Blade Guard

The Sengoku era, Kanto region. At the edge of a village, beside the Bone-Eater's Well in the wilderness, the dog yokai youth who had been pressed to the ground by a powerful curse stood up slowly, rubbing his arm. His face was full of displeasure as he muttered, "Tch, that woman! She shouldn't just use that move whenever she feels like it!" He watched the opening of the well where Kagome had just disappeared and complained as he straightened up.

"What's with this 'exam' anyway? Is it more important than the Shikon Jewel? The next time she comes back, I can't just let her return so easily."

"Hey! Inuyasha!"

Hearing the voice, Inuyasha looked back and saw the little fox yokai, Shippo, running toward him while holding a large, strange book. Inuyasha recognized it; it was one of the books Kagome brought from her era, something she called a textbook.

"Hey, Inuyasha, where's Kagome? She hasn't left yet, has she?" Shippo asked, running up with the heavy textbook. Inuyasha crossed his arms and answered irritably.

"She just went through. I couldn't stop her."

"...Is that so? That's a bit bad. Kagome left one of her books behind. What should I do?" Shippo looked troubled as he held the textbook. Inuyasha snorted in response.

"Tch. What a careless woman."

Despite his disparaging words and the look of annoyance on his face, Inuyasha snatched the thick textbook from Shippo's hands.

"Give it here!"

With that, Inuyasha leaped and dove straight into the Bone-Eater's Well, leaving Shippo alone to complain.

"His mouth is harsh, but he actually cares a lot. What a guy."

In the Heisei era, within the Higurashi Shrine in Tokyo. Inside the dry well where offerings were made, Kagome had just returned to her own era. After much struggle, she finally pushed her bicycle and bags out of the well. She slowly climbed out herself, eventually grabbing the edge of the well to pull herself onto the floor.

"Phew... I'm finally out..." Kagome panted as she climbed out. Just as she gathered her things and prepared to leave the shrine building, a figure stood at the entrance of the honden. Seeing this silhouette, Kagome froze in place.

"Eh... you, you are..."

Standing there was a girl in a red and white miko outfit, still possessing fox ears and tails. She looked at Kagome calmly. Her familiar appearance immediately triggered Kagome's recent memories.

"We meet again, Kagome Higurashi," Miketsu said with a smile. Kagome stepped back in shock.

"You... you're that deity!? Even though you have ears and a tail now, it's definitely you—you're that deity!"

Because Kagome's movements were a bit too sudden, her foot slipped and she began to fall backward. At that moment, Miketsu reached out and tapped the air. Kagome's body was instantly frozen in mid-air; she didn't fall further but found herself completely unable to move.

"Eh... what is this?"

Kagome, paralyzed by the spell, looked around in confusion. Then she saw the divine girl walking toward her step by step.

"Your soul is a bit strange. Did something happen?" Miketsu murmured as she reached Kagome. Hearing this, Kagome paused for a moment before speaking.

"Eh? My soul? Is that why you're here? If so, please let me go first, and I'll explain everything slowly—"

"No need for you to speak," Miketsu interrupted directly. She reached out and touched the chin of the immobilized Kagome, making skin contact. She continued indifferently, "I will see for myself."

Kagome stood frozen, unable to speak even if she wanted to. Using her authority over causality, Miketsu performed a causality reversal. Under the power of causality, she saw Kagome's recent experiences and immediately understood what had happened to her soul.

'I see. So you have returned to this world in such a way.'

Just then, a sudden noise erupted from the Bone-Eater's Well nearby. "Hey, Kagome! Are you up there? You dropped something!" The youth's voice echoed from the well. Hearing it, Kagome was startled and tried to shout a warning in her heart.

'Stay! Stay down there, Inuyasha! Don't come up!'

However, Inuyasha, whose actions always preceded his thoughts, leaped out from the bottom of the Bone-Eater's Well.

"Where did this yokai come from! What are you trying to do to Kagome!" Seeing the miko-clad girl with fox ears touching Kagome, Inuyasha shouted in a panic. His hand gripped the hilt of the tattered tachi at his waist.

He shot forward like an arrow, raising the massive demonic blade high. His target was the girl in red and white. At this moment, Tessaiga had already been repaired.

"No, Inuyasha! Sit— mph!" Kagome tried to use the kotodama in her mind to stop him, but it was useless. It was clear the command had to be spoken aloud.

"Let her go!" Inuyasha reached the space in front of Miketsu at high speed, swinging the giant blade down. Facing the incoming attack, Miketsu remained calm, a slight smile on her face.

Suddenly, a massive burst of electricity erupted from Tessaiga as it swung toward Miketsu. Radiant arcs of lightning leaped along the blade. However, this electrical discharge did not strike the enemy; instead, it conducted directly into the user himself.

"Aaaaagh!!!"

Amidst a chorus of screams, Inuyasha's entire body was swallowed by the flashing electricity. Under the unbearable, stinging pain, Tessaiga slipped from his hands and fell to the ground.

