Rowan and Sakura do not own any of the characters used in this fic…oh wait, we do…but none in this chapter anyway! Oh wait, we do…but they won't get names until next chapter so technically we still don't own them! Yet…just wait until I(Rowan) get my hands on Sesshomaru, though…*licks lips* Heheheh…

Warning: Character death! Shounen-ai eventually! InuYasha being forced to talk to himself (a very dangerous thing…)!

Enjoy!

Leave Me Behind: Chapter One

A Surprise Face

The wind howled on the dark and stormy night, as the little band of foxes huddled cold and weary under the brambles. The thunder crashed, and one of the kits let out a squeak. Turning, the leader glared and shushed the little one into silence. "Not a word," he cheeped, for he was not more than seven months old, the eldest of the small group. The others nodded silently. Another crash of lightning came, with a gigantic storm clap of thunder. Jumping in surprise, the kitsunes huddled closer and tried to wait out the storm.

Not far from the little foxes' hideout, a soggy young man with curious white hair and even more peculiar white dog ears sat beneath the branches of a coniferous tree, the green needles doing little to shelter him. Shifting in his seated position, he stretched his red clothed legs out into the muddy bike trail and yawned up towards the sky, catching the pouring rain in his mouth. He didn't need to worry about becoming sick from acid rain, for he existed in a time where pollution was as foreign to the people as "cars" and "space travel" and "America".

They knew bikes, though, and the strange, outlandish girl who used to travel upon the frame of metal raised up on two tires. Higurashi Kagome, her name was. Or more like will be, for just the night before, the black-haired girl had returned to her time; returned to the future. She had left all her jewel shards with her companions.

Well, she would have liked to, only…only she could leave the shards with only one and one companion alone.

~*~*~*~

"Kagome, why are you doing this?" the young man whispered, looking down at the little jar of Shikon shards the girl had dropped in his hands. "Why are you leaving me now?"

Kagome looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry InuYasha, but I cannot stay. Not after," she choked on her words as the miko held back tears, "…not after what happened. I'm sorry, InuYasha." Looking up, her brown eyes searched deep into InuYasha's own golden ones. "Please forgive me, like I cannot. I know it is harsh and selfish of me to ask you this, but…but I really do hate to leave you like this. Only…only I can't stay anymore. Do you understand? I can remember you better and more fondly if I leave and never come back."

InuYasha turned away from her then, determined not to gaze at her tear streaked face again, for fear he might break down as well. "Well, aren't you going?" InuYasha barked. When he received no response from the girl, he turned around and looked to where her face should have been. But she was gone, down the well and out of his life forever.

~*~*~*~

InuYasha glared down at the water soaked grass. 'Damn her! How could she leave me like this?! It's not fair! Why does everyone have to leave all at once?!' InuYasha stood up and shook his clawed fist at the sky. "Why?" he yelled. "Why must you take away everyone that I care for? You took my mother, then Kikyou from me! And just when you give me life, you take away my only friends as well? Answer me when I ask you, WHY?"

Two round red eyes stared up out of a pound cake yellow face. "Meuuuhhh," it said softly.

InuYasha looked down at the small cat. "Oh, I apologize Kirara. I know you are still here with me, but…but Sango and Miroku and Shippo and…and Kagome are all gone. And they'll never…never come back." InuYasha sat back down with a sigh. "And it's all my fault," he added quietly.

~*~*~*~

The day his mother died…had been the worst day of his live. He was only a child, eight years old, but he remembered it still. His mother, the only human who had showed him true and unwavering love, was gone after only being there for a very short time.

But then he had met the miko Kikyou, whose undeniably good archery skills never seemed to be in use whenever she aimed her bow his way. They were enemies, and yet, understood the other perfectly. It was as if…as if they were falling in love. And InuYasha realized that maybe it really was love! But just as that flower began to bud, the stalk was broken, and Kikyou killed, though InuYasha never got to properly mourn her, being trapped to a tree by her own spell.

When he was free, InuYasha found himself making friends left and right! First came Kagome, followed closely by Shippo. Next they met that lecherous, pervert of a monk Miroku, whose definition of handshake was quite different from the others. After him they encountered Sango, the sole survivor from a horrible trap laid by Naraku. Her faithful companion Kirara completed the set.

