Inuyasha, Shippo and Kaede were slashed by Urasue. They fall downwards into the deep valley below, with the clay warriors. Inuyasha steps on a branch midway and leaps off, cushioning his landing.
"Where's Kimiko and…?" Inuyasha asks looking around getting worried.
Inuyasha looks up. A gigantic leaf falls from the sky and crushes him. Kaede and Shippo are sitting on the large leaf.
"I wonder if Inuyasha's all right." Shippo asked looking around.
"He wouldn't die so easily. Especially now that Kimiko's in danger." Kaede reminds making Shippo nod.
"Hey, you guys…!" Inuyasha said annoyed crawling out from under the leaf.
"Inuyasha, so there you are!" Kaede said.
Shippo raise his arms and the leaf pops back into its original size. The clay warriors start standing up.
So, you haven't had enough?" Inuyasha demands as he unsheathed Tetsusaiga and attacks. "Tetsusaiga!"
Inuyasha slashes the clay warriors.
...
A While Later
"What?! Kimiko's been kidnapped? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Inuyasha demanded worried.
"That demoness stole her away." Shippo explained.
"Then, she wasn't thrown to the ground and killed…?" Inuyasha said relived.
Kaede walks among the clay warriors. Light orbs appear on their backs and float upwards.
"Soul…?" Kaede asked no one.
"Hey Kaede! What's going on?" Inuyasha inquired confused.
"Human souls were being used to move these puppets. Not only that…" Kaede starts explaining while putting her hand into a warrior. "Bones have been baked into them."
"Bones…?" Inuyasha questions still confused.
"She uses bones… That Urasue. Bones and souls. She stole my sister Kikyo's remains, and Kimiko." Kaede informed and starts to walk up the cliff but winces in pain.
"Don't strain yourself. I'll recover Kikyo's bones for you." Inuyasha's promised.
"We haven't got much time, I fear. We may well be meeting up with Kikyo soon." Kaede said gravely.
"Meeting Kikyo…?" Inuyasha says shocked.
"If Urasue uses her tricks to reincarnate Kikyo, she will become a formidable foe." Kaede answered but then looks up, determined. "We have got to stop her."
...
Outside Urasue's Kiln
Kimiko is lying in a tub of green water, her hands tied. Urasue is pouring more green water into the tub.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Kimiko shouts out demanding answers.
"What a noisy child! That should do it." Urasue complained and stops.
"What's in this water? It smells like herbs." Kimiko said.
Kikyo walks out of the kiln slowly, in a priestess costume and stands next to Urasue.
"Oh… Who's that?" Kimiko asks noticing the girl.
"So, you've donned your costume… You look quite pretty dressed as a priestess. Your body is baked of human remains and graveyard soil. All I need do now is place a human soul within you." Urasue compliments and informs.
"Soul…?" Kimiko questioned confused.
"The herbs will soon cause your soul to leave your body. I will have you return it… Kikyo's soul." Urasue answers.
"Kikyo's soul…? Does that mean she's Kikyo?" Kimiko thinks unsure of how to feel.
...
Inuyasha leaps up the cliff, piggybacking Kaede. Shippo follows from behind. Inuyasha lands heavily.
"Ow…" Kaede says wincing in pain.
"Hey, Inuyasha! Can't you fly more gently?" Shippo scolds.
"Sorry. I thought time was critical." Inuyasha retorts back annoyed.
"Don't worry about me. Get me up there, hurry!" Kaede said.
Inuyasha continues leaping up the cliff.
"She said Kimiko's soul would be removed. We can't be dawdling." Shippo thinks getting determined and follows.
...
Kimiko is lying in the tub of green water.
"I feel awful… I can't…move…" Kimiko says struggling.
"That girl… The herbs should have caused her to lose consciousness by now." Urasue mused.
The Sacred Jewel on Kimiko starts to glow while she struggles.
"This light! So you have a fragment of the Sacred Jewel!? What great fortune! I'll help myself to it!" Urasue exclaimed excited rushing towards Kimiko.
A white sphere appears and pushes Urasue away. It enlarges and static appears.
"Is this the power of the Sacred Jewel? This spirit is angered. Kikyo's soul is mad with anger." Urasue questions.
"I feel sick… I'm going to throw up…" Kimiko says weakly.
"It is a powerful grudge. Something damnable must surely have happened to her in her previous life." Urasue ponders looking at Kikyo who is sitting at a corner.
Kikyo looks at the white sphere. Inuyasha, Kaede and Shippo reach the scene.
"Huh?" Inuyasha said in shock.
"Sister!" Kaede yelled out.
"Inuyasha…" Kimiko says weakly but in relief knowing Inuyasha would rescue her now.
