Akari couldn't help very much, so she returned to her home. She remained there for almost half a month; she was only going to see little black a few times, because she didn't have enough strength to maintain a barrier for a long time. She spent those days peacefully and thought it was the calm before the storm.
When Akari came back, she saw Sango and Miroku injured. Akari tried to purify Miroku's poison, but it was too much for her.
"Damn it!" Sango woke up at that moment, and Akari asked.
"Where are Kohaku and Inuyasha?" Sango answered.
"Kohaku was controlled by Magatsuhi, and Inuyasha is pursuing him." Akari nodded. They took Kirara and left.
Both reached Inuyasha and Kohaku, who was about to cut his own neck, so Akari shot him with an arrow, giving Inuyasha the opportunity to disarm Kohaku. Sango tried to wake him and convince Kohaku to live when Sesshōmaru arrived, and Naraku took her as a hostage. Akari tensed for a second and quickly tried to hide her surprised expression. When Naraku was closer to her, he said something that only the two could hear.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. We both have a destiny to fulfill."
Akari didn't know if he was talking about the Shikon Jewel's destiny or something more. Soon, she couldn't think about it anymore because Kohaku used her arrow to stab Naraku, and both were released.
Naraku escaped, and it seemed that Kohaku would die. But the light that contained Kikyo's spiritual power decided to remain with him, keeping him alive. This made Akari admire Kikyou's power. After all, she was able to bring the dead back to life.
**
Inuyasha and Akari were sitting in front of Madame Kaede's house because Inuyasha wanted to talk with her.
"I'm sorry, Akari." Akari was confused by his sudden apology.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Inuyasha looked at her and said. "I didn't notice Naraku was close to you. I know you don't have your powers now. But I didn't protect you. It was my fault you were in danger."
Akari shook her head and said. "It isn't your fault, Inuyasha. My life isn't your responsibility."
Inuyasha said. "No, it is. I want it to be that way. I've been thinking about it since you were wounded by Magatsuhi. I felt terrified when I saw you collapsed and covered in blood. Akari, I don't want to lose someone else."
When Akari heard his words, she felt a chill. She looked into his eyes and saw it—the same look he used to give her before Kikyou came back to life.
Akari was speechless. She had been careless. Inuyasha had tried to overcome Kikyou's death. It affected him deeply, so Akari had unconsciously let her guard down. She forgot that she was a part of Kikyou and that, as before, he might have paid more attention to her.
Akari was extremely uncomfortable, but she didn't dare do anything excessive. She couldn't bear an attack from the world's consciousness now. She only stayed silent and said that she needed to return home. Then she left quickly as if she were being chased by something.
Miroku, who had been observing the situation, told Inuyasha.
"You shouldn't say that." Inuyasha stayed silent, and Miroku continued.
"I know that Kikyou's death was really hard for you, but you shouldn't confuse what you feel for Kikyou with what you feel for Akari. They are not the same, even though they have the same soul." Inuyasha looked at the path Akari had taken and said.
"I know they aren't the same. I'm not confused. Maybe I was before, but now I know that Kikyou was the first woman I loved, and I will always love her." Miroku sighed, but before he could feel relief, Inuyasha continued.
"However, it doesn't mean that I don't have feelings for her. It's not because Akari is the reincarnation of Kikyou. I know who she is." This time, it was Miroku's turn to remain silent. First, he didn't know what to say. Second, he didn't believe Inuyasha wasn't influenced by his feelings for Kikyou. Lastly, Miroku thought Inuyasha didn't know who Akari was. He didn't even dare say that because all this time, Miroku had noticed she was hiding something. This wasn't the only time he'd noticed it. Akari clearly wanted to reject Inuyasha because she didn't feel anything more than friendship for him, but she didn't dare—it was as if she was scared of something.
It didn't mean Miroku didn't trust Akari; she had saved his life and the lives of all of them many times. It's just that he felt that her relationship with Inuyasha was strange. They met first, but Akari was very suspicious of Inuyasha. She was always very careful with her interactions with him. This was true even after he met them. If it weren't for the fact that Inuyasha was a simple and kind guy, Miroku knew it would be really difficult for Akari to trust Inuyasha. Miroku didn't know why, and he knew Akari didn't want them to discover it. So Miroku always pretends to know nothing.
All the same, Akari had decided to distance herself from Inuyasha. She couldn't allow Inuyasha to gain interest in her again. It would be extremely embarrassing for them when Kikyou returned. Speaking of which, Akari went quickly to the place where Kikyou was, and surprisingly, she found Kikyou waking up.
"I'm not dead?" Kikyou murmured. She looked around and found Akari.
She opened her eyes in surprise and asked.
"Akari... was it you?" Akari nodded and said.
"I'm sorry for hiding you here, but I need time before you can meet Inuyasha." Kikyou stayed silent for a second before saying.
"Why did you do this? I don't understand. You don't like me. Without me, you could stay with Inuyasha, so why?" Akari chuckled and said.
"I accept that Inuyasha is a good and charming man. But does it mean that I have to be in love with him?" Kikyou was speechless as she didn't expect that kind of answer.
"It's true, I don't like you, but I owe you a debt of gratitude. I'm only paying it back. Now, go to sleep. When you wake up again, all will be finished." Kikyou didn't have the energy to stay awake and soon fell asleep again, and Akari felt relieved. It was hard to talk with Kikyou.
After making sure that Kikyou would not wake up soon, she left and headed to Little black's Mountain. When Akari arrived, she greeted him.
"Hi, little black." She lay down against him and said.
"These have been difficult times. I couldn't stay very long with you, but I hope that you enjoyed my company." Akari felt warmth on her back and heard the beating of his heart. She knew he was awake. She had seen this behaviour some time ago. Sometimes, he woke up although he didn't need to eat.
"I enjoy your company very much, you know. I was so exhausted and worried about the vigilance of the world's consciousness. Talking to you made me feel much better. Countless times, I have been grateful for having made the promise to your mother to take care of you. It was totally worth it." At the beginning, he was only her responsibility, but then he became a friend to her—her only companion with whom she could honestly unburden herself.
That's why Akari worked so hard to create a safe place for him.
"I hope you can become a strong demon. This place will always be a safe place for you. The weak demons outside—I left them so that you have friends with whom you can grow and talk. If they show you hostility, you can expel them from here. You are now stronger than many of them." Akari laughed and hugged the egg that was bigger and stronger than when she'd met it.
She pressed her forehead against the shell and left him the last bit of power from her soul—the maximum protection she could give him at that moment, capable of protecting him from anyone who had bad intentions toward him.
She let down her hair and tied her hairband around the egg, saying.
"Tomorrow is my last opportunity to escape from my imposed destiny. I may die tomorrow or await a destiny worse than death. Whether I win or lose, I won't be able to see you again, so I'm leaving you this gift so you'll remember me." Akari chuckled.
"I hope you grow strong and healthy. Maybe we can see each other in the future, who knows?" She stood up and walked toward the exit.
She waved her hand and said. "Goodbye. I wish you happiness, little black." Then she left without looking back.
At the moment she left, the demonic energy around little black started to increase in an alarming manner with an overwhelming force that tried to break the shell. However, when a small crack appeared the energy suddenly vanished as if it had never existed in the first place.