The chill of night slowly departed as the fog laden clouds moved to reveal the hazy sky, a dirty sun struggling to shine through the thick miasma. Acid rain came down in pockets that sizzled upon hitting the ground, melting whatever surface it found.

Kikyo doused the ashes from the now long burned away fire, smoke clouds billowing out as Kagumei sat up and observed her surroundings. Her memories of the previous day were foggy, but she sensed right away that something about the woman she was with was off. Her compulsion spell had waned overnight while Kikyo's powers became muted, and her eyes had returned to their natural azure color.

She reached for the reins of the horse while the other miko had her back turned, but Kikyo was quick to turn and raise one hand at her, folding her fingers down until only her index and middle remained, a bead of bright pink light glowing at the center. Kagumei tensed and got to her feet, the two women like a mirror reflection; despite Kagumei's shorter hair and features that were oddly similar to Kagome's.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, holding both hands up in a sign of surrender.

"I don't want anything from you, I just need you." Kikyo said coldly, and the pink bead suddenly grew larger. Kagumei used both hands to attempt to create a spiritual barrier. Her transparent wall was erected, but it was too late. Kikyo's orb passed through with a crackle like lightning, sparks surrounding the ball as it moved through the wall, then quickly back into Kagumei's forehead where the corrupted jewel was. Kagumei fell backwards as if she were thrown. The stunned miko landed on the horse with a puff of black miasma upon contact with the poisoned corpse.

The barrier was dispelled and Kikyo was able to walk past effortlessly, kneeling down to examine her work. She turned Kagumei's face and frowned at seeing how the corrupted shard had a hairline of lilac color showing through. Kikyo placed her fingers over it; imbuing it with some of her own darkness remaining from the jewel. The jewel in turn, became more clear where it showed on her chest, and the one in Kagumei's forehead, darker. The enchanted miko's eyes turned back to crimson red as Kikyo regained control over her.

"Stupid girl. You're just as foolish as the one before you." Kikyo muttered, hauling her up roughly by her arm. Kagumei got to her feet then Kikyo produced rope from the saddle bags and tied her wrists with it.

"There, now you can't get yourself in trouble." Kikyo said, and guided her to get behind her. She was more than ready to free herself from this nuisance and the one lying dormant inside. Kikyo looked at her surroundings and her gaze fell upon the darkest point at the highest peak of the cursed land she was standing upon. She could sense that Naraku was drawing her there and didn't resist his pull, dragging Kagumei behind her.

~x•X•x~

Hours passed, though it seemed to be timeless in the bleak wastelands of Naraku's domain. Kikyo stopped upon seeing a small cave in the forest untouched by miasma. She hurried inside and shoved Kagumei down beside her. The acid rain she could resist using her powers of purification for a while until it began to burn her. That was one reason for respite, that and her hunger that could no longer be ignored. Kikyo knelt down by the lip of a small pool and splashed water on her face, removing whatever traces of acid that could have landed on her. She sighed and dipped her sleeve in the water, then wiped Kagumei's face with it. The girl looked dead on with a blank stare as she did, unnerving Kikyo. She was surprised to see that Kagumei was also able to resist the acid as long as she did, but they both needed rest and something to fill their stomachs for the time being.

"You're pitiful like this, you know. I think I liked you a bit better when you were at least angry." Kikyo said, then allowed Kagumei's compliance spell to weaken just enough for her to be coherent, her eyes turning pink. Kagumei looked around herself anxiously, then struggled against her binds.

"Don't bother trying to get away. Do you see where we are?" Kikyo said, then kneeling back down by the water, watching fish swim in the deeper parts of the crystal pool. It was odd how this cave was untouched, perhaps it was tucked away sufficiently enough to avoid corruption? Without Onigumo's heart, Naraku didn't have the compassion to provide her with shelter and food. But, he did have plans for her, so maybe that was enough reason for him to provide her some meager sanctuary.

Kikyo placed her hand on the surface and pulsed her energy through it, electricity killing the fish instantly. They floated to the surface as she turned and sparked a pile of dead grass and twigs, a fire roaring away in seconds. Kagumei's eyes widened as she observed how Kikyo used her powers to procure them a firepit and fresh fish. Kikyo smirked at her success then took out a small knife and began gutting the fish. Kagumei's lips trembled, then she managed to speak at last.

