It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. Nothing else mattered today. Nothing ever would. She was gone, something that I knew he could never accept. Maybe even, something I could never accept. For the most part, she'd always been there. At one point, as just a memory. At others, she was there in every sense of the word, mind, body, and spirit. She was the one he loved.

I had the sinking feeling that would never change. So I asked myself, as I walked beside him to her grave, why was I still here? Simple. I love him. I will always love him. That, along with her memory, can never be forgotten. And so I walk with him, to the grave of the woman he loved so dear. She had been strong, fighting until the very end, to protect us, all of us. But this was her time. Hopefully she would rest peacefully.

"Inuyasha?" I murmured. His ears perked up for a moment, but quickly wilted as he watched the unmoving earth beneath him. "Are you gonna be okay?" I asked him. He nodded slowly, as if trying to think about how to react and not simply reacting as he usually would. But who was he kidding really? He would never be okay. Not ever. And I, more than anyone, knew that to be a fact. I grabbed his hand and squeezed, he squeezed back and then turned away from her fresh burial.

"Let's go home," he said. His voice was quiet. Something none of us were used to. He looked sad, but it was more than that. It looked as though he was missing a part of himself, like his soul had been torn from his body. Like… like he wasn't Inuyasha anymore. And that killed a part of me inside. But still, I stood beside him. I nodded and gave him a small smile, then embraced him. He didn't return it, like I expected.

"It'll be okay, Inuyasha," I whispered. He mumbled something incoherent, and I wanted to cry. He was so unlike himself now, so much so that I didn't know if I could do this anymore. But I had to, for him. I had to be there to help him through this. If I wasn't, who else would be?

We walked back to the village like that, hand in hand. It was an odd sight for most I'm sure. But Inuyasha needed someone to be there, and I had volunteered. I always, volunteered. Because I love him. I will always love him.