"You're Kagura? Kanna's… younger sister?"
While Kagura was still a little dazed, Kikyo looked at the mature, striking young woman before her, then glanced at the petite Kanna sitting quietly on the swing nearby. A trace of confusion flashed across her eyes, and she blinked unconsciously.
The difference between the two sisters was simply too great.
"You must be Priestess Kikyo, correct?"
Kagura quickly regained her composure. With a sharp shua, she snapped open the folding fan in her hand. Patterns similar to those on her kimono decorated its surface, and the way she held it gave her the elegant bearing of a dancer from a pleasure house.
Looking up at the two of them, she introduced herself with a solemn tone.
"I am Kagura, the Wind Sorceress,an incarnation of Naraku… and Kanna's younger sister."
"Nice to meet you. I am Kikyo."
A flash of realization passed through Kikyo's eyes.
"So you're one of Naraku's incarnations. No wonder the demonic aura surrounding you resembles his so closely. Since you're Kanna's sister, then Kanna must also be one of Naraku's incarnations."
Kagetsu studied Kagura with interest.
Unlike Kanna's cold, doll-like purity, Kagura possessed the kind of beauty that was vibrant and captivating.
Her ornate pinkish-purple kimono made her pale skin appear as white as fresh snow. Pink eyes framed by eerie violet eyeshadow gave her an exotic charm, while emerald bead earrings swayed lightly beside her cheeks.
If someone called her a demon, few would believe it. She looked far more like a peerless dancer who had just stepped out of a pleasure district.
"Kagetsu," he said at last, withdrawing his gaze. "You came here with Kanna, didn't you? She's already told me why you came."
As he spoke, he spread his hands with a helpless shrug.
"Unfortunately, I don't know how to remove the side effects of that technique either. Naraku will have to figure it out himself."
"I see."
Kagura hadn't expected Kanna to have already revealed their purpose, but she simply nodded.
"I will relay that to Naraku."
Just then, Kagetsu suddenly flashed a mischievous grin.
"Still, I hope Naraku manages to solve the problem caused by that technique," he added. "That way, if I ever need help again, I can ask him to assist me one more time."
Kagura was momentarily speechless.
He had already tricked Naraku once,and now he was talking about doing it again?
Seeing her standing so cautiously in the distance, Kagetsu couldn't help but find it amusing.
In the original story, Kagura was arrogant and rebellious. Yet now she looked tense and guarded in front of him.
And this was clearly the first time they had met.
"Why are you standing so far away?" he asked directly. "You seem afraid of me. But this is our first meeting, isn't it?"
"N-No, that's not it!"
Kagura's heart skipped. She hurriedly stepped forward a couple of paces, forcing herself to appear calm, though her fingers quietly tightened around the folding fan.
"Kagura is worried that if you know she is Naraku's incarnation, you will kill her."
Kanna suddenly spoke from the side.
Her voice was as calm and emotionless as ever, yet her words pierced straight through Kagura's thoughts.
"You,!"
Kagura froze. Gritting her teeth, she shot Kanna an annoyed glare before turning back toward Kagetsu, her vigilance returning as her steps halted again.
"Relax," Kagetsu said with a faint smile. "As long as you behave and don't try anything funny, I won't kill you."
His tone remained calm.
"I'm not some bloodthirsty lunatic. Why would I kill you for no reason?"
He picked up a slice of cantaloupe from the wooden table nearby and held it out toward her.
"Want to try some? It's pretty good."
Kagura stared at the melon slice in his hand, her expression odd.
Then she shook her head.
"No, thank you."
"Ah, what a shame."
Kagetsu shrugged and turned to Kanna instead.
"Kanna, want another piece?"
Kanna didn't hesitate. She accepted it without ceremony and continued nibbling at the fruit in small bites. One of her cheeks puffed slightly as she quietly enjoyed the sweet cantaloupe.
Watching her sister behave like this, Kagura's expression grew even stranger.
All she could do was stand silently to the side.
"You don't have to keep standing," Kagetsu said, amused by how tense she looked. "Sit wherever you like."
The contrast was fascinating.
The Kagura who would one day dare defy Naraku and yearn desperately for freedom was now sitting here stiff and restrained.
Kagura hesitated.
After glancing around uncertainly, she finally clenched her teeth and walked over to the swing, carefully sitting beside Kanna.
Fortunately, the swing was wide enough that the two of them didn't feel cramped.
Kanna paid no attention to the extra person beside her and simply continued eating her melon.
The silence soon became unbearable.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Kagura spoke, her voice tinged with confusion.
"Don't you… want to know where Naraku is? Don't you want to kill him?"
Kikyo looked at the two sisters sitting side by side, their appearances completely different. A gentle smile appeared in her eyes.
Although they were incarnations of Naraku, their personalities were nothing like his. Instead, there was an unexpected simplicity about them.
It was rather intriguing.
"I have already been to the castle where Onigumo resides," Kikyo said calmly from the lounge chair nearby. "It should be Hitomi Castle."
"Although he concealed it with a barrier, I have always been able to sense where the barrier is."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"But for now, I have no intention of killing him. With Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others around, there's no need for us to trouble ourselves."
"Onigumo?" Kagura blinked in confusion. "Who's that? Naraku?"
"As one of Naraku's incarnations, you don't know his identity?" Kikyo asked with mild surprise.
"Kanna and I were simply created from pieces of demon flesh separated from Naraku's body."
Seeing that Kagetsu truly had no intention of harming her, Kagura gradually relaxed.
"We each possess our own consciousness, but we didn't inherit Naraku's memories."
"I see."
Kikyo nodded.
"Then why do you obey Naraku's orders?" she asked thoughtfully. "You don't seem eager to be here."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Kanna.
"Could it be… that your heart is also being controlled by Naraku?"
"How did you know?!"
Kagura jolted in shock. Her eyes widened as she stared at Kikyo in disbelief.
Then she turned toward Kanna.
"Kanna, did you tell them all that?"
"Yes," Kikyo replied calmly. "We know that Kanna's heart is in Naraku's hands."
Kagura gave a bitter smile.
Her fingers tightened around the ropes of the swing as she lowered her head slightly.
"That's right. My heart is in his hands as well."
"There's nowhere for me to run."
"I see."
Kikyo nodded softly.
"A man like Naraku would never trust anyone."
"Kikyo," Kagura pressed, her voice urgent. "What exactly do you mean by 'Onigumo'?"
She had noticed long ago that Naraku behaved strangely whenever Kikyo was involved.
Now it seemed Kikyo knew a secret about him.
And that secret… might be the key to breaking free from Naraku's control.
"Onigumo is Naraku," Kikyo said slowly, without concealing anything.
"Or rather… Onigumo was his name before he became a demon."
"Before he became a demon?"
Kagura's eyes widened in astonishment.
"What happened?"
"Fifty years ago," Kikyo said quietly, her gaze drifting into distant memories, "I once saved a bandit named Onigumo."
"At the time, his entire body had been burned. His bones were shattered, and he could not move at all."
"But the evil within his heart attracted countless demons."
Her voice grew colder.
"In the end, he offered his body to them."
"Countless demons fused together into one… and from that mass of hatred and desire, Naraku was born."