The Price
Kagome… Shippou stood hunched over her fallen body; his eyes clenched shut, his tiny hands balled into tight fists. Miroku reached out a hand to put on the child's shoulder, but he lashed out, biting the monk until he was left alone, only to return to his frozen pose over her.
Kagome… was the only thought he could think. Repeating her name over and over in his mind. Here she was… his first and very best friend. She was his savior, his protector, and his pal. He thought of all the things she had brought back from her world for him. Chocolate, and crayons for him to play with. He still had one or two in his pockets, he thought. Though he didn't think he would ever draw with them again. He thought of all the times she had sat Inuyasha for beating him up. Inuyasha had fallen some ways away… Shippou wasn't letting himself think about that just yet.
Kagome… the kitsune slowly relived the horror of the night in his mind. They had been certain the only jewel shards left were those of Naraku's, so they had to get them from him. That was just the way it was. They had found his new fortress, and attacked. Images blurred together as tears stung the fox child's eyes. Kagome, so brave with her arrows. Naraku vanishing in a cloud of miasma, leaving Kikyou behind. Inuyasha rushing in to rescue his undead miko. Naraku was behind them! He had Kagome! The sickening sound of Kagome's last scream…
Kagome… Shippou couldn't believe she was dead. She really was dead. He had watched as Naraku clawed at her throat for the jewel shards. Kagome was so brave… she reached into Naraku's chest as if it were so much butter. She found his shards. There was so much light. So much light he hadn't been able to look at it. And when the light faded, Naraku was gone. Kagome fell, half of the Shikon No Tama in each hand. Her throat was a bloody mess, and blood was smeared across her serene face.
"Oh my god…" Miroku's voice behind him was full of shock and amazement. He heard Sango gasp, also shocked. Shippou kept his eyes shut tight, and his body perfectly still. Whatever was happening was nothing, nothing compared to Kagome's death.
"Inuyasha…" Sango was running away from him. What was going on? Inuyasha was just as dead as Kagome. Shippou granted them a glance, and couldn't believe what he saw.
Across the battlefield, a bloody and ash-covered Inuyasha was slowly trying to sit up.
Inuyasha's eyes opened, looking at the flimsy clouds drifting across a brilliant sky. He was disoriented for a moment; he had been lost in the most wonderful dream. His mother and Kagome were talking in a kitchen, Kikyou's voice had whispered on the breeze, and he had been filled with a feeling that everything was finally okay. It was simple, but it was the best dream he'd had in a very long time.
Scenes from the battle came flooding back to him. Miroku and Sango fighting together against a multitude of demons. He was attacking Naraku, under the cover of Kagome's arrows. Shippou was, as always, at Kagome's feet throwing his pathetic little foxfires at the demons surrounding her. Good thing Kirara was doing her part, or Kagome would have been toast. He remembered Naraku laughing at him, telling him he had something special for the hanyou dog. The shape-shifting demon had disappeared in a gust of miasma. Inuyasha had choked on the thick rotten stench of it, covering the lower half of his face with his sleeve. Suddenly he'd seen Kikyou, where Naraku had been. She was weak, collapsing in the miasma. Inuyasha had been so confused; everyone had thought that Naraku had already killed her. But there she was, crying for his help. He had gone to her aid without a second thought. Everything went fuzzy from there… he couldn't remember anything really, but Kikyou's voice, telling him everything was finally okay.
How had he gotten so injured? Inuyasha could barely move, but he tried to sit up. It was time to find out what had happened with the others. He grunted with pain, surprised by the amount of blood covering him, and where had these ashes come from? Where was everyone? He looked across the battlefield, there were Sango and Miroku. Was that Shippou? His vision was blurry, and pain throbbed between his temples.
Oh, good. They're coming over here. What the hell happened? Did we win? We must have won, or else we'd all be dead. Miroku was soon at his side, helping him sit up. Sango was with him, holding back tears.
"What happened? Did we win? Is Naraku dead?" Inuyasha was beginning to have a very horrible feeling about this situation. In answer to his question, Miroku held out his hand. The holy beads that contained his curse were gone, his hand was whole. The curse could only be ended with Naraku's death, so Inuyasha was certain the vile being was gone. But then what was wrong with those two?
"Kagome killed him." Sango choked over the words, holding back a sob.
"That's great! What the hell is wrong with you?" Inuyasha was becoming more and more irritated, and panicked.
Sango only looked away from him, at the kitsune who still stood alone. Something dawned on Inuyasha.
"Where's Kagome?"
Miroku looked down, clenching his now whole hand. Sango burst into tears, holding the monk for support. Inuyasha didn't believe it. No way. No way was she…
"Where's Kagome?" He was more insistent now. He stood up slowly and knew that the answer was with Shippou. The kitsune was never far from her. He left the two of them behind, holding each other.
She can't be. We finally won, Kagome. You have to be here. Everything is finally going to be right. Everything is finally right, Kagome, we finally won! You can't be- He couldn't even think the word. Not when it came to Kagome. But as he approached the frozen fox child, he knew. He knew before he saw her.
Her face took his gaze first, smeared with blood but serene. The source of the blood was obvious. Her throat… was a mess. He took in the rest of her, noticing the halves of the Jewel in her hands, but for once, for the first time, not caring about them. The hanyou fell to his knees, reaching for her. Inuyasha wanted to hold her, wanted to take her in his arms as he'd always wanted to.
"Don't touch her." Shippou's voice shocked him with its cold rage. "Don't you dare touch her."
"Shippou-!" Inuyasha didn't know what to say to the kid. He knew Shippou loved Kagome dearly, but they all had. What was wrong with him?
"I said don't you touch her!" The kitsune screamed. "Get away from her! This is all your fault! You never took care of her like you should! You never cared what happened to her when your bitch appeared! This is all your fault, you bastard! This is all your fault!" Shippou attacked him. Inuyasha had never seen the boy fox act like this. He was so weak he couldn't even fend off the violence. The child acted as if he truly wanted the hanyou dead. Wanted to kill him with his own claws and fangs!
Inuyasha fell backward. Shippou's words were sinking in. 'You never cared what happened to her when your bitch appeared…' It's true. This is my fault. Kagome is dead because I failed to protect her. He couldn't bear this again. He lay on his back, accepting the child's weak blows. Tears began to trickle from his closed eyes, but Shippou didn't stop. He beat Inuyasha across the face, slashing him with his needle-fine claws. He shrieked with rage, biting the hanyou's neck, to not much good. His tiny fox fangs were no match for Inuyasha's tough skin. Inuyasha let his tears flow freely, stinging his many cuts under the flurry of Shippou's rage.
