Dealing with villagers was nothing new. After a quick explanation from Monk Miroku, Inuyasha and Shippo were accepted by the locals.
"Pardon me, I'd also like to ask where Dr. Suikotsu lives?" Miroku inquired.
"Oh, Dr. Suikotsu? He lives over that way."
"Greatly appreciated."
Following the villager's directions, the group soon came upon a wooden house.
In front of the house, two children under the age of ten were playing. Seeing Inuyasha and the others approach, they showed no fear, asking in high-pitched voices, "Are you here to see Dr. Suikotsu for treatment?"
"Not quite," Kagome replied, crouching down with a smile. "We're here to see the doctor about something else."
"Then I'll call him for you!"
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
"Dr. Suikotsu, someone's here to see you!" the two children shouted as they hopped and skipped back into the house.
Soon, a young man stepped out.
Inuyasha and the others observed him closely. His face was indeed kind and gentle, bearing no trace of a villain.
Kagome sensed the Shikon Jewel shard in his neck and knew he was almost certainly Suikotsu. Still, to be sure, she asked, "Are you Dr. Suikotsu?"
"I am."
When Suikotsu saw Kagome, he froze for a moment. "Kikyo-san? You only left a short while ago. Why have you returned in a different outfit?"
Kagome gave a wry smile and explained, "My name is Kagome, not Kikyo. We just happen to look very much alike."
Hearing that her tone of voice was indeed worlds apart from Kikyo's, Suikotsu was mostly convinced. He nodded and said, "Could it be that you and Kikyo-san are twin sisters?"
"Uh, you could say that."
"Then, what can I do for you all?" Suikotsu asked, puzzled.
"Ah, well..." Kagome was at a loss for words; she hadn't thought of a reason yet.
Miroku stepped in timely. "We're here to ask about Kikyo-san. Do you happen to know where she is?"
"I don't. She came here this morning and left just before dark. I have no idea where she lives," Suikotsu answered honestly.
"Could we stay here until she returns tomorrow?" Miroku asked. "It's fine if we don't go inside; we can just rest out here."
"How could I allow that? The night is cold and the dew is heavy; staying outside makes it easy to catch a chill. Please, come inside and rest. There's plenty of space," Suikotsu invited with a smile.
Miroku and Inuyasha exchanged looks and nodded. "Then we shall trouble you."
Entering the house, the group discovered there weren't just the two children from before, but several others as well.
"They are all orphans I've taken in," Suikotsu explained proactively.
"I see. You truly are a kind person, Dr. Suikotsu."
"Not at all. I merely provided them with a roof; it's a trivial matter."
"Why don't we help prepare dinner?" Kagome suggested. "Think of it as payment for our lodging."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Onee-chan, we can help too!" the children chimed in.
"Of course you can."
Thus, Miroku and Inuyasha took charge of finding some wild game, while Kagome and the others worked with the children to start the fire and cook. Aomori, using patrolling as an excuse, slipped away on his own.
Inuyasha and Miroku walked into the nearby woods to see if they could find something tasty.
"Honestly, wouldn't it be faster to have Aosora find it?" Inuyasha grumbled.
"We can't rely on Aosora-sama for everything. Your nose is just as good for this sort of thing, Inuyasha," Miroku said with a smile.
"I can't smell a thing; this place is a bit desolate."
"It's likely because we're too close to the village, so there are fewer animals. Let's head deeper in."
"Yeah."
The two gradually moved deeper into the forest, reaching areas rarely visited by people.
"Inuyasha, what do you think of that Suikotsu?"
"I don't know, but on the surface, he doesn't have that nauseating scent."
"This is really difficult to handle," Miroku sighed. "If we leave him be, there's no guarantee he won't turn back into the evil Suikotsu. With so many children around, it's too dangerous. I can't set my mind at ease."
"Tch, wouldn't it be better to just let him return to dust? He's a dead man to begin with."
"I doubt Kagome-san and the others would agree."
"So much fuss, it's annoying..." Inuyasha suddenly stopped, his expression turning grave.
"What is it, Inuyasha?"
"Shhh. I smell a wild boar. Don't make a sound or you'll scare it off." Inuyasha crept forward.
"And here I thought we'd run into Kikyo-san," Miroku muttered, following behind.
…
In the woods on the other side of the village, Kikyo sat on a thick tree branch, gazing toward Mount Hakurei, lost in thought.
