Tears of the Fallen by ShadowsWeaver1

Tears of the Immortals

Tears of the Immortals

Somewhere in the dim haze of sleep where dreams would come to bring new life and new hope, she began to feel again. She could feel the strong hands that caressed her body so lovingly, feel the press of hot lips against her skin; feel the way her body heated in response to his touch. She sighed quietly, a sigh of pleasure and want but one equally of sorrow. She knew, she always knew how these dreams would end; but still that had never stopped them from coming to her, from teasing her with what might be if only things had been different.

She knew that when she opened her eyes to the dream that she would see him. Inuyasha: her friend, her love; the one that she had promised to stand beside through everything he faced. She would see him. It would be his hands that touched her so lovingly, and his lips which would give her gentle kisses of the love she had so longed for. It had been this way for so long, ever since she had realized how deeply she cared for the hanyou boy.

- You used to captivate me by you resonating light, -

But still, even in her dreams, somewhere in the back of her unconscious mind, even when she felt her heart fill with love and her body flush with desire; she knew that this could never be, that there was always something standing in their way. Kikyo. He had loved her, he loved her still, and Kagome knew that she was something that would always stand between them. The life, the non-life, of the one from whom she had been reincarnated would always be the one thing that would keep her and Inuyasha apart.

- Now I'm bound by the life you left behind. -

She couldn't deny it. No matter how much it hurt her to know it; she knew that Inuyasha would follow Kikyo when she asked it of him. When everything was said and done, when Naraku had been destroyed and the jewel returned to her rightful hands, Inuyasha would make good on his promise to Kikyo and he would leave her forever.

But even with this knowledge, she had never abandoned hope. In her heart, she had never accepted that that was how things would end up. And so she had kept dreaming, kept wising that one day he would let his heart feel for her as hers did for him.

Kagome turned slowly to see the one that had touched her so lovingly, but when she finally saw him it was not Inuyasha she was seeing but Sesshomaru.

-Your face it haunts, my once pleasant dreams. -

He smiled at her, a smile full of warmth and of love. It made her want to cry. She had never seen him smile, never seen him so open or so loving; and she knew that what she was seeing couldn't possibly be real. There was a part of her that wanted to pull away from him, that wanted to believe that this was no dream but a nightmare. But another part of her held her still, ached to feel the way he was touching her, longed to see the love that shone in his eyes for her and her alone.

And so she stayed, unmoving and lost in confusion and heartache. She watched him lift his hand to brush softly against the side of her face, pushing away her unruly hair. She could feel the heat from his hand on her skin; feel the shivers that coursed through her body from his touch. But when she heard his voice, it was as thought the world itself had come crashing down upon her.

- Your voice it chased away, all the sanity in me. -

"I have missed you, my love." He whispered softly to her, his velvety voice thick with passion.

But she knew then, she knew that even in a dream she could never imagine him to say such things, she could never feel what she had when she had heard those words spill from his lips. She knew.

This was no dream.

Kagome gasped and pushed away from him. Her movement was so sudden and so unexpected, that Sesshomaru was left still for a moment in shock. He couldn't understand what had gotten into her. He watched curiously as she scrambled off the bed, in her haste trapping herself in the blankets and tumbling onto the floor in a heap. But even that did not stop her, she was intent to put as much distance between herself and him as she could; and she pulled herself away from the trappings of the blankets quickly and made a bolt for the door.

That was all Sesshomaru could take. He would not let her run from him in such a manner. What had gotten into her? He lifted himself from the bed quickly and made the distance between himself and her in a flash of demon speed, managing to take hold of her arm before she could reach out to open the door.

"Kagome..."

But she cut him off with a shrill scream as she pulled frantically on her arm to be relieved of his hold.

"No! Let me go, Sesshomaru! I didn't do anything to you!"

Kagome gasped when she felt her arm being released and she quickly turned away from him, but there was nowhere for her to go. Sesshomaru was blocking the door and there was no other exits from the room she was in. She sobbed quietly when she realized she was trapped, and whatever strength she had was being stolen from her so quickly she could not take hold of it. Her legs gave out beneath her and she sunk to the floor, her body being taken over by broken sobs of despair.

