Glimmer

The sun was setting and the sky was painted a dark red- almost the color of blood. Birds' calls flew through the twilight before dying out like the sun behind the mountains. Silence fell over the Sengoku Jidai and no one made a move to break the silence.

As the world painted itself a dark inky color and stars dotted the sky, a small campfire was lit and five figures gathered around it, eager for its warmth and the false security the light offered.

A young kitsune silently cried, mourning the loss that had befallen them only a few hours before. A monk stared solemnly into the fire's depths, the light casting shadows across his face and making him appear older than he truly was. A taijiya stood with her head bowed as her grasp on her trusted weapon turned her knuckles white. A small fire cat released a small, almost inaudible whine as she too stared in the depths of the fire.

The last figure stared at the fire's pits with disbelief written in their eyes. Dry lips parted to speak before falling shut again. No words could be spoken.

The solemn group stared as the flames licked the dark sky and swallowed up their companion… their friend.

The night before, the rag tag group had camped out in an abandoned inn. The sky was bright with the twinkling of the stars but lacked the round orb of the moon.

With the taijiya and the monk awaiting the dawn by sleeping and the kitsune snuggling against the fire cat, the miko and hanyou-turned-human were left to their own devices.

The hanyou, Inuyasha, spent his time against the wall of the inn, his sword at his shoulder and a dark, calculating look in his eyes. The miko, Kagome, sat beside him, offering him what little comfort he'd allow. They sat in silence for hours, it seemed.

"We're going to find Naraku soon," Kagome ventured, breaking the silence that had befallen them. Inuyasha nodded curtly and his hold on his Tessaiga tightened. "Are you scared?" she asked.

"Of course not, wench," he growled out, almost angry at the fact that Kagome would doubt his courage. "Naraku's as good as dead when I find him."

Kagome looked at him gravely, her blue eyes sad. "But…" Her protest died in her throat and she looked away. Inuyasha watched her gaze flicker to the opposite wall of the inn, watching their sleeping friends.

"But what, wench?" Inuyasha growled out.

Kagome shook her head. "It's just that… what if we don't…"

She bit her lip and looked nervous. The hanyou, genuinely curious now, inclined his head to look at her. "Survive?" he asked.

Kagome meekly shook her head. Inuyasha frowned.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped to her, violet eyes taking in the girl's fearful demeanor. "We're not going to die. The only one who's going to die is Naraku."

"Inuyasha… I…"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I promise not to die, Kagome."

They locked gazes, staring at each other for a long moment. Kagome's oceanic blue eyes searched his lavender orbs, her lips pursed and her eyes pleading. Finally, she seemed to find what she was looking for and pulled her knees to her chest.

She could feel the presence of the shikon shards. It was a prickling sense at the back of her mind. Naraku was close, but still too far away for them to attack. In Inuyasha's current state they wouldn't have dared go after the dark hanyou anyways. Despite that, Kagome couldn't help but feel a certain anxiety from it all. A dark, boding feeling was pitted in the bottom of her stomach and refused to leave.

The fight with Naraku would begin tomorrow. The whole group knew that. Kagome knew that she should sleep but she didn't want to leave the hanyou alone on this night. The eve before their greatest battle yet.

"Inuyasha…" She licked her lips and stared at the ground of the inn, grubby and dirty.

"What?" the hanyou asked, annoyed with her endless questions.

"What would you do if I did die?" Kagome questioned and looked at him seriously.

"What a stupid question!" The hanyou-turned-human growled out. "You're not going to die, Kagome!"

"But what if I do die…" she whispered out pathetically, "What would you do? Would you mourn my death? Would you avenge me? Forget about me?"

Inuyasha made a small noise in the back of his throat. He was obviously uncomfortable with the question and refused to answer. The young miko realized this. "Right… forget it," she murmured out.

They sat in silence again.

"What would you want me to do?" Inuyasha finally questioned, alarming the girl out of her thoughts. She looked at him with her deep blue gaze. "Would you want me to avenge you or to forget about you?"

Kagome smiled faintly. "I don't need vengeance, Inuyasha," she reassured her friend, the man she'd come to love. Inuyasha's lips pursed before he frowned. "Nor do I want you to forget about me."

She looked at him seriously. "And if I am to die, I do not want you to grieve because… I want you to be happy, Inuyasha. If I am to die, I'll want you to remember me… but remember all the good times we shared…"

Inuyasha frowned. "You're not going to die, Kagome."

Kagome smiled. "I know. Because you'll be here to protect me, Inuyasha. But… I am human. One day I will die… and you may or may not be alive or around to see. I don't know." Kagome shook her head and gave him a gentle, loving smile. "Inuyasha… I…"

Lavender eyes looked at her curiously, emotions swirling in their depths that the hanyou might have been able to hide but the human wore so openly. They looked at each other for a long moment before Kagome smiled and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the boy and hugging him tightly.

