"How amazing," Sango marveled.
After learning that Xu Zhiqiu was also from the modern era, Kagome grew increasingly fond of her and asked her a few more questions.
Xu Zhiqiu answered her patiently.
Kagome had originally thought Xu Zhiqiu was from Japan, like her. She hadn't expected otherwise, and although she was a little disappointed, finding another person from the modern era was still a wonderful surprise.
As she chatted with Xu Zhiqiu, she glanced up at Inuyasha, who sat beside Kikyo. The two looked perfectly suited to each other, and a trace of bitterness swept through her heart.
Someone patted her shoulder, and Kagome looked up at the woman beside her.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you about in private," Xu Zhiqiu said.
"Huh? All right." Kagome stood and brushed the dust off the hem of her skirt.
"Kagome, where are you going?" Shippo, who was eating potato chips, asked worriedly when he saw her stand.
"Lord Autumn wants to talk to me." Kagome bent down to ruffle Shippo's hair, then followed Xu Zhiqiu outside.
Holding her sword against her chest, Xu Zhiqiu surveyed the village, both familiar and unfamiliar, before finally stopping beside the house she had burned down.
Kagome followed Xu Zhiqiu's gaze. "Granny Kaede said this was where you lived. Why did you burn it down as soon as you came back?"
Xu Zhiqiu looked away, lifting her eyes toward a nearby paddy where water flowed. "Because it was old, and the inside had already fallen apart," she said calmly. "If I want somewhere to live, I can just build another one."
Kagome's eyes flickered slightly, and she clenched her fingers. "But old things still give you so much to miss, don't they?"
Xu Zhiqiu had only been stating a simple fact, but Kagome's