"Thank you for your hospitality. We must take our leave."
At the gate of the Demon Slayer Village, Kikyo and Uchiha Lie stood side by side as the villagers gathered to see them off. The Black Bear Demon—now calm and obedient—waited behind them, its massive form casting a long shadow in the afternoon light.
"Don't mention it!" The Leader of the Demon Slayers waved warmly, though his expression still carried traces of concern.
He hesitated briefly, then turned and called out, "Kohaku!"
A clear, youthful voice responded, "Yes!"
A small boy ran forward from the crowd, holding a wooden box carefully in both hands. His movements were disciplined, yet there was still the innocence of childhood in his eyes.
Uchiha Lie's gaze lingered on him.
Kohaku.
Sango's younger brother. The leader's son.
In the future, this child would be manipulated by Naraku. He would be forced to kill his own father and slaughter his comrades. His hands would be stained with blood he never chose to spill.
And he would not even remember it.
For a moment, Lie felt the quiet cruelty of fate.
Kohaku handed the box to his father and stepped back obediently, unaware of the tragedy waiting in the shadows of tomorrow.
The leader stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Kikyo, presenting the wooden box with both hands.
"Miss Kikyo, we hope you will accept these Shikon Jewel shards. Our village cannot purify them. Keeping them here will only attract more demons. Please… take them."
Kikyo paused for a moment before accepting the box.
She opened it.
Inside lay several fragments of the Shikon Jewel, faintly glowing.
She understood the implication.
Naraku was collecting shards. If they remained here, the Demon Slayer Village would inevitably become a target.
"I understand," she said softly.
She removed the shards and stored them securely.
Relief washed over the leader's face—though guilt lingered beneath it.
He knew he was shifting danger onto her shoulders.
"Thank you… truly," he said earnestly. "If you ever require assistance, our village will answer."
"There is no need for thanks," Kikyo replied calmly.
She turned and mounted the Black Bear Demon. Lie leaped up behind her with fluid ease.
Kikyo gently patted the demon's head.
"Let's go, Kuro Maru."
She had given it a name.
Since she intended to turn it into a Shikigami, it felt only natural.
As Kuro Maru began descending the mountain path, Lie suddenly turned back.
"Oh, one more thing," he called out.
"I sensed numerous demons moving nearby. Be cautious. Your village attracts… unwanted attention."
The leader's expression changed instantly.
"What?! Thank you for the warning!"
He bowed deeply again.
The villagers stiffened.
They had chosen to fight demons—but even warriors feared unseen threats gathering in the dark.
Kikyo then glanced toward Myoga, who stood nervously on her shoulder.
"Grandpa Myoga, will you come with us?"
Myoga fumbled awkwardly before suddenly pulling out a tiny bundle and slinging it over his back.
"N-No, Miss Kikyo! I must find Young Master Inuyasha! I shall take my leave!"
And with that, he leapt into the grass and vanished.
Kikyo watched him go.
"Travel safely," she murmured.
---
Kuro Maru carried them down the winding mountain path.
The air grew cooler as they descended.
Halfway down, a figure appeared walking upward toward the village.
She wore a vermillion-striped haori over a green hakama skirt that accentuated her tall, graceful frame. Her skin was fair, her features refined yet strong. Long dark hair flowed behind her like silk.
And on her back—
The massive Hiraikotsu.
Sango.
Lie's gaze sharpened slightly.
So they met here.
She was every bit as striking as he remembered. Not delicate like Kikyo. Not modern like Kagome.
But strong.
A warrior's beauty.
There was a quiet, steady spirit in her posture. The kind that belonged to someone who had trained from childhood to fight and survive.
Sango slowed as she saw them.
A priestess. A swordsman. Riding a Black Bear Demon.
Strange.
She stepped aside politely, allowing them to pass, though curiosity lingered in her eyes.
Lie looked at her openly for a brief moment before turning away.
Behind him, Kikyo spoke suddenly.
"That female Demon Slayer just now… was she very pretty?"
Lie blinked.
"Hm?"
He chuckled lightly.
"She is quite beautiful."
There was a subtle shift in the air.
"Is that so," Kikyo replied evenly.
Her tone was flat.
But Lie sensed it—faint irritation.
He almost laughed.
"However," he added smoothly, "she is not as beautiful as you."
Kikyo did not respond.
Instead, Lie reached around her and opened his palm.
A faint pink glow rested there.
A shard of the Shikon Jewel.
Kikyo's attention shifted instantly.
"Where did you get that?" she asked sharply.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You didn't steal it from that Demon Slayer, did you?"
She had sensed the presence of a shard on Sango earlier—but she had not seen Lie move.
Lie smiled faintly.
"You could say I… secured it in advance."
"That is stealing," Kikyo replied calmly.
"Preemptive safekeeping," he corrected lightly.
"It's too dangerous for them to carry. And eventually, they would have handed it to you anyway."
Kikyo did not argue.
He wasn't entirely wrong.
"Still," she said, "how did you take it?"
Lie extended one finger.
A nearly invisible thread shimmered briefly in the air.
Chakra Thread.
He demonstrated, wrapping the thin strand around the shard in her hand and flicking his wrist gently.
The shard slid across the air as if pulled by an unseen string and returned to his palm.
"This technique was originally used by puppet masters to control their creations," he explained.
"I do not specialize in it. But it is convenient for retrieving small objects."
He handed the shard back to her.
"Or," he added lightly, "for disarming unsuspecting demon slayers."
---
Back near the village gate—
Sango entered the stronghold.
As she removed her equipment, something felt wrong.
She reached inside her robes.
The small cloth pouch was still there.
But it was empty.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She checked again.
Nothing.
The shard she had carefully secured before descending the mountain was gone.
Her mind raced.
She had confirmed it at the mountain's base. It had been there.
Then—
She remembered the two strangers riding the Black Bear Demon.
Her eyes hardened.
She turned sharply toward her father.
"Father," she asked urgently, "were the two people riding the Black Bear Demon guests of the village?"
The leader looked at her.
"Yes. Why?"
Sango's hand tightened slightly over the empty pouch.
"My shard of the Shikon Jewel… is missing."
A heavy silence followed.
And down the mountain path—
Kuro Maru continued its descent.
Unaware—
Or perhaps fully aware—
That the threads of fate had begun to tighten once more.