"It is with heavy hearts that we lay Higurashi Kagome to rest this day." With eyes welling with tears , Miroku blessed Kagome's grave. Standing beside the grave were Sango and Shippo. Try as he might, the young fox demon could not hold in his tears and clung to Sango as she comforted him. After that was over the trio, along with Kilala, left for Kaede's hut sadly. A softly rustle in the tree leaves was all that was heard as Inuyasha jumped down and moved to Kagome's grave. He held the tears at bay as he looked down at the grave. Inu-Yasha kneeled down, muttering a short prayer he had heard a villager say to a deceased loved one. After that was down, he began to speak and think.
"I am so sorry, Kagome. I never meant to hurt you." As he sat there and spoke, he recalled the last day before the death of Kagome.
Flashback
Kagome got out of the well, a joyous smile lighting up her features.
"Today is the day. It is the day I am finally going to tell Inu-Yasha how much I love him!" Kagome hummed softly as she skipped to Kaede's hut, where the rest of the group were resting peacefully.
"Hey everyone, I'm back! I brought you all your favorite stuff, too." No sooner has Kagome placed her oversized yellow back pack upon the floor, Shippo launched himself into her arms.
"Kagome! You're finally back! I missed you so much!" The young kitsune wrapped his arms about Kagome's neck warmly, to which Kagome laughed lightheartedly.
"More like you missed the candy, which you always eat too quickly." She handed Shippo a large lollipop, which he accepted sheepishly. "Here ya go, Shippo." He jumped down and went into the corner to eat his treasured candy. A squeal of delight as he found the button which rotated the lollipop around and around. After giving Miroku and Sango their treats, Kagome looked about the place, searching for a certain half-demon.
"Hey guys...where is Inu-Yasha?" Miroku and Sango looked to each other. It was Miroku that answered the suddenly sad looking Kagome.
"We aren't exactly sure. He simply said he had to go look for something after spotting a figure out of the window. He said he would be back long before you came back, but..." Miroku gave a helpless shrug. Kagome frowned, having a sick feeling she knew exactly what he saw, and who Inu-Yasha was looking for. Kagome silently stood and walked out of Kaede's hut, calling out over her shoulder that she would be back later. Kagome walked through the forest, each step more heavy than the last. She dreaded what she would see when she found Inu-Yasha. She knew where to find Inu-Yasha if he had found who she knew he was looking for. The Sacred Tree. Where everything had began. A soul collector slowly passed by her head, making its way toward the Sacred Tree. That fueled Kagome's suspicions and damped her good mood.
The sight she saw was the most devestating sight she had ever witnessed in her entire life. Inu-Yasha and Kikyo were locked in a passionate kiss, which to Kagome, in that moment, seemed so right. Tears gathered in her chocolate brown eyes as a sound of pure anguish escaped from between her lips and she fled the scene.
End Flashback
Rain began to fall, yet Inu-Yasha made no move to remove himself from Kagome's gravesite. Unnoticed tears coursed down his pale cheeks as he began talking to Kagome's grave once more.
"Oh, Kagome. Why did you have to be so stupid? I wasn't, still aren't, worth the loss of your life." He rested a clawed hand upon her grave as more memories of that day came forth unbidded.
Flashback
Inu-Yasha broke away from Kikyo as he heard Kagome's cry. He looked up in time to see Kagome's petite form racing away, the salty scent of her tears weighing heavily on his heart. He looked to Kikyo, and finally stated what he had sought her out to say.
"Kikyo, I don't want you to come near Kagome, me, or anyone in our group again. You have cause enough problems in my life. I love Kagome, and you need to understand that." Kikyo laughed softly.
"If you truly loved her as you claim so much, then why did you kiss me back? Why do you continue to keep your promise? You can't live without me, Inu-Yasha, so come to hell with me!" Inu-Yasha jumped back from her, pulling out Tetsusaiga simultaneously. Kikyo's eyes narrowed into tiny slits.
"What are you going to do, Inu-Yasha? Kill me? I'm already dead!" Inu-Yasha growled softly, knowing this was the only way to end the strife that continuously plagued their lives.
"I will never go to hell with you, so just stay dead! Wind Scar!" He launched his Wind Scar at Kikyo, who just stood there, allowing the attack to completely destroy her clay body. Her mind whispered a last statement to Inu-Yasha before she was released from her horrid existance.
Thank you, Inu-Yasha, for freeing me from that body. I hope you find happiness with Kagome. I release you from your promise...With that, she was gone. Nothing was left, except for a few crumbled bits of clay. After standing there a bit longer, Inu-Yasha ran off, sniffing for Kagome's scent, finally free to tell her all.
