"A spider on his back…" Kaede says.
"Yes. According to Inuyasha, a spider-shaped burn mark on his back." Miroku informed.
"The robber Onigumo had terrible burns. Perhaps that is proof that it is Onigumo." Kaede replied.
"A spider on his back… That will also be the telltale sign of Naraku." Miroku declared looking at his right hand.
...
Inuyasha is sitting on a tree branch, staring into the distance. Kimiko is on the ground, a distance away from him just coming back from dropping Sota off. She looks at him intently.
"Kikyo didn't even consider using the power of the Sacred Jewel to live." Inuyasha thinks pensive.
"Kikyo chose death… She chose to follow Inuyasha." Kimiko thinks also pensive.
Inuyasha notices Kimiko looking at him. They look at each other intently.
...
Daytime - Mansion
Inuyasha's gang stand in front of a mansion.
"What a huge mansion!" Shippo comments impressed.
"Miroku, will we be staying here tonight?" Kimiko asked interested.
"He's probably gonna tell 'em that there's an ominous cloud over the mansion again." Inuyasha answers for Miroku annoyed.
"No, I have a legitimate reason this time." Miroku denied serious.
...
They are in the princess's room and speaking to the lord of the mansion.
'A demon that steals the souls of the dead princesses?" Inuyasha inquired.
"It's sad enough that my dear Princess passed away. To have her soul stolen op top of this…" The Lord sobs out.
"Rest assured. We will protect her soul without fail." Miroku promised serious.
"Huh?" Shippo and Kimiko questioned confused.
A bevy of female servants bring sumptuous food for Inuyasha's gang. Their rice bowls are piled up with rice like small mountains.
"Told ya! It's the same as usual." Inuyasha says annoyed,
"Well, can't wage war on an empty stomach." Miroku points out before thinking. "Still, it's awfully quiet. I don't like it."
...
Kids are playing in a field by the river. A girl stops by some flowers.
"Found it!" The First Girl shouted happily and picks out a leaf and waves. "Priestess Kikyo! Priestess Kikyo!"
Kikyo turns around and smiles to her.
"Look! Look! Isn't this a medicinal herb?" The First Girl questions running to Kikyo.
"Good for you! It's called lantern plant and it relieves swelling." Kikyo answers.
"Priestess Kikyo! What about this?" A Boy asked running to Kikyo with a bunch of flowers.
"What's this, Priestess Kikyo?" Another girl inquired running to Kikyo with a bunch of flowers.
"Let me see…" Kikyo requests.
...
Forest
Two monks are staring at Kikyo from behind some trees.
"Master Seikai… That priestess is demon? She looks absolutely human to me." The Apprentice questioned confused.
"You do not have enough training. Can't you sense it? The evil that permeates this area?" Master Seikai informed.
...
With Kikyo
Kikyo is seated with the kids on the field, back facing the monks.
"Master Monk over there…" Kikyo said trailing off. The children gasps in surprise. Master Seikai hides behind the tree. Kikyo turns around. "You've been watching us for quite some time."
"Well, well… You noticed us? I'm overcome by your beauty." Master Seikai lies casually, walking towards Kikyo.
"Such flattery." Kikyo replied.
"I must apply myself much more diligently. I am much embarrassed." Master Seikai says. Master Seikai trips and a sutra falls out of his clothes. Kikyo and the children look at it. Kikyo looks at Master Seikai. "Will you pick it up? This is an anti-evil sutra. If a demon touches this, its true self is immediately revealed."
Kikyo reaches for the sutra and Master Seikai is surprised.
"I'm thankful for such a sutra. Here you are." Kikyo comments rolling up the sutra and gives it to Master Seikai.
"She touched the sutra, yet nothing happened." Master Seikai thinks shocked.
He takes the sutra and static surges from it into his body. He yells and falls back.
"Let's go, everyone." Kikyo said standing.
Kikyo walks off with the children. Master Seikai drops the sutra and the words on it are gone. He touches his chest in shock.
"W-what was that?! Something went through my body." Master Seikai asks himself before he notices the sutra. "W-what is this?"
