"Thank you."
Kagome didn't hesitate. She took out the small glass bottle containing the Shikon Jewel shards and carefully placed the three fragments from the table inside it.
Then she looked up at Kikyo. After a brief moment of hesitation, she finally spoke:
"Kikyo… um… Kagura, she…"
"You want to ask if Kagura was here, right?"
**Uchiha Kasage** spoke first, his tone calm and composed.
"That's right. She came not long ago, made a deal with us, and then left."
He paused slightly.
"As for where she is now… she's probably already returned to Naraku's castle."
"A deal? What deal?!"
Inuyasha's expression changed instantly as he looked at Kikyo.
"Kikyo, don't be fooled by her! That woman is Naraku's incarnation!"
"I know she is one of Naraku's incarnations," Kikyo replied calmly, her gaze steady.
"But I cannot tell you the details of the deal."
"Why?" Inuyasha frowned, confused.
Kikyo looked at him with faint helplessness in her eyes, then said seriously:
"Because you are too loud. If I told you, Naraku would surely find out… and Kagura would be in danger."
"…That actually makes sense," Shippo nodded seriously.
"Shippo!"
Inuyasha turned sharply, glaring at him.
"See? You're yelling again!" Shippo pointed at him confidently, as if proving his point.
Inuyasha froze for a moment—then, unable to argue, simply bonked Shippo on the head.
"Enough."
Kikyo's gaze shifted back to Inuyasha, her tone softening slightly.
"Inuyasha… you've changed."
There was a faint trace of emotion in her voice.
"Back then, when you lost your yokai power during the new moon… you would hide yourself away. You would never have done something like this—coming out, walking beside Kagome, searching for the Shikon Jewel."
"Kikyo…"
Inuyasha fell silent.
Memories surfaced in his mind—their first meeting.
Another new moon night.
Him, powerless… and Kikyo, wounded, yet still standing strong.
His eyes unconsciously drifted to Kikyo and Kasage's intertwined hands.
Then he felt Kagome beside him.
"…I was worried about Kagome coming alone," he said quietly, nodding.
Kikyo studied him for a moment—deeply, silently—before shifting her gaze to Kagome.
"Kagome."
Her voice became firm.
"You must become stronger. Right now… Inuyasha needs your protection."
Her eyes softened slightly, touched by the past.
"Fifty years ago, when he lost his yokai power… I protected him."
Now, without saying it outright—
*it was Kagome's turn.*
"Yes!"
Kagome nodded immediately, her expression resolute. She turned toward Inuyasha, her eyes filled with determination.
"I will protect him. I promise."
"Tch… like I need that."
Inuyasha turned his head away stubbornly, but a faint warmth flickered in his chest.
"…Idiot."
Kagome clenched her fists slightly, barely holding back the urge to hit him.
"Hehe…"
Kikyo watched them, and for a fleeting moment, something nostalgic passed through her eyes.
It was as if she were seeing herself and Inuyasha from long ago.
"But even so," she added lightly, a teasing edge in her tone,
"even if you hadn't lost your power back then… you still wouldn't have been able to defeat me."
Inuyasha stared at her, memories flooding back again. He opened his mouth—then suddenly smiled.
"I'm a lot stronger now."
The atmosphere grew strangely heavy.
Kagome quickly cleared her throat, changing the subject.
"Kikyo… are you and Kasage living here now?"
"Yes," Kikyo nodded. "This shrine was once occupied by a yokai. After Kasage and I eliminated it, we decided to stay here for the time being."
She added calmly,
"If you need anything, you can come here."
As the conversation continued, **Uchiha Kasage** quietly observed Inuyasha.
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan flickered subtly into existence.
Through its gaze, the flow of energy within Inuyasha's body became crystal clear.
At first glance, Inuyasha seemed completely human—no trace of yokai power.
But upon closer inspection…
A vast amount of yokai energy lay dormant within him.
It was like a frozen river—motionless, silent—firmly sealed deep inside his body.
Kasage then glanced at Shippo.
Though the little fox yokai's power was weak, it flowed naturally—alive and active.
"…Interesting."
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So the power hasn't disappeared… it's merely being suppressed by the human bloodline."
No wonder he couldn't sense it before.
That yokai energy, frozen and still, gave off no fluctuation at all—it was like lifeless stone.
And that explained everything.
At dawn, when the suppression lifted, the power didn't regenerate—
It *returned*.
Like ice melting instantly into flowing water.
"Hey… what are you staring at?"
Inuyasha suddenly felt uneasy under that intense gaze.
"Nothing," Kasage replied calmly, his Sharingan fading away.
"I was just curious about your current condition."
He paused slightly.
"But now I understand. It's… quite fascinating."
"Kasage, what did you figure out?" Kagome asked curiously, leaning forward.
"Inuyasha's yokai power hasn't disappeared," Kasage explained plainly.
"It's simply being suppressed by his human bloodline—like frozen water. That's why it can't be sensed."
"Really?!" Kagome's eyes widened as she turned to Inuyasha.
"…Is that so?"
Inuyasha touched his chest, stunned. It was the first time he had ever heard such an explanation.
Kasage looked at the two of them… then suddenly smiled faintly—almost mischievously.
"To be honest, seeing Inuyasha in this state made me curious."
He spoke casually—
"If Inuyasha were to have a child with Kagome during this time… would the child be human, or half-yokai?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
Both Kagome and Inuyasha froze.
Their eyes met for a split second—
—and immediately darted away.
Their faces flushed bright red.
"A—A child?!" Kagome stammered, her voice rising in panic.
"W-Who would have a child with him?!"
Kikyo watched them quietly.
Then, a faint, playful smile appeared in her eyes.
"Oh?" she said lightly. "So you don't like Inuyasha? Or… you're not planning to have children in the future?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely considering it.
"Though… your child would most likely be half-yokai, wouldn't it?"
That was the final blow.
Kagome's face turned completely red.
"I—we—we're leaving!"
She grabbed Shippo in one motion and stood up abruptly.
"Sango and Miroku are still chasing Kagura—we have to go help them!"
Without waiting another second, she grabbed Inuyasha's wrist and dragged him out of the shrine, not daring to look back.
Behind them, the warm candlelight flickered quietly—
and the faint echo of Kikyo's soft laughter lingered in the air.