~~~~Fear and Comfort~~~~

When Inuyasha arrived to the hospital he didn't see any of the doctors and he really didn't want to wait around for one to show up, he just wanted to see Kagome. Inuyasha crept up the the room and slowly opened the door only to hear Kagome's quiet yet painful sobbing. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, suddenly remembering how much he hated to hear Kagome cry.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered into the darkness. He made his way carefully toward her bed where he found her curled into a ball on her bed. "Shhhh, love, it's ok, I'm here." Inuyasha cooed as he gathered his wife into his arms the best he could considering she was basically connected to the wall through wires snaking every which-way.

"Inu:sniff:Yasha?" Kagome asked as she looked up at her mate. Inuyasha froze at the sight of her. Kagome's eyes had dulled and dark circles encased the once glittering orbs. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Sorry? For what?" Inuyasha cocked his head sideways in confusion.

"That I couldn't be stronger. I just wish I could save us." Kagome whispered. Her voice was dry and cracked from the crying and the fact she was so weak.

"Hey, none of this is your fault. You've held on the best you can and I'm so proud of you. Never forget that it was you who unlocked this hanyou's steal cased heart." Inuyasha pressed his forhead against Kagome's and snorted. "Silly wench. You subdued me not only with a rosary and a magic word, but you captured me with your light and kindness and ofcourse your unconditional love. You're the one who kept me going all those years, I love you Kagome and I will always love you." Inuyasha choked out those last words as the threatening tears begain to flow freely from his golden eyes.

"I love you too Inuyasha. I'm just so afraid. Death doesn't scare me, leaving you is what scares me, I can't imagine myself with out you." Kagome cried.

"Shhh, you know you'll never leave me. You're very soul is intertwined with my own and you'll never EVER leave me. My life is yours as yours is mine and as long as I live a peice of you will live on." Inuyasha said as he begun to cry harder.

Kagome cried into Inuyasha's shoulder for a while and Inuyasha allowed himself to cry with her while staring out the window at the stars. He stayed like that for a while when he noticed that Kagome's crying had stopped and her breathing was slow and ragged. Inuyasha looked down to see that Kagome had fallen asleep in his lap clutching his shirt. 'Damn you.' Inuyasha's mind screamed to the glittering stars outside the window. 'You followed me through time's passage only to point me out of the universe and taunt me. You waited this long to take my happiness away from me, again. Why must you be so cruel?' Inuyasha's tear stained eyes remained fixed on the night's sky he silently prayed. 'Please just keep her out of pain.'

~~~~~

Back at the Higurashi home, only Sango, Miroku and Shippo remained awake as they worried about their friends. Shippo kept glancing nervously at the phone as though his nerve was about to snap. Suddenly as though on cue, just as Shippo glanced back over at the phone for the billionth time it rang causing all three to jump. Sango was the first to get it.

"Hello? Higurashi residence." Sango answered.

"Sango? This is Inuyasha, is everyone asleep?" Inuyasha spoke quietly into the phone.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Yes, the only people still awake is Shippo, Miroku and myself. How's Kagome?" Sango said, unsure that she wanted an answer.

"Not so well. She sorta had a break down and wouldn't stop crying. She's finaly excepted her fate and her only worry is us sepperating." Inuyasha sighed.

"Oh dear. Well did you let her know that no matter what you two won't be seperated, no matter what fate has to throw at you two." Sango asked.

"Of course I told her that. We had a talk and everything has been set right again. She understands that it's her time and that both Kin and I will take care of eachother." Inuyasha sighed again as he stroked Kagome's hair. "It's not her dying that has me scared Sango, I just don't want her to go in pain. All my life, the only thing I ever wanted was Kagome to never be in pain." Inuyasha sobbed.

"I understand. We feel the same way Inuyasha. How is she doing right now? Are the doctor's able to keep her out of pain?" Sango asked.

