Chapter 13:
Kikyou's Tears
(Opening: One Day, One Dream)
(BGM: Dead World Indieglut Lugh – .hack/GU)
- "Whoa, this is just like the cave of the springs!" – said Sango as she looked at the blue crystal walls.
- "It's really pretty!" – said Kagome excitedly.
Everyone was marveled upon seeing the beauty of the cave couple with the soft glimmer the crystal walls emitted despite the lack of light coming from the outside. However, this also made it hard for them to follow Takurou without getting lost in the tunnels that formed the cave.
- "I thought the Temple of the Dragon was a beauty, but this cave surpasses it by a thousand times!" – said Gerardo looking around, who was the one who got lost the most easily by being distracted with the crystal walls.
- "I wish I could take some of these back home!" – said Gabriela with shining eyes.
- "Me too!" – exclaimed Kagome.
- "Ya better stop starin' so much if ya don't wanna get lost!" – shouted Inuyasha as he pulled Kagome by the arm and continued advancing with the others.
- "Hey, don't leave us behind!" – said Gerardo angry.
- "Wait for us!" – shouted Gabriela irritated as they both picked up the pace to follow them.
They continued following Takurou through the snaking roads of the cave, trying to not get distracted by the crystals of the cave. The task only got harder the deeper in they went though, as the crystals had begun varying in color and aside of blue, there were also green, pink, purple and any other imaginable color ones.
(End Music)
(BGM: Crystal Palace – Legend of Dragoon)
Finally, the cave stopped being a narrow passage and opened up in the shape of a large dome. The walls of the gallery had pedestals around and there was crystal of a different color on the top of each one, which shone more intensely than any other jewel they had seen thus far. On the far edge of the room, there was a small river that left the place through a large hole in the wall, and in the center there was the main attraction of this whole place: a large blue crystal floating above a circular white crystal altar. Inside the crystal, there was a blue sphere that had water droplet marks scattered throughout it.
- "This cave is really spectacular" – said Miroku with his breath taken away – "It's impossible that nature alone made something like this" –
- "We could say the same about the springs cave" – said Inuyasha – "Both places look very similar" –
- "That crystal…" – said Gerardo as he kept his eyes fixed on it.
- "What about it?" – asked Inuyasha crossing his arms.
- "That is… the Elemental Crystal of Water!" – exclaimed Gerardo with his eyes the size of saucers – "It is the source of my powers, and the point of origin for all the water in Dragonia!" -
- "WHAAAAAT!?" – exclaimed everyone except Takurou and Kikyou.
- "It is true" – said Takurou calmly as he sighed in – "When the village was founded in this place around 70 years ago, a blue dragon appeared before us and told us that we would always enjoy peace and prosperity as long as this crystal was kept safe. We call that dragon Suijinryuu-sama" –
- "That explains why you have a dragon statue inside your temple" – said Kikyou as she looked at the crystal and Gerardo with interest.
- "We know him as Iadlast-sama, and he was who bestowed upon me the power over water" – said Gerardo as he took out his Seirei Crystal from inside his clothes and held it aloft – "Lay... hydragyuu, sos, hydrast eiralme, himiarea paf crillial tast layhallialia ika! Oh, Iadlast, I ask for your permission to step into your hallowed domain!" -
(End Music)
(BGM: Garden of God – Chrono Cross)
- "Young bearer of the power of water, you and your friends are welcome within my domain" – said a known voice. They all wondered where it was coming from, but before they could pinpoint its origin, a splash of water appeared over the crystal, and Iadlast emerged from it.
- "Iadlast-sama!" – said everyone at the same time but Gerardo, Takurou and Gabriela.
- "Lord Iadlast!" – said both siblings.
- "Suijinryuu-sama!" – said Takurou at the same time as the others.
No one imagined that Iadlast was going to show up in this place, even though the Elemental Crystal of Water was there.
- "Iadlast-sama" – said Miroku kneeling down along all the others – "We didn't expect to be in your presence in such a remote place…" –
- "This place is my Layhallialia, or Sacred Precinct" – explained Iadlast – "And I must remain here to keep evil from tainting the Crystal of Water" –
- "That means that all Dragon Gods also have a Sacred Precinct and protect an elemental crystal?" – asked Sango.
- "That is correct, young slayer" – replied Iadlast – "I also wish to tell you this: can you see the sphere inside the crystal?" –
Everyone looked at the blue sphere with water droplet marks within the crystal.
- "That sphere is what actually makes this crystal special…" – said Iadlast with a smile – "As it is the Elemental Nucleus of Water" -
- "And what does that mean exactly?" – asked Kikyou intrigued.
- "It means that it matters not if the crystal is destroyed, as its purpose is just serving as a protection to the Nucleus" – said Iadlast closing his eyes – "However, if the Nucleus is ever destroyed, I shall disappear, alongside all of the water and liquids in Dragonia…" –
- "Knowing this, it wouldn't be surprising that Tenebross was hunting this place down…" – said Gerardo as his expression stiffened.
- "Now I believe it is my turn to ask you a question… What reason compelled you to come here?" – asked Iadlast in a gentle tone as he opened his eyes again.
- "We've come for a crystal we can use for Kagome's memory medallion" – explained Inuyasha folding his arms to his sides and rolling his hands into fists.
- "Hmm, I remember that girl was one of the people that took our test a few days ago. Well then, let me see what I can do for her…" – said Iadlast, and after looking at Kagome and her memory medallion for a couple of seconds, he levitated toward the pedestals crowned by crystals that were scattered throughout the gallery.
He examined the crystals one by one, but apparently, none of these seemed to have what he needed from the reactions they could see from Iadlast. Finally, he got near the darkest crystal in the gallery, and when he touched it with his nose, it began shining in green: it was an emerald.
- "Yes, this is the one" – said Iadlast as he softly grabbed it with one of his frontal legs and carried it to Gerardo – "This emerald will serve for your purposes. However, you must wait until the sunlight shines on it. That will activate it and allow it to accomplish the function it should have" -
- "Understood, and thank you very much!" – said Gerardo bowing before him to then store the emerald inside his Dragtemn.
- "Then we just gotta wait until tomorrow, and Kagome will be back to normal!" – said Inuyasha as he jumped in joy, emotion the others were sharing. Kagome still didn't understand what happened, but still was glad that everyone cared so much about her.
{End BGM}
- "But let's see if you survive this night first!" – said a voice coming apparently from nowhere, which made everyone freeze on their tracks as they were preparing to leave.
