Imma put my Author's note at the end from now on, just so I don't confuse the poo outta ya anymore.

So...look down, my friend. Well...read the big hunk of a sad chapter and THEN see what I have to say. Cuz I'm just cool like that. -grin-

Chapter 13

"Y-you…Kagome…." He whimpered, his golden eyes wide and red rimmed.

'Why didn't I move! Why didn't I get up and save her?' He yelled to himself, finding it near impossible to move at all.

The rest of the group stood, staring at Kagome's limp and cold body. They couldn't move either. They were too shocked to move, too scared to walk over and find that the young mortal was dead.

"Kagome?" Shippo asked, his voice quiet and choked as tears spilled down his rosy cheeks.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed, forcing himself to his feet. He forgot about his Tenseiga. He forgot about Sanraku. He forgot about everything as he raced to Kagome's side, his eyes bloodshot. Everything collapsed, melted, fell out from under him as he dropped to his knees by Kagome and lifted her into his arms.

"She..she's freezing cold! T-This can't be happening….K-Kagome! Say something!" He pleaded, feeling too overwhelmed, all the feelings that he had ever felt for the girl returning and sinking in deeply. The picture that she had drawn of him flashed into his mind. How she had kissed him to bring him back from his true demon form. Everything he hadn't had a chance to say before was making him drown in his guilt.

He held her tightly, feeling that layer of ice that was starting to coat her frail body. The girl he held, it couldn't be Kagome. Not Kagome. Not his Kagome. He hadn't just let her get attacked. He hadn't watched her head hit that rock and her honey brown eyes disappear forever.

'I didn't even get to tell her…' He started to say to himself but stopped as he was surprised by his own thoughts. Tell her what? Did he even know?

As the cradled Kagome in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest, his eyes filled to the brim with tears. The salty liquid shimmered at the reddened rims, threatening to spill over.

Overwhelming sadness tugged at his every muscle as he felt thick, warm, liquid drip through the cracks of his fingers and splatter on the dirt beneath him.

The dam that held back the hanyou's emotions was cracking, breaking as blood spilled from Kagome's wound. The dam that held back those tears, shimmering at his rims, finally cracked. Tears tumbled down his cheeks as weak sobs left his throat. He pressed his wet cheek to the lifeless girl's, searching for warmth, any sign of life that told him he hadn't lost her yet, the girl he held so dearly.

"Kagome…Kagome…." He repeated her name over and over as he held her there and cried like he never had before. He thought he had been sad about Kikyou's many deaths…but she would just come back again in a body of clay. How would Kagome come back? She wouldn't…that was the point.

He hadn't even checked for a heartbeat. He wouldn't. He knew he would be too shocked to find that she had no heartbeat any longer.

"Is he…crying?" Sango asked, feeling her own eyes well up with tears. She didn't even want to ask the question that she knew all of them wanted to know.

"Yes….He…really cared about Kagome…" Miroku said, his eyes bloodshot as well.

Shippo sat on the ground, sobbing ridiculously. Kirara pushed her face into Sango's thigh and mewed softly, still in her youkai form, as they all mourned for their friend.

"How touching. The half-breed has fallen in love with a mortal….hmmm…." Sanraku taunted as he stepped in front of Inuyasha and looked down at his slumped over form.

Soft sniffling and whimpers drifted from the saddened hanyou as he peered down at Kagome's pale and expressionless face.

Revenge. He wanted it. He wanted to feel Sanraku's blood dripping from his fingers, not Kagome's. He would kill the demon for bringing such a feeling upon them all, such pain to Kagome and hurt to the one who held her.

The hanyou's head flicked upward, his golden eyes narrowing at Sanraku's smirking face.

Tear after tear appeared in the corners of Inuyasha's amber eyes. His hate, anger, and sadness overpowered him as he thrust out a hand and plunged it into Sanraku's stomach.

The demon uttered a low cry as pitch black blood, tinted a slight crimson, poured from the open wound and down Inuyasha's pale skinned arm. Had he not expected it, sensed it? Had he misjudged the hanyou so badly that he wouldn't even think to be the least bit careful around the inu demon that sought nothing but revenge?

"The name's Inuyasha!" He muttered, not bothering to deny the demon's statement.