"Why are you doing this...? I don't.." Kagumei whispered hoarsely, watching how Kikyo tossed the inedible parts of the fish into the fire before beginning on the next one.

"I need you alive, girl. What else is there?" Kikyo remarked flatly, furrowing her brow. She disliked speaking to the girl, she'd had enough of Kagome as it was, she didn't need Kagumei getting in her head next. Kagumei took this in and looked down at the ground glumly.

"So, you don't plan to kill me…?" Kagumei asked meekly as she watched the other priestess procure a stick, which she used to skewer four fish on. Kikyo stabbed it into the dirt by the fire, then washed her hands in the creek.

"No, I don't, not at this moment." She said, chuckling softly.

"Oh…Then tell me who does." The girl boldly stated. Kikyo eyed her closely and Kagumei seemed to tremble from fear, but never moved from where she sat.

"Your curiosity will be your downfall, just like the one before you. You don't need to know something which you cannot understand." Kikyo said bitterly, turning the stake to cook the other side of the fish. Kagumei frowned, feeling unsatisfied with this answer.

"How can I understand if you won't tell me?" She wailed in frustration, watching Kikyo's face for answers. Kikyo lifted her gaze and took a moment to think about her next answer.

"Know that your foolhardy attitude will neither make a difference, nor will it change your fate. But, I'll tell you simply with the hope it quiets your whining." Kikyo said with a sigh, plucking the stake from the ground and setting it aside to let the meat cool. Kagumei looked on eagerly, and Kikyo had to admit a part of her did feel sympathy for the clueless girl.

"I'm taking you to a very powerful man who has plans for the both of us. His intentions may not be completely honest, but with me, you shall not suffer…long." Kikyo said solemnly, Kagumei flinching.

"N-Not long?" She breathed, then the mark on her forehead glowed red and her frightened face grew calm.

"I don't mean to frighten you, but I also mean to warn you. There will be no fighting it, so you should accept this now and move on. We do not plan to kill you, that would defeat your purpose." Kikyo said gently, moving the stake closer to Kagumei so she could take her serving of fish. She untied the rope around her wrists, but with just a lift of her finger Kikyo could put her in spiritual shackles if she so wished. Kagumei seemed to know this, and resisted the urge to run away, instead gently blowing on the steaming fish before taking a small bite.

Kikyo watched her for a moment, then went about eating her own. She didn't want to take too long or let their trip go on for another night. There was more danger here now than there was previously, Kikyo could hear the swarms of Naraku's demons and poisonous insects as they passed overhead, screaming and crying in utter madness. Kagumei looked out the cave entrance and gasped as she heard the swarm pass over, fear coming over her features.

"I hate those nasty things." She uttered, shuddering. Kikyo observed her, and confirmed that this girl did indeed live up to the closest meaning of her name. Mirror.

~x•X•x~

A robed man with a round amigasa hat protecting him from the rain stood at the entrance of the cave, drawn by the scent of cooking and the sight of smoke. Onigumo waited to see any movement inside before stepping inside, taking off his straw hat and squatting by the firepit that was still steaming after being doused with water. His short, shaggy hair concealed most of his face but for the exceptionally fair look of it, pale and bloodless.

He stuck his finger in the ashes and felt heat sizzling away at his skin, before slowly pulling it out to look at it. The blackened skin bubbled and popped before drying up and peeling away, revealing the pristine skin underneath. He was immune to fire, acid, weapons, but one thing held him powerless. Her.

Onigumo stood, seeing that Kikyo was no longer there and left the cave, following her tracks. "Lady Kikyo." He uttered softly, stumbling over a demon's horned skull and goring his leg, then continuing on his path as if nothing had happened. He was clumsy, cared not for his own well-being and trailed after the priestess like a blind man with the snout of a bloodhound. Citrine eyes narrowed as they observed this all with contempt. Sesshomaru stood atop a rock precipice, looking down at the desolation in disgust; the reeking scent of decay and miasma filling his nostrils with Naraku's putrid malodor.

He watched the Nothing Man who had attempted to steal his face before crawling his way after the priestess, leaving a trail of blood that gradually blackened and congealed. After surveying the direction he went in, Sesshomaru felt certain he could follow the blood trail without any issue even if the acid rain didn't let up for hours. He turned briskly and made his way back down the cliff, going back a good ways until he reached the thicket where Jaken and Shippo were staying.

