Kagetsu sat cross-legged in the darkness, eyes closed as he quietly sensed the natural energy flowing through the night.
Then,
Several unfamiliar presences entered his perception range.
One was pure and warm,Miko spiritual power, gentle yet resiKagetsunt.
Another was demonic energy.
But unlike the pure, savage aura of the demons he had encountered before, this one carried something else.
A human scent.
"A half-demon," Kagetsu concluded inwardly. "No wonder demons can tell Inuyasha's heritage at a glance. That demonic aura mixed with human presence… it's obvious."
He opened his eyes.
The room was still dark.
Rising to his feet, he lit the oil lamp beside him. Dim yellow light flickered to life, pushing back the shadows.
He walked over to Ruji and lightly tapped her forehead with his fingertip.
"Release."
Her brows twitched.
Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
At first, her vision was unfocused,just hazy light and shadows.
Then she saw him.
A pale face, webbed with long cracks like shattered porcelain.
Gray-black sclera.
Eyes that carried the faint stillness of something no longer fully alive.
"Ah,!"
A shrill scream shattered the silence.
Ruji's eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
Kagetsu blinked.
Then sighed.
"…That's unfortunate."
He had just lifted a hand to wake her again when hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Her scream had done the work for him.
He returned to the corner of the room and sat down calmly.
He would wait.
A Few Minutes EarKagetsur , Outside the Castle
Under the cover of night, Inuyasha, Kagome Higurashi, Myoga, and the visibly anxious Amari Nobunaga slipped into the castle grounds.
But the moment they entered,
They realized something was wrong.
Samurai.
Servants.
Soldiers.
Every single person had collapsed into a deep sleep.
"Young Master Inuyasha, be cautious," Myoga warned solemnly from his perch on Inuyasha's shoulder. "They've been placed under some sort of spell."
"Lady Ruji! Lady Ruji, where are you?!" Nobunaga called out desperately, panic edging his voice.
Kagome frowned. "Is it really a good idea to shout like that? What if you attract the demon?"
Inuyasha snorted, ears twitching as he scanned the surroundings.
"So what? Everyone's already knocked out. If we make enough noise, maybe the demon'll come to us."
Almost on cue,
A scream pierced the night from deeper within the castle.
"That's Lady Ruji!" Nobunaga's face went pale.
"Inuyasha,!" Kagome started.
But Inuyasha's dog ears had already perked up.
"Something's happening. Follow me!"
Without hesitation, he bolted toward the source of the scream.
"Inuyasha, wait!"
Kagome hurried after him, Nobunaga close behind. Myoga clung tightly to the fire-rat robe, not daring to let go.
They rounded a corner.
Ahead lay a room lit by dim yellow light.
The door stood open.
A long strip of lamplight spilled into the corridor, and within it,
A shadow sat motionless in the corner.
"Careful," Inuyasha muttered.
He sniffed the air, brow furrowing as he drew Tessaiga from his back.
"There's something strange inside. I smell demonic energy… and something dead."
Step by cautious step, he approached.
Kagome followed close behind, fingers tightening around her bow.
Then,
"Come in," a calm male voice said from within. "I mean no harm."
Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look.
Kagome was about to warn him to watch for traps,
,but Inuyasha had already strode inside.
"Inuyasha!" she hissed, helplessly following.
The moment Kagome stepped into the room, she froze.
In the corner sat a man wearing unfamiliar deep-blue clothing,nothing like the garments of this era.
And his body,
Cracks covered his skin and clothes alike, as though he were a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.
Most unsettling of all were his eyes.
Gray-black sclera.
Pupils faintly clouded with an unnatural stillness.
In the flickering lamplight, he looked less like a man,
,and more like something that had crawled back from the grave.
Kagome instinctively stepped behind Inuyasha.
"Lady Ruji!"
Nobunaga rushed in last and spotted Ruji lying unconscious on the floor.
He was about to dash forward,
,but Inuyasha grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't move!"
Tessaiga rose defensively as Inuyasha stared at the stranger.
"Who are you? The lord of this castle?"
"My name is Kagetsu," the man replied calmly, standing. "I am not the lord."
His gaze swept over them, studying.
This was his first face-to-face meeting with the protagonists of this world.
White hair. Dog ears. Fire-rat robe.
That blade,Tessaiga.
No doubt.
Inuyasha.
And the girl behind him,
Long black hair. Strange sailor-style clothing out of place in the Sengoku era.
Clear eyes. Youthful presence.
Kagome Higurashi.
Kagetsu suppressed an idle thought.
A shame Inuyasha wasn't a white-haired, beast-eared girl.
That would have been far more interesting.
Outwardly, he remained composed.
"The castle lord was possessed by a demon," Kagetsu explained evenly. "He ordered his men to abduct girls from nearby villages."
"I came to investigate."
He gestured toward Ruji.
"She was under an illusion technique. I dispelled it."
A faint pause.
"She fainted when she saw me."
Kagome hesitated. He had stepped back deliberately.
He wasn't advancing.
He wasn't attacking.
Still wary, she tugged Inuyasha's sleeve.
"Inuyasha… let's bring Lady Ruji over first."
"…Fine."
Inuyasha didn't lower Tessaiga, but he moved carefully, keeping one eye on Kagetsu at all times.
He scooped Ruji up swiftly and retreated to Kagome and Nobunaga.
Kagetsu made no move to interfere.
He simply watched.
"Lady Ruji! Lady Ruji!"
Nobunaga cradled her, voice shaking.
Finally, Ruji stirred.
Her eyes fluttered open, still dazed.
"Nobunaga…? Why are you here?"
Then her expression changed.
She suddenly bolted upright.
"I,I saw a demon! Nobunaga, did you see it?!"
"Lady Ruji," Kagetsu said calmly from where he stood.
"I am not a demon."
He met her frightened gaze without hostility.
"I am merely a passing samurai who discovered the lord's possession and came to deal with it."
The lamplight flickered between them.
Ruji stared at him,
At the cracked skin.
The unnatural eyes.
Her fingers tightened in Nobunaga's robes.
Whatever he claimed to be,
He certainly did not look like an ordinary samurai.
And Inuyasha had yet to lower his blade.