After a brief embrace, the girls drew apart, sharing knowing smiles.
"Um, Han, are you looking for Naraku too?" Kagome asked.
"Yes." The silver-haired girl nodded, unconsciously biting her lower lip. Her white teeth left deep marks in its pale pink surface as she explained softly, "Naraku took Kikyo away."
"What!" Inuyasha's keen ears caught her words. He rushed over to the silver-haired girl. "What happened?"
"When Menomaru was absorbing souls to strengthen himself, the dead souls inside Kikyo's body were drawn out too. Then Naraku took advantage of her weakness and carried her off," Han said bitterly. Her nails dug into her palms, but she never noticed the stinging pain.
"Damn you, Naraku!" Inuyasha growled. He drove Tessaiga hard into the ground, and pressure burst outward from the blade, leaving deep cracks in the earth.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome hesitated, suppressing the faint ache in her heart. Inuyasha still could not forget Kikyo. "Then let's go save Kikyo," she said softly.
"Yes! Of course we will!" Inuyasha nodded solemnly.
"Han." Kagome turned toward the silver-haired girl, then looked at Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Yukito a short distance away. "Would you like to come with us? Together, we'd have a better chance against Naraku."
"Thank you, but I'd rather not." Han smiled and shook her head. She glanced at Inuyasha, whose brows had shot up indignantly at Kagome's suggestion, then at Sesshomaru, who was watching her quietly from afar. Working alongside Inuyasha was probably one of the last things Sesshomaru wanted to do. "Let's part ways here. Take care."
"You too." Kagome held the girl's hand, reluctant to let go.
"Tch. Sesshomaru'll keep her safe, obviously." Inuyasha rested Tessaiga on his shoulder and directed his words at Sesshomaru.
"Hmph." Sesshomaru answered with a disdainful snort.
"Inuyasha!" Honestly, he was always like this. Couldn't