When Sesshomaru came through the clearing, Jaken looked up eagerly to see his Lord had returned. Sesshomaru glared at Jaken, and he quickly bumbled to form words, trembling.

"W-what did you find, M'lord? Are we nearing Naraku's castle?"

The daiyokai ignored his question, his narrowed eyes casually inspecting the area for the little kitsune boy.

"Where is he?" He asked calmly, not showing the concern the question would have implied. Jaken looked around himself quickly, as if he hadn't noticed Shippo was gone yet.

"Drat! That little nuisance must have taken off! Let's leave him then, you have much more important matters than one small kitsune child!" Jaken snorted, a large sweat drop forming on his brow. Sesshomaru seemed to contemplate on this silently, his stony expression not changing but for a low simmering aura of anger that Jaken seemed to sense, backing away anxiously.

"Go find him." Sesshomaru seethed, then turned back. Jaken's meddling would prove to only lengthen their journey, now they had to backtrack to find the brat he so casually abandoned. It wasn't exactly the fact that Shippo had gone missing that perturbed him, but the clumsy trail of evidence that Jaken left everywhere they went. They were in Naraku's territory, where Saimyōshō spies lurked at every corner.

~x•X•x~

Shippo giggled as he ran into a fox hole and hid, watching from between blades of grass as a small, barefoot set of feet ran past, then hesitated. Shippo stifled a snicker as his new friend searched for him, away from the gloomy skies ahead and in the dead center of a wide open meadow, where there was barely anywhere to hide unless you were tiny enough to curl up in a burrow.

He snickered as he eluded the girl, forgetting for a moment the dangers of the wilderness which was rife with demons and people just as bad as them.

After a while, Shippo grew tired of waiting and poked his head out of the burrow, but his play partner was nowhere to be found. He ran through the meadow in a panic, shouting "Rin! Rin!" As his shouts echoed through the trees, a shiver went all throughout the young kitsune's body. "Rin! Rin!" His voice echoed moments later, growing smaller and smaller as it faded into the distance. Shippo shivered and hid in the grass as he worried about the girl's fate; too afraid to investigate on his own.

He was saved by the sound of Jaken's shouts for "Little brat!" And "Annoying fox kit!" Shippo ran out the grass immediately, and clung to Jaken's sleeve in terror. Jaken exclaimed in disgust and attempted to shake him off, but then he too felt a cold chill and froze in place.

"What is that…?" Jaken gasped, clinging to Shippo in shared terror as the sky darkened, and the ground underneath them began to move.

"Help! Shippo!" Rin cried, and Shippo freed himself from Jaken's clutch at the sound of the fearful voice. When he ran further from the meadow, and into the thicket he saw a flash of her red kimono and was joined by Jaken running behind him at the behest of Sesshomaru's threats to not let any harm come to the child. Large insects buzzed overhead- massive hornets with red eyes and segmented purple and yellow bodies with deadly stingers.

"Saimyoshō!" Shippo gasped upon seeing Naraku's spies. Jaken looked up at the insects that Shippo had identified and yelped in fear. Suddenly, Shippo had stopped and Jaken tumbled into his back. As he neared the voice, he began to see her form become clearer, and gasped upon seeing that Rin was in the clutches of two large Onis. The stench of decay and miasma permeated the once fragrant, flower-filled forest, now rotted away and black with Naraku's infection. Massive roots surrounded the girl and her captors, some spearing up through the ground to make it more difficult to pass through.

"Shippo!" Rin cried out, then was silenced by an Ogre's warty purple hand over her mouth. The two demons chuckled raspily, one stroking its claws through her hair as the other plucked at her kimono and sliced it, exposing the fair skin of her arm. It pricked her skin and she began to bleed, her muffled crying carrying across the forest as she struggled to escape from the ogres.

"We have to do something!" Shippo cried out, and reached into his pocket to find a tool that could help her. He retrieved a spinning top and tossed it, the top enlarging and breaking off some of the smaller roots blocking the pathway. It spun for a moment before being knocked away by an ogre and shrinking down in size. Jaken looked on in a panic, clutching his staff tightly. Lord Sesshomaru will surely kill me this time if both children perish! He thought and gulped, watching the fox boy pull out another trick, a green flame that burst out in a promising way, then quickly puffed out uselessly as an Oni walked directly through it. Jaken moved quickly to use his staff of two heads, but couldn't get a good target without harming the girl, too.

Just as the ogre nearly stepped on Shippo and squashed him, he was cut down by a flash of green light. The oni's body fell to pieces that oozed a noxious black fog laden with flies, causing Shippo and Jaken to cough. Rin cried out, "Lord Sesshomaru!" As he made his appearance by landing atop the thorny branches where she had been ensnared at the center by a cage of squirming vines.

Sesshomaru leapt down and dispatched the other oni with his claws, watching how it weakly attempted to defend itself before falling. It too landed in clumps and gave off miasma afterwards, confirming that the Oni's had been nothing but reanimated corpses. Sesshomaru scowled and turned his attention to the buzzing insects surrounding Rin, hearing a deep, scathing chuckle coming from the darkness as the Saimyōshō swarmed around her with intent to sting.

"Rin!" Shippo shouted, running to her aid. He was stopped by Jaken holding onto his tail, then dragging him backwards. "Stay back, fox kit. This is the work of something malignant!"

"Naraku. It's you there, isn't it?" Sesshomaru stated calmly, watching as Rin's body was lifted from the sticking thorns, and laid across a white fur pelt, bleeding freely onto it. Naraku cradled the girl on his arm with a mischievous smirk showing beneath his baboon mask, the hornets surrounding their master as the wind turned the Oni's into nothing but dried husks that were carried away on the swaying grass.

"You sniffed me out, Sesshomaru. Is the fate of this human girl truly your concern?" He purred, tracing Rin's cheek with a pale finger and making her grimace away in disgust. Sesshomaru glared at him, his eyes never landing on the child. His intent was merely to kill the one who had thought it wise to attempt to poison him with his gift of a human arm, and gave him the hive of bees to incapacitate the monk. That, and slain his brother before he had the opportunity to defend himself. It wasn't like InuYasha to have never reached for his blade, and still the mystery continued to elude Sesshomaru as he glared at his hateful enemy's facąde. Naraku was nothing but a curse upon these lands, a black smear that must be cleansed away.

Naraku took Sesshomaru's silence as his answer and formed a pale spike from his hand, aiming it at her throat. Shippo cried out from the ground where Jaken held him down, and Sesshomaru frowned from the sound. He stepped forth and formed his whip with a shimmer of golden light, roots falling away from their surroundings in response to its power.

Naraku's rattling laugh came as he directed the spike to Rin's, then stabbed her, infusing her with miasma.

Sesshomaru scented the child's tainted blood in the air and rage stirred within him. He charged forward, wielding his light whip; attacking the roots that jutted out in response, and broke off with every attack. The inu daiyoukai was unaffected by the poison gas; possessing his own venomous claws.

Naraku attempted to reform his roots, but they failed to take form, crumbling into dirt. He dropped the girl and backed away from Sesshomaru's blows, using his long black hair to try and wrap around the whip before it melted like tar upon contact with its heat. Sesshomaru leapt forward and the whip curled then wrapped around Naraku multiple times before Sesshomaru pulled the whip and sliced his body into segments; which bubbled and burst, miasma and purple blood bursting out. Sesshomaru's enemy crumbled to pieces as he decapitated the head off the body, and picked up Rin all in one motion.

Naraku's puppet quickly dissipated, leaving only the wooden doll and a few tatters of white pelt behind. His angered face formed in the dark copse of the trees; enraged that he couldn't combat Sesshomaru with the failure of his puppet. Something went terribly wrong with my puppet, my roots couldn't regenerate any longer once they'd been severed! Naraku seethed in disbelief of his defeat. Sesshomaru dissipated his whip and turned to look at his opponent's specter.

"You failed to accomplish whatever it was you thought you were doing… didn't you, Naraku?" He calmly stated, then watched as the face quickly disappeared along with the insects. "Hn." He mused, then set the girl down on the grass. Rin groaned, reaching to touch her injured throat. Jaken and Sesshomaru observed the child silently, the vassal eyeing his master from the corner of his eye and waiting to see his next action.

"Rin!" Shippo shouted, running to her aid immediately. The boy saw her injured throat, and a worried expression came over him as the wound bled.

"Wait just a sec! I know what to do!" He said brightly, then rummaged through his pockets. Sesshomaru looked on with seemingly no reaction, until seeing the paper Shippo presented. He peeled away the top layer, revealing a flesh colored item. It was a bandaid from Kagome's medical kit; saved in the likelihood Shippo cut himself. Sesshomaru's nose crinkled subtly from the scent of the object, and the unfamiliar look of it.

