The next morning, having little else to do with her, Kagome tasked Kanako with assisting Rin in her duties. As the days passed, however, it became clear that the younger miko was about as happy to be burdened with the waif as Kagome was. “She doesn’t mind what I say,” Rin complained to her a

With Kanako following close on her heels, Kagome returned to her house at the edge of the village. After hanging back at the doorway, the waif crept haltingly forward, Kagome paying her little mind as she set about making dinner. Kanako was so silent and unnoticeable that by the time Kagome took the kettle off

“Y-you,” the girl stammered out in a hushed, reverent tone, her bulging eyes protruding that much farther, “you remember me…” In truth, it was the name that Kagome had remembered—the name of a victim she had sworn never to forget. The name of the spirit who had led her to the killing ground, who had

Returning to her home, Kagome peered over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been followed before slipping into the woods just beyond the garden and emptying the contents of the vial out upon the ground. The unremarkable dirt, though a shade darker than the rest, blended easily enough away beneath the sweep of her

As the days passed, Kagome reflected on her actions and the motivations behind them. Reexamining her last encounter with Sesshoumaru, she conceded that she may have overreacted in the wake of learning the horrifying truth. Her brother-in-law had never preyed on the women of Edo before. It seemed particularly unlikely that he would do so

Water jugs filled to the brim, Kagome and Sango returned to the house. The children had been called in from the yard, fed, and put down to sleep it seemed, but Miroku remained just outside the door, watching their approach. His arms were crossed at his chest, his violet eyes hard and unsmiling as they

Still simmering with fury, Kagome made her way to Sango and Miroku’s home. Her friends had invited her over for dinner that evening, and as much as Kagome didn’t want to attend after the fight she’d with Kohaku, she figured she should honor her agreement. It wouldn’t do to hide away from him, at any

As Kagome climbed the shrine steps toward the graveyard, she felt her soul ascend. Kneeling before Inuyasha’s tomb, she closed her eyes and savored the transcendent love that lifted her heart. Perhaps the saving grace in uncovering Sesshoumaru’s betrayal was that it had redoubled her devotion to her husband. She could see now that she