Flying peacefully with the blue sky as a backdrop, an enormous unidentified golden flying creature speeds northward, greatly frightening both animals and humans alike.
And it was no wonder. The creature, which could basically be considered a monstrous bird, easily measured about five meters in length, casting a gigantic shadow over the cultivated fields and villages it passed by.
"Can't this woman sleep in a village or something? There's nothing here but a damn forest!"
Gliding above the green expanse stretching over a vast area, Asahiko begins to doubt himself. As everyone will remember, they had spent some time playing demon hunters, which means Kikyo had learned how to obtain lodging discreetly, but in the end she still seems to enjoy sleeping in trees.
Perhaps she continues doing it for psychological rather than physical reasons? After all, whenever they stayed in a village, she managed to gather souls without arousing anyone's suspicions, so it can't be because she's afraid of being discovered... Then perhaps she simply doesn't feel comfortable or something?
"Hold on tight, I'm going to descend, Sa. God, you've already run away?"
"My old bones can no longer handle so much excitement, young Asahiko."
"Sure, sure, whatever you say."
Twisting his lips sarcastically at so much falsehood from Saya, although he is currently transformed into a damn bird, Asahiko dives downward and lets out a powerful screech that makes the surroundings tremble.
Because of that screech, the once-silent forest instantly comes to life, reflected in his blue eyes as the animals flee in terror and even small yokai run without hesitation like headless chickens.
That gives him a bit of satisfaction, much like when he chased Shippo. Apparently, his pride still needs some repair after Sesshōmaru.
Leaving that aside, just before touching the ground, Asahiko ends his transformation and returns from that animal form to being human, while also using his remaining momentum to leap through the forest trees.
"I think she's aro— Ouch, what was that!"
Crashing into what can only be described as a spiritual barrier, after striking it headfirst Asahiko finally realizes what it truly is. He slowly slides down the edge of the dome until he lands on the green forest floor.
Now looking up at the blue sky that he can barely see through the surrounding branches, he lets out a sigh and, with a quick burst of strength from his upper body, is back on his feet in an instant.
"...Too simple!"
Making a sudden backward slash with Clouded Fang, Asahiko is surprised to discover that what he cut was actually a piece of paper, but that surprise does not stop him from stepping sideways to evade the next incoming attack.
Unexpectedly, that attack comes from beneath the ground and consists mainly of an explosion of sharp green roots, which are once again severed with a single horizontal swing of his sword, leaving behind nothing but scattered scraps of paper across the ground.
"You rude man! How dare you disturb my master's rest!"
"First of all, get down from that branch before you hurt yourself, and then maybe I'll even help you find your parents."
"Grr, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Striking the branch she is standing on, the little girl puffs out her pale cheeks and points both hands toward Asahiko. At her signal—if that can even be called a signal—groups of paper sheets emerge from her kimono sleeves and quickly transform into sharp spikes.
They truly do not seem to be made of ordinary paper, since Asahiko can see every grain running through the wood and even hear the air being pierced, proving they are nothing to joke about.
"Hahaha, about diabetes?"
Mocking the "cute" actions of the creature standing before him, who, by the way, has a strangely familiar aura, he calmly deflects every incoming spike with smooth movements of his sword.
Yes, fighting Sesshōmaru had not only been a one-sided beating, but also a forced lesson, teaching him a few new tricks with the sword.
Leaving that explanation aside, Asahiko takes a firm step that slightly sinks into the ground before launching himself toward the little girl, reaching her in an instant. Without hesitating despite how adorable the creature is, he creates a rope with his transformation technique before skillfully restraining her.
"Let me go, let me go, rude man!"
"Stay still, don't make me. Ah, why are you biting me!"
"Aghevd."
"Do you realize you're hurting yourself more than you're hurting me...? Physically speaking."
Looking in disgust at his hand, now covered in drool because of the sudden bite from... whatever she actually is, Asahiko finally manages to pull her away from his flesh before wiping his hand with a handkerchief.
Naturally, the handkerchief had been instinctively created with his transformation technique, full of beautiful details and intricate patterns, but since he cares very little about that, he then uses it to seal the little figure's mouth.
"Aghhey."
"Hahaha, you're not so brave now, little one."
"Aghew."
"Oh, oh, are you trying to apologize?"
Placing one hand beside his ear, as if that would somehow help him hear what she is trying to say, Asahiko smiles from ear to ear until his tiny captive finally stops struggling and begins crying large tears.