Aomori floated down beside her, looking in the same direction. "Good evening, Priestess Kikyo."
"Good evening," Kikyo looked back at Aomori and nodded slightly.
"Inuyasha and the others have reached the village and are staying at Suikotsu's house. Do you want to go catch up with them?"
"Inuyasha..." Kikyo shook her head. "Better to be apart than to meet."
"Fair enough." Aomori changed the subject. "And having spent the day with Suikotsu, have you learned anything?"
"Dr. Suikotsu is indeed a person with a pure soul; the untainted Shikon Jewel shard on him proves as much," Kikyo said, her gaze deep. "But the more it's like this, the more unreal it feels."
"Does a completely pure person truly exist in this world? Dr. Suikotsu is like this because he has surrendered all his negative emotions to his other self. That's why he appears so extreme."
"You're right. There is no perfect person in this world; even the gods have their share of filth. The shift between good and evil often happens in a single moment," Aomori said.
"Is it good to sacrifice one's own life for the sake of thousands?"
"Sacrificing oneself to save thousands is naturally good, a great act of kindness, even."
"Then is it also good to sacrifice the life of an innocent stranger for the sake of thousands?"
"This..." Kikyo fell silent.
"To us outsiders, this might seem no different from what was just said, an act of great kindness. But to the one being sacrificed, it is nothing less than a catastrophe, an act of great evil."
"Good and evil are not entirely opposing forces."
Kikyo silently chewed on these words, feeling as though she had grasped something, yet it remained blurry, as if behind a veil.
"Good is evil, and evil is good?"
"Something like that."
Suddenly, Aomori looked toward the village, his expression darkening.
Kikyo asked, "Has something happened?"
"Uninvited guests have arrived. Kagome and the others are in danger," Aomori said. "There are too many villagers; come and help."
"Alright."
…
"Inuyasha and the others are taking too long," Sango remarked.
She and Kagome had already started the fire, and the rice was nearly cooked, yet they hadn't returned.
"Onee-chan, should I go help?" Kohaku asked.
"No need, just stay with me." Having finally reunited with her brother, Sango didn't want Kohaku out of her sight again.
"But..."
"It's fine, Kohaku. Inuyasha and Miroku can handle themselves, and there's plenty for you to do here too," Kagome said, unable to help a smile as she saw Kohaku surrounded by children.
"I still feel like I'm better at finding food." Kohaku was a shy person and wasn't good at dealing with so many children.
"Hahaha..."
Amidst their laughter, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.
Kagome turned her head and saw several dark objects falling from the sky toward them. Terrified, she cried out, "Are those shells?! Everyone, get down!"
BOOM!
The next second, the shells hit the ground and exploded, igniting a sea of flames.
"Cough, cough... Is everyone okay?" Kagome lifted her head and asked urgently.
"We're fine." Sango and Kohaku stood up.
The moment Kagome had shouted, the two of them showed their prowess as elite demon slayers, protecting everyone on the field.
"Dr. Suikotsu! He's still in the house!" a child cried.
One of the shells had landed right next to the wooden house, causing half of it to collapse into the flames. It wouldn't be long before the other half came down as well.
Sango quickly gave orders: "Kohaku, you and Kagome save the people first. I'll go hold off the enemy. Kirara, with me!"
"Awooo!" Kirara ran toward Sango, her body expanding and growing larger as she did, taking Sango into the sky.
"Onee-chan!" Kohaku was worried about Sango going to face the enemy alone, but he knew her orders were right.
He immediately focused, put on his mask, doused himself with a bucket of cold water, and charged straight into the burning house.
Amidst the thick smoke, Kohaku found Suikotsu lying on the floor, his leg pinned by a beam.
"Dr. Suikotsu!"
Kohaku swung his sickle, shattering the beam, and successfully carried Suikotsu out.
Meanwhile, Kagome led the children to a safer distance. After telling Shippo to protect them, she grabbed her bow and arrows and ran back.
Elsewhere, Sango rode Kirara toward the direction the shells had come from and immediately spotted the enemies.
"It really is the Shichinintai!" Comparing them to the portraits, Sango recognized them. "Jakotsu, Ginkotsu, Renkotsu, and Bankotsu!"
"All the remaining Shichinintai are here? And at a time when we're not all together."
