"This is… Miko's spiritual power! It's purifying the miasma!"
As the surrounding corruption visibly receded, replaced by a shimmering white radiance, Kagome's eyes widened in shock.
She knew that power.
It was pure. Sacred. Unmistakable.
"Kikyo… and Kagetsu!"
Recognition struck instantly. As the two figures emerged from the thinning haze, Kagome clearly saw the familiar white and red robes of a shrine maiden,and the bow slung over her shoulder.
Beside her walked Kagetsu.
The moment they approached, the suffocating pressure in the air eased dramatically.
Kagetsu glanced over the group, his gaze calm but sharp.
"So you're here too, Kagome. And the Demon Slayer I met before."
His eyes shifted toward the small fox demon half-hidden behind Kagome's sleeve.
"You're Shippō, right?"
"Ah,y-yes!" Shippō squeaked, his tail puffing up instinctively. He ducked further behind Kagome, nodding nervously.
The last time they met, the invisible pressure radiating from this man had nearly made him faint.
Sango, feeling the oppressive weight of the miasma lessen under Kikyo's presence, looked up in surprise.
"You're… the two who came to our village before?"
"That's right," Kikyo replied calmly, giving a small nod.
She remembered their meeting clearly,especially the moment Kagetsu had taken the Shikon Jewel shard from Sango.
Without another word, Kikyo stepped forward.
Before Sango could react, Kikyo's hand gently pressed against her chest.
A soft white glow spread from her palm.
The purification power flowed into Sango's body,gentle, yet irresistibly penetrating. The lingering miasma that had clung to her wounds dissolved instantly under the sacred light.
Color gradually returned to Sango's face.
At first, her body had stiffened at the sudden contact. But as warmth spread through her chest and the suffocating ache vanished, she immediately understood.
When Kikyo withdrew her hand, Sango bowed deeply.
"Thank you very much. I feel much better now."
Then she turned toward Kagetsu and bowed again, even lower this time.
"And thank you for your warning before. Although our village was destroyed, many people survived because of it."
Kagetsu lifted a brow, feigning surprise despite already knowing the outcome.
"Oh? Your village was attacked?"
"Yes," Sango replied , steadying herself. "Because of your warning, the non-combatants were evacuated before the demons struck. The village was ruined… but most of the villagers survived."
Her voice grew earnest.
"Truly. You have my gratitude."
Kagetsu waved it off lightly.
"I only gave a warning. Your father's decisiveness as a leader is what saved them."
Sango blinked, then straightened.
"My name is Sango. I never properly introduced myself before."
"Uchiha Kagetsu," he answered simply. "Just Kagetsu is fine."
Kikyo's brows drew together slightly as she watched the exchange. She stepped between them, her gaze settling on Sango and Kagome.
"How did you come to travel with Inuyasha and the others?"
At the question, sorrow flooded Sango's expression,followed swiftly by burning hatred.
She took a steadying breath.
"Not long after you left our village, my father led us to Hitomi Castle to exterminate demons. But it was all a trap… set by Naraku."
Her hands tightened at her sides.
"He manipulated my younger brother. Made him slaughter our father… and the rest of our comrades."
Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to continue.
"I was deceived into beKagetsuving Inuyasha was responsible. It wasn't until I learned the truth that I joined Kagome and the others. I seek Naraku for revenge."
"Naraku…" Kikyo repeated softly, a flicker of understanding in her eyes.
Another life ruined by his schemes.
"I see." She turned toward the cave. "Then we shouldn't waste time. This place was likely created for Naraku to restore himself."
"Naraku?!" Kagome and Sango exchanged alarmed glances.
Without hesitation, they followed Kikyo into the cave.
"Shippō! Kirara! Come on!" Kagome called.
The group entered together.
Within Kikyo's spiritual barrier, the suffocating miasma posed no threat. The white radiance moved with them like a protective tide.
As they advanced deeper into the cave, silence pressed in from all sides.
Kikyo, walking at the front, spoke without turning.
"Inuyasha is inside?"
Kagome, who had been walking stiffly beside her, nearly jumped.
"Y-yes! He and Miroku went in earlier , but they haven't come back out. We don't know what's happening."
Kikyo stopped.
She turned her head slightly, her expression calm,almost unreadable.
"You seem… nervous around me."
"N-no! Of course not!" Kagome blurted, stiff as a startled cat. Her voice rose far louder than necessary, and she immediately looked away, refusing to meet Kikyo's eyes.
Behind them, Sango blinked in confusion.
She had joined the group later and didn't fully understand the tension between the two shrine maidens.
Sensing her confusion, Shippō quietly leapt onto her back and whispered into her ear.
"Sango, that miko up ahead is Kikyo. Kagome is her reincarnation."
"Reincarnation?!" Sango's eyes widened.
Shippō nodded emphatically.
"She died fifty years ago. Then a witch named Urasue used Kagome's soul to bring her back."
Before Sango could process that, he added in a hushed rush,
"And Kikyo and Inuyasha were in love. But because of Naraku's trick, she sealed Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree for fifty years before she died."
Sango nearly stumbled.
"W-what?!"
Suddenly, everything made sense.
She had long suspected something unusual between Inuyasha and Kagome. The two clearly cared for each other.
But this…
This was a tangled fate beyond imagination.
Now that she looked closely, Kagome and Kikyo did resemble each other,almost eerily so.
Though Shippō's voice was low, the cave's silence carried every word.
Kagome froze, wishing the earth would swallow her whole.
She wanted to run.
But she refused.
You won last time, didn't you? she told herself desperately. So what are you scared of?
Still…
If Inuyasha were here beside her, she would feel braver.
With only Kikyo walking ahead, composed and unreadable, Kagome felt unbearably out of place.