"I want to go see someone from my past… and settle some old grudges."
Kikyo gazed at the swaying shadows outside the window. A distant memory flashed through her eyes as she suddenly broke the silence in the treehouse.
"Inuyasha?" Uchiha Retsu raised an eyebrow, curiosity written plainly on his face.
"Actually, I've always been curious. Inuyasha is with Kagome now, and Kagome is your reincarnation. So tell me—do you think he's been loyal to one person all along, or did he fall in love again and end up standing on two boats at once?"
"..."
Kikyo turned her face slightly and glanced at him coldly. Her lips pressed together, and she said nothing.
Clearly, even she had no answer to that question.
Retsu, however, failed to notice the subtle shift in her expression. His lifelong-single straight-man instincts kicked in fully, and he grew more and more enthusiastic.
"Since Kagome is your reincarnation, then between the two of you, who's the real 'you' now?
"If Kagome ends up with Inuyasha, does that count as you continuing your romance after reincarnation? Or does it mean he already forgot the dead you and fell in love with someone else?"
He kept firing off questions one after another, completely unaware that Kikyo's expression had darkened.
"And if I help you revive successfully, are you planning to compete with Kagome for Inuyasha, or will you let go? But seriously, fighting your own reincarnation over a man—doesn't that mean you're basically competing with yourself?"
This suicidal line of questioning nearly shattered Kikyo's calm demeanor.
She quietly clenched her fists, her knuckles turning pale. For a moment, she truly wanted to punch him.
In the end, she endured it.
Rubbing her aching temples, she simply ignored him, stood up, and walked straight toward the door.
At the same time, several glowing white Soul Collectors flew in from the forest, gently settling beside her and lifting her body into the air.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Retsu finally stopped talking and asked as he watched her leave.
"No."
Hovering in midair, Kikyo turned back to look at him. Her voice was still cold, but firm.
"This is between him and me. I have to settle it myself. You stay here and rest. I'll come find you later."
With that, the Soul Collectors carried her away, her figure quickly vanishing into the depths of the forest.
"Going to see Inuyasha and Kagome without bringing me along? How is that acceptable?"
Watching her disappear, Retsu curled his lips into a sly grin, already plotting to "cause some trouble."
Perhaps influenced by his past life, after spending these days together, he realized he had started to like this tragic priestess.
To keep Inuyasha from suffering the pain of standing on two boats, he decided to go salvage the ship.
He remembered that in the original story, Kikyo would meet Kagome by accident in a barrier at dusk, with Inuyasha waiting nearby. The three would have their first direct confrontation.
And Kikyo would even seal Kagome's voice.
He felt that was terribly unfair.
How could Boss Kagome be treated like that?
But he wasn't worried.
Last night, when he brought Kikyo into the treehouse with Flying Thunder God, he had secretly placed a mark on her.
No matter where she went, even through layers of barriers, as long as she wasn't too far away, he could reach her instantly.
He had planned to wander around for a bit, but suddenly paused.
"Wait… Kikyo doesn't need wandering souls to maintain her body anymore. The plot has already gone off the rails."
Thinking that, Retsu abandoned his plan to stroll around.
He leapt from the treehouse and darted through the forest like a leopard, quietly following behind Kikyo.
"Come to think of it, I really need some kind of flying mount."
As he moved through the woods, he recalled how Kikyo had flown with the Soul Collectors. He suddenly thought of Xia Lan.
"I forgot to ask if Xia Lan can fly. Even Sesshomaru can fly—so as a panther-cat demon, she probably can too."
But when he imagined himself riding on Xia Lan, he found it strangely ridiculous and shook his head.
"Forget it. Better not torment that cat demon. Even in her true form, she'd probably refuse to be my vehicle. I'll just catch a gentle flying demon someday."
Meanwhile, on an open patch by the river, Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo were resting together.
On a nearby path, a young monk was supporting the injured Master Harumi as they walked slowly forward.
After Kikyo and Retsu left last night, the villagers had taken the two back to treat their wounds. After staying overnight, they set out early in the morning to find a doctor in a nearby town.
The young monk glanced at Inuyasha's group, assuming they were ordinary travelers, and paid them no mind.
But as they passed by, he subconsciously turned his head.
At that moment, he spotted the woman from last night among them.
His face turned pale.
"Ah—!"
The sudden scream startled Kagome and Shippo.
Kagome hurriedly hugged Shippo and hid behind Inuyasha, staring at the monk in fear.
Miroku immediately raised his staff, alert.
Inuyasha froze for a moment, then saw the two fleeing in panic. He exchanged a glance with Miroku and instantly gave chase.
"Hey! Why are you running?!"
Because they were supporting an injured man, they couldn't run far.
Inuyasha soon blocked their path.
The young monk's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground with Harumi, trembling.
"D-Demons…"
"I'll handle this, Inuyasha," Miroku said as he caught up.
After some patient questioning, the misunderstanding was gradually cleared.
The group sat down again.
Inuyasha spoke first.
"You said you encountered demons?"
"Yes," Harumi replied after catching his breath. He looked at Kagome with a complicated expression.
"One of them looked very much like this young lady."
"You mean… that demon looked like Miss Kagome?" Miroku asked.
"Yes. She looked like a priestess, but she was surrounded by dense evil energy. She was terrifying."
Hearing this, Kagome's heart trembled.
"A priestess… who looks like me…"
"Was it her who injured you?" Miroku asked, glancing at Harumi's chest.
"No. It wasn't her directly. It was one of her subordinates."
Harumi recalled the man's two attacks, his eyes filled with apprehension.
"He was dressed like a samurai. Incredibly strong. He defeated me almost instantly. He was definitely not human. Most likely some kind of shikigami she controlled."
"If he wanted to kill you, how did you survive?" Inuyasha asked curiously.
"He was about to kill me, but the priestess stopped him."
Harumi paused, as if remembering something, and quickly added,
"Oh, right. Her name… was Kikyo."
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