That instantly makes him feel guilty, so much so that he frees her from her restraints and even picks her up in his arms, creating quite a warm scene until a chilling voice spreads through the surroundings.
"I thought my orders had been clear, Asuka. You were supposed to stop the 'intruder,' not... entertain him."
Descending onto a nearby branch with the help of her shikigami, Kikyo looks at the rather "affectionate" scene with a hint of annoyance inside her.
Not because of the situation itself, but because her personal shikigami, the girl named Asuka, continues behaving strangely even now.
And this time Kikyo truly isn't imagining things, because this shikigami and her sisters had been personally created by her a very long time ago, making their personalities an imitation of the one she believes herself to possess... Cold, determined, and unmoved by personal feelings.
But now all of that seems to have gone on sabbatical, and not only when dealing with Asahiko. She has repeatedly noticed Asuka's strange behavior. Perhaps the "cure" turned out to be worse than the "disease."
"I'm sorry, Lady Kikyo! He was stronger than expected, but if you give me another chance, I—"
"Now you're even begging for your existence? It seems your 'core foundation' has truly become corrupted."
"No, I... I just..."
Trying to defend herself but seemingly unable to find the words, Asuka ultimately falls silent and quietly accepts her possible fate, though unexpectedly her former "enemy" steps in on her behalf.
"How awful, Kikyo. Using this adorable little girl as a weapon, psychologically abusing her, and on top of—"
"She is one of my shikigami, Asahiko."
"Forgive me for doubting it... But weren't your shikigami those snake- or eel-like things?"
Feeling the chubby face of the little girl now known as Asuka, who is trying her hardest to maintain a comically stoic expression in front of her mistress, Asahiko genuinely doubts Kikyo's words—and even his own senses—for a few moments.
This shikigami seems completely human in every respect, whether in body temperature, skin color, or tiny reactions, leaving him more confused and doubtful with every passing second.
"You also hadn't seen me create talismans before, yet I could still make them. She simply belongs to that same category... Only a little more special."
"Now that you've started talking, don't leave me hanging."
"Simple. She and her sisters were created by my own hands when I first became a shrine maiden, very different from these things that were born out of necessity. But who would have thought that transferring that residual energy into the shikigami—the energy I had taken from the rose and that still remained inside me—would have such negative effects?"
Shaking her head at her failed "experiment," because instead of simply increasing her shikigami's power while also freeing herself from Asahiko's tracking, she ultimately ended up with this flaw, Kikyo can only close her eyes with faint weariness.
From one perspective, it had been a disastrous mistake, since her shikigami now possessed more "human" behavior. But from another, it had been a great success, because she had freed herself from Asahiko's tracking, and her shikigami had also grown stronger... Yes, she is a little paranoid... or perhaps simply vindictive?
"Why did you do that, Kikyo!? What am I supposed to do if I can't find you afterward, if something happens, or maybe—"
"Stop with the empty words. If I remember correctly, you cared very little when you left me behind with Inuyasha while you went after that other woman."
"The other one was an enemy. Don't make me sound like an unfaithful man."
Covering Asuka's eyes with one hand—though perhaps covering her ears would have been better—Asahiko frowns after being bitten once again, and much harder this time, by the little girl.
"Does that really change anything? In the end, you left me alone with Inuyasha, and then you even left with them."
"Because Inuyasha had returned to the hut, so naturally I thought you had already left and... Were you actually waiting for me?"
"Do you think I'm like Kagome? I don't need help dealing with a simple Kappa. I can take care of everything by myself."
Suddenly becoming sharp-tongued without changing the stoic expression always present on her face, Kikyo briefly reveals the true reason why all of this happened.
Because yes, the unexpected problems with her shikigami could be "fixed" simply by creating new ones, so she really didn't have to make such a fuss over it. And yet she still used Asuka to attack Asahiko... Clearly, she simply wanted to show her dissatisfaction.
"Ha, ha, ha... Well then, how do we remove the 'human' part from this shikigami?"
"You... You..."
"I'm sorry, dear, but sacrifices have to be made for the greater good."
Patting the shikigami known as Asuka on the head, right between the two ponytails kept firmly in place by the blue pom-poms, Asahiko sets her down on the ground and begins whistling carefree toward one side.
Who would have thought Kikyo had been secretly watching him back then, when he had helped Kagome down from the tree and gotten rid of a Kappa in the process? Life certainly has strange ways.