CHAPTER THREE
Inuyasha Pov
Inuyasha sat devastated, wondering how he'd be able to show his face in Edo or in Kagome's time. How could he explain what he'd let happen? How could he tell her family he'd failed to do the one thing they asked of him? He dreaded it but he knew he had to tell them all, especially her family. They deserved some closure.
Inuyasha was reliving the misery of Kikyo all over again. He felt like the biggest failure.
The wind blew his hair in his face reminding him the world still continued on.
The inu hanyou steeled his nerves, pulled himself up then started back towards the village and the bone eaters well.
As he walked, memories of Kagome flooded his mind.
The first time they met.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not Kikyo, my name is Kagome, Ka-Go-Me, and I don't know who this Kikyo person is." she yelled in my face as I was stuck to the tree with Kikyo's arrow pinning me down. She was so brave.
Faster than he wished, he was getting closer to the well.
"Inuyasha, I will always be by your side, forever," she said to me, grasping my hand while sitting on the edge of the well with our hair dancing in the wind together.
Closer, the well was now in sight. As he approached he waited, praying she would climb out carrying her ugly yellow sac with a huge smile just for him.
But she didn't come out, she never would again.
Inuyasha was now close enough to touch the old, worn wood. He could feel the power coursing through it. The power that let her travel back and forth. How he wished it could bring her back.
Inuyasha was so consumed in his grief that he was startled by a drop of water hitting his hand. He looked up with dark eyes toward the blue sky. It reminded him of her eyes. So deep and beautiful with only a few clouds above him. His vision blurred, he brought his hand to eyes and realized it was him, he was crying again. He closed them and kept his face turned toward the sky, wishing that everything was just a dream. The world wouldn't be the same without her.
And like the earth heard his thoughts the sky began to weep, rain falling from directly above, mourning the loss of a beautiful soul.
After standing in the clearing for what felt like eternity the young hanyou gathered his courage and jumped into the dark depths before him. He wasn't ready to ruin her family's lives but it had to be done. He would do this for Kagome.
Morosely, he climbed the ladder and up the stairs of the small well house. Sliding the door open he noticed the Goshiboku swaying in the light breeze. She always loved that tree.
Inuyasha saw Kagome's grandfather sweeping outside and asked if his daughter was home.
"She's in the kitchen, where's Kagome, my boy?" He asked.
"You better come inside with me," Inuyasha said with his head down.
The two entered the house and walked towards the kitchen.
"What's going on boy, why won't you tell me where Kagome is?"
"Oh, Inuyasha, hello dear. How are you? Is Kagome coming?" Mrs. Higurashi asked with a smile like her daughters, while looking at the door behind them.
He sighed, exhaling all of his grief, trying to find his courage.
"I got something to tell you guys, you better sit down," Inuyasha said as loudly as he could with the knot in his throat.
Mrs. Higurashi dropped the towel that she was using. "Inuyasha, what happened? Where's Kagome?" She asked, completely serious.
"Kagome, she-,"
"Where's my daughter, Inuyasha?" She interrupted, her voice shaking.
Inuyasha sighed, he looked in their eyes and both began to fill with tears.
"Speak up, boy!" The grandfather yelled.
"Kagome was attacked. She didn't make it," he finally said.
Silence.
"No," Mrs. Higurashi gasped, hands flying to her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "No, you said you would protect her, you said you would protect my baby!" She screamed.
Inuyasha's heart broke into more pieces, something he didn't think was possible.
"My baby, we trusted you! My baby," she cried, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed. Her father pulled her into his arms.
"Where is her body, you will bring her to us," the old man yelled with a broken voice.
"She, there was nothing left," Inuyasha replied in a small voice.
"You should have protected her with your life, you have not a scratch on you. Did you even try? How could you fail us so?" Bellowed the grandfather brokenly.
"I-I'm sorry," Inuyasha said with his head down.
Slowly he walked out of the kitchen and out of the house. The sounds of Kagome's mother's screams would haunt him forever.
Inuyasha felt drained as he climbed out of the well in his time. He hated himself. As he looked up he found Sango, and Miroku carrying Shippo and Kirara. Even Keade had ventured out with them to greet Kagome.
"Hey Yasha, you're back, where's Kagome?" The kit asked as he jumped from Miroku's arms onto the well. He looked into the depths for the woman he loved then back at the hanyou in question.
"Did you two fight?" Sango asked, sensing his mood.
Inuyasha couldn't look at them.
"What is it, friend?" Miroku asked, his friend's aura was dark, he almost knew what he would say.
"Kagome was attacked on her way back here. She was alone and ran away from here to keep the demon away from the village," Inuyasha explained miserably.
Sango gasped, tears falling instantly. Kagome was like a sister to her, she didn't think she could handle what she knew was coming.
"Did she get hurt? Did you have to take her to the healers in her time?" Shippo asked, going back to Miroku's arms. The adults were acting in a way that scared him.
