Broken Glass
Chapter Twenty-Five

Inuyasha stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. A full minute passed and he didn't move. He couldn't move. He couldn't register what had just happened, what he had just witnessed. The event flashed through his mind thousands of times and he replayed everything he'd done in the past month that he could have redone to prevent this from happening.

After the resounding shot of a gun through the darkness of the night, silence fell. Nothing stirred in the trees overhead and no cars could be heard traveling down the road a short ways away.

Inuyasha's heart's beat resounded in his ears, echoing the booming remembrance of the handgun in Naraku's mouth. The boy had died instantly.

He walked on unsteady legs towards the boy, his own legs feeling like deadweight attached to his torso. Wide golden eyes stared at the dead, broken body of his former best friend.

He dropped to his knees, his golden eyes hazing over as he stared at the dead form. "Why…?"

The single word pierced the night air like a knife and he shivered. He sat there, watching as the body stiffened and the skin lost its lively glow. Tears pooled in his eyes and he felt the warm liquid slide down his paled cheeks.

The eyes, dead and lacking a usual luster that often accompanied the living, stared at him with an almost wistful look in them. The glassy texture stared blankly at Inuyasha as if he were translucent and the body was staring at something far beyond him.

Numbly, Inuyasha reached over and touched the eyelids, sliding them closed and allowing Naraku to rest in peace.

He choked on a sob and shook his head, his shoulders shaking and his whole body feeling like jelly. How had this happened? Why couldn't he stop it?

He bit his lip and struggled to his feet, his legs wobbly and his knees nearly buckling and sending him to the ground again. He stared one last time at the dead Naraku before turning away.

He stumbled away, running at a full force. The branches of stray trees whipped across his skin, piercing him like the bullet had Naraku. "Why?" he screamed.

No one returned his call. Inuyasha thrashed through the underbrush like a man on the run, disregarding any path that appeared his way and only allowing the pain in his body to prove he was truly alive.

Wide golden eyes, burning with fervor and fear, glistened with unshed tears. "Naraku," he sobbed as he collapsed to the ground. He landed on a root and bashed his knee. His shaking hands struggled to grasp the tree for support. He sat there, knelt before the underbrush with his head bowed and his shoulders heaving. "Naraku," he repeated.

The clouds must have collected as he ran because it began to rain. The raindrops drummed against the foliage of the forest, providing a steady beating thump that sounded like the pounding of a drum.

The world around him grew wet and he shivered as his clothes clung to him like a second skin. He made no move to stand. His body didn't have the strength anyway.

He rested his head against the bark of the tree, his forehead relishing the feel of the brittle touch of bark. He breathed deeply, trying to maintain his already labored, haggard pants of breath. He greedily sucked in the air as he attempted to stand.

The muscles in his legs screamed in protest as he tried to move. 'Stay here,' they seemed to say as his legs wobbled. 'You're safe here.'

Inuyasha bit his lip, willing the painful jolts in his battered legs away. He had to keep moving. He couldn't stay here. Not with Naraku back there.

Dead.

The simple word resounded in his head. Dead. Naraku was dead. He was never coming back.

Why did Naraku have to die? Why did he feel that that was the only way out?

He ran blindly towards the one place he knew was safe.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in surprise when she opened the door. Inuyasha stumbled in, falling to the ground and pressing his forehead against the floor of her apartment. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, panting and gasping for breath. "I didn't mean it!" he cried.

Kagome stood stupidly before closing the door and falling to the ground next to him. "You didn't mean what, Inuyasha? What's wrong? What happened?"

She was growing increasingly nervous with her boyfriend's behavior. He refused to answer her and he kept shaking his head and muttering. His whole body was battered, scrapes adorned his arms and there were numerous cuts on his pants and his arms.

Minutes passed and finally Inuyasha regained enough composure to sit up and wrap his arms around her. He placed his head on her shoulder and his back heaved as he tried fruitlessly not to cry. "Kagome… I didn't mean it!"