The hanyou-turned-human bowed his head and hesitantly wrapped his arms around her as well, his powerful arms shielding her from the world for that brief moment. Inuyasha was the first to pull away, the warmth surrounding the young miko leaving her just as quickly as it had been there.

Once apart, Kagome didn't pull her gaze away from Inuyasha. "I…" Her words caught on her lips and the hanyou shook his head.

Tears pooled in her eyes. "But I-" The human placed a hand over her mouth rather abruptly, causing a small squeak to ripple from her mouth. She looked at him sadly. Why wouldn't he let her say it?

"Tell me when it's over," he whispered, his eyes sad. "And I'll have an answer for you."

What did that mean? Kagome looked at him in confusion as he pulled his hand away and repositioned himself against the wall, Tessaiga at shoulder and eyes facing forward. He didn't spare her another glance. His cheeks were bright red and he had a dazed expression, but he didn't say another word.

'An answer?' Kagome thought sadly. 'He can't tell me now?'

After many minutes of sleep she realized what the hanyou was waiting to do. He sat stalk still but didn't protest when Kagome's head placed itself on his shoulder and she sat there.

'He wants to be a hanyou when I say it… so many years of ridicule and now he has someone who loves him. He wants the hanyou to be loved as well as the human. Not just the human.' She understood and she promised herself that the minute that Naraku died she'd tell him.

When the sun had risen, the hanyou had snuck away from the inn. His companions were sleeping, exhausted still from their countless days of travel.

The hanyou moved diligently, moving faster than he would have had he been traveling with the humans. He felt only the slightest bit of guilt for leaving without telling them. But this was not something he wanted to involve them in. 'They're not going to die. Not on my watch.'

He moved effortlessly through the tress, feeling Naraku's aura grow nearer and nearer. He'd said goodbye to all of them, he'd promised to return and he'd made sure they were safe. Granted, they'd all been asleep, but had they been awake they wouldn't have let him go.

His memories drifted back to Kagome, sleeping soundly against him when the sun had risen. He himself had never slept. He never slept on his moonless night. As he moved closer and closer to Naraku he recalled her delicate face. Kagome brought him peace.

'I love you, too, Kagome.'

Kagome awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. Her first realization was that it was day. Her second was that she could not feel Inuyasha's aura anywhere. Her eye's widened.

"No!" she gasped out and shot upwards, running to Sango and Miroku. After she'd awakened them she felt tears in her eyes. "He's gone! He's left!"

Before anyone could process this information she was out the door, rushing towards where she could feel Naraku's presence. She knew where the hanyou had gone. She didn't get too far. Sango scooped her up and placed her on Kirara. They bolted into the sky and towards where the hanyou had disappeared to.

He'd done it. He'd wounded Naraku. One more hit and the man would die. He knew it. Inuyasha, bloody and weak, flung his sword back and attempted to hit the dark hanyou. Naraku was one step ahead of him, however, because he sent a wave of energy towards him.

Kagome and the others arrived in time for Inuyasha to attempt to block the attack with his sword's attack but was foolishly whipped aside. His weak body could not stand up against the dark hanyou's power.

Miroku and Sango sprung into action, fighting and battling against Naraku before he could escape. Kagome jumped off Kirara and rushed to Inuyasha's side.

His eyes stared up at her, regret in his eyes. "Kagome…" he murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"You idiot!" Kagome cried, tears in her eyes. "Why the hell did you leave without us? You can't defeat Naraku on your own!"

He chuckled dryly. "Keh. Don't be stupid, I couldn't risk you dying."

Kagome cried out in frustration. "Inuyasha, you idiot! I won't die as long as I'm here with you!" She sobbed and hugged Inuyasha's broken body close to her.

"Inuyasha, no!" Kagome sobbed. They both knew that the hanyou had lost too much blood. But, he couldn't die!

He looked at her sadly, his golden eyes slowly growing dull. He gasped for air, his hands coming up and cupping her cheeks. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He struggled to speak. He struggled to breath. He struggled to keep his eyes opened.

The golden eyes, once alit and glimmering with life and passion slowly lost their luster. Slowly the golden eyes grew dull, losing the life that once glimmered so brightly within them.

"I love you!" Kagome whispered pathetically. "Please! Don't die! You promised not to die!"

His lips moved again, but still not sound. His hand slipped from her cheek and thudded to the ground dully. He stared up at her and his eyelids began to conceal the golden depths.

'I promise not to die, Kagome.' The words echoed in his head as his life force slipped away from him. He stared up at Kagome as she sobbed and screamed at him to stay awake, not to die.

He quivered and felt his last breath of life escape him.

'I promise not to die.'

Author's notes: Angst goodness based off a poem I wrote… I misplaced that poem, though, and have no clue what happened to it. Ah well.

Beta's notes::squees and basks in the angst: