InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Aftermath ❯ One Last Cry ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Konnichiwa, everyone! This is IC with another heart-wrenching, tissue-grabbing, bittersweet songfic series! If I were you, I'd get a whole bunch of tissues out right now. Though this series isn't 100% guaranteed to make you cry, at least you'll be prepared if ever the need arise! ^.^
Kagome fans and sympathizers, be warned. Though I don't bash Kagome (I do not bash animé characters, although there are a few exceptions to that rule ...), the poor girl gets a lot of major heartbreak here. But since I'm a 1000% supporter of Inu/Kago, I guess you can all figure out who'll be getting together in the end ... Or will you?
*ducks onslaught of rotten vegetables, chopsticks, cutlery and other various dining items* Okay! I'll get on with the story! Just
don't forget to review, okay? Ja ne! ^_^

~ I. C. All

Disclaimer: *has her left hand on an Inuyasha manga and her right hand in the air* I solemnly swear that I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of its affiliated characters. I also do not own Brian McKnight's song, 'One Last Cry'. *drops serious façade and scowls at KC, who is grinning and holding a tape recorder in her hand* There, are ya happy now? Oh, yes. Quite ... Kukuku ...

Dedicated to: My poor friend who had her account frozen and is still trying to get it back. *huggles her and gives her some ramen and a nice box of Pocky*

Special Thanks to: Nina-Moon-Princess - Well, I don't like to disappoint my fans, so here you are! A brand new story! ^.^
Kaagome - Interesting pen name ... Anyway, yes, it's a bit angsty, but I adore happy endings, so there probably won't be too
many of those hanging around. Arigato! ^_^
New Moon Night - Hmm ... Should I continue, or should I not ...? *grins wickedly* Well, I've got a few stories and songfics to work on, plus the periodical exams - *glances nervously at the wobbling pile of books* - but if I do decide, you'll be one of the first to know! Thanks for reviewing! ^_^
Metropolis Dream - Hmm ... Sometimes I tend to get too excited, so, yeah. The translations are scattered throughout my fics, so sometimes that makes it a bit complicated. To fix this, I'll try to put the translations before the fic. Meanwhile, I strongly suggest that you read some of my other works for other translations. Sorry for the trouble, but thanks for being a good sport and reading it anyway! ^_^'
Cutie Blossom - Thanks for the review! Yes, I love fluffy stories. They're so fun to write! ^.^
inuyasha-girly-2007 - Love that quote too! Thanks for the comment! ^_^
youkai chick supreme - No, that wasn't too harsh. I encourage critiscm from all my reviewers. And I like making fluffy, pointless stories. Thanks for taking your time to read my stories. I like angst almost as much as I love fluff (as long as it's any of my favorite couples! ^_^).
Angelic Tears - Well, I am very flattered! And yes, that quote is one of my favorites as well. Thanks for the ego-boosters! Oh, and as for Kagome ever going to the dance ... Well, we'll just have to wait and see, now, won't we? *insert Naraku's creepy laugh here* ^.^

Kagome pushed through the foliage on her way to the Goshinboku Tree. The complete Shikon no Tama bounced against her collarbone, bounded once more by the thin string that hung around the girl's neck. Her eyes were bright, searching for her hanyou companion.

Kagome didn't notice the cold, pre-winter air blowing around her. All she was focused on was finding Inuyasha and hopefully, to talk to him about other things. Things like ... what she really felt for him? The girl smiled gently, her heart pounding strongly, though she didn't think it was from her running.

The raven-haired girl finally found the familiar clearing and caught a glimpse of Inuyasha's haori. Grinning, she prepared to walk into the space when she stopped, seeing another flash of red and white. Her heart almost stopped, a cold, unpleasant feeling running down her spine as she realized whom the other person was.

Kikyo.

Numbly, the girl moved closer, pushing some leaves out of her view to verify that it had been the undead miko that she had been seeing. Her heart clenched and a lump formed in her throat as she dully made out the priestess's serene features. Her world seemed to shatter around her and she fell to her knees, clenching the Shikon no Tama with a tight fist.

I saw you holding hands
Standing close to someone else

Kikyo and Inuyasha stood next to each other, hands interlocked as lovers' hands were. The miko was whispering something to the hanyou, while he smiled – genuinely smiled – and wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her close.

Kagome looked on at the happy couple, all the while feeling her heart pound painfully. She tried to swallow, but her muscles just weren't responding. Was this what heartbreak felt like? She had heard many girls talk about their unsuccessful relationships at school, but she had never known that it would be this agonizing.

She soon became aware of tears clouding her vision and she stood up quickly to wipe them away. Her hand still clenched the Shikon no Tama tightly as she took off, not wanting to be discovered by Inuyasha.

'He probably won't notice anyway,' she thought to herself sadly. 'He's too wrapped up with Kikyo to notice me.'

