The Sound of Rain
by
khit
Disclaimer : I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. However I do own this story, so please don't take it. Or I will send my fictional story characters after you.
The rain surrounded the battlefield and left a foggy hue to hover above the ground. Torn bodies lay strewn among the darkened earth. The musty smell of rotting corpses and fresh blood wafted through the air and the poisonous miasma still floated through the barren land. Above, the dark clouds lingered heavily, blocking the sun in a vain attempt to hold the deathly and concrete silence that blanketed the area.
From my place on the ground I looked around slowly. Kneeling in the dirt softened by the rain I shakily placed my hands on the ground before me to steady my bruised knees. Breathing heavily I brought my left hand to cover the wound in my stomach.
"It's over."
My voice seemed foreign to my own ears as I desperately looked around for my companions. The young kitsune cub, the lecherous monk, the fiery tajiya, and the strong hanyou. My breath caught in my throat as I saw Sango cradling Miroku's broken body in her scarred arms. Tears streamed down her face and her eyes grew wider with each second he no longer passed breath. Curled by her feet was Kirara, fully transformed, who was sheltering the shivering kitsune from the cold rain.
I closed my eyes tightly as the memories of Miroku's smiling face came to my mind. Bitter tears leaked from the corner of my eyes and I angrily brushed them away with my hands causing my knees to buckle and the ground raise to meet my bloody face.
I lay on the ground with tears streaming from my once smiling face. "Inuyasha." I whispered, "Inuyasha, where are you?" I sobbed quietly into the ground fisting the mud and pounding my hand desperately into the dead earth.
I roughly pushed myself to my feet almost tripping over a dead youkai in doing so. I sucked in a large gulp of icy air and turned my eyes to Sango. She looked at me with pity and sadness. Looking away from me, she turned to the forest behind her. Silently I followed her eyes and nodded. Walking past her slowly I ignored Shippou's pleading cries to not go. Kirara kept him carefully pinned down with one paw.
The woods seemed to darken as I walked into them, as if they knew of my fear. The air grew thick as I stumbled through the brush to enter a blackened clearing. It was here that the evil hanyou remained as he let his puppets battle with his enemies just beyond the border of the trees.
My eyes followed a trail of blackish blood to a clumped figure in the middle of the clearing. Tentacles lay tangled amidst the body as the ground beneath it sizzled due to the acid the body was extracting. I bitterly glared at the broken figure as I thought of all the pain he had caused. Yet none of my anger for him was enough to consume the pity I felt for him. I pitied Naraku. I pitied him because he never knew humanity. Not even when he was human. He never understood the feeling of trust, or bravery. He didn't feel forgiveness, sympathy, or empathy. He had never felt love. Because of this I pitied him more than I could ever hate him. I couldn't hate something that has never known anything but hate.
My eyes left Naraku's broken body and I glanced at the red clad figure kneeling in the burnt grass. Again, I drew in a deep breath of icy air. His ears twitched but he made no move to acknowledge my presence. I saw him tenderly hold the miko in his arms. Even though his back was to me, I could tell he was crying. She placed a small fragile hand on his cheek and I winced when he leaned into it.
"Kikyou." He whispered before he bit back a sob and softly placed his lips against hers. I saw her grasp his haori firmly before it lost strength and fell to the ground.
I saw him close his eyes tightly and turn his head roughly away as bitter tears burned his eyes.
"Inuyasha." I whispered.
"No." He cut me off, "Leave." He said sharply.
I should have listened, but instead I took another step towards him. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry."
He turned angry golden eyes towards me as he pulled her firmly into his arms. "You were supposed to be covering her!" His eyes spoke volumes as he glared at me. The once tender gazes I used to receive turned into bitter hatred.
"She told me to help you." I whispered.
"Liar!" Inuyasha turned away angrily. " You shouldn't have done that! I didn't need your help! I won't ever need your help!"
My eyes widened and filled with tears. "I'm sorry, so sorry…"
"Sorry can't make everything better!" His voice rose over the dead silence and cut through the air like sharp knives. "It should have been me, anybody other than her." he whispered sadly.
