Konnichiwa, minna! I know, I know, it's been a while. I was away for the whole of July, and that's my excuse. I think it's fair enough. Anyway, I have the next fw chapters planned out, and they will be longer, no worries. I figured rather than think of random things to fill up pages and take another month, I would update now with what I have.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. It's late, it's boring, too bad. -winks-

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Shippou had fallen asleep in Sango's arms, who was sitting quietly in a corner. She had passed the stage of hysterics, and her moment of oblivious depression was long over. Now, she was just sitting. The reality of Kaede's death was finally starting to truly sink in, and she was only now beginning to accept it. It really just made her feel sad. It was strange. She never realized how much a part of her life Kaede had been. And now that she'd realized, she expected to be sadder. Again, it was strange. Sango sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

Miroku looked up at the sound. He was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the room, looking equally melancholy and puzzled. "Sango?" he questioned.

"Just thinking," she replied softly.

"About what?"

Sango hesitated before deciding to answer him truthfully. "Well," she began, "I never realized how much Kaede meant to me. All I can think about it how different things are without her around. But, if she actually meant so much to me, why don't I feel sadder? I mean, I'm sad, but it's more like…" She paused to think of the words to describe her feeling, but Miroku filled the space in for her.

"You've watched someone leave for another village forever and there was nothing you could do about, so you watch them in sad silence, and accept that they'll be too far to visit anymore."

Sango watched him for a moment before answering in slight wonderment, "That's just it."

Miroku let a small smile loose. "I know just how you feel. I feel the same way. I never even had that much to do with her, but her presence was just so…"

"Normal," Sango finished. She smiled back.

Miroku nodded. "Yes, normal."

Sango looked away, her smile vanishing. "All the same, she was a friend, and her…loss…is hard to bear." She looked back again as she heard the rustling of Miroku's robes.

The monk stood up and wordlessly walked over to Sango. He sat down next to her and drew his knees up, while draping a friendly arm around her waist. "We're all going through the same thing, and we're all here for each other. Nobody is alone." He didn't look at her as he said this, but when he finished, he flashed a wide comforting smile.

Sango stiffened at his initial touch, but relaxed as she decided his hand was in a safe position. As he began to speak, her attention snapped to him, and her eyes grew happily. This was the Miroku she stood by. This was the Miroku that kept her loyally watching over him. This was the Miroku that…that… Sango couldn't bring herself to think of it. What nonsense am I thinking? She leaned into his touch and summoned up a smile in return. Her eyes began to close and, without her notice, she began to fall into slumber like the kitsune in her arms, leaning her head comfortably onto her monk's shoulder.

Miroku's eyes softened as he looked upon the girl sleeping beside him.

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The next two days passed by much the same way. The group stuck together quietly in Kaede's hut, each thinking his or her own thoughts of the past events, engaging in mild conversation only at mealtimes when Kagome would whip up something simple before retreating back into silence.

Finally, Sango spoke up during the third day, startling the rest of the inu-gumi to attention. "Listen. What are we doing? We're all just sitting around. It's such a waste. We're not getting anything done, and, even if you don't want to admit it, sitting around like this only akes the situation seem even worse. Would Kaede want us to waste our lives moping around? No! I say continue our shard hunting. It will keep our mind off her…" Sango resisted the urge to gulp down the word, "…death."

Miroku, in an attempt to stir support among his friends, repeated Sango's logic. "Sango's right. All of you know that. We need to go and get our mind off all of this. Kaede would prefer us to continue on with our lives and remember her fondly."

Inuyasha nodded, "They're right. Let's go."

Kagome nodded as well, though much more reluctantly. "I suppose you're right. She wouldn't want this." Pasting a strong look on her face, she followed as Sango stood up and stepped outside into the sunshine. It was bright, but it only took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to it. The warm light felt good on their shade-cooled skin.

Sango turned to the group. She looked slightly uncomfortable. "So…where do you wanna go?" She greeted the silence with a sheepish smile.

Inuyasha grunted, "West."

"West?" Kagome repeated.

"I just have a feeling we might find something there. We might as well try it, right?"

Sango nodded, "He's right. What have we got to lose from looking? Let's leave now, otherwise, we may never go."

Miroku agreed, "She's right. Come on."

"Kirara," Sango commanded. The neko youkai transformed into her larger, more menacing form and purred gently. Sango and Miroku got on, while Kagome held onto Inuyasha. Shippou hopped into Sango's arms and they were off.

The inu-gumi encountered nothingbut peaceful farmland for the rest of the day. They took it as both a blessing and a disappointment. Inuyasha suggested camping out at the edge of a small forest overlooking a tiny village. They bought a small amount of food to last them for that evening and the next morning and, after dinner, went to sleep.

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Naraku leaned his head against the wall, much as Sango had done not long before. He had one knee bent and drawn up against his chest, while the other lay flat out on the cold wooden floor. The hanyou stared out the window, lost in thought. His plan was beginning to take form.

(flashback)

"Why do you want to hurt Kagome like this? Isn't Inuyasha the threat here?"

Naraku sighed and chuckled slightly. "Kagura, Kagura." His eyes suddenly flashed dangerously, "You shouldn't question my motives."

Kagura quickly bowed low, "I apologize. I won't ask again." She turned to hurry out of the room, but Naraku's next words caused her to stay.

"I'm in a good mood, so I shall tell you why. You are taking part in it, after all."

Kagura looked surprised, but said nothing and stood patiently.

Naraku motioned for her to sit down. She obeyed and he began. "Inuyasha is not the true threat. Kagome possesses a power even greater than that of Kikyou, which she does not now realize she has. I want to harnass that power. If I had both her power and that of the Shikon jewel, I would be unstoppable! She is not able to use her power, except in moments of extreme emotion. That will not occur until she is broken. The only way to break her is to kill off all her friends. The grief will build until its bursting point when Inuyasha dies."

Kagura nodded, "I see. Now it's beginning to make sense. But we haven't been able to kill Inuyasha before. How is this time any different?"

"I plan to cross that bridge when I come to it, but I believe I may have an idea how to go about it."

Kagura understood that she was to ask no more and bowed out of the room. Finally, he has a plan that might actually work.

(end flashback)

Naraku smirked. Next up was the monk. This one would not be difficult. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He would need to wait for the right moment, though. Timing was everything in these situations. The right timing could intensify the effect of the deed tenfold. Naraku's smirk widened. And intensify tenfold it would.

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Wadja think? I know, it wasn't very exciting, but the next chapter will be more fun, don't worry. I have most of the story planned out, though I must admit, not quite the ending… Oh well, as Naraku said, 'I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.' I have an idea, just not the details.