Before Shippo could apply the bandage, Sesshomaru's immediate glare made him hesitate. "It's ok! It's just a band-aid. This will help keep dirt out of her wound so it can heal faster!" He said brightly, then his grin faded as the inu daiyoukai turned away briskly.

"The girl will die. Jaken, find cover for you and Shippo." He said beginning to leave the area.

"W-What?" Shippo gasped, looking on in horror as he recalled how when Miroku sucked in Naraku's venomous insects with his wind tunnel, he became ill almost immediately, only recovering with the aid of Kagome's medicine… but Kagome is gone now.

"M'lord! Where are you going?" Jaken questioned frantically, running to attempt to cling to Sesshomaru's mokomoko. The silver-haired Lord turned sharply, removing the fur from his vassal's grip. Jaken fell back in fear as Sesshomaru nearly stepped on him, annoyed that his departure had been delayed.

"Naraku's scent trail is still viable."

Jaken nodded and remained there once his master leapt out of the meadow. Shippo frowned and his lip quivered as Jaken looked for Ah-Un to fly them somewhere safer, finding the two headed steed off grazing not far from where they were.

"Rin…I failed you… Just like I failed Miroku… and Sango… and everyone." He pouted, tears pouring down his face. Rin's pale face beaded with sweat, then her eyes slowly opened to see Shippo hovering over her.

"You're alive! Thank goodness." Shippo exclaimed, hugging around her neck. Rin grunted in pain, the wound underneath her bandage turning purple and black with dark striations branching out. Rin blinked wearily, surprised to see Shippo leaning over her. She remembered being rescued by Sesshomaru, and the brief moment she spent in his arms before passing out.

"Where's… Sesshomaru-Sama?" She asked.

"He took off after Naraku! But don't worry, I'm here for you, Rin!" Shippo said bravely, puffing up his tiny chest. Rin looked on, puzzled, before Jaken huffed and hit the ground with his staff.

"Enough of this, the girl is conscious, yes? Leave her!" Jaken urged Shippo, who in turn seemed crestfallen.

"But… she was infected by Naraku's miasma. She needs more medical attention." Shippo mused sadly, looking up to Jaken with tears shimmering in his green eyes. Jaken hesitated to answer, looking from the girl then back to the boy. He thought it was odd how Sesshomaru paid any attention to the girl before, yet his Lord's protection of Rin confirmed that the cold demon held some small amount of sympathy deep within him. Plus, he didn't want to risk being disciplined.

"Fine. Let's get her on Ah-Un's saddle. With luck, we may come across some antidote or healer. If not, then…"

"YAY!" Shippo shouted, making Jaken's ears ring.

"Yes, yes, now let's make haste, we must find cover!"

~x•X•x~

There was a clatter as Naraku watched his wooden puppet be sliced cleanly into multiple segments, a sneer on his face. He stroked the thorax of a Saimyōshō insect that was fluttering its wings on his bent knee; relaying messages to its master of all it had seen and heard. Naraku was pleased with what the hornet had told him by the intricate movements of its wings as well as the pheromones it exuded. According to the insect, he had Sesshomaru sniffing out his trail like the demon hound he was. With Kikyo bringing Kagumei, Onigumo at their heels, and Sesshomaru at the rear, it seemed everything was going his way. Perhaps the heart of InuYasha could be enough to ensnare the priestess fully into his web, and the foolish daiyoukai would come barreling to him seeking revenge without even knowing his younger brother's youkai had molded seamlessly with his, his spirit entangled in that gossamer labyrinth as well. The only thing concerning him was his puppet's failure to regenerate during its fight with Sesshomaru.

Naraku let the insect flutter away, standing up. His dark robes settled around his waist, the upper portion of his pale, sculpted torso and arms revealed. Naraku took a deep breath; his eyes widening upon smelling an odd scent carrying from the open windows before him. Naraku blinked in disbelief, covering his mouth with one hand as he felt strange fangs lengthening from his gums and his mouth watering upon contact. Red blossomed in the corners of his dark red eyes with a golden glow shimmering around the circumference of his irises. A scent faint with blood and grave soil, yet fresh and fragrant. It was delicate, barely detectable- yet sweet, and inviting. Bellflower.

