"What happened?"
Kagome's memory was still stuck on the moment Suikotsu had held her hostage. Then, everything had gone dark. When the light returned, the Suikotsu behind her had already withered into bleached bones.
The others had similar sensations. Only Kikyo, having vaguely sensed the nature of the power, looked at Aomori and asked, "Was that your doing?"
"Indeed, it was," Aomori replied, opening his palm to reveal several Shikon Jewel shards. He admitted it quite plainly.
"It was Aosora-sama?" The group was stunned. To strike down five powerful enemies in an instant… just how much power was he hiding?
"Tch!" After a moment of daze, Inuyasha rushed to Kagome's side, grabbing her hands and fussing over her. "Kagome, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Kagome touched her neck. Suikotsu's claws had broken the skin, leaving a stinging red scratch.
Seeing that she was truly unharmed, Inuyasha let out a long breath of relief. Then he turned and shouted at Aomori, "You jerk! If you had a move like that, why didn't you use it sooner? You scared the life out of me!"
He then looked away and muttered, "But... regardless, you did save Kagome. Thanks."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome felt a swell of emotion in her chest. She also turned to Aomori and bowed. "Thank you."
"Heh, that was a life-saving favor. Do you really think a light 'thank you' settles the tab? Once Naraku is gone and we head back, you'd better prepare a proper thank-you gift," Aomori said, intentionally putting on a stern face.
"Alright, no problem. I'll make sure the gift satisfies you," Kagome replied, catching the playful glint in his eyes.
"You greedy bastard! In that case, give me back my thanks!" Inuyasha hollered.
"Words spoken are like water poured out. There's no taking them back."
"Shut up!"
Inuyasha suddenly remembered Kikyo was still there. His hands trembled slightly as he turned toward where she had been standing, but he found the spot empty.
"Kikyo..."
Kagome, sensing his distraction, looked at Inuyasha and bit her lip.
On the other side, Sango met the arriving Kohaku, and the two embraced tightly.
"Onee-chan, I'm sorry. I let Kagome get into danger," Kohaku said, blaming himself as he recounted the events at the wooden house. "I even ran away and left her alone. I'm useless, aren't I?"
"Not at all." Sango hugged him tighter. "In a situation like that, even I wouldn't have known what to do. You may have run before, but you came back, didn't you? You came back to save her."
"Yes."
"Then that's enough. You still have courage. Come, come with me to apologize to Kagome."
"Okay."
Thus, Kohaku stood before Kagome and offered a sincere apology.
Kagome shook her head. "It's my fault for getting caught. I'm just glad you're safe, Kohaku. I wouldn't have known how to face Sango otherwise."
With everything out in the open, both of them felt a bit lighter.
Miroku spoke up immediately. "It's been a long day and everyone is hungry. Let's prepare some food. We also have those children to look after."
"Oh, right! And Shippo!" Kagome finally remembered Shippo, who had been lying low the whole time. She looked at the bones on the ground and frowned. "Inuyasha, you and Miroku bury those remains. Sango and I will get dinner ready."
"Fine."
As it happened, the pit Ginkotsu had made was massive, plenty of room to bury the lot of them.
The great hero of the hour, Aomori, watched the drama for a moment and, seeing he wasn't needed, quietly slipped away.
…
In the forest, Kikyo stood silently, gazing up at the hazy silhouette of Mount Hakurei.
A dozen long, white, snake-like Soul Collectors flitted through the air, occasionally injecting shimmering souls into her body to replenish the energy she had spent in battle.
"Sneaking off on your own? Not going to say goodbye to Inuyasha and the others?" Aomori appeared behind her again, that same unchanging smile on his face.
"I do not care for crowds," Kikyo said tonelessly. She turned to look at him. "That technique you used to defeat the enemy... what was it?"
"You mean this?" Aomori raised his right hand, extending his index finger. A small black sphere the size of a ping-pong ball appeared at the tip.
