The Wolf's Den

She had come to him willingly. She had come to him in need. Her friends, her home, her future it was all lost. She had turned to him for comfort, but there was another. He, on the other hand, had left them all when he was needed most and in doing so broke her heart. She did not know why she stayed there. She knew only that she needed to protect the jewel until someone else could take it. Once the jewel was gone there was no reason for her to stay. She would join her friends in death's cold embrace. She never thought it would hurt nearly as much as the pain he caused her. The pain she felt every second he wasn't with her. And in death she would no longer feel this pain in her chest.

Kagome sat outside the wolf den. Her midnight black hair shifting in the light breeze. Her brown eyes no longer held the joy or love they used to have. Her smile would never be seen in this world again. She missed her friends dearly. Koga had wished her a good night before she had stepped outside a few moments ago. 'He has been so nice, but I can't stay. I feel a part of me die every day I'm not with my friends.' she thought gazing up at the stars over head. 'I hope you all are safe and happy together. I will join you soon enough.' she thought slowly letting the painful memories return in bits and pieces.

Flashback

She had sensed the demons coming. She knew she would be too late though.

She ran into the village. Sango was fighting her heart out. Miroku was fighting the demons without the wind tunnel which had been lost a month ago when they rid the world of Naraku. There were too many though. There must have been at least a thousand of them.

Shippo lay dead on the ground with blood spilling from his stomach. Kilala was next to him. She had tried to save him, but couldn't. One of her front paws were on Shippo's shoulder. There were several metal arrow like things with poison coming out of her now lifeless body. Kagome sat next to them crying her heart out. 'Where is he?' she thought grief-stricken. She saw in the distance Kikyo's soul collectors. 'He must be with Kikyo. InuYasha we need you now' she thought desperately.

Sango was on her knees. She had reached her limit. She couldn't fight anymore. He legs were broken. Her body was covered in her own blood and the blood of the demons she had slain. A blood red cat demon came forward. It flexed its claws letting Sango see them. She closed her eyes and let the demon kill her. Miroku was too late. He had tried to reach her in time, but he couldn't. He bent down and gazed at his love's dead body. He gently smoothed her hair back away from her face with tears in his eyes. After kissing her forehead and promising to join her soon enough he got up. The cat demon who had killed her smiled and licked her blood from its claws. Miroku quickly and heartlessly killed it. Its head now laid at his feet. Miroku walked back to his dead love. Then he laid down and took his own life. Leaving behind pain and loneliness. He was going to see Sango, Shippo, and Kilala again and that was all that mattered to him.

Kagome stood next to Keade and witnessed Miroku's sacrifice. Kagome sank to the ground. 'Sango…Miroku…Why did you have to leave?' she thought with tears streaming down her face. 'InuYasha why aren't you here? Why aren't you here to protect us?' she wondered. She was quickly brought back to reality by Keade's chanting words. She had put a barrier around them. All the demons were coming at them. The village had been desolated. Everyone was dead except for them. The blood thirsty demons were after the Shikon Jewel.

Keade was dead in the ruins of the village. Kagome was now running for her life. She was running for the well hoping that if she could get there then she could come back later once the demons were gone. She ran and ran. The demons could easily be heard behind her. Her legs felt like jelly though. She was out of breath. She wouldn't be able to go much farther. She came into the clearing and stopped dead in her tracks. The well was demolished. The wood at the top had been burned. There were a million pieces of debris and dead bodies that filled it. She was stuck in the Feudal Era.

She ran for her life. She ran through the woods hoping someone would save her. Hoping InuYasha would come and save her, but he didn't. Finally one demon cornered her. She tripped and fell backwards on her rear. She was crying out of fear, pain, and grief. The demon advanced on her with a cruel smile on its face. Then Koga came. He saved her not InuYasha. Not the man she loved and longed for.

Flashback

The painful memories slipped away leaving her in tears. "InuYasha why weren't you there? Why did you leave us all to die?" she asked out loud. 'Because he was with Kikyo. The only woman he has ever loved.' a part of her said. Kagome tried to calm herself and wipe away the tears before going into the den for the night, but Koga caught her.