Now I sit all alone
Wishing all my feelings was gone

Kagome ran blindly, too occupied with her anguished thoughts and emotions. Before she knew it, she found herself at a very familiar river. Dropping down on the river's edge, her tears started to pour freely as she realized where she was.

It was the very same river that she had bathed in for the first time in the Sengoku Jidai. The first time she had worn miko robes. The first time that she had caught Inuyasha spying on her. Kagome cried even harder at the memory, burying her face into her hands as she sobbed her broken heart out.

She half-wished that she had never fallen into the well. That she had never stumbled upon Inuyasha. That she had never set him free. That she had never fallen in love with someone she knew would never be able to love her freely in return.

But the other half of her chided gently that if she had never fallen into the well, never stumbled onto the hanyou, never set the guy free, never fallen head over heels for him, then she wouldn't have experienced a love so strong for anyone. A love that made her willing to give up everything just to make him happy.

Kagome wept into the night, acknowledging the bitter truth.

I gave my best to you
Nothing for me to do
But have one last cry

She gave everything she could to him. She offered him a life, happiness and acceptance, though she knew that Kikyo's sacrifice would surpass her offerings any day.

But even with all that she had done, all that she had given him, all that she gave up for him, he still picked his first love over her. Kagome laughed hollowly. Who could blame him? Kikyo was the original. She was more beautiful, powerful, a greater archer, well respected, mature and all around better than plain, weak, amateur, foreign, naïve Kagome.

Now there was nothing left for her to do, except to give the Shikon no Tama to Kikyo, go back to her own time and resume living her normal, boring life like she used to.

One last cry
Before I leave it all behind

Kagome let herself weep. She had nothing else to do. Sango and Miroku wouldn't be looking for her anytime soon, Shippou and Kirara would be too busy helping Kaede, the other villagers were occupied with the preparations for the celebration of the defeat of Naraku, and Inuyasha certainly wouldn't be going after her.

At least, not while Kikyo was around.

She knew what she had to do. But she didn't have to do it right away. It would be better for her to cry out all her sorrows and rid herself of all her bad feelings now so that she would be able to get over him.

Although deep inside her heart, she knew she would never forget the hanyou that had stolen her heart.

I gotta put you out of my mind this time
Stop living a lie
I guess I'm down to my last cry

There were times that Kagome thought they actually had a chance to be together.

Like when he got worried over her catching a fever and wrapped her in his haori, even letting her lean on him through the night. And when he stayed with her when she was under Tsubaki's spell. Or when he pushed her out of the way and took that arrow from that dragon/thundercloud for her.

So, that wasn't actually dangerous at all, but it was the thought that counted.

But now she knew that she had to get her head out of the clouds. Her teenage fantasies would have to stop, for the last time. She had to face the harsh reality. It was all part of growing up. Getting over boys, making wise, mature decisions, the whole enchilada.

'But maybe I don't want to grow up,' Kagome thought absent-mindedly, looking up at the dark, night sky.

Cry ...

"Kagome-chan?"

Kagome started and turned to her best friend, who was looking over at her worriedly. She wiped her eyes hurriedly, trying to hide her puffy eyes and wet cheeks. "Sango-chan? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Kaede-baa-chan's hut? Miroku-sama will get worried," she admonished.

Sango frowned. "Miroku won't leave me alone. He's like a hawk – following me around all day, making sure that I don't 'do anything too stressful'," she said dryly, making exaggerated hand gestures to emphasize her point. Kagome smiled slightly. Sango had long given up on calling Miroku, 'Houshi-sama' and reverted to his actual name.

"You can't blame him, though. He loves you, and he's very worried about you, especially now that you're ..." Kagome trailed off, gesturing to Sango's abdomen. Her friend smiled wistfully and covered her stomach protectively. "I know. It's sweet, but it's still annoying," she sighed. Kagome actually giggled.

I was here
You were there
Guess we never could agree

Sango smiled over at her friend, but stopped when she noticed the tear tracks that had run down Kagome's face.

"Kagome-chan? Are you alright?" she asked concernedly. Kagome looked up at her questioningly. Sango reached out and wiped her still damp cheeks. Kagome bit her lip and grew silent, looking down at her lap.

"Kagome-chan, what happened?" she asked, shifting carefully to sit closer to the younger girl, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. "You can tell me. Did Inuyasha do something again?"

Kagome closed her eyes, remembering Inuyasha embracing Kikyo tightly, both of them smiling at each other contentedly. She opened her eyes once more and exhaled deeply. "No, Sango-chan. Inuyasha and I just had a little ... misunderstanding," she answered.

Sango nodded, although she still glanced at Kagome every now and then. Kagome inwardly sighed with relief, although she could feel a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was a common enough reason – she and Inuyasha would have been fighting and she would have gone and 'Osuwari'd him before stomping off in a huff.

Maybe that was another reason Inuyasha picked Kikyo over her. He and Kikyo would have never fought, and Kikyo would have never lost her temper and sat Inuyasha. Granted, she didn't have the same power over him, but even if she did, she wouldn't have done it.

Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms, trying to hide the fresh tears that coursed down her cheeks.

While the sun shines on you
I need some love to rain on me

Sango looked over at her friend and immediately reached for her upon seeing the girl shake uncontrollably.

"Oh, Kagome-chan ..." she whispered soothingly, wrapping her arms around the girl. Kagome cried harder and wrapped her own arms around Sango, taking in all the comfort she could get. Sango rocked her back and forth, stroking a hand over Kagome's raven tresses, hushing her and telling her everything was going to be okay.

Kagome knew that this would never be true. Everything wasn't going to be okay. She would never get her fairytale ending that she had always dreamed of, Inuyasha would go to Hell with Kikyo and she would be left standing alone, gaping after them like an idiot.

Of course, she probably was. Kagome knew very well that she should never have fallen for Inuyasha. For one thing, he was a hanyou, therefore crossing the species and age boundaries. Secondly, they lived in different times, so that was another big problem. And lastly, he was still hung up on Kikyo, so ...

Kagome sobbed into Sango's shoulder. Why wouldn't the gods let her have the one thing that she had always wanted? Why did they tempt her so that she actually thought she and Inuyasha had a chance, before snatching it away cruelly, leaving her in tears.

Even she needed love too ...

Still I sit all alone
Wishing all my feelings was gone
 
'Why are humans so weak? Why are we so susceptible to emotions? Why are our hearts so fragile that at the slightest change, they will break?'

These thoughts ran blindly through Kagome's head. She had stopped sobbing, but tears still fell from her eyes. Drearily, she wondered what would happen if she weren't so feeble – if she didn't show her emotions as freely as she always did. Maybe then she'd be more 'mature', and Inuyasha might start to like her ...

'No,' Kagome thought firmly, mentally shaking her head. 'I will never resort to being an emotionless shell to escape. I refuse to become like Kikyo. No matter what, I will never be like her!'

But then, what would she become?

Gotta get over you
Nothing left for me to do
But have one last cry

Kagome thought carefully, weighing her options thoroughly. But no matter what she did, there was only one way to make sure everyone was happy.

Or at least, almost everyone.

Kagome blinked back the tears that continued to flow. She had to stop being selfish - she had never belonged here anyway. She had another life to go back to, and she had had enough of messing about in the past. Kagome sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Sango regarded her friend worriedly. "Kagome-chan? Are you all right?" she asked concernedly. Kagome gave a little, shaky sigh and looked up at the older girl wearily.

"Sango-chan, I've made my decision."

One last cry
Before I leave it all behind

Sango gasped. "Ka-Kagome-chan? Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice going a pitch higher than normal.

Kagome looked down at her lap. Pale hands fiddled with her skirt as she nodded shakily. Sango stammered incoherently, eyes fixed disbelievingly on the girl. "B-But, Kagome-chan, you can't! You can't go! What about –" she stuttered before Kagome laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Sango-chan. You can't go into hysterics if you're in this condition," she told her gently, though her voice was tight. Sango shook her head, refusing to believe what Kagome was saying, but she did calm down slightly.

"Kagome-chan, why?" she asked weakly, tears starting to gather at the corner of her eyes. Sango just couldn't believe that Kagome would just decide to leave. She couldn't leave. She couldn't. Kagome had grown to be a vital part of her life, like the little sister she never had.

And now she was going to leave? Just like that? It wasn't logical. There had to be a reason behind this.

I gotta put you out of my mind
For the very last time
Been living a lie

Kagome started to cry, too. She knew she would miss Sango terribly, as well as everyone else. But she had to go. She didn't belong here. Everyone was going to forget her eventually anyway. She had no more purpose for being in the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome had fulfilled her duty as the 'Shikon shard detector'.

And now, she had to leave. She couldn't stay – the pain would intensify if she stayed any longer. Kagome forced her vocal chords to work. "Sango-chan, I have to. I don't have any more reasons to be here. I need to go back to my old life. I belong there," she said, though the words came out raspy and unconvincing.

Did she really want to go back?

I guess I'm down, I guess I'm down
I guess I'm down ...
I guess I'm down ...

Kagome gritted her teeth against the other voice in her head. Of course she did! Her heart had already been broken into a thousand fragments – she couldn't afford to let them be crushed too.

Sango sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I guess you're right, Kagome-chan. But still ... I'm going to miss you," she said dejectedly, almost sound like a little child. Kagome's heart melted and she dissolved once more into tears, hugging her friend tightly.

To my last cry ... 

"I'll miss you too, Sango-chan."
 

~ I. C. All

Quote of the Day:
Kagome: Hang in there, Miroku! Can you swallow this medicine?
Miroku (weakly): P-perhaps if they are transferred ... mouth-to-mouth ...
Kagome: Shippou, you take care of it!
Shippou: Yup! *puckers up* Kissy kissy Miroku!
Miroku: Uh ... Actually, I think I can do it myself ...