Soooo, got a pm from someone saying my story's boring and predictable...I know, but I like it anyway!

Two updates in one day!

Chapter Fifteen:

Everyone stopped. No one took a breath or moved an inch. The sound echoed through the trees and into the ears of everyone present. It rang so clear Inuyasha could not even hear his own heart beating out of his chest.

A howl.

Not just any howl. This was not the sound of a stray wolf calling to his pack. No. This was the howl of a wolf demon who had lost his love. Inuyasha started to hyperventilate as the sound was joined by other wolves. It was eerily beautiful, and Inuyasha never wanted to hear the sound again.

"No" He took a step back as he shook his head in denial. It wasn't true. He was gonna punch the fucking wolf for scaring the shit out of him. This was just Kouga being an ass. Kagome was fine.

Even as those words repeated in his mind, his hands began to shake. He didn't even realise the others were talking until his brother grabbed his arm. He jumped when he felt it, and turned to look at his brother. He shook his head even though he could not hear what he was saying. How could he? His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears he was sure he would go deaf.

The look Sesshomaru seen on his brother's face destroyed him. He looked like a child that didn't understand why something bad was happening. He tried to call his name, but Inuyasha was lost in his own world. They needed to keep going, but he feared what they would find. If Kagome was gone, there would be no saving his brother. He would not lose them both.

Sesshomaru looked over to the humans hoping for help with his brother, seeing the devastation in their eyes, he knew he was on his own. He tried calling to his brother again, but he was getting nowhere.

Slap!

Inuyasha shook his head at the pain that went through his face. 'What the hell' He looked around trying to figure out where the pain came from and jumped when he seen his brother staring at him. "What the hell bastard!"

Sesshomaru sighed in relief at finally snapping his brother back to this world. "We need to get going. We are not far."

Inuyasha stopped growling when he realised where he was. "Kagome" he whispered before taking off after his brother. He cleared his mind of all thought. He needed to get to her.

"Miroku? Do...do you think she's..." Sango could finish that sentence. It was too painful to even think about it.

Miroku gave Sango a sad smile. "I don't know. I think we should follow them though...just in case." He held on to her tighter as she fought the tears that wanted to spill. They knew already...Inuyasha would need them.

Sesshomaru was the first to approach the den. He ignored all of the wolves that growled as he entered. It was hard tracking Kagome's scent with the stench of wolves everywhere, but he would find her. He turned around to see Inuyasha hesitate to follow him. He had never seen Inuyasha look so lost, not even as a pup.

Walking through the cave he followed the sounds of whimpering. Each step was like a stab to his chest. He knew he had to keep going, but his feet felt like lead. The closer he got to the sound, the stronger the smell of death became. He turned a corner and froze as a blur shot past him. Spinning around he growled as he saw the wolf prince hovering over his brother snarling in his face.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WHERE WERE YOU! WHY WEREN'T YOU PROTECTING HER!" Kouga barked into the half-demons face. "DID YOU SEND THAT BITCH TO KILL HER! HUH! I should fucking kill you right now, but Kagome wouldn't want that...Get your fucking ass out of my den!"

Sesshomaru had enough and pulled the wolf off of his brother, barely missing a claw to the face.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME! That bastard deserves it! Kagome is fucking DEAD because of him!" Sesshomaru let him go with a shocked face.

"Kagome's not dead" came a soft whisper from the floor.

"GRRRRR! Do you wanna see her fucking body mutt! Take a good fucking whiff!" Kouga growled low with tears rolling down his face. "This is your fault Inuyasha. I hope you're fucking happy." He stormed off back to the cavern that held Kagome's body.

Sesshomaru looked down at his brother and actually flinched at what he saw.

Inuyasha was shaking. He knew what the wolf said was true. He could smell the scent of death and Kagome as soon as he entered the cave. His eyes went blank and his ears folded down to his head. He was lost. He couldn't feel anything. He was afraid to breathe not wanting the constant reminder that she was gone. Every inhale destroyed a part of his soul. He needed to get out. He couldn't stay here knowing she was just around the corner, and that she was dead. Seeing her body like that...no, he couldn't. He wanted the last image of her to be what it was only just this morning. A soft smile on her beautiful face, her eyes twinkle at his after her soft lips met his own. He couldn't breathe. Was that really just a few hours ago? She was only gone for a few hours and now...

He sprang to his feet in a jerky motion. His eyes unseeing, he ignored his brother's call as he left the cave. He needed to run, he needed to not feel anymore. He needed Kagome. How was he going to survive without her? He didn't want to. He stopped and took a deep breath as he stepped outside. He didn't want to remember her scent with the smell of death in it. He barely noticed his friend's land in front of him. He didn't want to see the look of pity in their eyes. He needed to go. So he ran.

"Inuyasha!" Sango called after him. She was confused. Where was he going?

