Micheyasha: And it's an update! Cheer for me! Thanks for all the reviews guys. You all rock.

Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.


Chapter 7

Anger, Blood and Compassion


Inuyasha's eyes were wide, his breath came out in short pants.

"Y-y-you don't mean that do you? You are just angry right?"

Kagome laughed bitterly again and the hollow sound made Inuyasha wince. His white ears pinned back to his silver mane.

"Oh, truth hurts, doesn't it? As shocking as this might be, if you break a promise and kill a girl, you really shouldn't expect her to forgive you."

Inuyasha flinched. This was undoubtedly true yet; Inuyasha couldn't help feeling the least bit indignant. He hadn't tried to hurt her. It wasn't... his fault.

"Don't you think I know that?" He whispered.

Kagome stared at him in surprise.

"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. I did everything I could to protect you. Why do you think I wanted to strengthen my sword so badly? Why do I run away from battle whenever I hear your voice? Why do I always worry about you during battles?" Inuyasha'sheart clenched. It hurt. It hurt being rejected like this.

Kagome's expression softened. Inuyasha loved her back. This made her feel bad, but not bad enough to regret what she had said.

"Inuyasha. I know you're sorry (and you better be) but it's too late. There's nothing you can do." The two reached out their hands, but Kagome's went right through Inuyasha's. Sighing, she withdrew.

"I…have to go." Kagome looked so sad. "As hard as it is to believe, I am going to miss you."

Inuyasha's brain ceased functioning right then and there. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Kagome turned away from him and began walking. As she walked, she began to fade.

"NO! Please come back!" Inuyasha shouted.

The inu desperately ran after her, but no matter how hard he tried, she never got any closer. Kagome just kept going, trying to stop herself from turning. She knew that if she saw him again, she would never be able to leave. He loved her, and a part of her still loved him. But still, Kagome had to be angry with him. He PROMISED, and he broke it; just like she thought. Tears welled up in Kagome's eyes, and this time, she let them fall.

By this time, she had become almost invisible. Figuring there was no way she could stop it, she turned. Inuyasha looked up just in time to see a glimpse of her tear-stained face before she vanished completely.

Inuyasha stopped running. There was nothing else left. This was the second time this had happened. What kind of pathetic hero was he? Kikyou had depended on him and now, she was an empty shell, wandering the barren earth all alone. Kagome had trusted him, and he had repaid her by slicing her open and laughing about it. This was way too much. Was he more trouble then he was worth? The more Inuyasha thought, the more it seemed true. When arguments came up, Miroku and Sango always took Kagome's side. He didn't usually care about anything except his sword. Whenever he smelled Naraku, he dropped everything and left. Did he care more about Naraku than his friends?

Naraku: the single cause of all his problems. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to see him die. But a small part of him enjoyed fighting Naraku, it was a thrill. Inuyasha mentally slapped himself. What was wrong with him?

I'm going to kill him. Inuyasha thought furiously.

The only thing on his mind was that single goal. It angered him, made him forget everything. A stinging pain is his hands brought him back to reality. He had been clenching his fists so hard. They had begun to bleed. He looked at the blood and gave a small smile. The physical pain helped to cancel out the emotional pain. Without warning, he swiped his claws across his arm, spraying crimson drops onto his face and clothes. Once again, the pain distracted him form thinking about Kagome. He slashed at his other arm spraying more blood.

"Committing suicide now are we?" A voice said with a sneer. "You want to win a battle so badly, you are fighting yourself? Pathetic."

Inuyasha looked up to see one of the last people he needed around right now.

"What do you want Sesshoumaru?" He growled.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his brother, slightly disturbed, but mostly amused.

"I came because I smelled your blood." The quiet demon said.

Inuyasha gave a smirk. "I didn't know you cared."

Sesshoumaru fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Hardly. I just wanted to see if somebody killed you before I did."

A silence came between the two brothers. Inuyasha stared at the ground. Sesshoumaru stared at Inuyasha. Finally he spoke.

"Why exactly were you cutting yourself?" Inuyasha looked up, shocked. Sesshoumaru rolled his amber eyes a second time.

"I don't CARE, I'm just curious. This seems like something only a stupid mortal would do. But then again, you are part human."

Inuyasha turned away again, he should have known. For a second, it seemed like Sesshoumaru actually cared about somebody other than himself.

"No matter how hard I try, I still fail to realize why Father preferred that mortal wench you call a mother."

Inuyasha could feel tears welling up again, but he didn't know why exactly. Sesshoumaru was just another person who didn't care about him. Sesshoumaru noticed that his brother was holding back tears. For no apparent reason, Sesshoumaru knelt down next to his brother. His brows were furrowed with a mix of concern and disdain. Since when did Inuyasha cry over a few insults?

"What happened to you?"


Sango leaned up against a tree and gazed at the sky, her eyes still slightly red.

