I do not own Inu-yasha

Alone

From childhood's hour I have not been

As others were-I have not seen

As others saw-I could not bring

My passions from a common spring-

From the same source I have not taken

My sorrow-I could not awaken

My heart to joy at the same tone-

And all I lov'd-I lov'd alone-

Then-in my childhood-in the dawn

Of a most stormy life-was drawn

From ev'ry depth of good and ill

The mystery which binds me still-

From the torrent, or the fountain-

From the red cliffs of the mountain-

From the sun that round me roll'd

In its autumn tint of gold-

From the lighting of the sky

As it pass'd me flying by

From the thunder, and the storm

(When the rest of Heaven was blue)

Of a demon in my view

-Edgar Allen Poe

Chapter Three

Broken

"Just go away. Help me." Kagome's eyes stared to the sky, seeing HIM in the stars. Connect the stars. "Go away. Help me." She wanted the boy alive in front of her to go away. The starry boy could help her. She always needed help. Was always so weak and pitiful... SO STUPID!

"Higurashi-san, I'm going to get your mother. Okay?" Hojo said. "Or maybe I'll get someone else..."

Her eyes swiveled down to his face, her own face still turned up, searching for something she knew wasn't there. "Are you like him? Do you know him? Little dog ears, he had. White. Amber eyes. I can feel him now, I can... I can feel THEM."

Hojo took a few steps back. "I'm going to get you some help Kagome."

"NO! NO!" she screamed, pounding her hands into the ground. "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I FUCKING HATE YOU! GO FALL INTO A FUCKING WELL AND BREAK YOUR NECK! DIE FROM MY MEMORIES LIKE HE DID! GO DIE! LET HIM COME BACK INSTEAD!"

Hojo stared at her with wide eyes. "Higurashi-san... I'm so sorry..."

She stood up and strode over to him. "I hate you so much. Bring him back. Bring him back with your blood." She grabbed his wrist and shoved a rock into it. "Hell," she said with an insane smile. "Bring him back with my blood." She placed the rock against her head. "Go ahead."

Hojo threw the rock away. "No, I won't. You need help, now!" He took her wrist and started leading her away.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," she sang. "Why don't you go fuck Eri? She'll be willing. Maybe Yuka, or Ayumi. I want him to fuck me, him only. My sweet little Inu-yasha. I want him to move around and make you sooo jealous. Why don't you go ahead? Show me your pain. I know it's there. I know it's there. I know, I know."

Hojo tried not to do what she wanted, but she really was tearing his heart up. He knew that she just wanted someone else to hurt like she was, for whatever reason it was she was hurting. Misery loves company. She didn't mean these hateful things. Maybe she was going insane. It sure sounded like she was on some kind of drug. "It's going to be okay," he said.

"No it's not. That's what I said to him too."

He looked back at her and saw her face was in utter seriousness.

"But look what happened."

"Higurashi-san?" he said cautiously.

She smiled weakly. "I'm dying. I need help, I really do. I'm sorry, but you just can't help me like I need it. You just can't." She broke her wrist away from his grasp. "I'll just get it myself." She started to turn away. He laid a hand on her shoulder. She stopped.

"Higurashi-san, in all honesty...I love you. I don't care if you're not all there, or that you're in love with someone else. I love you, and I'm willing to stay by your side. I want to be able to help you, in any way I can. I love you."

She placed a hand over his. "I know you do. Thank you. But your love isn't what I need right now. I'm sorry." She broke out of his grasp once more and this time he watched as she walked off.

She knew exactly where she had to go.

---

"Come on Inu-yasha, stop complaining about it!"

"I'm not going to!" he yelled back.

"Oh! Go piss on a hydrant!" Kagome yelled, angry.

He looked at her blankly.

"Oh...that's right...you don't know what they are..." She felt a little foolish, but she really didn't care. She was mad, god dang it!

The perverted monk and female demon slayer watched on, uninterested in the latest fight between the two. A 'hmm' or 'uh' could be heard from one of them occasionally, but that was it. They, or rather Sango, was mad at each other too. Miroku just couldn't learn from his mistakes.

Shippo wasn't paying attention, preferring to braid flower garlands on the back of Kirara instead.

It was just another normal day.

And like most normal days, a demon decided to make them its lunch and/or try to take their jewel shards and/or just be plain annoying.

Inu-yasha feh'd. "This is just plain annoying!"

This time, it was a snake demon. The usual type too. Thinking it was all 'rad and bad', but in reality, it was just a third-grade nothing.

Inu-yasha looked back to see where Kagome was. He didn't want her to be hurt again. She had been hurt the last time, and the one before that, and the one before that... It was like a never-ending cycle. Well, he would be damned if he couldn't break it today.

