Watching as the azure sky seems to flow like the waves of an immeasurable blue sea, a young man with short golden hair and blue eyes hums a melody beneath the shade of a great tree.
That tree, oddly enough, does not grow from the ground, but instead grows from the back of an enormous cartoonish whale, which peacefully swims through this dreamlike sea and wears a pleasant expression.
How can a whale have a pleasant expression? Very good question, but never try to make sense of dreams—they truly never do.
"Mmm, hum, hum, hum!"
Reaching the climax of his musical performance, the young man raises both hands toward the sky/sea and smiles, satisfied with his work, though his blue eyes soon narrow.
Something was strange... Yes, the sound of the waves was no longer the same as always, peaceful and continuous. Instead, something was insidiously slipping through that perfectly timed spectacle.
"I'm leaving!"
"Then leave!"
"Fine, I'm leaving!"
Along with the final clearly feminine shout, multiple dark cracks spread across the blue skies/seas and instantly transform the sea into a wild one filled with towering waves.
"No, no... Not these idiots again!"
Shaking his head frantically to ignore what he is hearing, Asahiko runs toward the tree growing from the whale's back and hugs it so he won't fall.
It was a good idea, at least if he had been in the real world, because in the dream realm everything works differently, something made obvious when, instead of stabilizing, the dream begins collapsing even faster.
"Inuyasha, don't you think you should go after her?"
"Hmph, let her do whatever she wants!"
"I'll go after her, Your Excellency. I needed to gather a few things anyway, mainly some very special herbs..."
Being the final nail in the metaphorical coffin in which Asahiko finds himself—who, by the way, has already given up on continuing to sleep/dream—Sango seems to leave, and together with her the entire dream collapses.
...Real World...
"You're an idiot, Inuyasha. You'll never win Miss Kagome's heart like that."
Using his staff to strike Inuyasha on the head, right between his two half-dropping white dog ears, Miroku shakes his head like a wise old sage.
Naturally, Inuyasha doesn't find that amusing in the slightest. He was already quite irritated by what had happened earlier, so he didn't hesitate to throw himself at Miroku.
"Take this!"
"And you take this, damn idiot!"
"Huh? Agh!"
Being struck in the face by a flying wooden chair, an object created by Asahiko using his transformation abilities, Inuyasha is slammed against the wall of Kaede's house and remains there in shock.
"Good morning, Asahiko."
"Good morning, my foot, third-rate monk! Can't you go outside if you're going to yell? You see me sleeping, and you come shout in my face. Don't you even know what time it is?!"
"Uh... It's already afternoon, Asahiko." x2
For a few seconds, both Inuyasha and Miroku stare strangely at the newly awakened Asahiko before exchanging another glance and shaking their heads.
"Tsk, mere minor details after having to stay awake all night. Anyway, what brings you here? I remember you were so busy before that you even left me lying here... Alone!"
"Ahem... We left Shippo to look after you, so technically you weren't alone."
"Yeah, Shippo's cute little pet. What wonderful company for spending a few days... Is this some kind of damn joke?!"
Throwing another wooden chair toward Inuyasha—though this time it is actually his transformed flames—Asahiko lets out a weary sigh before finally stretching his still sleepy muscles.
Whatever, he has already gotten his revenge in the long run. That refugee problem seems like a thorny issue... Hehehe, let's hope Inuyasha enjoys it.
"Why are you smiling like that? No, never mind, that doesn't matter. The point is, it was the last thing we wanted to do, but several things happened. You know how Inuyasha's luck is."
"What the hell, Miroku!"
"Sorry, Inuyasha, but we all know that what that bargain-bin monk is saying is true, whether it hurts or not."
Speaking in an obviously forced conciliatory tone—just look at how hard he is trying not to laugh—Asahiko calms down and lets Miroku give his explanation.
"Along the way, we ran into a fierce pack of wolf yokai, two more incarnations of Naraku... And even Naraku himself!"
"Ha, more than wolves, they looked like mice because of how cowardly they are."
"Inuyasha... Ahem, ahem, in the end we had no choice but to send you to safety with Shippo. Of course, it was all for your own good. You were in pretty bad shape after fighting Sesshōmaru."
Managing to paint an entire heartbreaking scene of separation despite Inuyasha's interruptions, the wise monk nudges the dog boy in the side, and he immediately begins nodding rapidly. Apparently, the two of them maintain at least a minimum level of coordination.
"What a story. I'll pretend I believe it... Which I obviously don't."
"Hahaha, you should learn to trust us more, Asahiko. I know, why don't you help us with a problem so we can regain the trust that—"
"Screw you, bastards."
Letting those words come from the very depths of his heart, Asahiko gets up off the floor, brushes the dust off his clothes with his hands, and fixes his hair as well, making it perfectly clear that he intends to run away from whatever problem they have brought with them.
