"From a child to a man, from a man to an immortal" Part 3.

Scene 3.

Two days later, in the early morning. In the vicinity of an unnamed village.

After two days and two nights during which the boy had refrained from sleeping, cautious of potential attacks from demons or beasts in his surroundings, he finally caught sight of a medium-sized settlement in the distance. Rice fields covered most of its geography, small houses were scattered irregularly throughout the area, farmers worked the fields in hopes of a good harvest season to come, women were picking fruits from apple and orange trees on the sides of the village, children were still sleeping in their houses, and the elderly, those too old to work properly, were preparing to discuss the weather for the next day. Kawakami made his presence known to these people not long after. Some of the men working in the fields glanced at Kawakami with caution from a distance, while others greeted him without apparent fear. His disheveled appearance – covered in blood, with the sword scabbard at his waist – didn't exactly invite more than a simple acknowledgment from them. Kawakami reciprocated each greeting as he passed by. His steps were steady and his gaze analytical. His mind flashed back to his childhood in the Mizukaze village, helping his family tend to the fields they cultivated.

Soon, he encountered his first obstacle in the form of two guards armed with spears. Judging by their expressions of complete boredom, they didn't seem to particularly enjoy their job. One of them, the younger one, stepped forward as soon as he saw Kawakami approaching.

"What is your reason for coming to this village, traveler?"

The dry question came from the man. His expression had shifted from laziness to sudden fierceness, though with his chonmage hairstyle and abnormally small eyes, he hardly looked threatening.

"Just passing through."

Kawakami's response was short and simple. He yawned immediately afterward. The lack of sleep seemed to be taking a greater toll on him than he had estimated. Upon hearing his answer followed by his sleepy gesture, the two guards allowed him to pass without any issues, though not without giving him a brief look of strangeness – he smelled of death. Kawakami began to venture further into the village. He didn't care much about the opinion of the two guards. Finding a place to finally sleep was becoming more urgent.

"Make sure not to cause any trouble in the village, kid, eh? By the way, what's your name? I couldn't catch it."

Hearing the question from behind, Kawakami immediately stopped in his tracks. Then, somewhat annoyed, he turned around with an irritated expression toward the two men. His gaze settled on the person who had recently questioned him. The inquiry had come from the senior guard; his appearance was serious, with a few wrinkles on his features indicating his entry into middle age. He had sharp eyes and, like his comrade, sported a chonmage hairstyle.

"I didn't say it. By the way, do you have any lodging around here? I would also like to meet a blacksmith. Money won't be an issue. Ugh."

At some point during his request, Kawakami had pulled a small bamboo container from his kimono – an old, worn black kimono stained with blood all over. After taking a swig from the container, a faint aroma of high-quality sake suddenly filled the surroundings. Naturally, both guards caught a whiff of the sake's fragrance. Subsequently, they exchanged mischievous smiles. A tacit agreement sealed their course of action.

Two hours later.

After drinking and chatting for about fifteen minutes with the guards on the outskirts of the village, Kawakami was led by one of them to the village blacksmith. Once there, he bought one of the few reasonably well-made swords the blacksmith had forged, thereby parting with a significant portion of his money in the process. Immediately after, the same guard took him to the house of the village's priestess – an older woman with gray hair and a white patch over her left eye named Kaede, the village's priestess.

Residence of Priestess Kaede.

"We don't have many visitors around here, but we still hear your name mentioned from time to time. Stories about Kawakami, the new demonic scourge, are quite popular in these parts these days."

The elderly woman's words were complimentary. Her expression wore one of those peculiar smiles that only older folks seemed to master. Kawakami, for his part, was barely paying attention to her. His state of drowsiness had prolonged to the point where he simply wanted to collapse right there and snore for a full three days. Unfortunately for him, pleasantries came first.

"Those are mostly exaggerations from people, Priestess. Just that. By the way, without intending to be rude, I'd like to sleep a bit now. I'm completely exhausted. Rough journey, you know."

After hearing Kawakami's explanation, Elder Kaede nodded, her understanding expression settling into her wrinkled features.

"Go ahead, young one. No need to hold back. There's a futon over there in the corner. Sleep as much as you want. But first, you'll have to take off all that clothing. Too much blood. It'll stain the sheets."

Partially grasping the meaning of Elder Kaede's words, Kawakami began to undress right then and there, without a hint of embarrassment on his face – such was the extent of his mental exhaustion. Noticing this, Priestess Kaede simply averted her gaze without flinching. Then, shaking her head, she went back to tending the fire with a hikeshi-gi, breakfast time was approaching. Later, the boy got into the futon, clad only in his undergarments. He held his new sword protectively in his hands. Elder Kaede audibly sighed.

