Not long ago, Inuyasha and his group—along with Kōga, whose injuries had just been treated—were following the scent of the Shikon Jewel shards in Kagura's possession through the surrounding forest.
"Kagome, can you still sense where the shards are?"
Kōga sat on Kirara's back beside Inuyasha, who had lost his demonic power. He stared into the dark forest with clear frustration in his voice.
"I don't know what's going on. I suddenly can't smell Kagura's scent anymore!"
"Yeah, I can still feel it!" Kagome nodded, concentrating hard.
"Kagura must be hiding somewhere. We're getting closer and closer to her."
Just then, Kōga's expression suddenly brightened. He sniffed the air sharply and shouted,
"I smell it! It's Kagura's scent!"
At that exact moment, Kagura had just finished her deal with Uchiha Retsu and had only recently flown out of the shrine's barrier.
"Thanks for taking care of me. I'll go on ahead!"
Having regained Kagura's trail, Kōga was overjoyed. He leapt off Kirara's back and shouted to Kagome before dashing forward at full speed in Kagura's direction.
"Kōga! Your injuries aren't fully healed yet!" Kagome called after him anxiously.
"They've been healed for a while now!"
Kōga shouted back without slowing down. Then he glanced at the now-human Inuyasha on Kirara's back and sneered mockingly.
"Unlike some useless guy, I'm a real demon!"
"You bastard! Who are you calling useless?!"
Inuyasha's face turned bright red with anger, but there was nothing he could do.
Without his demonic power, he couldn't keep up with Kōga at all.
"Sango, Kōga doesn't have any Shikon Jewel shards now. He's no match for Kagura," Miroku said with a frown, his voice serious.
"I know!"
Sango, sitting on the back seat of Kagome's bicycle, immediately responded and called out to Kirara,
"Kirara, get ready!"
She was about to set Inuyasha down and chase after Kōga with Kirara when Kagome suddenly stiffened.
She slammed the brakes.
The bicycle screeched to a halt.
Kagome stared into the distant night, frozen in place.
"This is…" she murmured.
"What's wrong, Kagome? Why did you suddenly stop?"
Miroku and Kirara, who had been running alongside them, halted immediately and looked at her in confusion.
"Is there something over there?"
Sango followed Kagome's gaze.
In the dim night, she could faintly see the silhouette of a mountain in the distance—not very tall, but clearly visible against the dark sky.
"I can sense Shikon Jewel shards!"
Kagome's eyes lit up instantly, her voice filled with shock.
"Two… no—three shards! They're on that mountain!"
"What?! Shikon Jewel shards?"
Inuyasha was startled.
"Are they the ones Kagura stole from that scrawny wolf?"
"No." Kagome shook her head.
"The shards Kagura has are still moving. These are new ones that suddenly appeared, and they're not far from us."
She turned to look at Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango, hesitation written on her face.
"What should we do? Should we go check it out? But Kōga…"
Inuyasha stared in the direction Kōga had disappeared, his face full of struggle and frustration.
"That scrawny wolf ran off so fast—he's basically going to get himself killed!"
"Sango, you go after Kōga and make sure he's safe. We'll follow soon," Miroku quickly decided after glancing at the powerless Inuyasha.
"I'll go with Kagome and Inuyasha to check out the new shards."
"No. Do it my way," Inuyasha suddenly said through clenched teeth.
"Sango, you go with Miroku. Kagome, Shippō, and I will check out the shards."
"Bonk!"
Miroku tapped Inuyasha on the head lightly with his staff.
"Look at you right now. Letting you go alone with Kagome would be too dangerous."
"No. Let's do what Inuyasha said."
Kagome tightened her grip on the bow in her hand and looked firmly at Sango and Miroku.
"Miroku, you and Sango should go help Kōga.
"Inuyasha, Shippō, and I will check out the shards.
"I'll protect Inuyasha. Don't worry—after being trained by Kikyo and Lady Kaede, I can fight now."
"Kagome, I should go alone. Let the monk stay with you!" Sango said quickly, clearly worried.
"Sango, trust me."
Kagome's fingers tightened around the bow.
Her gaze was unwavering.
Miroku looked at Kagome's determined expression, then at Sango.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to let Sango go alone.
"Alright. But be careful. If anything happens, run immediately."
He then turned to Shippō and said solemnly,
"Shippō, protect Kagome and Inuyasha."
"Don't worry, Miroku!"
Shippō puffed out his chest confidently.
"I'll protect them!"
"Then we're leaving. Be careful!"
Sango and Miroku climbed onto Kirara's back. After one last warning, they flew off quickly in the direction Kōga had gone.
"Alright, Inuyasha. Get on."
Kagome slung the bow over her shoulder and gestured to him.
"Don't worry, Kagome! I'll protect both you and Inuyasha!"
Shippō said seriously from the bicycle basket.
"Hmph. I don't need your protection," Inuyasha muttered unwillingly—but he still climbed onto the back seat.
"Don't worry. I'm pretty strong now. I'll definitely protect you!" Kagome said with a smile as she pedaled toward the direction of the Shikon Jewel shards.
Fortunately, this area was near a castle town, with several villages nearby.
Small paths connected the area, so it wasn't deep wilderness. That alone eased Kagome's nerves a little.
Although the roads of the Sengoku era were uneven and rough, the bicycle still helped a lot.
Before long, the group arrived at the foot of the mountain where the shards were located.
"This is… a shrine?"
Kagome stopped the bicycle and stared in surprise at the stone steps leading up the mountain.
At the entrance stood a wooden torii gate.
"The Shikon Jewel shards are inside this shrine?"
She looked toward the top of the stairs.
Even in the darkness, it was clear the steps were clean and free of weeds—someone regularly maintained this place.
It wasn't an abandoned shrine.
"Be careful. Let's go up and take a look."
Kagome hid the bicycle in a nearby bush, gripped her bow tightly, and walked slowly up the stone steps with Inuyasha and Shippō.
As soon as they reached the torii gate, Kagome suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened slightly as she examined the invisible barrier ahead.
"This is a priestess barrier."
After learning from Kikyo and Lady Kaede, she could now recognize some basic barrier techniques.
After studying it for a moment, she looked surprised.
She actually recognized this barrier.
It was one Kikyo had personally taught her before.
Relieved, Kagome smiled.
"It's fine. This barrier is just meant to stop weak demons from entering. It doesn't affect humans."
"Kagome… can I go in?"
Shippō tugged nervously at her sleeve.
"Since it blocks demons… will it stop me?" he asked quietly.
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