"Inuyasha, please, tell me what's wrong?" Kagome begged, patting his back and holding him tight.

"He didn't have to die! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it! He could have been my friend! He can be my friend! He can be my damn friend!" He held her tightly to him, anger seeping through him. "Why did he have to die?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered. "You're scaring me…"

Inuyasha feebly released his hold on her, his head bowed and a tear running down his cheek. Kagome bashfully wiped it away for him but he didn't say anything. She stood and pulled him to his feet with some difficulty. "Come on," she murmured. "This way."

She pushed him into her room and sat him down on the bed. Inuyasha let his back hit the bed and he rolled into a fetal position, his knees pulled to his chest and his eyes downcast.

"What happened…?" she whispered, her hand rubbing his back affectionately, trying to comfort him as best she could. "Who died?"

"Naraku…" he whispered feebly and clenched his eyes shut. "God… I… I tried to stop him! I tried to make him stop but he wouldn't listen!"

"Inuyasha," she murmured, her hand stilling on his back. She stared at him for a long moment, tears threatening to spill from her cerulean eyes.

"I could have prevented it… it's all my fault," he whispered.

Kagome bit her lip. She wasn't sure how to respond to this. How had she felt when her father had died? She'd been in denial, she remembered and then she'd been very depressed. After that… things got back to normal, sans the minor awkwardness whenever her father's name was mentioned.

Naraku had died. How did she feel about this?

Inuyasha managed to tell her the story as best he could, but his voice was watery and wavering and was unable to tell everything in detail—not that Kagome would want large amounts of detail.

"Just yesterday he was a part of me," he whispered feebly, his eyes wide and sad. "Where did I go wrong, Kagome? I thought I was doing right! Why did it turn out this way? Why did Naraku have to die?"

Kagome felt her heart break. Even now, in death, Naraku had a residing influence on Inuyasha Cohen. This broken boy before her was mourning the death of a man he claimed to have forgotten. He still loved Naraku. They were connected, after all.

"Oh, Inuyasha," she cried and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. He allowed himself to be held before feebly returning to the hug.

Inuyasha shivered and shook in her arms before pulling away and lying down on her bed, stuffing his head into the pillow. Kagome's hand drifted over his back, rubbing it in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome cooed, her eyes sad and tears threatening to spill. She hadn't really gotten along with Naraku after he insulted her in middle school and broke her poor little heart, but she didn't like the idea of suicide and human suffering. Inuyasha was suffering here, and he looked so incredibly alone. She didn't want him to do something he'd regret. "It's going to be okay…"

"How can you possibly say that?" Inuyasha snapped, his head lifting so he could glare at her with his angered golden eyes. Kagome felt as if her heart had stopped. Never before had he looked at her with such anger in his eyes. It scared her. "How can you possibly sit here and tell me that everything is going to be alright when it's not?"

Kagome bit her lip, willing the tears away. Inuyasha was yelling at her. She started to shake and she scooted away from him a bit. "He's in a better place," Kagome offered.

"How can you say that?" Inuyasha repeated sitting up completely and leaning forward, glaring at her. "He fucking killed himself, Kagome! He could have gotten help! It is always my damn fault that everyone I'm close to dies! How can you possibly understand that?"

"Inuyasha, please…" Kagome murmured. "You're not yourself."

"You don't understand what it's like to see someone die right in front of you! To have no way of helping them!" He was seething. He was furious. He glared at her, daring her to speak against him.

Kagome stared at him for a long moment, her blue eyes wide. A single tear ran down her cheek and she sniffled. "I guess it's slipped your mind," she said quietly, her eyes lowering, "that I saw my father die right in front of me."

She stood up abruptly and made her way towards the door of her room. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he realized she was leaving and scrambled to his feet. Her sobs reached his ears and he felt as if a blow had just been sent to his stomach. He struggled to stand and swayed a bit before darting after her.

