Blazing Hoof carried them through the sky, flying across crimson-tinted clouds. Not long after leaving the village, a familiar voice suddenly called out from below:
"Kikyo!"
Both Kagome and Kikyo were startled. Looking down, they saw Uchiha Kasage standing on the branch of a tall tree, a faint smile on his lips as he looked up at them.
"Kasage? Why are you here?" Kagome blinked in surprise.
Blazing Hoof obediently slowed and hovered midair.
"You two were gone for quite a while, and everyone at the shrine was worried you might have run into trouble," Uchiha Kasage explained with a relaxed smile. "So I came to look for you. I didn't expect to find you here."
"Blazing Hoof, go closer," Kikyo said softly.
The white yokai steed descended slowly toward the tree.
Watching them approach, Kasage tilted his head slightly.
"Did something happen?"
Kagome puffed up with pride when Kikyo remained silent.
"We ran into a group of yokai attacking a village on the way back! Kikyo and I defeated them and helped treat the injured. We've been busy this whole time!"
"I see… as expected of Priestess-sama, a true yokai slayer," Kasage said with an exaggerated tone, clearly teasing.
Kagome scratched her head awkwardly, though a small sense of pride still lingered in her heart.
But just as Blazing Hoof was about to reach the tree—
Kikyo moved.
Without warning, she snatched the Azusa spiritual bow from Kagome's hands.
In the same instant, she drew a yokai-slaying arrow from Kagome's quiver. Her movements were so fast they were almost invisible.
The bowstring was drawn.
Released.
Whoosh—
The arrow, blazing with overwhelming spiritual power, shot forward like a beam of light and struck directly into the chest of "Uchiha Kasage."
Kagome's pupils shrank.
The impact sent his body flying backward.
In the next instant, the purifying power erupted—tearing his form apart completely.
"Kikyo! Why did you—"
Kagome's voice trembled, but before she could finish—
The shattered body dissolved into white light.
A single white lotus remained for a brief moment… before it too turned to dust under the lingering spiritual energy.
"Huh…?"
Kagome stood frozen, staring at the fading light in disbelief.
"Kikyo… I didn't expect you to attack without hesitation. Weren't you afraid of killing the real Uchiha Kasage?"
A strange voice echoed from nearby.
Kikyo immediately drew another arrow, aiming it toward the source. Her gaze turned ice-cold.
"Who are you? That aura… you're one of Naraku's incarnations, aren't you?"
"Byakuya of the Dreams?!" Kagome exclaimed as she saw the figure appear.
A man stood atop a massive white paper crane. A long sword rested on his back, its hilt adorned with a red gem.
He had long black hair tied into a high ponytail and wore a blue haori with golden patterns.
Though clearly male, his lips were painted a vivid red, and his expression carried an eerie, almost androgynous beauty.
"That's correct," he said with a faint smile. "I am Byakuya… Byakuya of the Dreams."
"Those yokai that attacked the village earlier… you were the one behind it, weren't you?" Kikyo asked coldly, not lowering her bow.
"As expected of Miss Kikyo," Byakuya replied, his tone lightly amused. "Naraku specifically warned me to be cautious of you. I didn't think you'd see through it so quickly."
"So Naraku has created another incarnation…" Kikyo observed him calmly, her gaze sharp.
Then, unexpectedly, she lowered her bow.
"Oh? You don't intend to kill me?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"For now, I'll spare you," Kikyo said flatly. "Kasage might have use for your body."
Her eyes were cold… as if she were examining an object, not a person.
Byakuya frowned slightly.
That gaze…
It felt as though she were already looking at a corpse.
"Well then," he said lightly, waving his hand. "Since we've met, I'll take my leave. I have no desire to end up like the White Child—captured by Uchiha Kasage and erased without a trace."
The giant paper crane lifted into the sky, carrying him away. Within moments, he vanished beyond the horizon.
Kikyo watched the direction he disappeared in, then shook her head slightly.
"He feels different from Naraku's other incarnations… strange."
She handed the Azusa spiritual bow back to Kagome.
"Blazing Hoof, let's return."
As Kagome took the bow, she hesitated before asking:
"Kikyo… weren't you afraid you might have actually killed Kasage just now?"
She looked at Kikyo, still puzzled by how decisively she had acted.
"I knew from the beginning that it wasn't him," Kikyo replied calmly.
"How could you tell? Was there something wrong?" Kagome asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
A faint smile appeared on Kikyo's lips.
"Because Kasage always carries something with him. Something I gave him a long time ago. As long as he's not too far away… I can sense it."
"But that impostor didn't have it."
"What is it?" Kagome asked, even more curious.
Kikyo reached into her sleeve and took out a small, delicate paper crane, folded from white paper, and handed it to her.
"This. It contains my spiritual power. Within a certain range, I can sense its location. It can also be used to track yokai."
Kagome examined the tiny crane in her hand.
"But why would he carry something like this?"
"A long time ago, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find him," Kikyo said softly. "So I secretly placed it on him. After that… he kept it with him."
A faint memory passed through her eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
Then she glanced at Kagome with a slightly teasing look.
"It was shortly after my resurrection… the day you broke my barrier."
Kagome froze.
That memory came rushing back instantly—the moment Kikyo had forced Inuyasha to choose between them.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
If she hadn't been riding Blazing Hoof, she might have buried herself in the ground.
Seeing her stiff posture, Kikyo's lips curved into a mischievous smile, but she said nothing more.
After a long silence, Kagome finally spoke, trying to shake off the awkwardness.
"But what if Kasage forgets to carry it… or loses it? Aren't you afraid you might accidentally kill him?"
Kikyo looked at her silently for a moment before replying:
"If that had been the real Kasage… that arrow wouldn't have even touched him, let alone injured him."
"What would I have to worry about?"
"Ah… I guess that's true…" Kagome muttered, feeling even more embarrassed.
She quickly lowered her head, pretending to carefully study the paper crane in her hands.
At that moment, Kikyo spoke again:
"We've arrived."
Kagome looked up.
Sure enough, the familiar outline of Kikyo's shrine appeared before them.
She let out a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject.
"We're finally back! I wonder if Inuyasha and the others were worried about us?"