They had such good times together, as well as nightmarish fights and battles as well. But they were always there in the end, together.

Now they were gone. And InuYasha didn't know what to do with himself, or their mission, anymore.

~*~*~*~

Sota was surprised to see a head of black hair at the bottom of the well this morning. Walking to school, a sudden whim had directed him towards the ancient well that acted as a transport for his sister between his era and the feudal one. Standing in the darkened temple, the ten-year old had glanced down to the bottom, expecting to see the smooth expanse of earth that served as the floor. Instead, Sota found himself looking down on Kagome's tearstained face.

"Kagome? What are you doing here?" the young boy asked.

The teenage girl looked down at her feet and shrugged. "I couldn't stay there anymore," she replied simply.

Sota blinked at this answer. "Why not?"

"InuYasha…InuYasha, he…" Kagome stuttered. "Oh! They're all dead!"

" 'Dead'?" Sota repeated. "What do ya mean?"

Kagome looked back up at her brother, brown eyes filled with tears. "Miroku…Sango… Shippo…" she whispered. "They're…gone." Kagome's face scrunched up, her lower lip curling over the upper one as her tears flowed freely down her face. Her legs bent, and she sank to the ground, her pale hands covering her even paler visage, wet with sorrow, spilling over like a choked up fountain.

Sota climbed down the rope ladder that hung from the side and knelt at his sister's side. Patting her back awkwardly, Sota attempted to soothe her wracking sobs. "It's gonna be okay Kagome."

Kagome leaned into Sota's embrace, the younger child attempting to wrap his arms around her larger form. A quiet but comfortable silence grew between the two siblings, until Sota whispered, "Do you want me to get Mom?"

Kagome pulled away then, and wiped her face on her long sleeves of her shirt. Sniffing, she gazed across at her brother with a determined look in her eyes. "No, don't get Mom. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Now let's get going Sota. We're late for school." Kagome stood up and advanced towards the ladder.

"Are you sure you want to go to school today?" Sota whispered.

Kagome stiffened and turned around to face the boy. "I'm perfectly alright Sota. No need to get worried. I'll go to school today. I have a math midterm anyway that I need to study for. Now come on, let's go."

Kagome ascended the rope, Sota following cautiously behind. This Kagome was not the Kagome he knew, the one who usually returned to the modern era. That Kagome was usually P.O. d about something, what their mom always called "boy trouble".

~*~*~*~

"Oh, Kagome, you're home!" Sota exclaimed when he saw his sister walk into the kitchen one morning. "Have breakfast with me?"

Kagome looked around the kitchen for the rest of the family. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Grandpa went to pick something up at the post office. I suspect it's another dried body part of some exotic creature for my birthday. Did you know that last year for your birthday he was going to give you the dried testicles of some South African toad? You weren't here, though, so I slipped it to Byu. I shudder to think what he's going to get for me! As for Mom, she went grocery shopping. So why are you back, Kagome?"

"Oh, Kagome dear, you're back? Welcome home sweetheart. Do you want to talk about it or just simmer for a few days?"

Kagome smiled up at her mom. "I'll just simmer. I'm too upset right now to talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Sota butted in. "Say, how's InuYasha?"

Kagome's face burned red at the mention of the hanyou. "Oh, he's just fine! He and Kikyou are doing splendidly! Do you know that he was wounded in the stomach by his own attack and could barely walk, yet he managed to go see her anyway? And then he had the gall to lie to me about it! I mean, if he's going to go to all that trouble to see her, he should at least tell me the truth! He's so immature sometimes! I'm going to my room now!" Kagome stamped upstairs and slammed the door.

The next morning, Sota went into Kagome's room to see if she was awake yet, but she had already left. Typical.

~*~*~*~

"What are you going to do now, InuYasha?" Kaede asked as the hanyou brooded in her hut.

InuYasha looked over disinterestedly into the fire. "Kaede, do you forgive me for what happened?"

"About…"

"Yes."

