A/N: Inuyasha does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.

"Why am I even here?" Sango blinked rapidly down at Kagome. The partial priestess was seated against the wall, eyes rimmed red and fresh tear tracks trailing down her cheeks.

"What? Kagome, what's the matter?" Sango knelt down next to her, resting her hand on hers. "Is something bothering you?"

"I-It's Inuyasha…" her voice was low. Sango's eyes narrowed.

"What did he do this time?"

Kagome offered her a watery smile. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Sango was confused, so utterly confused. "Then… what…?"

Kagome wiped at her eyes, curling her knees to her chest. "How can I compete with Kikyo? He loves her so much and I… I'm just a copy! So no matter what, she still wins!" the girl wailed.

Outside, Inuyasha's ears perked when he heard her crying. He wondered what was wrong now.

"K-kagome, it's hardly about winning or losing!" Sango's hands fluttered about her, trying to figure out how best to comfort her. Beating up the hanyo would make her feel better, but it wouldn't help right now. Maybe later though. "He cares about you, like you him!" Kagome was still sobbing so Sango settled against the wall next to her hesitantly, gazing at her sadly. "And we know he loves you… He's so protective of you and gets so jealous around Koga. It's easy to tell how he feels about you." She hoped she was helping.

Kagome let out a sharp laugh and Sango's heart ached at hearing how broken she was. "He feels responsible. I'm Kikyo's reincarnation, remember? He said so himself, he couldn't bear to see her hurt again, to see another woman die because of him." Kagome leaned her head back, a pained smile on her face as she gazed up at the thatched roof. "And anytime she's around, even so far away, he runs to find her… And every time I catch up, they're…" she buried her face in her hands, her body trembling as she tried to forget everything she ever saw. But she couldn't. Those memories were engraved into her mind, her heart. She could never forget them, not even if she wanted to.

They showed her shortcomings. How she couldn't compare to the priestess who died so many years ago. The woman who stole and held onto Inuyasha's heart. Sometimes, she felt like they were making progress, like Inuyasha felt the same way as she did. But, without fail, those thoughts and hopes would soon be irrevocably crushed and scattered to the four winds. Every. Single. Time.

She wanted to hate the woman, really she did, but she couldn't. Kikyo hadn't done anything but love the half-demon when no one else did. She showed him love and emotions. Showed him trust. And it was hardly her fault Naraku tore them apart and caused her death, but then what about everything that had happened since her rebirth? All those terrible choices she made? No, Kagome couldn't even hate her for those. Because he still loved her. Her, not Kagome. And if Inuyasha was happy, then God forbid she ruin it and make him suffer again.

"Kagome…"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Kagome breathed, blinking hard, trying to stop the tears. "How can I even hope to compare to that? I'm still alive… She died for him, how can I compete against that?!" She was becoming hysterical. "He loves her so much and I'm here, reminding him of her! When he looks at me, all he sees is Kikyo! He's just reminded how he failed fifty years ago!"

"Kagome, stop it. You know that's not true," Sango ordered, her voice becoming hard. Oh yes, she would show Inuyasha the error of his ways… Repeatedly, if need be.

"He told me so himself! I look too much like her, so that's what he sees!" Sango stood up, leaving the girl sobbing on the floor.

"Kagome. This isn't helping anything. So what if you're alive. Are you telling me you'd be better off dead? That everything that's happened up until this point in your life is worthless because of him? A half-demon who can't even make up his mind? Yes, he loves Kikyo, but he loves you too. If you were to die as well, it would break him, Kikyo be damned! If you died before his eyes, or out of his sight, it doesn't matter, he wouldn't be able to handle it! Do you understand me? Maybe this just proves you're better off with someone else, doesn't it? Koga expresses his devotion enough, after-all." Sango bit out the last bit, knowing this to be true. The wolf demon may express himself rather boldly, but that didn't mean he wasn't serious. He only spoke truth, only stated what was true. Love? Yes, he loved her. Enough that he would kill to make her happy.

Kagome raised her face once more. "K-Koga?"

Sango crouched down, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps you should go home. Get some rest, go to school. Take your mind off things here. Talk with your mother, your friends. Perhaps that Hojo boy." She smiled lightly and Kagome swallowed thickly, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. "Take a few days and think about what I said. We all love you, Kagome. And we're glad you're alive."

He stared, Tetsusaiga slipping from his grasp. Kagome stared ahead, strangled breaths pushing past her lips. "K-kagome…" The sword was pulled harshly from her stomach and she collapsed without a word. "KAGOME!" he bolted across the field, next to her in an instant, her blood slipping through his fingers. The demon skittered away, escaping with a maniacal laugh.