Why, she kept asking herself. Why was this happening to her? Why wouldn't she ever be free of him? Why would he make her want for what she knew she could never have?

- These wounds won't seem to heal.

This pain is just too real. -

She knew what he had done; she could never forget how he had looked at her then. She could never forget the hatred and loathing she felt when she looked into the ice-covered gold of his eyes. She could never forget that he had tried to take her life.

- There's just too much that time can not erase. -

For Sesshomaru though, he had finally come to understand what was happening. The Kagome that was with him now was not the Kagome that was meant to be in this time. She had come from the past, had come to fulfill her destiny. But to see her show such fear of him, to see her in such pain; it filled his heart with sorrow. How could he gain her trust now? How could he make her see when he could not show her, when she was blind of what had happened to change them both? How could he make her understand?

- When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears.

I held your hand through all of these years.

You still have all of me. -

Sesshomaru began taking slow, measured steps towards the crouching girl, but he was brought to a halt when she began yelling at him again.

"Don't you come any closer," she screamed as she lifted a shaky finger in his direction. But immediately after that, her eyes widened in shock and horror and her hand came back quickly to cover her face. "And for god's sake put some pants on!"

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow curiously at the cowering girl before he allowed his sight to travel down to his very naked body. He could hardly remember the last time that the girl had made any attempt to get him into his clothes when they were alone together. Still, if it would help to alleviate the tension from the situation, he decided that dressing appropriately couldn't hurt. So, he turned from her and headed towards one of the large armoires in the room to find some decent apparel.

Kagome, however, wasted no time after Sesshomaru had left the way to the exit open, and the second the path was clear she bolted for the door. She just couldn't sit there and face him; especially not now, not like this, and NOT when he had just been standing in front of her NAKED as though it were a completely natural thing.

She made it to the door of the room in no time, and in seconds had it opened and was dashing out into the hall. Frantically, she swung her head both left and right to try and figure out which direction she had come from, but in her addled mind she couldn't remember clearly the way out. She whined slightly to herself in frustration before finally just picking the hallway to the right and starting down it. She had only made it a few steps when a voice from behind her made her pause.

"Oi, wench! What's with all the screaming? Some of us are trying to sleep, ya know!"

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned to face him. For a moment she almost believed it to good to be true, but when she finally managed to turn completely, she saw that it really was him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered in disbelief.

"Feh, course it's me! Who else were you expecting?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome ran towards him, throwing her arms around him when she reached him and pulling him tightly against her in relief. Nothing could touch her now; nothing would hurt her so long as Inuyasha was here. He had always kept her safe, and she knew that he always would. She sobbed out her relief and gratitude against his strong chest, not caring that he seemed to stiffen against her in discomfort because she knew that was just him.

By this time, Sesshomaru had finished dressing and had followed Kagome into the hall, but when he got there he found his Kagome in the arms of his brother yet again. It was killing him to see her this way; to know that she would cling to his brother in fear of him, and that the tears she cried were because of him. She was his, his mate, his Kagome, and yet there was nothing he could do to comfort her because she had yet to come to know him. This was not the woman he had promised himself to for life. His Kagome had returned to her time

- I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, -

But it still hurt to see her like this, in Inuyasha's arms and seeking his comfort. Though he was well accustomed to their friendship and the strong bond they shared, he knew it to be platonic love like that shared between siblings. But this Kagome had yet to understand, and so she clung to Inuyasha in fear and relief.

Inuyasha though, had no idea what was going on. So, as usual, he asked bluntly.

"Yo, Sesshomaru, what the hell'd you do to her?"

"Bite your tongue, half-breed." Sesshomaru replied in a low growl of warning. "I have done nothing. This is not Kagome."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked as she finally pulled away from Inuyasha enough to turn slightly and see Sesshomaru. "Of course I'm Kagome."

A long silence filled the hall following her statement, and Kagome got the distinct impression that she was missing something huge. However, she would begin to see just how much she was missing when a tiny voice called out from down the hall.

"Mama?"