- "Who said that!?" – exclaimed Miroku immediately as he looked around. A spurt of dirty water came out from the river the crystal was producing and took the form of a demon: it looked like an octopus man, which wore a dark blue armor and wielded a large trident.
- "Insui!" – said Iadlast indignated – "How do you dare to desecrate these hallowed territories!?" –
- "I've got no interest in fighting you or your lackeys, Iadlast" – said Insui laughing maliciously at the deity – "I've only come here to destroy the Nucleus and take away that girl" –
- "Don't even think you'll be allowed to do that!" – said Gerardo as he and the others drew their weapons.
- "I shall also assist you in everything I can" – said Iadlast as he levitated over them.
- "And as the highest-ranked priest in Ryuusei, this is also my responsiblity" – said Takurou with a serious face as stood at Gerardo's side.
- "How fun. Let's see what you've got then…" – said Insui as if the sole idea of a battle bored him.
- "Let's see if ya still continue thinking yer oh-so-great! KAZE NO KIZU!" – shouted Inuyasha as he swung his sword to release the energy waves, but it didn't do much because Insui turned himself into water, waited until the wave passed him, and took again solid form.
- "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's the best you can manage, dog boy?" – said Insui as he wiggled his finger in a mocking manner and shook his head. Inuyasha exploded in fury.
- "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" – he shouted as he jumped toward Insui wielding his Tessaiga like a madman, but Insui just liquidized himself when Inuyasha tried striking him.
- "Too slow!" – said Insui, and he then punched Inuyasha so hard that he was sent flying back to the others.
- "Damn you, bastard! You'll pay for that!" – said Inuyasha as he stood up and stroked his face where he was hit.
- "SIT DOWN!" – shouted Gabriela. This caused both Gerardo and Inuyasha to fall face-first to the ground, and they were very close to cutting themselves with their own swords due to it.
- "Why in hell did you do that!? You almost killed us!" – shouted both at the same time and with such strength that they made the entire gallery tremble. All the others, even Insui and Iadlast, fixed their eyes on them as they sweatdropped, and the three of them could do no more than blush.
- "If you're done with your stupid antics, it's time for me to beat you to a pulp! Olpla siat, yallal hydrast toi, sos koulltam yst shadlial tastssaks ika! Black Water!" – shouted Insui as he launched a large wave of black water at them.
Gerardo summoned his dragon armor and immediately clapped his hands:
– "Olpla siat, lay hydrast toi, protasec sos fias ika! Tidal Current!" – he said as he moved his hands forward, launching a water wave of the same size as Insui's, though both paled in comparison to the Tsunami he used before. Both waves nullified each other when they made contact.
- "Seiryuu, you mustn't attack him with Water-elemental attacks" – said Iadlast. Most of the group initially had astonished looks from how Iadlast was calling Gerardo by his alias, but upon remembering who he was, the amazement left their minds.
- "That thing can absorb my attacks and heal from them?" – asked Gerardo feeling dismayed, as that meant he was going to be useless in this battle.
- "Only Water-elemental attacks like the Tsunami or the Water Saber. However, non-elemental attacks like normal sword slashes, the Dragon Wave and even some combined techniques can inflict damage on him" – explained Iadlast with a smile – "So don't think you are useless" -
- "Let's just bust it up!" – shouted Inuyasha – "Kaze no Kizu!" –
- "Understood! Watsa ya, hydrast xyaza cezet paewat ika, yst hakisa tastsaks ika. Water's Wound!" – shouted Gerardo as they both launched their energy waves, which fused again into a light green vortex.
- "Destruction Vortex!" – shouted both at the same time as the vortex headed to Insui, who couldn't liquidize in time to avoid it.
- "And don't forget about us!" – sai Miroku as he and Takurou threw several ofudas at him and Sango threw him a ball of poison gas.
- "This… won't finish… me off…" – said Insui between gasps after the multiple impacts he had received.
- "It isn't such a difficult opponent for an elemental demon…" – said Gerardo. However, before they had a chance to react, Insui liquidized and surrounded the crystal in his liquid form.
- "And for being so conceited, you're all gonna die!" – said he as the crystal and the Nucleus it contained began dimming.
- "What is that thing doing!?" – said Kikyou having a terrible feeling about the demon's actions.
- "He is healing by absorbing the power from the Nucleus, as well as trying to corrupt it!" – said Iadlast shocked as he tried to attack him with his claws to make it separate from the crystal, but not even he could damage Insui as long as he was in his liquid form.
- "Can't ya force 'im into a solid form or sumthin'!?" – asked Inuyasha irritated.
- "Unfortunately, his essence is a warped form of the one I rule over. Therefore, I cannot manipulate his nature!" – said Iadlast anguished.
- "Kazaana!" – shouted Miroku as he tried absorbing Insui, but he affixed himself to the crystal in such a way that not even the pull from Miroku's curse could separate him from it. Iadlast had to affix himself to the ceiling of the gallery with his claws until Miroku desisted from his attempts of absorbing Insui. Then he started trying to attack Insui again.
- "Iadlast-sama, step aside!" – shouted Kikyou as two Sacred Arrows: one shot by her and the other by Kaede, whizzed through the air and struck the crystal. This made it and the Nucleus shine even more brightly than before, and the light they released forced Insui away from them.
- "Damn mikos! I couldn't corrupt the Nucleus, but at least I managed to absorb enough energy to heal myself and destroy you all!" – said the demon as he liquidized himself and rushed toward Gabriela.
- "Yumeko, do something before he attacks you!" – shouted Gerardo as he flew as fast as he could in her direction to try to protect her, but he wouldn't reach her in time: Insui was faster.
- "Ist Wasriats OschmeRe Illyusea Kiabze Pawatz Zosph, Phaph Myya Zosph Phiaphz Ical… Illyusea Pawatz! Dragoon!" – shouted Gabriela when Insui was about to reach her. She began shining with a white light, got herself enclosed inside a white sphere, and when she emerged from it, she was wearing her white dragon armor and her bow had some diamonds appear near the arrow rest and the nocks.
- "I didn't think this brat could also use her powers!" – said Insui as he put some distance away from her, afraid of the light she was emitting – "But it doesn't matter: she's still the weakest link in your group!" -
- "Who're you calling weak!?" – asked Gabriela furious as she loaded an arrow into her bow, which began shining in silver as soon as she began pulling the bowstring to shoot it – "Watsa ya, briyauik seleila, lusellsya sossaks, yst gaivz pawat sos royawfle ika, soif protasec sos fias ika! Fullmoon Arrow!" -
The silver arrow struck Insui directly and the magic on it forced him back to his solid form.
