Fade in me

The unfortunate red camellia's miserable life was about to end in the most unattractive way. Sesshomaru glared at the half-demon with such malice, as if Naraku had slaughtered several villages before his eyes and offered him the chance to eat all their babies just for fun. On his side, Naraku was smiling wide, as if he was meeting an old friend. He glanced at the red flower and grinned before raising it to his lips. As soon as the delicate petals touched his thin, pale lips, Sesshomaru's image vanished from his vision. Immediately after, a searing pain pierced Naraku's entire body, originating in his right arm. A sharp, sour smell made him dizzy and even momentarily made him forget the pain. When the crimson eyes finally focused on Sesshomaru, Naraku hissed and twitched, as if convulsing. The sudden movement caused the demon's claws to cut into Naraku's pale skin more deeply than intended, but he did not loosen his grip at all. Sesshomaru held the half-demon until the last tiny petal dissolved in his poison. He ignored the angry curses, the wheezing, and hissing, and even the fact that the half-demon squirmed and fought as if his life, not just his arm, was at stake. As soon as Sesshomaru let go, it became immediately clear: Naraku had not only been severely injured in this one-sided fight, but also had no way to recover. The half-demon recoiled from his tormentor as if from open fire. He clutched his wounded arm to his chest and hunched over, snoring loudly, his entire body trembling slightly. Sesshomaru had never seen such a reaction from him, and despite initially intending to kill the hanyo, he froze. “You relied on the power of the Shikon no Tama for too long, and look what it led to,” Sesshomaru said, exhaling. “You dare lecture me? Oh, how pathetic you are, Naraku!” the half-demon suddenly screamed, straightening up abruptly, his voice tinged with hysteria. “You can't even die as you were supposed to! Isn't this the only reason you brought me back? Are you reveling in my humiliation, you fucking bastard?” Naraku lunged at him, swinging his claws, but the cold air stabbed like spikes into his wounded arm, forcing him to double over again. “I hope to see you fucked up, you yellow-eyed scum,” he hissed, when he no longer had the strength to scream. Sesshomaru observed Naraku's nervous breakdown from the side, barely blinking, and not even flinching when the latter tried to attack him. The half-demon was right: he was pathetic. Even worse, now he wasn't even worth the memory of his former self. What was the point of a reassembled body when the damaged flesh refused to heal? But to think that Sesshomaru, for his own amusement, brought him back to life? What an honor. Tenseiga in its scabbard reminded him of its presence at the worst possible moment again with a faint, almost imperceptible heartbeat. As if such a sword could even have a heart, after all it had made it's master do. “I didn’t bring you back to life,” the short phrase felt like a demeaning slap in the face after the furious speech uttered just a minute earlier. It was as if Sesshomaru had not only deemed Naraku's words unworthy of being heard, but hadn't even bothered to ponder what had happened. Though, what was there to think about? He had spoken the truth, and all other details were meaningless. “Of course… You just happened to wander into that cave and decided to show me your mighty sword,” Naraku straightened up once more, still not hiding how much a simple wound had weakened him. “Ah, my apologies. There were two swords. Strange that I could forget.” With his less injured hand — the one he had only used a couple of times to touch the other's poisonous claws in an attempt to break free — Naraku reached for his vest, pulled it aside slightly, and opened the collar of his purple kimono. The scar from Bakusaiga was still visible on his chest. Naraku traced over it with his index and middle fingers pressed together, then turned his palm and pressed his claws into the mark. Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side but didn't utter a word. The half-demon was in worse condition than he had assumed. The hilt of Tenseiga had grown warm enough for its heat to be felt even through his armor plate and clothing, but Sesshomaru had firmly decided not to indulge his sword any longer. “This body is worse than a human's. You should have killed me, not prolonged my agony.” “You can manage that on your own.” It seemed that along with defying the sword, he had also sent his own desires straight to hell. “Or perhaps that Keichi Takara, since the great Lord Sesshomaru scorns to dirty his hands further,” Naraku wiped the blood that had welled up from his own claws. “He was a nobody, but after my death, he immediately grabbed an impossibly large piece of my former power. In your place, I would have…” “You would need to live a thousand and one lives to be worthy of even a single one