"What's the matter, Master Seikai?" The Apprentice asked walking up to his master.
"Look!" Master Seikai exclaimed.
"The sutra is gone!" The Apprentice shouts becoming shocked.
Master Seikai: "She completely erased it!" Master Seikai said before shouts. "Priestess!" Kikyo stops and the children turn around to look at the two monks. "I don't know what holds you back here but this world is not for you. Return to where you belong!"
"What's he saying?!" The Boy asks frowning.
"Funny monk!" The Second Girl comments also frowning.
Kikyo and the children walk away.
"That woman… She's no ordinary demon. She's much, much stronger…and evil." Master Seiki comments.
...
Sunset - A Village
Kikyo returns to the village with the children. The villagers stop farming and look at her.
"Oh, it's Priestess Kikyo." The First Villager said.
"We're lucky to have such a wonderful priestess." The Second Villager added.
"Yeah… The sick are cured and the children are healthy." The First Villagers agreed.
"We must be grateful." The Second Villager said.
Kikyo is deep in thought.
...
Flashback
"I want the spiritual power of a priestess. This body…free of bones…burned of flesh… This soul which has transmigrated into me suits me very well." Kikyo thinks.
Kikyo holds up her bloodied hand from the wound inflicted by Naraku.
"Why did you betray me, Inuyasha?!" Kikyo demanded angry.
...
Inuyasha's encounter with Kikyo, when she fell off a cliff.
"You tell me to die again…why do you pity me? Feel the heat in my hands… The heat of anger…of vengeance!" Kikyo orders.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha shouts out.
...
Kikyo is being washed ashore.
...
Fade to Present
The First Girl tugs at Kikyo's sleeve.
"Priestess Kikyo! Priestess Kikyo!" The First Girl calls.
"Sayo…" Kikyo softly says collecting her thoughts.
"Priestess Kikyo, you won't go anywhere, will you?" Sayo questions.
"Sayo, you like me?" Kikyo asks kneeling and smiles.
"Uh-huh." Sayo nods.
"Thank you. You are dear to me, too…like a little sister." Kikyo says.
"Really?" Sayo exclaimed glad.
"Yes." Kikyo reassured.
Sayo giggles and runs off. She stops and waves goodbye to Kikyo happily. Kikyo stands and looks around the village.
"I will live here. Here in this village. I can do that… However, is it not allowed?" Kikyo thinks.
...
Mansion - Nighttime
Inuyasha slides open the door to the room of the dead princess. Kimiko is alone inside, seated in front of the corpse.
"Nothing out of the ordinary outside. So how's the deceased?" Inuyasha reported before asking.
"Hmm…nothing unusual." Kimiko answered.
"I see… Where's Miroku?" Inuyasha asked closing the door and sitting next to Kimiko.
"There's another princess here. He was worried about her." Kimiko explained a little exasperated.
"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
..
Mansion - Corridor
Miroku and Shippo walk along the corridor with the lord.
"The younger princess is so terrified." The Lord tells the two.
"Please leave it to me. The younger sister of the late princess must also be beautiful. Err…never mind." Miroku tried to reassure.
"Miroku… Am I gonna protect that princess, too?" Shippo asked.
"She may be nervous at our first meeting. So will you transform or something?" Miroku requested.
"Transform?" Shippo questioned confused.
"So that she'll go something like,"Oh, cute little fox!"" Miroku furthered explained pretending to be the princess.
,What's that?!" Shippo exclaimed.
"When you've grown up a little, you'll understand." Miroku said smiling and nods.
...
With Inuyasha And Kimiko
"That guy… He's a monk! And since he acts like a saint, my hands are tied!" Inuyasha said exasperated.
Kimiko suddenly leans onto Inuyasha. Inuyasha gasps and blushes.
"W-what…Kimiko?" Inuyasha inquiries confused.
"I know its silly but I'm afraid! Like this princess…might suddenly move." Kimiko sheepishly admits.
"Is that all?" Inuyasha asks a little amused.
