"My name is Kagome Higurashi. I was your average fifteen-year-old junior high student, until one day I fell into a special well in my family's shrine! The well was a portal that brought me into Japan's feudal era! This is where I met Inuyasha, the lovable and angsty half-demon, Miroku, the perverted but kind-hearted monk, Sango, the brave demon-hunter, and Shippo, the childish fox-demon. Together, we're all battling against demons and our arch-nemesis Naraku, all to find the pieces of the sacred jewel shard that I accidentally broke into millions of tiny, little pieces!"
Kagome peddled her bike in a rush, her skirt flapping in the light, warm breeze. She smiled as the familiar faces of her friends appeared before her.
"Kagome!" Shippo yelled with excitement. He jogged over toward her, his tail bouncing behind his small body. Kagome hopped off her bike and let it fall to the ground. She opened her arms and Shippo leapt into her welcoming embrace.
"Hey, Shippo. I brought you some food." Kagome let the little fox jump back onto the lush green grass. She grabbed for her yellow backpack and dug around inside.
"Lemme see…no, not that. Definitely not that. Aha!" she pulled out a box and removed the lid, revealing a pile of omelets and various other treats. Shippo grasped the box in his small hands, his eyes glimmering with hunger.
"Not so fast!" Inuyasha whined, grabbing the box and shoving his face into it.
"Hey! That's mine!" Shippo cried.
"Sit, boy!" Kagome called, her arms crossed.
Inuyasha plummeted into the ground, the box flinging up into the air. Shippo leapt and caught it before it hit the ground, and stuffed his face. Inuyasha pried himself from the hole his body had created in the earth and gave Kagome a stern look.
"Here, I brought you this," she said, handing him a bowl of ramen noodles.
"I don't want it." He said, squinting his eyes at her.
"Fine. Hey, Shippo—"
Inuyasha pulled the noodles out of Kagome's hand, and started eating them without hesitation. She smirked. He was always such a child. It had been like this for a long time now it seemed. Kagome was more often in Inuyasha's time than her own these days. She had a responsibility to be here, since it was her fault the jewel was broken. But she didn't mind it. It could be pretty fun.
"Kagome!" Miroku and Sango called out from across the field. They rode on the back of Kirara, Sango's trusted feline companion. After the two had hopped onto the ground, Kirara transformed back into her smaller state, and greeted Kagome by rubbing softly against her legs.
"Hi, guys. Good to be back." Kagome said, smiling.
"You're the only one," Inuyasha hissed. Kagome whirled to look at him, slightly shocked.
"Well, that's rude." Kagome whispered under her breath, giving Inuyasha a dirty look. His eyes gleamed with an unusual anger, one that Kagome did not recognize. She looked away quickly, walking to greet Miroku and Sango.
That night, they slept inside a small hut, being tended to by Kaede. She prepared a stew for dinner, handing each of them a wooden bowl of it. They thanked her and ate. Inuyasha stopped slurping and his ears perked up.
"Naraku."
The others looked up from their food, and the hut grew silent.
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked.
"Shut up." Inuyasha said, not even looking at her. He walked out of the hut, his hand resting on the Tetsusaiga. Kagome gulped and looked at the rest of the group. None of them made eye contact. What the hell was going on with everyone?
Inuyasha sniffed at the night-time air, closing his eyes and grimacing at the scent of Naraku.
"He's coming," he said, readying his sword.
"Already here," Naraku muttered, walking slowly out from the surrounding forest.
"About time." Miroku said, smiling.
Kagome stared, bewildered. Naraku approached the group, and everyone turned to face Kagome, who had nothing in her hands, except the bowl of quickly-cooling stew. It dropped from her hands and spilled onto the grass. She dove for the hut, but Kaede stepped into the doorway, shoving Kagome out onto the grass.
"What's going on here?" Kagome shouted, standing and dusting herself off. "Naraku, is this some kind of trick? Hypnosis?" she stood, shaking. She tried to act calm, but she was terrified. Everyone she knew was turned against her.
