Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; Rumiko Takahashi and a large publishing conglomerate hold his leash.

A/N: A random bunny inspired by Prompt #40 – Splash at LJ's FirstTweak community and dedicated to the residents of the devastated fishing village of Rikuzentakata.

Set about fifteen years post-manga. 'Ume' is one of Miroku & Sango's twin daughters (unnamed in canon); she is named for the branches of flowering plum blossoms that were among the items left at impromptu memorials in the Sendai region after the recent disasters.

Many thanks to Ranuel for her thoughtful suggestions!

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Ebb

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Pale sunshine filtered through the heavy clouds, giving the leaden sea a brief, garish sparkle through the curtain of light snow. Inuyasha straightened as he glanced warily towards the distant water, then shook himself free of accumulated flakes before returning to his task.

Heaps of smashed wood and shredded debris lay in deceptively-rounded hummocks covering the ruined rice paddy above the rocky cove. He continued methodically searching through the piles, sniffing deeply as he shifted the icy material, trying not to wince every time something splashed onto the sodden ground. The sour scent of decay led him unerringly to one pile; he determinedly excavated the tangle until he found the pale, lifeless source. Sighing in relief, he immediately felt guilty for finding hope in another family's misfortune. Locating a ragged scrap of fabric, he tied it to a broken bamboo pole and raised it as a temporary grave marker.

He worked alone until the gathering dusk, when halting footfalls caught his attention. Kagome picked her way towards him through the sucking, snow-covered mud, the wide legs of her hakama kilted up and knotted at the knee, her long sleeves tied back. Wiping his hands on his suikan, he went to meet her.

Her eyes now asked the daily question instead of her lips; he shook his head. The hopeful light in her expression dimmed further and it broke his heart a little more. Wrapping his arms around his wife, he held her to his heart. "How are they?" he asked, although he could easily guess.

"Miroku is stoic and Sango is struggling. Their grandchildren are still in shock – even the baby hardly says a thing."

Inuyasha surveyed the tsunami's field of destruction, calculating how many more fragments of lost lives he had yet to search. "It's only been five days. There's still hope… an' if the houshi would stay off that ankle, it'd heal faster."

Kagome trembled despite the strength of his embrace. "We have to find them… we have to know, one way or the other."

Burying his nose in her hair, Inuyasha drew comfort from her warm reality while privately begging whichever gods or goddesses that might be listening to lend their aid to his search. At that moment, the ground shifted beneath their feet; Inuyasha scooped Kagome up and took off for higher ground before the aftershock finished rumbling. An eerie groaning noise rose from the ruins of the village as the debris settled.

Flattening his ears, Inuyasha declared, "We'll find Ume-chan and her husband tomorrow."

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