Chapter 140:The curse.
It had been another beautiful day in the archipelago of Japan, although the sun that at some point shone with all its splendor was already showing signs of falling, leaving in its wake a sky painted in orange tones.
Thanks to the aforementioned, the weather was perfect for doing nothing, just lying under the shade of a tree and resting all afternoon.
"Haa, how much longer are we going to wait?"
Lying on a tree branch with his body face down and limbs at his sides, Asahiko opens his eyes for a few moments to speak.
"Miss Kagome should be here soon, Asahiko. Also in case of any doubt we can send Inuyasha to fetch her."
Resting the weight of his body on the staff he always carries, Miroku dismisses Asahiko's concerns and continues to look towards the magic well.
"Why would she, she knows her way back alone!"
Stopping tapping his right foot on the ground, Inuyasha responds with a grunt to Miroku's words. Perhaps he doesn't like everyone knowing how eager he is for Kagome to return, though it's totally obvious.
"Despite not being a demon, Inuyasha is full of pride, clearly. Aaah, help me Sango!"
Jumping into the arms of Sango who has returned from her trip, Shippo easily escapes Inuyasha's flying fist, though not from the scolding coming from Sango.
"What have I told you, Shippo. You must not follow the examples of His Excellency and Asahiko, that's bad for a boy like you!"
Ignoring the cry of complaint coming from Asahiko and giving Miroku a death glare, since he polluted little Shippo's mind, Sango prepares to lecture him, though at that instant the nearby well begins to glow.
It was a brief but striking glow, causing everyone present to guide their eyes there. After a few seconds of inaction on the part of the group, a shout is heard from below.
"Someone's coming to help me, my backpack is full and I can't climb up!"
"He 's here!"
"Well, Inuyasha, you've stated the obvious... What are you waiting for, go help the lady."
Looking at Inuyasha as if he's a fool for stating the obvious, Asahiko gives him hand signals and Miroku backs him up. Clearly these two have no intention of helping, but they're still going to enjoy whatever Kagome brings.
Cursing under his breath at the group of idiots, Inuyasha jumps into the depths of the well and after a few moments, a huge backpack comes flying out.
The flying yellow backpack made a beautiful parabola and just fell on top of Miroku, crushing his body to the ground without any mercy. Of course it was something planned by Inuyasha.
"H, H, help... Asahiko."
Stretching his arm out from under that yellow monstrosity, Miroku begs Asahiko for help.
"You can talk, so you can breathe too... Then you're fine."
"That's what you get for joining him, Your Excellency."
"Sango..."
While those three were joking or maybe not, Inuyasha manages to pull Kagome out of the well and finally those two rejoin the whole group.
There was a little bit of everything, congratulations to Kagome who managed to narrowly pass her exam, teasing of Miroku who is still crushed and even an attempt to hug Asahiko by Kagome, though she turned him down saying he was already married.
Asahiko's last words led to another verbal fight with Inuyasha, though everyone is used to it by now and stops them after a few laughs.
Strangely at that instant a surprise wind blows through the surroundings, causing the few clouds in the orange sky to flutter and an ominous foreboding to sweep through the group.
"Kyaa, something bit me!"
Jumping from the sudden fright, Kagome quickly covers her mouth and looks furiously towards the ground, but nothing is found there.
Noticing that this was clearly a supernatural occurrence, Kagome quickly points to where she feels the creature went and Inuyasha shoots off towards there.
During those seconds, between Inuyasha's scream and leaving, everyone nearby approaches Kagome. Sango was the one who tried to analyze the bite, as she is an expert on poisons, but there is nothing to see.
"Did you feel it, Miroku?"
"Umm, it was an evil presence... Though it was too small, I managed to escape the unconscious attention of us all."
Speaking between the two of them, Asahiko and Miroku, turn before approaching Inuyasha who returns with a strange look on his face.
"Paper?"
"It's the only thing left behind by the yokai I just killed..."
"I have an idea, Inuyasha. But first before we hurry, let's go see Kaede, she should know more about this."
Fiddling with the paper in Inuyasha's palm, Asahiko's expression twists for a few moments, though he doesn't manage to stay certain with his thoughts.
...Elsewhere…
"Hahaha, how easy... Is this really the reincarnation of Kikyo?"
Grabbing the white streamer crawling on the grass on the ground, a woman with long ash grey hair reaching her waist, blue eyes and dark clothes giggles as she caresses the strange snake.
"You live up to your title as a dark priestess, anyone who saw you now would have no doubt what you are."
Mocking the dark priestess with clear contempt in his voice, a gust of wind stirs the surroundings and reveals a woman. She has dark hair tied in a ponytail thanks to a strange feather, deep red eyes and wears a colorful yukata... It was Kagura, one of Naraku's extensions.
"I can assure you that despite that many will still desire my services, even more so when they recognize my abilities."
"Humans are even willing to sell their souls to demons, I'm not surprised by your words at all."
"Hahaha, what a bold girl... It's time to go, can you take me back?"
Laughing darkly, as if something in Kagura's previous words had struck a chord in her, the dark priestess ends that topic and speaks in a demanding manner.
"Tsk, you old minx, come with me."
"The faster the better."
Clicking her tongue, the white snake the priestess was holding slips out of her hand and slithers up to her shoulder. The further the snake climbed up her arm, the larger it grew, until it finally reached up to three feet.
Out of that interesting situation, the two women are surrounded by a gust of wind and then rise into the air, but before falling they are held there by a giant feather and then disappear into the sky.
"Welcome back, Tsubaki... If you come back here, it means you are ready to accept the job."
"I already have her blood, it was so easy that I even doubt again if she is the reincarnation of that woman."
Inside a dark and oppressive room you can see the silhouettes of three people, the one standing against the wall is Kagura, the one sitting on the wooden floor is Tsubaki and the one standing on the raised platform is Naraku.
"I'm sure you saw that half-beast with your shikigami, so your doubts are just that, doubts."
Speaking in a deep voice, but one that strangely seems to jab Tsubaki, Naraku who remains in his human form and wears normal clothes, not his ever present baboon clothes, points out the obvious.
"Doubts? Heh, if it were Kikyo perhaps, but she has no trace of the spiritual power Kikyo once had."
"Perfect, Tsubaki. You know what I wish for and how you must do it."
"Wait!"
Stopping Naraku who seems ready to abandon this puppet, Tsubaki who was already caressing the shikon pearl with her eyes, raises her eyes and I begin to speak.
"Everything you said was true, but there was also a demon with them and not just any kind of demon but one that is likely to interfere with the plan."
"I know that, but you don't have to worry about that... I already have a surprise planned for him."
Laughing softly as he looks out into the night, Naraku's body begins to blur and in a few seconds the room is silent.
"You can go now, I'll get started."
"Hump, do whatever you want."
Ignoring Kagura's snort, Tsubaki moves around the room and easily finds what she was observing. It is a strange shrine, but if there is one thing to highlight it is the gem glowing in the center of it.
"Finally... The shikon pearl is finally in my hands, just as it had to be fifty years ago. Now I will prove it to you master, I have always been better than Kikyo!"
Looking almost hysterical at the end of her sentence, Tsubaki stops caressing the large piece of the shikon pearl and gets down to business.