"Inuyasha, stop bullying Shippō!"
Kagome scooped the fox-demon into her arms and soothed him, then turned curiously to Miroku. "So how is the other kind of shikigami made?"
Kagome and Sango both looked at the monk expectantly, clearly intrigued.
Miroku met their eager gazes and continued, "There's another method that uses one's own hair as a medium to craft a paper-man shikigami. Infused with the user's spiritual power, it becomes a puppet with a measure of intelligence. It can assist a monk or priestess in battle,or help maintain barriers."
"Can you make that kind, Miroku?" Sango asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"Ah… well…" Miroku scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I'm not particularly skilled at crafting shikigami."
"If you can't do it, just say so!" Shippō popped his head out of Kagome's arms and exposed him mercilessly.
Miroku's smile stiffened. An awkward silence settled over the group.
Sensing the tension, Kagetsu spoke up calmly. "Kagome, when you return to your era, could you have some kunai made for me? In that world."
He handed her the kunai he had been using. "Just follow this design."
"Kunai?" Kagome accepted it and examined the blade closely. It resembled a simple dagger, nothing too complicated. She nodded almost immediately. "No problem!"
"Thank you." Kagetsu reached into his ninja pouch and took out an oval object, placing it in her palm. "This is your payment."
Kagome looked down,and froze.
A small gold coin gleamed in her hand.
Her eyes widened. "I-Is this real gold?!"
It was.
Kagetsu had come across it earlier while passing a merchant convoy slaughtered by demons. Every last person had been killed. In the arms of one corpse, he'd found a small wooden box containing several neatly stacked gold coins,clearly currency.
He had taken the coins.
In exchange, he buried the bodies.
Now, one of them serves as payment.
For a middle school girl from modern Japan, this was the first time Kagome had ever held actual gold. After staring blankly for a moment, she hurriedly tried to press it back into his hand.
"No, no, that's too much! Making a few metal tools won't cost that much. You don't need to give me something this valuable!"
"Keep it," Kagetsu replied evenly, making no move to take it back. "I picked it up by the roadside. I have several more."
"P-Picked it up?!" Kagome and Miroku both exclaimed.
Kagome could hardly imagine someone casually "picking up" gold.
Miroku, on the other hand, felt a sharp pang in his chest. He worked tirelessly exorcising demons for a handful of copper coins at a time… and here someone was stumbling across gold on the roadside.
It wasn't that they lacked the strength to earn money.
The shock simply caught them off guard.
In the end, under Kagetsu's insistence, Kagome reluctantly accepted the coin.
"When they're ready, leave them with Kaede," he said. "I'll retrieve them when I pass through."
Kagome nodded.
Meanwhile, Kanna had already returned to Naraku's castle.
As she walked through the dim corridors, Kagura's figure drifted out from the shadows.
"Kanna," Kagura said lightly, falling into step beside her. "Did Naraku send you out to capture demons too?"
"No, Kagura," Kanna replied, stopping.
Kagura had only asked casually, but Kanna's answer piqued her interest. "Then what were you doing?"
"Monitoring Kagetsu."
Kagura's expression shifted instantly. "That man?" Her brows knit together. "Naraku actually sent you to watch him? If he discovers you, you'll be killed!"
"I won't," Kanna said softly, her pale eyes reflecting nothing.
Kagura sighed inwardly. Kanna did not understand fear.
"Naraku ended up like this because of that man's technique," Kagura warned. "He's far too dangerous. Be careful."
With that, she moved ahead. "I've already captured the demons Naraku wanted. I'm reporting back."
"Kagura…"
Kanna watched her sister's back. The hand whose spiritual power had been sealed by Kagetsu twitched faintly,then stilled.
Silently, she followed Kagura toward Naraku's chamber.
Kagura pushed open the door.
Moonlight filtered faintly through the window, casting pale light into the dark room. Naraku sat within the shadows.
His body had recovered from its earlier withered, aged appearance. Yet his complexion remained grim. White strands threaded through his black hair, and faint lines marked his cheeks.
To ordinary eyes, he looked nearly restored.
But Kagura was a demon.
She could see it clearly.
The white hairs were increasing.
His once vigorous body was aging,slowly, almost imperceptibly,but undeniably.
"Naraku," Kagura said coolly, long since accustomed to this sight. "The demons you requested have been sealed within the barrier."
"Very good."
In the next instant, demons burst through the window behind him, shrieking as they hurtled forward. Their forms twisted and compressed before merging directly into Naraku's body.
His flesh renewed at visible speed.
When the last scream faded, Naraku appeared flawless,young, handsome, long black hair cascading over his shoulders, an eerily perfect face framed in shadow.
But Kagura knew better.
It was only a facade.
Kagetsu's technique still clung to him.
Even with the power of the Shikon Jewel supporting him, his life force continued to drain.
To counteract it, Naraku now had to devour demons at regular intervals, replacing the decaying portions of his body with fresh demonic flesh.
That was why he had separated Kagura and Kanna from his main body in the first place,to escape the technique's influence by dividing himself.
Clearly, it had failed.
The technique still bound him.
"Kanna," Naraku said at last, his gaze shifting toward her, "I instructed you to monitor Kagetsu. Why have you returned so soon?"
"I was discovered," Kanna replied without emotion.
"Even you were found?"
Naraku's eyes darkened. Surprise flickered,quickly swallowed by malice.
Kanna offered no further explanation. She simply stood there, silent as a doll.
After a brief pause, Naraku spoke again.
"Remain in the castle for now. There is no need to provoke Kagetsu. Soon, Kagura will accompany you."
"Kagura will?" Kagura's composure cracked. "Naraku, are you sending me to die?"
Her voice sharpened with restrained fury.
"Kanna might escape using her mirror if discovered," she continued coldly. "But I have no confidence I could flee from that man."