Shattered Hearts

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha

"Why does everyone have to die?" Kagome screamed, seeing the broken and bleeding body of one of her best friends on the ground. She sank to her knees, tears falling from her eyes. Songo was gone, gone to be with InuYasha and Kirara and Shippo.

-----Flashback: -----

It was a stormy night after another confrontation with Naraku that claimed Shippo's life. It was raining hard, as it was so often lately. The ground sloshed under her feet as she ran towards Naraku's massive shifting body, arrow notched at the ready in her bow.

Naraku saw her out of the corner of his eye, but was distracted by a pain in his abdomen. He looked down and was greeted by the sight of the young fox demon trying to burn him with Fox-fire. Without any effort of second thought, Naraku reached down and plucked the kit up.

"Boo!" Naraku laughed in Shippo's face, feeding off the fear and terror in his wide blue eyes. With a flick of his wrist, Naraku flung Shippo over his shoulder. Due to the fact that InuYasha was once again attacking him, he was unable to hear the sickening crunch of bones breaking as Shippo slammed into the side of a huge tree.

Kagome screamed as Shippo's body flew past her. She winced when she saw him crash into the tree, which then promptly fell over at the force of the impact. Leaving Naraku in the hands of the others, she ran towards the little boy.

The Saimyousho had been resting nearby, waiting hungrily for their master to leave behind any tasty morsels of flesh for them. Seeing the still body of Shippo, they flew as one and swarmed it. Kagome couldn't see through the thick cloud of bees and had to wait until they dissipated to come any closer. She couldn't shoot at them, there was to great risk of shooting Shippo.

When the bees left, Kagome ran the lump that was Shippo's body. 'Please don't let him be dead' she prayed.

The fox wasn't dead. No, he was much worse than dead. His legs and arms were obviously broken; bones were jutting out at all angles. Most of his clothes were torn away and hundreds of Saimyousho stingers were at various points of entry. If he didn't die from the pain, the poison would kill him in minutes. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his lip was bleeding from where he was biting it.

Kagome kneeled over him, known there was nothing she could do but comfort him, try to ease his suffering. "Shippo, be brave" she told him, bawling like a baby, her tears mixing with the rain in his fiery red hair. 'He's so young! He doesn't deserve to die like this!'

"Kagome…" His voice was so weak and his own tears began to pour down his face. "Can you hold me … please?"

He was a sack of bones, should she move him! Could he handle the pain? The blood chilling scream that erupted from his lips as she gathered him into her arms answered her question and broke her heart.

"Shippo…"

"Kagome, I'm not afraid anymore…"

So was the death of Shippo the fox demon. Kagome's heart wrenching cry distracted Songo, Miroku and InuYasha, so a smirking Naraku had time to get away. The next time the two groups met, InuYasha and Naraku both met their end.

-----End Flashback-----

Sesshomaru answered Kagome's question. "Eventually we all must die. No one is immortal and we all must meet an end, weather at the sword or a long life."

"It's too hard. Why does it have to hurt so much! This pain in my heart only grows stronger as more bodies are added to the count." Kagome whispered.

To her shock and utter confusion, Sesshomaru himself came and sat beside her. Kagome saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before and couldn't identify.

"It's your human emotions that are getting in your way. The pain in your heart is just its way of dealing with the death of a loved one.

"So we should just be cold and heartless demons like you?" Kagome moved away from him, raising her hand to slap him. "What would you know of love anyways? You are always so distant and pompous to notice anything as beautiful as love."

He caught her hand moments before it hit his face. "I never said that and you know it" His voice chilled the blood in her veins. "What would I know of love Kagome? Well I'll tell you. I know what it is like to have someone care for you unconditionally. I know what it is like to want to make someone happy just so you never have to see her cry. I've felt my heart, yes Kagome I do have one, shatter when the only person in the world who meant something to me died. What would I know of love? A lot more that you think."

The miko was speechless. Sesshomaru had always been so high on a pedestal, devoid of emotion. Did he really have a soft side for someone?

"Rin." She said softly. Sesshomaru dropped her hand and looked deep into her eyes. "You loved Rin." To her surprise, Sesshomaru nodded.

"Monk!" he said then, calling to Miroku, who had been carefully laying out Songo's hair, running his hands through it and murmuring to himself. He looked lost and confused.

"I supposed you want to try and kill me now" Sesshomaru's voice was once again that which she was used to.

Miroku looked at him. "Yes" he said. Sesshomaru stood and drew out his sword. "But she won't let me." Kagome whipped her head around. She? Who was he talking about?