Kagome turned towards the little voice in bewilderment. Her sight finally landed on a small youkai, a boy no more than Shippo's age. His hands were covering his eyes as he tried to wipe away the sleep from his vision, but she could see the mane of silver hair that flowed down around him and the soft blue of the crescent moon on his brow. There was no mistaking whose boy this was, and no mistaking the truth that she was not in the time she had assumed. But when the boy finally took his hands away from his face and opened his eyes to look at her, she gasped.

Those eyes, those sweet, innocent eyes, were not pools of molten gold like Sesshomaru's; rather they were seas of endless blue just like hers.

The boy took another step towards her, but before he could reach her, Sesshomaru bent down and gathered the young one into his arms. For a brief moment when Sesshomaru's eyes locked with hers, Kagome could see a deep sadness in them, a longing that spoke in soft whispers to her heart.

- But though you're still with me, I've been alone. -

When he looked away again, his sight finally settling on the boy in his arms, Kagome could still feel his sorrow, hear it in his voice. "Your mother is very tired tonight. You may speak with her in the morning."

With that, Sesshomaru turned away and began carrying the boy back down the hallway he had come from. Kagome watched him go for a moment, but something told her that she needed to see this, that she needed to understand what was happening. She took a step away from her safe place beside Inuyasha intending to follow Sesshomaru and the boy, but a strong hand settling on her arm made her pause.

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice was soft and filled with concern. "Maybe you shouldn't go."

But she couldn't listen, she wouldn't. She lifted her hand to set it gently atop of Inuyasha's and managed a small smile for him. "It's alright," she told him quietly. "I need to do this."

And then she slipped away from him and made her way down the hall after Sesshomaru. She stopped when she came to the open door of the boy's room and peered in curiously. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

Sesshomaru, the great and powerful Inu Lord, the being so feared by so many and known so well for his cold and ruthless manner, was easing the boy into his bed, tucking him in gently, even pausing to brush away some unruly strands of the boy's hair from his face in a gesture of such love and tenderness that Kagome couldn't help the small, endearing smile that pulled onto her lips.

It was a beautiful sight, and it warmed her heart. But more than that, it made her realize that she was still missing something. She could feel it, feel the wanting in her heart, the emptiness that she could never fill. And she realized that nothing could fill that void; no amount of her soul being returned, no power from a jewel of infinite ability, because it was and emptiness that could only be filled by the presence of another.

- I'm alone. -

"Tell me the story, father." The boy's soft, melodic voice pulled her away from her thoughts and back to the touching scene.

"I have already told you once tonight." Sesshomaru replied to the boy in a calm, patient voice. "I will not do so again."

"Please?"

It didn't take any form of deduction for Sesshomaru know where the pup had gotten that kind of innocent begging from. His mother was all too fond of that particular look. He released a short huff of breath in exacerbation. How was he to teach the boy anything when his mother was always giving him everything his heart desired? Why was it that he always had to be the one to deny his son what he wanted?

But even if he had wanted to give in to the boy's request, even if he wanted not only to be able to tell the story for his son but also for the woman standing just outside the room and watching them together; the sounding of an alarm from outside told him that he had no more time to spend with his family.

"Not tonight, Toga." He informed the boy with enough authority as to not be disputed. "Sleep."

The boy sighed quietly in disappointment, but he was not about to argue with his father. So he allowed his eyes to drift closed and settled himself in for sleep. Sesshomaru covered the boy with his blankets, making sure he would be kept warm, before he lifted himself from the bed and made his way out of the room. He closed the door behind him quietly before he turned to Kagome.

For a time he only looked at her, uncertain what he could or should say to her now, but before any words could come to him, he was interrupted by the frantic cry coming from down the hall.

"My Lord!" Jaken called out to Sesshomaru as he ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. Two men in full armor were with him, keeping up with the toad's frantic scrambling with long, determined strides. "My lord!" he screeched again, "It has begun! They launched a night assault on the outer perimeter, taking it in one foul swoop and now they approach the main walls!"

A soft growl of aggravation began building in Sesshomaru chest at the revelation. Why now? Was it possible the wraths knew?