He had already learned his lesson after ending up beaten by Sesshōmaru the last time. Any problem involving that damn Inuyasha is never simple, because everything always seems to revolve around him.
"Wait, it's really something simple!"
"Tell that story to someone else, Miroku. You people are always caught up in some huge mess, especially seeing how Inuyasha isn't denying it... Yeah, I'd better go see Kikyo."
"But it's not—"
"Yeah, yeah, I think I'd better go have my occasional romance arc."
Quickly escaping from inside the house as though some dangerous disease were chasing after him, Asahiko stops for a few seconds when he is suddenly struck by the sunlight before transforming into a great golden bird.
The magnificent bird does not remain still for long. Instead, it spreads its enormous wings and soars into the sky, leaving Kaede's village behind within seconds.
"You could have at least listened to them, young Asahiko. Especially after the 'gift' you left them."
"Saya, Saya... Saya. Obviously, whatever worried them wasn't important. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let Kagome leave or waited for Sango before talking about it. It must be something connected to Inuyasha... That's why they stayed silent. Maybe his sword or something like that?"
"I remember that Steel Fang became heavier after being reinforced. Maybe I needed help talking to Totosai?"
Stroking his long white beard, which the wind apparently cannot move—a ghost's privileges, it would seem—Saya, perched atop Asahiko's head, comes up with his own story.
Though he is probably not far from the truth, since Inuyasha only falters in that aspect of life. If it were a fight, he would never seek help unless he were half dead.
"Maybe yes, maybe no... Only God knows for sure. But right now, what matters is Kikyo. I basically abandoned her after running into Inuyasha."
...Elsewhere...
Walking along a simple dirt path stretching like a spider's web through every corner and crevice of the village, a young shrine maiden with long black hair narrows her brown eyes as she finally notices a trace of "life" coming from one side of the road.
There, an incredibly decrepit old man can be seen, his skin clinging tightly to his bones, making his eyes appear strangely swollen and bulging on his half-mummified face.
But that was not what truly caught the shrine maiden's attention, for in these times few could claim to have eaten enough or even managed to survive. Rather, her interest lay in the disgusting black liquid flowing from several pores in the old man's wrinkled body.
"You're still alive, old man?"
Keeping a prudent distance as she feels a touch of unease from the souls composing her existence, Kikyo looks the old man up and down before speaking in her characteristic cold tone.
Unexpectedly, however, that question becomes unnecessary almost the instant it leaves her lips, because after approaching so closely she is able to sense that the old man is completely dead, while the faint trace of "life" comes from the black liquid covering him.
That liquid, incidentally, seems to be composed mainly of the negative emotions of life, whether resentment, hatred, anger, or vengeance, explaining Kikyo's quick recognition.
"Save us... Expel the sin that corrupts our flesh and stains our souls. Hehehe, everything, everything... Take all of my sin."
Laughing at the top of his lungs after finishing those words—a set of lungs he most likely no longer possesses, considering how tightly his skin clings to his ribs—even more dark liquid begins pouring from the old man's mouth.
That finally makes Kikyo frown for a brief moment as she steps backward, not because of the supernatural way the old man can continue speaking despite everything, but because that substance continues to cause discomfort to the remaining souls within her.
Which is strange, because both things—her souls and that substance—are naturally "evil" at their core. Even so, she can feel an instinctive disgust clearly different from the fear Clouded Fang causes her... Almost as if she were standing before something sacred.
"Tsk, I suppose I'll continue searching for the shard."
"Join—!"
Firing an arrow into the old man's bald head before she even sees him move, Kikyo calmly hangs the red bow back over her shoulder and pulls the arrow from the corpse's skull with her other hand. Yes, she is not someone to be trifled with.
Now quite satisfied, she has to admit that putting an end to that old man brought her great satisfaction after spending the last few days chasing "ghosts." Kikyo glances back over her shoulder and silently murmurs a name.
"Asuka."
"¿Yes, Lady Kikyo?"
Appearing like a mirage in the morning mist, a little girl with gentle black eyes, healthy fair skin, and black hair tied into twin ponytails with blue pom-poms glides behind Kikyo.
The small figure seemed to become more real with each passing second, revealing clearer details such as the many pink and yellow stars scattered across her light blue kimono.
"Is Kochō still following the target?"
"Yes, Lady Kikyo. Kochō, along with her familiars, continues following the target. Do you have any new orders that I should pass along?"
"No, the plan proceeds as before."
Closing both eyes and instinctively locating the Shikon Jewel shard she has been following over the past few days, thanks in large part to her mysterious "helpers," Kikyo once again begins walking down the dirt road, only now leaving a corpse behind her.