"Oh... where did this dog yokai come from? Why did he suddenly fall to the ground?" Miketsu asked with a smile, a hint of playfulness in her expression as she watched Inuyasha struggle to stand. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and responded defiantly.

"D-Damn it... you vixen! What kind of demonic spell did you just use!?"

Rising from the ground, Inuyasha glared at Miketsu and shouted. Miketsu replied with an innocent tone.

"Demonic spell? You seem to have misunderstood. I didn't do anything just now. You fell down all on your own for some mysterious reason. It has nothing to do with me."

"Who are you trying to fool!?" Standing up, Inuyasha reached out to pick up Tessaiga again. He grabbed the tattered tachi and transformed it into its giant blade form. Once more, he aimed the edge at the girl before him.

"Let's see if I don't— aaaaaagh!"

"Damn it! You vixen, what did you do to my Tessaiga!" Inuyasha shouted in fury. Miketsu simply shrugged.

"What did I do? Nothing at all~ Look, I've been maintaining the spell here the whole time without moving an inch. How could I tamper with your weapon?" Miketsu looked at the fallen Tessaiga and continued with a smile.

"I think your weapon has simply gone on strike. Look at how battered it is. Your treatment of it must be so poor that it just doesn't want to work for you anymore," Miketsu said airily. Provoked by her words, Inuyasha shouted back defiantly.

"Tch, you think I'll believe that? It's just a weapon, how could it— woah-aaaaagh!" Inuyasha tried to pick up the blade again, but the moment his hand touched the hilt, the powerful current surged once more, making his whole body shake. His hand slipped, and the demonic blade fell to the ground again.

Watching this in silence from the side, Kagome was internally shocked.

'This reaction from Tessaiga... it's just like when it rejected Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru. Is Tessaiga rejecting Inuyasha this time? But why? Is it just because he tried to use it to attack this deity? But that doesn't make sense. Tessaiga is a demonic blade, not a ritual tool for worshiping gods. Why is this happening?'

Confusion swirled in Kagome's mind as Inuyasha continued to try and pick up Tessaiga, only to be shocked and forced to let go every time. "Ah, damn it!" After being shocked into numbness once more, Inuyasha let the sword roll onto the ground. He lost his temper at the blade left by his father.

"Hey! You piece of junk, what are you trying to do! Hurry up and help me kill the enemy! If you keep this up, I'll have Totosai melt you back down in the forge!" Inuyasha roared. Miketsu sighed in a pitying tone.

"Alas... what a poor child. This blade devoted itself until death for the dog family, establishing countless honors and achievements in the hands of the Yokai King of the Western Provinces. Who would have thought its current master would be such a reckless fool who doesn't know how to cherish it?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at her words, and he turned around in a rage.

"What did you say! You vixen! Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't think I can't handle you without Tessaiga!" As he spoke, demonic energy swirled around his claws, and he charged at Miketsu with extreme speed.

"Take this! Soul-Scattering Iron Claw!" His claws, overflowing with demonic energy, slashed toward Miketsu. Facing the attack, Miketsu did not dodge or attempt to defend. She simply watched the claws swing toward her eyes—and at that moment, a blade appeared between her and the claws. Tessaiga, which had been discarded on the side, flew up automatically to block Inuyasha's attack. Simultaneously, it released a massive discharge of electricity, shocking Inuyasha through and through.

After a series of crackling noises, Inuyasha collapsed to the side, smoke rising from his body as his legs twitched in unconsciousness. Miketsu caught the floating Tessaiga, which contained a trace of her own blood. Looking at the battered blade, she sighed softly and spoke.

"You've worked hard."

Then, with a gentle wave of her hand, the spell binding Kagome was released. Kagome immediately ran over to the fallen Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?"

"Don't worry, Tessaiga was careful. He's only fainted. After all, he carries the bloodline of the Yokai King of the Western Provinces; the blade wouldn't actually hurt him," Miketsu said casually. Hearing this, Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, though her confusion remained.

"...It's good that he's okay. But how do you know about Tessaiga and Inuyasha's father... and why did Tessaiga... well, why did this happen?"

"It's nothing. I just had a bit of an acquaintance with them in the past," Miketsu murmured. She didn't pay them any more attention and walked toward the Bone-Eater's Well. Looking at the dry well, Miketsu understood.

'I see. This well is the time-travel tunnel that was opened back then. I didn't expect it could reach other points in time; the quality is quite good.' Miketsu recalled the events of a thousand years ago; the well's ability to cross time was something she had bestowed. 'It's possible, but a physical crossing by a being with such immense power would cause massive causality disorder and create trouble for my other self... In that case, my main body cannot go through. I'll have to find another way.'

Miketsu snapped her fingers. The demonic energy still remaining on her was immediately expelled. Her fox tail and ears disappeared, replaced by a small, greyish-white fox that manifested before her.

This was an avatar Miketsu created using her own demonic energy, a vessel capable of conveying her will. Then, Miketsu controlled the avatar, and it leaped nimbly into the mouth of the well, vanishing into the kaleidoscopic light.