Swinging Clouded Fang with complete disdain on his face, a wave of reddish energy sweeps everything in front of it, erasing from existence the trees, stones, and hundreds of roots coming toward him.
"You should consider calming down, young Asahiko."
Floating beside his shoulder while observing the sheer destruction unleashed by Asahiko, although it is actually due to Souga increasing its power by absorbing its wielder's negative emotions, Saya tries to calm things down.
Of course, the attempt was not so direct, but rather said with gentle words and leaving room for Asahiko to refuse if he so wished, since as a pathological coward… Saya knows very well how to avoid trouble.
"I'm calm, Saya.. Otherwise why would I be going to look for Miroku instead of that filthy rat Naraku."
Overemphasizing his last words, Asahiko releases a diagonal slash and a red trail shoots forward, splitting in half the enormous wave of roots that was trying to reach him.
Even so, split in half, the wave of roots attacks again, only now from two different sides, but once again it is eradicated with a few strikes.
[He speaks the truth, little coward. I have already tried several of my tricks, but his will remains as hard as a rock]
"This seems 'hard' to you, you idiot dragon?"
"You remember that I am still here, Saya… I found him."
Whispering the last part while fixing his blue eyes on Miroku, who is hanging from a tree by the roots while his expression twists every so often, Asahiko extends his hand toward him.
When he touches him, more precisely the roots that kept him trapped, Asahiko's vision blurs for a moment and before he realizes it he is somewhere else.
Here the sun hangs brightly in the blue sky, while the grass of the meadow that stretches beyond the horizon sways without the need for wind.
"Ahhh!"
Following the scream that spreads across the meadow, Asahiko instantly appears in front of what seems to be a Buddhist temple, but he ignores it and looks toward the kneeling figure clutching his hand tightly.
"Miroku."
"A, Asahiko… It doesn't matter, you have to leave, I can no longer control my hand."
"Calm down, Miroku. This is just a nightmare conjured by Naraku, nothing that happens here is real."
Approaching the monk and placing a hand on his shoulder, Asahiko steps back as he notices how the surrounding pressure increases momentarily, as if only Miroku's will kept his ability in check.
"I know… I understand… But I can clearly feel the curse slowly devouring my flesh, dragging me toward the same fate as everyone in my family."
"A curse?"
"Yes, Naraku placed it upon my family line generations ago… A black hole that at some point will go out of control and swallow us along with everyone close to us."
Clenching his teeth while closing his brown eyes, Miroku curls further into himself in an attempt to protect Asahiko, although the latter only observes him in silence.
"Can you move?"
"No… Agh, I'm using every ounce of strength to stop its expansion."
"Good, this is going to hurt a bit."
Walking behind Miroku, who is having small spasms, Asahiko unsheathes Clouded Fang and with a quick slash opens a door in front of them, before kicking Miroku inside and jumping after him.
That causes both of their consciousnesses to return to reality, opening their eyes again in the forest and looking at each other.
"Was it necessary to kick me, Asahiko?"
"You couldn't move, so I had to improvise to get you out of there."
"I'll accept it, but now help me with these roots, normally!"
Fearing that Asahiko would use his sword or something similar, Miroku finally calms down when he notices that he simply tears the roots apart with his bare hands, letting out the sigh he had been holding.
Now both on the ground, they share a quick glance and immediately start heading toward the next companion nearby, Sango.
Along the way they obviously ran into some problems, but with Miroku back in line and his crowd-clearing Wind Tunnel, Asahiko no longer had to keep deforesting the forest with his sword.
"I can see her! Kirara is with her too."
"Let's clear the surroundings first, Miroku."
"Understood. Wind Tunnel!"
Accepting Asahiko's suggestion, who cuts down the occasional root that gets too close to them, Miroku activates his ability and sweeps the area with astonishing ease, leaving the former speechless.
It may be a curse, but it cannot be denied how incredibly useful it is, especially against crowds of low-level enemies.
"Alright, grab my shoulder or something like that, I don't know what the conditions are to enter her nightmare."