of my shadows,” Sesshomaru interrupted him. “Do not,” he paused, emphasizing the words. “Lecture me.” For a brief moment, Naraku actually fell silent, freezing with his hands slightly raised in the air. He peered into Sesshomaru's eyes, trying to discern how much the demon could possibly know, and, after a prolonged pause, let out a dry chuckle. “You have no idea who I'm even talking about, do you? This is precisely the kind of attitude that leads to such oversights, by the way.” Sesshomaru had never made an effort to be patient with others. And now, his hand slid to the scabbard, his fingers slowly curling around the hilt of the Bakusaiga. Compared to the Tenseiga, it felt icy. Naraku noticed this and took a step back, reconsidered, and stepped forward again, rubbing his right wrist. “After all these years and all the choices made, here we are again,” he finally adjusted his kimono collar before returning his crimson gaze to the demon. “Back at the very beginning.” “Only now, you have nothing to offer me,” Sesshomaru loosened his grip on the sword's hilt and was already preparing to turn away. Without a word, Naraku chuckled softly. He truly had nothing left, not even for himself, let alone for Sesshomaru. If before he could take what he needed by force or cunning, now that choice had undergone a radical change, replacing the first option with its complete opposite. And cunning only worked with Sesshomaru when he was playing his own game. “Yes, nothing,” Naraku exhaled quietly and nodded. “But I have no one else to...” “Tenseiga brought you back,” Sesshomaru explained, standing half-turned to the hanyo. “Whether you die now or not is no concern of mine.”

***

Naraku was still thinking about those yellow eyes that had looked at him with such incredible contempt that his jaw ached. He still wanted to claw them out with his own hands, to squeeze them in his fist until they burst, if only to see the arrogant bastard shed tears. But for now, he had to make do with the little he had: his damn life, which someone had returned to him. After all, when the Tenseiga had initiated the process of restoring his body — Naraku was already alive. He had no theories, only one idea worth testing: Shiragi. The fox demon, who had outlived more than one of his masters, had surely gone unnoticed this time as well. The only catch was that, along with Naraku, he had also outlived the castle they once inhabited, leaving only one possible place to search. Coincidentally, it was the most undesirable path for Naraku. His road now led to a gambling den attached to a brothel, where Shiragi was a frequent visitor. Appearing in such a public place in his true form and in his current state was tantamount to suicide. Thus, the one approaching the noisy two-story house in a small fishing village was a short girl with fiery red hair and equally bright eyes. No one paid any attention as she entered, slowly observed the hall and everyone in it, before heading to the second floor. It was significantly quieter up there, though “quiet” was a rather unsuitable descriptor for a brothel. As soon as her foot stepped onto the creaking floorboards, the girl’s gaze caught a long tail disappearing through a doorway into one of the rooms. She grimaced at the thought of having to peek randomly into every door and approached the first one she came across. From inside came ringing laughter and a deep voice actively telling some story. This was far too boisterous for Shiragi, so the girl moved to the next door. After disturbing several cooing couples and once witnessing a rather unsavory act — even by Naraku’s standards — the girl finally found the right room. A short man with hair as dark as a raven’s wing sat cross-legged on the tatami, stroking the knee of a girl dressed in a bright kimono. “What a wonderful encounter!” exclaimed the fox demon, turning his entire body — even his dark tail and ears — toward the sudden guest. “Lady Miyuki asked me to take your place here,” the entering girl smiled and bowed in greeting. “Did something happen?” Hearing the name of the house’s owner, the real worker relaxed slightly. “You could always stay and make it a duo,” Shiragi interjected, flashing his wide, fanged grin. “Shi-ra-gi,” the red-haired girl drawled, grinning with ill intent. “You are not the one who makes the decisions in this house.” The fox demon suddenly straightened up, the playfulness in his mood gone, leaving only a frozen smile on his lips. He even stopped blinking, his eyebrows twitching as his gaze darted between the two girls until he was left alone with the guest. It was clear he wanted to say something just as much as he feared it. “Don't you want me?” the girl asked, pulling down the collar of her kimono and biting her lower lip as she knelt beside the demon. “Something tells me I shouldn't. Who truly sent you?” His voice sounded uncertain, and the demon recoiled from the girl pressing close to