"What do you mean?" Kimiko asks defensively before teasing Inuyasha as payback. "…you…having dirty thoughts just now?"
"S-stupid!" Inuyasha stutters and blushes before shouting also efensively. "That's 'cuz you came cuddling up to me!"
"You were having thoughts!" Kimiko exclaimed with a little blush.
"I was not!" Inuyasha denied.
"You were!" Kimiko insisted.
...
Mansion - Younger Princess' Room
"We should go back now. I'm worried about the late princess' soul." Miroku said serious.
A fat princess appears and hugs Miroku tightly.
"Please don't go, Master Monk! I'm so afraid!" The Princess begs terrified.
They fall to the ground.
"Oh dear…! You are very safe here!" Miroku tried to reassure.
"Meany!" The Princess whines.
...
With Inuyasha And Kimiko
The corpse of the late princess suddenly floats. Kimiko gasps and hugs Inuyasha tightly making Inuyasha blush a little. A long dragon like demon crash into the room from outside.
"So it's appeared!" Inuyasha said his blush disappearing.
The soul of the dead princess floats out of her mouth and the demon holds it. Inuyasha's unsheathes Tetsusaiga and leaps.
"Die!" Inuyasha demanded.
The demon is slashed into two. The soul returns back to the corpse and she falls back to the ground.
"The spirit is safe." Kimiko said relived.
"But is this it?" Inuyasha questions disappointed and sheathes Tetsusaiga. "How boring."
"Wait… There's still something outside!" Kimiko informed.
Kimiko and Inuyasha rush outside. More demons fly across the sky with souls in their fins.
"It wasn't just one!" Kimiko exclaimed.
"They're all carrying human souls!" Inuyasha said.
"So many! What're they going to do with them?" Kimiko wonders.
Miroku comes running with Shippo.
"Let's go after them! Right now!" Miroku orders.
The fat princess chases them lecherously. Miroku leaps over the parapet and runs off.
"Master Monk… Please wait!" The Princess requested.
"What were you doing?!" Inuyasha demanded.
"I suspect that this princess too is a demon…" Shippo tells them.
Princess: "Little fox, you're also a meany!" The Princess pouted hugging Shippo tightly.
"I'm sorry!" Shippo apologized almost suffocating.
The demons fly off into the night sky.
...
Village
Sayo lies awake in her hut. Her family are fast asleep.
"Priestess Kikyo seems a bit depressed. It must be the monk's fault…" Sayo thinks worried remembering what the monk told Kikyo.
Sayo is clasps her ears and trembling not wanting to remember.
Sayo: "I can't sleep." Sayo said and peers to the door and notices Kikyo walking past. "Priestess Kikyo…"
Sayo gets out of bed and walks out of the hut.
"Where is she going so late at night?" Sayo ponders looking at Kikyo's retreating figure.
Kikyo stops by a river. Sayo follows her and hides behind a tree.
"Because of those words this afternoon, maybe she's going someplace far away…" sayo says to herself.
Kikyo unties her ribbon in her hair. Soul collector demons from earlier on fly in and surround her. Kikyo holds the souls in their fins.
"Souls of tragic women… Come to me." Kikyo says.
"Priestess Kikyo is manipulating the demons…" Sayo thinks terrified.
Kikyo is surrounded with souls. Master Seikai and his apprentice appear and look at Kikyo.
"You cannot cross to the netherworld, Priestess? You are the one who has died." Master Seikai asks.
"Please overlook my presence. I want to live quietly in this village." Kikyo requests.
"If you want to live quietly, why do you gather the souls of the dead?" Master Seikai inquired.
"Well, that's…" Kikyo starts to answer but trails off.
"It seems that you cannot sustain that body without those souls." Master Seikai realized and holds up a sculpture with dragon decorations.
"What are you…going to do?" Kikyo questions.
"I will return you to where you belong! I do this for your sake!" Master Seikai informed.
A burst of light from the dragon sculpture grabs Kikyo and transforms into a real dragon. It uses its claw to clutch Kikyo's neck.