"Eh, only one person came? Could it be that Ginkotsu's attack just now caused heavy casualties?" Jakotsu shaded his eyes with his hand, looking into the distance, but saw only Sango and Kirara.
"That would be a bit too boring." Bankotsu, uninterested in Sango, said, "Ginkotsu, a few more rounds. Destroy everything as quickly as possible!"
"Heh heh heh, alright, Aniki." Ginkotsu extended his cannons, aiming into the distance, ready to fire again.
"Don't even think about it!" Sango quickly threw her Hiraikotsu at Ginkotsu, trying to stop him.
However, the Hiraikotsu was blocked mid-air by a flash of blade light.
Jakotsu, wielding his Jakotsuto, pointed it at Sango. "Sorry, your opponent is me. You're a girl, but cutting you down should still be pretty fun."
"This is bad." Sango caught the Hiraikotsu, knowing it would be difficult for her to withstand the four of them alone.
"Inuyasha, Miroku, Aosora-sama, hurry back!"
Seeing Ginkotsu fire several more shells, Sango gritted her teeth and directed Kirara to fly toward them.
"I can't let those shells land over there again!"
"Hey, you're still fighting me! Where are you looking?" Jakotsu chased after her. His Jakotsuto extended over a long distance, just enough to reach Sango in the sky.
Clang!
Sango blocked the strike with her Hiraikotsu but lost her chance to intercept the shells.
"Oh no!"
"Hehe, let it burn! The bigger the fire, the better!" Bankotsu and the other two broke into gleeful smiles.
But those smiles quickly froze.
The shells stopped mid-air, as if caught by an invisible hand.
At the critical moment, Aomori had returned, using his telekinesis to stop the shells.
"Aosora-sama!" Sango was overjoyed, her tension immediately easing.
"Sorry, I'm late." Aomori controlled the shells and flung them back at Bankotsu and the others. "I'm sending these back to you."
"Haha, interesting!" Bankotsu's eyes lit up. He swung his Banryu, unleashing waves of blade energy that destroyed all the shells.
Several large fireballs erupted in mid-air.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the explosions, an arrow streaked out from the forest, aimed straight at Bankotsu.
Ping!
The arrow struck Bankotsu's Banryu, leaving a white mark.
"More help?" Bankotsu looked toward the woods as Kikyo stepped out, bow in hand.
"The priestess Kikyo?"
"Who are you? You didn't seem to be in the intel Naraku gave me," Bankotsu said, turning to Aomori.
"I am Aosora. I joined them only recently," Aomori answered with a smile. "By the way, those two brothers of yours, Kyokotsu and Mukotsu, both died at my hands."
"I see." Bankotsu looked at Aomori, his expression turning predatory. "Then are you prepared to be killed by me?"
"Kill me? Heh, come and try if you can," Aomori said, beckoning him with a finger.
"Hmph." Just as Bankotsu was about to charge, a figure leaped out of the woods, swinging a large sword toward him.
"Go to hell!"
CLANG!
The two large blades collided, sparks flying. The two were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate.
"You must be Inuyasha. You've got some skill," Bankotsu said with a wide grin. Encountering two enemies worth fighting in one night made the trip worth it.
"You're Bankotsu, leader of the Shichinintai? You're not what I expected." Inuyasha, having rushed back at the sound of the commotion, couldn't resist taking a swing when he saw Bankotsu standing out so prominently.
Miroku arrived soon after, heading to help Sango against Jakotsu.
Inuyasha was worried about Kagome's safety, and Kikyo's appearance had left him feeling flustered. He didn't want to linger in a fight with Bankotsu.
After clashing for a few more moves, he used the recoil to leap back.
"What's wrong, Inuyasha? Given up already?"
"Tch, I don't have time for you right now. Aosora, I'll leave this guy to you!"
"Fine." Aomori stepped forward to intercept Bankotsu.
As Inuyasha tried to rush toward the wooden house, he was blocked by Ginkotsu and Renkotsu.
"Don't bother going back; everyone over there is already dead," Renkotsu said with a sinister grin, trying to break Inuyasha's spirit.
"Get out of my way!" Inuyasha didn't even look at them, immediately unleashing a Wind Scar, only for it to be blocked effortlessly by Ginkotsu.
"How is that possible?!"
Inuyasha's path was blocked.
A massive melee immediately broke out on the battlefield.