I have created a Spotify Playlist of the songs used, so you don't have to go hunting for them. The Playlist will be updated as the fic is updated, so there'll be no spoilers about what's coming down the road.

Songs used in this chapter:

(1) Wayfaring Stranger – Rachel Hardy

It felt like days had passed to Kagome. Every second, every minute, felt like hours. Even as her brother brought them some coffee, and her mother came back with some slippers for Inuyasha to wear, they all sat in relative deathly silence, waiting patiently and cautiously for any news from the staff who were treating Kagome's father. Her mom sat with Souta not far from them, and her grandfather had begun to pace, unable to sit quietly any longer.

Inuyasha stayed with Kagome, his arm wrapped behind her, holding her carefully by her arm and moving his hand just enough to try and soothe her whenever he could smell the salt of her tears bubble up from time to time. The scent was almost worse than the general stench of death, sickness, and chemicals of the hospital itself — and he despised those awful smells. They only reminded him of one of his worst moments of his life.

But in this moment, knowing Kagome was upset and dealing with that same potential loss, he managed to let that discomfort fade, prioritizing what she needed. And apparently, that was just the presence of a friend.

He'd asked if she should message Sango or something, let her know what was going on. After all, Sango was more familiar with Kagome's history and her family. He was sure that any moment, he'd be asked to leave quietly, and Sango would come in to help her friend.

But Kagome declined, not wanting to bother her friends unnecessarily with news until they knew for sure what was going.

Inuyasha nodded, understanding her feelings, and letting her rest her head against his shoulder.

In reality, all the waiting only took place over about thirty minutes — just slightly after midnight — before one of the doctors came into the waiting room, and Kagome's mom stood quickly to ask about his condition. Kagome soon joined her, along with the other Higurashi's, while Inuyasha hung back a little, his ears keenly listening.

"He's stabile, for now. He's in the ICU, and unfortunately, it appears as though it has progressed to the final stage," he calmly explained in a practiced tone that he'd clearly used for many families before who'd received similar devastating news.

Kagome's entire body froze, hoping that he was wrong. But it looked like they weren't so lucky.

"May we see him?" her mother asked, while clearly just as devastated as her daughter, she portrayed an image of strength that her children direly needed at that moment.

The doctor nodded, "He's awake. I'll take you to his room."

As the Higurashi's slowly started to follow him into the hallway, Kagome turned to look over her shoulder. Inuyasha stood there solemnly before cautiously walking up beside her, brushing his hand along her shoulder before saying, "You should be with your family, Kagome."

She looked up at him with an almost pained expression, not sure she could handle what lay waiting for her at the end of that hallway. He felt her body trembling at the thought, letting her face fall from his, shutting her eyes in a desperate attempt to wake herself up from a terrible nightmare, "I-I can't… I don't…"

Inuyasha quickly, wrapped her up in his arms, resting his hand on the back of her head and letting her cry into his chest with a shuddering breath, feeling her grip the fabric of the t-shirt he still wore and that scent of fresh tears emerged once again.

"Trust me, Kagome. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't go to him and say your goodbyes… while you can," Inuyasha whispered thoughtfully.

Kagome listened carefully to what he was telling her. Her grip loosened slightly, remembering that Inuyasha had his own fair share of loss… especially when he didn't even have a chance to say goodbye when he wanted to.

She remembered how he told her that he'd been kept out of his mother's hospital room when she was sick, how they wouldn't let him visit her or see her. All because they'd treated him unfairly, like his relationship with his own mother didn't matter. Kagome suddenly realized how much she would hate to have not been there when her father passed, recognizing that she still had so much to say and that she wanted her father to know just how much his love and support and inspiration had meant to her. How proud of him she was. How thankful she was to have a father like him.

"Not everyone gets that kind of chance," Inuyasha spoke once more.

Kagome lifted her tear-filled eyes back up towards Inuyasha's, and she asked modestly, "W-will you come with me?"

Inuyasha honestly wasn't sure he could, given his history with hospitals. He was positive someone would tell him to leave if he even approached the room. But again, he found he just couldn't tell her no, "I'll be nearby."

Kagome felt him tighten his arm around just a little, giving her smallest squeeze of support, before she tentatively pulled away from him and moving to follow down the hall where the doctor had taken them. Inuyasha followed just behind, giving her the energy she needed to just keep moving forward.

