Disclaimer: Nothing in this story belongs to me. I'm merely acting as the translator of a beautifully written SessKik fanfiction 犹如故人归 by 风落潇湘 as I wish to share it with readers who cannot read or understand Chinese. If there are any issues relating to copyright from the author, then I'll remove this story without hassle at once.
Note: Despite my best effort, it is still not perfectly translated by any means. There will also be occasional rephrasing for added cohesiveness and merged chapters to reinforce length. However, I will try to keep everything as consistent with the original work as possible.
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Chapter 1-A Glimpse of a Glimpse
The moon was hanging high in the sky, venting streams of soft pure light that scattered across the earth and outlined the figure of a woman.
She had one hand on a wooden bow as the other kept a notched arrow in place. Thin lips were slightly parted on a face that transcended the definition of beauty. Her skin was paler than snow, and resting below her knitted eyebrows was a pair of mahogany that seemed more distant than the moonlight. Standing against the caress of the breeze, her sleeves flattered and her long hair danced in rhythm. Her dazzling appearance was complemented with a sense of refined temperament, elegant yet compelling.
The woman, who stood with an arrow loaded onto her bow, had her heightened stature reflected by the cool moonlight, eluding a sense of loneliness on her peerless and independent stance. Yet, like a wildflower growing on top of a precipice, her proud posture did not flinch from the world.
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The mountain winds blew as Sesshomaru stood at the base of the cliff, his gaze beholding the miko above. He had been following Naraku's trail and instead of the loathsome half-demon, he came across this woman.
The miko, the one who sealed Inuyasha onto a tree fifty years ago, was supposed to be dead until her resurrection. At least, that was according to the limited information he had on her.
At present, she was locked in a confrontation with one of Naraku's newest incarnations.
Was she Naraku's target for tonight?
He squinted slightly. That woman—it seemed that Naraku considered her to be the biggest threat.
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"Where is Naraku?" the miko spoke calmly from on top of the cliff.
"Hahaha! You don't need to know, Kikyo. Because you're about to die. Corpses don't need to know anything."
"I'll ask again. Where exactly is Naraku hiding?"
"I said you don't need to know!" Saying that the three-headed demon stretched out its long tentacles and lashed out at Kikyo.
But it couldn't touch her.
The Hama no ya left the bow with a deadly whistle. There was a burst of spiritual light that exploded one of the monster's heads, leaving splatters of blood and brain.
"Hahaha!" Despite losing a head, the youkai still crackled as though it hadn't sustained any damage. In the short span of time that it was left amused, its third head had already grown back from the fleshy base of its neck and not a trace of distinction could be seen when compared with before. "It's useless, Kikyo. Taking out one of my head is not enough to kill me."
"…" Kikyo studied the three-headed demon evenly, neither speaking nor moving.
"Hahaha! Kikyo, look how pitiful you're now!" Repulsive tentacles looped around Kikyo's ankle in rings, slithering upwards. The demon let loose another round of unbridled and adulterous laughter, several of its tentacles thumping on the ground in a constant beat.
The moment that the tentacle touched her waist, the motionless Kikyo suddenly took action. Quick as lightning, her arm retreated behind her back and nicked the arrows resting in its quiver. She notched them, and then fired the projectiles! Her feat was flawless, all executed in one swift motion. Illuminating lights pierced the sky, forming three white streaks that soared towards the youkai.
An agonizing scream from the three-headed beast resounded and shook the earth. Each of its head was punctuated by a sacred arrow. Its body rapidly weathered, completely wiped out amidst the bright spiritual aura.
"Didn't Naraku tell you? A volley of arrows is not beneath my capability. As you are, you cannot hope to kill me." Kikyo's voice was still as cool as the sea's breeze, even though she knew that her words wouldn't reach the three-headed beast.
Having gathered up her used arrows and returned them to the quiver, she was about to turn away when she detected a flow of youki at the cliff below. Agilely, her head swiveled towards the source and her gaze drifted down.
Standing proudly with dignified deportment was a figure clad in a white kimono. His silver hair was like snow and he possessed an impeccable appearance unparalleled by those who walked the earth. Indisputable strength emanated from his demonic aura, generating a sense of natural grandeur.
—The aristocratic and pure-blooded Inu daiyoukai.
Even from across the steep cliffs, with a great distance between them, Kikyo could still sense the prodigious mass of concentrated aura seeping out of his form.
Was that Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru?
She continued to scrutinize from afar.
There were similarities between the brothers, though those only included the pair of golden eyes and luxuriant silver mane. Everything else bore out the differences, from appearance to temperament. The elder brother held an overbearing posture that Inuyasha could never imitate, with a kind of arrogance reserved for a conqueror of the world. He was an existence that couldn't be overlooked, someone who was destined to be superior.
Nonetheless, that didn't concern her. She retracted her gaze, called for her Soul Collectors, and then turned to depart.
Simultaneously, Sesshomaru also turned away from his appraisal.
So a miko who Naraku feared? That had nothing to do with him regardless.
And with that, he took even steps in the opposite direction.
