It hurt. It always did when he went and saw her. But this time he had brought her back with him. And it shattered the broken girl.
Kagome continued walking blindly, one hand gripping her bow, the other rubbing her chest over her heart. She wasn't crying, far from it, she was completely calm and rational.
Well, to her mind she was rational, anyone else would call her suicidal.
Suicide. She had contemplated it before, but never until now had she found the resolve to do it.
Kagome paused in front of the God Tree, stretching her arm out to press her hand against the rough bark. Blood welled from her hand as she pressed harder and harder. But there was no pain, there hadn't been for quite some time now. That was how she had been fooling everyone. Hurting herself had allowed her to feel emotions, and therefore no one knew anything was wrong. But it had stopped working recently and her companions were beginning to notice.
Kagome pulled her now bloodied hand back from the tree. She had left the shards back at Kaede's along with everything and everyone else. She had made sure that they were asleep before quietly leaving the small hut. Kagome closed her eyes as she slowly drew an arrow from the quiver, making the others rattle noisily. She paused, listening intently for any sign of Inuyasha. When she heard nothing she continued, setting the bow and quiver gently before the massive tree. She held up the single arrow to the Goshinbuku as if giving an offering. She then pointed the arrow toward herself, closed her eyes, and slid it neatly between her ribs, directly into her lung.
At once, Kagome felt her lung begin to fill with blood, making her cough and choke as it entered her throat. She wanted this, to die slowly and painfully. Perhaps now she could gain some glimpse of the emotions that she had been missing. She coughed harshly, feeling the arrow rattle against her ribs. Kagome was on her knees now, blood soaking her once white uniform. She would not live through this night she knew, had she been in front of the best hospital in the world she would not live through this.
Kagome gathered her strength as her life blood continued to choke her and slowly dragged her to death's cold embrace and settled herself into a sitting position against the God Tree. She heard the bushes near her shake as something, or someone, came toward her. She turned her slowly clouding eyes toward the noise and was surprised when Miroku came out of the undergrowth.
His eyes were wild as he harshly panted, moving quickly until they landed on Kagome's blood soaked form. He fell to his knees beside her, pressing his hands against the self-inflicted injury. "Why?" he gasped, still catching his breath. "Shippo said that he smelt human blood and I saw you missing. But, why?"
Kagome did not know why his tone was accusing. She was doing them all a favor by erasing herself from this world. She was much better at finding the shards. She actually knew how to use her powers. Kagome heard more noises and there he was, Inuyasha, but he had brought her.
"What the hell are you doing, bitch?" he shouted, shoving Miroku to the side. "What in God's name possessed you to do this?"
Kagome opened her mouth, but only coughed up more blood. Wasn't this what he had wanted all along? To have her out of the way so he could be with her once more? Kagome once again tried to ask this but only succeeded in coughing blood onto Inuyasha's harori, the two reds blending into one.
"No, stop trying to talk, Kagome, Kikyou will heal you," Inuyasha said, turning to the priestess. "You will help her, Kikyou."
She knelt down beside Kagome and stared at the younger priestess. Kagome unveiled the pain in her eyes to her and knew that her pain had come across. She did not want to see them together anymore; she did not want to be cast aside anymore; she did not want to be in pain anymore. This would relieve her of it all, this death she inflicted upon herself.
"She has given up," Kikyo informed the group. "She no longer wants to live."
"Why?" Inuyasha snarled. "What the fucking hell?"
Kagome continued to stare into Kikyo's eyes, water to dust. Kikyo continued to speak. "She is tired of the pain. She is weary of the world and wishes for someone to tell her that she can rest. Kagome loves you all: you, Miroku – her brother, Sango – her sister, Shippo – her son, Kirara – her friend, Kaede – her grandmother. And you, Inuyasha, you her love. Her love that will never love her back."
Inuyasha stared at Kagome, who lifted her hand to reach for him. He grasped it tightly in his own and placed it against his face. Kagome felt the textured skin under her hand and lightly stroked her fingers against it. She now gazed into his eyes, honey to water. She smiled at him, silently telling him of the love she had held for so long. Her breathing was growing more painful and labored now.
"She wants you to tell her it's okay to rest now. She's begging you to love her in these final moments," Kikyo told them, saying what the dying girl could not. "She wants you to hold her as she leaves."
Kagome smiled at Inuyasha as he looked at her for conformation to the words Kikyo had told them. He picked her up, the gentlest he'd ever done, before settling her in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely against him. The hanyou buried his face in her hair, crying.
"It's okay now, Kagome. You can let go now. It's okay to rest now," he whispered gutturally. His demon side was beginning to leak through the barrier his father's fang made. "Sleep now, Kagome. You won't be hurting anymore."
"Promise?" she murmured, finally able to speak. "No…hurting?"
"No," Inuyasha rumbled, "you won't hurt anymore. I promise. I love you, Kagome."
"Love…too," she croaked out, her eyes beginning to close. "More…anything."
She felt Inuyasha tighten his arms around her as she slowly began to leave the living. She managed to stroke his ear once before it fell limply to her side.
The last thing she saw was honey beginning to bleed.
The last thing she heard was her name in a roar.
The last thing she tasted was her blood.
The last thing she smelt was the unique scent that came only from Inuyasha.
The last thing she felt was the pressure of another set of lips upon hers.
Then there was nothing.