"Are you still alive?!" Urasue demanded angry and frustrated.
"Why, you're…" Inuyasha starts to say but trailed off looking at Kikyo.
Kikyo's voice within Kimiko is speaking.
"Don't… Don't call my name…" Kikyo pleads thinking.
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha said softly.
Kimiko suddenly opens her eyes and her body jerks upwards. The white orb explodes and white orbs fly out of Kimiko's body.
"Oh! It's leaving her body!" Urasue cheered excited,
"Kimiko!" Inuyasha shouts out worried and panicked.
"The second you said her name, her heart skipped a beat and Kikyo's soul sprang forth." Urasue informed.
The white orbs of soul fly into Kikyo's body violently, throwing her body upwards in the sky. Kikyo is bathed in a white light and she lands gently. She holds up her hands and touch her face.
"Kimiko's soul has entered Kikyo's body." Inuyasha said in disbelief.
"Kimiko! Wake up, Kimiko!" Shippo pleads once he ran to the tub.
"That girl is just an empty shell now. I'll pickle her later for my dinner." Urasue said gleefully.
"Listen, Urasue… You dared to use my sister Kikyo's bones…" Kaede started saying angrily.
"Exactly! I have used my powers to turn Kikyo's remains into flesh and blood." Urasue said and opens her arms. "You could say I am her birth mother. Kikyo will do anything I ask of her." Kikyo walks to her. "Now, use your powers to rid us of these bothersome…" Kikyo puts her hands on Urasue's shoulders. "Ohh…"
Suddenly a current charges out of Kikyo's hands and shocks Urasue. Urasue falls backwards and spins, yelling in pain. She drops to the ground and is reduced to a burning mess.
"Inuyasha… Why are you alive? I know I sealed you up…" Kikyo demanded slowly.
"Heh! Sorry about that! It took me about 50 years to get out, but I'm fine, as you can see." Inuyasha mocks amused.
"You're hateful! I hate you!" Kikyo yells looking up with tears in her eyes.
A red glow appears on Kikyo's shoulders and she winces in pain. She holds a hand to it.
"What's the matter, Kikyo?" Inuyasha inquired curiously.
The red glow disappears and a bloody appears in its place.
"Why did you turn against me, Inuyasha?!" Kikyo shouted demanding answers holding up her bloodied hand.
"Wh-What is that? That blood…" Inuyasha says in shocked confusion.
"Inuyasha…? Isn't that the fatal wound you inflicted on Kikyo?" Kaede asked.
"What?! H-Hey…! Are you saying I killed Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked starting to panic confused.
"That's right! That's how my sister died." Kaede informed Inuyasha.
Blood drips from Kikyo's wound and forms a red puddle on the ground.
"Not me…! Kaede… I don't remember doing any such thing!" Inuyasha insists.
"Truly?! You say you did not inflict the wound that killed Kikyo? Wh-What… What is going on?" Kaede asked herself.
"I never thought… I never expected to hear such excuses… Stop it, Inuyasha. It's unbecoming." Kikyo admitted and became agitated. "Stop it… Stop it! Inuyasha… Don't you remember saying it? That's you'd become human."
"Human…? Inuyasha…" Kaede softly asks confused since it was the first time she heard of it.
"You said you'd become human. I believed you, and took the Sacred Jewel to you that day." Kikyo admitted.
...
Flashback
Kikyo takes the Sacred Jewel to a field. Someone runs up behind her and claws her back. Kikyo winces and falls face down, her shoulder bleeding. Inuyasha walks up to her. Kikyo reaches for the Sacred Jewel on the ground.
"Fool! I have absolutely no wish to become human." Inuyasha mocked stamping on Kikyo's hand and picks up the Jewel. "The Sacred Jewel, I sure appreciate this. This Jewel, it needs to absorb more bitterness and ill will. Those villagers, I'll kill them all." Inuyasha walks away
"You…" Kikyo says agitated and then yells. "I hate you!"
...
Present
"Inuyasha…? Could he have done such a thing?" Kaede asks unsure.
"Are you saying I betrayed you?!" Inuyasha demanded getting annoyed and frustrated.
"That's right… That's why I gathered the last of my strength and bound you to the tree with my arrow. Inuyasha…" Kikyo informed and walks to Inuyasha.
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha said in disbelief.
"We were never to meet again…" Kikyo admits holding Inuyasha's arm gently
Current surges from Kikyo's hands and shocks Inuyasha. Inuyasha falls backward in pain.
"Please stop this, Sister!" Kaede requested in a pleading tone holding Kikyo's sleeves.
"You…?" Kikyo said in confusion.
"I am your sister Kaede. I have lived 50 years since your death." Kaede explained to her sister.
