Throwing a dry, brittle branch from the nearby pile into the reddish-flamed bonfire that keeps the darkness at bay, Asahiko lets out a tired sigh before simply dropping onto the green grass behind him.
Lying there, in a place that reminds him far too much of Kikyo, who doesn't seem to like living indoors at all, he turns his gaze away from the titanic trees surrounding the clearing and then directs his blue eyes toward the firmament.
Hundreds of stars come together in that darkness to offer a once-in-a-lifetime landscape, whether scattered or arranged in constellations, highlighting the beauty of the pale moon hanging in the sky.
"So, Saya, can you give me an explanation that justifies our grand journey?"
Taking his eyes off the crescent moon in the night sky, Asahiko turns his head to the side and speaks to the spirit floating nearby like a will-o'-the-wisp from some old ghost story.
That elderly spirit possesses an extensive white beard that is almost longer than his own body, something not particularly difficult considering he is no more than 20 or 30 centimeters tall, the latter being one of his defining characteristics, along with his pointed ears.
"As you may know, one of the titles Master Inu no Taisho held, which Sesshōmaru later inherited upon the death of his noble father, is that of Lord of the Western Lands."
"I don't know why I would know that, but keep talking as if I did, Saya."
"Haa, within the Western Lands under Sesshōmaru's rule are human regions known as Shikoku, Kyūshū, and Chūgoku. Ah, right, it was on the coasts near Kyūshū that the invasion from the continent took place."
Opening his eyes in surprise for an instant as he lets out the second part of his statement, it seems inspiration struck his dusty memories at the last moment. Saya strokes his beard and casually adds that little extra piece of information.
Such information already falls within the category of something "historical," but the spirit says it as if he were talking about some gossip from a few days ago… Yeah, another one with a completely outdated clock.
"How do you know that? I thought you were hiding just like Totosai."
"Obviously, through rumors, since such an incredible feat deserves to be remembered for all eternity, so much so that—"
"My God, let it go. He's already dead."
Staring blankly into the afterlife for a second, the bootlicker Saya is once again starting to glorify Inu no Taisho's image. Asahiko doesn't even bother hiding the sarcasm in his words.
And although he is already accustomed to Saya's treacherous behavior, whenever he gets the chance, he goes out of his way to praise his former master or Inuyasha. He doesn't even show a hint of shame when doing so in front of him.
"Ahem, ahem… The important thing is that those cats are hiding in Tottori because that's where the borders of the territory under Sesshōmaru's rule are located. One step further to the side and they would be entering the dangerous central regions."
"And why does that matter? Musashi, where we were staying, is literally located in the central region of Japan, and Inuyasha walks around there every day like he owns the place."
"It's because Musashi is also a peripheral region, just one belonging to the central territories, so just like Tottori, little importance is given to what happens there."
"Tsk, geopolitics was easier in my time. The only real problem was the communists of the Soviet Union."
Clicking his tongue while casually mocking the archipelago's "politics," although he has absolutely no idea who governs the central regions and honestly doesn't want to know if it's someone as strong as Sesshōmaru, Asahiko closes his eyes so that Saya will drop the subject.
There is already too much on his "plate" to pile anything else on top. It's better to leave it to Inuyasha and his friends. Almost certainly, this problem will eventually come knocking on their door.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but things here are simpler than they seem. In the west, Sesshōmaru is in charge of the dog yōkai, then in the east are the qilin yōkai under Kirinmaru's command, to the north are the remnants of the cat yōkai with their lord Gorai, and finally, in the center—"
"Shut up once and for all, Saya!"
"Sto, don't—"
"Hahaha, let's see if this teaches you to read the room!"
Laughing maniacally due to the unwanted information dump from the idiot Saya, why did he have to make the world more complicated than necessary?! Asahiko directs all his fury toward the flames beginning to gather in the palm of his hand.
At first, there were only a few, barely enough to count as a playful joke, but with the avalanche of negative emotions, they instantly grew in size and brightness, creating what appears to be a rising sun in the middle of the deep forest.