"Kagome! Wait, no!" he called. "I didn't mean that!"

Kagome continued walking away. He quickly caught up to her with his long legs and dove forward, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards him. On his knees he rested his head against her stomach.

"Please, Kagome, I didn't mean it," he whispered. "Please… don't leave me alone! Please don't leave me alone like everyone else!"

Kagome felt her heart melt and tears run down her cheeks. Inuyasha was so distressed right now… he looked so incredibly defeated. She had to help him.

He began to cry, holding her tight and not daring to loosen his grip. He wouldn't let her go.

Kagome feebly ran her fingers through his hair and ran her fingers along the sensitive flesh of his dog ears. As she attempted to comfort him she felt herself starting to cry as well.

She had never seen him so broken.

Word of Naraku's suicide got out, as it was expected to. The park was closed down as the police investigated. Finally, it was agreed upon that Naraku had committed suicide in the night without a word of goodbye—in person or through letter.

School started up again as the second winter break came to a close. But school seemed dull and listless. There was a large pall that had befallen the student body with the death of one of their students. Naraku hadn't been very popular, but the death of a person is the death of a person.

A memorial service was held during an assembly the week following Naraku's death and students and parents both attended. Throughout the days following Naraku's suicide, the entire community seemed to move in slow motion. Haggard faces stared wistfully ahead as they trudged about their day.

The students selected to speak about him drawled on about how amazing he was. Teachers commented on his exceptionally brilliant mind, even if he didn't apply himself at school work. Inuyasha noted with a bit of bitter distaste that Naraku's friends didn't even attend and his father didn't speak. He hadn't been asked, but he didn't think he'd have the strength to. Kagome had been asked, but she'd cringed at the thought of speaking in front of an audience and had declined.

He squeezed Kagome's hand next to his and felt her squeeze back. He lowered his head in a silent acknowledgment to his dead friend and inhaled a deep breath of air. What would he do now? Things felt empty without Naraku. Even now, he realized what an impact Naraku had had on his life. He realized now how much he truly wanted Naraku as his friend.

As the memorial service ended, the two teenagers left towards Kagome's car. Now that the girl had her glasses back she was able to drive again. Though uneasy on the road, Kagome was a reasonable driver.

They walked hand in hand, their silence outweighing their desire to speak. Words weren't needed at a time like this.

As they passed a group of Naraku's cronies—why they weren't inside was beyond Inuyasha—he heard them laughing. Laughing? How could anyone laugh at a time like this, when the death of their leader and friend hung over them like a phantom?

The couple walked past them but what they said as they passed made Inuyasha freeze. "So, now that Naraku's dead, who's our leader?"

How could they take Naraku's death so lightly? Inuyasha gripped Kagome's hand in an almost uncomfortable grip and didn't release it.

"Eh, if only he hadn't died," Hiten murmured with a frown. "He should have just gotten over Inuyasha and moved on."

Inuyasha's anger snapped and he turned around, marching towards the boys. Kagome called after him but didn't try to stop him—she couldn't even if she wanted to—and watched him with worried eyes.

Inuyasha approached them and glared down at Hiten. "How dare you," he hissed out. "Take his death so lightly."

Hiten raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Inuyasha's sudden appearance. "It's true, isn't it?" he questioned with a small, dignified snort. "If he'd just gotten over his stupid depression."

"Depression?" Inuyasha squeaked out, though managed to sound threatening all the same.

"Naraku's been depressed for a while," Hiten said slowly, eyeing the silver-haired boy. "We told him to just get over it."

"You what?" Inuyasha seethed, his eyes only seeing red for a moment before he tried to reign in his anger. He gulped down a lump in his throat and glared at Hiten. "You should have comforted him!"

"Oh, we tried to at first," Hiten drawled out casually. "But then we got annoying. Whenever he'd look moody we'd just tell him to get over it."