She spotted her grandfather up ahead, standing just outside the door of the room with the doctor beside him. She could hear the doctor excusing himself to give them some solace, but as the doctor turned and saw Kagome approach with Inuyasha, the doctor threw a bizarre look that Kagome wasn't sure she'd ever seen before.

"Excuse me, sir," the doctor raised his hand, clearly addressing Inuyasha and causing him to stop mid-step a few feet behind Kagome. Inuyasha knew this was coming. Of course they weren't going let him stay with Kagome and her family, and he wasn't going to argue with them. He didn't want to cause a scene at such a sensitive time, even if Kagome wanted him to be there. He'd leave if it meant not causing her family any problems or heartache. He wasn't going to ruin her chance to have the goodbye with her father that she needed.

Kagome turned to look at the doctor who approached him and watched in disgust as he started to say, "We don't allow any demons to —"

"He's with us," came the stern voice of Kagome's grandfather, interrupting whatever the doctor had been about to say, "He's a dear friend of my grand-daughter's, and we'll hear no argument against his presence."

Inuyasha was stunned into silence. After the look Kagome's grandfather gave him and Shippo after Kagome's performance, Inuyasha was sure that the old man was one of the humans who would have had serious issues with his grand-daughter hanging around demons or half-demons. Guess you couldn't judge a book by its layers of dust.

The doctor looked at her grandfather and, begrudgingly, gave a nod and said in a slight huff, "As you wish," before turning and leaving to give the family their privacy.

Giving him a grateful smile, Kagome silently thanked her grandfather for standing up for Inuyasha, realizing just how much she needed him to be here right now.

Inuyasha just stared bewilderingly at her grandfather, who still had a ridged and stern look on his face, but also gave Inuyasha and Kagome a nod of approval before moving to allow Kagome to go into the room, "Go on, my dear."

Kagome quickly her grandfather by giving him a sweet hug before moving into the room to join her mother and brother. Inuyasha stayed by the doorway, not wanting to press his luck with the staff or old man, he gave a sideways glance at the shorter man who was watching his family from afar, wondering why he was being so charitable towards him.

He spoke quietly knowing Inuyasha could hear him, "I owe you a great debt of gratitude, young man."

Inuyasha's ear flicked in his direction, tuning to make sure he could hear him clearly, before asking in a neutral tone, "What for?"

"You brought Kagome here so she could be with her family at such a critical time. Not only that, but you got her here safely, and in a hurry, if your lack of footwear means anything."

Inuyasha could only mildly scoff at the comment.

Her grandfather continued, "If you hadn't have done that, she may not have made it in time. You're clearly important to Kagome; important enough that she wants you here for support. I can't thank you enough for what you've done, not only for my grand-daughter, but for my son and my family as well.

"I know he would have been devastated if he couldn't say goodbye to his only daughter, and you've granted them both one last moment together," her grandfather paused to look up towards the younger half-demon and said, "You have my respect, and my thanks, young man."

While Inuyasha did somewhat well in masking his reaction to the man's acknowledgment, he realized he had never been told by anyone that they 'respected' him before. It had been ludicrous to think that this old man, from a generation where humans and demons hating each other was expected, would show him gratitude and respect; it was too bizarre to reconcile with.

There wasn't much more time to dwell on it before the older Higurashi walked into the room to join his family at his son's bedside.

Their father definitely didn't look as young and healthy as Inuyasha remembered him to be in that photo he saw in Kagome's apartment when they helped to move her in, nor did he even look the same as when they met at Kagome's finals performance. He looked like he was withered and aged beyond his years. His skin was pale and almost grey is color, his face gaunt, and his hair a scattered mess. He smelled of sickness and encroaching death.

But the joy Inuyasha saw on his face when Kagome approach him, slowly reaching her hand for his, and listening to her quiet admissions of love, appreciation, and reverence for her father, Inuyasha felt a sense of relief knowing she was able to have this moment with him, and that clearly her father was content to see that she was there.

