Goodbye

By: Foxicles

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

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Summary: Goodbyes are never easy, and Kagome never expected to have to say goodbye to him for quite a long time but she has no other choice. With tears streaming down her face, she holds him close and cries as she spends one last night with a member of her family. Sometimes, life can be so cruel.

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a/n: For me, this is a very sad, angst one-shot. If you've ever been through the same thing that I'm putting Kagome through, then you'll understand why this is an angst. Anyway, this story is dedicated to my aunt, who went through the same thing this past summer.

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Kagome couldn't believe what she had heard. He was slowly dying, her only friend that she had ever confided anything in was dying. Last time she had returned from the feudal era, he had seemed fine, healthy and in the past three weeks since she had been gone, he deteriorated into almost nothing. He could barely breath or move, for that matter and it broke Kagome's heart to see him this way. Souta had already shed his tears over the matter and was now downstairs talking happily on the phone with one of his friends, completely unaware of the turmoil his older sister was going through.

How could he know, he hadn't know him for as long as she had. She had known him practically since the day he was born and her love for the little guy grew as they had done. How could she say goodbye to him, the only member of her family that had been with her the longest? She couldn't, she didn't know how. All she could do was spend what little time he had left with he and let him know that she loved him with all of her heart, like she was doing now despite her tears.

He laid there, sprawled out on her bed, panting for air as Kagome stroked his fur with blurry vision. He was her cat, her friend, and by this time tomorrow he would be gone. No longer would she return home after an argument with Inuyasha to hear his comforting purrs and feel his soft fur as he rubbed up against her legs when she went to feed him. Tomorrow, she was taking her beloved pet Buyo to be out to sleep so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore and it tore her up inside.

Laying down in her bed, she curled up around Buyo and held him close to her as she continued to cry. All the cat could do was meow in confusion and purr in hopes of comforting her. His whiskers tickled her face as he licked away her tears, causing Kagome to giggle slightly.

"Buyo," she choked out in misery. "You have no idea how much you mean to me. You're the only I feel like I can talk to about my problems with Inuyasha and the hunt for the shards. You've always been there for me since the day I first got you. You're one of my most bestest friends that I've got, how can I just say goodbye?"

Buyo looked at her strangely, as if trying to figure out why she was so sad. "You're lucky that you're an animal and don't understand what's going on, what's going to happen to you tomorrow. Momma says that it's for the best...so you won't be put threw any more pain and I have to agree with her on that. I don't want you to live in pain anymore but then again I don't want to lose you either. I love you Buyo, you're my best friend." sobbed Kagome as she continued to stroke Buyo as the night went on.

It was early in the morning when Kagome, her mother and Buyo arrived at the vet. Tears still continued to leak from Kagome's eyes as her mother went up to the secretary's desk to let her know what they were here for. Kagome sat down in one of the chairs, taking Buyo out from his cat carrier to hold onto him one last time as to not forget him. Her mother joined her side and placed a comforting hand on her distraught daughter's shoulder, a look of pity and remorse in her eyes. Maybe, once Kagome got over the pain she was feeling, she'd get her another cat if Kagome was up to it.

The doctor came out from behind the back door and walked up to Kagome, his gentle blue eyes soft as he knelt down before Kagome laying his hand on hers. She looked into his eyes as her tears continued to fall. "It's time." he softly said. "Would you like to take him back so you can say goodbye?" Kagome nodded and rose to her feet, following the doctor to the back room. Once they stood outside of the door where Buyo would be put down, Kagome kissed the top her felines head and whispered softly for the cat to hear.

"Goodbye, my friend..." and she handed Buyo to the doctor and returned to the waiting room where she broke down sobbing in her mothers arms. Her mother lead her out to the car and drove her home, telling the secretary that she'd be back in a few minutes to retrieve the cat's body for burial. The secretary nodded in understanding.

Nearly an entire week had passed since Buyo had been laid to rest by the God-Tree and Kagome had still not recovered from it. Laying open beside her were photo albums that contain pictures of her and Buyo going all the way back to when she first got him as a birthday present from her father. Some of the pictures were laying scattered around Kagome's slumbering form, having been taken out from the albums. She had never felt so lost and alone like she had the first night without Buyo yet she was beginning to pull though it all. Even Souta stopped teasing her over how emotional she was after seeing how hard she truly was taking the loss of the fat fuzz ball. Every day, she was getting better and cried less and by the end of the month, she may be able to stand getting a new kitten, not that it could ever replace Buyo in her heart. No animal could ever replace Buyo to her.

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A/N: Dear lord, I need another tissue. This is something that has been bothering me ever since Girlie-Girl, my aunts boxer, had been put down due to having a rather large tumor in her throat. I just had to get it out. Okay, so how was it? Be honest with me too, I really want to know what you guys think. Laters!

-Foxicles