He stepped in front of Kagome. "Stay behind me," he ordered. Kagome nodded. "WIND SCAR!"

The demon was disintegrated into nothing and there was an unmistakable smirk on his face as he realized that he had broken it.

Kagome smiled. She knew Inu-yasha would be in high spirits for the next few days. And even though his ego would be EXTREMELY hard to deal with, she would. If only because she knew it would make him feel better about his protecting skills.

---

-Higurashi Residence-

There was a knock on the door.

Higurashi-san opened it quickly to see it was a dripping wet Hojo.

"Oh, Hojo-kun!"

"I found her ma'am. I'm sorry to say that I didn't bring her back with me."

Higurashi-san searched his face. The pain there was unmistakable. A great deal of pain. "She's not herself, is she?"

"No, ma'am. I'm afraid not."

"She's going back, that's for sure," Higurashi-san whispered to herself. "Well, call the others and tell them she's been found and they can go home. Tell them she's safe."

"She's not safe. Not at all. She's a danger to herself. I saw her... I saw her ma'am. Self-destruction..."

Higurashi-san's eyes widen. "Was she...cutting?"

"No, but she was beating her head against a tree, hard and repeatedly. She had blood running down her face... Her hands were bleeding too..."

Higurashi-san put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you Hojo-kun, but you should get home and call the others. I know where my daughter is, and she's perfectly safe now."

Hojo didn't believe her, but he nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am. I will."

---

-Higurashi Grounds-

Kagome watched as Hojo left and her mother looked over at the wellhouse, but went inside. So her mother knew. She crouched down from having looked through the holes in the door. She had to go back, because if she didn't, she would never be able to be the same.

She looked down into the darkness of the well. She really didn't like it. She hadn't really liked it when the centipede had taken her down either. She had gotten used to it though, and now... Now she was just going insane. He had always driven her insane.

She jumped over and felt the same sensation she always did. Hopefully they didn't reject her too much. Hopefully...

---

-Edo-

Shippo stared into the darkness that he knew led to Kagome's time. She had left the day before... It was dark now. She had left where they were and had probably spent the last day running to the well... He knew she was on the other side. She had been bawling when he had last seen her. Tears ran down his cheeks as well. He doubted any of them could stop crying.

Sango had ran to Miroku when it happened and he hadn't stopped comforting her yet. He had been crying silently too, being the strong one for them all. He showed them that it was okay to cry though. It was okay. He wiped his little cheeks with his miniature fists. He wanted Kagome back.

Then there she was. In the darkness of the well. Her eyes were wide as she saw him. "Kagome!" he yelled. He kept yelling her name as she slowly climbed the small ladder that Sango and Miroku had put in the well in case she would come back. They knew Inu-yasha couldn't help her.

She put one leg over the well and then the other. She just stared at him. "...Shippo...," she finally said.

After hearing the sound of her voice again, he couldn't help it. He threw himself into her arms and bawled even more. He could feel her chest choke up and down and smell her tears. She was mourning the most of them all. It was her fault...supposedly...

Kagome sank to her knees and held the kit against her tightly, the side of her head leaning on the top of his head. "Shippo!" she cried out, all of her brackish tears falling on his red hair. It darkened.

They stayed like that for awhile until their tears dried up. Then Kagome set him on the ground and they just looked at each other. They understood each other without even understanding. Green eyes bored into brown, brown into green.

"Where are they?" she asked quietly.

"Kaede's hut," he said.

She nodded and picked him again. She walked slowly to the village, holding him in her arms. She didn't know what they would act like. She didn't care. She knew Shippo at least loved her. That was enough. If he was able to love her still, that was okay.

"Are you afraid?" Shippo asked quietly.

---

Playground school bell rings again

Rainclouds come to play again

Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Hello I'm your mind giving you

Someone to talk to

Hello

If I smile and don't believe

Soon I know I'll wake from this dream

Don't try to fix me I'm not broken

Hell I'm the lie living for you so you can hide

Don't cry

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping

Hello I'm still here

All that's left of yesterday

---

"Yes."

---

Poem is 'Alone' by Edgar Allen Poe

Song is 'Hello' by Evanescence

I promise I will start getting songs from new bands. Just hold on.

End Chapter Three

Broken

-Reviewer Responses-

Hirina-Thanks for loving it, I guess. This story kinda makes me sad, because she's crazy…

Mimblewimble-Actually, your review was really different. Thank you for all the lovely comments. I'm glad you cried, as pessimistic as that sounds, but I wanted people to cry over it. I wanted it to be the most emotional thing people had ever read. I mean, Kagome's goin' crazy…

Kagomente-I'll update ISOM when I want.

Mischievous Murderer-Okay, I will.