- "Damn you! So you're a Moon-elemental!" – said Insui as he gritted his fangs.
- "Ah, I see! As the moon can control the tides, it can exert some control over Water-elemental creatures too!" – said Gerardo with a smile on his face – "Yumeko, time for a quadruple technique!" –
- "But how?" – said Gabriela with a disconcerted expression that was also reflected on everyone else's faces.
- "Shoot a Light Arrow to my sword at the same time Kikyou and Kaede shoot each a Sacred Arrow!" – said Gerardo as he began chanting the spell for his Water Saber.
- "Okay!" – replied her as she began charging her next arrow with energy.
- "Isn't that a bit risky, onee-sama?" – asked Kaede as she began getting ready.
- "If you trust him, everything will come out well" – said Kikyou smiling in a strange way as she readied a Sacred Arrow – "As I'm sure that it's in this way that they triumphed in the battles in which they took part" –
- "NOW!" – shouted Gerardo as his sword began shining in blue.
The three arrows were shot at the same time, flying through the air covered in white and purple energy, and when they struck the Ryuuga's blade, the sword began shining in a platinum blue.
- "Hallowed Saber!" – shouted Gerardo as he rushed and slashed Insui with the energized Ryuuga. Insui was greatly injured, but it seemed that the effects of Gabriela's Fullmoon Arrow had run out by then, as he liquidized himself again in an attempt to escape.
- "Kaede, shoot at him with the ice arrow!" – said Miroku when a sudden inspiration hit him – "If I'm right, that should freeze him!" -
Kaede just nodded, and as she took out the clear blue arrow from her quiver and prepared to shoot it, she recited the words that were etched on it – "Ist Cielba Clyezet Iadlicae Ilical Thafz Ical!" -
As soon as the arrow touched Insui, it turned him into a solid mass of ice.
- "Heh, I'm glad Miroku remembered the arrow, and that you trusted me enough to chant what the letters etched on it said without knowing they are a spell similar to the ones we use" – said Gerardo with a pleased smile.
- "And I see this is what you meant when you said that it'd "freeze dry any problems", huh?" – said Kaede as she giggled.
- "Let's talk later! Now, let's finish him off!" – shouted Inuyasha as he ran with Tessaiga held aloft to strike Insui. Miroku, Sango and Gerardo also went in and began striking the ice with all their strength.
- "We can't destroy it! This ice is too hard!" – said Sango as they continued hitting the ice, which didn't even get cracked despite the force they were striking it with.
- "Damn! I didn't expect this mass to end up being so solid!" – said Gerardo irritated - "I shouldn't have given so much power to the spell in the arrow..." -
- "Even if you managed to shatter the ice, it would not be enough to finish Insui off, so I shall bestow you this…" – said Iadlast as he began singing – "Zyacc Alttyaok Zosph, Iadlast, Quarlart Dea Iadlast, Jila Oalmia Zosph Yiliab Gull Iadlast, Gyalaz Zosph Pawatz Zosph NarraZilAael Ical" -
He then flapped his wings in their direction, and the resulting air current made their weapons start shining with a bright blue light.
– "I have endowed your weapons with my power, but I made sure to not put my elemental energy on it so it will not heal him. Now, expel him from this holy ground!" – said Iadlast energetically.
They immediately resumed their attacks, and this time their strikes began making dents and cracks on the ice. This finally came to an end when Gerardo and Inuyasha jumped and struck the frozen Insui with their swords from above at the same time. The force of the attack was such that it completely shattered the ice mass.
- "At last, we've won" – said Gerardo as he and Gabriela cancelled their transformations and sat down gasping on the ground.
- "Yes, we've finally defeated him" – said Miroku very softly as he smiled. Everyone began celebrating their victory at once. However, they didn't notice that a sphere of black water was squirming through the ground and was getting close to Kagome…
- "AAAAHHHHH!" – screamed her scared.
- "Kagome!" – shouted everyone as they ran to her. Kagome was now enshrouded by a bubble of black water and seemed to be asphyxiating.
- "Even if I die, I'll take the girl with the sacred powers with me!" – shouted Insui. They couldn't see his face anymore, but could still hear his voice clearly.
- "Get away from her, ya damn creep!" – screamed Inuyasha enraged.
- "And how do you intend to force me to do that?" – asked Insui in a mocking tone – "If you try attacking me, you could end up killing me… but I take no responsibility for what happens to her!" -
- "You are a goddamned coward!" – screamed Gerardo enraged due to the demon resorting to such a dirty and underhanded act – "And anyway, you can't kill her! Tenebross needs her alive to extract her powers!" -
- "*cough*… *cough*… Why're they always calling me the girl with the sacred powers?" – asked Kagome irritated, but with great effort due to Insui constricting her, making it harder for her to breath with every passing second – "And Seiryuu-nii's right: I heard they need me alive to get that thing from me, and they can't if I die!" -
- "You both are sorely mistaken! If you die, I can extract your powers from your corpse much more easily, and I'll send them to Lord Tenebross before I leave this world!" – said Insui in a demented-sounding voice – "Mwahahahahahahaaha!" -
- "Dammit…!" – said Inuyasha as he glared at Insui with fury.
Everyone was furious and frustrated, as their hands were tied when it came to saving Kagome. Not even Iadlast could do anything to help them, and even though he was sending oxygen to Kagome to keep her alive a bit longer while they tried to find a solution, she was beginning to black out from the lack of air, and her vision began to darken.
- 'Is… this… my end…?' – she thought saddened as her eyes began filling with tears, thinking she would never see her family again. But then, a bright light began appearing from the darkness. It began as just a small sphere, but it then grew until it took the form of a teenage girl: it was Kagome herself but at her true age.
- "Who… are you?" – asked the little girl.
- "It'd be very complicated to explain it for now. You'll learn it yourself when the time comes" – explained the older Kagome as she smiled.
- "I don't think I'll live enough for that… *sob*…" – said the little Kagome as she began crying – "That monster's about to kill me… *sob*… and my friends can't do anything to help me…" –
- "Just trust them, and have more confidence in yourself. You also have a special power sleeping within you, remember? You just have to find how to let it out" – said the older Kagome as she began disappearing.
- "But how I do that?" – asked the little Kagome.
- "I know you'll figure it out on your own!" – said the older Kagome as a burst of light illuminated her and she vanished in a shower of bright dust.