Her father was weak, but he tried to raise his other hand to bring down over Kagome's, patting it lightly and speaking so softly, even Inuyasha couldn't decipher it — not with all the beeping machines, tubes, and masks the man was wearing. Evidently, Kagome could understand him, nodding with a faint and mournful smile gracing her lips as she listened to what he was saying to her; perhaps words of encouragement and pride in the woman she's become. Maybe grief that he won't get to listen to her perform again, or that he won't walk her down the aisle as she gets married or be a grandfather to her children. Regrets for a life that still left much unlived.

Inuyasha didn't move any further inside the room, unwilling to disturb their moment. He stood just inside the doorway, closing the door delicately behind him before settling in the chair beside it, watching at a distance.

The hurt and upset on Kagome's face was so apparent, even through her attempts to put on a brave face, it physically hurt Inuyasha to watch her go through this pain.

Her brother remained quiet for a bit, but only because he was trying so hard to not let his own sorrow show through before he expressed how lucky he was to have a father like him, and how he would do his best to live up the example his father set for him in hopes of being half the man his father was.

Their mother sat on the top side of the bed beside her father's head and pillows. She had her arms wrapped around their father's shoulders, holding him carefully but with all the gentleness, love, and affection Inuyasha had ever seen between a mother and father. She would kiss his forehead for a few moments before uttering her devotion to him.

Their grandfather stood at the end of the bed, watching as his family grieved together, offering up his own sentiments of pride and thanks for the man his son had become, how no parent should ever outlive their child or watch as they die before them, and how he will never be forgotten.

The warmth that surrounded Inuyasha, being the presence of such a dedicated family, it gave him just a small sense of what his own catharsis would have been like had been able to be with his own mother before she passed. It gave him some comfort, at least.

After a little while of quiet, Kagome's father asked with a frail and cracking voice, "Kagome…?"

She responded immediately, sliding her chair closer to him, "Yes, Dad? What is it?"

She listened carefully as he asked, "Can you please… sing for me, dear? One last time?"

Kagome's heart broke at the finality of his request, as if he foreshadowed his imminent departure. But she could not refuse him one final performance, "Of course."

She sat a little straighter to make sure she could manage her breath properly, but never left his side as she sang with a lilted softness (1 – vocals only).

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
While traveling through this world of woe
Yet there's no sickness, toil, nor danger
In that bright world to which I go

Kagome's voice waivered a little, trying to control herself long enough to give her father his last wish. The hushed and lower tone than she would normally use was so unlike the boisterous belts Inuyasha knew she could unleash; perhaps in an effort to prevent her voice from cracking through her tears.

I'm going there to see my father
I'm going there, no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home

Inuyasha could feel only helplessness as he watched and listened. Kagome's voice, though low and shaky, was crystal clear in his ears. He could hear the pain in it — the sheer vulnerability of what she felt. It enraptured him, and in a way, consoled him. If this was the last thing he ever heard as he died, he knew he could die happy and at peace, so much so that he wondered if that's how her father felt at that exact moment.

I know dark clouds will gather 'round me
I know my way is rough and steep
Yet golden fields lie just before me
Where the god's redeemed shall ever sleep

I'm going there to see my mother
She said she'd meet me when I come
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home

There was a long, pregnant pause in her melody, relinquishing the haze of contentment and nirvana Kagome had created within that hospital room. But with a gentle squeeze of her father's hand within hers, his eyes slowly slipping closed as he did, encouraging her quietly, just as he had always done, and Kagome found the last push of energy she needed to continue.

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
While traveling through this world of woe

Yet there is no sickness, toil, nor danger
In that bright world to which I go

I'm going there to see my father
I'm going there, no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home

The tears streamed down Kagome's cheeks relentlessly as her voice resonated off the cold white walls, leaving them in that dark silence once again. She looked back at her father and found her mother gently patting his shoulder, "Dearest...?"

The hollow, empty air that laid bare afterward would stay with Kagome forever.

Kagome delicately took her father's hand, fearing she might hurt him, and tried to get his attention, if only to know he was still with them. But after a few moments of trying, her nightmare slowly had become her reality, "Dad?"

Souta approached from her side as they watched their mother quietly cry as she leaned down to kiss her husband's head, cradling him between her arms and letting her own tears silently fall.

Kagome's father had died peacefully in his hospital room, surrounded by his family, and was no longer suffering.

