Kagome glared at the large oni. It glared right back.
It was funny, really. Here she was, having a showdown with a youkai, while Inuyasha struggled to get up, Sango lay unconscious, Miroku tried to stem the blood pouring from his hand and Shippou was blasting fox fire at other, lesser demons coming in too close.
Kagome realized this one was all her own. No one was coming to her rescue. No one could. Kagome also knew that she wouldn't make it out of the battle alive. She came to terms with that thought amazingly quickly.
Kagome nocked an arrow to her bow, pushing her power into it. She was going to kill this demon, by all the gods. The arrow began glowing an unearthly pink, the light pulsing. When she had put as much power as she could into one arrow, she let it fly. It struck it's mark dead on, vaporizing the oni's lower half.
There. Inuyasha could take care of the rest.
Kagome didn't even flinch as the youkai swept out it's claws, catching her in the chest. She felt the pain, of course, but wasn't really very concerned with it. She watched as Inuyasha yelled and killed the remainder of the demon. She saw him come over, and smiled. She attempted to speak, but instead of words, blood flowed out of her mouth. Her hand came up and wiped it off her chin. She stared interestedly at the crimson liquid.
Her hand was pushed down by another. Blue came into contact with gold. She smiled again, and reached her other hand up to wipe off the one tear that trickled down his cheek as he lifted her into his arms, being careful not to injure her further.
She really didn't need to speak, she realized. He knew, and she knew. There was only one thing they hadn't done, and by cheese she was going to do it before she left.
Kagome reached up, ignoring the stab in her chest the movement caused and pulled Inuyasha's head to down to hers. She pressed her lips to his, hard. She felt him stiffen, then respond passionately, as if begging her not to leave him.
Kagome smiled softly against his mouth and nipped his lower lip. She pulled away, positively grinning. She's finally gotten to kiss him! Granted, he tasted like her blood, but hey, she didn't care.
She kissed him again, gently, then lay back against his chest. This was good, this was right. This was how it was supposed to end. Well, not really. No one should die at seventeen. But, if they had too, then at least they should die like this, in the arms of the one they loved more that life.
She would miss them all, undoubtedly. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha. Her son, Shippou. Her little brother, her mother. Jii-chan.
But it would be all right. Even in death, Higurashi Kagome was content.
Kagome didn't expect a lot of things in her life. She didn't expect to fall down a well into the Feudal Era. She didn't expect to meet a hanyou. She didn't expect to break a jewel and have to go running after all it's shards. She didn't expect to have a son. She didn't expect to travel around with people who would become her best friends. She really didn't expect to fall in love with previously mentioned hanyou. Kagome didn't really expect any of these things, but what she really didn't expect was to wake up in her own bed after dying. Who would? So, she did the only logical thing. She fell out of bed. What would anyone else do? Accepting death, only to find you haven't actually died? Traumatizing, no?
Kagome threw on a bathrobe and went downstairs. Her mother was there, cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Perfectly normal. Kagome worried.
"Mama?"
Her mother turned. "Ah, Kagome dear! Good morning."
"Morning. Where Souta?"
"Still asleep. You know he loves to sleep in on Sundays." Kagome nodded absently.
"I'm going to go outside a moment, okay mama?"
"Sure dear."
Kagome's mother didn't act like anything was wrong, and Kagome didn't want to appear crazy by asking her if she traveled five hundred years into the past using the old well.
When she got to the well house, she jumped into the well. Nothing. She tried repeatedly, all to no avail. The well just didn't work. Kagome climbed back out and sat down under the Goshinboku.
Was it all just a dream? Had she imagined it? The last three years of her life, passing by in a night's time? No, that couldn't be right. It wasn't nearly as disjointed as a regular dream. It all made sense, like watching a particularly long movie. Kagome sighed, confused.
It was then the tears came. She had been so ready for death. She had even said goodbye to her love. But nooo, apparently the Kami's decided to mess with her head a bit. They were like kids watching an ant hill, setting random ants on fire with a magnifying glass, and Kagome was the next to burst into spontaneous combustion.
Then the laughter. She couldn't help it. She really was like an ant, or a pawn. Might as well get used to it, eh?
But she knew it was real. There was no possibility of it being a dream. She wouldn't forget, not ever. They would always stay in her heart, until her death. Kagome blinked. The second one.
Kagome's mother looked up as she heard her daughter cackling wildly by the god tree and blinked. That girl was always a tad strange.
Inuyasha watched her too. He watched her grow, and he was there when the warp took place. He felt it, as did every other youkai within a thousand miles. He saw her run to the well house, cry by the Goshinboku, and then dissolve into peals of laughter and smiled sadly. That was his girl. Always adapting.
He heard her whisper.
"Was it all a dream?"
No, love, he thought, it was no dream. And someday, you'll know. I'll make sure.