Kikyo sensed it carefully. "It is indeed darkness. Yet, unlike Naraku's foul and malicious aura, this carries a stillness and peace, much like the night sky."
"Of course. I'm one of the good guys. My darkness is 'True Darkness,' not the petty evil those villains use as a substitute."
"But... the power you used to heal the villagers was light."
Aomori raised his left hand. At the tip of his left index finger, a ball of light appeared, identical in size to the black sphere. He slowly brought his fingers together. The black and white spheres merged, forming two interlinked "Yin and Yang" fish that began to swim through the air under his control.
"Light and Dark are two sides of the same coin. Is it so strange to master both?"
Gazing at the perfectly balanced Taiji symbol, Kikyo nodded slowly. "Light is darkness; darkness is light."
"Exactly. You're a quick learner," Aomori praised, dispersing the energy. "Tomorrow, accompany me into Mount Hakurei. There is a high priest inside who has lost his way. He needs our help."
"A high priest who has lost his way? Do you mean Saint Hakushin?"
"Yes. He's the only one capable of making Mount Hakurei look like this." Even Aomori's domain couldn't cover the entire mountain.
"I see." Kikyo was curious about Saint Hakushin. She also had a wish to fulfill—delivering a lock of hair into the mountain for a man she had met.
"A certain 'doggy' is heading this way, so I'll take my leave." Aomori waved playfully at Kikyo and stepped backward, vanishing into the shadows.
A few seconds later, Inuyasha appeared. His face was a mixture of hesitation and sorrow.
"Kikyo..."
"Inuyasha..." Kikyo sighed softly.
No one knew what Inuyasha and Kikyo discussed that night.
The next morning, after entrusting Suikotsu's orphans to the care of the villagers, the group set out for Mount Hakurei. Kikyo remained with the party, walking side-by-side with Aomori.
Under the protection of Aomori's holy light, she was able to bypass the mountain's purification field and enter its borders. Soon, they reached the foot of the mountain.
"Mount Hakurei. We've arrived." Even through Aomori's barrier, Kikyo could feel the overwhelming spiritual energy intent on purifying all corruption.
Kagome looked up at the mist-shrouded peak. "This mountain... it truly feels sacred."
"Yes, it seems the rumors were true. Mount Hakurei might actually be able to wash away one's sins," Miroku added solemnly.
"Ao..." Kirara suddenly whimpered. Her large form shrank instantly, and she collapsed on the ground, looking exhausted.
"Kirara! What's wrong?" Sango scooped the creature into her arms.
"Shippo too..." Kagome noticed Shippo had already fainted.
"They must have inhaled the mountain's spiritual energy," Miroku explained. "Since Shippo and Kirara are pure demons, the purification effect hits them the hardest."
"Inuyasha, do you feel alright?" Kagome asked.
"I'm fine," Inuyasha replied, his voice strong. He didn't seem to be faking it.
"Inuyasha is a half-demon; he can withstand it better than they can."
"What is with this spiritual energy? Why is it so intense?" Sango asked.
"It is a barrier," Kikyo said, stepping forward. "Someone has placed a barrier around the entire mountain."
"A barrier?" Miroku rubbed his chin. "Could it be to protect a holy site?"
"No, more likely it is to aid Naraku," Aomori said. "Naraku could never enter the mountain once such a massive purification barrier was in place. It's more likely he hid inside first, and then the barrier was raised to hide his presence."
"That makes sense. In that case, we need to worry about the barrier's creator as much as Naraku."
"That's all well and good, but how do we get in?" Inuyasha tried to take a few steps forward but was repelled by the invisible wall.
The group turned their gaze toward Aomori.
Aomori raised an eyebrow. Protecting Inuyasha with his power wasn't hard, but it would be inconvenient for what came next. He coughed and said, "How about this: I'll go in first and take out the person maintaining the barrier. Once they're gone, the barrier will collapse, and the rest of you can enter safely. It's faster and more secure this way."
"Is that safe?" Miroku asked. "Should Sango and I go with you?"
