Disclaimer: I don't own it!
Inuyasha fell to his knees, Tetsusaiga in his hand. His only thought was, "I killed her." He lifted his head and looked around. It was then that he saw her. Kagome. She was lying on the ground, arrow protruding from her chest. He quickly stood and ran to her side.
Miroku woke and looked to his side where Sango lay. She was still unconscious. He, unaware of his own bloody, battered body, surveyed hers as he stroked her hair, begging her to wake. 'At least Naraku is gone,' He thought.
As Sango continued to sleep, he tried to convince his unbelieving mind that everyone, everything would be okay. That they would all make it through this. He looked to his right just in time to see Inuyasha drop to his knees, Kikyou's body before him. To his left, not far from Sango, were Shippou and Kirara. He slowly stood, suddenly aware of his own many wounds, and made his way over to pick them up. He carried them back to where Sango lay and watched as Shippou began to stir.
"Kagome, please wake up! I'm so sorry! Please, wake up," Inuyasha begged his silent friend. He pulled her onto his knees and held her, praying that she would wake.
"Inu…ya…sha?" Kagome's speech was slow and halting, the sound of blood present in her throat.
"Kagome! Thank the gods you're okay!"
"I… don't think… that I… that I am…"
"Kagome, don't talk like that! You'll be fine," Kagome could only manage a weak smile. Inuyasha's thoughts were racing. She would be fine, there's no way she would die. But, why did she do that? How could she do that?
"Kagome, how could you be so stupid," he asked, "How could you do that? Why," He finished softly, totally at a loss for words.
"Because, Inuyasha, you… you've done… the same for… for me… so many times."
"Kagome! You didn't have to do that! You should never have done anything so stupid like that! That was so… so… so dumb, Kagome, why?" His voice lowered and grew weak.
Tears began to form in his eyes. He, who had never really cried, who thought he would never love again, not after what Kikyou had done to him, had fallen in love with this human girl. He shook his head violently, trying to velar his mind, to uncloud his burning eyes. But it didn't work. He knew she would not live. There was no way. And it was his fault, all his fault.
"Inuyasha," she spoke weakly, searching for air with every syllable, "Don't… don't blame yourself. It… wasn't your… wasn't your fault."
But it was. He knew it was and his mind would never listen to her words. The scene would replay in his head for all eternity, he knew it would.
Kikyou stood in front of him, arrow poised and ready. As she looked around, surveying the bloody field, her eyes passed over Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara's limp and bloodied bodies, lingering over Naraku's clearly dead form only to settle on Kagome.
Kagome stood behind Inuyasha and Kikyou looked at her, eyes filled with hate. That was all that was left now. Hate, for her, for Inuyasha, and for herself. She suffered so much/ he wanted to make them both suffer, as she did now and for all eternity. She would kill Inuyasha. Make him suffer in Hell for all that he had done. She loved him, but she knew he could never love her again. His heart belonged to her own reincarnation, Kagome.
Kagome, that name was poison on her tongue. She knew the way she could make her suffer the most was to kill Inuyasha, the one she loved. She could do it so easily, make them both suffer so much, with just one shot.
She drew the bow tighter and readied it to shoot. She released the arrow, it flew straight, her aim had always been true. She watched it fly at Inuyasha, and then everything seemed to slow.
Inuyasha stood staring at Kikyou, he was unable to take his hurt golden eyes from the arrow aimed at him, even as it was released and flew straight at him. Then his eyes beheld the most horrible thing, the most terrible. Kagome. Kagome, as she jumped in front of him. Her yell seemed to reverberate through his very being. Then, she fell, pain in her eyes as the arrow struck her in the chest. The very same arrow meant for Inuyasha.
The next thing Inuyasha knew, his sword was in his hand. And Kikyou, Kikyou was lying in front of him, her body fallen and bloodied.
"I killed her." He fell to his knees, "I killed her."
Miroku held Sango to him, silently praying. She had still not woken up, and neither has Shippou or Kirara. He was deathly afraid that neither would wake up. He stroked Sango's hair praying, praying to any God that would listen. Begging, silently, that she would wake up. He knew not when he started to feel so strongly toward her, he only knew that he wanted her to wake up more than anything.
