Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or characters. I do own the prophecy mentioned throughout the chapters.
"..." Anything bold is Inuyasha's demon voice.
Chapter 3: The beginning of the End
The next day, Inuyasha went missing. Izayoi came up to Kaede, hoping she would know where he had gone.
"Kaede? Have you seen Inuyasha?" Izayoi called to the old woman. Kaede glanced up from the herbs she was collecting.
"Inuyasha? No, child I have not." She stood straighter. "Ye haven't seen him?" She walked toward a now worried Izayoi.
"I haven't seen him since this morning. I'm getting worried." She wrung her hands in worry. She had searched everywhere for Inuyasha. He wasn't in the forest and he wasn't in the meadow. He wasn't even near the stream. She just prayed that he hadn't gone near the village. The sun was setting and he still wasn't anywhere.
"Don't worry, Izayoi. He must be near." Kaede reassured the young woman. She left to the forest to gather the rest of the herbs she needed. She came back when the sun had set.
"He's not back yet?" She asked Izayoi who had not moved from the spot Kaede had left her in. she shook her head. Kaede could only pat her arm as she entered her house.
She sat by the door of the house, waiting and praying.
"Oh, Kami. Please, protect my child!" She pleaded. By now it was dark and the stars had come out. They twinkled above Izayoi. Suddenly, she heard small child-like footsteps. She turned to the direction of the forest and saw Inuyasha.
"Mommy!" He cried, reaching for his mother. She grabbed him and lifted him in her arms, nuzzling his face.
"Inuyasha! Don't worry mommy like that, ok?" She exclaimed. Inuyasha just clung to his mother harder. He was sobbing. Izayoi started worry. What had made her child cry?
"Baby, what's wrong?" Izayoi's voice started to sound panicky.
"I-I went to the village mommy, and the mean man yelled at me." He cried harder. "Mommy, why was he so mean?" Izayoi patted her son's head. Even though the thought of someone seeing him sent panic down her spine, she didn't want to show it to Inuyasha.
"Don't worry, baby. Mommy will protect you." She entered the house. She was about to lay Inuyasha down, when she heard the shouts of men outside. She realized with terror why they were here.
They were going to kill them.
"Open up! We know you're in there! Just give us the hanyou and we'll leave you alone!" One of the men shouted. Izayoi peeked through the window. They had brought all the men form the village. They didn't stand a chance. She quickly woke up Kaede and explained the situation.
"What do ye propose to do, Izayoi?" Kaede asked. She didn't know if they could all hide.
"I'll stay here. You and Inuyasha have to go." Izayoi smiled sadly and closed her eyes. Kaede's eyes widened.
"No! Ye can't!" Izayoi stood and gave a crying Inuyasha to her. Kaede took Inuyasha gingerly in her arms.
"We don't have much time," She gave Kaede a sack of things that she had for such an emergency. Inuyasha reached for his mother.
"Mommy! Don't leave me!" Inuyasha cried. He didn't know what he would do without his mother. She touched his face gingerly.
"Inuyasha, I love you. Now listen to Kaede for me, okay baby?" She kissed him on the cheek and gazed into his blue red eyes. Even though he was still young, he knew what she meant. This was goodbye. He would never see her again.
"I love you mommy."
The banging on the door became more demanding. She had to get them out now. She hurried them to the back.
"Follow the river. I'm sure I saw an empty hut there somewhere." She pointed south, away from the village and rampaging men.
"Izayoi-"
"Kaede, thank you for everything you did for Inuyasha and me. I deeply appreciate it. All I ask of you now is to take Inuyasha into the woods and hide. Once they leave, run." With that, she disappeared back into the house.
Kaede hushed Inuyasha, who promptly ceased crying. She was careful to not trample any leaves to keep quiet. The made it to the forest without being seen, but they still had to wait. They watched from the shadows as Izayoi stepped outside. Inuyasha watched intently the image of his mother.
"I'm going to have ask you men to leave." Izayoi stood bravely in front of them. One of the men came closer.
"Get out the way! We let you live if you tell us where the old woman and the hanyou went." She stood as silent as a stone. "Not going to cooperate, eh?" The sound of a resounding slap sliced through the air. Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head. Izayoi fell back.
