"…Tsubaki, I remember you once cursed me," Kikyo said quietly, her gaze steady. "You said that if I ever fell in love with a man, I would die an untimely death."
Her eyes held a trace of puzzlement.
"And yet now, you keep trying to push me toward Retsu. Are you planning to curse me again? Hoping I'll die because I've fallen in love?"
Tsubaki let out a soft laugh. "I'm just curious. After falling in love with a human, how much of your power can you still wield, Kikyo?"
Her eyes locked onto Kikyo's.
"Can you guarantee that man won't become your weakness?"
"My weakness?"
Kikyo almost laughed aloud. She shot Tsubaki a strange look before a confident smile curved her lips.
"To be honest, I don't know how much of my strength I can use. But I do know one thing."
Her smile deepened, radiant and unwavering.
"If I truly were to die again because I fell in love with Retsu… that man would drag me back from the underworld."
Tsubaki sneered. "You once said with absolute certainty that you'd never fall in love. And yet you fell for a half-demon. Now you're so confident about this human? Aren't you afraid you'll actually die?"
"I meant it."
Seeing that Tsubaki still didn't understand, Kikyo spoke plainly.
"Otherwise, how do you think I'm standing here now, when I died fifty years ago?"
"…Wait."
Tsubaki's eyes widened as realization struck. She stared at Kikyo in disbelief.
"You… you really died back then? And that man—Retsu—brought you back to life?"
"Yes."
Seeing Tsubaki finally comprehend, Kikyo smiled brightly. There was something unexpectedly satisfying about unconsciously boasting about Uchiha Retsu.
Her feelings toward Tsubaki were complicated. Though Tsubaki had once cursed her, Kikyo knew her own death had ultimately stemmed from the Shikon Jewel, not Tsubaki.
And after being revived, fifty years had passed. Everyone she once knew had changed beyond recognition.
Inuyasha now stood beside Kagome. Kaede had grown into an old woman.
Only Tsubaki still bore the same youthful face from long ago. That strange familiarity was one reason Kikyo had not killed her.
"I was revived not long ago by the ogress Urasue," Kikyo explained calmly. "She used sorcery to place my soul into a clay body, sustained by lingering attachment. Later, I met Retsu. With his help, I was truly brought back to life."
"…Just who is that man?"
Tsubaki was shaken. She could clearly sense that Kikyo was alive—truly alive. Not a lingering spirit sustained by magic or the Shikon Jewel.
"Ninja," Kikyo replied simply, a faint, mysterious smile playing at her lips.
Tsubaki fell silent. She had never heard of any ninja capable of defying death itself. When Kikyo offered no further explanation, she changed the subject.
"Enough. Why did you bring me here?"
Kikyo looked her up and down, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I happen to be in need of a maid. Why don't you stay and serve me?"
"Impossible!"
Tsubaki's face flushed crimson with humiliation and fury.
"Are you trying to disgrace me? I'd rather die than serve you!"
"I'm joking."
Seeing her reaction, Kikyo turned and pushed open the doors to the main hall.
"Stay here for the night. You'll understand tomorrow."
Tsubaki glared at her back, realizing she'd been toyed with. She followed inside reluctantly.
"You've changed, Kikyo. You used to be so serious. You never joked like this. Has having a man changed you that much?"
"Perhaps."
Kikyo's calm voice drifted back.
"But a woman with no one who wants her wouldn't understand."
Tsubaki ground her teeth silently.
This Kikyo was far more infuriating than the solemn shrine maiden she remembered from fifty years ago.
——
Early the next morning, beneath the torii gate of the shrine, Kikyo bid farewell to villagers who had come seeking treatment.
After seeing them off, she turned to Uchiha Retsu and Tsubaki.
"Alright. Let's go."
She summoned her shikigami, Blackmaru, and mounted the massive black bear in one fluid motion. She gestured to Tsubaki.
"Get on."
Tsubaki eyed the bear-shaped shikigami without surprise. Most shrine maidens created familiars to aid them in battle—just like the white serpent shikigami Kagome had destroyed.
She climbed onto Blackmaru's back with practiced ease.
With two people seated, there was no room left. Retsu followed on foot.
As they passed through the village below the shrine, villagers bowed respectfully.
"Lady Kikyo!"
Kikyo responded with a gentle smile each time.
The once-abandoned settlement was now thriving, filled with people she had saved from demons. Having lost their homes, they settled beneath the shrine and gradually formed a new village—simply named Kikyo Village.
Straightforward, much like Kaede's village.
Some villagers bowed to Retsu as well.
"Lord Shikigami!"
He ignored them entirely.
To the villagers, he was a demon subdued by Lady Kikyo. Naturally, such a being wouldn't bother acknowledging humans.
Once outside the village, Blackmaru picked up speed, weaving through the forest.
Tsubaki glanced back at Retsu, watching him leap fluidly between trees, matching Blackmaru's pace without effort.
"Kikyo… your man really isn't a half-demon?"
"He's human," Kikyo replied calmly. "Just… somewhat special."
Noticing Tsubaki still watching him, Kikyo frowned slightly.
"Have you realized where we're going?"
Tsubaki finally withdrew her gaze and surveyed their surroundings.
Yesterday, she had been transported directly to the shrine and hadn't known its location. Now, as the scenery grew increasingly familiar, her brow slowly furrowed.
Suddenly, she froze.
"This is…" Her voice trembled faintly. "We're going to my master's temple?"
"Yes."
Kikyo's tone held quiet respect.
"He was a greatly honored monk. When I traveled in my youth, I visited him and received guidance. After my revival, I went to pay my respects again—but he passed away several years ago. Only two young shrine maidens remain."
"…He's gone."
For a brief moment, grief flickered in Tsubaki's eyes. Then she let out a cold snort.
"Fifty years have passed. Of course he's dead."
She quickly suppressed her emotion.
"What are we going there for?"
"Your master died too suddenly," Kikyo explained. "His two disciples were too young to fully inherit his teachings."
Her voice remained steady.
"So you will return. You will inherit the temple. You will guide your junior sisters and pass on his legacy."
"Inherit the temple? Teach two brats?"
Tsubaki let out a sharp laugh, full of disdain.
"I'm not interested in something so boring."
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