Then, Shippou began to stir. Once he woke, he looked up at Miroku with his big, green eyes. Eyes that asked the questions that his voice could not. Miroku looked back and struggled to find words to answer the unspoken question.
"Shippou," his voice was shaking and he looked over to where Kagome and Inuyasha sat, then down at Sango, "Shippou," He felt that he could not continue. As much at he did not want them to, his eyes began to fill with tears, "Shippou, I'm… I'm scared."
"Why Miroku? Sango and Kagome will be fine." His innocent eyes were hopeful and his bottom lip was quivering.
"Shippou, I'm not sure that they will. Look at Inuyasha." Shippou looked up, then down at Sango.
"No, no Miroku, you're wrong. They'll be fine." He began to walk slowly toward Inuyasha and Kagome.
"No Shippou," He grabbed Shippou's tail and gently pulled him back, "Leave them, Inuyasha needs to be with Kagome," He said as Shippou's eyes began to leak and huge tears rolled down his cheeks.
"M… Miro…ku?"
"Sango," His voice was halting, as though he couldn't believe that she was alive, "Are you okay?"
"Miroku, I'm fine. Where is Kagome?"
"I'm not sure that she is going to be okay. Inuyasha's okay, he's with her. Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a few scratches, nothing major," she said, though it was more than just a few scratches. Her worst injury was the huge gash across her stomach.
"Inu…yasha, don't blame yourself. It… it wasn't your fault. She was going to… to kill you. I had to… I had to do something. I couldn't let her kill you." Kagome spoke softly.
"You shouldn't have! You should have left it alone! If you had, you wouldn't be like this, I know how much you are hurt."
"Inuyasha, don't blame yourself, I'm serious. Besides, death is not an end, it's a renewal, a new beginning. Do you understand? Inuyasha, do you know… know my secret?"
"Secret?"
"Yes, though it's not much of a secret. I think everyone knows but you." She managed a feeble laugh, which quickly changed into a hacking cough, drawing blood and its bitter, metallic taste into her mouth.
"What is it?" he asked as she lifted her hand and stroked his cheek, then traced her fingers through his hair. He lowered hi head and closed his eyes in exhaustion. When she lifted her hand to pet one of his ears, he stared into her dark eyes.
"Inuyasha, I… I… I love… you." His golden eyes opened wide, and he sifted his fingers through her hair, staring into her beautiful eyes. He had never admitted his feelings to her. He knew he loved her, and though he felt strongly about it, the words were still hard to form.
"Kagome, I… I love you to."
All Kagome could manage was a peaceful smile before slipping off into peaceful oblivion.
"Kagome," he whispered her name softly as he felt her go limp in his arms, "Kagome, no, no," Tears began to flow freely now, creating shining paths down his cheeks, his body wracked with sobs. Kagome was gone.
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome!" Each time her name left his lips it grew louder until the air was filled with his distressed yells, "No!" He sobbed, "no,"
Miroku, Sango, and Shippou's eyes began to fill with tears. There was no doubt in their minds that she was gone. Inuyasha's cried reverberated through their very bodies.
Inuyasha was heartbroken. It was his fault. No matter what Kagome had said, nothing could change that. She was gone. He carefully laid her body down and stood. He picked up Tetsusaiga from where it lay in front if Kikyou and ran.
He ran to the Bone Eaters Well, and looked into it's depths and thought. He thought about going there and telling Kagome's mother and grandpa that she was gone. He knew that he would have to; he was the only one that could. He did not relish that thought, Kagome's mother would hate him, not that it mattered. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
He would do it now. Though he was exhausted and covered with blood, he would not be able to do it later. He would not be able to force himself down that well.
He gathered his wits and jumped. As he hurled to the bottom the familiar blue glow did not shine from the bottom and surround him, He hit the bottom with a small thud and then jumped out, He looked upon the same scene that he had seen before entering. He had not passed through. He jumped again, bit to no avail. Kagome's death must have affected the flow of time that surrounded the well. Her family would have to suffer the awful pain of waiting and not knowing what has happened to their beloved daughter. That doubled the heave guilt already weighing on his shoulders.
