Under the pale light of the moon and the stars, visible thanks to the completely clear night sky, an animated village can be seen, stirred by what appears to be a great festival.
There, the villagers sang and danced around the large bonfire in the center of the village, while the children ran from side to side full of smiles, making the excitement of the celebration contagious.
"You've really outdone yourself, Lord Asahiko (Asahiko-sama)."
"Bah, it was just beginner's luck."
"And your bad luck as an expert, Kiyomi?"
"Jajaja."
Laughing together with those close to the man named Kiyomi, who truly does not seem jealous or ill-intentioned, the crowd turns and looks with admiration at the enormous boar hanging nearby.
This beast, with thick skin covered in coarse wild hair, large sharp tusks, and dark hooves, was surely the largest specimen of its kind.
"Did you really find this beast in the nearby forest, Lord Asahiko?"
"More than finding it, it came to me on its own… I suppose the beast seeks the hunter."
Winking at Kiyomi, who only shakes his head, the young man with golden hair and blue eyes playfully punches him on the shoulder before sharing a laugh with him. These actions arise naturally, a sign that despite having been here only a short time, Asahiko has already earned his place among them.
"So—"
"Big brother!"
"Ugh, what did I tell you about hitting me from behind, Akemi!"
Grabbing his spine in an exaggerated manner, Asahiko sways forward and even lets out a few fake crocodile tears.
Of course, Akemi does not believe that performance, having spent too much time with him to know when he is joking, so she simply headbutts him in the back again.
"Ugh, that really hurts!"
"Then stop joking, big brother, or I'll hit you again."
Pulling her small head full of black hair back like a hammer ready to strike a nail, Akemi is completely stopped by a hand.
"…You weren't like this before. I knew leaving you with Kikyo was a bad idea."
"Huh? How did you know big sister taught me?"
"Kikyo… that second-rate priestess… How dare she corrupt my cute little Akemi! By the way, now that I think about it, where is she? I haven't seen her."
"Isn't she with you, big brother?"
Looking at each other—one with sky-blue eyes and the other with brown—the concern quickly spreads between them as they process each other's words.
Their reactions are not exaggerated, since whenever Kikyo is not with one, she is with the other, except in very rare situations, such as when she collects souls or needs time alone with her thoughts.
"No. I'll go look for her. Don't get lost either, Akemi."
"Um, I'll stay with Grandpa Izayoi."
"Tsk, that old man moves fast—you're already calling him grandpa."
Clicking his tongue and patting Akemi on the head as she squirms, Asahiko tries to cover his worry with jokes, hiding the thoughts racing through his mind.
The first possibility that comes to Asahiko is that Kikyo simply left without saying anything, but considering how stoic she is and how well she controls her emotions, she does not seem like someone who fears farewells.
Another possibility is that the monk discovered her, forcing her to flee to avoid a fight… but that idea is erased when Asahiko remembers seeing the monk at the festival, meaning he is neither injured nor pursuing a yokai.
"Ha… Whatever the reason she left, I just have to find her and ask."
Accepting his thoughts with a crooked half-smile, Asahiko finally separates from Akemi and disappears into the gathered crowd.
…
Walking through the dense forest stretching near the village, a young priestess lifts her head and gazes at the moon hidden among the branches.
Her eyes, watching the moon, are a deep brown, full of unspoken thoughts and doubts, though this does not slow her steps as she continues forward.
"Oh, so he noticed… I'll have to finish this quickly."
Turning her gaze away from the silver moon half-hidden by branches and looking behind her—toward where she came from—the priestess lets out a cold voice before resuming her movement.
This new stretch of night walking leads her to a beautiful clearing nestled in the heart of the forest, crowned by a great tree and bathed in the little moonlight that slips through the clouds.
Taking in the beautiful sight with an unmoving expression, the black-haired young woman adorned with a dark violet rose raises her hand, causing multiple snake-shaped shikigami to surround her and carry her up to a tree branch.
"Barrier."
Whispering softly as she settles onto the branch, she raises her pale hand and a wave of spiritual energy spreads across the area, separating inside from outside.
As this happens, several white snakes with red eyes arrive and drop pale spheres, illuminating the surroundings with cold white light and creating a ghostly—almost ritualistic—atmosphere throughout the clearing.
"Kikyo… It's you, isn't it?"
Turning her gaze from the souls orbiting the tree, Kikyo looks toward the speaker without showing any surprise or doubt as to why she is here.