"Sango..." Miroku hesitated as she looked at him. "I think we need to go after him." He was worried about what his friend might do.

"Miroku! But, what about Kagome?!"

Miroku looked away from her eyes. "We can't do anything for her anymore. We need to go after him before he does something he'll regret."

Sango looked at him for a moment before it clicked. She shook her head as tears streamed down her face. It couldn't be true! She fought off Miroku as he tried to hug her. He was lying! She finally stopped fighting as reality set in. Holding him tight she cried out for her sister and her friend.

"Oh my god! Miroku, we have to go after him...he might..." She couldn't finish her sentence. She knew how much Inuyasha loved Kagome. She could not imagine what kind of pain he was in right now. Her own heart was broken, but Inuyasha...

"I know. He needs us, if it were you..." he couldn't finish that thought, "come on. Sesshomaru is here and he can...he can bring Kagome home. Let's go make sure Inuyasha's ok." He tried to hold in his emotions. He needed to be strong for Sango and for Inuyasha. Kagome was like a little sister to him, but he would have to wait to mourn her. He needed to be strong for his family now.

He lifted a crying Sango and walked back over to Kirara. She gave a sad mew as she knelt down for them. She was sad too but agreed with the monk. Inuyasha needed them.

Back in the cave Sesshomaru looked at where his brother had left. He wanted to go after him, but when he saw the monk and slayer, he knew they would. His place was here. He was Alpha and Kagome was a part of his pack. He followed the scent of death to where she lay. He was not surprised to see the wolf prince sitting in the entryway. Even though he wanted to kill the wolf for his words, he could feel the wolf's pain as well. How was it that one human girl could bring so many proud male demons to their knees?

He ignored the warning growls as he stepped into the cavern. He wasn't prepared for the feelings he would get looking upon her body. She was covered with a pelt to under her armpits, but he could see the damage to her skin clearly. The purple marks stood out against her ghostly white skin. Even in death, she was beautiful. The marks that covered her did nothing to take away from her beauty. He envied his brother in this moment, how he got such a rare flower to love him so unconditionally, he would never know. He closed his eyes from the pain he felt in his chest as he reached for his sword. He barked out a warning as the wolves around him snarled. He would kill anyone who interfered. Holding tenseiga in front of him, he waited for the creatures of the underworld to appear.

Nothing.

There was no pulse of his sword, and no creatures appeared before him. He held his breath as he waited. Why did they not appear? He had used the sword twice now to bring back the lives of both Rin and Jaken. Why would it forsake him now? After what felt like hours, Sesshomaru resheathed his sword. He didn't understand! Why didn't it work? He hid his panic and sadness the best he could before he bent down and picked up the girl pelt and all.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!? Put her down!" Kouga raised his claws.

Sesshomaru sent him a deadly glare. "This one is taking her home. She will be brought back to her family for burial. Stand down wolf."

Kouga looked like he wanted to fight him, but he knew he didn't stand a chance against the daiyoukai. He nodded sadly as he ran his hands through her hair, grateful for a chance to say goodbye. He bit his lip in anger as he watched the dog demon leave the cave.

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"Miroku, wait! Sesshomaru's coming." Sango and Miroku were getting ready to go after their friend when she spotted him leaving the cave.

"Why have you not gone after my brother. I expected you as pack to take care of your Alpha." He growled out. The more time they wasted, the farther his brother got.

"We wanted to give you some time first before we go." Miroku hesitantly explained. "We were hoping to give him good news." He looked down at Kagome only seeing her hair peak out of the fur pelt.

"Hn. This one's sword would not revive her," Sesshomaru looked down at Kagome. "It rejected me." He walked off ignoring Miroku's wide eyes and Sangos renewed crying.

He heard them take off and was glad to have some time with the girl. With no one around to see him, he dropped his mask. Finding a place to sit, he cradled the broken body to his chest. He would not cry, but he would sing his own song of sadness. A soft sad howl left his lips as he held her body tight.

After some time, he made his journey back to the village. He would need to wait for his brother to return so he could take her body home. He was not looking forward to informing his Rin or the kit of the Miko's death, but he would do what he could to ease his brothers pain. He knew his brother would not last long before he joined his mate. He would stand by him when he got his revenge and he would make sure it was his sword that sent him to Kagome. He would not let his brother have a dishonorable death, he would do it himself. He understood the meaning of losing one's mate. He had watched demons go through it and he would rather see his brother dead than watch him slowly lose his mind.

It was ironic in a way that he spent his brother's whole life trying to destroy him, and now he wished there was a way to save him. Kagome was the one to bring them together, and now she was the reason they would be parted. He was still grateful to her. Even if it was for a short time, he knew what it was like to have a friend and brother. He would cherish the time he had with both of them and wait to see them again in the afterlife.