After having that "bomb" completely charged, let's remember that Asahiko's flames actually cannot cause any damage on their own, he maintains a smile and then mercilessly sends the sphere toward Saya.
"¡Aaahh, Aaahh!"
"... Why are you screaming? We both know nothing is happening to you, Saya."
"Oh, right."
Stopping those strange movements inside the pillar of flames that extends toward the sky, as if he were actually burning alive, Saya coughs, somewhat embarrassed, and then floats back toward Asahiko.
Obviously, the spirit hadn't forgotten that little detail about Asahiko's golden flames. They are literally together at all times, but as the coward he is, he knows when to show weakness… Better to be embarrassed than to receive a blow to the head!
"Haa, you are undoubtedly an expert in the art of cowardice, Saya. But now we're going to sleep, because tomorrow we have to leave this forest. I'm tired of this scenery and the indiscreet stares."
"Just ignore them. Those weak yōkai won't do anything against someone much more powerful."
"I know, but they're so annoying! They've been staring at us ever since we arrived. What Naraku fanatics they are."
Putting both groups of stalkers into the same category, whether they are unknown yōkai or the idiot Naraku, who is an expert in the field, Asahiko transforms some nearby things until he obtains an ideal place to sleep.
It was time to take advantage of the opportunity to spend another good and satisfying night beneath the moon, since normally, with Kikyo, he absolutely had to sleep on the hard branch of a tree, both to keep watch and to avoid a possible enemy attack.
…Some time later…
"How the hell did we fail to see this path from the sky yesterday? It's literally cutting through half the forest, and surely its creator is known as Moses. Bah, what a terrible joke, honestly."
Shaking his head at such stupid words, which Saya obviously fails to understand at all and simply ignores without giving them any further thought, Asahiko immediately decides to use the few sensory abilities he possesses to unravel the mystery in front of him.
And calling the current situation strange would be a bit of an understatement, since a mysterious path appeared out of absolutely nowhere, in the middle of a dense forest, while he was looking for a place to take off… If this isn't something supernatural, then I don't know what is!
"Yes, now I understand everything."
"Eh, so quickly, young Asahiko? So—"
"Yeah, I have no idea what's going on here, but it's obviously someone else's problem. Go to the scabbard, Saya. We're going up to escape."
Instantly transforming into a majestic golden bird after a flash of the same color, Asahiko doesn't hesitate to spread both wings to their fullest and begin taking off upward, putting a considerable distance between himself and the strange path crossing the forest.
Now safe beyond the crowns of the titanic trees, so high in the sky that the latter merge into an extensive carpet of intense green, Asahiko is surprised to notice that the path has completely disappeared.
It hadn't blended in with the indistinguishable trees due to the altitude, mimicked the surroundings, or turned out to be nothing more than an illusion created by the mind. Instead, the path had actually disappeared out of nowhere right before his eyes!
"Umm… I think I understand. It's some kind of illusion!"
"I think so too, although the real problem is who could create such a massive illusion."
"The yōkai who specialize in using illusions are mainly raccoons, nurarihyon, and foxes as well. Any of those three could be responsible, although the most likely culprits of all are the foxes."
Digging through those dusty memories he hadn't used in years or perhaps centuries, Saya immediately reaches the conclusion that the culprits are undoubtedly foxes. After all, this group has always ruled the central regions of Japan.
This is mainly explained by the strange symbiotic relationship they maintain with humans, which extends beyond that of any other yōkai or understandable behavior. It's no wonder they had so much internal friction back in those days.
There was even the possibility of a civil war looming on the horizon between the two great opposing factions, those who supported coexistence with humans under Inari and those who preferred to continue following the old ways with Kyubi at the head.
"Tsk, damn foxes! I'm sure they're professional scammers with abilities like these!"
"Ahem, Asahiko…"
"I'm different, Saya. I'm on the good guys' team."
Proud of absolutely nothing in particular, Asahiko folds his golden wings slightly and begins gliding over the extensive path that sinks into the depths of the forest.
Now he's actually a little interested, seeing that the possible culprits are foxes, mostly because the only "real fox" seen so far was Shippo, who honestly isn't a particularly great representative of the species.