him. “Your master,” she chuckled softly, moving even closer. “Keichi doesn't know this place…” Shiragi continued to shuffle backward but caught his sleeve on his own arm and nearly fell flat on his back, catching himself on his elbows just in time. “How quickly you've found yourself a new skirt to chase,” she giggled, then stopped, looking at the demon for only a brief moment before straightening up. “Filth,” she concluded in a different, male voice. The vibrant eyes flared into two points of light, staining the color of fresh blood, and the girl's lush hair grew heavier and darker, cascading onto her shoulders. Her face and body changed last as she adjusted her clothing, never ceasing to smile. A few moments later, it was not a pretty and young girl looking at Shiragi, but a tired, grown up man. A dull thud echoed through the room. Shiragi, unable to support his own weight, collapsed. Naraku stopped smiling, looking down at him with raised eyebrows. “Master!” the fox exclaimed, choking on air from the too-sharp intake of breath. He immediately pulled himself together, stood up, and promptly fell to the floor again — this time intentionally — into a deep bow, his forehead pressed against the lacquered wood. Naraku averted his gaze, finally taking in the room furnished with cheap furniture of questionable taste, and exhaled with displeasure. “Disgusting.” “You're alive!” The demon took this as a sign that it was permissible to speak. “Of course, I never doubted it, but seeing you before my very eyes…” “Abominable,” Naraku continued, rising from the small cushion and beginning to pace the room. “Never doubted? For three days, I suppose. Maybe four.” “Almost half a year! I've never mourned anyone for so long before!” Although the demon's voice sounded more confident, he still didn't dare to stand up, merely straightening his back to see his interlocutor. “You were just afraid you'd be killed if you were seen,” Naraku rolled his eyes and picked up an empty clay cup from the table. “Why are you so harsh, Naraku-sama?” Shiragi wailed, finally getting to his feet and pressing both hands to his chest. “I truly believed you weren't dead. I even came to the castle ruins… and there I met Lord Takara.” The fox guiltily averted his gaze and pressed his fluffy tail against his leg. “He was so persuasive… and I was so desperate!” “Enough,” he commanded sternly, though still quietly. Flattery and lies were to Shiragi what oxygen is to others, which was precisely why Naraku had taken this scrawny, minor demon under his wing in the first place. And the fact that the fox had even outlived him only meant that his choice had been correct. He questioned him about what had happened after the Shikon no Tama was destroyed, and the fox, without hesitation, told Naraku everything he knew. His knowledge was mostly limited to the world of demons: the remnants of the former army turned on each other, tearing at each other's throats as soon as they realized there was no other way to seize even a sliver of power. The stronger demons did lie low for a time, fearing they would be next after Naraku. But many simply breathed a sigh of relief, or lamented that the Shikon no Tama was gone. However, the world rather quickly found a way to live without the Sacred Jewel, and, consequently, without Naraku. And then, the absence of any kind of leader began to weigh heavily on the subdued populace. Humans had grown far too fond of their new weapons that made noise and spawned fire, and the only one who could be considered a true ruler among the youkai — Sesshomaru — had left a small thing with impossibly large ambitions in his place and returned to contemplating his ancestral lands. Or to self-perfection. “Or whatever it is he actually does,” Shiragi shrugged. “Forgive me, master, I'm afraid to get too close, to be honest. With him, you never know what's next.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I once saw him cut down his own… that Jaken fellow! Clean in half! I didn't stay to watch, made myself scarce to avoid trouble, but I still get chills just thinking about it.” People love to say, “nature abhors a vacuum,” and so it happened. At some point, rumors started spreading among them that someone was stealing the souls of those who got lost in the Forest of a Thousand Voices. And then a miko appeared. The scent was Tsubaki's exactly, but she was younger and didn't cast curses. Demons attacked her, and the survivors would tell strange tales: her spiritual power could be so immense that one couldn't get within ten steps, and then it would weaken so much that all that remained of the miko was her arrogance and the scent of incense on her clothes and hair. And she sustained her power with souls, just like any common filth. She even had a decent-sized temple with a strong barrier, so the demons started flocking to her. They named her the Dark Priestess, and the moniker stuck. Her real name