"Oh…" Sanraku cried, seeing that, somehow, Inuyasha had broken through his barrier as Kagome had. Naraku had always had a weakness for Kikyou and since Kagome was Kikyou's reincarnation…perhaps he had a weakness for her too? Being Naraku's incarnation, he had those weaknesses too? But Inuyasha?

The crying hanyou panted loudly as he kept one arm tightly holding Kagome to his body, the other, lodged in Sanraku's gut.

The dark sky seemed to darken ever more as Sanraku's white eyes widened and his slitted pupils narrowed. He soared backwards. Inuyasha's hand remained stretched out, drenched in blood, even after Sanraku had gone. He sank back into the darkness and the sky lightened somewhat as the demon disappeared.

Inuyasha's eyes lowered to his bloodied arm. He opened his opened his mouth and let out a choked sob. He placed his other arm back around Kagome's motionless body and pulled her closer, pressed her to his heaving chest. The dark blood stained onto the back of her school shirt.

Inuyasha pressed his wet and burning hot cheek to Kagome's and nuzzled his nose into her ear. So many thoughts raced through his head and he held the limp body. Despite his relentless front, he really cared so much for her and hadn't even gotten the chance to tell her how much he really cared about her.

"Is she?…" Sango started to ask but cut her sentence short. It was as if she knew the answer.

The demon slayer turned and fell onto Miroku's chest, burying her face into his chest. For once, the pervert didn't try anything. He held her gently but sturdily. He seemed to be the only one who wasn't totally cracking up. That was…until a tear formed in the corner of his eye and silently traveled down his cheek.

Kirara mewed again and curled herself around Shippo as he sobbed hysterically. He cried the most but he wasn't the most hurt.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha muttered, his bloodshot eyes shooting open. He pulled Kagome away from his chest and peered down into her pale face. He gently rested her on the ground and pressed a hand to her chest.

He gasped lightly as he felt the smallest of a beating against his palm.

She was okay.

She was alive.

She needed medical attention immediately.

The half-demon stood shakily, one arm underneath the miko's legs and the other across her back. He held her tightly to his chest but he could barely move. He was so shocked that she was alive, that she had survived the crash into the huge boulder and her head nearly being cracked open.

"Is she okay, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked very gently as the hanyou walked past him, Kagome in his arms.

"Is Kagome alive?" Sango blurted, shoving away from Miroku and looking over at Inuyasha. He didn't reply. He walked silently to Kaede's hut. She jogged after him, Shippo, Miroku and Kirara silently following.

Miroku wrapped his arm around Sango and she didn't pull away. She needed comfort, needed an answer the ultimate question: Was Kagome alive?

The monk stepped forward, away from Sango. He was just as curious as the rest.

He quietly stepped up beside Inuyasha and looked to Kagome, her cheek pressed against the half-demon's shoulder. He reached out a hand to touch her but was startled and forced to pull away by a low growl. It took him awhile to realize it had come from Inuyasha.

"Get away from her!" He snapped.

Miroku backed away, back to Sango.

The hanyou wanted to have Kagome lean on him for awhile. He wanted to know the feeling that, for at least this moment, he was the only thing that she needed.

-------------------

Everything was silent. Not a bird sang and not a cricket chirped as the morbid silence blanketed them. There were no clocks to tick and no one else to speak to. All the hanyou could do was stare down at the mortal's pale face. Was she even going to make it? Her chest hardly moved as she took in weak breaths through her parted lips.

Inuyasha shook his head and turned away, a single tear sliding down his cheek.

"I don't deserve you….Kagome….You help me everyday by comforting me, healing me, making me laugh and smile. You do all that and the least I can do in return is protect you…and I couldn't even do that…" Inuyasha bit his lip and continued. "I should have been there. Should have been paying attention. I should have moved! I could have…saved you…I know that. But now look what I've let him do to you."

He pulled a leg tightly to his chest as he looked back down to the miko, the tears drying on his red cheeks.

"I'll never let him touch you again, Kagome….Forgive me…"

A gentle hand slid into Kagome's and grasped it lightly as his other gently brushed back the charcoal bangs from her pale features, his fingertips lightly caressing her skin.

..:-.---.---.-.----.---.-:..

-looks up-

...So, I got lazy!

Anyways. Sad, huh? But you still loved it, right? Hm. Well, there you go.

Don't chew my head! The girl was bound to die! ...Kidding...just stay tuned for the next chapter.