"You cannot escape my Demon-Binding Spell! I will extinguish your light! Save your soul!" Master Seikai shouts.
KIK: Save? You?! Save my soul?!
A light surrounds KIK and the dragon explodes. The claw that was gripping KIK's neck is thrown towards Master Seikai and pierces through his throat. He yells in pain. The dragon remains dissipate into thin air. Master Seikai falls on his knees. His apprentice looks on in terror. Master Seikai falls over and the dragon sculpture drops and cracks. The apprentice shrieks and runs off.
"If you hadn't interfered, you wouldn't have died." Kikyo states walking up to Master Seikai.
"Just what…are you trying to do? The living are carving new moments in their lives. But…Time has stopped for the dead, like you. It can never mix." Master Seikai says struggling and grabs Kikyo's ankle. He loosens his grip on Kikyo's ankle. "How sad…"
Master Seikai dies.
"Sad, you say? Me?" Kikyo thinks.
A rustling sound of leaves is heard. Kikyo turns around immediately and shouts.
"Who's there!?" Kikyo demanded harshly.
It is Sayo, looking at Kikyo and trembling in fear.
"Sayo… Were you…watching?" Kikyo asks relaxing.
Kikyo walks over to her and kneels.
"Sayo…" Kikyo softly says.
Kikyo reaches for Sayo's face and she flinches away in fear. Kikyo backs off and lowers her head sadly.
"I'm sorry. I frightened you." Kikyo apologized sad and stands and walks off.
"Priestess Kikyo…" Sayo said looking at Kikyo's back.
"Good bye… I'm sorry." Kikyo apologized again stopping and turns her head.
Sayo watches as Kikyo walks out of her life.
...
Daytime
Inuyasha's gang picnics by a river, with food that Kimiko brought over from her time.
"Let's go. We have to save the souls of those women." Kimiko tells Inuyasha.
"Huh? So where?" Inuyasha asked Kimiko.
"Well…" Kimiko trailed off.
"The demon who stole the souls disappeared without leaving a clue." Shippo added licking a lollipop.
"It's no use returning to that mansion." Miroku adds.
"Isn't it that you don't want to return? That young princess was really smitten with you." Shippo comments.
"Ahem…" Miroku said not answering but flinched at the thought and sips his drink.
"Are you tired of this?" Kimiko asks kneeling next to Inuyasha.
"Think about it… What's the point in all this? It's not like we'll find a Sacred Jewel fragment." Inuyasha tells them.
"Not again! Look, we're helping people." Kimiko reprimanded.
"And that's what I'm tired of! I'm gonna be a great demon someday so why must I help petty humans?" Inuyasha retorts.
"Acting like a villain! When you're actually quite a saint." Kimiko teases Inuyasha.
"W-what?! Don't put me down!" Inuyasha stammers at Kimiko but couldn't quite help but be a little flattered by what Kimiko said.
"I'm flattering you." Kimiko said amused by Inuyasha's reaction.
"Kah! Anyway, I don't like this, so I'm out. Understand?" Inuyasha said changing the subject.
Kimiko stands up and looks into the river.
"Are you listening?!" Inuyasha demands Kimiko.
"What's that?" Kimiko questions.
Master Seikai's apprentice float along into the river.
"An octopus!" Shippo exclaimed.
"It's a person!" Miroku corrected once he got a better look.
"That's terrible! Hurry!" Kimiko gasps worried before she grabs Inuyasha knowing he would argue if she asked.
"W-what?!" Inuyasha asks confused but having a feeling he knew what Kimiko was about to do.
"Help someone!" Kimiko tells him shoving him into the river with a quick sorry.
The apprentice lies on the riverbank. Inuyasha wrings his wet clothes dry while the rest sit around the apprentice.
"This priest is just unconscious." Miroku informed.
"He's moaning." Kimiko says.
The apprentice wakes and screams when he sees Kimiko.
"What?! Don't scare us!" Kimiko somewhat scolded grabbing Inuyasha's leg startled.
"What about Kimiko?" Miroku inquiries intrigued.