is Matsui Kasumi, but nobody calls her like that anymore. But not everyone was pleased that a human dared to command demons. One such dissenter was Keichi Takara — a snake demon from the northern mountain clan. He had long wanted to find the Shikon Jewel and claim it for himself: until the very end, he believed that such a powerful artifact couldn't just be destroyed. And then he came to terms with the loss. “When he found my heart,” Naraku interrupted him. He had been sitting all this time on a cushion by the window. “He found it himself!” Shiragi immediately clarified. “Realizing you wouldn't return, I went into hiding with your heart and began to wait...” He suddenly faltered and corrected himself. “...To think about what to do next. And then this snake appeared, and not by chance! He knew exactly what the jewel was and what it was capable of. So, I had no choice but to hand it over to the serpent. And I insinuated myself into his retinue, solely to keep an eye on the jewel, just as you commanded.” “Of course,” Naraku chuckled and gazed out at the stars in the sky, which were growing fewer as dawn approached. “Precisely! I have always been and will always be loyal only to you. To whom else? You managed to create such a magnificent jewel of demonic power, and then you made the whole world believe that some half-demon managed to kill you. And not only did you survive, but you also showed him up by returning as a genuine, true-born, full-blooded youkai!” Naraku's claws slid across the window frame, driving splinters under his nails with a long, unpleasant crunch. But the pain was lost against his attempt to process the sheer nonsense this damned fox had just dumped on him, and how he, Naraku, could have missed such a thing himself. And what kind of youkai was he, when even the wounds from another's claws still ached on his own arms. “How did you...?” Naraku hissed, returning his gaze to Shiragi, who was wagging his tail like a pleased dog. “Well… I didn't recognize you at first because you smell different. At first, I thought it was deliberate, to avoid drawing attention. But now I see: there's nothing left of the human in you. Pure, like the moon in the heavens, and your aura is so… calm. It used to resemble a hurricane, but now it's simply a sight to behold.” For the rest of the morning, Shiragi continued his report on who had conquered whose territory and who had allied for such gains. He spoke less of those previously cursed by Naraku, afraid of saddening his master with news of their improved fortunes. And Naraku thought only of what he had missed, trying with all his might not to betray his inner turmoil. So, had the Shikon Jewel truly granted his wish after all? Then why had his body become so defiled that even the worst days of his previous life were better than the present? Concluding that the change itself was the key, Naraku decided it was time to rid himself of the demon components that now constituted him; they were weak, and thus could be the source of the weakness he had inherited. He wouldn't discard this ballast immediately, of course — that would be as pointless as keeping the demons had been. But here, the inexhaustible stream of information from Shiragi could prove useful. If he couldn't consume demons for strength, then human souls would have to do. After all, they had multiplied like locusts anyway. “That miko, Kasumi… how does she collect the souls?” Naraku asked thoughtfully, interrupting the fox midway through another not-so-vital report about some city or other. “She used to steal them herself, but now… I think it's with enchanted dream catchers,” Shiragi scratched his chin and frowned. “Can you get one?” “I can get all of them!” The demon was so delighted he jumped to his feet, only then pausing to think. “But… why do you need it?” He immediately grew serious, puffing out his lips and snorting. “Of course! That cursed Inuyasha. You spent so much energy on him. That must be why your wounds won't heal.” And he started babbling again about the injustice of fate and the pesky hanyo who dared to offend his respected master so grievously. He didn't lament for long, however, almost immediately beginning to shower Naraku with promises to steal the intricate dream catcher. Just before leaving the room, he stopped, glancing awkwardly over his shoulder at Naraku, who still sat by the window. “Naraku-sama… Please, don't go out in your true form… If you need anything — I'll do it!” “Shiragi, just go,” he drawled with an exhale, rolling his eyes at the fox demon's broad grin. Naraku didn't share his joy, but he was satisfied with his eagerness to please. Having someone so devoted at his side was useful, though he had no idea where this loyalty stemmed from. After all, his own creations had sometimes thought of plunging a knife into their master's heart. Yet this fox had even taken the time to worry about his safety. A strange creature, indeed.

