"Thank you for your hospitality. We will take our leave now."
Uchiha Kasage and Kikyo stood side by side at the entrance of the Demon Slayer Village, bidding farewell to those who had come to see them off.
"No need for such formalities!" the leader said, standing at the front of the group as he waved his hand.
He hesitated briefly, then turned and called out:
"Kohaku!"
"Yes!"
A clear, youthful voice responded.
A young boy ran out from the crowd, carefully holding a wooden box in both hands. He stopped in front of the leader and obediently handed it over.
Kasage's gaze lingered on the boy.
*Kohaku…*
Sango's younger brother. The leader's son.
A quiet shadow passed through his eyes.
*So this is him… before everything happens.*
The memory of what awaited that child lingered heavily in his mind—but he said nothing.
Unaware of his fate, Kohaku stepped back into the crowd.
The leader took the box, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully as he presented it to Kikyo.
"Lady Kikyo, please accept these Shikon Jewel shards. Our village has no way to purify them… and keeping them will only attract more yokai. It would be safer in your care."
Kikyo paused briefly.
"…I understand."
She opened the box and retrieved the shards.
She already knew that Naraku was collecting them. Leaving them here would only invite disaster.
"Thank you… truly," the leader said, relief and guilt mixing in his expression. "We know this may bring you trouble, and yet you still accept them…"
Kikyo shook her head gently.
"You are too kind."
"If you ever need help, please do not hesitate to ask," the leader added sincerely.
Kikyo gave a small nod, then turned and leapt lightly onto the back of the Black Bear Yokai waiting behind her.
"We will be going now."
Kasage followed, landing smoothly behind her.
Kikyo gently placed her hand on the yokai's head.
"Let's go, Kuro-Maru."
The Black Bear Yokai—now named Kuro-Maru—let out a low sound and prepared to descend the mountain.
Just then—
Kasage turned his head slightly.
"Oh, one more thing."
His tone became more serious.
"I sensed a large number of yokai nearby. They're likely heading toward your village. Be careful—your village draws quite a bit of their hatred."
The leader's expression changed instantly.
"What?! Understood!"
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the warning! We will remain vigilant!"
---
Kikyo then glanced at her shoulder.
"Myoga… would you like to come with us?"
Myoga froze for a moment.
"W-well…"
In the next second, he somehow pulled out a tiny bundle and slung it over his back.
"No, no! Lady Kikyo, I must go find Lord Inuyasha! I'll take my leave here!"
Kikyo watched him quietly.
"…Take care."
"Of course!"
With a *whoosh*, Myoga vanished into the undergrowth.
---
Kuro-Maru carried the two of them down the winding mountain path.
The air was calm.
But not for long.
A figure approached from below.
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down.
A young woman.
She wore a vermilion-striped haori over a green hakama, her figure both graceful and strong. Her long black hair flowed behind her, and her sharp yet gentle eyes held quiet determination.
And on her back—
A massive bone weapon.
The Hiraikotsu.
Sango.
Kasage studied her briefly.
*As expected…*
Her beauty was no less than Kikyo's—or even Kagome's.
But what stood out more—
Was her presence.
A quiet strength. A warrior's spirit.
*That monk Miroku… he really is lucky,* Kasage thought with a faint smirk.
Sango, meanwhile, had also noticed them.
A miko and a warrior riding a Black Bear Yokai.
Strange.
Since this path only led to and from the village, they were clearly guests.
Still, she didn't ask anything. She simply stepped aside, watching them pass.
---
As they moved past her, Kasage withdrew his gaze.
Then—
Kikyo suddenly spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"…That Demon Slayer just now."
A brief pause.
"Was she beautiful?"
Kasage blinked.
Then let out a soft chuckle.
"…Yes. She was quite beautiful."
Silence.
A very slight tension entered the air.
Kasage glanced at Kikyo's profile.
Her expression hadn't changed—but somehow, he could tell.
*She's… a little upset.*
That realization amused him.
"…However," he added calmly, "she's not as beautiful as you."
Kikyo said nothing.
But the faint tension eased—just slightly.
---
Before she could respond, Kasage extended his hand.
In his palm—
A faintly glowing shard of the Shikon Jewel.
Kikyo's attention shifted instantly.
"…This—?!"
She took it, her brows furrowing.
"Where did you get this?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You didn't take it from that girl just now, did you?"
Kasage smiled, a hint of mischief in his expression.
"You guessed right."
Then he added casually:
"But 'steal' is a bit harsh. Let's call it… advance safekeeping."
He shrugged lightly.
"Leaving it with them is too dangerous. And sooner or later, they would have given it to you anyway. I simply… sped things up."
Kikyo didn't argue.
Because she knew—
He wasn't wrong.
"…Still," she said softly, "I didn't even see you move."
Kasage smirked.
"Just a small trick."
From his fingertip, a nearly invisible thread of chakra extended, wrapping around the shard in Kikyo's hand.
With a subtle motion—
*Whoosh.*
The shard slipped from her grasp and returned to his palm.
"This is a Chakra Thread," he explained. "It's used by puppet masters to control their puppets."
He handed it back to her.
"I only learned a little, but it's useful—retrieving small objects… or taking things without being noticed."
He glanced back briefly.
"…Like that shard."
Kikyo looked at him for a moment.
Then, quietly—
"…You are more troublesome than you appear, Kasage."
There was no anger in her voice.
Only a faint trace of something softer.
Kasage chuckled.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
---
Meanwhile—
Back in the village—
Sango had just returned.
Her hand instinctively went to her clothing—
And froze.
"…It's gone."
Her expression changed.
Quickly, she checked again.
The small cloth pouch was still there.
But the Shikon shard inside—
Had vanished.
Her heart tightened.
*No… impossible…*
Then—
A memory flashed.
The two strangers.
The miko.
The man.
The Black Bear Yokai.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…It was them."
Without hesitation, she turned and looked at her father.
"Father," she asked quickly, "the two people riding a Black Bear Yokai I passed on the way back…"
"…are they guests of the village?"
Her tone was calm—
But beneath it—
There was already a rising tension.
---