"Songo wouldn't want it that way. You lost someone you loved right? You know how I'm feeling right now, you as well Kagome. All I want is to make the person who ripped out my heart feel the same rawness inside. But Songo wouldn't want it that way. Since you know how I'm feeling I won't kill you, if that makes sense." He then turned his attention back to Songo. "I wish I could be with you again…"

Sesshomaru hated being compared to a human, but he knew what the monk said was true. He sheathed Tokejin, but his hand caught on Tensaiga.

"Can you use Tensaiga?" Kagome asked hopefully. Why had she not asked before? Wait, why had he not used Tensaiga on Rin? Or InuYasha? Her heart sunk, she missed InuYasha again.

"I didn't use it on Rin." He said as though reading her mind. "I couldn't protect her then, why would I want to risk failing again. Why bring her back to a world were she would be in constant danger, just for being around me. My reasons are selfish, but they are reasons. I will use it on your friend though, if you want me to." He was offering and olive branch, as an apology for ending Songo's life.

Surprisingly Miroku smiled. "No" he said.

"Why?" Kagome demanded harshly, not understanding how Miroku could pass up the chance to see Songo alive when he obviously missed her so much. She missed Songo so much, she missed everyone who died.

Miroku looked at her as if she had two heads.

"Because Songo didn't die in vain. As much as I want to have her back in my arms, whole and alive, I won't. She knew what she was doing in pushing Kohaku out of the way. I know she knew. She accepted her death in return for his life. To bring her back would be like saying, 'Thank You but your death really wasn't necessary'."

Sesshomaru nodded. Kagome nodded as well, though she still wished that Songo would be back. Suddenly there was a small voice, which had been silent for a long time. "Thank you"

Sesshomaru went from heart broken and venerable to deadly, unfeeling assassin so fast Kagome didn't have time to blink. Instantly he had Kohaku pinned to the ground, his fans barred.

"You little bastard, Thank you? For what? Your sister just prolonged your life and all you have to say is Thank You! Your lucky she pushed you out of the way then, now I can have the satisfaction of killing you slowly with my claws" To emphasize his point, Sesshomaru extended his claws and dug them into Kohaku's arm.

"Let me … explain"

Kagome screamed. "Sesshomaru stop! You are killing him"

"That was the plan, so stay out of my way!"

" P…leas…e"

Kagome ran into Sesshomaru's side shoulder first. She was surprised at how light he was, how easily she could push him away. "Rin liked Kohaku didn't she? Don't you at least think she would have given time to explain?"

Rage filled his golden eyes as he threw Kagome off of him like a rag doll. This stupid human woman didn't understand anything! "Its because of this stupid boy I couldn't protect Rin! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"That's not what Songo thought" Miroku said quietly. He had now stopped playing with Songo's hair and had proceeded to stare blankly at the tangled pile of bodies that were Kagome, Sesshomaru and Kohaku.

"Please, you can kill me when I've unloaded all the guilt inside of me" Kohaku was pleading now. He sat up and began to rub were Sesshomaru had clawed him. Tiny drop lets of blood leaked from the cuts.

Slowly Sesshomaru stood up and withdrew. "Make this quick, I want to have plenty of time to rip the skin from your flesh" Kagome glared at him. "Grow up" she mouthed. He returned her glare tenfold.

Finally the group was ready. Miroku and Kagome sat close together, Sesshomaru stood a ways behind them. Kohaku sat as well, a few feet in front of Kagome, beside Songo's body (which was still unburied). Kagome had strategically positioned herself between the two feuding males in case things got 'out of hand', not that she could do much against a rage-filled demon lord and a grief-crazed boy. Secretly she wondered if Kohaku had had a death wish when he had originally provoked Sesshomaru.

With a deep breath Kohaku began his story.

Unbeknownst to the foursome on the plain, they were being watched by ones eager to see the outcome of Kohaku's confession.

A/N: I wrote this at midnight while I was sick. I know that I said InuYasha's killer would be revealed but…I lied. At least I told you how Shippo died (don't kill me; I was sick when I wrote this, Sick!) I know that a certain someone is a little OOC, but hey he can't be heartless all the time right? I like him all venerable to, so bite me.

Thank you to those of you who review my story, you make my day. Those of you, who haven't reviewed, please do so. I love reviews!

Special thanks to MXCrocks who has reviewed most of my chapters. There you go: I explained why Sesshomaru didn't use his sword. Shippo kind of gets avenged in a way. He was killed by Naraku, who was killed shortly before chapter 1.