"The little girl with Kohaku?" Inuyasha's expression changed the moment he heard Kagome.
"Oh no,that girl is the hostage Naraku used to manipulate Sesshomaru! If we don't catch up to Kohaku…" His voice tightened. "Sesshomaru, after being toyed with like that, will definitely kill him!"
"Sango, I'll go after Kohaku,!" Sango, who had just arrived, turned pale and immediately prepared to leave.
"Sango,wait!" Kagome stopped her. In one swift motion, she jumped onto Inuyasha's back. "Inuyasha and I will go. Hurry,there's still time! I can sense a Shikon Jewel shard nearby!"
Inuyasha didn't argue. With Kagome on his back, he nodded firmly at Sango.
"We'll go ahead. Don't worry,I'll stop Sesshomaru!"
"Inuyasha… I'm counting on you!" Sango said, her voice heavy with worry.
"Yeah!"
Without another word, Inuyasha dashed off, following Kagome's guidance into the distance.
Sango watched them disappear, her jaw tightening. Then, gripping her Hiraikotsu, she turned toward the remaining demons.
"Out of my way!"
Riding Kirara, she hurled the giant boomerang with all her strength.
Whoosh,!
It carved through the air, tearing the demons apart in a storm of blood and fragments,her fury made manifest.
Nearby, Miroku continued purging demons with his staff. Glancing at Sango's terrifying momentum, he instinctively shrank back a little,and quietly sped up his own work.
Before long, the battlefield fell silent.
"Lady Kikyo… you came from Naraku's castle with Inuyasha?" Sango asked as she landed beside Kagetsu and Kikyo, jumping down from Kirara. "Did Naraku escape again?"
"We did encounter him," Kikyo replied calmly. "As for Naraku…"
She turned toward Miroku, who had just arrived.
"Monk Miroku,your Wind Tunnel. Is it still there?"
"…What?" Sango froze, her face draining of color. "You mean… Naraku might be dead?!"
"He was already gravely injured by Sesshomaru and Inuyasha," Kikyo explained. "While fleeing, he was struck by a combined attack from Lie and me. His aura disappeared."
"…But so did the Shikon Jewel's," she added. "That's why I wanted confirmation."
Sango's eyes immediately shifted to Miroku,filled with hope.
Miroku fell silent.
With a grave expression, he slowly removed the seal from his right hand.
The Wind Tunnel opened,
A violent suction erupted, stirring the air into a roaring gale.
"…It's still there," Sango whispered, her shoulders dropping in disappointment.
"So he's alive after all…" Kikyo said quietly, unsurprised.
"Sango, go find your brother," Kagetsu said, breaking the silence. "Don't let Sesshomaru reach him first."
"Right,Kohaku!"
Miroku quickly resealed the Wind Tunnel and offered a reassuring smile.
"Even if we failed this time, at least we now know Naraku can be defeated. Next time… we won't fail."
"…Yes." Sango steadied herself.
She picked up Shippō, mounted Kirara, and called out, "Monk,hurry!"
Miroku climbed on behind her, then looked back.
"Lie, Lady Kikyo,thank you for the information."
"You're welcome," Kagetsu replied with a nod.
Kirara leapt into the air, carrying them off in pursuit of Inuyasha.
"Let's go too," Kagetsu said.
"Mhm."
Kikyo summoned her shikigami, Kuromaru, and gracefully mounted it. Turning back, she extended a hand toward him with a faint smile.
"It's almost dawn. Let's head back slowly."
Kagetsu took her hand and climbed up behind her, wrapping his arms lightly around her waist.
"Alright. Let's go,back to the shrine."
Kuromaru glided through the forest as the horizon gradually brightened, the distant mountains painted red by the rising sun.
Leaning back against him, Kikyo spoke after a moment.
"Sesshomaru is a full demon… unlike Inuyasha. That means his mother is also a demon, correct?"
"That's right," Kagetsu replied. "Sesshomaru's mother is a powerful dog demon. Inuyasha's mother, on the other hand, was human."
"…So Inuyasha's father had two wives?" Kikyo asked, slightly surprised.
"He did," Kagetsu said, clearly amused by the topic. "His name was Inu no Taishō. One was Lady Sakasagami, Sesshomaru's mother. The other was Princess Izayoi,Inuyasha's mother."
"I see…"
Kikyo nodded thoughtfully,then suddenly turned her head, giving him a sidelong look.
"…Do you plan on having two wives as well?"
Kagetsu blinked, caught off guard.
Then he smiled.
"If my wife is Kikyo… then I'll only ever have one."
A faint smile flickered in Kikyo's eyes.
She didn't respond directly, instead shifting the topic.
"That girl Naraku used… Rin. She's human, isn't she?"
She paused.
"You once said Sesshomaru dislikes humans. But from what we saw… he clearly cares about her. Why?"
Kagetsu chuckled softly.
"He only looked down on humans because he'd never met someone who mattered to him," Kagetsu said.
He continued calmly, "Sesshomaru inherited more than just power from his father. Don't forget,Inu no Taishō himself fell in love with a human."
Kikyo blinked, a faint, almost teasing curiosity surfacing in her eyes.
"…You mean Sesshomaru and that girl… Rin?"
Kagetsu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yes,and no. He says he hates humans, but his actions tell a different story."
"…She's still just a child," Kikyo said, her brows knitting.
"It's not like that," Kagetsu replied lightly. "It's more of a guardian… or an adoptive father, if anything."
Kikyo let out a soft sigh, shaking her head.
"A proud daiyōkai who despises humans… yet ends up raising one. It's…"
"Not strange at all," Kagetsu cut in with a faint smile. "It's in his blood."
He added, almost casually,
"After all, his father once chose a human as well."
Kikyo fell silent.
When she thought about it, Inuyasha's entire family seemed inevitably drawn to humans.
In the end, she exhaled quietly.
"…Perhaps you're right."