I do not own the characters of Inuyasha

A/N: first let me say that I know that there is a lot of OOCness in this story so if you have something against that don't read the story alright. And anything in italics are Kagome's thoughts

The Price of Happiness

Prologue: To Say Good-bye

Kagome lifter her eyes from the headstone and glances at the sky, The sun hung low over a distant range of mountains, it's orange hue casting tinted shadows over the grassy plains to the forests edge. Under normal circumstances she would have thought that the setting sun was beautiful and would hav enjoyed watching it set. Now, though, she hated it for being so pretty when she was so sad. After shooting the sun one last icy glare she turned her eyes back the to headstone before her.

How long had she been sitting here?

Hours?

Days?

Weeks?

The painful groan of her stomach complained of many missed meals, telling her that it had been days since she last fed herself.. Kagome just couldn't bring herself to leave those she had loved yet, it just didn't feel right.. They would be cold, alone, frightened, out here in the open under the stars tonight. Especially Shippou, he still needed her to hold him and rock him to sleep, to keep him safe from all things that went bump in the night.

Who was she kidding, they were dead. The bodies buried beneath the soil were nothing but empty shells that held the image of the spirit that once inhabited them. She sincerly hoped that wherever their souls had gone that they were at peace, warm and happy. She hoped beyond hope that they didn't feel how Kagome felt.

Empty.

Alone.

Kagome hadn't had the strength to go back to her time to get appropriate stones for her deceased loved ones yet. New tears sprang to life in her eyes as she ran her fingers over the roughly engraved names on the headstone in the center of the graves. Shippou, Kohaku, Kouga, Kirara…

…Inuyasha.

A hard lump rose in Kagome's throat as she tried to suppress the sobs that threatened her body. How many times had she cried since the graves had been dug? How many of her tears had carved their paths down her face. If she didnt know any better she could have sworn that she had permenant canals down her cheeks. More salty tears hit the newly turned dirt and sunk in, leaving little muddy prints in their wake.

They had defeated Naraku, but at what price? Four people (and one demon cat) she deeply cared about were dead. Sango was missing and eye and Miroku would probably never wake from his coma. She was the only one who had walked away from the bloody battle with just minor injuries. A few cuts, a couple cracked ribs and a terrible migraine, all due to the fact that she had been knocked unconscious near the beginning of the battle.

Kagome gripped the completed Shikon tighter in her fist. The damned thing was the cause of all this trouble. If it weren't for the jewel her friends would still be alive and well. To top it off the jewel now refused to grant her her hearts one wish: her friends alive again. It wasn't the jewel's fault though, it was her own. If it was for her lack of understanding and skill with a bow the jewel would have never shattered.

How many precious memories had it created though? Without the jewel she would have never come through the well in the first place. She would have never met Sango, Miroku, Shippou… Inuyasha. She wouldn't have the memories of the nights they all had shared together under the stars teasing each other, having fun. She wouldnt have the days they had spent together walking aimlessly through the ever changing terrain chatting about little nothings.

Kagome's fingers stopped over his name. Inuyasha. She remembered waking up after the whole battle was finished. She remembered the strong metallic scent taking over her nose and threatening her stomach. She remembered turning her her slightly to fin it in his bloodied lap. His soft golden eyes were leaking tears onto her forehead. She remembered his sad smile… and his last words spoken.

"Take Tetsusaiga to Sesshoumaru for me Kagome. Tell him it's a gift of apology for dying before he had a chance to kill me first. Tell him its a farewell present from me to him." Kagome whispered letting her hand drop from the stone.

Kagome released a shuddering breath as she squeezed her eyes shut trying to dispel the memories flooding through her mind. Reaching in front of her she felt around on the soft earth until her hand connected with the hard object she was searching for. Wrapping her hand around the hilt of the sword she pulled it to her lap and looked down at it.

"I promise you, Inuyasha, I'll come back. You have my blood as my word." With those words spoken Kagome drew Tetsusaiga and pulled it hard across her forearm.

Kagome watched the blood run down her arm to her wrist and off her fingertips before moving it over the stone. The blood felt hot against her chilled skin. The pain of the cut didn't seem to reach her, although in the back her her mind she knew it was there. Letting a few drops of her blood fall over the face of the stone she sealed her promise to his soul.

Sheathing the sword Kagome stood and looked to the west, towards the sinking sun, towards Sesshoumaru's land. Looking back down at the wound on her arm she watched the blood roll off her body and down the swords length. She had cut a little deeper than she had meant to and would have to stem the bleeding before long but that wasn't first priority in her mind. With the Shikon in one hand and Tetsusaiga in another she Kagome walked away from the grave, followling the sun.

Kagome walked away, and didnt look back.

Ending Notes: well i said before (up at the top for those who read) that all italics are Kagome's thoughts and YES i do realize that all her thoughts are of Inuyasha. Oh and about the other story i wrote, Vision Red i do believe, a Naruto story. Well, heh, see the thing is that story was written with a friend of mine who im no longer in contact with and i didnt know where to go with the story so i deleted it. Sorry. Until next time then.