He sighed and walked slowly away. He knew of a hot spring that would wash away the blood, in nothing else. As he soaked in the spring the blood caked in him washed away leaving him feeling clean but just as sad and heartbroken. He washed his Kimono free of the grime, and retreated to a large tree. The thick branches with their concealing leaves his him well.
From his perch, he watched Shippou cru for Kagome He had never thought about it but he knew that the girl had become a mother to the young fox. As Shippou called out Inuyasha's name and searched for him, Inuyasha realized that he, too, has unknowingly become a parent to the child. The thought saddened him as he hid himself away from the fox.
Inuyasha did not speak to Miroku, Sango, Kaede, Shippou, or any of the others. He sat in solitude, straying only to find food, just enough to keep him alive. For years he say. He did nothing but watch.
He watched from a distance as Kagome's body was burned, just as Kikyou's had been, with the Shikon Jewel shards that they had possessed, He watched as Shippou grew and took control of the village when Kaede passed away. He watched Sango and Miroku grow close ad eventually fall in love. He watched their marriage and watched their children grow up and watched as they were killed in defense of Kirara, who also perished. He never made himself known.
When he ventured to sit by a river to stream to look in, he would see that he had not aged a day. Not at all. He looked the same as he did when Kagome had died. He did not age as the villages were replaced with towns, then cities. As horses and solitary travelers on foot were replaced with new roaring contraptions called vehicles. As the fashion changed from kimonos to T-shirts and skirts and pants. As the demons died out or began to pass themselves off as humans. He himself wore simply a shirt and jeans with his long hair still the same, A Baseball cap covered his ears.
One day far from the day Kagome had perished he looked down from the tree he was currently perished in. A group of girls in school uniforms that looked so familiar, He saw girls in them daily, but it was also what Kagome had used to wear. Inuyasha looked down on them with uninterested eyes, but seething drew him to them. As they walked he followed close behind, The group of four split of into two, and then to one. He followed the one; somehow he was drawn to her.
She began to walk towards a shrine that seemed so familiar, but his mind had forgotten what. After so many years he has pushed almost every memory from his mind.
Suddenly she turned around and caught his eye, They were beautiful, golden, so familiar, why?
"Ka… Kagome?" That voice was so familiar, Why Because it had haunted her dreams nightly for so long That face that was in her dreams every night. But he wasn;t real. Was he? Could he be? The dreams were so vivid, could they have really happened? Yes! Yes, it could have. She knew it in her heart, in her very being.
"Inuyasha?" He nodded. "Inuyasha," She yelled joyfully, She dropped her bag and ran to hi, and wrapped her arms around him, and him to her. They stood there in each other's embrace. An embrace they had both nightly longed to be in.
"Kagome, I don't believe it. How did this happen? Kagome," as he sad her name, he looked into her eyes, His own golden ones were deeply troubled, what had happened? She was gone. She has died. How was she standing right here in front of him? "Kagome, you died. What happened?"
Her dark eyes clouded for a moment, apparently she had. All her dreams and nightmares had been true. For almost all of her live, she had had dreams nightly. Each featuring Inuyasha. She knew every detail that has happened since she had traveled back through time. But how had she done so? Apparently she has or Inuyasha would not be staining here holding her. But how? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Then she remembered something that she had said, It explained everything. At least to an extent.
"Inuyasha," she said, "I told you not to blame yourself. I told you that death is only a renewal, not an end, a new beginning. That's what happened. It's all that could have."
"But how?"
"Inuyasha, do you know what today is? It's my fifteenth birthday. This is the same day I fell into the well before. I know it's strange and hard to explain and I don't understand either, but I remember everything."
"Kagome," he said, looking into her big eyes. "I love you. I…I really do."
"Inuyasha," she said softly, "I love you too." He pulled Kagome into a soft embrace. They held each other for what seemed like an eternity. He had waited an eternity for her.