***

One village gave way to another, and from the team dedicated to destroying the soul-stealing dream catchers, only Inuyasha and Kagome remained. Sango had returned home on the evening of the very day they learned about the treacherous ornaments. Or rather, after the entire evening had been fruitlessly spent searching for the mysterious miko, whose name no one could recall. Kagome couldn't, and didn't want to, blame her friend for it; for a first attempt, Sango had already done more than she usually allowed herself. The girls concluded that they should go on such outings more often and went their separate ways. Inuyasha, who had been catching whiffs of Sesshomaru's scent nearby all evening, had been on edge the entire time. And when that scent vanished — he grew even more worried than before. Fortunately, sleep had chased away all the empty — in Kagome's opinion — anxieties, and today he was walking beside her rather quietly. Ahead of them lay another village, mentioned by the elders of the previous one. No one had complained of enchanted dreams from there, but children had seen a traveling miko heading in that direction. “Listen,” he suddenly drawled, and Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was deliberately avoiding her gaze. “After this village, you should head home. I'll go on alone.” “Why would I do that?” the miko raised her eyebrows in surprise. “If you're tired, just say so. But I'm not leaving you alone.” “I'm not tired! It's just...” Inuyasha kept dragging out his words and looking anywhere but at Kagome. “I just don't wanna go home now!” “What's wrong with home?” A whirlwind of assumptions, each worse than the last, spun in her head. Had Inuyasha missed real adventures so much that after stumbling into one, he immediately decided to run away? And what about all his talk of wanting a simple life with her? A life with their own home and children. Maybe getting a dog would have been a bad idea too. Though, Koga almost always travels with a couple of wolves... “I just can't take it anymore!” Inuyasha's voice cracked into a shout, making Kagome's heart skip a beat to the sound of a shattering dream. “From the second that asshole ran off from the festival, Rin kept looking at me and started crying. And I can't handle it! She was still standing there with that stupid wreath in her hands, and her eyes were redder than your camellias. I. Can't. Do it.” “Huh?” Kagome stopped, unsure she had heard him correctly. “Those tears of hers piss me off, especially when I can't do anything about it,” Inuyasha continued, before noticing he was walking alone. “Hey, what's with you?” he asked, turning back towards the stunned girl. “What?” she echoed. “What do you mean... she was crying?” “What other meanings are there? When tears flow from eyes! Kagome! Are you even awake or how?” And it was true, Rin had grown somber towards the end of her festival; even Sango had mentioned it. Though Kagome herself had thought the girl was just upset by the sudden appearance of a wounded man in the village — something like that could ruin anyone's celebration. But in reality, it was much more complicated. And exactly as Kagome had suspected. “But... the wreath was on Sesshomaru...” she tried to recall the events of the past days. “It fell off him the second he dashed into the forest,” Inuyasha snorted. “I told you he doesn't notice these things.” Now it was Kagome who strode forward, glowering at her feet. She walked right past Inuyasha, pressing her right hand to her heart and ignoring his disgruntled muttering, thinking only that they needed to finish this search quickly and get back to the village. Fate seemed to hear her thoughts, parting the branches of trees and shrubs before them, leading the path under their feet into another village. Out of habit, the girl peered into the windows of the houses she passed, looking for any of the residents. And when the backs of people gathered by the well came into view ahead, Kagome and Inuyasha hurried towards them. The voices were loud, even happy; one of the children giggled, running away from the crowd with a shiny object in her hands, and Kagome gasped. Inuyasha was the first to react, darting towards the girl and snatching the dream catcher from her hands before Kagome could even ask him not to. In an instant, the attention of everyone present was fixed on the half-demon, who was crushing the unfortunate ornament in his hand with such hatred, as if it were the source of all the world's evils. The girl, stunned by the sudden theft, started crying and hid behind her mother's back. “You!” Inuyasha growled, throwing the destroyed dream catcher at the feet of a young woman, who was holding several more of