"I'm not going to tell you where they are! I don't care whether you kill me!" She defied the man, even haven been humbled by the slap. Suddenly, another man came out of the circle, a man that Izayoi recognized.
Her father.
She lay on the floor, struck dumb by the sudden appearance of her father. She was thrown back to the memory of telling him she was pregnant.
"What? How could you?" He yelled. Her mother only sobbed.
"But father! You have to help me!" she pleaded, "They want to kill me and my baby!"
Her father only stared at her coldly. "You're better off dead."
"So this is where you and your half-demon spawn have been hiding," He stared at her with the same cold eyes he had when she had left.
"Father!" she shouted, trying to catch his sympathy. He was the only one who could save them.
"Shut up. You are no daughter of mine," He took out his sword and held it above her.
She realized, with sudden horror, that he intended to kill her himself.
Inuyasha couldn't believe his eyes. The man who was going to kill his mother was her own father? His grandfather?
Izayoi's father lifted the sword. Izayoi gazed at him with an expression of hatred mixed with fear. He let the sword fall.
Izayoi's scream was loud enough to be heard in a half-mile radius. Inuyasha watched with horror on his face. The tears streamed down his cheek. Kaede couldn't watch anymore. She tried to pull Inuyasha, but he was glued to the edge of the forest. Hatred burned in his chest. He wanted to hurt the men who had killed his mother. He wanted them dead.
"Then why don't you kill them?"
Inuyasha turned, but didn't see anyone. He dismissed the voice as nothing. He was too transfixed by the scene in front of him.
"Take her body and throw it the river. She doesn't deserve a grave." Inuyasha wanted to leave. He couldn't bear to see or hear anymore. His mother was gone, but he would never forget her. Her love would be the lonely thing in his heart. Kaede took his hand.
"Come now, Inuyasha."
They left the part of the forest and ventured near the river, where Izayoi instructed them. Only Kami knew what would happen to them.
XXX
Kaede and Inuyasha stayed in the hut all night. Images of his now dead mother flashed through his mind. If only he had listened to her. If only he stayed home like she asked him to.
"If only…" he mumbled. His own grandfather killed his mother. He knew it was because of him. She was dead and there was no bringing her back. "I'm so sorry mommy." The rest of the night, he cried silently.
When morning came, he was alone. Panicking, he ran outside and found Kaede near the river. She was pulling out something. Inuyasha walked over, but stopped. It was his mother's body. He backed up slowly. He felt sick and in pain; an overwhelming feeling fell to the pit of his stomach.
"Go back inside Inuyasha." Kaede said without stopping from her task. "Ye should not see this."
Inuyasha was torn between what to do. He knew he should go over to see his mother one last time, but he did not want to see her torn up.
"Mommy," he mumbled. Sniffling, he walked over. His mother deserved a proper burial than floating down the river. "I'll help you Kaede. I'll dig a grave. Mommy needs to be buried near the river, she always at by it." Tears were now falling from his face, but he quickly wiped them away.
He ran off to find a proper location for her. Once he found it, he began digging using nothing but his little hands. He was angry all over again. The one woman that loved him with all her hurt was dead. Nothing was going to bring her back. His grandfather took her life.
"He needs to die."
It was that voice again. Inuyasha stopped and looked around. No one was there. He moved his ears around, trying to pick of sound, but heard nothing. He continued to dig.
The sun was slowly setting and Inuyasha was finally done. A rustle of leaves grabbed his attention. Climbing out of the whole, he saw Kaede approaching being pulled along and a bed of cloth.
"Are ye done Inuyasha?"
"Yes Kaede," he wiped the dirt from his brow and smiled a little. He helped Kaede place his mother in the grave. Picking flowers, he placed them over her folded hands and stepped away.
"Ye mother was a great woman. She cared for you deeply." Kaede placed a hand on his shoulder. "She loves you and will always watch over you."
Inuyasha pulled away and began filling the grave back with dirt. Kaede helped. They were down and headed back to their new home. Inuyasha looked back one last time. Things were going to change from then on.
And so began the dark voice of Inuyasha's soul emerging.