She turned her face away. "InuYasha…no…"
"Oh, come on, Kagome. I'm not asking you to take of your shirt or anything; I'm not lecherous like Miroku." I heard her laugh quietly at my remark. "Seriously though, let me see your wounds."
Kagome closed her eyes and responded softly, "InuYasha…I-I can't…I just can't let you see…"
Annoyed yet alarmed, I sat up straight and looked over at Kagome. Blood and tears coalesced upon her once radiant, smiling face. I cradled her head softly back and forth in my arms, careful not to drop a spill of blood from my broken nose. "N-no, Kagome. Stay awake; heh, don't fall asleep like you always do. This is hardly the time."
"Why? The battle's… over…"
"The battle's not over; I'm still fighting…still…" The passing winds caressed my white hair, overpowering my timid voice.
Pushing back into the bark of the god tree, I felt as if I was being struck by a hidden force that I could not escape. My claws dug into the bark of the Goshinboku, tearing it slowly, yet making each movement strong and savage. Sharp splinters of wood dropped slowly to the ground, some scratching my bare feet. I felt no pain, only restlessness and anxiety.
"So? Doesn't mean you have to let it all out right after! There's no one to help us out here; we might as well all die before some stupid traveler comes and finds us. Come on, you've gone through worse than this before…"
"Heh, don't be stupid, no… I haven't …"
I cupped my hand about her soft chin, making her fatigued face level with my own.
"InuYasha…?" Her eyes widened slightly then softened equally to my own serene state.
We came closer and closer, close enough that if I had blown against her face, I would have felt it reflect back at me. I hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go.
"Wha…?" A heavy stench of ningen blood hung about the dying miko. Shocked and dismayed, I looked upon one of my hands that had supported her back. It bore a vibrant red.
"Heh, I guess," Kagome winched at the giant open wound, "Naraku…did make a direct hit. Oh… oh, well…you…you're okay…"
"Kagome!" I whimpered helplessly.
"Kagome!" My grip tightened spasmodically around the Shikon shards and at the god tree's bark. I yelped at the suddenness of the pain biting into my raw flesh. For some time, I merely stood against the Goshinboku, letting the blood spill from my puncture wounds on my hands, feeling nothing, excepting the shards and splinters biting deeply into my already scarred soul.
"Huh?" I snapped back into reality. "What's…this?" Moisture had gathered about my eyes and was dropping like rain. "These…these are my tears…?"