Inuyasha shoved Hiten against the wall of the school. His friends scattered. Inuyasha glared at Hiten with a dark look, dripping with malice and venom. "How dare you disregard his feelings like they're nothing? How dare you!"

"Like you didn't?" Hiten questioned, daring to oppose the person who had him pinned.

Inuyasha's fist balled and he sent a punch a hair's length away from Hiten's face. His fist smashed against the wall, but Inuyasha ignored the jolts of pain shooting up his arm.

"You damn low-level piece of scum," Inuyasha hissed. "You…" he couldn't think of any insult that could express the anger boiling with him. "Go to hell."

With that he glared at Hiten one last time before turning and retreating back to Kagome. He was silent the entire ride home.

Inuyasha and Kagome returned to school, of course. Kagome tried her best to help Inuyasha but the boy seemed unreachable. He blamed himself for the death of Naraku. Of course, Kagome and Inuyasha had set it up as an alibi that he'd never left her house in order to protect him from questioning. Naraku was believed to have died alone. Only three people knew otherwise and one of them was dead.

The funeral occurred on a cold, black day near the end of February. Inuyasha stood stupidly at the grave site of his former best friend. Kagome accompanied him and never let go of his hand on the way there. She stayed next to him. She was still worried that he would do something rash.

As the ceremony commenced, Inuyasha was shocked at the small amount of people present. His head bowed. No one would mourn the death of him, he realized.

Naraku's father was there, of course. He had paid for the ceremony; no matter how pathetic it was and no matter how little he'd put into giving Naraku a proper burial.

Sans Naraku's father, Kagome, Inuyasha and the minister, there were only two other people. A young girl he recognized as a freshmen and Musou. Musou kept his head bowed so that no one could see his tears.

'He just looked up to Naraku,' Inuyasha realized. 'Musou is not the type to be in a gang.'

The little freshmen girl was crying as well, her heaving shoulders made her black hair bounce. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, trying to make herself look presentable and not a blubbering idiot.

Kagome released some stray tears, but besides that she looked on to Naraku's grave with a sort of gracious strength he'd seen in her before but she'd kept well hidden. With a solemn and solitary gaze she watched the burial of Naraku.

She didn't say a word, nor did she stray her gaze away from Naraku's grave. She was respectable towards the dead, even if he'd caused her so much harm in life.

Inuyasha squeezed her hand and it took a moment for her to realize and squeeze back. He kept his head bowed, his golden eyes staring at the grass that bowed beneath their feet. The green blades were trampled by numerous grave visitors, and their lush color had been washed away with countless days of rain.

After the ceremony, the visitors of Naraku's grave lingered at his tomb stone.

"Inuyasha," Naraku's father greeted glumly. Inuyasha noted that, remarkably, Naraku's father was sober. "I had no idea you were back in town. I'm sure… Naraku would have been happy to see you."

Inuyasha's grip on Kagome's hand tightened as a blow to his heart hit dead on. Out of all the things Naraku's father could have said, that was by far the worst. He felt his throat constrict and he bowed his head, gripping Kagome's hand tightly.

Naraku's father sighed and walked away, not casting a second glance at his son's grave.

Inuyasha stood shaking, his hand gripping Kagome's like a lifeline. He bit his lip and he clenched his eyes shut, trying to stay calm. He felt Kagome squeeze his hand as reassuringly as possible but the gesture went almost completely unnoticed by him.

'Why do they always die? Why?' Inuyasha opened his eyes and stared at the ground. The light breeze in the air swayed the dying grass of the cemetery. The green blades breezed over his shoes but he didn't feel their soft touch, either. 'Why couldn't I stop you, Naraku? Why did you have to die?'

He bit his lip again, nearly drawing blood. He heard sniffling and glanced at Kagome. The girl's head was bowed and her shoulders were shaking. His eyes saddened. How could Kagome mourn the death of someone who had hurt her so much growing up? He knew of her past and she knew of him. Yet, how was it that Kagome could find it in her heart to cry for a person who had caused her so much grief?