Kaede looked sorrowfully at the demon. "Of course I do. I am far too old to hold grudges. Is this about Kagome leaving?"

InuYasha nodded. "Why'd she leave anyway? Doesn't she know I feel horrible enough as it is? Did she have to abandon me too?"

"Kagome…was understandably upset, but I think she was afraid as well. She is very confused by all that's going on. I do not blame her for going back, and neither should you. Now, where are you going? Will you continue your quest?"

InuYasha looked down on Kirara, who sat beside the two at the fire. "Actually, our mission is slightly different."

~*~*~*~

"InuYasha?" Sango whispered, her pale hand reaching up to the hanyou.

InuYasha bent over the dying woman, his eyes filled with guilt. "Hai, Sango? What is it?"

Sango's hand fell feebly down onto Kirara's head. "Oh, hello Kirara." She smiled at the small youkai, then slowly turned her face back to the other demon at her side. She winced in pain, and settled for rolling her eyes over to InuYasha's golden ones. "InuYasha…promise me…"

"Yes, promise you what?" InuYasha asked anxiously.

"Promise me…that you'll find Kohaku…and that you'll…you won't let Naraku get his Jewel Shard. Promise me…that Kohaku will not die…in enemy hands. And bury him…next to me…I want to know…his spirit will be able to…to find mine." Sango's eyes closed as her final death spasms gripped her body. InuYasha squeezed her hand reassuringly as Kirara nestled her nose into Sango's arm.

"I promise that I'll find Kohaku for you Sango. Kirara and I…we'll find your brother. We won't let Naraku keep him."

Sango smiled and opened her eyes a fraction to see her friends' faces one last time. "Thank you, InuYasha…"

"Don't mention it Sango," InuYasha said fervently, holding the woman's hand to his chest.

"Goodbye, my friends…oh, and InuYasha? Keep Miroku out of trouble…" Sango's lips parted as her last breath escaped her, and her head tilted back into the pool of blood beneath her skull. InuYasha placed the thin, frail hand upon her now still chest, then stood up, tears threatening to fall out of his sad eyes. "Goodbye, good friend. You will be sorely missed…for your fighting, for your wisdom, for your love. But you are no longer here with us, and I have spent too long of my life saying goodbye to dwindle any more on yours. You're still in my memory Sango…but I must forget you for now. One day I will look upon the days you walked with us with joy and tenderness, but for now, that will only bring me down. I will not forget my promise to you- that will be my mission, until it is completed, I will not feel like your soul is at rest. Goodbye…and take care."

~*~*~*~

"So, ye will track Naraku down…for what?" Kaede asked as she saw the two youkai off.

InuYasha shifted the pack to settle more comfortably upon his shoulders. "To rescue Kohaku, Sango's younger brother."

"And what about the Shikon no Tama? Will ye also go in pursuit of that?"

InuYasha shook his head. "No, that will have to wait for another day. For now, Kirara and I have only one mission- to get Kohaku away from Naraku."

Kaede nodded. "Well, good luck InuYasha. My ye find ye's quarry as soon as ye may. Farewell, and come back when ever ye be needing to."

InuYasha nodded. "I will, though I don't expect that to be for a long while. Good bye, old hag."

"Goodbye InuYasha." InuYasha nodded once more, then started up the hill, walking away from the village with Kirara following behind, once again on the journey to find Naraku. InuYasha was alone once more, but he had the memories of his friends with him now, though they themselves might be gone. And so, he went in search of Kohaku, which would prove, later on, to be quite a daunting task to accomplish.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rowan: So…not much right now…obviously Sango's dead, and Miroku and Shippou are too… *tries to dodge tomatoes that someone *cough*Sakura*cough* has readily supplied the readers with for killing off innocent little Shippou…* But there is a point to their deaths! I think…but you'll never know if you don't review, so…review please! Constructive criticism welcome! Flames ignored! Questions considered and will be answered (unless they're stupid questions like "Where's Shippou?" for which I will simply direct you here…but you wouldn't know that if you ask that question…) anyways…need I give you more encouragement?

Sakura: Probably.

Rowan: All right…well, you won't know what the shounen-ai pairing is until you all review!