"I will go," Kikyo volunteered. "In this environment, I cannot leave the protection of Aosora's barrier. Besides, if Naraku is truly inside, he cannot leave until the barrier is broken. We only have one primary opponent to deal with."
"Exactly. Just let Kikyo accompany me. Too many people will just get in the way."
Seeing Aomori's persistence, the group didn't push. Inuyasha was too proud to beg for a spot. Thus, it was decided: Aomori and Kikyo would enter to break the barrier while the others waited at the foot of the mountain to look after Shippo and Kirara.
"Aosora-sama, Kikyo-san, please be careful!"
"Wait for the good news." Aomori gave them a thumbs-up. Kikyo offered a small nod.
They stepped through the barrier and were quickly swallowed by the thick fog. At the same time, from different directions, a recovered Sesshomaru and Koga also arrived at the base of Mount Hakurei.
Inside the barrier, Aomori used his Mind's Eye radar to lead Kikyo through the terrain as if he knew the way by heart.
"Please wait a moment," Kikyo said as they approached a cave entrance.
"Hmm?"
Kikyo took a lock of grey-white hair from her robes and placed it on a flat stone. She feared that once the barrier was broken, Mount Hakurei would lose its sacred aura, so she chose to fulfill the old man's final wish now.
'Kansuke, I have fulfilled your wish. May your soul find forgiveness.'
After gazing at the sky for a moment, she turned back to Aomori. "Let us go."
As they entered the cave, a breeze caught the hair on the rock, carrying it into the air like willow down until it vanished into the mist.
After walking through the winding tunnels for a long time, Kikyo noted, "The further we go, the thinner the purification energy becomes. It seems Naraku really is hiding deep within."
"Yeah, the intel was reliable." Aomori warned, "Demonic energy ahead. Be on guard."
"Understood." Kikyo drew her longbow.
Minutes later, the stench of demons became so foul that even Kikyo frowned.
"So many... did Naraku gather all these demons? What is his goal?"
"Who cares about his goal? We'll just clear out every demon we see."
"They're here." Rounding a corner, they entered a massive cavernous space inside the mountain. Demons were swarming toward them from all directions.
Kikyo reached for an arrow, but Aomori beat her to it. Holding the Tokijin, he delivered a casual horizontal slash. A wave of holy sword energy tore through the ranks, vaporizing the demons instantly and leaving only a few lucky stragglers.
"Don't get bogged down. They aren't our targets." Aomori set off at a run along a wooden walkway built into the cliffside.
Kikyo silently lowered her bow and followed.
Suddenly, Aomori drew his blade and slashed to his side, parrying a blade of wind fired from above.
A beautiful woman with dark hair and red eyes sat atop a giant floating feather. She held an open fan, staring down at them with a thin smile. "The priestess Kikyo and an unknown powerhouse. I'm afraid I can't let you pass."
"Kagura?" Kikyo recognized her, Naraku's incarnation, the Wind Sorceress. "So, Naraku is indeed inside?"
"Who knows?" Kagura replied enigmatically, though she felt a knot of dread. Kikyo alone was a handful, but this stranger who had just wiped out a thousand demons with one swing was on another level.
'And...' Kagura looked at the sword in Aomori's hand. 'If I'm not mistaken, that's Sesshomaru's Tokijin. How did it end up with him? Has the world changed that much while I was away?'
As Kagura pondered her next move, Aomori had no intention of wasting time. Without a word, he swung Tokijin toward her.
Knowing the power of that holy energy, Kagura didn't dare block it. She steered her feather sharply to the side. By the time the energy dissipated, Aomori and Kikyo were already gone.
"What do we do now, Kanna?" Kagura looked toward a dark corner where a small, white-haired girl holding a mirror had appeared.
"I... do not know."
Aomori used his telekinesis to pull Kikyo along until they reached an inner courtyard. There, they found a man who looked like a withered, mummified corpse.
"First time meeting. My name is Aosora. Are you faring well, Saint Hakushin?"