"Kagome," he whispered, turning to look at her. The girl lifted her head.

Blue orbs were overflowing with tears and small streaks ran down her cheeks. She bashfully wiped away the evidence of her crying and sniffled again. Her bottom lip quivered and her cheeks were flushed.

"Kagome," he repeated, staring at her. "How can you feel so much remorse for him?"

She seemed taken aback by this question and blinked in surprise. A moment passed before she spoke. "Because, Inuyasha," she said softly. "He died."

Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

"I mourn the death of everyone, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered lightly, her blue eyes staring at Naraku's grave. "Whether I knew him or not... Whether I liked him or not… The truth of the matter remains. He died. No father should have to burry his son," she said gently, her eyes turned to the retreating form of Naraku's father.

Another tear slipped down her cheek. "And what's worse is that he's left you behind." She grabbed his hands. "You may deny it but I know that you really loved Naraku. That you still do." She bowed her head. "And he died right in front of you," she added meekly after making sure no one was around to hear this. "His image will stay with you forever and for that, I'm sad."

He lowered his head. 'She doesn't understand. She feels sorry for me because I've been left behind… but I'm the one that killed Naraku. He's dead because of me.'

The girl before them, standing before Naraku's grave, finally stood and turned to leave, her head bowed. She'd paid her respects.

Inuyasha walked forward, leaving Kagome behind. The girl came over and stood, black bangs shielding her eyes from view. The two girls stood silently until the girl ventured.

"How did you know him?" she asked tenderly.

Kagome smiled. "He was once someone I tutored, I guess." Not really, but she had helped Naraku throughout middle school until he crushed her. "And he's my boyfriend's best friend." She blushed and gestured towards Inuyasha, who was knelt before the tombstone. "And you?"

The girl blushed. "He didn't know me very well… we were in a class together," the girl's voice saddened and tears pooled in her eyes. "We sat next to each other for one semester. He didn't talk much and when he did it was kind of mean. But he had his moments when he was really kind and nice to me. I really liked him."

'No matter who you are… if you die, you will be missed,' Kagome thought as a stray tear collected at the corner of her eye.

He sobbed quietly under the bed as a glass shattered against the wall. The night had evolved into an onslaught of broken glass. A woebegone child cried in the corner, his sobs drowning out the one of the child under the bed.

The older man, the father, screamed and ranted as he grasped the child in the corner by the collar of his shirt and threw him to the bed. His lips moved as he screamed profanities but all the silver-haired child could hear was the ringing in his velvety soft dog ears hidden beneath his hat.

After Naraku's father retreated from the room, with a smashing of a lamp and a broken door in his wake, Inuyasha dared to creep out from under the bed. He heard the whimpers and the sobs from his best friend and stood up.

"Naraku…" he said quietly, darting fearful glances back towards the door, as if expecting Naraku's father to return. He climbed onto the bed as Naraku gently on his blankets. "It's okay… he's gone now."

It seemed to happen whenever Inuyasha came over. Naraku's father would grow angry at a stupid thing and start screaming at Naraku. He never really touched Naraku, only screamed at him and threw him onto something soft. Whether this was out of wellbeing for his son or if it was coincidental, Inuyasha wasn't sure. He did know, though, that he didn't like Naraku's father.

Dog ears twitched under his baseball cap and he waited patiently for Naraku to stop crying. Once his sobs quieted, Naraku lifted his head. "Is he really gone?"

Inuyasha nodded. "He's gone."

Naraku smiled a watery smile before jumping off his bed and doing his best to close his door. The wooden barrier now had a long crack running down its center from the force of Naraku's father's slam.

He gulped down a lump in his throat and pointed at his television. "Want to play video games?"

Inuyasha nodded numbly. After the incident, Naraku never mentioned his father's behavior. It was almost as if he wanted to pretend it had never happened—which was understandable, of course. They played on Naraku's Nintendo 64 for a while until they grew bored.