He walked slowly wanting to spend just a little more time with her. When she had first arrived at his home, she annoyed the hell out of him! She never stopped talking and asking questions and it drove him to want to kill her, more than once. But, eventually, he found her curiosity charming. Her jokes were crude, but he still found himself laughing. After a while, he couldn't remember a time when she wasn't there. She was always smiling and brought light into his home. Even some of his servants, who did not care for humans, could not resist her charm. One night as he watched her tell the children a story, he thought about what it would be like to have a mother like her. His own was cold and relied on servants to raise her son. He found himself jealous of the children she would have one day. They would always feel warm and loved with her as their mother. He then wondered what it would be like to be the father of those pups. To watch her as he did then, smiling and holding his pups before she put them to bed. Would the sound of laugher replace the silence that always surrounded him? But no, she was meant for his brother, so he settled on being her friend. Even as just a friend, he felt blessed to have a place in her heart. Would he ever feel like this again?

They got closer to where she was killed and he stopped. The smell of her blood was still engulfed all around him. He put his nose to her hair to try to get a hint of her natural scent before going through. It was hidden in the scent of death, but it was still there. It gave him a comfort he knew he would never feel again.

As he walked into the clearing, he felt a pulse. It was faint, but he still felt it. He took a step forward and felt it again. Starting down at his hip he watched his sword vibrate with another step. Confused he reached for the tenseiga and pulled it from its sheath, and stopped.

There in the spot where she was shot, were the creatures of the underworld. He could see Kagome's soul wrapped in chains as they dragged her away. Acting quickly, he laid her body down in the same spot before striking out at the beasts. He fell to his knees in relief as he watched them disappear and heard the quick intake of air coming from the woman's chest.

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Sango and Miroku searched for hours looking for Inuyasha. It took some time to pull themselves together, but they needed to be strong for him. They held each other hands as they looked for any sign of silver hair or his red robes.

Kirara roared as shot left as she picked up his trail. They braced themselves for what they might see when they arrived. There standing on a cliff was Inuyasha. The moon was bright and seemed to shine directly on him. It would be quite the site on any other occasion, but now it made him look alone. Landing softly a little way off they made their way over.

"Inuyasha?" Sango whispered out to him.

He looked over and Sango's heart cried out for him. Where she thought she would see tears, was only a blank stare. He looked dead, or like he wanted to be. It scared her a little.

"Inuyasha, we were worried about you...we didn't want you to be alone." She approached him slowly.

He closed his eyes and turned his head. "You can't help me with this Sango."

She flinched at his words. They were monotone with no feeling.

"Is there anything we can do?" Miroku was also scared for his friend.

He was silent for a while before he sighed and addressed them. "I just need some time to think guys. I-I know what I have to do...I just need some time alone."

The couple looked at each other before Miroku asked their question. "What are you gonna do?"

They had to strain their ears to hear his soft reply. "This is my fault. If I had warned her about Kikyo, or at least stayed with her, she...she wouldn't have gone through that. All I have ever done for her is cause her pain. She told me so a few times...you guys too. I realise that now. If I love her, I need to let her go. It will be hard but...I would rather her be happy than miserable all the time."

Miroku was a little worried now. "Inuyasha...you...you are talking about her like she's alive. D-did you not hear about her death?" He flinched at his own words, but he was afraid Inuyasha was losing it.

He turned to them with his eyebrow raised. "Yes Miroku, I know she died! I don't need to be reminded OK!" They stepped back at the venom in his voice. "But I'm not stupid either! You think with how much he loves her that Sesshomaru ain't gonna bring her back! No fucking way!" He looked back over the cliff. "I just need some time to get the balls to let her go OK!"

Sango walked away to hide her tears as Miroku visibly swallowed. Taking a shaky step forward he tried to find the words to say."Inuyasha...ummm." He wiped his hands across his face. "I-I don't know how to say this but...Sesshomaru tried to bring her back...it didn't work." Miroku jumped when his friend whipped his head around. "W-we waited for him to revive her but...he said the sword rejected him." He hated being the one to have to tell him. God, he hated this.

Inuyasha burrowed his eyebrows for a moment staring at the ground. He looked Miroku dead in the eye, "you're sure?" He needed to see his eyes and see the truth.

Miroku fought back tears and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

They stared at each other for a moment and Miroku would never forget seeing the life literally drain out his friend's eyes. It would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Thank you for telling me. I just need a few days alone. I'll be back to the village soon." He turned away again. "I'll need to bring her body to her mother."

Miroku opened his mouth to fight him, but he knew there was nothing he could say. What could he say? If he asked for time, he deserved it. He didn't want to leave him alone, but he understood. He turned back to Sango who was silently crying while looking at their friend. She knew too, it was too late for him.

Knowing he would at least come back to see Kagome's family, they turned back to Kirara to go home. They had no words to say to him to bring him comfort. They left feeling utterly useless and defeated. Maybe they could talk to him once he got back.

They didn't see the tears that ran down their friend's face as the reality finally set in. He was alone.

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