InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The New Student and Kagome's Secret ❯ Chapter 11: Kagome's Fate ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11

Sango sighed as she walked down the hallway to the first bedroom…where Kagome lay. `How can he be so stubborn?' she thought to herself. Sango heaved another heavy sigh. `I just feel so useless…like I am of no help to any one. I don't want to be in the way…but I want to help.' She stopped in front of Kagome's bedroom and took a deep breath. Warily, she opened the bedroom door to a mere crack. She saw Miroku sitting on a rather large pillow with his hands folded in front of his chest, the forefingers pointed and touching at the tips in an upside-down v. She looked then from him to where Kagome lay silently on the bed still not moving. She was in the same position as she had left her. Sango clutched her chest with her right hand as her eyes began to tremble with tears at the sight of her unconscious companion. Her eyes jolted open, however, when she heard a faint incantation escaping Miroku's lips. `Will that help heal her?' she thought. Sango's eyes ventured to the nightstand, where she saw three empty medicine cups. `He must have already given her the medicine,' Sango thought, but then suddenly gasped. `And she hasn't improved yet?! How long has it been since he gave her the medicine?!' She couldn't take it any more. She eased the door shut and decided to try to take her mind off of Kagome by checking up on Kilala. She walked away from the bedroom and into the kitchen to find Kilala on her soft mat where she had left her.

"How are ya' feeling Kilala?" Sango said bending down to examine her. Kilala replied with a "meow" and sat up. `She's doing a lot better!' Sango thought. `Well, that's some good news! Must be her demon blood helping her to heal so quickly…' Sango's thoughts trailed off as she realized what she had just said. `Demon blood?' Sango thought. `What happened out there?' Sango's mind raced through the previous battles and how she witnessed some demons dying, some transforming, and some, Kilala, for example, seeming to be unaffected. `How can this be? Why was each demon affected differently? Why were they not all killed or turned to human or in Kilala's case, a normal, domesticated cat?' Sango pet her demon cat on the head. She returned her hand to her knees.

"Still a demon, Kilala?" she asked her. Kilala responded with another "meow" and tilted her head to the side in a confused expression that animals sometimes give. She decided that she would go check on Miroku and Kagome again since Kilala seemed to be recovering at top speed. She walked back to the bedroom and cracked the door one more time before entering. Miroku was in his same position, but the incantation seemed to have stopped so she went walked in. Miroku turned towards her when he heard her come in.

"Hey," he said. "How's Inuyasha?" Sango dropped her head.

"I'm not really sure," she began. "He's conscious, that's for sure. That's why I'm here. He wants us to focus our attention on Kagome and leave him alone. When he came to and realized I was bandaging him, he demanded that I go to Kagome and leave him alone." Miroku smiled.

"He's being stubborn! Good! That's means that he's probably going to be okay," he said with a laugh. Sango shook her head.

"I don't know, Miroku…he didn't look so good," she said sitting down next to him. Miroku nodded his head.

"I'll go give him some medicine," he said starting to get up. Sango's words stopped him.

"Miroku, is Kagome going to be okay?" Sango asked staring at the floor, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. Miroku relaxed a little and turned his attention to Sango.

"Hey…" he began, but was cut short.

"Just tell me!" she said balling her fists at her side. Miroku was startled by her sudden outburst. Sango was trembling all over awaiting his answer. He couldn't bear to see her like this. He felt the same way, but he had to keep it together for Kagome's sake.

"The truth?" he asked. She nodded her head. "The truth is Sango that I have no clue at this point. I gave her the medicine and did everything that a priest can do spiritually to save her. All we can do now is sit and wait." Sango didn't like that answer, but she liked it a whole lot more than knowing that her friend was gone. Miroku patted her on the back.

"I think I will go check on Inuyasha now," he said standing up. "Even as a half-demon, he too won't survive without some type of medicine." He turned to walk out the room. He stopped when he got to the door and turned back towards Sango. "Just pray, Sango. I know you may feel helpless right now, but prayers are a lot more powerful than you think." With that he walked out the door and into the kitchen. Sango did the only thing she could do…she began to pray.

