It was a testament to the monk's sorrow that he was sober.

Kagome had been her normal, prattling self earlier in the day. But upon arriving at the temple and seeing Mushin, the grief rose again, and she crumpled into the monk's waiting arms.

It was a small mercy that news had already reached him, sparing her from reliving the details once again.

Mushin nodded, acknowledging the only surviving youkai as he held the crying girl. "What can I help with?"

Sesshoumaru discreetly sniffed the air, noting the lack of supplies. "I will hunt. When I return, we need information."