Kagome then woke up and went back to reality: she was still drowning within the nasty black water into which Insui had turned, and her friends and companions were looking at her with worry, powerless to do anything.
- "Let… me go…" – said Kagome in a soft, but clear voice.
- "What did you say, brat?" – asked Insui, thinking he misheard her.
- "I said… let me go!" – screamed Kagome.
- "Oh, scary! If you wanna make me let you go, you'll have to destroy me, and that's impossible for a little baby that can't even use her powers!" – said Insui as he mocked his victim and laughed. But his laughter came to an end when Kagome's body began shining with an intense white light.
- "Kagome is releasing her spiritual powers!" – said Kikyou as her eyes widened in shock – "I never expected she would be able to unleash such a great amount of energy in that form of a five-year old child!" -
- "Onee-sama, it's possible for someone to have as much power as you?" – asked Kaede, amazed upon hearing Kikyou's words.
- "Her powers are on the same level as mine, but she had them blocked like her memories" – said Kikyou gritting her teeth.
Everyone began getting closer to Kagome and Insui, the latter immobilized. Even though he was in his liquid form, they could still hear his moans of terror from what Kagome was doing.
- "This is his end" – sentenced Iadlast as he closed his eyes solemnly – "I can feel the power Kagome is about to unleash, and in Insui's weakened state, it is impossible for him to withstand such a powerful energy shock" -
- "For the last time… LET ME GOOOO!" – screamed Kagome as she released an explosion of light so strong that Insui was vaporized and stopped existing at once while he screamed in terror. Kagome fell to her feet into the ground, but she collapsed a few seconds later, though Inuyasha managed to catch her before she hit the ground.
The next second, a small fragment of a black crystal fell to her side: it was the Fragment of Shadows Insui was carrying, so Gabriela hurried and put it away into the Satchel of Light she had.
- "Looks like the kosode Orimi gave her did serve well in unlocking her powers" – said Gerardo as he looked at Kagome and softly stroked her cheeks. They then heard some footsteps approaching to them, but it was just Sesshomaru.
- "If ya came for a fight, yer late, dear brother" – said Inuyasha with a mocking smile – "We've already defeated the demon Tenebross sent this time" -
- "Shut up, Inuyasha" – replied Sesshomaru. Though his expression was still the same as always, his voice gave away he was angry, which made everyone laugh.
- "Well then, we should get going. We have no further business here" – said Gerardo with a smile.
(BGM: Wind's Theme – Popolocrois Anime)
- "Please, wait a moment. Seiryuu, Kirara" – said Iadlast as he levitated to be in front of them – "Both of you have proven your qualities as dragoons, and therefore, it is time for me to bestow upon you more of our power" –
He then made a couple of medallions appear in front of him and left them floating in the air before both siblings: one was blue with the symbol of Water and the other was white with silver borders, which had the symbols of Moon and Light. Both medallions had a little key of their same color stored within the elemental symbol, and on their back, they had a keyhole.
- "These medallions are for unlocking the next level for the power of the dragon, correct?" – asked Gerardo as he and his sister took their respective medallion.
- "Yes. And I think I don't have to explain their usage, as you should know it very well" – said Iadlast as he began fading away – "Well then, it is time for you to leave. I bid you farewell, and wish you good luck on your journeys" -
The cave's ground began shining intensely with a blue light as a dragon emblem made of that light appeared under them. The light then became so intense it dazzled them, they felt as if they were being softly pulled upwards to then come down with the same softness. When the light dimmed enough for them to be able to see their surroundings again, they found themselves inside the cave, but close to the exit.
{End BGM}
- "Looks like Iadlast-sama teleported us to the entrance of the cave" – said Takurou very amazed – "Please excuse me, I have to go and tell about this to the other priests" -
He then began walking in the direction of the exit, but he stopped when he had barely taken a couple of steps.
- "What happened?" – said Kagome. She had woken up, and was moving up and down, as if she wanted to tell Inuyasha she wanted to be on the ground.
- "Kagome, are ya okay?" – asked Inuyasha as he set her on the ground.
- "Yeah, Inuyasha-nii" – said Kagome to then let a large yawn out – "But I'm sleepy and tired…" -
- "The same goes for us" – said Gerardo stretching as Gabriela yawned as well – "The battle with Insui was pretty exhausting..." –
- "But what could have happened that made Takurou-sama stop in that place?" – asked Sango. The others were curious about this too, and after looking at each other, they walked to the exit. The reason was made clear when they were close enough.
- "Kouga, why are you so stubborn with searching for Kagome?" – said the sad voice of a girl, which also sounded familiar to them - "Don't you get I love you more?" –
- "Ayame, leave me alone already!" – replied Kouga's voice – "I just wanna see if Kagome's fine, as her scent changed again!" -
- "I can garner a guess about why that discussion is taking place…" – said Gerardo with a peeved gaze on his eyes, as he had something of a disliking for Kouga. He then walked to them until he had them on their sight.
- "Oh wow, the great wolf chief Kouga graces us with his presence" – said Gerardo in a sarcastic tone.
- "I don't like your voice tone. And who in hell are you?" – asked Kouga irritated.
- "He's a new friend of us, Kouga. His name's Seiryuu" – said Sango – "And he has helped us a lot" –
- "Hmph, he has a similar air to the mutt. And talking about him, where has he run off now?" – he asked before sniffing the air – "I can smell his nasty odor pretty close, but it feels a bit different" –
- "Were ya lookin' for me, flea-ridden wolf?" – asked Inuyasha arrogantly as he stepped out from behind the others.
- "Wha…!?" – said surprised, but he then began laughing so hard that it seemed he would faint from the lack of air – "I… can't… believe… you're… so… STUPID! You've already been two weeks at it and you haven't been able to get back to normal!? How pathetic!" –
- "Who're ya callin' stupid, idiot!?" – shouted Inuyasha in fury. Obviously he wasn't finding anything funny about the situation – "I'm gonna tear ya to pieces!" –
Gerardo initially considered butting into this too, but he then decided it'd be better for Inuyasha to settle the matter on his own and that he would intervene only if it was necessary.