In the kitchen, Miroku gathered up some medicines that he thought would cure Inuyasha. He left the kitchen and traveled down the hallway. He smiled to himself when he glanced in Kagome's room and saw Sango praying. `That girl is going to worry herself to death over Kagome…but I really can't deny that I am worried about her too,' he thought. When he arrived at Inuyasha's door, the door was already cracked so he decided he would glance inside before entering. Inuyasha lay in bed with pillows propping himself in a slightly diagonal position. His claws were digging into the comforter and Miroku could tell that he was in pain. `Good thing I brought pain-killer,' he thought. `Well, here goes nothing!' Miroku pushed the door open to greet a glaring hanyou.

"What are you doing here?! Why aren't you with Kagome?!" he snapped. Miroku ignored his inquiries and proceeded towards the bed.

"I have medicine for you, Inuyasha. You need to get well, too, you know," Miroku said setting the medicines down on the nightstand. Inuyasha glared at him.

"I said why aren't you with Kagome?" he asked heatedly again.

"Ah, yes!" Miroku began. "Because I have already said that you needed to get well as well." Inuyasha didn't like his answer and threw a pillow at him. Miroku quickly dodged it and gave him a questioning look.

"Inuyasha?!" he exclaimed.

"I told Sango to stay with her and I meant the same for you!" Inuyasha snapped again throwing another pillow at him.

"Now just hear me out!" Miroku said holding up his hands in protest as he dodged the pillow. Inuyasha continued to glare at him as he waited for his explanation. "Listen, Inuyasha." Miroku calmed down and sighed. "I can do nothing else for her." Inuyasha's face softened and grew pale.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Inuyasha's countenance now held mixed emotions full of concern and fear.

"I mean I have given her medicine, said incantations, prayed…all you and I both can do now is wait," he said calmly. He walked back towards the bed closing the gap between he and Inuyasha that had been caused by Inuyasha's pillow-throwing tantrum. Inuyasha looked straight ahead. He didn't even look up at Miroku when he stood inches from him.

"Miroku," Inuyasha began softly and somewhat sadly still keeping his gaze fixed on the wall in front of him. "Tell me the truth. How is Kagome? Is she going to be alright?" Miroku sighed, but Inuyasha cut him off before he could say anything. "Just give it to me straight!" he said gripping the bedspread in frustration. Miroku felt sorry for his friend, yet helpless at the same time. He wanted to ease the pain of everyone in the house, but he knew that the suffering would only cease when everyone knew Kagome's fate. Miroku placed a sympathetic hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I can't tell you, Inuyasha…and I promise that that is as straight as I can give it to you. Kagome could go either way at this point. All we can do is wait and see what happens," he said soothingly.

"I should have told her sooner!" Inuyasha blurted out in frustration. Miroku gave him a confused look. "I should have told her how I felt sooner." Inuyasha's eyes became teary. He wasn't sure how to act in front of Miroku, but the words came from his mouth before he had had time to think about them. Miroku was blown away. He had never seen Inuyasha act in such a way. Inuyasha had always been the tough guy…never admitting his feelings about anything even when they were blatantly obvious. Miroku wasn't sure how to react. He didn't know what to say.

Finally, he said, "She knew." Inuyasha finally made eye contact with Miroku. Miroku smiled and prayed that Inuyasha wouldn't pummel him for speaking. Instead, Inuyasha did something that took Miroku by surprise. He grabbed the hand that was resting on his shoulder and pulled Miroku down into a tight, but short, manly hug. Miroku was shocked but responded by hugging Inuyasha back. The hug was brief.

"Thanks, man!" Inuyasha said releasing Miroku from his grasp.

"For what?" Miroku asked still a little confused about the hug.

"For taking care of Kagome…and…for being a friend to me," he said staring at the wall in front of him again. Inuyasha still couldn't express himself and look someone in the eye.

