"I… I…"
Kagome felt an indescribable bitterness spread through her chest.
She already knew.
Inuyasha had come here—for Kikyo.
Just like Kikyo had said…
*What was she, really, to Inuyasha?*
At that moment, Kikyo slowly extended her hand and gently touched Kagome.
Kagome's eyes widened in shock.
Her body suddenly froze.
She couldn't move at all—like a puppet whose strings had been pulled tight.
"Kikyo… what are you doing?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.
"Kill him… and come with me to the underworld."
Kikyo's voice was cold. Emotionless.
The moment those words fell—
Several Soul Collectors surged forward, wrapping around Kagome and binding her tightly against the tree behind her.
"Kikyo, someone made you hate each other on purpose!" Kagome struggled, twisting her neck to face her. "It wasn't Inuyasha who killed you! You were both deceived—by Naraku!"
"Naraku…?"
Kikyo paused.
Then, she gave a faint, almost indifferent smile.
"I died long ago. Those things… no longer matter."
"But they *do* matter!" Kagome shouted, her voice trembling. "Inuyasha still cares about you! He still loves you!"
Kikyo took a slow step forward.
Then another.
She stopped directly in front of Kagome.
Raising her hand, she lightly lifted Kagome's chin with her fingertips, forcing her to meet her gaze.
Their faces—
So similar.
Yet so different.
"And you?" Kikyo asked quietly. "Does he love you?"
"I… you…"
Kagome's mind went blank.
She couldn't answer.
"Enough."
Kikyo released her.
"He's almost here."
She turned and stood beside Kagome, her gaze drifting toward the forest in the distance.
"Let him answer himself."
Kagome followed her line of sight—
And saw him.
Inuyasha.
Rushing toward them.
Her heart tightened.
She glanced at Kikyo beside her, whose expression had already returned to calm indifference.
What was she planning?
Kagome tried to speak several times—
But in the end, she stayed silent.
Waiting.
---
High above, on a distant tree branch—
Uchiha Kasage observed everything.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"…This isn't how it should go."
The events unfolding below didn't match what he remembered at all.
Which meant—
Anything could happen.
So he remained still, watching carefully.
---
At that moment—
Inuyasha broke through Kikyo's barrier and arrived before them.
The instant he saw them—
He froze.
"Kikyo… Kagome… you…"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Kasage, watching from above, couldn't help but smirk slightly.
"…Yeah. That's a nightmare scenario."
From his perspective, it was obvious.
A woman he once loved—dead.
Reborn through reincarnation.
A new bond formed.
Then suddenly—
The original returned.
This wasn't cheating.
This was worse.
It was like his life had split into two paths at once.
For someone like Inuyasha—
It was a brutal test.
"Inuyasha! Tell Kikyo the truth!" Kagome shouted urgently. "Everything that happened back then was Naraku's scheme! You were both deceived!"
"Kikyo…"
Inuyasha snapped back to reality and stepped forward, ready to speak—
But Kikyo interrupted him.
"Inuyasha."
Her voice was calm. Distant.
"I exist in this world now only because of my resentment toward you. This body… is nothing more than soil and bone."
She looked at him quietly.
"Do you find me… repulsive?"
"No!"
Inuyasha shook his head immediately.
His voice was firm.
"Even if you hate me… I've never forgotten you. Not even for a single day!"
Kagome's heart sank.
"…Of course…"
Her voice was barely audible.
"He still loves Kikyo…"
A sharp ache spread through her chest.
But Inuyasha didn't notice.
"No matter what you've become… I could never hate you!"
"…Is that so?"
Kikyo's gaze softened for a brief moment.
Then—
Suddenly—
She grabbed Kagome by the collar and pulled her forward.
"And her?"
Her eyes locked onto Inuyasha.
"What about her?"
Kagome was dragged forward, caught completely off guard.
Now—
She stood face to face with him.
Her expression was blank.
But her eyes searched his desperately.
Even now—
She wanted to hear his answer.
Above them, Kasage raised an eyebrow.
"…Straight to the point."
This Kikyo—
Was not the same as before.
With her resentment purified by chakra and her spiritual power restored—
She was clearer.
Sharper.
More decisive.
"I… Kagome… Kikyo…"
Inuyasha froze.
Completely.
His body stiffened as both of them stared at him.
"I…"
He wanted to say it.
*Why not both?*
But under their piercing gazes—
He couldn't.
"…Is it that hard to choose?"
Kikyo's voice remained calm.
"If you can't decide…"
Her eyes turned cold.
"I'll decide for you."
At that instant—
The Soul Collectors tightened violently around Kagome.
"Ah—!"
She cried out, her face turning pale from the sudden pain.
"Kagome!"
Inuyasha's heart clenched.
Without hesitation—
He moved.
Yōkai energy surged through his claws as he slashed forward.
The Soul Collectors shattered instantly.
In one swift motion, he pulled Kagome into his arms.
"Kagome! Are you okay?!"
"Inuyasha…"
Kagome leaned against him, dazed.
But as a woman—
She understood.
She slowly turned her head toward Kikyo.
Kikyo stood silently, watching them.
For a fleeting moment—
A trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.
Kagome noticed.
And immediately pulled away from Inuyasha.
She was about to speak—
But Kikyo moved first.
Her lips parted slightly.
No sound came out—
But Kagome understood.
*"It's up to you."*
"…It seems you've already made your choice, Inuyasha."
Kikyo's voice echoed softly.
There was something in it—
Not anger.
Not sorrow.
Something lighter.
Relief.
Inuyasha turned sharply.
"Kikyo! I—"
But it was too late.
Surrounded by countless Soul Collectors, Kikyo began to rise into the air.
He reached out—
But grasped nothing.
"That woman… is more important than me, Inuyasha."
Kikyo looked down at him.
Her eyes had returned to their usual calm.
She glanced at both of them one last time—
Then turned away.
Her figure drifted into the sky, gradually disappearing into the distance.
As she left—
The barrier dissolved.
"Inuyasha…"
Kagome looked at him, her emotions tangled and unclear.
She had "won."
Yet—
There was no joy.
Only heaviness.
She looked toward the sky where Kikyo had vanished.
"…Kikyo… has returned to being a true priestess of the Sengoku era."
"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked. "Wasn't she always a priestess?"
Kagome turned to him—
Clearly annoyed.
"You really don't understand women at all!"
"What?! What are you talking about?!" Inuyasha snapped back, confused.
"Sit!"
Kagome's voice rang out sharply.
*BOOM!*
Inuyasha slammed face-first into the ground.
His expression twisted in frustration.
"You—!"