Disclaimer: Um...of course I own Inu Yasha. What you don't believe me? Well I do! Really...ok it's not true, but oh if I did ;-)
Rating PG-13
Author's Note: Well this starts out as a very dark fic, but I promise there is a light at the end of the tunnel :) I got the idea for this fic while listening to Creed's One Last Breath, hence the title. It's my first Inu fic (not my first fanfiction) so any constructive criticism is more than welcome. Flames are used to roast marshmallows and of course good reviews make my head grow 10 times it's original size :) Hope you all Enjoy!
Prologue: Last Breath
Kagome couldn't believe it was over. It could have been a dream, except for the rain. She remembered her mother telling her a long time ago that rain drops were the tears of heaven. 'Heaven should cry today' she thought as she looked at the battlefield around her. Bodies of friends and foes alike lay bloodied and still. So much had been lost.
It happened in an instant, that fatal blow. So fast and so final. There was no mistaking the look of shocked pain on his face. Kagome had called out as he fell and rushed to his side in vain. There was nothing to be done, even the mighty Inu Yasha could not survive injuries that severe. Time had passed, how much she couldn't be sure, but she still cradled him in her arms and held him close to her heart. She watched his face searching for signs of life though she knew that she would find none. His name escaped her lips oh so softly, like a prayer. She couldn't stop replaying his last moments in her mind. Before his beautiful golden eyes closed forever, she had told him how much she loved him. It had come out in a desperate rush. Inu Yasha just smiled his cocky smile, and for a brief second, she could almost forget that he was bleeding to death in her arms.
He raised a clawed hand weakly and gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "Feh," he said trying to be his usual self but only succeeding in coughing up more blood. He softened as he looked at her. "Don't cry for me, Kagome." She could think of nothing to say to this, so she only held him tighter. She could sense the end was near and there was absolutely nothing she could do to prevent it. Never in her life had she felt more useless. His eyes were beginning to lose focus, but with the last of his remaining strength, he pulled himself together for one last confession. "Kagome, I..I love...you. Always... you." His eyes drifted closed and then he spoke no more.
A few feet away, Miroku kneeled over Sango's broken body. His eyes were closed, and his lips moved in silent prayer. His robes clung to his chest more from blood than rain, but he took no notice of this. Physical pain had no part in Miroku's anguish. His hand, now free of the void, rested on the exterminator's cold forehead. Perhaps some part of him was aware that his family curse had finally been lifted, but there was no joy in this victory. The cost was too high, much too high. Kagome couldn't tell if the water streaming down his cheeks was rain or tears though she could guess. It all seemed too quick, too unbelievable. Their world had come crashing down. There was nothing left to be done, so they remained on that field until the rain had washed all the blood and tears away. Until the sky had changed from gray to charcoal to black. Until they finally realized that it was over. It was all over.