Miroku smiled. "You've been a great friend to us, too, Inuyasha. And besides…Kagome means a lot to Sango and me. She's been our friend since we were young…" Miroku trailed off. Inuyasha looked at him out the corner of his eye and realized that there were a few tears forming in Miroku's eyes. Inuyasha began to worry. Was Miroku telling him the truth about Kagome's condition?

Back in the other room, Sango still sat on the floor, praying over and over again. She finally stopped praying and stood up to look at her sleeping friend. `Hang on, Kagome!' she said to herself. `Hang in there for us okay!' Tears began to flow down Sango's cheeks. She lifted her friend's hand to her face. Kagome's hands were so cold. Sango touched Kagome's wrist looking for a pulse. A pulse was there, but it was so slow and faint that Sango could barely even tell she had one. She decided to take her temperature. She reached for the thermometer on the nightstand and gently placed it under Kagome's tongue. After about a minute, Sango took out the thermometer. She looked at it and read…88 degrees. "No!!!" Sango said out loud. She couldn't take it anymore. She dropped to her knees and began to cry uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Miroku had finally calmed down. He talked to Inuyasha a little more and had actually been able to talk the hanyou into taking the medicine. Inuyasha's ears perked up however when he heard Sango shout and begin crying in the other room. Inuyasha sat straight up. Miroku just stared at him. His ears weren't sensitive enough to hear Sango.

"Miroku!!! Kagome!!! Go check on her now!!!" Inuyasha shouted pushing Miroku away from the bed.

"Wh-What is it?" Miroku asked, but soon faintly heard Sango crying. Miroku raced out the room leaving a helpless hanyou behind. Inuyasha's breathing was uneven and he began to panic inside as he worried about what was going on in the other room. The medicine had already starting to heal Inuyasha. He was now healing at an amazing pace. He tried to get up out of the bed to chase after Miroku, but couldn't move.

"Hang on, Kagome!" he said. "I'll be with you soon!"

Miroku burst through Kagome's bedroom door startling Sango.

"What is it?" Miroku asked. Sango looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes.

"Her-Her heartbeat is barely there!" she managed to get out through sniffs and tears. "An-And her temperature…" She began crying again.

"What?!!!" Miroku demanded.

"It's 88 degrees!!!" she said. Miroku gasped. He walked over to Kagome and placed a hand on her head. Her head felt cold and Sango was right about the pulse too. He backed away from Kagome slowly. Shock and utter grief began to overwhelm Miroku. Although she wasn't dead yet, he knew that there was no way Kagome was going to make it, now. He and Sango both knew that.

Miroku bent down and wrapped his arms around a still crying Sango. Sango nuzzled her face into his chest as she cried. Tears had begun to fall down Miroku's face as well.

Suddenly, the door burst open revealing a kneeling hanyou using tetsaiga as a crutch. He had crawled and pulled himself there with tetsaiga. He looked up at Miroku and Sango who were staring at him as if they didn't want to tell him the truth now that they knew it.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku began through tears. "What are you doing here?!" Inuyasha sneered at him.

"You tell me why you're crying, monk, and I'll tell you why I am here!" he said trying to pull himself closer to Kagome's bed. On the second attempt to move, the tetsaiga managed to get hung in the carpet sending Inuyasha to the ground with a thud.

"Inuyasha!" Sango and Miroku exclaimed crawling to his side. Inuyasha batted them away with his hand.

"Leave me alone!" he said sitting up.

"Inuyasha, you really should go back to your room. Kagome is going to be…" Miroku began but was cut off by Inuyasha.

"SAVE IT!!! I heard everything in the other room!" he shouted. Miroku had forgotten how sensitive Inuyasha's ears were. He knew. Sango and Miroku both knew he knew. They backed away from Inuyasha and allowed him to drag himself to Kagome's bedside. When he finally reached her, he did nothing but stare at her for a few moments. He couldn't believe what was happening. The scent of death hung over her like a blanket waiting for Kagome to take her last breath so that she could then be wrapped in its blanket of death. Inuyasha began to cry. He touched her hand. It was so cold. He brought her hand to his face and gently kissed it. Her hand was even colder than he had thought. He examined her hand. Her fingers had already begun to turn blue and her hands had grown so pale. He glanced up to her face. Her lips, normally a blush pink, were now a dull flesh color. Her rosy cheeks had left her and her eyelids were brushed with a faint blue. Tears flowed freely down Inuyasha's cheeks, though his expression never told that he was crying. He was in physical pain, but the only pain he felt now was in his heart and it hurt worse than any physical pain he had ever endured.