"No, foolish wench." Naraku mumbled.
"It's time to face reality, Kagome." Inuyasha said, a hint of sadness clouding his words. He walked toward her, his claws drawn.
"Inu…yasha?" Kagome whimpered, backing away slowly. He slashed at her, slicing into the sleeve of her blouse and gashing her arm. She cried out, and turned, running blindly into the trees.
What was happening to them? She hoped this was some kind of nightmare. Maybe she had fallen asleep after dinner. She hadn't gotten much sleep with exams and fighting demons and all. Maybe it was just a dream.
Kagome slid behind a tall tree with a thick trunk, and threw some of the fallen branches over top of herself. Blood was oozing from her arm. She sat upright against the tree, and slapped her face furiously, tears making her palms slide against her cheeks.
"Wake up! Wake up!" she shouted at herself. Her body shook as she cried. She sucked in her breath and held it, listening. A branch snapped nearby. Inuyasha could smell her blood. She was certain of that.
"Fox fire!" Shippo called out, casting a flame on the branches she had hidden beneath. They crackled and burned brightly. Kagome screamed, crawling out from beneath the branches, and slapping at her burning skirt. She put the flame out, her hands red from the heat.
"She's over here!" the little fox screamed. Kagome panted, horrified at this turn of events. The rest of the group appeared behind Shippo. Naraku stood further away in the background, watching with his arms crossed. Kagome could barely make out the smile on his face.
"Please, stop!" Kagome screamed. She was panicked and crying. She wished she had never found that well, that she had never met Inuyasha and the others. Life was so much easier before all this. And now she was going to die at the hands of her friends.
"Kagome, you don't understand." Sango said. "We're doing this for you."
"No, I don't understand." Kagome sobbed.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, "You can't run from this."
A brilliant light shone from the sky, brightening the forest below. Voices echoed through the trees all around. She couldn't make out the words. They were choked sobs. Wailing voices circling her head.
"What? What's happening?" Kagome whispered.
Kagome, don't give up on me. I'm here. Right here.
"What's happening?" Kagome whined, falling to her knees and cradling he ears.
"Kagome, we have to do this." Miroku said, approaching her. Sango placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.
The voices in the trees became quieter, barely audible. The light dimmed.
"Okay," Kagome muttered.
"Good, Kagome." Naraku spoke. He backed away, disappearing. The darkness slowly moved inward, approaching Kagome. Sango and Miroku held hands and backed away into the blackness. Shippo followed alongside Kirara. Kagome sat with her knees up against her chest, holding her bloody arm. Her tears had stopped flowing.
"If it has to happen…Let it be you, Inuyasha."
"Kagome…"
"Just do it," she said. She pulled herself off of the ground and stood, facing him. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
"I still don't know what's happening…but if I have to die, I want to die here with you." Kagome shuddered.
"Just close your eyes." Inuyasha said. "It's almost over."
"Kagome, sweetie. Hold on. Please hold on." Kagome's mother sat by the bedside, holding her daughter's pale hand. The heart monitor blared, signaling that Kagome's heart had stopped beating. Her mother let go of her hand and backed away from the bed, her hand clasped over her mouth.
"God, no." she muttered.
"Mrs. Higurashi. I am so sorry." The doctor said, turning off the machine and covering Kagome's face with the bed-sheet. "It was a miracle she made it this far."
"But she never woke up. She never woke up." Mrs. Higurashi whimpered.
"It was near impossible for your daughter to wake from that coma. We tried all we could, but…"
"All you could? No, no you did not try all you could." She stormed out of the room. The doctor stood by the bed a moment longer, rubbing his hand against his forehead.
"Sorry, Kagome. You had a lot of life left in you, but things don't always work out the way we expect, do they?" he muttered, then exited the room.
The room grew quiet and peaceful. Kagome's pale, limp hand hung from beneath the white bed-sheets.