- "Yeah, of course! And yet you're still a brat!" – said Kouga as he laughed and mocked Inuyasha – "It's amazing you still haven't found the cure!" –
- "Aah…" – sighed Ayame in a sad and lonesome way – "Kouga's still every bit as annoying as always, not to mention that he's so childish that Inuyasha's child form would better fit him instead" -
- "Hello, Ayame" – said Miroku in a casual way – "What have you been doing since the last time we met?" –
- "Exploring the region in search of Naraku, but lately it's gotten harder to find clues to his whereabouts" – replied Ayame with a smile – "But… weren't you seeking a cure for him and Kagome?" –
- "Yeah, and we did find it" – said Sango – "But… Naraku ruined everything when he put a curse on Kagome a few days ago and…" –
- "Kagome?" – interrupted Kouga excitedly – "And where's she?" –
- "She's over here, but I don't think she'll recognize you" – replied Shippou as he showed Kouga the two girls that were behind him. Kouga rushed to them.
- "Kagome, you still know who I am, right?" – asked he to Gabriela as he held her hands. Gabriela just showed an irritated expression on her face, pulled away her hands from his grasp, whipped out her bow and struck Kouga on the head with it.
- "Are you stupid or your nose doesn't work anymore now!?" – said her angry to then point to Kagome while Kouga held his head in pain – "She's Kagome!" -
- "I'll make you pay for this later" – said Kouga in a threatening tone to then turn to Kagome. Gabriela just stuck out her tongue at him – "Kagome, is that you? Do you remember me?" -
- "Err… sorry, onii-san…" – said Kagome shyly – "But I don't know you…" –
Kouga was paralyzed from the shock.
- "You… really… don't know who I am?" – asked Kouga again.
- "No, I have no idea" – replied Kagome a bit scared. In response, Kouga was left paralyzed with a mute scream on his face, as if he had gotten petrified.
- "Hehehe, that's sure to teach him to stop being so annoying for a while!" – said Gerardo as he burst in laughter with the others upon seeing Kouga's expression.
- "Well, we'd do well to go and sleep" – said Miroku after the laughter ceased, to then turn in direction to the village – "There's a long journey waiting for us tomorrow" –
- "Agreed, Houshi-sama" – said Sango after she let out a small yawn as she and the others followed Miroku.
- "Wait a sec!" – said Kouga hurriedly. Apparently, he had already got over his little shock.
- "And what do you want now?" – asked Shippou a bit annoyed.
- "Shut up, midget!" – replied Kouga – "I'm gonna go with you until Kagome's back to her usual self, but don't mistake my intentions: I'm doing it for Kagome, not for you" -
- "And I'll stay too, as I'm going to make sure Kouga doesn't do anything nasty!" – said Ayame smiling mischievously.
- "You always gotta bother me, Ayame?" – asked Kouga annoyed.
- "It's a pleasure for me!" – replied Ayame with a smile.
- "Do whatever you want, third-rate wolf" – said Gerardo as he and Gabriela headed to Jousui's hut, while the others went to the huts where they would spend the night and Sesshomaru left the village again.
However, right before they went to sleep…
- "Takurou-sama, excuse me. I wish to ask you something that has been bothering me ever since we learned about the existence of this place" – said Miroku as he walked to him.
- "What is it, Houshi-san?" – asked Takurou a bit intrigued.
- "Why does this village have the name Ryuusei?" – asked Miroku with an interested expression.
(BGM: First Time Ashore – Popolocrois Anime)
- "Please look upwards" – said Takurou as he smiled at him and the others. They did as they were instructed, and they were pleasantly surprised to see that not only the sky was filled to the brim with stars and the Milky Way was clearly visible, but also that there were countless comets and shooting stars zooming throughout the black skies, making for a spectacular and beautiful view.
- "I guess this explains it, don't you think?" – asked Takurou gently – "Our village has this name because on this place, shooting stars are seen much more often than in any other place" –
- "It's beautiful…" – said Gabriela with a smile.
- "How pretty…" – said both Kagome and Rin. They continued looking at the beautiful sights for a while more, and then went to sleep.
{End BGM}
Next morning, they ate breakfast and prepared to leave for Kaede's village. The Ryuusei children met with them again near the village gate.
- "Well, it's time for us to go" – said Gerardo with a smile on his face.
- "Will you visit us again someday?" – asked Akiko as her eyes began filling with tears.
- "Of course. We'll make sure to come back here someday, so please look forward to it. Okay?" – said Gerardo as he knelt and hugged Akiko who did the same thing back. Jousui gave him a high-five after they separated. Gabriela then hugged her as well.
All of the children began bidding farewell to all the other members of the group, and with smiles that showed hopes for meeting again, as well as sadness for having to part ways, they continued looking at them as they exited through the village gate.
- "Okay, I think it's about time" – said Inuyasha as Sesshomaru and Jaken walked to them – "Gerardo, gimme the emerald Iadlast gave us yesterday" –
- "Got it. Here you go" – said Gerardo nodding as he took out the emerald from his Dragtemn and handed it to him.
- "Wasn't this guy's name Seiryuu?" – asked Kouga confused as Inuyasha took the emerald and put it under one of the many sun rays that were filtering throughout the trees.
- "That's just an alias. His true name is Gerardo, and his sister is Gabriela" – explained Sango as they continued watching how after a few seconds, the emerald began shining a little more strongly, indicating it was ready to accomplish its functions.
- "Kagome, you'll get everything that's happening very soon" – said Inuyasha with a smile as he put the emerald into the empty socket of the medallion Kagome had around her neck, while Kagome herself smiled. After Inuyasha finished and got away from Kagome, the medallion began shining, as also did Kagome herself, and once the light died down, she was smiling with her eyes closed.
- "So, are you back to yourself?" – asked Shippou as he fidgeted a bit worried.
- "You could say it, Shippou" – said Kagome as she giggled. While her voice still was as childish and high-pitched as ever, her way of talking showed more maturity than in the previous days.
- "Okay then… do you mind if we try something out to make sure the medallion's actually working? Could you say all our names?" –asked Gerardo.
- "Gladly" – said Kagome with a smile, as she began pointing to each one and said their names correctly, until… - "And my two newest friends are Seiryuu, whose true name is Gerardo; and Kirara, whose true name is Gabriela!" -
- "It's official now! Kagome… welcome back!" – exclaimed Gerardo, as he and everyone else in the group ran in and hugged her. The only ones who didn't join in were Sessomaru, Jaken, Kaede and Kikyou.
- "No, come on!" – said Kagome as she laughed – "It's enough!" –
- "Sorry. It's just that it felt like we didn't see you for such a long time" – said Sango after they separated a bit from her.
- "The truth is that I tried to come out several times, but the curse Naraku put on me imprisoned me within my own mind" – said Kagome saddened – "I could only help you in the fight with Insui because at that time, since I was in mortal danger, the seal on me weakened enough for me to use my powers… I'm sorry for having made you go through so much trouble…" -
- "Don't mind it. What's important here is that you are back now" – said Miroku as he patted her shoulder.
