Kagome sucked the tears back as the casket was lowered. Her younger "sister" was clinging tightly to her, Rin's tears soaking her black dress. Sango stood on the other side of her the tear silently streaming down her face. Inuyasha stood right behind her, and part of her was tempted to lean into his warmth, but she knew that she shouldn't. Sesshomaru had come up beside Rin and without a second thought she turned her bone crushing embrace to him, though he didn't seem to mind.

She turned to her left to talk to Sango but she had thrown herself into Mirokus arms who had tears streaming down his face as well.

Kagome would cry later, now she had to be strong for everyone else. She led to procession back to her car, then silently drove back to the only house she had ever truly felt at home, though the minute she stepped inside she knew it was different.

No longer would Mama Kaede be in the kitchen, attempting to cook something only ending up ordering takeout. No longer would they have their Sunday night movie, which they still did even though all the kids were out of the house. She ignored the mourners as she made her way up the stairs. The others could handle the consolations, she just needed to be alone. She stepped into the room that she had shared with Sango and Rin and couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She collapsed down on her old twin sized bed, the forest green comforter still where she left it, and sobbed her eyes out.

She didn't realize there was someone else in the room until she felt the arms wrap around her. At the moment she didn't care who it was she just curled into a ball and snuggled into the warmth, letting the sobs come out freely.

Inuyasha rocked back and forth on the bed running his clawed fingers through her hair gently careful not to cut her scalp. He knew how she felt, and he knew that she also felt like no one else should see her tears. But if she lived like this, keeping all her emotions inside like she did it would eventually burst just like this.

He remembered when they were both seventeen, and her boyfriend at the time, Homo or something like that, had left her because of him. She had cried and cried, because at the time she thought it was because of her but when she later found out about the real reason there was barely anyway to keep her from murdering the creep. But all he could remember was holding her just like this as she cried her eyes out of being publicly humiliated, and dumped by the guy that said he loved her.

Now so many years later he knew that a few hushed words and a promise of that new CD she wanted so bad was never going to calm her down. Though the rest were just as affected as the others, he knew Kagome would try and keep it inside from now on so as not to upset the others. She wanted to seem like the strong one, though they were all mostly older then here excluding Rin. She took after Mama Kaede so much, always putting everyone else before herself that he just didn't understand how she could live with all this emotion burning up inside her.

Not to say that he didn't do the same thing, though he was stronger than her. It wasn't an insult or anything it was just the truth. He had more emotional strength then her, he had never been felt to be unloved. His parents had always showed him and his brother how much they cared and though he and Sesshomaru didn't always get along there was a definite caring there.

Kagome though til she was six never really knew that people could show her kindness, and the first one that ever did was now dead. He was extremely worried about her, and though he knew he should look at her as a sister and nothing else he couldn't help but feeling more protective, almost possessive over her. It had been this way since boys started noticing that she wasn't the skinny little brat she used to be, around high school. He had just wanted to rip out the spleens of every guy he saw ogling Kagome but he knew that would upset her.

He had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed Kagome had calmed down and her breathing had evened out. He smiled sadly and kissed her temple laying her down on the bed and pulling the quilt over her. She would come back downstairs when she was ready, but for now he had to go make sure the others were ok.

With a start she jerked up and felt something slide off her. Glancing outside she saw it was darker then she remembered and with a muttered curse she threw herself out of bed and rushed downstairs. How the hell had she fallen asleep, how could she be that selfish when her friends were needing her right now.

But when she got downstairs all she heard was silence and a quick glance to the clock on the wall showed it was past nine thirty, so of course everyone was gone. She ran her fingers through her sleep mussed hair and sighed. Trying to bring up memories of what happened before she fell asleep. She could remember going upstairs and crying, then the warmth of arms around her. With a frown she tried to think of who it could be, then one name came to mind...

"Inuyasha..."She jumped when she heard a 'Yes?' and a small chuckle behind her and jumped around in midair with a small yelp.

"Inuyasha what are you still doing here, shouldn't you of left with the others?" She tilted her head to the side studying him. He looked like he had just woken up also.

"I'm not mean enough to leave you here alone ya know, and neither are the others. Miroku crashed on the couch Rin and Sango both cried themselves to sleep in....." He took a deep breath to stop his voice from shaking. "In mama Kaedes bed, and Sesshomaru is in our old room." He met her blue eyes with his own gold ones. "We all though it'd be better if we stuck together for a couple of days, you know none of us being alone.."

Kagome smiled sadly at Inuyasha and stepped closer wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face in his chest. "That sounds like a great idea..." Was her muffled reply, and he incased her small form in his arms both trying to comfort the other, when all they wanted to do was turn back time and change whatever had went wrong.

A/N: Not much of an update, but eh better then nothing. YES I have started writing again to all of those who have reviewed thanks for that too. I should be updating Torn in Two tomorrow, and maybe Souls Quest also not sure yet. And as a note I am not abandoning these stories, a lot of things have just been going on in my life lately. NOW REMEMBER PEOPLE WRITERS LOVE KNOWING THERE WORK IS LIKED .