The intruder, a black-haired teenage girl, is strangely similar to Kikyo—so much so that they could pass as twins. Even so, their auras are completely different: Kikyo's is cold and piercing, while the intruder is surrounded by an aura of life, positivity, and warmth.
That "atmosphere" is likely connected to her clothing: a short green skirt and a long white shirt with green accents… though it is easier to say she is wearing a school uniform.
"I see you were drawn here as well, Kagome. I suppose it's good that you at least want to clean up the mess you caused."
Adjusting her posture on the branch, Kikyo glances back briefly and coldly mocks Kagome.
"What, those two fragments? No! We were investigating the missing souls, thinking they were taken by… by…"
"A yokai? Is that what you were trying to say?"
"Yes—no, well… But we didn't know that—"
"Does it matter? There's no difference. The truth is one and only one… I'm taking those souls."
Silencing the school-uniform-clad girl with her relentless verbal attack, Kikyo turns her cold gaze away and looks toward the forest.
She holds that gaze for quite some time—long enough for Kikyo to release a beautiful smile… one that seems to hide deep pain and a trace of madness, like the feelings of someone on the verge of drowning.
"I—I then ask you to return them! Those deceased women shouldn't have to go through that. Wait! What are you planning to do to me?"
"Be quiet. You're just… an intruder in all of this."
Dragging Kagome toward her with her shikigami, Kikyo extends her pale hand and touches Kagome's forehead with her index and middle fingers, causing an unnatural pale glow to cover Kagome's entire body.
That spell or curse prevents Kagome from moving a single muscle, leaving her completely at Kikyo's mercy, who seems interested in keeping her nearby.
This assumption is confirmed when Kikyo directs the shikigami to move Kagome to a well-hidden side—at least from the "entrance"—though from there Kagome has a perfect view of the entire clearing.
"He's already coming."
"…Inuyasha? Wait, Kikyo. We discovered that Inuyasha wasn't guilty of anything! Someone else manipulated both of you to make you fight!"
Shouting while trying to break free from the bindings, Kagome hurriedly explains a past situation, but Kikyo's expression remains unchanged.
"Is that supposed to move me? Do you think killing that individual will make everything go back to normal?"
"But Inuyasha—"
"Silence. Stop saying his name. Nothing will change, which is why I can only continue… You know, the greatest desire of the dead is to regain their past lives, though that is always impossible."
Controlling her voice, which for a moment revealed a very different side of her, Kikyo regains her usual calm and begins to narrate her situation in a cold tone.
"But some cases are different—like mine. Now I only want to eliminate him, kill Inuyasha… for forgetting me, for wanting me dead, for wanting you."
"Wait, he thinks of you all the time, we don't—"
"Enough. Just be quiet."
Silencing Kagome with a sharp look, Kikyo turns away and raises her eyes to the sky.
"Kikyo!"
Falling from the night sky immediately after his emotionally charged shout—overflowing with hope and longing—a white-haired young man lands softly before Kikyo's tree.
He has an appearance far beyond average: long white hair reaching his waist, dog ears resting atop his head, soft amber eyes, and clothing consisting of a fiery red hakama and hitoe.
"Inuyasha… It's been a long time."
Softening her gaze with warmth never seen before, Kikyo extends her hand toward the young man named Inuyasha.
He freezes, stunned, as if time had turned back to those happy days when nothing bad had happened and it was just the two of them.
"Kikyo… So you were the one gathering the souls of young maidens?"
"Yes, Inuyasha, it was me. All to remain in this world, all to move this body made of clay and bones. I must look like a monster to you now, right? One driven only by vengeance."
Pushing away the shikigami around her, Kikyo steps slightly away from Kagome and keeps her brown eyes on Inuyasha.
"A monster? Vengeance? Don't say nonsense, Kikyo! No matter what you are or what you think, I will always love you!"
Shouting his feelings to the heavens, Inuyasha carefully approaches Kikyo and takes her hand, making her eyes widen in surprise.
Not only Kikyo is surprised—Kagome is as well—but after a few moments she accepts it with a small smile, as if this were expected.
"Really, Inuyasha? You don't care about this form or what I've done?"
"Never, Kikyo. Only you have ever mattered to me."
From hand-holding to a full embrace, the outside world fades from their minds, leaving only the desire to remain like this forever.
"Then you'll stay with me… forever, even now."
"Yes."
Accepting Kikyo's proposal without a second thought, Inuyasha wraps his arms around her and closes his eyes to enjoy the moment, unaware of Kagome or the way the surrounding souls writhe.
