Chapter 2

By the time the hanyou had returned to Kaede's hut with Kikyo in his arms, they were all assembled, save Shippo, who remained in the village, unaware. Slowly, InuYasha placed Kikyo's still form on the prepared futon, and turned to face Kaede, ears lowered in grief. "I'm sorry, Babaa, I wasn't there…I couldn't…." He stuttered to a halt, unable to give voice the dreadful story.

The elder miko studied both her sister's body and the hanyou before her. The monk and taijiya had said little, only that something had happened and that InuYasha would be coming to explain. Eyeing the arrow still protruding from her sister's shoulder, she directed her question at the hanyou.

"What has happened here? Who fired this arrow and overcame my sister?" Kaede's one good eye could clearly see the spiritual power still contained within the projectile, and this gave rise to more questions, and also some possible answers. She was leaning forward to study said arrow closer, and to examine her sister's remains, when the hanyou spoke again.

"SHE shot her." Venom laced his words, grief shadowed his voice. Lowering his head and burying his hands in his sleeves, he crouched against the wall, unable to face anyone in his pain. He swallowed thickly, gathering his thoughts and his anger. "Point blank, without provocation. The bow was still quivering when I got there. And Kikyo….Kikyo was unarmed."

Kaede's head slewed around. "Unarmed ye say? InuYasha, my sister is no fool. Great as her powers may be, she would never travel without a weapon."

InuYasha ground his teeth. "It's true! She was unarmed. There wasn't any kind of weapon near her. She was just standing there, and Kagome SHOT her!" The last came in a near growl, and all gathered knew the hanyou was gouging his claws into his arms in his grief. The sudden drip, drip of blood from his sleeves confirmed it.

Kaede immediately knew something was terribly wrong with this situation. Again she turned her attention to her sister, and the arrow. "I wonder…" She started to reach for it, but halted at the monk's voice.

"Lady Kaede, I think you agree that something is off here." Miroku couched his words carefully, unwilling to anger his hanyou friend further. "Kagome has never shown any aggression towards Kikyo-sama, either in word or deed."

"Yeah, well, she has now! Bitch finally showed her true colors. She's just as hateful and selfish as the rest of the world. I should have killed her when we first met!" InuYasha ground this out through his teeth, but his pain was clear to see.

Before more could be said, a flurry of red hair and blazing green eyes launched itself through the door. A single bound and it was upon the hanyou. "Baka! Kagome is not hateful! She would never do something like this without good reason!"

InuYasha wrenched the kit off him with a snarl, and in fear of his reaction, Sango did the only thing she could think of to halt the situation. "Osuwari!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. It was ineffective, of course, but got the desired reaction. InuYasha, fist still clenched about Shippo's tail, flinched enough for the kit to jerk free, leaving shallow scratches on the hanyou's fist. He scampered to the safety of the taijiya's lap, where he glared ferociously at InuYasha.

Kaede spoke up then, anxious to calm the tension, and get back to more important matters. "Indeed, InuYasha, the kit speaks truth. Moreover, I do not believe that my sister is dead." This was greeted with open mouthed shock all around.

"How do you mean, Lady Kaede?" Miroku asked.

"Look ye to the arrow, monk. Can ye sense the power still within? Very unusual, wouldn't you say?" The elder miko directed their attention to said arrow, her face grim.

Miroku frowned. He could see the power, but….wait! How was that possible if Kikyo was truly dead? The power would have dissipated, its job done. Unless….. "Do you think…?" His voice was hesitant, fearful of being wrong.

Kaede's voice was grim. "I do. Let us know for sure." And she reached for the arrow.

Higurashi Shrine, modern day era

"I killed her, mama!" the young girls wail broke her mother's heart. "I thought that she….and if I….but it didn't….and I killed her!"

Kagome's mom had never seen her daughter like this before. She had returned only shortly after leaving for the feudal era, sobbing and screaming a truly nightmare tale.

Kagome's mother frowned, even as she attempted to sooth. Things were seriously wrong right now, and she desperately racked her brain to find a solution, a way to help her child and the hanyou she so clearly loved.

First things first. She had to calm the girl, and get her in a more clearheaded state of mind. Then they could figure things out properly. But from the broken bits and pieces that Kagome had shared, things were grim, indeed. Fervently she prayed InuYasha would seek Kagome out sooner rather than later. Even an angry confrontation was better than none at all, because it offered a chance to tell the whole story, and hopefully set to rights the rift between them.

"Kagome, come. Let's get you a cool shower. That will help, and then we'll sit down and talk."

Kagome, wilted and overcome by shock and grief, offered no objections. "Yes, mama."

Mrs. Higurashi gave her daughter a soothing smile, and escorted her to said shower, seeing her settled in before returning to the kitchen to once again review the situation. For Mrs. Higurashi was certain, sooner or later, InuYasha would return, and she intended to do what she could to help sort this mess out.

After a bit, Kagome returned, silent and ghostlike, at the kitchen door. Her mom guided her to a seat and pressed a cup of tea into her hand, and then sat opposite her.

After a moment spent studying her daughter, she spoke. "Give him time, dear. He will come for you."

"I don't think so, mama. Not this time." Kagome answered, tears shadowing her words.

"Time, dear. Soon enough he'll want to know the whole story. Try to be patient." The older woman urged, smoothing her daughters still damp hair. "Now, how about you tell me again what happened, and let's see if we can't make some sense of this. That's the best course of action, I think. I'm certain he will come, so try to calm down. InuYasha will react better to that than anger and tears."

Sighing, Kagome nodded and began the tale again, eager to get this over with so she could hole up in her room, alone. Her mother rightly interpreted Kagome's thoughts, but had no intention of letting her daughter continue much more of her self-flagellation. Brooding would only make things worse, she knew. Kagome needed action, to keep her mind busy, so she could move past the terrible hurt and be ready to forgive, explain, and be forgiven.