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru began barking out his orders. Just because Kagome would not be here to help them in the fight, that did not make them defenseless against the dark ones. "Go with Jaken to direct the men in the defense." He paused, his eyes finding Kagome's one last time. "Take her with you." He finally added. "I will join you once I have returned from the vault."

With that, he turned and began making his way down the long corridor, pausing only briefly to give a sharp hand gesture to the guards that had accompanied Jaken. They responded immediately to his order, and took up their stations at the door to the boy's room.

"Come on, Kagome," Inuyasha urged from her side, "We've gotta get out there. There's a battle to fight, and I don't plan on misin' out on this one."

"Right," Kagome responded with determination. She didn't know what was going on, but that didn't mean that she was about to let this place go undefended. And now that Inuyasha was at her side once more, she knew that she could stand against anything. "Let's go."

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

When Kagome and Inuyasha finally reached the exit of the main building, they were greeted with the activity of the entire estate. Men and women, both youkai and human, had taken up arms and heading towards their stations at the main gates and along the high walls surrounding the palace; children, too old to be hidden with the elders and the waiting women but too young to be sent into battle, scurried this way and that with armloads of weaponry and important instructions to be delivered to the men on the walls sent from the generals and commanders stationed in the central ring of the compound that Inuyasha was leading her towards.

"I don't care what that damn dog has ordered!" Kagome heard the voice of one of the female commanders. She was in full battle gear, standing tall and proud in the face of the youkai warriors in front of her despite the fact that she was human. "I say that those beasts are going to make a break for the water and try to come up our rears, so you take your garrison and divide its men between the left and right flanks, because we all know what would happen if those creatures manage to worm their way into the grounds. We'll never be able to fight them off once they start disguising themselves as our own men!"

"Yes commander," the youkai responded shortly as he gave a stiff bow to the woman and turned to relay the orders to his men.

"Sango."

Kagome gasped when Inuyasha addressed the woman, but she was struck silent when the commander turned to face them and she saw that the woman who Inuyasha had called Sango, the girl that had been like a sister to her, had aged into a woman in the later years of her life. Her hair, though covered by a helmet of steel, could still be seen spilling down over her shoulders in wisps of white, and her face had been creased by wear and time, leaving deep lines stretching out from her eyes and crossing her brow.

"What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" Sango snapped in irritation, but when her sight settled on Kagome, she allowed her countenance to soften and a small smile pulled onto her lips. "Oh, Kagome, I'm so glad you're here. I thought we were going to have to pull this one off without you." She remained silent for a moment, but when Kagome's reply was noticeably lacking, she continued. "Well, what are you waiting for? We need you on the wall. Slow those wraths down a bit for the men to deal them some damage. Oh," she added as an afterthought, "And tell that mate of yours that I am sick and tired of his imp trying to override my commands."

"Kagome," Inuyasha had taken hold of her arm and stole her away from her shocked staring at the woman before her. "Maybe we should go. They need my sword on the wall. And even if your weapon isn't what it could be, we still could use all the help we can get."

Kagome allowed Inuyasha to pull her away from the bustle of the central guard, but she couldn't quite believe that she had seen what she had. "That was...Sango?" she asked in a daze.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. "I guess this all looks pretty strange to you, huh? It's been over thirty years since the defeat of Naraku."

"Thirty years," she whispered in awe, "That long?" But even though it was a shock to hear, Kagome was beginning to see why things seemed so unfamiliar to her. "What about the others?" she asked once her thoughts started processing again, "Miroku and Shippo, Kohaku and Rin...and...Kikyo?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily before replying. "Shippo's fine," he finally relented, "He's around here somewhere, most likely right in the middle of trouble like always, but you don't need to worry 'bout him. Couldn't bring that one down even if a whole army had him backed up against a wall, the little bugger would still find a way to get himself out of it. Kohaku and Rin, well, they got married a while back, had a few brats of their own too. But Kohaku, well, lets just say that he was the first one to discover what the wraths were really capable of. He stopped Miroku just in time to save his sister and the baby she was carrying at the time. The damn monk, he was supposed to die by that stupid curse, not by some bloody wrath that had taken over his body."

"He's...dead?" Kagome choked out.