The midnight air was suddenly and bitterly cold compared to how it had been just a few hours ago. It felt like a decade had passed since he and Kagome were writing music and enjoying a meal together on his rooftop. Now, it felt like the world had completely shifted, and Inuyasha wasn't sure where to go from here.

He'd stepped outside for a moment, leaving the older Higurashi's to discuss details about funeral arrangements with the staff while Kagome and Souta were in the waiting room. When Kagome initially panicked at Inuyasha moving to leave the room, he reassured and promised her that he'd be back, and that he just needed to step out for some fresh air.

It hadn't been a lie — his nose had been stuffed with the smells of the hospital and death, and it made him feel like his nose was burning. However, he had another reason for leaving. After taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind, Inuyasha leapt from the hospital parking lot and swiftly made his way back to his apartment.

He realized in their dash to leave, Kagome had left all her belongings at his place, which was understandable — given her state of shock and the circumstances. With everything she was going through, worrying about where her personal things were was something he didn't want her to have to deal with; not right now. She needed to be with her family, not have an anxiety attack about where her things were.

Inuyasha quickly grabbed her purse and jacket, and threw them in a random shopping bag to bring back with him. He moved to pull out his phone to text Kagome and let her know he was on his way back, but realized he still had Kagome's phone, since he just pulled hers out instead of his own.

"Shit…" he grunted to himself. He added her phone to the bag, placing it inside her purse, and with his feet still bare — knowing he could always run faster without anything on his feet — he rushed back to hospital. He walked through the entrance, expecting to be able to just walk in, since he'd left barely fifteen minutes ago, when he was stopped.

"Excuse me, visiting hours are over. You'll have to come back tomorrow," a nurse explained at the entrance, their tone sounding mildly annoyed. Inuyasha hadn't ran past like he did earlier, and was instead greeted with an invitation to leave.

He lifted the bag in his hand to explain, "I just have some personal items to give to someone. Give me 5 minutes and I'm gone, 'kay?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't allow you to go in. It's policy," the nurse reiterated.

Inuyasha gave a frustrated sigh, rubbing his hand over his temples, trying to end off the headache he knew was coming if they continued down this road, "Look, I don't wanna cause any problems. I just want to give a friend something. You can even walk in with me to make sure I leave afterwards, if you want."

Inuyasha was trying to play it calm, not wanting to start something in a hospital of all places.

The nurse gave him a weary look, looking at his shoeless feet and demon-life features, clearly not thinking they'd have to do so much work to get him to leave, "Sir, if you don't leave the property, I will have to call security."

It seemed like a futile effort keep trying to reason with them. Inuyasha let his head sag to his shoulder as he walked toward the nurse's desk where they sat behind, placing the bag on the counter and asking, "Can you at least make sure this gets to them? She's with her family; the Higurashi's."

The nurse tentatively took the bag from the counter and sighed, sounding exhausted as they said, "Alright. I'll make sure they receive it when they sign out."

Inuyasha plainly nodded before turning and leaving through the sliding door again, realizing that he wouldn't be able to do much more unless he wanted to get arrested or cause some property damage, which was what he was trying to avoid at all costs at the moment.

He pulled out his phone, thinking maybe he could text Kagome, so that when she gets her phone back, she would at least know why he never came back for her. He started typing out the text and hit send. He waited outside, just in case, for about half an hour. But part of him wondered if maybe they'd already left by the time he got back to the hospital? Of course, there was no way to confirm that, since Kagome wouldn't have her phone with her.

He waited a little bit longer, but eventually decided it was probably best to go home. It was around three in the morning as it was.

'I'll come back tomorrow; check if her things were picked up,' he reasoned.

Resigned, Inuyasha turned and left the darkened parking lot.

'It's been over an hour, where could he be?' Kagome wondered as she repeatedly checked the clock in the waiting room, lightly bouncing her leg up and down in nervousness. She sat straight on the edge of the chair, unable to relax. After they'd had some time to grieve and absorb what had happened, they were asked to sit there while their mother and grandfather were talking about arrangements for her father's body and how it would be transported and handled.

Kagome definitely didn't want to be present for those conversations. It was too morbid to have to think about what preparations her father's body would need for his cremation. She knew he wanted to buried on the shrine grounds, and that was all she needed to know.

