Kagome's Rant:: After always playing the part of a 'good friend,' being the cheerleader of their group, Kagome finally snaps, and in the middle of battle, too.

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It was all unfolding. After two years of shard hunting and demon slaying, they were finally reaching an end. Even before everyone had shown up, the entire gang could feel it coming. The whole day had gone as it usually does, but everyone was still on edge, pulsing with anticipation.

---[[A Short While Earlier]]---

"Osuwari."

WHAM.

Kagome let out an exasperated sigh. It seemed like she turned into a broken record since Kouga and Sesshoumaru joined their group. The past three weeks have been dead. They had collected about half the shikon, but now there was nothing. No rumours, no shards, not a single whiff of Naraku. And it was affecting everyone.

Inuyasha was stir-crazy and always picking a fight with Kouga. Although, Kouga didn't really help, what with all the insults he sent out about how it's Inuyasha's fault we met a dead end. Miroku (trying to distract himself and Sango) became even more lecherous, which made Sango enfuriated. Rin, Shippo, and Jaken were running around, constantly making noise. And Sesshoumaru stayed silent, pretending it didn't affect him.

And they were all driving Kagome completely insane. Her smiles were becoming forced, even if no one noticed, and she stopped trying to engage everyone in polite conversation after the first week.

Kagome sighed again, her mood didn't improve whenever she was reminded of her family. She had made the decision not to go home until the final battle took place; going back and forth just made things too complicated.

Ignoring Inuyasha's cursing, she peeked into Kaede's hut. Rin and Shippo didn't wake from the sound of Inuyasha's subjugation. But that's probably because they're used to the noise by now.

"Inuyasha, if you don't be quiet, you're going to wake the children." Shaking her head at the hanyou, Kagome moved to brush past him. Then she was stopped by his growling.

"Naraku..." Inuyasha spat out. He grabbed Kagome Kagome by the arm, and they were off to join the others.

Miroku and Sango were running out of the village after Miroku had sensed Naraku's evil aura. Sesshoumaru and Kouga were already ahead and prepared.

They all ran into an open field, towards the dark aura that was permating the cool, night air. It was so immense that they knew instantly that it wasn't some puppet sent to mess with them. The enemy was here, and the outcome of this meeting would determine who is stronger and who is dead.

"Ku ku ku. Are you fools so eager to die?" The evil hanyou's smug voice broke through the tension and the forrest surrounding them went deadly silent.

"Naraku, you bastard!" Inuyasha drew his sword and jumped in front of everyone. "You're gonna pay for hurting Kikyou!"

Sesshoumaru stepped forward, ignoring his younger brother. "Show yourself, half-breed."

Emerging from the shadows, their hated enemy came forth. On one side of him stood Kagura and Kanna. On the other side, there stood Kohaku and...

"Kikyou!!" Inuyasha let his sword slide from his hands and clatter to the ground. He froze, dumbstruck at what he saw.

The dead miko turned her cold gaze onto her former lover. "Surprised, Inuyasha? You should have expected me to be here. I will never forgive you for betraying me!"

Kagome turned her gaze toward Kagura, who was posed to strike. Now ignoring her incarnate's words, she heard Kouga, screaming at the wind witch.

"I'll kill you for destroying my pack, you wind bitch!!"

"Kikyou! I will avenge you. I promis to kill Naraku!!"

"Soon, dirty half-breed, you will know what happens when you cross this Sesshoumaru."

"Sango, stay back, I'm going to catch him in my wind tunnel!"

"Kohaku!"

Shouts and screaming were echoing back and forth on the field. All their voices and words eating at Kagome. They were all yelling out their problems while Naraku stood there chuckling. And then it happened.

"Could you all kindly shut the fuck up?" She had snapped.

Everything went still. All eyes were on Kagome, mixed expressions of shock, anger, even amusement were directed at the time traveling miko.

"So," Naraku's deep voice drawled out, "the little reincarnate has something to s-"

He was cut off by a deadly glare from said miko.

"Kagome, what the hell do you think you're d-" Inuyasha flinched as she turned on him too.

Bowing her head, Kagome did the strangest thing. She started to laugh.

If there were any other expressions besides shock, they quickly turned into feelings of disbelief. Thoughts questioning her sanity ran through everyone's minds.