End Flashback
Inu-Yasha rested his forehead on Kagome's grave, replacing his hand. He let out loud, harsh mourning howls.
Sango and Miroku sat side by side, silently comforting each other. Miroku wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, for once not acting like the lecher he is. Sango turned, burying her head in his shoulder, and began sobbing.
"Oh Miroku, this is all my fault. She told me what she was planning on doing, and I didn't even try to stop her. She told me she was going to kill herself, and I let her." Miroku wrapped his other arm around her, hugging her as he made soft shushing sounds in her ear. He said nothing, simply comforting Sango as he rocked her gently back and forth within his arms. As Sango cried, she recalled everything Kagome had told her.
Flashback
Kagome raced back to Kaede's hut, tears freely streaming down her cheeks. As she ran blindly, she thought to herself. Sango saw her first, and stood, going after her. She found Kagome kneeling by a small lake, sobbing pitifully. Sango kneeled beside her.
"Kagome, what's wrong? What happened?" She looked to Kagome's reflection in the lake, noting the broken expression plain on her face.
"Kagome...please tell me what happened. Who did this to you? Was it Inu-Yasha?" After taking a deep, steadying breath, Kagome told Sango about Inu-Yasha and Kikyo.
"So, I'm going to my time to say goodbye to my family, then I'm coming back here to die." As she spoke, her face became void of any expression. She lost the lively look that everyone had grown fond of. All that was left was the empty shell of the Kagome they all knew and loved. She stood to make her way to the Bone-Eater's Well, but Sango grabbed her arm.
"You can't kill yourself because of him. He isn't worth that pain and destruction, no one is." Kagome lifted her head, which had been lowered toward the ground, revealing dark, expressionless eyes.
"That's where you're wrong, Sango. He is worth it. I have nothing without him, I am nothing without him. I don't know when it happened, but now, with him and Kikyo together...I have nothing to live for anymore." She started walking again. When she reached the well, she thought she heard Inu-Yasha's voice calling her name, begging her to turn around. Kagome shook her head, peggin it on wishful thinking, and jumped into the well, never seeing Inu-Yasha peering over, as well as Sango.
"I think you should leave her alone for right now, Inu-Yasha. You hurt her pretty badly, and I doubt she wants to see you just yet." Inu-Yasha clenched his jaw.
"I didn't mean to hurt her. She jumped to conclusions, just like she always does. I went to find Kikyo to leave us alone. I used Tetsusaiga and destroyed her body. It's true, she kissed me and I kissed her back, but I didn't mean to. It was like I was under a spell or something. I need to go after Kagome and explain things to her. I need to apologize and tell her exactly how I feel." He looked to Sango in confusion as she began shaking her head in the negative. As much as she wanted to tell Inu-Yasha what Kagome had said, Sango was sure Kagome wouldn't actually go through with it.
"She needs time right now. She is in an enormous amount of mental anguish right now, and if you try to tell her how you feel, it will just confuse and probably hurt her more in the end." As much as Inu-Yasha wanted to deny Kagome was in any sort of pain due to him, his ears flattened against his head in depression, knowing it was true. He slowly followed after Sango as they headed back to Kaede's hut to wait for Kagome. Every few seconds Inu-Yasha looked back, hoping to see Kagome coming back through the well.
End Flashback
Miroku looked down at the now sleeping Sango.
"Poor Sango. YOu have such a large burden you need not carry."" He gently laid Sango back onto the soft grass, then leaned against the tree, deciding to get a little shuteye.
Flashback
Kagome went into her house, which was very empty. There was a note on the refridgerator telling Kagome that her mother, Souta, and her grandfather had gone grocery shopping, just in case she was coming home early, and was held up by a picture magnet. The picture was of Kagome when she was about seven and Souta when he was two. She smiled softly at the miniature image, reminiscing about the years before the well and the feudal era. Kagome sighed, knowing she had to wait for them to return. She couldn't do this without telling them goodbye.
Kagome glanced around the living room with tear-filled eyes. Pictures of the four of them hung orderly upon the walls. She ran her fingers absent-mindedly over the glass, reliving the years.
"Oh, Kagome...when did you come back?" Kagome spun around to find her mother standing in the doorway. Kagome said nothing, just went to her mother and hugged her tightly. The confusion in her mother's eyes made Kagome cry harshly. When she calmed down, she pulled away from her mother's embrace.
"Sorry Mom, I'm just a little emotional right now." She made a half-smile appear on her lips. Her mother smiled back, then turned and went to the kitchen.
"We just picked up some Ramen, would you like some, Dear?" At the mention of Inu-Yasha's favorite food, Kagome's eyes filled with tears.