They all looked at him questioningly and hopefully. Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore and blew up.
"No! She died! She died and I wasn't there to protect her. She died alone and it was my fault. Again! I failed her, again. I'm a worthless protector. She died because I'm too weak!" Inuyasha yelled, falling to his knees.
Shippo's wails were all that could be heard as everyone processed what he said. Miroku handed Shippo to Keade who did her best to console him as the monk held the slayer who had also fallen to her knees.
The young monk looked around at each person in their group, everyone crushed. He didn't know what to do, what to say.
Clearing his throat, Miroku asked, "Inuyasha, did she, does her family have her body?"
The broken hanyou shook his head no.
Miroku swallowed hard and nodded. They wouldn't even be able to lay her to rest. He bowed his head and said a small prayer of peace to his fallen friend.
An overcast set in above, perfectly encasing their feelings. It was truly a dark day.
New Day
Inuyasha Pov
Inuyasha had to leave the hut, he just couldn't handle all the crying , it added to his misery. Miroku was trying to be strong and console them but it wasn't enough. Inuyasha could still smell his tears. It was just too much.
Inuyasha found himself at their tree. He and Kagome had spent a lot of time here. He wouldn't be able to sleep despite the late hour, instead he just leaned against it, thinking of his friend. He felt very connected to her here.
It was sometime the next morning that a crunching sound alerted him to the monk's approach.
"Inuyasha, I think we should have a burial for Kagome. Though we do not have a body we can still create a place for people to honor her. I think it would help, especially for Sango and little Shippo," he said as he looked up at him. "And if we should get lucky enough to find her body we will have a place to lay her to rest."
"Yea, I know the perfect spot for her," Inuyasha said, leaning his head back against the bark.
"Where would that be, my friend?" Miroku asked.
"Right here at the Goshiboku, this is where she needs to be so that her family will have her body too."
"Yes this is the perfect spot for her. With our memories and the connection her future family has to this tree, I think that is a fine idea," said the monk.
"Go, get the others and I will dig the hole for her."
Inuyasha used his claws to dig the grave. He felt it was a fitting punishment for his failure. He made sure the shape and size would be perfect for Kagome when they found her. The sun was at its highest point when he finally finished.
Inuyasha was thankful they allowed him space to complete his task alone. Once he was ready he reached out with his aura, letting Miroku know they could come.
As his friends approached he kept his back to them until he felt ready to face them. Finally he turned around, "is there anything you guys want to put in her grave until we can find her?"
"Yes, we do," they said as they looked at each other sadly, with their items in their hands.
One by one they walked up to the grave, put their items inside, said their peace and walked away.
Sango Pov
"Kagome, you will always be my sister. I will treasure our time together from the late night gossip in the hot springs, to us fighting together. I never thought you would be gone this soon, I thought that I would have more time. So with this I leave you with your favorite shampoo and bath wash that you always so kindly let me borrow, so that you will always feel clean in the afterlife. Goodbye, my sister."
Miroku Pov
"Our dear Kagome, you are the glue that kept us together and now you are just another to the list of people that I have lost along the way. I thank you for being in my life and I promise that I won't waste it away. So with that I leave you my father's prayer beads, so that you both can watch over me."
Kaede Pov
"Ye come at the best time in my life, I got to see a group of wonderful people join together to fight a villain that took so much from me. I do not think this is the end for ye, my child, so with that I leave ye my bow and arrows so that ye are always prepared and protected where ye go."
Shippo Pov
"I never got to tell you that I secretly thought of you as my mother. I was scared, I thought you would reject me if I said it out loud. I wish I was bigger, stronger so that I could have protected you. I love you momma and I leave with you a drawing of us together, forever.
Finally it was Inuyasha's turn, he stood staring into the grave before him.
Inuyasha Pov
"You will always be my best friend, I will find the person who did this to you. I promise you that. I leave behind the shards of the necklace that you always wore around your neck and your yellow sac that I never really thought was ugly. I'll miss you, kagome."
"Is everyone done?" When they confirmed he just nodded.
Shippo wiped his eyes one more time before jumping on Kaede's shoulder as she walked back to her hut. Sango and Miroku looked at him sadly as he peered into Kagome's grave one last time.
"We will continue looking for the shards together and we will find the person that did this to Kagome. When we do, he's dead."
"Agreed."
With that, he covered her grave, Miroku placed a cross made of tree branches in the front while Sango placed blue roses to decorate it.
"She would have loved this," said Sango as she looked at the blue roses, tears streaming down her face.
"They fit perfectly, don't they?"
"Yes, they do," said Miroku then looked at his friend. "But how will we find the shards if Kagome was the only one to feel them?"
Inuyasha looked at Miroku and then at Sango when she turned her head to him with a questioning look. He looked at the sky first before cutting his eyes back to them and said, "With Kikyo's help."
With that he walked away, back to the forest to be alone before he left on his mission to find his past love.