She had been so happy. She had thought for a minute that there was hope of bringing back her best friend. The "perfect solution" of course, had been to use the jewel shards. But after thinking it through, she realized that really wasn't a good idea. Kagome would rather die than live a life bound to an object. Using the jewel would put Kagome in the same position as Kohaku.

Another tear slid down her cheek, but she didn't bother wiping it away. She didn't even register that a certain monk had sat down beside her and was watching her with concern on his face.

"Sango?" Sango slowly turned to face him.

"Yes?" She managed to choke out. Miroku, for the first time in his life could not think of anything to say. He just stared at her some more.

She was such an amazing person, and right now, she looked almost suicidal. She had not been this miserable in a long time. He wanted to comfort her, be there for her, and take away her pain. But when you're in love with a demon killer, who says she needs anyone? He just decided to trust his impulses. He found his arm making its way toward her, but it ended up around her shoulders. Sango's eyes widened. He had never done this before.

Miroku was being the man she had always dreamed of. She had loved him for a very long time. But she had been afraid. It was pretty funny if you thought about it. She would take on 70 feet long centipedes by herself but she was too scared to tell the man she loved how she felt. A mischievous idea crossed her mind. She was too afraid to tell him how she felt. Almost reading her thoughts, Miroku put his arm around her more tightly. Tightening her resolve, Sango reached up and pressed her lips against his cheek.

Miroku's eyes went wide and he felt his cheeks go red. That had been random and weird and he wanted her to do it again. Or better yet… While Sango was recovering from her bold little outburst, Miroku leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Sango nearly passed out. After a few moments passed, the two broke apart. Sango looked up at Miroku and smiled. They kissed again, but this time they were both a little bolder about it. Miroku placed a hand on Sango's face and moved his kisses down her neck. Neither of them wanted this to end, this was the thing they had been waiting for it was-

"AHEM." Sango and Miroku quickly broke apart to see Shippou standing a few feet away with an odd expression on his face. It was an I-told-you-so smirk with a disgusted and freaked out expression mixed with it. Needless to say, the situation was extremely awkward.

"Umm Shippou, about what you just saw…" Shippou cut Miroku off.

"Just… don't say anything." Shippou turned around and shuddered.

"I once saw mommy and daddy doing that. After a while, they started taking their clo-!" Sango quickly slapped a hand over Shippou's mouth, blushing furiously.

"Miroku and I weren't doing that!" Miroku sighed, he had been so close. Oh well, there was always next time. Oh man, did he hope there was a next time.


A little while away, Sesshoumaru was having an awkward situation of his own. Inuyasha was not doing anything, except sitting with his head bowed. Finally, in a very un-Sesshoumaru-like gesture, he reached out and patted Inuyasha on the head comfortingly.

"Are you going to tell me what happened, or are you going to ignore me until I leave?" Sesshoumaru sounded half irritated, half amused. A few more minutes of silence passed.

"This is proving to be a waste of my time. I shall take my leave now." Sesshoumaru turned to leave.

"Don't," Inuyasha finally said.

"Don't what?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking back at his brother.

"Don't leave…" Sesshoumaru furrowed his brow. This was definitely not the Inuyasha he knew. The Inuyasha he knew was obnoxious and loud, but very strong willed and independent. The person sitting on the ground at his feet was a poor, clingy pathetic weakling.

Inuyasha was struck by a sudden realization. Why hadn't he thought of this the minute Sesshoumaru showed up? This would take whatever pride he had left…

"Sesshoumaru, will you help me?"

It took all of Sesshoumaru's self control to stop himself from picking up Inuyasha, slapping him in the face and screaming for him to climb out of the pity pit. He was pleading for help! From lord Sesshoumaru! Remaining emotionless on the outside, Sesshoumaru sat down again, saying one word.

"Explain."

So Inuyasha told the whole story. His transformation, Kagome's death, his declaration of love, her declaration of hate, and how it led to his bleeding arms. Sesshoumaru's face didn't change through the whole story. He had never had this strong an emotion. He felt almost lucky.

"Will you, bring Kagome back? Please?" Inuyasha pleaded again.

"I don't see why I should." Inuyasha's face fell, but he let Sesshoumaru explain.

"If the girl hates you, bringing her back so she can be stuck with you some more seems very pathetic. Not to mention selfish. If you bring her back, she will hate you as much, if not more than she does now."

With that, Sesshoumaru got up and walked away. Inuyasha felt the deep disappointment growing inside him. Of course Sesshoumaru was right; Sesshoumaru was almost always right.


Back at camp, Sango and Miroku were leaning against a tree, sleeping in each other's arms. Sesshoumaru walked into the camp. He eyed the sleeping couple with distaste. What an obvious show of weakness. He finally found the scent he was looking for. Locking on its location, Sesshoumaru set off to find it.


Author's note: Well there you go. I'm only a month or so overdue. dodges flying rocks Well I hope that was good. I worked pretty hard on the chapter. Please keep the reviews coming. There is going to be one more chapter after this, so keep checking in.

-Micheyasha