"Why do you protect Inuyasha, Kaede?" Kikyo asks in disbelief and takes Kaede's bow and arrow. "Let me have that!" Kikyo pushes Kaede away and shoots Inuyasha.
Inuyasha dodges. Shippo drags Kimiko out of the tub. Kikyo turning to Kaede.
"Kaede!" Kikyo shouts.
"You mustn't, Kikyo. Inuyasha is not the enemy." Kaede pleads.
"What do you mean? Have you been taken in by this half-demon?!" Kikyo angrily demanded.
"Sister!" Kaede yells.
"Give me an arrow!" Kikyo commanded.
"No!" Kaede replied firmly.
"Kaede, who are you? Don't you and I share the same blood? Do you refuse to follow your older sister's command?" Kikyo asked but then grabs Kaede's quiver of arrows.
"Sister!" Kaede pleads and holds Kikyo.
"Move" Kikyo ordered pushing Kaede away violently before speaking to Inuyasha. "You told me that you wanted to become human…" Kikyo draws an arrow at Inuyasha. "Become human and live with me…!"
Inuyasha looks at Kikyo.
...
With Shippo and Kaede.
Kimiko lies unconscious on the ground.
"What will happen to Kimiko?" Shippo questions worriedly.
"So long as Kikyo holds on to her hatred, her soul will not grow still. So long as her soul does not return to her, Kimiko will continue to slumber." Kaede explained gently.
"That's awful!" Shippo said.
...
With Kikyo and Inuyasha.
"I truly loved you!" Inuyasha tells Kikyo.
"Silence! I was a fool for wishing, even for a second, to live with you! I died hating you. My spirit cannot shed that hatred. So long as you live, I cannot be saved." Kikyo says.
"Inuyasha… I want you to destroy my sister's body. Her rebirth is just a sham. You must release her soul from within." Kaede tells Inuyasha.
"It's no use! So long as the hatred is not erased, this soul will not return to her body! Inuyasha! All it takes is your death…!" Kikyo informs them all.
Kikyo shoots and the arrow flies at Inuyasha with a pink glow. Inuyasha unsheathes Tetsusaiga and blocks the arrow. It continues pushing at Tetsusaiga and Inuyasha struggles to hold on. Tetsusaiga transforms back to its rusty state.
"Kikyo's arrow has overcome the Tetsusaiga!" Kaede said horrified and yells at Inuyasha. "Run, Inuyasha!"
The arrow pierces Inuyasha chest and he yells in pain. Kimiko suddenly wakes her empty looking eyes looking angry, terrified and afraid. Souls fly out of Kikyo's body.
"Oh… No!" Kikyo says.
"It's Kimiko. She's trying to take back her soul!" Kaede said amazed.
"No…! I… I… I still…!" Kikyo pleads.
The souls fly back into Kimiko's body. The arrow that Kikyo shot at Inuyasha disappears.
"K-Kikyo… Huh?" Inuyasha thinks looking around.
Kikyo walks away from the group unsteadily.
"Kikyo! So, she still has some spirit left…" Inuyasha shouts.
"All that's keeping Kikyo going now is her deeply held grudge. It seems most of her soul has returned to the girl. Looks like her pent-up grudges have been absorbed well into the bones and graveyard earth. The once pure maiden is now a demon filled with hatred. Isn't that lovely…? Heh-heh-heh…" Urasue says while she is still a charred mess.
The wind blows and Urasue charred ashes is scattered in the wind. Inuyasha runs after Kikyo.
"Inuyasha!" Kaede calls out.
Kikyo walks in the mountain path. She is struggling for air.
"If I remain near that girl, she'll take the rest of my soul! I've got to get away… Oh!" Kikyo thinks becoming frustrated.
Kikyo trips and slides down the cliff edge. Inuyasha appears and grabs her hand. She hangs over the cliff while Inuyasha struggles to hold on to her.
"Inuyasha…" Kikyo says surprised.
"Kikyo… You can't go on like this. You must return to Kimiko." Inuyasha pleaded.
"Are you telling me to die…? If I return to that girl, that means I will no longer be myself. Inuyasha… Is that what you want? I'll never die!" Kikyo asks angry.
Kikyo grabs Inuyasha's hand and shocks him.
Didn't I tell you? When I die, you're coming with me!" Kikyo said angry.
"No!" Inuyasha shouts.
Inuyasha falls over the cliff and hang on to the edge with one hand. He struggles to keep his hold on Kikyo, but her hand slips. Kikyo falls into the valley below. She looks at him in shock as she falls.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha yells.
Kikyo falls into the valley surrounded in mist. Inuyasha stares into mist.