"Couldn't be helped," Inuyasha replied. "Once the wraths get their hands on you, you're pretty much done for. If you don't die from the wounds, you'd wish you had 'cause they just use you. They could turn you against your own family and you wouldn't even know. The bastards," he spit in distain. "Though I guess we shouldn't have been surprised knowing where the dark things climbed out of."

"What do you mean? Where did they come from?"

But Inuyasha just shook his head. "I don't think I'm supposed to tell you that."

Inuyasha paused and pulled Kagome out of the way of a group of soldiers marching towards some destination with determined steps. She used the time as they waited for them to pass to sort a few things through. By the time Inuyasha urged her forward again, she still had one more question to ask.

"What about Kikyo?"

Inuyasha looked away from her, and Kagome could tell what his answer was going to be even before he gave it. "She...didn't make it," he finally answered. "Now, no more questions. We got a war to fight."

With that, Inuyasha wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and pushed away from the ground to lift them to the top of the wall.

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

"Dear god," Kagome whispered in horror when she was finally granted the sight of what awaited them beyond the defensive wall.

There were hundreds of them, thousands, too many to count. They were men and youkai, large and small, powerful and not; but still all of them carried the same dark aura, the same blank stares, the same malice and hatred that drove them forwards. They crashed up against the towering walls without care, bodies being broken and trampled upon in the madness. Screams of horror and of madness rose up from out of the approaching army as they were methodically struck down by arrows and pulses of demonic powers from the high walls of the palace, but still that did not stop their approach. Even through the barrage of arrows, of fire and poison, lightning and wind, and bolts of pure energy and scatterings of sacred sutra's, still the masses advanced.

With her enhanced vision, Kagome could see the wrath-like creatures that had bound themselves to each of the beings marching against them. She could see the black bodies, the shadows, that had bonded with the flesh, even see the way they would pull away as their pawns fell to the ground as they left them behind to their deaths and set out again in search of a new victim, their dark bodies floating on the air like dark, angry clouds of destruction.

"WINDSCAR!"

Kagome heard Inuyasha's battle cry, and turned her attention to see the blazing path of fire that struck through the hoard. But still, even though his attack had brought down dozens of the advancing hoard, hundreds more still remained to take up the ranks of those fallen, to continue the advance, to maintain the siege against the defensive walls.

Kagome reached to her shoulder to draw her bow, silently congratulating herself on actually thinking to grab her supplies in the rush to leave the main house. However, she had only just managed to set an arrow and lift her bow to line up a shot when a strong pull of magic had her faltering her grip. She turned back to the main estate, her eyes searching, and her heart clenching in shock and disbelief.

"What is it?" She heard Inuyasha ask as he turned away from the battle to focus on her.

"The...Shikon..."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that thing," Inuyasha replied unconcernedly. "Sesshomaru must have gone to get it for you."

"For me? But...Huh?"

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha waved her off with his hand as he turned back to look out over the wall. "You'll know what to do when the time comes." His voice dropped into a whisper, that even straining, she could not hear over the cries of the battle all around her. "We all know what we need to do." And then he lifted his sword again and again cleared a burning path through the hoards below.

"Miko," Sesshomaru's voice had Kagome turning to him. She inhaled a sharp breath when she saw the soft, pink glow of the complete Shikon no Tama resting in his outstretched hand. "This is for you, the reason you have been brought to this time."

Kagome gulped nervously, but still she reached her hand forward to accept the jewel from Sesshomaru. Once it was safely in her possession, Sesshomaru turned his attention to Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha..."

"Yeah, yeah," the hanyou cut him off, "I know. Time for me to play fetch and go get Kagome from her time." He brought his sword down in one last powerful sweep, clearing away hundreds of the dark ones below before he finally turned to face Sesshomaru. His eyes locked with his brother's for a moment, a silent message being passed between them before he started speaking again. "You take care of things while I'm gone," he said with an arrogant tossing of his long hair over his shoulder. "If I get word that you let this place go to shit, then you be sure that I'll be coming back to make you pay for it."

"Your threats are hollow, little brother," Sesshomaru responded. "However, you know that this Sesshomaru will always take care of that which is his."