Naraku's heart raced as he watched out the window, then gripped the windowsill and lifted himself out and away from the safety of his castle, his tangles of long inky hair lifting off his back and revealing his burn scar as he did. Something had come over him that made his sanity slip away, as he leapt down from the crags and spires of the steep mountain his castle was situated snugly upon.

"Kikyo…I'm coming for you!"

…

Fallen branches crunched underfoot as the two priestesses made their way through the forest, Kagumei's wrists bound with lavender spiritual shackles as she trailed behind Kikyo. They made their way steadily over the overgrown roots until Kikyo paused and Kagumei nearly stumbled into her. The captive looked at her abductor curiously, then went to look back before being stopped by Kikyo's palm landing on her jaw before she could turn her face fully. Kikyo attempted to communicate a message to the girl with her stern gaze, one finger over her lips. Once Kagumei understood, Kikyo nocked an arrow and aimed it towards the shadowy path in a warning. The cracking branches stopped at last; the stalker had been caught.

Onigumo darted behind a tree, watching her with a fervid gaze. His fingers dug into the bark and a predatory growl came from somewhere low in his gut. A sense of danger grasped at his subconscious and held him stiff, aware that she was nearing Naraku's castle. He feared the massive, dark demonic aura that laid across the land like a poison mist; knowing just how dangerous its venom was. Yet, the dark priestess never ceased to draw him into her spell. Onigumo took a step forward and revealed himself, and Kikyo's long bow creaked as she fastened her grip on the arrow.

"Kikyo… please have mercy on me…" He pleaded softly, a feeble smile alienating the familiar features he shared with Naraku.

"I do have mercy on you, Onigumo. Like I once was, you are naught but a specter in a body that is not your own. You must come with me willingly, and return to your host." She said softly, lowering her arrow.

Onigumo seemed hesitant to comply, balling his fists. Most of his clothing had been destroyed by the acid rain by now, leaving him mostly nude besides the remnants of some brown pants. Even the armor he had worn had been discarded.

"Do you… Care for that demon more than I? I am the part that loves you. How is it that my love can hurt you? Explain it to me." He uttered softly, yet his voice rasped with his growing ire. What Kikyo saw before her was a beast freed from its cage, and clenched the arrow tightly again.

"I'm warning you, stay back." She grit out bitterly, the answer to his question burning brightly in her mind as if her death 50 years ago was just yesterday.

Kikyo's hand trembled as Onigumo surged forth with one arm raised, his hand turning into a jagged claw. In her fear, she loosed her arrow prematurely. Time seemed to stop for a moment as the arrow head sliced through the air and wind raked through the feathers of its fletching.

The projectile found solid flesh and plunged through it, obliterating through muscle and bone as if were butter. Onigumo was left with one arm sliced cleanly off at the bicep, the point of severance still pulsing, blood rushing from the wound. Onigumo grimaced and clutched the remnants of his limb, stumbling closer to Kikyo as she and Kagumei began to back up, then turned tail and ran away from him. In Onigumo's mind, he could only see two versions of Kikyo, both equally desirable. No amount of pain or dismemberment would prevent him from pursuing the woman he loved. The two women ran out of the forest hurriedly, before halting to a stop at the edge of the woods, Kagumei falling into Kikyo. The two priestesses clutched each other as their lungs burned with a need to take in air, fear overwhelming their reservations about holding each other close.

"I will have what I desire, Kikyo. It's fate that we would meet like this now, can't you see that? You and I are living flesh. Even Naraku was thrilled by the concept."

Kikyo took a step backwards, clutching her bow once again. Onigumo chuckled, raising the stump of his arm, and being bewildered when Saimyōshō flew down and formed into a new arm for him. His arm restored, Onigumo grinned and flexed his hand.

"Look upon my beautiful body. I am indestructible, that must be so irresistible to you… I'm no longer that weak bandit in the cave. I am born anew, as are you!" He yelled enthusiastically, Kikyo and Kagumei flinching back as he suddenly leapt over the both of them, a large shadow passing over the field. Kagumei took a deep sigh of relief, but Kikyo was less confident. She clenched her fist as she attempted to push wings from her back, but the demon trait had been taken from her when Kagumei purified her.

She guided Kagumei by the arm and took off after the shadow. Perhaps it was the Gods cruel trick that they were brought together like this- to coexist, yet never entwist, for that joining could never bring them peace as long as Naraku lived, and the darkness within Onigumo still lingered from his link to the spider's nest.

~x•X•x~