them in front of herself. “You pointy-eared half-breed!” the young woman exclaimed in response, then immediately clammed up, realizing she had given herself away from the very first encounter. Not waiting for Kagome, Inuyasha took off after the quickly retreating girl, leaving the dream catchers lying on the spot where she had just been standing. The miko tried to explain something to the people staring at her, but with every second, Inuyasha was getting further away, drawing the Tessaiga on the run. Promising to return and talk later, she ran after him, shouting over her shoulder for no one to touch the dream catchers until she got back. The miko didn't notice how far they had gotten from the village. Kagome even thought she probably wouldn't remember the way back, but Inuyasha kept pursuing the girl. At some point, she decided she was tired of trying to keep up with him and stopped. Taking her bow, Kagome straightened up, placed her right foot forward, and nocked an arrow. An inhale, and the bow was raised, aimed at the fleeing figure. The bowstring tensed with a characteristic, trembling creak. An exhale, and the arrow was released, hissing as it cut through the air. The flower-filled meadow was bathed in the bright light emanating from the purifying arrow. It whistled past Inuyasha, but at the very last moment, the fugitive noticed it. The girl pushed off the ground to dodge to the side and, as she spun around, pulled something shiny from her pocket, throwing it directly at the flying arrow. The meadow was instantly flooded with an even brighter light, and then everything was shrouded in black smoke. Inuyasha burst out of the cloud, coughing, still standing with his sword in his hands. A few moments later, a dark-haired young man jumped out a few steps away from him. His fox ears and tail were flattened, his eyes were watering and red, but he still tried to keep Inuyasha in his sight. Kagome took another arrow and aimed again at the fox demon. “Stop running,” the miko ordered, her voice tight. “Then stop chasing!” he rasped back viciously. Inuyasha snarled, gripped Tessaiga's hilt tighter — so hard his knuckles cracked — and approached the demon. “Why the hell are you stealing souls?” “Didn't ask for your opinion,” the guy muttered and reached for his pocket again. The wind around them intensified, revealing its whirlwinds before Tessaiga. Kagome immediately lowered her bow and instinctively stepped back, placing herself behind Inuyasha. The fox demon also noticed the change in the atmosphere and froze, his ears twitching as if he was considering something. Of course, he ended up grinning guiltily. “Now, why do you immediately reach for your sword?” he babbled, slowly raising his hands. “So, you decide to talk now? Maybe I should’ve just used the Wind Scar on you, huh?” “And how else was I supposed to tell you that I'm not gathering souls for myself?” The fox slowly backed away, not ceasing his smile as he spoke. “I'm merely his servant. ‘Fetch this, steal that.’ And he's all strong and terrifying, so it's him you should be talking to.” “Then tell us, who is your master?” Kagome finally interjected. The wind, already howling ominously in their ears, shifted too quickly to be mere coincidence. Both demons pricked up their ears just in time to understand the cause. Inuyasha swung his sword, using it as a shield against the blades flying toward him. Some of them ricocheted into the nearby fox, forcing him to leap several meters away from the miko and the half-demon. Where the blades struck, the grass instantly rotted, flowers withered, and the earth blackened. The fox demon bowed, turning his back to Inuyasha, and didn't utter a word. Like a mirage in broad daylight, a white haze appeared before their eyes. A silhouette with blurred edges frayed into tatters and slowly approached, shimmering like a pearl in the sunlight. When it became clear that the disintegrating illusion concealed the form of a youth in a white kimono, he let out a noisy exhale. “Has Shiragi dared to disturb your peace?” the demon asked, raising an eyebrow. The guy with the fox ears decided to use his patron's timely appearance to his advantage and vanished from sight in a few leaps. The serpent didn't even pay it any mind, staring at Inuyasha and Kagome with an almost unblinking gaze. The miko tightened her grip on the bow and the arrow she hadn't released, but the half-demon stopped her with just a look. Cursing that he was tired of figuring out who was to blame for the stolen souls, Inuyasha once again focused on the currents of the wind. The last thing Kagome saw before Tessaiga cut through the air vortices was the smirk of the unknown demon and his yellowed pupils.

