"You men really are greedy. You already have one, yet you're always thinking about another."
A hint of amusement appeared in the eyes of the girl in his arms.
There was also a trace of wistfulness.
Fifty years ago, being a miko had kept her from living an ordinary girl's life. She and Inuyasha, who likewise fit into neither the human world nor the Demon World, had shared a similar plight. After spending some time together, they had developed feelings for each other and even promised to spend their lives together.
Bandit Onigumo had wanted to possess her, but when his attempt failed, his love turned to hatred, giving rise to Naraku.
Now, Li Xia knew full well that she was only a Clay Dummy Body, one of the undead. He knew they could never be together, yet he had still developed feelings for her...
All three men had fallen for her. She truly did not know whether that was her good fortune or their misfortune.
"I'm sorry. I still underestimated the enemy. If I'd been more careful and learned to quit while I was ahead instead of being so greedy, Naraku might not have succeeded."
Li Xia blamed himself.
If he had not been thinking of using Kagura to locate Red Child and bring this feud to an early end-if he had simply played it safe and stayed beside Kagome and Kikyo-Naraku would have had a hard time using A-Bi to plot against Kikyo.
"This wasn't your fault. You already did very well. Even if I'd escaped this time, Naraku could have come for me at any time after you left. When that happened, without the severe injuries you inflicted on him earlier or the perfect opening you just created, I probably wouldn't even have been able to destroy