Be there for me

Chapter 20:





Sesshomaru advanced towards the three motionless bodies, his hand on the hilt of Tensiega. Behind him, Kagome watched and observed, a hand clutching the portion of shirt covering her heart.



Sango and Miroku came to stand besides her, and together the three of them, the only survivors of their original pack, watched Sesshomaru very carefully.



In his hand now, the Tensiega began pulsing, allowing it's master to see who he could revive. Through the sword, he saw the devil imps preparing the souls of the little boy and the older man for transport into the other world.



With a single swip of the sword, he killed those servants.



Strangely enough, he did not see any over the woman.



Uncertain of how to proceed, he swept the sword across her body, then stepped back.



Tenseiga began pulsing again, indicating in another direction.



Sesshomaru turned around, sweeping his gaze across the battlefield, until his eyes came upon the little boy known as Kohaku. The imp servants were also preparing his body for transport.



Walking over to it, he once again swept the little imps clear from the body.



Seeing no more imps, he held up the sword and looked at it. It had stopped pulsing, so he replaced it within it's sheath.



Souta began groaning, before the little boy started to sit up.



Crying happily, Kagome ran over to him, and drew him into her lap. His eyes open, and saw the battlescared face of his sister staring back at him with loving eyes.



With a shout of glee, Souta stood up and embraced his sister.



"Hmmm, Pancreatic cancer, yes, that might work well...." muttered the old man as he came to himself.



"Grandpa!" shouted both Kagome and Souta. Releasing the embrace with each other, Kagome and Souta both ran over to the old man, and tackled him from both sides.



"Ohh....sister...." groaned Kohaku as the little boy came to. Looking over in suprise, Sango saw the little boy coming too, and immediatly limped over to him, pulling him into an embrace as well.



Miroku came over to join his lover, and looked down at the little kid as well, a big grin on his features.



Kagome looked over to where her mother still lay on the ground, and her smile faltered slightly. Releasing grandpa and her brother, she walked over to where she lay on the ground.



"Momma...momma...time to wake up..." said Kagome as she knelt down next to her mother and began gently shaking her with her hands.



Startled, Kagome glanced up when she felt a clawed hand take hold of her shoulder.



"Kagome...I don't know how to tell you this...." began Sesshomaru, his eyes full of regret.



Whatever elation Kagome may have been feeling instantly transformed into a strong sense of foreboding and worry.



"Wha....what do you mean...?" she asked him tentaivly.



"I was able to revive the two young boys, and the older man....." he continued, hoping she could understand without him actually having to tell her.



She gasped, and looked back down to where her mother continued to lay motionless.



"But....what about...my..momma...?" she asked him in a low voice, her composure beginning to crack.



"I'm afriad I wasn't able to revive your mother. I'm sorry Kagome, but she's already passed on to the other world." Sesshomaru stated, not wanting to beat around the bush any further.



"N....no...." whimpered Kagome, before the miko suddenly passed out and collapsed to the ground.



"I'm sorry." he whispered, although it was clear that she didn't hear him.



Sighing to himself, he picked her up, and turned to face the others. Souta was still hugging grandpa, his face barely controlling the tears that threatened to spill forth.



The old man himself looked sullen and defeated, his eyes cast downwards.



Sango and Miroku both also had downcast eyes as well.



Kohaku felt immensly ashamed that she had not made it, even though he knew that Naraku had been controlling him the whole time.



Sesshomaru turned his gaze from one to another, then motioned off to the west.



"Come, my castle is not far from here. We shall head there and rest, recuperate, then decide what to do." said the demon lord as he looked downwards at the one cradled limply in his arms.



About ten minutes later, they set off, heading towards the castle, the injured, and the dead being toted along as well...



* * *



The dog demon sat in a expansive chair in his study, the miko still cradled in his lap.



He had taken off his armour when they entered the castle, and now just wore his silk clothes and his fur pelt.



He looked the miko over, before he began tending to her wounds.



She had several scratches and cuts, and these he took care easily enough by licking them with his saliva, healing them.



He had just finished and was starting to sit back up straight when he felt one of her arms wrap around his head.



His eyes widened when she leaned up and kissed him right on the mouth.



He was startled for a moment, feeling the warmth of her lips, his inner beast was aroused, and he almost returned the kiss.



Instead he gently pried her face from his own, and removed her arm from around his head.



She looked at him with a hurt expression on her face, and he sighed, before standing up.



With the two of them standing, he gently pushed her back a couple of steps, when she tried to stand up against him.



"why....?" she asked him, her hurt expression deepening.



"Because you aren't thinking rationally right now. Your in pain, and your attempts to rut with me is just you looking for a source to get rid of it." he replied, looking her steadily in the eyes.



"so why does it matter?" she asked in a low, almost whimpering voice... "don't you like me?"



"Kagome, I like you very much...." he was lying through his teeth when he said that, he was fond of her though, "but trying to rutt with me won't make your pain go away. It'll just come back later, along with feelings of guilt."



"why....WHY COULDN'T YOU BRING HER BACK!" she yelled at him as loudly as she could, with tears popping out of her eyes.



He was very sorely tempted to backhand her across the face with his ears still ringing, but restrained himself.



"I don't know Kagome. I wish I could have. I'm sorry." he replied in a soft warm voice.



Her anger fled her when she heard his voice and his apology, and her heart melted as her grief caught up to her.



With it came guilt about what she had tried to do with him, thinking about Inuyasha...



"Oh god....Inuyasha...momma..." whimpered Kagome as she clutched the shirt over her heart.



Her sobs began as tears began running freely down her cheeks. Her composure was shattering now.



She ran to him, and began beating on his chest with her fists.



"It's not fair....it's...not...fair...." she said as she started sobbing loudly now.



Sighing to himself, he wrapped her up into an embrace, and tried not to cringe with dis-taste as she melted against him, with her tears staining his shirt.



* * *



Three days later, they all stood around the four graves marking the final resting places of their loved ones and comrades. Inuyasha, Kikyo, Miss Higurashi, and Kilala all had their own tombstones.



Dressed in her traditional school uniform, Kagome looked down at her brother, as he began crying loudly.



She dropped to her knees, and held him against her as she herself began crying again as well.



Sango and Kohaku were both grieving loudly as well. Miroku, barely keeping his expression composed, laid his hand on his wife to be, offering her all the support in the world.



Kouga, who had come down from the northern lands after hearing about the battle, stood behind Kagome, but kept his hands off her. He was still ashamed after his failure to protect her, and besides, it didn't feel right considering her connection to Inuyasha.



Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin stood near them. Rin was crying softly to herself, sad since everyone else was sad. Jaken looked to be somewhere between solemn and bored.



Sesshomaru though, was smiling, his normally cold eyes full of warmth. Miroku caught his expression, and looked at him with a sense of confusion.



"I am happy...for my brother. He died protecting his pack, as any true Inu should have, and is now united with the one he loved in heaven." he explained to the monk.



The congregation stayed there for several more hours, before leaving as night fell.



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A/N: Well, after consideration, I've decided that this is the end for this particular story. What was originally going to be a long-winded story featuring original villians and the such will instead become a sequel to this story. I will write one final short chapter, an epilogue, then that will be it for this fic.