A/N: Yes I've revised another one of my old one-shots. I really don't have the heart to delete them! They were my first stories you know? So here's a little angst everyone! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Okay, I'll make it simple. I don't own, you don't sue. See...? Everybody's happy.
She coughed weakly, and was made dizzy by that one simple action. Inuyasha knew because he had to catch her as she nearly tumbled over. The creak of the door made his head swivel to attention and he glared at the man in the white jacket. He had gotten far too close to the miko for his comfort. However, the middle aged mother of his miko had stopped his advance to kill the man. A very simple statement had been all that was needed to halt his movements. Kagome needed his help.
The anxiety in Kagome's mother wasn't missed by him. It was a bitter scent that burned his nose, but it wasn't as strong as fear. The look on the man's face -he still didn't like him very much- made him clutch the miko tighter. He had seen that look of pity before, and he knew very well that nothing good ever followed such an expression.
"I'm sorry Ms. Higarashi. There's nothing we can do; the cancer is too far advanced. She has months at the most."
The woman broke down in tears and Inuyasha could only look down at her, confused. He wasn't familiar with the term, but it sent a sense of dread throughout his very being.
Finally, Kagome's mother had managed to explain the situation to him. He had cursed and growled and smashed things after the explanation but she did nothing to stop him. She understood, for she was about to lose a precious person as well. It was a love different than what he felt for the miko -even though he wasn't sure what he felt for the girl- but they understood each other's pain nonetheless.
"Inu…Yasha?" her weak voice floated from the stairway and he spun around, ready to yell at her for having gotten out of bed. He froze in place as he looked at her. Her once happy brown eyes were glazed with unshed tears and she was whiter than Kanna's hair. She stumbled down the last few steps and he rushed to catch her. The smile she flashed him both warmed his heart and broke it further. Soon, he would never be able to see it again. He stared at the miko, as she continued to fade right before his eyes.
"Kagome…" he whispered her name gently, afraid that if he spoke too loudly she would disappear then and there. She had always seemed so strong and happy. She had always been in love with life and determined to live said life. That wasn't the girl he saw before him in that instant. The girl in front of him looked frail, tired, and ready to give up. If they only had all of the shards, he would wish for her health, even if it was selfish and he would be punished for such a desire. As he stared at her, she offered him another weak smile. His heart shattered all over again. She still tried to be strong.
"Can we go back?" she almost fell over and he had to catch her again when she attempted to lift her bag.
Teary-eyed, her mother stared sadly before she spoke, just as softly as he had. "Kagome are you sure you're up to that dear?"
Kagome paused for a moment, and Inuyasha had to look down to make sure she was still conscious in his arms. As his eyes fell on her, she spoke. "Would it make a difference? I do want to see Sango, Miroku and Shippo before…"
He understood what had not been spoken, and pleaded with the elder woman silently. An agreement was made and he nodded his head. He took the miko into his arms and walked towards the well. She deserved more than the simple desire to see their friends once more. She deserved to live.
The short walk from the house to the well went by in a blur but Inuyasha snapped out of it once he caught the scent of the village. He was startled by a sudden weight on him and he looked down to see the miko -his miko- unconscious in his arms. He had to tell the others. It was harder than he had thought it would have been, but Inuyasha managed. Somehow, he had managed, though he had broken a wall during his tale.
Sango sobbed into Miroku's shoulder. "I can't believe this. Kagome-chan is... Kagome-chan is…"
Miroku patted the slayer's back gently; his hand stayed in place. That instant was, after all, not the time for such antics. He always thought he would be the first to go what with the air void. However, to lose Kagome was a crushing blow.
Shippo didn't entirely understand why Kagome was about to leave them. All the small kit knew was that his mother was going to leave him, again. He sniffed lightly and curled up against Kilala who offered a sad mew.
It was painful for Inuyasha to watch them as they grieved, but he refrained from joining in on such things. He was their leader, their alpha; he needed to be strong for his pack during such a time. His eyes flitted over to Kagome as she slept. If he had not been so wishy-washy for so long, he knew he might have had more time to spend with his little miko.
A month passed, and Inuyasha stared as Kagome laid on the mat in Kaede's hut. The elderly miko refused to see the child like that as she'd come to love the girl as a granddaughter. Her breathing was slow, ragged, and forced. The scent of death tickled his nose and Inuyasha almost thought Kikyo was near for a moment. He growled at himself and shook his head. Kagome was not Kikyo, and he knew that.
"Inu…yasha.." Her voice almost startled him, and he had almost missed it. She had gotten so weak. He gazed down at her quietly before he spoke.
"Yeah?" he hadn't left her side in days; it had almost been a week that she was like that. The scent of sickness that hung about her burned his senses, but he refused to leave even then. He had not moved an inch. He had promised to protect her, even if that meant he would protect her from loneliness in her final hours. He softened for a moment as he looked down at her. "Do you need something?"
She smiled feebly and nodded her head. Her once rosy pink lips parted slightly as she lifted her hand up to grasp Inuyasha's robe. She tried to sit up and he helped her to sit in his lap, her head tucked firmly beneath his chin. "I need…"
"What? What is it?" he whispered, once more afraid that to speak loudly would destroy what remained of her. Their eyes met and he wrapped his clawed hand around her smaller, frail one.
"I need to tell you…something Inuyasha…" her breathing had gotten to be a struggle, and he could hear it as her heart began to slow. His own heart rate sped up. That she needed to tell him something was all she desired made his heart throb painfully. It never had taken much to make her happy, even if he had been blind to such a fact for so long. His eyes softened as he held her hand tighter and wished that it would make her stay with them; that it would make her stay with nodded and coughed again as she leaned closer into him.
"Inuyasha… I… I love you… please… don't ever change... you…are fine… the way… you are." She went limp in his arms and her chest stopped all movement. He froze for a moment, then spun her to look at him almost violently.
"Kagome? Kagome!" he pulled her body close to his chest and hugged her as tightly as he could. He ground his teeth even as it shot pain throughout his entire head. "I love you too… why? Why did you wait so damn long to tell me!"
He couldn't help as he yelled down at her pale face; tears fell from his eyes and splattered on her paled face. Even in death, she was beautiful and warm. The smile never left her face.
He watched as his love left for school day after day. It was the day she would fall into the well. He itched to stop her but then ended up stopping himself; he would never know her. It was selfish, he knew, but he kept his promise to her. He never changed. He was still a half demon.
Sango and Miroku had married, Shippo had mated with the thunder demon girl and Kikyo had found peace. The Shikon was whole and had become a part of his rosary that he had refused to remove. It bound him to Kagome, for then and forever. He closed his eyes as he drifted back into distant memory and sighed. He would someday join his love but for the time being he was content to remain as he was and protect her until it was once more her time. Only then would he finally join her, on the other side.
A/N: Yes, a revision of a very old, very short one-shot. I looked back on my old writing and shudder sometimes so I'm trying to polish it up.
As for why I chose to write something like this, it is because cancer is an all too real subject that many people don't acknowledge. My family has lost people because of this and we almost lost my aunt recently because of a breast cancer scare. Next time you take a breath and know you're healthy and living, thank every god known to man for it because you never know when your last day might come.
-CherryBlossomLove