"Well, she's asleep, I think I'm going to spend the night here with her. She isn't feeling much pain, but her instincts are telling her that the time draws near, I could sense it in her eyes. Sango, it hurts, it physically hurts my heart to see her like this. It's taking so long and the longer it takes the more it hurts." Inuyasha sobbed into the phone still somehow managing to keep his voice in a whisper.

"I know dear, I know. Just embrace her tonight and love her, that's the best medicine for her right now. I'll let every one know that Kagome is ok in the morning and we'll come to see you guys, but go ahead and stay there tonight. And for heaven's sake get some sleep. We'll see you in the morning." Sango tried to sound harsh, but her emotion's betrayed her voice.

"Thanks Sango. I'll see you in the morning." Inuyasha said softly before hanging up.

"That was Inuyasha. Kagome realized that her time is almost up and she just needed some reasurrance that it's ok to leave in peace when the time does come." Sango said with a sob. Shippo's eyes widdened with that realization. He shifted a bit from were he sat and stared down at the carpet as his vision blurred and he started crying. Although Shippo had grown considerably, he still saw Kagome as the mother he lost so many years ago and all those childhood memories came flooding to him and the fact that he was again going to lose his mother became to much for the kitsune to bare as he started crying harder.

"Shippo.....I'm sorry." Sango said as she moved to Shippo's side and embraced him and let him cry. She knew that this would only be the beggining and it would do him some good to let a good cry out. "We're going to go see Kagome in the morning, I think we all have some unsaid things." Sango said in a motherly tone.

"Like :sniff: what?" Shippo said as he leaned against the demon huntress.

"Like.....Goodbye." Said Miroku as he closed his eyes and sat in concentration.

~~~~~

The next morning Inuyasha woke up with Kagome still in his arms, her grip had loosened slightly on his shirt. He sadly smiled to himself as he realized that this might be the last time he got to wake to her sleeping in his arms like that. He held his breath when he suddenly noticed that her scent had changed and that her body had lost a lot of heat during the night. Kagome's breathing was shallowed and slow, but she was still breathing. "Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered, afraid that the slightest noice might break the air around them.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed out. She stirred slightly but it was apparent that she was very weak. Her eyes fluttered open as she laid almost limply on Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha carefuly got up and repositioned Kagome in bed.

"Everyone's coming to see you today. They should be here sortly." Inuyasha said with a fake smile on his face.

"That's good. I want to see everyone.........for one last time." Kagome whispered as she started falling asleep again. "Please wake me when they get here." She said as she fell back asleep.

"I promise I will." Inuyasha said as he stood infront of the window and fell deep in thought.

~~~~

It wasn't long after when Inuyasha was broken out of his thoughts by a soft knock at the door. Inuyasha turned to see his son, Kin poking his head in the door. "Dad? We're here, there's a few of mom's friends here too, should I tell them she's asleep?" Kin asked.

Inuyasha shook his head as he returned to Kagome's bedside. "No son, show them all in. I think it's time." Inuyasha said plainly as he took Kagome's hand and rubbed it. "Kagome, love your friends and family are here to see you."

At the sound of his voice, Kagome shifted and woke up. She almost paniced when she noticed that everything sudenly seemed unfamiliar when first woke, but she did feel Inuyasha's soft touch on her hand and the sound of his beautiful voice she started pulling herself out of the darkness and as her blurred vision came into view she saw the worried and sad faces of her friends and family standing around her. At first she didn't understand what was going on, she was slowly shutting down but it wasn't until Inuyasha started speaking did she snap herself awake.

"Love, everyone's here to see you, think you can wake up more?" Inuyasha said as he coaxed Kagome into a more upright possision on the bed. She also noticed her mother was standing over her on the oppisite side of the bed of Inuyasha as they gave eachother worried glances.

"It....:gulp:...It's almost time." Kagome said breathlessly.

**********Sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to set the stage for the next one. Hehe, next chapter, songfic!!! It will be set to Evanescence, My Immortal. Let me know what you think, you're reviews are greatly excepted. I wanna know what you think either you hate my story, liked it, loved it or just didn't spark your interest. Thanks for reading!

~SunStreak