"Naraku." The young girl's voice barely stirred the stale air of the dark room, as if even sound was something she could refuse to give. Her eyes were not simply black—they were perfect, lightless discs, circles without irises or warmth, mirroring the hollow quiet within her. White hair spilled past her shoulders like thin mist, framed on both sides by small white flowers that looked too delicate for a place like this. Her skin was bloodless and pale, and the absence of any bright or expressive color made her seem less like a person and more like a piece of nothingness given a shape. In her hands, she held the mirror steady, its surface replaying a series of events: InuYasha and the gang moving forward, and among them a new human girl named Heavenly-Autumn, her presence an unexpected thread in the pattern.
"Kanna." A deep voice slipped out from the shadows, smooth with amusement and edged with something cruel. A sinister smile curved unseen in the darkness. "How was this human able to enter Moharah village and come out alive?" he questioned, the words carrying more curiosity than concern—like a hunter studying an animal that had wandered too far. Then he paused, and the silence that followed felt deliberate, as though his mind was turning gears behind the veil. But then, on second thought, he spoke again with quiet satisfaction. "Change of plans," he said, almost to himself, as if the decision had been waiting for the right moment to be spoken aloud. "They are bound to encounter each other since they are heading in the same direction." The smile in his voice sharpened. "Call Kagura forth."
"Yes, Naraku." Kanna replied obediently, her expression unchanged as the mirror's glow danced faintly across her blank, pale face.
Heavenly-Autumn unrolled the map the villagers had made for her—carefully inked, folded, and smudged by many nervous hands. It showed where she was now, and where the "physician" was rumored to be hiding. She traced the lines with her finger and read the notes out loud, frowning in concentration. "They said she's fast as a fox, and has orange hair all over… which probably means hair on her belly, armpits, head, and knuckles—totally normal back home for some people—and she hears super well." She nodded as if she'd just solved a puzzle, not realizing the "physician" was actually a demon. Several dots were scattered across the map like little warnings. She tapped the closest red mark and grinned. "Yosh! Maybe I can make some new friends too… and I wonder if anyone knows where the ocean is." Behind the map, half-hidden, was her bucket list—creases and all, like it had been hugged a hundred times.
Little did she know, a jewel shard—the kind monstrous demons would tear villages apart to claim—had ended up with her by pure accident. She'd scooped it from the ground earlier, thinking it was one of her pills, and it now clinked innocently inside her bottle. Then the forest answered with a roar so loud it vibrated in her ribs. Birds exploded from the trees in a frantic black cloud, and Heavenly-Autumn ran too.
Within seconds her breathing turned thin and shaky; her illness stole her stamina faster than fear could lend it. She staggered to a stop, hands on her knees, trying to pull air into her lungs. Just when she thought she'd gotten away, something heavy tore through the branches above.
The demon pounced, shadow-first, and the ground seemed to lurch toward her. She snapped upright, fingers clenching her bow. Her other hand fumbled for an arrow. "I must protect myself," she whispered fiercely, heart hammering. "I will not let the villagers' teachings be for nothing." She loosed the shot without thinking—aimed to drive it back, not to kill. But the demon only surged faster, closing the distance until its hot breath was nearly in her face.
In that split second, her mind flashed to one person: the half-demon, InuYasha. And then—before terror could swallow her whole—someone dropped from the sky like a kicked-up storm. A boot slammed into the demon's side, sending it skidding and snarling across the dirt.
The newcomer landed with a predator's balance and straightened as if he'd been bored a moment ago. "Hey, human girl," he said, eyes sharp and bright. "Can you see the jewel shard on that demon?" He looked young and athletic, a wolf-demon with tanned skin, light blue eyes, and black hair tied high in a ponytail. Pointed ears and sharp fangs framed his smirk, a bushy wolf tail flicking behind him over tribal fur gear and armor that marked him as dangerous even when he wasn't moving.
"Is she a priestess too?" he thought, watching her with greedy calculation. "If she can find all the jewel shards, then I will be powerful. I can marry this human girl."
"Oh yes! Absolutely," Heavenly-Autumn answered almost immediately. It was a bright, confident lie—she had no idea what a jewel shard looked like, or where it might be "located," as the villagers would say. She lifted her chin toward him, pretending she understood exactly what he meant, as if he were simply asking her to point out a loose button. Then she added, honestly and stubbornly, "I do not hurt demons."
"Are you stupid or something?" he snapped, voice rising with disbelief. "That demon was going to devour you!"
She tightened her grip on the bow until her knuckles ached, forcing steadiness into her shaking arms. "Aren't you a demon yourself?" she shot back, resolve hardening her voice even as her lungs still burned. "You should protect your kind. I will not be responsible for the end of a demon life. Yes, it was scary when it tried to attack me, but I had no intention of ending its life."
"Do you have a death wish?" he asked, arrogantly, like the idea was both ridiculous and oddly interesting.
"Yes, I do!" Heavenly-Autumn huffed, planting her hands on her hips like she was daring the whole forest to argue with her. She shot him an exasperated look, brows pinched tight, and her voice jumped up another notch. "And so, what of it?" With a dramatic little turn of her head and a pout that practically had its own attitude, she spun on her heel and marched away as if she hadn't just nearly been demon food.
"Hey—where do you think you're going?" he barked after her, incredulous, striding forward with the easy confidence of someone who'd never been told "no" in his life. "You're coming back with me to become my bride." He reached for her wrist like the matter was already settled—then his ears flicked sharply. A sound. Two sets of footsteps? No… presences. His gaze cut sideways, alert now, and his grip stopped short. After a tense beat, he clicked his tongue and let her keep walking, pretending it had been his idea all along.
Why is that scent coming from her?
Far off, half-hidden by the trees and distance, a demon from Moharah Village watched the scene unfold in silence. The figure lingered just long enough to make sure Heavenly-Autumn wasn't seized again—then slipped away into the shadows, moving to protect her from afar.