In the grand scheme of things, finding a dead body slumped over in a secluded forest clearing was actually one of their less haunting and tragic discoveries. The man was older - not too young but also not ancient. Clad in tattered clothes that hint at a life of hardship. At first glance, it was just another nameless son of a bitch sitting like he simply stopped to take a rest beneath the shade of the cherry blossom tree. Sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow. The air itself was heavy with the sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms mingling with the earthy scent of decomposition, creating an unsettling but oddly serene atmosphere. Fallen petals rested on his shoulders and knees, a surreal testament to the passage of time and the relentless cycle of nature.

Truth be told, it was actually a rather pretty picture - corpse aside or maybe they were so used to the macabre at this point seeing death simply no longer bothered them. This wasn't the first time they encountered a random body in the woods nor would it be the last. Was the first time they encountered a dead guy with a cherry blossom tree sprouting out of him though. That was new. The tree emerged from the top of the skull, its roots intertwining with the empty eye sockets and nasal cavity, as if nourished by the remnants of the person within, drawing sustenance from his essence. Each branch was adorned with clusters of blossoms, their petals gently fluttering in the breeze, creating a poignant contrast against the backdrop of death and decay.

"How did this even happen?" Shippo mumbled worriedly from the safety of Kagome's shoulder.

"The cause is quite obvious," Miroku hummed wisely even as his violet eyes sparkled with mischief, "This poor man must have accidentally swallowed a cherry pit."

Shippo choked.

"Miroku, you know that's not true. You can't just say things like-" Kagome groaned as she stared at the poor dead guy with a fully grown cherry blossom tree sprouting from his skull but ah, it was too late to undo the damage.

"I-I swallowed that pit yesterday," Shippo suddenly blurted in panic as he whipped his wide, terrified eyes towards his mother figure who took a moment to send the far too amused monk intentionally spouting misinformation a glare, "Kagome, am I-"

"You'll be fine Shippo. "That's not how that works. This has demon written all over it. And there was a jewel shard nearby."

Shippo didn't look convinced.

"B-but-"

"Shippo, you are going to be fine. Unless this guy ate a demonic cherry pit, a tree managing to grow in his stomach is quite literally impossible. Cherry blossom trees don't even produce cherries. They are two different trees," Kagome tried to soothe as she reached up to pet his cheek.

"Then how do you explain the tree? Looks pretty cut and dry to me. Poor guy swallowed a pit," Inuyasha added although Kagome could tell he was just trying to pull Shippo's leg from the mischievous glint in his eyes, "Seen it before."

Shippo started bawling.

"I'm never eating cherries ever again. Ever," Shippo sobbed out, "I'm just a kid and now I'm gunna be a tree."

"Real nice Inuyasha," Kagome muttered as she scooped the poor fox kit off her shoulder and cradled him against her chest, "Shippo, you can still eat cherries. This-"

The hanyou scoffed and gestured towards the monk who was doing his best to look innocent.

"Why am I in trouble? The monk started it," he complained, "For like no reason either. Whole place reeks of demon. Brat should've known better than to take us seriously."

"He's just a baby Inuyasha," Kagome hissed as Shippo continued sniffling into her chest. Inuyasha did look a bit guilty when Shippo didn't protest about being called an infant. Maybe he went too far but how was he supposed to know the kid really was that scared?

"I'm sure it's fine. It's just this one guy," Inuyasha huffed as Sango reappeared above them looking grim, "This is probably the-"

Sango slid off Kilala and shook her head.

"Entire village up ahead just gone," Sango informed them - unaware of what had just transpired, "All of them like this one here."

"I don't want to be a tree!" Shippo screeched as his sniffles turning back into hysterical sobs. Sango looked completely baffled and concerned by this development. She looked to Kagome for answers.

"These two idiots convinced him that a tree would sprout from his head because of that pit he swallowed last night," Kagome sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Sango frowned and her eyes flicked to the nearby corpse with its surprisingly large tree.

"It's not out of the realm of possibility that the pits of these trees are to blame," she offered wearily as she walked over and inspected the branches, "Their fruit isn't really edible but birds do like-"

Shippo officially went off the deep end.

"I hate all of you," Kagome groaned as she began marching off while mumbling reassurances to the terrified child in her arms. Inuyasha scoffed and fidgeted and huffed in vain before finally chasing after her. Sango and Miroku watched on bemusedly as Kagome pointedly ignored his increasingly desperate yells.

"Kagome!"

"KAGOME!"

"IT WAS A JOKE! NOT MY FAULT-"

"SIT BOY!"

Sango snorted softly when Inuyasha pried himself out of the hole in the ground to continue chasing the miko and still bawling fox kit.

"KAGOME, STOP! YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS. YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT IDIOT! TAKE IT BACK RIGHT-"

"SIT BOY!"