"Feh!" Inuyasha huffed. "Just like the last time?"

"Inuyasha." The warning was clear, but as usually Inuyasha just brushed it off.

"Whatever, don't get your panties in a twist." For a moment Inuyasha seemed to hesitate, but he quickly shrugged it off and continued. "When you see the old man again you be sure to give him my message, or does all that ice impair your memory?"

"This Sesshomaru remembers perfectly your message, and also the promise he has made to you, brother."

"Ah shit, so you remember that do you?" Inuyasha asked as he rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "And here I thought I had you doped up enough that you wouldn't remember all that. It's just a name, you know."

"No," Sesshomaru replied firmly, "It is not 'just a name'. And he shall wear it proudly, I will see to it, we both will."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably for a moment, uncertain how to respond to the knowledge that Sesshomaru would name his second son after him; but thankfully for him, he would be saved from having to give a reply.

"Ummm...guys?" Kagome's voice brought both of their attentions to her. "Anyone mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Ah, you know the Ice Prince," Inuyasha laughed nervously, "Can't even let anyone go on a simple mission without issuing all sorts of orders." He scoffed slightly. "Thinks he's king of the world or something." He turned around and crouched down to offer Kagome his back to climb onto. "Get on," he told her over his shoulder. "We got places to be."

Kagome shrugged and did as she was asked, climbing on to her familiar traveling arrangements easily. Inuyasha hiked her up and grabbed her legs firmly so that she wouldn't slip, then turned his attention one last time to Sesshomaru.

"I'll be seein' ya." He told him with a lopsided grin.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru replied slowly.

And with that, Inuyasha turned and broke into a run along the top of the wall. When he had gone as far as he was able, and was away from the main group of the attackers, he pushed off strongly and took himself and Kagome into the air and towards the tops of the nearby trees.

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

When Inuyasha finally set down again, they were in the clearing by the well. He let Kagome slip off of his back, but when he stood again he did so guardedly.

"Inuyasha," Kagome questioned in concern, "Is something the matter?"

"Just stay back a minute," the hanyou ordered, "Somethin' stinks."

Inuyasha walked slowly towards the well, his nose and ears twitching to pick up on any nearby threats and his hand resting tensely on the hilt of Tetsusaiga. But, after a moment of allowing his senses to sweep out over the area and finding nothing, Inuyasha shrugged and turned back casually to Kagome.

"I guess I'm just a bit on edge," he told her. "Let's get you..."

He was cut off by the sound of arrows slicing through the air. Without second thought, Inuyasha dashed forward and wrapped himself around Kagome as he threw them both to the ground. Kagome reacted instantly, connecting with the powers of her amulet and coaxing it into extending its shield around both her and the hanyou.

"Inuyasha," she said to him as she pushed softly against him to get his heavy frame off of her. "It's alright now. My barrier will protect us."

"Yeah," Inuyasha bit out through clenched teeth as he pulled back from her, "But I gotta get you to the well. Those bastards can't be gettin' their hands on the jewel."

"No, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried in desperation. "I'm not leaving you here alone! I can help!"

Her protests were cut off quickly when the hanyou finally managed to pull himself off of her. She gasped in horror when she saw six bloody arrows embedded deeply in his back.

"Inuyasha! You're hurt!"

"Feh," he brushed off her concern with a huff. "This ain't nothin'," he informed her stubbornly. "And I ain't gonna be the one that has to deal with Sesshomaru if he finds out that I let you fight instead of gettin' you through that well."

"You let me deal with that stubborn dog!" She fumed at him. Kagome was not stupid, and she could clearly see that those arrows had done Inuyasha some serious damage, and she could also see the dozens of dark shadows that were converging on them from out of the concealing shelter of the trees. "I'm not going to let you face all of those creatures alone!"

Inuyasha sighed heavily and looked away from the solid conviction burning in his friend's eyes. This was going to hurt her so much more than it did him. "I'm sorry, Kagome," he told her softly when he finally looked back to her, "But this is the way things have to be. I made a promise a long time ago, and the time has come for me to keep it."

