"My name is Retsu. You can just call me Retsu," he replied concisely.
Seeing the two of them chatting happily, Kikyo frowned slightly. She stepped between them, her gaze falling on Sango and Kagome, and asked, "How did you end up with Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others?"
Hearing this question, a look of deep sorrow appeared on Sango's face, which then turned into intense hatred.
She took a deep breath and explained slowly, "Miss Kikyo, not long after you left the Village, my father took me and the other Demon Slayers from the Village to Hitomi Castle to slay demons."
"But we didn't expect that it was all a plot set by Naraku."
"He manipulated my younger brother, making him kill our father and the companions who went with us with his own hands."
"I was deceived by Naraku into thinking Inuyasha was the enemy. It wasn't until I learned the truth that I joined Kagome and the others to seek revenge against Naraku."
Her voice carried suppressed pain as she told Kikyo about the hatred between herself and Naraku.
"Naraku..." Kikyo repeated the name softly, a flash of sympathy in her eyes. Another person victimized by Naraku.
"I see." Kikyo nodded and turned toward the cave, saying, "Don't just stand here. Let's go in together. This place was likely created by Naraku to recover from his injuries."
"Naraku!" Kagome and Sango exchanged a look upon hearing Kikyo's words. They immediately got up and followed Kikyo into the cave, while calling out to Shippō and Kirara behind them, "Shippō, Kirara, keep up!"
The group soon entered the cave. Kikyo's shimmering white spiritual power acted like a moving barrier, so the dense evil energy inside had no effect on them.
"Is Inuyasha inside?" Kikyo, walking at the front, suddenly asked. Her voice sounded exceptionally clear in the silent cave.
"Uh... yes, he's inside!" Kagome, who was feeling uneasy walking side-by-side with Kikyo, was startled by the sudden question and answered nervously, "Inuyasha and Miroku went in a long time ago, but we haven't seen them come out. We don't know what's happening inside."
Hearing this, Kikyo suddenly stopped and turned to look at Kagome. Her gaze was calm and rippleless as she asked faintly, "You seem... nervous to see me?"
"N-no! Absolutely not!" Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Kagome instantly stiffened. She reflexively raised her voice, her eyes darting away, not daring to meet Kikyo's gaze.
"..." Seeing Kagome's strange behavior, Sango, the last to join the group, was unaware of the history between the two. She gave Kagome a curious look, not understanding why she was reacting so strongly.
Shippō noticed Sango's confusion. He quietly hopped onto her back and whispered in her ear to explain, "Sango, that miko up front is named Kikyo. Kagome is her reincarnation."
As a veteran and one of the first to join the group, he knew the reasons well. He had even been present when Kikyo was resurrected by Urasue.
"R-reincarnation?" Sango's eyes widened, and she looked at Kikyo in shock. "Does that mean... Miss Kikyo is..."
"Mm-hm!" Shippō nodded vigorously and continued to spill the beans. "She died fifty years ago, but was later resurrected by a demon named Kōshi using Kagome's soul."
Before Sango could react, Shippō dropped another bombshell. "Moreover, Kikyo and Inuyasha were once in love. In the end, because of Naraku's plot, Kikyo sealed Inuyasha for fifty years just before she died."
"Ah!" Sango couldn't help but gasp upon hearing Shippō's words, her face full of disbelief.
During this time, she had already noticed that the relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome was unusual; they clearly liked each other.
But she hadn't expected the relationship to be so complicated. Now, she looked back and forth between the calm Kikyo and the nervous Kagome, her face full of gossip.
She hadn't noticed at first, but with Shippō's reminder, she suddenly realized that Kagome and the miko named Kikyo looked very much alike.
Sango and Shippō's voices weren't loud, but since they were in a silent cave, their conversation reached everyone's ears clearly.
Kagome was now stiff all over, wishing she could flee the cave immediately, but her pride kept her from doing so.
"Kagome, don't be afraid. You won last time, so what's there to fear!" Kagome recalled what had happened when she, Kikyo, and Inuyasha met before, and cheered herself up internally.
But for some reason, if Inuyasha were here, she would have the courage to stand before Kikyo. With just the two of them, she felt completely out of place.
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