"Do you realize how stupid you all sound?" Kagome's voice was still in the same pleasant tone it's always in, but now it sounded scary. "Honestly, every one of you. All shouting your asses off about your issues."

She paused a moment. Seeing no one would speak, a smile graced her lips as she continued. "How conceited.

"Inuyasha, you're my best friend and I love you and all, but seriously... What the hell? You go around, waving your sword, making arrogant declarations and ruching into fights without thinking... You're freaking retarded." Inuyasha tried objecting, but Kagome cut him off. "And I understand, you're protecting us all, but really... And the whole Kikyou thing, three words: Get. Over. It. Yes, she's dead, she died fifty years ago. Yes, you were tricked by Naraku, and granted that was pretty bad. But to go after her again and again... She's not real anymore! She's an empty shell with only a piece of MY soul!"

Kagome spun on her heel to face Kikyou. "And, You, you are my incarnate. But I'm not you, and I don't appreciate it when you demean my existance simply because I'm your reincarnation. I know you were wronged in the past and lost your chance at love. but that doesn't mean you go annd turn into a psycho-bitch! You have no reason to go after me the way you have. I didn't kill you, I didn't choose to hold your soul, and I most certainly did NOT take Inuyasha from you. And you look very cruel and controlling when talking to him. Are you so pissed off that he made friends? That he's able to move on? Living beings move forward, you're not real anymore. Why are you with Naraku, your killer, anyway? Figure you could get the jewel from him? You don't seem to understand that you aren't its' protector anyymore. I am the shikon miko. The obligation passed onto me at my birth. Did you think it would be given back to you? That, at eh very least, it'd be your reason to live? It wasn't some mystic fate that brought you back. An old witch desecrated your grave and stole a piece of my soul to make what you are now. You aren't Kikyou. Hell, you're barely anything. Just a walking, talking claypot."

No expression crossed the dead woman's face all through Kagome's crazed ramblings. But then again, it's not as if she could show any feelings anyway, she's not a human being.

Kagome took a surprising turn, and was now facing her best friends. Sango and Miroku had the dignity to keep their jaws from dropping.

"You two... I'll get to you two later, you've got so many problems that I don't think stripping you bare in front of everybody'll do your minds any good." Kagome speaks acidly to the only other humans in the clearing. Now, having her attention directed back to the front, she smiled cheerily at her enemies. "It's about a quarter to eleven now, and I'm tired, so let's finish this up quickly. Sesshoumaru--Obsessive Compulsive. Don't deny it, you can't stand being anything other than perfection, prestine, clean. What with all the 'filthy humans' and 'dirty hanyou' in this world, your own spotless, white kimono must be like a security blanket for you.

"Kouga-- You are just plain stupid. You really need to learn when to cut your losses. And you call yourself a pack-alpha? How much have your comrades suffered because of your folly, because of your insatiable need for revenge?" Kagome shook her head, her voice had been ringing with sadness for the wolves, but she refuesed to pity their leader.

"Kagura, Kanna, Kohaku, I'm not even going to bother with you because you're not even people. At least, not while Naraku is alive. And speak of the devil-- What is your glich?" Kagome's eyes bore into his evil gaze unflinchingly. "You're not technically Onigumo, so you haven't actually suffered his life, but you have an insane need to project your feelings of depression, hatred, and loathing onto the rest of the world. What's the deal with that, huh? If life sucks so much, why continue living? All power-hungry fools should just do everyone a favor and kick off. Because even if you succeed, even if you get the shikon, keep Kikyou as a bed partner, enslave all of the youkai and kill off the human race... what's left? In the end, you're nothing. Power doesn't give you meaning. It is an empty promise."

Nothing. No one moved, no one spoke, nothing stopped what happened next. Kagome just spun on her heel and walked out of the clearing. The silence remained. The bad guys didn't blink, the good guys didn't flinch. That was it.

A few hours later her friends would walk back to the village, empty handed and dead quiet. And if they had to nerve to peek into the hut, they'd see Kagome sleeping peacefullying snuggled between Rin and Shippo. No one was sure what had caused the girl to go off like that that night, but thing was certain.

They would steer the hell clear of Kagome's rath for the next few weeks, just enough time for her to gain back her sanity.

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Just a random thing I put together real quickly (did anybody notice I lost a little steam in the middle?). Yes it's supposed to be like a crackfic.