"Then how did you enter my mind, nightmares or whatever that was?"
"It just happened. It's not like I enjoy seeing other people's secrets, you know?"
Shrugging with complete indifference, an expression learned from Kikyo who always uses it, Asahiko extends his hand toward Sango, who hangs along with Kirara from a tree due to the roots.
Just as before, the scenery in front of their eyes changes instantly, shifting from the terrifying forest to a dark room. Inside, a penetrating smell of iron fills their noses, while the sound of flesh being cut slowly spreads.
It was an artificially terrifying experience for a few moments, as if the fear did not arise naturally from them, but was forcibly imposed by the environment itself.
"Little brother, I'm sorry."
"N-grlu… Noth—"
Gently caressing the cheek of the young man lying over her, who shares similar features and is stabbing her flesh with the tip of a kusarigama, Sango tries to speak softly despite the blood filling her mouth.
It seems she is much more trapped in the nightmare than Miroku, who could remain aware within the illusion… Or perhaps she does know it is an illusion and guilt makes her act this way.
"Damn it, Sango!"
"Wait, Miroku, I don't think it's—"
Trying unsuccessfully to stop Miroku as he extends his hand, Asahiko watches as the monk kicks the young man as if he were a ball and is left stunned. And for good reason, he had always been the mature, fun one… Not a child-beater!
"Ko… haku."
"He was not your brother, Sango! He is just an illusion created by Naraku, do you think young Kohaku would do this to his older sister?"
"Well, that's why—"
"Please be quiet, Asahiko."
Raising his hands at their dry looks, while Sango seems to be recovering quickly as she realizes this is not real, Asahiko accepts he is a third wheel and remains silent, staring at the wall.
"I see… So it was always my imagination. But if you are real, and now we are inside my mind, how did you get here?"
"You would have to ask Asahiko if he helped me earlier too."
"Uh… I already told you I don't know what is happening here. I just touched Miroku and it happened, so I repeated the same process with you."
Acting just as clueless as the two of them about the current situation, perhaps even more so since it affects him directly, Asahiko watches as the surroundings begin to blur and casts an insistent glance at Miroku.
Not out of curiosity, as the latter was supporting Sango who still seemed somewhat confused, but because only God knows what will happen if they do not leave before the illusion collapses on its own.
"We can think about this question another time, now we need to leave this place, Sango."
"Yes, you're right… Your excellence, your hand."
"Hand? What hand? Did you hurt your hand?"
Twitching her eye at the monk's shamelessness, Sango makes a sideways motion with her hand, leaving a red mark on Miroku's cheek.
"Zero regrets. It was something worthy to sacrifice my dignity for."
"…You people, no, let's just go already or I won't be able to stay angry."
"What does that mean!" x2
Ignoring their complaints, Asahiko casually swings Clouded Fang in front of him and opens a large door before them, then gestures for them to jump inside.
Now once again outside Sango's mind, the trio, plus the small yokai cat, look at each other before planning their next step. The plan was simple: go first for Shippo and Kagome, who truly need help, and then go for Inuyasha.
"Sounds good… Although Kagome isn't stationary, she might not be trapped by the roots. Before you ask, I know thanks to the bracelet I gave you earlier."
"So Inuyasha?"
"Stiff as a tree. He's basically fallen too, oh and Shippo as well. I think… Yes, the three of them are almost in a straight line, if we move now we can save all three at once."
Half-making a mental map thanks to the bracelets he gave them earlier, which function like Kikyo's rose, Asahiko considers it and nods several times as if everything were already solved.
"Then let's move! Your excellence, come with me on Kirara, we cannot slow Asahiko down."
"Ahem… I think I will accept your offer."
"Traitor monk."
Clicking his tongue at how little Miroku considered walking alongside him, Asahiko gives Kirara a second glance as she increases her size and runs forward swiftly, allowing them to follow behind.
The direction was toward the closest target; Shippo, who is also the most defenseless of the group… Let's just say it was luck.