She gazed up at him, her skin growing pale and form going cold. "Inu…Inuyasha…"

"Y-yeah? Hold on, Kagome, don't move, okay? You'll make it—" Blood dribbled past her lips and he swallowed hard. "You'll be fine," was muttered more for his sake than for hers.

She smiled. The stupid idiot smiled.

"I-It's alright… I'm alright… Inuyasha." She raised a hand, cold fingers brushing against his cheek. He raised his own, holding it there, trying hard not to squeeze too tight. She was so fragile, he hated that about humans.

How easily they could break.

"Kagome!" The voice was familiar and he heard the footfalls of their friends. Some distance away, they stopped. He didn't look, but he knew Miroku was holding tight onto Sango and Shippo. He could hear the little fox sobbing for her, shrieking to be let go.

But Miroku knew. They all knew. That's why Sango collapsed in his arms, crying and holding onto him, letting him hold her as well. Shippo was pulled between the two of them, keeping him there.

"Hey, just breathe, alright? Yo-you'll be fine, Kagome!" Damn, why did his voice break? He was a half-demon, son of the great Inu no Taisho and God damn it all, he was not going to cry!

"Inuyasha…" her fingers drooped in his hold and he couldn't help but tighten his grip. "We're even then… aren't we?" He choked out something that might pass as a laugh.

"Even? What were we betting on?"

She smiled again, her eyes darkening, lids becoming heavy in her pain. She was fighting it, for these last few minutes. Fighting for him. "Me and… Kikyo…" He stiffened and the conversation he overheard just the other day whispered at the back of his mind. His eyes narrowed.

"Kagome, don't even think—"

"We've both died… for you… maybe now…" Her eyes closed and she struggled to take in a breath. His heart lurched and when she reopened her eyes, relief washed over him. "I'm sorry… so… sorry…" Strained laugher pulled from her lips, the sound horrible in his ears. "I didn't mean… to hurt you…" He could feel tears. Curse it all, he was crying. Her eyes opened a bit wider and he hoped beyond everything that it was a sign she would pull through.

But the blood pooling at his knees told him otherwise.

"She's close… by. I can sense her…"

"Kagome, I don't care right now, just stop talking so I can—" Her hand tightened around his and he stopped. He could sense her too, the woman he loved all this time.

But no, that wasn't right. She was in his arms right now, slipping away.

"You deserve… happy…ness… Inu…yasha…"

"Damn it, Kagome, I don't need that, I need you to wake the hell up and stay with me!" He pulled her closer, ducking his head to press his nose to her hair. He could still smell her, her, the scent that made her Kagome. But now it was tinted with blood, so much blood…

Another choked laughter, her chest heaving as more blood dribbled down her chin. "I'm always… messing things up… aren't I? I'm such… a bother…"

"Stay and mess them up more, Kagome!"

She smiled once more, so bright despite the red trailing past her lips. Life returned for that split moment before it flickered away, the spark keeping her there trailing away with the wind.

And with her, went him.

He broke.

What ever made him think he could give her up, for Kikyo? He knew, all this time, he knew… Kikyo had changed, from the woman he loved to someone else. She was "free" now, but that freedom had changed her in ways he couldn't fathom. He understood time could change people, look at him after-all.

But it had been Kagome who truly changed him. Her love, her trust… her faith in him.

And he roared, his spirit dying with the cold woman now in his arms, her smile no longer on her red painted lips. Everything he felt, everything he tried so hard to hide, all of it was for nothing. All those times he felt such love for this woman, those times were he just wanted to smile at her, to be close to her, hold her… And he stopped himself, because he was a demon and demons didn't show emotion, not if they wanted to be strong.

Was this what he wanted?

But he was still some human and emotions had broken past his barriers, but this was a pain he had never felt before, a grief even his mother's death hadn't been able to pull from him.

This was a nightmare all of his own making, his choices had led up to this. He was totally and utterly to blame.

She would never know how much he loved her and she left believing he loved Kikyo more than her. That had been true, at one point, but lately? No…

But she would never know that. And he would never know what forever with her would feel like.

"Forever, Inuyasha… I'll always love you… For all of time…" the wind whispered to him and he sobbed, holding the woman close, her body limp in his arms.

Forgive me, but it just merely came out. I recently started watching Inuyasha—I know, I'm so late to it!—and I really don't like Kikyo. She annoys me and the fact that he loves her despite the woman doing a total 180 and attempting to murder Kagome like three times so far… It ticks me off. I was going to add another scene to this, to make it a happy ending, but I decided against it. I like it dark~!

I suppose, for my first piece of Inuyasha fanfiction, this is fairly decent... Maybe.

Well, with that out of my system, off to write something cute and fluffy~!