...
A While Later
"A demon?" Inuyasha asks.
"Yes…" The Apprentice answers.
"You say that Kimiko looks like that demon." Miroku repeated.
"She was in human form but in actuality, a frightening demon! That priestess." The Apprentice continued explaining.
"A priestess…who resembles me?" Kimiko thinks worry filling her stomach.
"She was able to deflect my master's spiritual powers. Oh yes… Her name…was Kikyo." The Apprentice finished.
"If you're lying, you'll really pay!" Inuyasha shouts fiercely grabbing the apprentice.
"I'm not lying. That woman lured away lonely souls of dead women…" The Apprentice added.
"Never mind that! The name! How do you know her name was Kikyo?!" Inuyasha demands.
Apprentice: "The village children addressed her so. I'm not mistaken… They called her Kikyo." The Apprentice answers.
"The stolen souls…were being accumulated by Kikyo?" Kimiko says.
Inuyasha throws the apprentice back on the ground.
"Kikyo… Are you still in this world? Didn't…you die on that day?!" Inuyasha thinks not daring to hope.
...
Forest
Kikyo walking in a dark forest with her soul collectors.
"She's still alive! If she walks this earth…!" Inuyasha's voice is heard saying.
...
Inuyasha is leaping across the rocks on the riverbank.
"I…want…to save you!" Inuyasha thinks determined.
...
With The Others
The gang are sitting on a log. The apprentice has left.
"Was it wise to let Inuyasha go alone?" Miroku questions Kimiko a little worried about her.
"He shot off like a bullet." Shippo adds.
"Inuyasha still probably loves Kikyo." Kimiko says sad not knowing why she felt so sad.
"What?!" Shippo exclaimed.
"That's why it's better if we stay away…" Kimiko tells them trying to convince them as much as herself.
"Why?" Shippo asks confused.
"I think I understand." Miroku answers.
"Huh?" Shippo questions still confused.
"The woman he once loved may have changed. If so…he would not want others to see her." Miroku explained.
"What're you talking about? She may turn out better than before. Then what?" Shippo asks them.
"Well, I'd get back with her…" Miroku answers.
"Oh, I see…" Kimiko coldly says standing up and pushes her bike and walks off not wanting to hear anymore.
"She seemed awfully cold just now." Miroku comments.
"I don't think you imagined that." Shippo whispered.
Kimiko pushes her bicycle angrily in the forest.
"This is so maddening…! What is Inuyasha up to?!" Kimiko thinks becoming frustrated.
"Err… Kimiko." Miroku calls hesitantly chasing her with Shippo.
"What is it?" Kimiko accidentally snapped.
"Umm… Shall we go after Inuyasha?" Miroku offers.
"No way! Why should I…?" Kimiko states mad.
A gust of wind blows and the sky turns dark.
"An evil wind? That's…" Kimiko says but trails off.
Kikyo's soul collectors fly past them.
"Those demons!" Shippo finished Kimiko's sentence.
"Let's go after them!" Miroku orders.
"Yes!" Kimiko shouts glad she had something to do to get her mind off Inuyasha and Kikyo.
Kimiko, Miroku and Shippo chase the soul collectors. A barrier appears. Kimiko and the soul collectors enter without hindrance, but Miroku and Shippo are pushed back.
"W-what's this?!" Shippo asks.
"It's a barrier." Miroku answers.
"We can't pass?" Shippo questions.
"No." Miroku simply said.
"Kimiko? Where's Kimiko?" Shippo inquiries becoming worried.
...
Forest
Kimiko runs in the forest within the barrier. She almost trips but grabs a trunk in time.
'Be careful! It's slippery." Kimiko warns and turns around. "Huh?! No, I'm alone!"
Kimiko lose her footing and slides off the slope. She rolls further down and finally stops.
"Ouch… This…is…" Kimiko says standing, rubbing her sore back.
Kimiko looks in front of her. Kikyo is resting on a large tree, surrounded with souls. Her eyes are closed.
"Kikyo…" Kimiko softly says unsure of how to feel.