Naraku scratched his head, massaging a bump he'd received from hitting his head on the wall when his father had thrown him. He sighed lightly.

"Okay?" Inuyasha questioned curiously. Naraku nodded.

A thought seemed to strike Naraku and he stared at his best friend with one eyebrow cocked towards his hairline. "Inuyasha… why is it that you always wear a hat?"

Inuyasha froze. "W-what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"It doesn't," Naraku said calmly, staring at the Seattle Mariner's baseball cap. "I was just wondering how come I never see you with your hat off."

"Uh…"

Naraku tilted his head to the side and reached for the cap. Inuyasha reeled back and jumped onto his bed, hunched over and preparing to run if the need came. He stared at his best friend.

"Stop that, let me see," Naraku insisted and walked towards Inuyasha. The boy backed up away from him, one hand holding his hat in place. Of course, this only egged Naraku on. The boy was curious now.

"No, you stop!" Inuyasha insisted, quickly dodging his best friend as the dark haired boy continued after him. "Leave me alone!"

"Hey!" A voice screamed from downstairs. "Don't make me come up there!"

The two boys froze in their steps, fearing the wrath of the man below. Naraku came to his senses first and seized the opportunity to snatch off the boy's hat. Inuyasha yelped and quickly tried to cover his dog ears. It was too late, though.

"Those are…" Naraku trailed off and pointed blankly at the top of Inuyasha's head, where small hands tried to cover the twitching dog ears. "Ears?"

Inuyasha shivered in his spot. Zadie had warned him to never show anyone his ears. Now he was going to lose his only friend. He shivered again and cringed when Naraku opened his mouth.

"Cool…"

Inuyasha's eyes opened and he stared at his friend in shock. "Cool…?"

"Yeah, you're ears are cool! Why were you hiding them?" Naraku chirped happily, staring in surprise when Inuyasha removed his hands and the floppy appendages twitched towards him.

Inuyasha was the happiest boy on the planet.

"Zadie… I don't want to go. I want to stay here with you!" Inuyasha whined as he wrapped his arms around his grandfather's arms and held himself there against the man's chest. The end of winter break had come and the boy was forced to return to school.

"Now, now, Inuyasha," Zadie said lightly as he pried the boy off and placed a hat on the child's head. "You and I both know that you can't just hang out with an old coot like me. You need to get to school and hang out with friends your own age."

"But I want to stay with you," Inuyasha insisted, staring at his grandfather happily as the old man placed a wool scarf around his neck and a beanie hat over his ears. "Please?"

Inuyasha's zadie shook his head. "No, Inuyasha. You need to go to school."

"But I'm sick!" Inuyasha insisted.

"You're not sick, Inuyasha," Zadie said with a light smile. "Come on. We can play after school, okay?"

"Alright," the child huffed. "But you better be here when I come home!"

The child began walking towards his bus stop. He stopped at the end of their porch and turned back to his zadie. "I love you, Zadie."

The man smiled, golden eyes watching the younger child trot away happily towards his bus stop. A couple of moments later a yellow bus appeared and the child climbed on. As the bus drove past, the small child waved happily as he retreated to complete the remainder of his first grade year. The man smiled tenderly. Once he was out of sight, the man dropped his own hand which he'd been waving after the child.

"I love you, too, Inuyasha," he muttered and smiled. Dusting off his hands and collecting the newspaper, the old man retreated into the house. "See you after school."

Author's Notes: I'd like to give a big, large, huge thanks to Kyebu-Chan (Stars Came Out) once again for continuing to help me with these chapters while Jordy has a little down time. Thank you Kyebu-Chan!

Oh yes, and finally I get around to putting up the fanart.

Fanart:

(By Inu-Kun):
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)18837550

(By me):
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19113216
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19458046
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19688862
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19737376 Highly Recommend this one
www(.)deviantart(.)com(/)deviation(/)19924324

(By Alex):
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