"A promise?" Kagome asked in confusion. "What promise?" She gasped suddenly. "No...No! Inuyasha I won't let that happen!"

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered softly as he stepped forward and took her into his arms, "Listen to your heart, it will always take you down the right path. I could never have asked for a better sister, and I'd do it all again just for the chance to see you smile. Remember the good times. Remember."

- When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears.

When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears.

I held your hand through all of these years. -

"No, Inuyasha," she sobbed against him, clinging to him with all her might, trying desperately to hold onto him, to not let him walk this path that he had chosen for himself. "Please," she whispered desperately between broken sobs, "Please don't do this."

But his mind had been made up long ago. He had remained to see that the jewel would be returned into her hands. But now that his mission had been completed, there was only one thing left to do. Inuyasha pulled Kagome closer, taking a firm hold on her as he pulled her from the ground. In one solid jump, he had set them down beside the old well.

"Goodbye, Kagome," he whispered to her gently, ignoring the advancing of the dark figures all around him.

"No, please," she begged him, "Not like this. Don't leave me like this!"

"I've always loved you, Kagome," he told her gently, ignoring her protests. "Now, you be sure to take care of the brother of mine. He needs you more than you know."

And with that, he reached forward and pushed her backwards towards the well. Kagome reached out to him, desperately trying to catch him, to hold on a moment longer, to end this madness. But she couldn't. She was falling with no way to stop it. And the last thing she saw before the magic of the well brought her into its wild dance was the dark forms that had surrounded Inuyasha and the gleaming metal of the blades that they had driven into him the moment her barrier was no longer keeping him from harm.

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

Inuyasha hollered out his pain and fury at the beasts surrounding him. His arms shot out to his sides, tearing through the flesh of those closest to him with his claws and bringing them down. But there were dozens of them, and they had him surrounded.

Still, even though he knew that the blows he had suffered the moment Kagome had disappeared from his sights and the protective enchantment of her barrier receded would be fatal, he swore to himself that those monsters would never have him, would never bend him to their will, would never use him to strike out against those he loved.

Releasing a wild cry, Inuyasha lifted his father's fang above his head and brought it crashing down to the ground at his feet. Power exploded from the fang, ripping through everything that stood in the path of its fury, tearing the dark ones into pieces, condemning them to the fire of their eternal resting place.

But the blast had drained from him all of his strength. His legs gave out beneath him and he sunk back against the aged wood of the well. For a time, he struggled to draw air into his lungs, but soon even that effort would be in vain. With the last shred of strength left in his body, Inuyasha lifted his eyes to look up at the sky. He could see the first rays of the morn seeping through the darkness of the night, and a small, tired smile pulled onto his lips.

"Kikyo," he whispered softly to the heavens, "My love...for...eternity."

- You still have all of me. -

And his eyes drifted closed for the last time. He took in one last shaky breath, releasing it in a long sigh as he resigned himself to his fate. He was going home.

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

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" a deep voice questioned.

"It's the way things have to be." replied his female companion. "He made his promise, the jewel has been returned; and now we must honor him for the decision that he has made."

"That doesn't stop it from hurting though, does it?" he asked her.

"No," she sighed, "It doesn't"

The woman leaned onto the man's chest, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Together they stood looking into the clearing and watched as the fiery spirit of the hanyou they had both loved was carried to his rest. They shed their tears for the boy who had lived his life as a hero until his very last breath, tears of pride and of sorrow, tears of loss and of faith.

Tears of the immortals.

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

I'm melting! I'm melting! Good lord, it's a good thing I don't have an aversion to water, or I would be nothing but mushy soup right now thanks to all the tears I shed writing this chapter. Perhaps now it is more obvious why I kept blocking this chapter away. It's just so freaking sad! I did sort of cheat myself when writing it though. I had planned on elaborating on the battles more, but since I just wanted to get through to the end I cut them short. Ah well, I'm just glad it's over. The next chapter...well...maybe the one after that...whatever...the mood of this story will lighten again, I promise. But there really was a very good reason for why things had to go the way they have.

Anyways, I'm off for now.

Later

Shadow

Again, for anyone who didn't know, the song for this chapter is 'My Immortal' by Evanescence.