"Did it work?!" Inuyasha asked urgently as the shadow clone vanished in a burst of smoke.
Kikyo stepped forward as well, her gaze focused with quiet curiosity.
"Yes," Uchiha Kasage nodded. "I felt the Summoning Technique just now."
"Now… we wait for the clone to return with information."
"I'm going to check myself!" Inuyasha didn't wait another second. He leapt straight into the Bone-Eater's Well, disappearing into the darkness below.
Kikyo walked to the edge of the well and looked down.
Only fallen leaves and soil remained.
"Incredible…" she murmured softly. "No matter how many times I see it… it still feels unreal."
She paused, her voice turning quieter.
"Only the two of them can pass through this well…"
"…it really is a bond of fate."
"What about us?"
Kasage's voice came from beside her.
Before Kikyo could react—
he gently lifted her into his arms.
"…Kasage?" she let out a soft breath of surprise.
He carried her a short distance, then sat down on the grass, holding her securely as she leaned against him.
Looking into her eyes, he said quietly,
"We crossed life and death."
"We crossed worlds."
"And still… we met."
"…Isn't that also fate?"
Kikyo blinked, then rolled her eyes lightly, though a faint smile touched her lips.
"You really don't hold back, do you…"
She reached up and gently poked his cheek.
"Yes… yes."
"A bond of fate."
"…a bond between two dead people."
Kasage chuckled softly.
Then he leaned back, pulling her down with him.
The two lay together on the grass.
The scent of earth and fresh greenery filled the air.
A gentle breeze brushed past them.
Kasage closed his eyes, completely at ease.
Kikyo watched him for a moment—
then slowly closed hers as well.
Neither spoke.
For once—
there was only quiet.
---
Meanwhile, in the modern world.
As the smoke cleared—
Kagome Higurashi stood there, eyes shining with excitement.
She still held the broken wooden tablet in her hand.
"Kasage! You made it!" she called out, waving.
Kasage's shadow clone smiled faintly as he took in his surroundings.
"So… we meet again."
In the distance—
tall buildings rose into the sky.
Cars passed by with sharp, unfamiliar sounds.
"…It really is another world," he murmured. "My guess was correct."
He scanned the area.
They stood within a quiet shrine.
Traditional wooden structures surrounded them.
This had to be the Higurashi Shrine.
His gaze shifted—
and stopped on a towering tree.
Its trunk was thick and steady, its branches full of life.
"…That's the tree, isn't it?" he asked, already walking toward it.
"Yes," Kagome followed quickly. "That's the Sacred Tree."
She hesitated slightly, then added,
"Sorry… I got delayed after coming back. A friend showed up."
"As soon as she left, I broke the tablet."
"It's fine," Kasage replied calmly. "This was only a test."
Then he added,
"Inuyasha should be here soon."
Right on cue—
"Inuyasha!"
Kagome turned immediately, her face lighting up with relief and happiness.
"Inuyasha!"
Kasage didn't interrupt them.
Instead, he stepped closer to the tree.
The structure—
the markings—
everything matched the tree in the Sengoku era.
Even the indentation on the trunk.
He reached out, touching it lightly.
His fingers traced the familiar groove—
the mark left by the arrow that sealed Inuyasha long ago.
Closing his eyes, he focused.
Energy flowed beneath the surface.
Vast—
calm—
and unmistakable.
The same space-time power.
"Kasage… is something wrong with the tree?" Kagome asked as she and Inuyasha approached.
"This tree…" the shadow clone said slowly, "is the real key."
"To your ability to travel."
Kagome blinked.
"…Not the well?"
Kasage shook his head.
"The well was made from this tree."
"But the power…"
"…comes from here."
He rested his hand against the trunk.
"This tree connects the two worlds."
He gestured toward the mark.
"But there's a contradiction."
"In this world… Inuyasha was never sealed here."
"So why does the same mark exist?"
Kagome frowned.
"…You're right."
"…That doesn't make sense."
"Unless…" Kasage continued, "…they're not truly separate."
"They're connected."
"Like two sides of the same door."
"Different spaces…"
"…but anchored to the same point."
He looked at the tree again.
"That's why the mark remains."
"Otherwise… time would have erased it long ago."
Kagome nodded slowly.
"I think… I understand now."
Inuyasha crossed his arms, then looked at Kasage.
"…Then tell me something."
His voice was more serious now.
"Can you make Kagome come back… even without the well?"
Kagome tensed slightly.
Her gaze turned to Kasage—
quiet—
hopeful.
Inuyasha had already told her everything.
If the Shikon Jewel disappeared—
she might never return.
Kasage looked at them both.
Then—
calmly—
"I can."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"…Right now," he continued, "I could send you back."
"And I could even bring Kikyo here."
As he spoke—
his eyes changed.
The Mangekyo Sharingan appeared.
A swirling vortex formed in front of him—
the Kamui dimension opening.
A small package dropped out.
He caught it casually.
"This dimension…" he explained, "can act as a bridge."
"A transit point between worlds."
He opened the package—
took out a dark strip—
and tossed it into his mouth.
Then handed one each to Kagome and Inuyasha.
"This is yokai jerky."
"Made from dried yokai fungus."
"It only exists in your era," he said, glancing at Inuyasha.
"But I brought it here."
He met their eyes.
"So I can take things across."
"…and people too."