It had been nearly a week. Inuyasha had scoured the area a thousand times where Sango said she saw Kagome's body fall. He had managed to sniff out where her body HAD been but it was no longer there and the scent of a very large demon was all he was able to find after that. He concluded that the demon had either consumed her body or had otherwise carried it away. If he'd been angry with himself before, he was positively livid now.
He wasn't sure what good it would do, but he tracked the scent for several miles, hoping he could find the demon and at least find out the fate of Kagome's body.
The thought made him sick. He tried fervently to avoid imagining something eating Kagome. Worse yet, was the task of traveling home to her family and breaking the news. He honestly wasn't confident that he had the nerve to go through with it. It had to be done, there was no arguing that but there was no possibility in any world that it was going to go well.
Inuyasha was almost lost to the demon side of himself. The tunnel-vision and blind hatred drove him forward for days until he realized that he had neglected to follow the moon phases. As the sun set and the sky went black with the dark of a new moon, his demonic powers faded and he was left utterly useless. He no longer had his keen sense of smell but the snake demon, he'd figured by the large grooves in the earth, left a physical trail he could follow.
He had to be extra careful though, as now he was vulnerable to attacks. He snorted at the fleeting thought and pressed onward. The large rut carved out in the dirt led him to a stream. His heart picked up pace and he felt a glimmer of hope as he saw a decaying corpse of a snake demon. It was headless and he instantly took pause.
What could have done this to a demon this size? Did Naraku kill it after it retrieved Kagome's body?
The thought of Naraku rekindled the fury that had only just simmered down and Inuyasha let out a howling growl of frustration as he started kicking and punching the corpse. He could clearly see that there was no lump in its belly so at least her body wasn't inside but then again, that meant he still had no idea where it was, or what the hell Naraku was planning to do with it, or him.
After a few minutes, Inuyasha's body reminded him that he was human, and as such, his stamina was much lower than what he was accustomed to the rest of the lunar month. He collapsed on the ground and sobbed as he pounded his fist into the ground, splitting the flesh of his knuckles.
"Goddamn it..." He regathered his strength after a minute and began heading back to catch up with Miroku. In a few hours his demonic power would return and he could cover much more ground. After reuniting with Miroku and Sango, he would help get Sango to Kaede and then Miroku was going to help him find Naraku. If he refused, he'd simply beat him to death.
"Kagome's dead?"
Kaede didn't cry.
Even when the dark priestess Urasue stole Kikyo's ashes. Even when Kikyo had reemerged and subsequently re-perished. Even when some of the villagers who were close to her died.
Kaede might have been old and not as nimble or sturdy as she used to be but nonetheless, she was tough. She maintained a strong exterior for the people of the village, and for herself. She had to, otherwise where would the village be if their priestess was weak?
Kaede was crying now.
Inuyasha had been dreading this moment almost as much as he dreaded going to the other side of the well. He knew Kaede would not take the news well, but no one, especially himself, expected to see tears come to Kaede's eyes.
Kaede didn't start bawling like most of the rest of them had done, she simply clenched her eyes shut with a hand pressed to her lips.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away and regained her composure after a brief sniffle.
"How did it happen?" She asked, as she turned and went to start a pot of tea. It was clear that they all needed a reprieve.
"We were battling a plant demon with poisonous barbs. She was struck and we couldn't get the antidote to her in time." Miroku said quietly as he tended to Sango's wounds. They had received sedatives from a very concerned Jinenji to give to Kagome so that she could rest. Since they went unused, Miroku gave some to Sango to help her rest.
"It seems unfitting that she was felled by a plant demon when she's survived so many battles with opponents much more fierce."
Kaede's words echoed the sentiments the rest of the group had expressed on the matter. It didn't change anything but it was at the same time puzzling, and aggravating.
The room was silent with the exception of the fire crackling in the hearth and the sipping of tea amongst the company.
"Are ye returning to Kagome's family to tell them the news?" Kaede spoke up after a lengthy lull in conversation.
Inuyasha had thus far been engaged in sitting crouched in the corner, Tetsusaiga perched on one arm and against the corresponding knee, staring a hole through the floor. His ears twitched when the question finally reached him. Not physically, but dug down deep inside his conscious to grab his attention. He slid a gaze over to Kaede and her heart ached further when his eyes met hers. She knew that Inuyasha had long since fallen in love with Kagome and she with him but they had never admitted it to one another. The pain she saw in his eyes reflected not only a lost love, but a lost love that was never spoken aloud and that, was far worse.
"Yeah..." He answered the question and then resumed his unmoving posture.
Kaede didn't feel the need to press the matter. If it were not such an extraordinary circumstance, she might have scolded him but she knew that he was well aware of his obligations. He just didn't have the nerve at the moment, and that was OK. Kagome's family expected her to be gone for long periods of time so he could afford to mourn for a few days and pull himself together.
Kagome's death was hard enough, but the fact that her body had been stolen from them and they could not give her a proper burial bothered everyone greatly. It was obvious to everyone that Inuyasha blamed himself but Sango in her moments of lucidity shouldered that burden as well. Miroku did everything in his power to soothe her to no avail.
Inuyasha decided to let the group rest overnight before he approached Miroku with the request to help him hunt Naraku down. Miroku was exhausted not only from the fight but from the long walk and having to carry Sango. Inuyasha carried their weapons and hesitantly let Shippo ride on his shoulder. After a few hours of bandage changes, ointment applications, sedative administrations, and tear dying, Miroku was falling asleep standing up. He wobbled on his feet and stumbled over a loose sandal.
"Get some sleep, Miroku. I'll take next shift." Kaede said as she reached out to steady the tipsy monk, whose eyes were beyond glazed over and only partially open.
"Thank you Lady-" He interrupted himself with a yawn and promptly dropped to the floor where he instantly started snoring.
Kaede was a bit stunned but she grabbed a cover for him and draped it over his body. Shippo and Kilala had long since taken up a bed by Sango's feet. It was the safest place to be close to Sango without getting in the way of her treatments.
"What do ye plan to do now?" Kaede said in a low voice as she knelt with a bucket of fresh water next to Sango and applied cool water to her face to ease the swelling.
Inuyasha still hadn't moved for hours. He hadn't spoken, he hadn't eaten, and he hadn't drank. Kaede wondered if he was going to succumb to his broken heart.
When he didn't answer her she turned her attention back to Sango and applied herbs to the open wounds.
"I assume ye are thinking of going after Naraku. I'm only asking, but please consider staying. I know ye want to kill him for what he's done and retrieve Kagome's body but with Sango hurt, ye and Miroku can't hope to defeat him and-" She turned at the sound of rustling in time to see Inuyasha leave the hut, ripping the door off behind him.
She sighed deeply, pushing back more tears and after finishing with Sango, she laid down and prayed for Inuyasha to become of clear mind.
Inuyasha perched himself in the tree near Kaede's hut. As he sat there, he could faintly smell Kagome's scent. She had sat with him in this tree many times and she had done so a few days before she was killed. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to savor the scent. It was faded and it wouldn't be there much longer. He knew Kaede was just trying to help but how could she even suggest letting Naraku get away with this? Just because Sango was injured didn't mean that he and Miroku couldn't kill Naraku. Hell, he didn't even need Miroku. He could do this himself. Fuck it.
Inuyasha leaped from the tree and took off into the night.