"Could you stop doing that? You're only making it worse," Souta weakly chided her, pointing to her leg. The pair of siblings were both on edge and emotions were high. Kagome had only just managed to calm herself down after a wave of grief hit her, and bouncing her leg was the only outlet she could think of for the anxiety currently plaguing her since Inuyasha wasn't there, like he said he would be. She didn't realize just how much having him in the room with her calmed her down until he wasn't there anymore.

Kagome paused her movements, if only because she was in no mood to fight with her brother. Normally, she'd clap back with some kind of snide remark or joke, but obviously, this wasn't the time, and she knew Souta was having just as much of a hard time with this as she was. He was angrier about the whole situation than anything else, and she couldn't blame him.

They'd talked about it before, but Souta felt in a way he was being robbed of his relationship with his father; that he was losing his primary role model. Now that he's gone, Souta felt as though there was no other place to turn to when he had questions about certain things that men go through. At least Kagome still had their mother, and sure, their grandfather was still around, but it just wasn't the same as asking your own dad for advice.

After a little while, their mother and grandfather returned to the waiting room, quiet and morose. Their mother said as controlled as possible, "Alright, everything's been settled. Kagome, dear, would you like to spend the night at the shrine with us? I think it'd be best if we were all together right now."

Kagome sat a little straighter in the chair before answering, "Sure, but I'd like to wait for Inuyasha to come back first. He said he'd be back, he just needed some air."

"I'm sure he's just outside then. We'll see him on the way out," her mom replied, "It's already three in the morning, and we're all exhausted. We'll need our rest for the next few days."

Kagome nodded solemnly, agreeing with her mom that Inuyasha was probably just outside. But why did it hurt that he didn't come back when he said he would?

They made their way down to the receptionist's desk to sign out of the visitors' registration. Once the nurse read their names, they asked, "Higurashi?"

Mama replied, "Yes?"

"Someone left some items for you. He arrived after visiting hours and unfortunately, we couldn't let him in. But I told him I'd give you these when you signed out," the nurse handed Mama the bag, looking in to check what it was.

"Oh Kagome, it's your things, dear," Mama declared before she handed the bag to Kagome. She took the bag and looked in to see her purse and jacket, along with her phone placed just at the top of her purse so it was plainly visible.

In all the chaos, she hadn't even realized she didn't have her phone or other things with her, 'Inuyasha… did he…?'

She took out the jacket, putting it on before sliding her purse over her shoulder and holding her phone. Pulling open her home screen, she saw she had one text message, swiping to open it. Her heart paused when she read the message from Inuyasha.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. Hopefully you got your things back alright. Text me when you get this so I know you got everything okay."

Kagome quickly realized what happened, and she felt a rush of emotion come over her again. She clutched her purse close to her chest, trying to contain the hitching of her breathe before she would cry. She had already been emotionally exhausted, but even in the moment, she couldn't ignore how it made her feel.

Like Inuyasha said before, he truly was an 'actions speak louder than words' guy. He'd been thoughtful enough to get her things for, just so she wouldn't have to wonder where they were. He took the initiative to do that for her; even when she was going through the worst pain of her life, Inuyasha somehow managed to make her feel so grateful.

"Kagome? You ready to go?" her mom asked, pulling Kagome out of her momentary stupor of emotions.

"Uh, yeah. I'm all good," she replied a little shakily, walking with her remaining family members to the car. Once inside and the car was on its way back to the family shrine, Kagome retrieved her phone and managed to send off a text to Inuyasha.

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

That's the end of this chapter. I had initially wanted to end the chapter with Kagome's father's death, but with the way I wrote it, it felt too short and I didn't want it to get too sentimental or sappy/cliché. Also, I had a nagging feeling because no one ever talks about or writes the aftermath of death scenes in hospitals like that. Like, at some point, the family needs to go home and start planning the funeral, so I wanted to make sure I had something in there that felt true, but still added to the story.

I hope you guys are enjoying this, and I hope this chapter was good (I feel like I can be hit or miss with death scenes).

I'll try and have another chapter ready before the end of November, since my birthday is at the end of the month, and December is gonna be crazy because I'll be visiting family and traveling.

Until Next Time….