kagome opened her eyes a bit. "Just for right now, I… Can't keep getting distracted. I always got distracted with Kikyo and I don't want to lose you too. Which means I can't act like something more than a comrade for right now. I'm sorry, but that's the only way to keep you safe. I can't fight with a woman I…"
"I understand." Kagome stopped him before he said anymore. Her heart swelled as her smile grew even more. "And I don't want to lose you either, so even if it means we're kind of quiet until Naraku's gone, that's fine with me."
"Good. Not only that but I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it from those three if we walked in together as a couple." Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.
"That and you do have to remember that Kikyo's still a part of me; I don't think she'd be too happy if you forgot her already." Inu-Yasha laughed a bit at this and leaned in to kiss her gently, however, Kagome's finger against his lips stopped him. "Not yet, your lips were just on Kikyo's... And I'm not the one reminding myself of that; she's still telling me to lay off." She winked as he looked confused until his lips curled in a smirk. He kissed her cheek before returning to his position of his head on hers as the two looked up at the sky, the twinkling stars warming their thoughts; Not only Inu-Yasha and Kagome's either. A shooting star flew across the sky once Kagome had fallen asleep, only for Inu-Yasha to see. He felt comforted and knew somewhere, in the pit of his heart, that was Kikyo.