"Kagome what's wrong?" he asked her kneeling in front of her. He gently wiped away her tears.

"It's just… the memories. It hurts… and I feel so alone." she said between sobs. He pulled her into a comforting embrace. 'I swear if InuYasha ever shows his face around here I will kill him.' Koga thought holding Kagome close.

"Let's go in Kagome" he said pulling her up gently.

"Thank you Koga" she said before entering her momentary home.

InuYasha had been searching for days now. He was having trouble finding her scent. He had spent a whole two days burying the dead. It had been especially hard to bury Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala, and old Keade. He never found Kagome's body though and hoped that she was alive and well. He would not rest till he found her though. He need to know that she was ok. He had looked by the well, but had a feeling it was already destroyed when she got there. He looked and looked. He didn't know how close he was though. He was in the mountains maybe a mile away from the wolf den.

He finally gave up for that night and rested for the first time since he started to look for her almost a week ago. 'Kagome where are you?' he thought. He remembered how he had entered the village and became enraged. His friends were dead and his only home was gone. He remembered looking among the ruins for his love, his Kagome. That night he had been with Kikyo, but now he didn't care if he never saw her again. The one person he cared about and truly cared for him too was gone. He had no idea where she was, but he knew she was close. He knew this because the closer he came to her the more he could smell grief and heart ache. It had to be Kagome. For his sake it had to be her.

Next Morning

Kagome awoke in Koga's protective arms. 'If only InuYasha was the one here with me. I miss him so much, but I don't think I can for give him this time' she thought as she carefully got up out of Koga's grip. She made her way across the den to the opening. The sun was just coming up. The sunrise was beautiful, but Kagome felt so cold. Not only on the outside, but her heart had turned to ice. Everything felt numb or unbearable. She held the jewel in her hands. 'I need to find someone to take care of this before I leave.' she thought depressed. Then she sensed a demon, no it wasn't a demon, it was a half demon.

InuYasha then came in sight. They both stood frozen where they were staring into each others eyes. Suddenly InuYasha was somehow right in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Kagome. I am so happy you are alright." he said then sighed.

"InuYasha." was all she could stand to say. It was too painful for him to hold her. She pushed him away from her. "InuYasha where were you?" she said with tears forming in her eyes.

"I…I was…" he couldn't bring himself to say it. He looked down at the ground in shame.

"That's what I thought." she said backing away from him. His head shot up terrified. "InuYasha I think you should go."

"But…Kagome why?" he asked stepping forward longing to hold her in his arms again. She moved away though backing up to the wall of the den. She was making it very clear to him she didn't want him to touch her.

"You left InuYasha. I was alone. Everyone died right in front of me. Miroku took his own life after Sango was killed." she said whimpering.

"Kagome I'm sorry." he said reaching to brush back a few strands of hair.

"Get away from her Mutt-face!" Koga shouted stepping in between them. InuYasha started growling and flexing his claws.

"Get out of my way Koga. I need to talk with Kagome." he said angrily. "I will not stand for you getting in the way now." he warned.

"I will kill you if you try to come near Kagome. Do you know what you put her through? Do you know that I found her crying her eyes out being attacked by a demon? She was exhausted tired and had lost everything. I will not let you cause her that kind of pain again." Koga said getting ready to fight.

"I would never intentionally hurt Kagome. I would rather die than put Kagome through the suffering she has felt the past week." he said passionately.

"I don't care you had been putting her through agony even before she came here. You would always choose another over her. You would always go off with that dead woman and leave her behind with a broken heart." Koga retorted.

"STOP!" Kagome said loudly grabbing the two demons attention. "InuYasha you know what just take this and leave." Kagome said walking up to InuYasha and putting the sacred jewel in his hand. "I'll even take this off" she added putting her arms around his neck then quickly take them away with the necklace that he had hated for so long. It hurt. It hurt InuYasha to be separate from her like that. "Now just leave InuYasha. Go to Kikyo." she told him scornfully.