- "That's right. And as your friends, we'd go even to the ends of the world to help you" – said Gerardo with a smile.
- "And it was very fun playing with you!" – said Rin smiling, while Gabriela nodded smiling too.
- "And it'd look pretty bad if I was with a little girl who didn't even remember me" – said Kouga, but his comment went thoroughly ignored by everyone.
- "Everyone… thank you…" – said Kagome as her eyes filled with tears from how moved she was.
- "Kagome…" – began Inuyasha.
- "Inuyasha…" – said Kagome. They just stood in front of each other as they looked straight in the eyes at each other. They couldn't say anything, but words were unnecessary at that moment. They began getting closer, and when they were just a few inches from each other...
- "Oh… come on! Stop this cutesy crap!" – shouted Kouga as he stepped in, interrupting the scene. Kikyou had turned around to not see anything right before Kouga entered in.
- "Well done, stupid!" – said Gabriela angry as she struck Kouga with her bow again. Kouga fell to the ground and began grabbing his head from the pain – "Thanks for ruining a nice scene!" -
- "And too bad I didn't bring my camera…" – said Gerardo bitterly, unaware that the Dragtemns also had a function that allowed them to act as photographic and video cameras.
- "Whatever. All that garbage called human emotions is just a nuisance" – said Sesshomaru looking upwards.
- "As if we were gonna believe that" – said Inuyasha with an unimpressed face.
- "Can we stop arguing and continue our journey?" – asked Kagome, who was red from embarrassment.
There was nothing else to say, so they just began undoing all the walking they had done the two previous days. The descent from the mountain and the first half of the trip through the plains were pretty easy in comparison to the ascent, as Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kagome were riding on Kirara; Sesshomaru was flying on his own; Rin, Kaede, Kikyou and Jaken were riding on Ah-Un; Inuyasha, Ayame and Kouga were running; and Gerardo and Gabriela were taking advantage of the wings in their armors and were flying.
- "By the way, Kagome" - asked Sango - "Aside of you being a five-year old but with your memories back, is there anything else different from the usual?" -
- "Let me think..." - said Kagome as she closed her eyes for a moment - "Nope, nothing. My mind seems to be working the way it should, and I can also feel Miko's presence still sleeping inside me" -
- "Hmm, looks like the curse you got didn't affect her" - said Miroku nodding - "It's a relief too" -
- "Yeah" - said Kagome - "I know I should be worrying more about myself, but still... In a way, I'm glad I'm the only one who got affected by that curse" -
- "Have you grown fond of your split persona of sorts?" - asked Gerardo as he flew a bit closer to her.
- "You can say that, Gerardo-kun" - smiled Kagome - "We could say I think of her as a little sister of sorts, like you see Gaby-chan" -
- "That's nice!" - smiled Gabriela - "But... doesn't it make you feel kind of lonely that you won't be ever able to talk to her or share time with her in any way?" -
- "Yeah, that's true..." - said Kagome looking downward - "I wish we could be together, but it doesn't look like I can do more for her aside of letting her out so she can play sometimes..." -
- "Anyway, ya should just worry 'bout yerself, Kagome" - said Inuyasha - "You'll have time to worry 'bout Miko later" -
- "Don't you consider your younger self a little brother too, Inuyasha?" - asked Gabriela giggling.
- "Hngg...! I won't answer that!" - growled Inuyasha as he blushed and rushed even faster ahead.
- "He has a hard time being honest with himself, huh?" - said Sango while the others followed him still shocked from his reaction.
A little later after they managed to reach Inuyasha and he had let his embarrassment evaporate, Kouga decided to comment on the newcomers to the group...
- "And what's up with these ridiculous armors?" – asked Kouga when they were reaching the border of the forest after the plains, where they decided to stop for a little rest.
- "Oh, so they're ridiculous now…?" – said Gerardo calmly, but his voice sounded more like a dragon's growl than his normal voice, showing he was furious. He clapped his hands – "We'll see about that…" –
A water pillar sprouted from the place where Kouga stepped, making him fly into the air, until he fell back to the ground on his head with a thud.
- "What was that?" – asked Kagome as she looked at Gerardo from the corner of her eye.
- "What?" – said Gerardo in a falsely innocent tone as he shrugged his shoulders upon noticing how Kagome was looking at him. Kagome just sighed in response while Ayame went to check on Kouga's condition.
- "Hell, where did all that water come from?" – said Kouga as he scratched his head. He only got a couple of bruises out from this
- "I think you've learned now who you're dealing with, silly wolf!" – said Inuyasha behaving similar to Shippou to the point it was scary: he had a mocking smile, his eyes were closed, and he had his hands on his hips.
- "Huh? And that pose, Inuyasha?" – asked Shippou divided between worry and laughter – "Being a kid for so long has begun making you funny on the head?" -
Inuyasha didn't get what Shippou meant at first, but when he realized how his behavior was changing a moment later, he was horrified.
- "Ahahaha!" – laughed Kouga – "Now that mutt's acting like the kid he is!" -
This triggered yet another fight between them… After a while, Kagome desisted from trying to stop them and instead asked Gerardo to whip out her backpack to eat some food. Gerardo just nodded and cancelled his transformation, which Gabriela also did immediately, in order to save their energy.
Shortly later, Kagome and Sango began making the food while Ayame and Rin observed them. The others were sitting over a checkered tablecloth waiting for the food while Inuyasha and Kouga continued their little fight, while Kikyou, at Gabriela's request, explained to her and Kaede some of the basic pointers on archery, as well as the handling of spiritual powers. Not like the latter was going to be of any use to Gabriela, though.
- "By the way, I've been curious about something ever since you got your powers" – said Miroku after a while of watching Inuyasha and Kouga fight. Sesshomaru was also looking at this, and was enjoying himself a lot due to taking it as a confirmation of the ideas he had about Inuyasha.
- "Hmm, what is it?" - asked Gerardo as he handed Sango a few of the fruits from Kagome's backpack.
- "Why is it that your powers can't be kept active during a long time in battle, but when we're traveling or resting they last until you cancel them out?" – asked Miroku with his hand on his chin.
- "Actually, we've all been wondering about it" – said Sango as she got out a knife from the backpack and began cutting the fruits. Everyone was looking at both siblings with interest again.
- "Well, it's just because battle demands much more energy from us due to the additional pressure, not to mention having to spend it in spells and techniques too" – explained Gerardo – "While when we're traveling, we just limit ourselves to flying…" -
- "So basically, they spend more energy when they are in a dangerous situation than in a calm one. Makes sense to me" – said Kagome after they took out some water to boil a few greens that the people from Ryuusei gave them as a parting gift.
But then, they heard some footsteps softened by the grass. This finally brought to an end the quarrel between Inuyasha and Kouga, and similarly, Kikyou, Kaede and Gabriela had to interrupt the little lesson they were having. Now they were looking attentively at the direction they thought they heard the footsteps coming from.
- "Be quiet" – said Inuyasha growling after a while – "We don't know what it could be" –
- "As long as it isn't other of Tenebross' horrible things…" – said Gabriela looking tense.
- "Who's that?" – asked Kouga puzzled – "Aren't you after Naraku now, mutt?" –
- "Just shut it!" – said Inuyasha trying to control himself. He began sniffing the air, and shortly later…
– "No, it isn't a youkai. But it has a strong smell of perfume and fine fabric…" – said Inuyasha with his face twisted as if the smell was unpleasant to him.
- "A strong perfume smell?" – asked Gerardo – "I wonder if it's a princess or something…" -
A few moments later, a boy of around Gerardo's age came out from the nearby bushes. However, they couldn't be any more different: he wore a dark green kosode with a black haori over it, which had many emblems embroidered on it, had a long and silky black hair tied in a ponytail, and had a sheathed katana tied to his right hip. He wore zori and tabi, but had a rather unpleasant expression on his face and was standing with an arrogant posture.
- "Good… day…" – said Gerardo as he looked at the boy amazed: he had already seen pictures of Feudal Japan nobles before, but it was another thing seeing one in person.
- "Good day" – replied the boy as he examined Gerardo, Gabriela and the others with his eyes.
- "Er… excuse me. We are in the middle of a journey and we stopped a bit to eat. I was wondering if you would like to join us…" – said Gerardo just to be courteous, as while he didn't want to seem disrespectful, the boy gave him a bad feeling.
- "About the food, did you bring it from your palaces or did you obtain it from a village?" – asked the boy with an unpleasant gaze.
- "We could say part and part" – said Gabriela playing along, though she narrowed his eyes shortly after she answered. The boy just got closer to them, but didn't bother taking his footwear off or sitting on the tablecloth with the others.
- "If I may ask, could you tell us your name?" – asked Gerardo.
- "Me? I am Tahara Ookami" – replied the boy in a haughty tone – "And you are…?" –
- "Mizuboshi Seiryuu and Mizuboshi Kirara" – replied Gerardo, harboring the feeling that it would be better for them to use their aliases this time.
- "Interesting. And who are these people?" – asked Ookami as he looked at Inuyasha and the others with contempt, and while Gerardo noticed this at once, he began making efforts to not explode in anger – "Are they your servants?" –
- "They aren't anything like that!" – said Gabriela in an offended tone – "They are our friends!" -
- "How pathetic…" – said Ookami to then let out a loud laughter – "Ahahahaha! And you call yourselves nobles while having such friends? Peasants and youkai?" -
Everyone began getting angry. Gerardo himself began feeling his blood boil, but before he could do anything…
- "However, there are also mikos, monks and slayers here. I'd like you to not refer to us in such a horrible way" – said Kagome with a calm voice and trying to talk as politely as she could, but she had her face filled with anger.
- "Shut up, peasant girl!" – spewed Ookami with an arrogant voice as he buffeted her with the back of the hand – "I've always thought that those that relate with the peasants, foreigners or clergy members of the lowest class don't deserve to be among us!" –
- "And who in hell ya think you're!?" – shouted Inuyasha sick of Ookami's words as he grabbed Kagome to keep her from falling to the ground. She was still stroking the cheek where she was buffeted – "My mother was a princess, and she never educated me in such a stupid way!" -
- "Oh, a hanyou kid?" – said Ookami in a mocking tone. He then punched Inuyasha on the stomach, making him spit saliva and fall to his knees, holding himself where he was hit – "This is what you deserve. Your mother must have been desperate to have married with an idiotic dog, like the one I guess your father was" -
Sesshomaru was trying to keep himself in control in order to not break the deal he made with Gerardo, though his eyes had turned red: he was quite willing to go and slice off Ookami's head. Kikyou and Kaede had their faces filled with rage too…
- "Being a noble isn't acting like a piece of scourge, Tahara!" – shouted Gerardo. This was the first time he called Ookami by name, but he was so angry that he didn't bother using honorifics - 'First dead than using any honorific with a piece of crap like this!'
- "What a fool!" – said Ookami as he looked at the sky with a demented face – "We nobles… are similar to the gods! We can put the peasants to work, we obtain our riches and luxuries out of them, and we kill them off when they outlive their usefulness! Non-nobles are no more than expendable tools!" -
Everyone stood there as if a shockwave had hit them. Ookami had some fun looking at the spooked faces they had, but unfortunately for him, Gerardo was the first to regain his senses. He had enough of this… his face was filled to the brim with rage, so much he seemed like an entirely different person… he then walked up to Ookami, and when he had him right in front, he punched him on the face so hard that he threw him to the ground and made him spit blood.
- "W-w-w-what have you done!?" – said Ookami as he got back on his feet rather messily, spooked that anyone would have dared to punch him.
- "I gave you just what you deserved…" – said Gerardo. Once again, he was so angry that his voice was sounding more similar to a dragon's growl.
- "Y-y-y-you will see… I shall kill you for this offense!" – said Ookami unsheathing his sword.
- "We'll see about that" – said Gerardo as he drew Ryuuga. Ookami paled when he saw the sword's guard: more specifically its dragon-themed decorations. He sheathed his sword again as he trembled.
- "I… I won't… kill you today…" – said he while he trembled.
- "What do you intend to do then?" – said Gerardo daring him – "And before you get the ridiculous idea of making us commit seppuku, I'll remind you that I'm no servant of yours, and my friends are under my and my sister's protection" -
- "I'll come back and kill you. I'll kill you all next time!" – said Ookami as he turned around and began running away.
- "Inuyasha, give that bastard a push" – said Gerardo in a low voice. Inuyasha had already recovered somewhat from the hit, but he still was furious about it and the way he slapped Kagome, so he didn't even nod in response.
He unsheathed his Tessaiga and swung it to make it launch a stream of wind, which grabbed Ookami, and made him fly until he crashed head first against a rock that was about two meters away from him. He turned around, got himself even more scared upon seeing Inuyasha's large sword, and began running even faster as he yelled in terror.