***

When the bright light eclipsed the sun, Shiragi was already far from the danger. He weaved between trees, leaped over thorny bushes and fallen logs, only occasionally glancing over his shoulder. No one was pursuing him, at least he saw no one; Keichi's appearance had been unbelievably timely. Although, this rescue promised a worse fate if Inuyasha didn't finish the demon with a single blow. And he hadn't. Of course. Shiragi realized this when he heard a hissing that grew closer and louder with every breath. It literally shot past him like a white arrow, vanished ahead, and disappeared. A moment later, a massive serpent lunged at the fox, coiling around him several times, trapping the demon in a prison of its own body. Powerful muscles beneath the shimmering scales tensed and tightened their grip on Shiragi. The earth and small stones beneath them crunched. The fox wheezed something incoherent, his gaze locked on the snake's yellow eyes hovering over him like a harbinger of imminent death. And the demon, as if in mockery, continued to silently squeeze his victim until the first bones cracked. Only then did he loosen his grip, allowing Shiragi to draw a breath, which immediately triggered a coughing fit as the air scraped the walls of his throat. “Spare me the theatrics,” Keichi's voice sounded directly in Shiragi's head, drowning out his own ragged breathing. “Keichi-sama, thank you! Thank you for saving this wretched fox,” he began, stammering. “You appeared so right on time! Just as you always...” “I told you to stop,” the great serpent shifted around Shiragi, though it seemed reluctant to resume its deadly embrace just yet. “How long have you been collecting souls for that cursed miko” “Never!” the guy exclaimed. “I would never betray you like that! I was gathering all those souls in secret, I wanted to collect them just like she does, to weaken the damn wench!” “And where are they now? Did you decide to reward yourself for such a cunning plan?” “No! Why would I, Shiragi, need others' souls? I wanted to give them to my Lord, as a gift,” the fox immediately coughed again, taking it as a sign to correct himself. “As tribute.” “Your generosity is matched only by your impudence, Shiragi.” The serpent lowered its head closer to the boy. “You still haven't answered me: where are all these souls? Or do you have several masters?” “One! One Lord, and that is...” “You, Keichi-sama. And it has always been you,” a third voice cut into the interrogation. The serpent demon immediately turned in its direction, raising its tail, where scales sharp as blades gleamed. It was ready to attack the uninvited guest, but hesitated, unable to believe what its eyes were seeing. Standing before Keichi was the one who should have died years ago. Moreover — Naraku acted like he knew him. The snake's tail twitched before the demon lunged toward Naraku, completely forgetting about Shiragi. It flew for mere seconds, only to rush past Naraku, snout ploughing into the dirt right behind his back. The man didn't even flinch; only a few black locks fell across his face from the displaced air. And where the serpent had touched the ground, light erupted and its long body vanished, as if falling through a portal. This light stretched out, taking a human form until it transformed into a young man in a white kimono. For just a moment, his eyes were completely yellow, like a reptile's, before he blinked, returning his pupils to their usual appearance. “Fate never ceases to amaze me,” Keichi said, adjusting his sleeves. “You have no idea just how much,” Naraku smirked.