Sango and Miroku watched as their two friends said goodbye though no words were ever spoken. Sango clutched onto Miroku's robe and Miroku tightened his grip around Sango.

Inuyasha gently placed her hand back down on the bed. He then lifted himself from the floor with tetsaiga and sat on the bed beside Kagome. He placed his hands on either side of her to hold himself up while still being able to look at her. Tears dropped onto Kagome's chest one by one. Inuyasha dropped his head so that his hair covered his face and he began to cry uncontrollably. Even though Sango and Miroku couldn't see his face, they could hear his desperate sobs. His sobs made Sango and Miroku cry a little harder, but nothing could have prepared them for what happened next. Inuyasha flung himself onto Kagome's chest. He wrapped his arms around her lifeless body and shed his irrepressible tears into her chest. It was then that Sango and Miroku lost it. They, too, began to cry hysterically. They could also hear the faint words Inuyasha was saying to Kagome.

"Don't leave me," he cried into her chest. "Come back. Please be okay. Don't leave me, Kagome." He cried a little more before continuing. "Why do you have to be so damn unselfish?! Why did this burden have to be placed on you? So pure…so innocent…tell me why! Kagome, tell me anything. Just tell me something. Tell me you hate me as long as you talk to me." His voice and sobs began to grow louder as he continued. "Kagome, please! Please don't leave me! PLEASE, KAGOME!!!!!!" He was crying hysterically now. He squeezed her tight. He couldn't allow her to leave. Inuyasha had always thought that he needed to be full demon so he could be more powerful and defeat his enemies more easily, but now he understood. He sat up slightly and looked towards the sky. "Take me instead! Take my life! Take my demon powers! Take anything you want from me as long as Kagome can live!!!" he shouted towards the heavens. Sango and Miroku were blown away by Inuyasha's sudden outburst. He sat there hovering over her shaking with anger. He looked back down at her. There was blood on her clothes and Inuyasha wasn't sure if it was his blood or hers. He didn't care either. He just wanted his Kagome to be okay. He finally stopped shaking and looked at Kagome. Sango and Miroku watched as Inuyasha seemed unaware that his tears now flowed like rivers. He looked at Kagome lovingly and then leaned down to her. He kissed her cold forehead and then placed his forehead on hers. He gently ran his claws through her hair as he placed gentle kisses on her nose then her cheeks. He sat up looking away from Kagome and towards Sango and Miroku. Sango and Miroku waited somewhat fearfully for Inuyasha to say something. He said nothing. Sango and Miroku stood up and made their way over to him cautiously. Sango placed a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. She waited a couple of seconds for him to yell at her or protest, but nothing came. She then proceeded to hug him. He did nothing.

"I'm sorry, Sango," Inuyasha said softly. Sango looked up and gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. Kagome wouldn't have wanted me to do that." Sango smiled and hugged him again. This time Inuyasha returned the hug. "I'm even sorrier that I couldn't protect Kagome for you." Sango began to protest, but a look from Miroku told her to keep quiet and let him talk. "I should have saved her. It should have been me with Kagome's fate." He shook his head. "I just don't understand. Why her?"

"It was Kagome's fate, Inuyasha," she said still crying. "It's not anyone's fault. You did what you could." Inuyasha sat there still hugging Sango for comfort. Inuyasha then suddenly released Sango almost pushing her away.

"We're not giving up! Do whatever you can to help her! I know nothing about healing…" he said looking at Kagome. "But I am not giving up on her!!!"

"And you shouldn't," a voice calmly said through the door. Everyone looked up surprised to see who was standing there….