My hand rose to stifle the sob that escaped my mouth.
His eyes turned to me again, "Are you happy? You survived. You were the safe one. You never once thought that you would die didn't you!"
"Please Inuyasha, don't do this." I whispered.
He carefully set her down and stood his full height to face me. His angry face loomed over my broken figure. I winced as the wound in my stomach began to bleed as I took a jolting step back.
"Do what Kagome? I'm stating the truth! You never once had to worry that you wouldn't be here the next day! We were always protecting you, always making sure you were safe. We never once asked you to do any of the fighting even though this whole mess is your fault!" He bit out angrily, "Then the one time I ask you to do something important, you fuck up!"
Tears streamed down my face, "What did you expect me to do! You would've been killed if I hadn't help you!"
"It doesn't matter if I would have died!"
Silence surrounded us as I raised wide eyes to him. "What do you mean?"
"Either way I would have died. But I was supposed to go with her!" Inuyasha turned his back on me and stared longingly at the red and white corpse in front of him.
"What about me?" I asked quietly, "Would you have left me all alone after all we had been through?"
"…"
He turned to me and carefully eyed me, "I do care for you Kagome…I do…but Kikyou, she was always in my heart. No one can replace that." He turned away again and walked to her.
My head dropped in sadness and my salty tears ran down my face to drop onto the ash. The wound in my stomach hurt as it bled heavily.
Everything flashed before my eyes, meeting Inuyasha, meeting everyone else. The kiss at Kaguya's castle. The hugs and tender caresses he gave me when he thought I was asleep. I bitterly smiled and felt the rain pelt onto my back. I sobbed loudly, not caring if he heard. I doubt he did, for all he could sense was the feel of her dead body cradled in his arms once again. I laughed bitterly. Sobbing loudly into the rain I chuckled at the bitter irony. He would always belong to her, no matter how much I wished he could love me back.
Strangled coughs rose from my throat as I felt blood enter my lungs. I guess that cut I got on my chest was bigger than I thought. Inuyasha turned to me sniffing the air through the wet rain.
"Kagome…are you hurt?"
I shook my head furiously before coughing again. Through bleary eyes I saw him set her down once again and walk to me, concern shining in his eyes. I stumbled back and bit out "I'm fine." Seeing his sad eyes broke my heart. This is the only way, I thought. I smiled brightly at him and quickly ran into his arms. I mouthed the words I love you into his haori and silently slipped something into the sleeve of his coat.
"Kagome…" He whispered.
"Ja ne, Inuyasha." I said as I backed away. Oh how I hoped that he didn't notice the blood on his haori. Part of me cried and wanted to tell him I was hurt, but I knew it would be harder to leave if he did. He didn't seem to notice the blood, maybe the rain dulled his senses seeing as how I could barely make out his tall figure in front of me through all the rain. "Maybe we'll meet again." Then I ran.
I ignored his cries and some part of me wished he was running after me to pull me into his arms and tell me that he loved me. But I heard no rushed footsteps behind me.
My tears blended with the rain as I ran through the forest not caring that branches were clawing at my arms and legs.
I ran.
And I ran.
Until I collapsed from blood loss.
And now I lay here, watching as the blood that I once kept within me, left me through the wound in my stomach. I coughed again and blood dripped from the corner of my mouth. The rain beat down on my face and I felt the welt begin to rise onmy cheeks. I sighed and winced as more blood filled my mouth. Spitting it out softly I closed my eyes turn to the sky and felt the rain on my eyelids. The blood filled my throat but I made no move to clear it, I just laid there listening.
My head grew heavy and for a moment it seemed like I felt no pain. In the distance I could hear a trembling voice and using what little strength I had left I opened my tired eyes. The rain stung my eyes and it was hard to see, but I was sure that I saw a red robed figure hovering above me.
I winced as the rain dropped on my eyes like needles, I wearily tried to look once more but all I saw was a soft glimmer of a pink jewel grasped in a hand. I'm not sure though, because now, as I lay in complete darkness all I can hear, is the sound of rain.