"No thanks, Mom. I'm really not hungry, maybe next time." Kagome turned and ran out of the house. She stopped running, and slowly made her way to the hardware store for supplies.
End Flashback
Inu-Yasha knew what happened next. His amber gaze darkened with pain.
"How could you do this, Kagome? How could you leave me?" He howled again with rage and anguish, lying his head upon the grave once more, his dog ears drooping pitifully.
Flashback
Kagome went back to the feudal era, her supplies stowed safely in her large backpack. No one was around, which Kagome was grateful for. She walked to a cliff, staring out to the serene beauty of the land, before skyscrapers and masses of people flooded the area. She remembered standing in this very spot with Inu-Yasha when they kissed for the first time. It had been accidental, but none the less, it was their first kiss. It seemed sardonically funny to "do the deed" here.
Kagome kneeled down and began to tie the knots needed to form the noose. Each loop that brought the rope closer to being the completed noose sent tension into Kagome's body. She had nothing left to live for, she thought in despair.
Inu-Yasha loves Kikyo, not me. How could I have been so stupid to think he might harbor any feelings for me...I wouldn't even be able to compete against her for his affection. Another tear escaped from her eye. Kagome brushed it away hastily as she finished the noose.
"Well, this is it, no going back now." Kagome stood and went to the gnarled, but sturdy tree, whose thick limbs stretched gracefully over the cliff. She set up the rope, and left it dangling as she found the shining razors she had bought, and brought with her.
Kagome slid one out of the package and watched as it gleamed sinisterly in the sinking sunlight. She drew in a deep breath as she placed the razor blade upon her tender flesh. She applied a small amount of pressure, wincing as the blood came forth, dark and morbid. As she released the breath she had been holding, she pressed the blade almost completely into her flesh and dragged it across her wrist, completely severing her veins, then did the smae to the other wrist. She sat there, momentarily stunned that she actually went through with it. Kagome managed to drag herself to her feet. She made her way to the noose, her vision blurring already as she began to bleed out. She pushed her head through the large loop she had created, tightening it so the knots she made were touching the back of her neck. Kagome stood close to the edge of the cliff, her knees threathening to give out on her as she became light-headed. After calming her quickening heatbeat the best she could, she took another step closer to the edge of the cliff, then another. Finally she was at the edge, trembling with weakness. Without warning her legs gave out and over the cliff she went.
"NO!" Inu-Yasha screamed inside of his head as he jumped to his feet, sweat beading on his face. His amber gaze swept quickly over the campsite, searching for Kagome. He went to her sleeping bag, sighing with relief as he saw her slumbering peacefully. Inu-Yasha closed his eyes, thankful it had all been a dream. When he opened his eyes, a chocolate gaze was watching him.
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome whispered his name softly as she sat up, careful not to awaken Shippo. "Is everything alright?" Inu-Yasha nodded.
"Can I talk to you, Kagome? It's really important." She nodded and stood, still wary of the sleeping fox demon. They walked silently away from the camp and strolled through the woods in silence. Inu-Yasha was trying to think of the best way to tell her what he needed to say.
"Ahem...Kagome? You know that me and Kikyo...ya know...and that I still think of her sometimes, and it seems like I always look for-Kagome?" Inu-Yasha's ears flattened to the sides of his head as Kagome turned from him. He could smell tears already.
"Is that what you brought me out here to say? That you choose Kikyo? I should have known, I mean you loved her way before you knew me, and I am only her incarnation..." She stopped talking as Inu-Yasha wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.
"You're wrong, Kagome. So very wrong. I choose you, and only you. Kikyo is my past and you are my present, and hopefully...my future. When I was talking about her, and when I think about her, I compare her to you. She can't hold a candle to your radiance. You mean more to me than she even did, or will. I...I love you, and I don't ever want to lose you. Ever." As he spoke, he tightened his hold on her slightly and closed his eyes. Kagome removed herself from his embrace just long enough to turn and hug him tightly.
"Oh Inu-Yasha. I love you, too." Inu-Yasha opened his eyes and looked to her, before slowly lowering his head, brushing his lips against heres, hoping she would respond. Kagome lifted herself onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips fully against his, to which Inu-Yasha smiled and wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist.
Behind a tree lurked Kikyo. She knew that this would happen.
"You are free, Inu-Yasha. It's time for me to move on now." With that said, she melted into the darkness, allowing the two lovers their privacy.
Hey! I love this story, and I don't know why. I hope you's like it, too. Please review, so I can know if you's did like it or not. Thanks! And for those of you who are wondering, I am still trying to work on my other story, but I am at a mental road block without detours so...BIG traffic jam. I hope to get that going again soon. Anyway, BYE for now, and Please review!
TK