- "Damned imitation of a noble" – said Gerardo as he sat back down. He was still angry enough to release steam, but his anger began subsiding little by little. He then went to Kagome and Inuyasha, and began using his Healing Water song to erase the marks of the hits they received.
- "Gerardo-kun…" – asked Sango cautiously – "Are you okay?" –
- "Yeah… I'm fine…" – said Gerardo as he snorted. His voice began regaining its normal sound.
They then continued eating under a rather awkward silence, until…
- "What was all that acting?" – asked Kouga as he looked at Gerardo in an unpleasant manner.
- "That was no acting!" – exploded Gerardo from the accusation: he instantly got on his feet and extended his arms in full as he shouted at Kouga – "I said that very seriously! I can't stand people that think themselves superior to everyone else, or believe themselves to be gods, or that are so arrogant and entitled that they think the universe revolves around them!" -
- "Don't worry" – said Kagome as she grabbed him by an arm – "Remember in our era that kind of people are looked down upon… and thanks for defending us…" -
- "No… no problem…" – said Gerardo as he blushed. His fury had already gone away and he started looking at Kagome with worry – "By the way, shouldn't you go back to your normal form already?" -
- "Ah… right, gimme just a second!" – said Kagome as she got out a uniform and the bottle with aging water out from her backpack.
- "I'll go with you this time. We can't risk losing you again" – said Sango smiling. Kagome smiled as she nodded in response, and both of them got up and went to some nearby bushes. There was a white flash, and shortly later, Kagome and Sango returned. Kagome was wearing her school uniform and was carrying the clothes she wore in her child form folded in her arms. She stored them in her backpack after they returned.
- "Now it's my turn!" – said Inuyasha excitedly. He just drank the water in that same place, and the next instant he was back to his normal self.
- "Keh, didja see that, stupid wolf?" – said Inuyasha to Kouga – "I'm not as stupid as ya thought!" –
- "No, you're even more stupid than that!" – said Kouga to make him angry – "You could go back to normal any time, but you didn't do it!" –
- "I just did that to not scare Kagome, flea brain!" – replied Inuyasha as he leapt in Kouga's direction.
- "Sit down!" – said Kagome. Two bodies slamming against the ground were heard, as were also two "Damn" said at the same time.
- "I didn't really miss that from you…" – said Inuyasha weakly.
- "Same here…" – said Gerardo saddened.
- "I'm sorry, but I don't think this is a good time for quarrels…" – said Kagome a bit sad while Kouga just blinked at the whole scene.
Kagome then turned to look at Kikyou and Kaede, the latter looking at her a bit scared. Neither of them had said a word ever since the lessons Kikyou had been giving to Kaede and Gabriela got interrupted.
- "Is anything the matter?" – asked Kagome worried.
- "Not for me, but Kaede…" – said Kikyou as she turned in her sister's direction.
- "That's your true appearance?" – asked Kaede with her eyes open to the max.
- "Um… yeah, this is how I really am" – said Kagome as she looked downward and clasped her hands – "I didn't just get my memory sealed, but also made ten years younger…" -
- "You look a lot like my sister, and now your powers are unsealed, I'd say they are in equal footing with hers'" – said Kaede amazed, but she then lowered her gaze to the ground – "But… I don't get it… things suddenly look so different from always… and my sister doesn't seem as lively as before…" -
- "Dear sister, that is…" – began saying Kikyou. The others began making gestures to dissuade her from telling Kaede about how things were now, but it was in vain – "…because I no longer am part of this world…" -
A cold breeze blew through the plain in which they were while the sky was covered in dark clouds.
(BGM: Hyu's Sadness – Popolocrois Monogatari Anime)
- "What…? How…? What do you mean by that, onee-sama?" – asked Kaede as she trembled in fear.
- "Kikyou… please, stop…" – begged Inuyasha. He was the first to be against keeping secrets, but he thought that something of this nature would be too hard for Kaede to swallow. The others were shocked to see how harsh and cold she was being to her sister, as if death itself had gotten rid of most her emotions. However, Kikyou just continued unflinchingly, ignoring completely Inuyasha's plea.
- "I died 50 years ago, taking the Shikon Pearl with me to the afterworld and leaving Inuyasha sealed in the Goshinboku" – said Kikyou as she breathed in before continuing her narration, empty and emotionless like her gaze – "Until very recently, when Kagome arrived through the Bone-Eater's Well, released Inuyasha and made the Pearl appear again, to then shatter it in a hundred shards. Shortly later, a witch resurrected me using clay and bones, as well as some souls extracted from Kagome, in order to use me as a servant. However, that failed because she didn't take in account my force of will" -
- "Then… why… I haven't aged even… one day since then… onee-sama?" – asked Kaede, scared to the point she already had begun crying. The others couldn't do more than watch, and Kagome could only put her hands over Kaede's shoulders to try to console her. None of them could even imagine how bad she was feeling over this revelation.
- "You've gone back to being so innocent you haven't realized it!" – said Kikyou as she pointed to her – "You aren't really ten years old, but sixty! The only reason why you can't remember any of this and why you are a child again is due to one of Naraku's curses! That appearance you have is no more than a mere illusion!" -
- "No… it can't be true… NOO!" – shouted Kaede as she grabbed her head. It seemed she was going to go insane from this, until she fainted in Kagome's arms with her eyes filled with tears.
- "Kikyou, why did you have to do something so cruel to her!?" – said Gerardo enraged – "Such a revelation is something no one could ever withstand!" -
- "She had to know the truth, no matter how harsh or cruel it was. It's the best for her…" – said Kikyou as she turned around – "Now Kagome is back and Kaede knows the truth, I can no longer be at your side" -
(BGM: Mune ni Himeta Omoi – Inuyasha)
- "Are you leaving us?" – asked Inuyasha saddened.
- "Forgive me, Inuyasha… but it's true: the dead and the living can't remain together" – said Kikyou as she rose into the air through her Shinidamachuu, and when she turned to look at everyone one last time before departing, they all saw clearly she was crying, and her cold voice was cracking like a broken crystal – "I'll only remain in this world to help you in your battle against Naraku… and please, don't die until you've settled everything… I wouldn't bear to see you in the afterlife regretting it for leaving something unsettled… and please… tell Kaede... I'm sorry for everything…" -
And after a few instants, she was so far away that she disappeared from their sights.
(End of Chapter)
(Ending: Every Heart)