"Kikyo! Why…? Why did this happen?" Inuyasha thinks shocked and clenches his fist angrily.
...
Flashback Of Happier Times With Kikyo
"Kikyo used her spiritual powers to protect the Sacred Jewel from demons." Inuyasha's voice is heard.
...
Nighttime
Demons attack the shrine, but are destroyed by Kikyo's arrows.
"I needed the Sacred Jewel, too. In order to become a full-fledged demon." Inuyasha voice continues to be heard.
...
Daytime
Inuyasha sprinting in a forest. Kikyo fires a few arrows and pins his clothes on a tree. Kikyo is draws another arrow and pauses. She turns around and walk away.
"Wait a minute! Why do you never finish me off?!" Inuyasha demanded frustrated.
"Quit bothering me. I don't want to waste my arrows." Kikyo says instead of answering.
...
Kikyo is washing herself by a waterfall. Inuyasha looks at her from afar. Kikyo bows her head sadly and Inuyasha is surprised...
"If I could just get my hands on that Jewel... I had no intention of killing Kikyo. Kikyo would never kill me, either." Inuyasha narrates.
Kikyo sitting on a knoll overlooking the village.
"Inuyasha, I know you're there. Won't you come down?" Kikyo requested.
Inuyasha peeps out of a tree. Inuyasha is now sitting apprehensively next to Kikyo.
"We've never talked like this before." Kikyo said.
"So what?!" Inuyasha demanded suspicious.
"Inuyasha… How do I look? Do I look human?" Kikyo asked sadly.
"Huh?! What are you talking about?" Inuyasha replied back confused.
"I never show anyone my weakness. I must never waver. Otherwise, some demon will get the better of me. I'm human, but I mustn't be human. You and I have things in common." Kikyo confesses and looks into the distance but then looks down. "You, the half-demon. That's why I couldn't kill you."
"Humph!" Inuyasha mutters annoyed and stands up. "Complaining? It's not like you at all."
Inuyasha scoffs and walks off. He stops and looks back at Kikyo, who looks at him with soft eyes.
"I guess…it's unlike me…" Kikyo softly admitted.
"Looking at Kikyo's sad face… For the first time in my life, I felt like I'd done something wrong." Inuyasha voice said.
...
Kikyo is playing with the village kids and Inuyasha looks on from a tree.
"After that day, all I could think about was Kikyo." Inuyasha voice confessed.
..,
Kikyo is now walking in the snow and Inuyasha looks on from a rooftop.
"She was always near me…" Inuyasha said softly.
Kikyo walking to the horizon in the snow, and Inuyasha follows.
"And I was always with her." Inuyasha voice says.
...
Kikyo and Inuyasha sitting on a hill in the sunset.
"Me… A human?" Inuyasha states in disbelief.
"Sure you can. You're half human, after all." Kikyo replied and Inuyasha looks down. "If the Sacred Jewel fell into the hands of a true demon, its powers would greatly increase. But if it was used to turn you into a human, the Jewel would be purified and would probably cease to exist."
"Then what would happen to you, Kikyo?" Inuyasha questions concerned.
"My duty is to protect the Jewel. Without the Jewel, I'd become an ordinary woman." Kikyo explained.
...
Inuyasha is rowing a boat in the sunset. Kikyo sits at the back of the boat. They stop by a pier and Kikyo gets up from the boat. She trips and falls into Inuyasha's arms. Inuyasha drops his oar and hugs Kikyo.
"I had no second thoughts…! I believed I could live as a human with Kikyo. I wanted that life! But…that day…" Inuyasha admitted.
...
Kikyo is firing several arrows at Inuyasha. They miss him and Inuyasha looks at Kikyo in shock and anger.
"Die! Inuyasha!" Kikyo orders.
"I… It was I who was betrayed. When I let down my guard, she tried to kill me! I managed to dodge her arrows, then attacked the village to steal the Sacred Jewel. Then, she nailed me to that tree." Inuyasha finished voicing his thoughts but then thinks of Kikyo.
Kikyo held up her bloodied hand and yells. "Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?!"
...
Present
Inuyasha walks from the cliff.
"Damn…! Why did we come to this?" Inuyasha thinks frustrated.
He winces in pain and falls but feels arms catch him but they still fall on the ground.
"Why…? What in the world is going on?" Inuyasha thinks than looks to see it was Kimiko's arms that tried to catch him both of them not looking to well.
"Don't worry Inuyasha we'll figure out who betrayed you and Kikyo." Kimiko reassured Inuyasha who put his head in her lap and smiled a small smile up at Kimiko before they both passed out in exhaustion to be fond quickly by Shippo and Kaede who brought them back to the village to get much needed rest.