That writhing quickly turns into a full collapse, and as more souls shatter, a colder and more terrifying wind envelops the clearing until a gate forms.
This gate is massive and terrifying—composed of cold blood-stained metal engraved with monstrous inscriptions—and it radiates an aura of death and doom as it opens.
"Inuyasha! Wake up, Inuyasha! You have to get out of there!"
Screaming with all the strength she can muster, Kagome grows more desperate as the metal doors open and Inuyasha appears half-conscious.
"Enough, Kikyo! Didn't you love him? Then why are you doing this to him? Can't you see that what Inuyasha wants most is to take revenge on the one who set you both up!"
"…Shut up."
Pulling her head slightly away from Inuyasha's embrace, Kikyo's brown eyes lock onto Kagome's as she detonates a nearby shikigami, shattering a branch and violently shaking the tree.
It is a clear threat, but Kagome is not afraid and even manages to escape Kikyo's spell somehow—though it is already too late.
Too late because multiple pale hands emerge from within the massive gate, grabbing both Kikyo and Inuyasha and dragging them inward.
"If he fulfills that revenge, will I return to life? Will things go back to how they were? No… everything will keep moving forward. That's why he must come with me. I'll make this moment eternal… You want that too, don't you, Inuyasha?"
"Y-you… wicked, horrible woman! If Inuyasha weren't unconscious he would never accept this! So get away from him! Did you hear me? GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"Huh? What? My souls…"
Touching her chest as a pale glow envelops her body, Kikyo tries to maintain control, but like water slipping through fingers, all the souls rapidly leak from her body.
This is not surprising, since Kikyo's core soul is actually a fragment of Kagome's soul due to certain circumstances. What matters is that this gives Kagome power over Kikyo, especially when they are this close and Kagome's will is at full strength.
"No… Why… I—"
"That's enough! Stay away from him! Inuyasha, wake up! Please wake up!"
"Ka-go… Kagome!"
Opening his amber eyes, still hazy, Inuyasha meets Kagome's gaze. That jolts him awake—especially when he notices the strange arms around him, which he easily shakes off.
Freed and displaying his supernatural abilities, Inuyasha reaches Kagome in a single swift motion and destroys the nearby shikigami.
As a direct consequence, he leaves Kikyo alone with the pale arms, which tighten their grip on their final victim. Kikyo does not resist—or perhaps cannot. She only looks at Inuyasha and Kagome.
"What are you doing here, Kagome!"
"That's what I'm asking you! Can't you see Kikyo was trying to drag you somewhere horrible with her!"
Springing up from the ground and brushing aside the shikigami fragments that instantly revert to paper, Kagome puffs her cheeks and points at Inuyasha.
"I— Wait, Kikyo!"
Turning away from Kagome, Inuyasha's eyes widen as he sees Kikyo completely restrained by the pale arms.
Without hesitation, he draws his sword, which transforms into a massive fang-shaped blade, and lunges forward.
"Enough, Inuyasha… You've already chosen her."
"But Kikyo, I didn't—"
"Enough! Do you think I don't understand that look—the same one that— I'd rather go to hell than keep seeing you look at her like that!"
Laughing dryly as deep darkness fills her eyes, Kikyo makes no effort to resist and even helps the arms pull her inside.
But at that instant—before Inuyasha could recover or Kikyo fully surrender—a piercing sound echoes through the clearing and the night sky twists.
No—the sky does not twist. Kikyo's barrier shatters, raining down crystal-like fragments that dissolve before touching the ground.
"Wasn't she supposed to be unable to do anything dangerous?! This looks very dangerous to me, Souga!"
Crossing from the surrounding trees to Kikyo's side in an instant, a golden-haired young man swings his sword with surgical precision, slicing all the pale arms apart.
Not stopping there, as they attempt to regenerate he forms a sphere of golden fire and fires it at the severed arms, stunning them, then uses the opening to grab Kikyo and retreat.
"…Asahiko."
"I thought it was a joke, but it really was you, Kikyo. What were you thinking, doing this?"
Speaking with concern—and a hint of judgment born from instinctive kindness—Asahiko tries to set her down, but noticing her weakness, supports her with his shoulder.
That is the final straw for the half-dog young man, Inuyasha, who grips his massive sword with both hands and points it at Asahiko.
"You… Get away from her right now!"
Slamming his bare feet into the ground, Inuyasha shoots forward like a bullet toward Asahiko, without thinking of consequences or reasons.