"Heh."

A smile of amusement painted her face subsequently.

"Youngsters."

Kawakami's snores had started a few seconds ago and even now seemed to be increasing in volume. Consequently, a slight nervous twitch formed on one of Elder Kaede's eyebrows.

Seven hours later, in the evening. Residence of Priestess Kaede.

"Miss Kaede, we're back!"

A girl entered, greeting through the door at that precise moment; she had long black hair, big innocent dark brown eyes, average height, pale skin, and lastly, she was dressed in a green and white sailor uniform. The girl's eyes scanned the room in anticipation, but they didn't find the old priestess anywhere. Instead, they landed on the still-sleeping figure of Kawakami in a corner of the cabin. Consequently, a sense of doubt crept onto the girl's features.

"Uh? Who's that?"

Subsequently, the girl cautiously moved further into the room. She slowly approached the sleeping boy. Not long after, another figure followed her.

"Uh? Who's who, huh?"

This time, it was a young man; a rather peculiar-looking young man, as instead of normal ears, he had dog ears – ears as white as his own hair, which flowed down his back. Then there was his attire – a garish red kimono that was far from flattering, an old sword at his waist, and finally, a necklace of black beads and white fangs around his neck. But his oddities didn't end there; unlike regular eyes, the young man's eyes were a vibrant shade of gold, with vertical slit pupils like those of a cat. He was a half-demon and seemed to be friends with the girl. As soon as the half-demon entered the cabin, he spotted Kawakami on his futon. By that time, the girl had already reached him. Within a split second, the half-demon's nose wrinkled, and his expression darkened subsequently.

"It smells like blood. Demon blood, hundreds of them. Hm. Who the hell is he?"

Following that, the half-demon's hand instinctively went to his sword in a preemptive motion. His instincts were constantly warning him of imminent danger, and that danger undoubtedly emanated from the sleeping boy on the floor.

"Don't get close to him, Kagome! I've got a bad feeling about this."

Kagome, who was about to wake up Kawakami, abruptly stopped her actions. Then, with intrigue gracing her expression, she turned towards the half-demon youth with questioning eyes.

"Bad feeling? Why? He looks like a boy. He can't be much older than me. What are you afraid of?"

Ignoring the half-demon's warnings, Kagome began to shake Kawakami's shoulder. Her face now sported a mischievous grin. Having been so casually disregarded, the half-demon youth couldn't help but curse the girl, feeling embarrassed. His cheeks flushed as a result.

"Humph! Whatever! Don't say I didn't warn you, idiot!"

Subsequently, and seeing his warnings go in vain, the half-demon youth leaned his back against the doorframe at the entrance of the cabin, emitting several frustrated huffs in the process. Meanwhile, his eyes remained narrowed in Kawakami's direction, awaiting a possible surprise attack from him. His hand still rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to cut down the human if necessary.

In Kawakami's Mind

In his dreams, Kawakami soared through the skies on his soul sword serenely. A small serene smile painted his features at all times. Clouds parted around him, revealing the endless expanse of green land and blue sea beneath his feet. His deep black hair billowed in the wind to the rhythm of the breeze. The feeling of freedom flooded his being like never before. Almost limitless power coursed through his veins; the power of an immortal. His heart beat in sync with the very world. Constantly, his ears heard an angelic voice; the voice of a woman softly saying,

"Hey, wake up. Hey."

Suddenly, Kawakami felt a light tug on his right shoulder, then another, and another, unrelenting. The voice that once seemed angelic had now turned irritatingly shrill.

"Hey, wake up."

Kawakami felt momentarily disoriented. Then, his surroundings abruptly shifted; there was no more sky and clouds, no breeze or endless land beneath his feet—only darkness and that persistently annoying female voice in his ears. Slowly, Kawakami was forced to leave the realm of dreams and return to the harsh, cruel reality.

Residence of Priestess Kaede

"Uh-uh?"

Blinking several times to reorient himself, Kawakami settled into a sitting position on his futon. His eyes wandered the surroundings, still somewhat unfocused; he was inside what seemed to be an old wooden cabin, and two blurry figures lay right in front of his nose, one closer than the other, at first glance. On the other hand, and before he could even figure out what was happening, he heard the strident scream of a woman.

"Kyaaah!"

It was the same voice that appeared in Kawakami's dreams; Kagome's voice, who, in her embarrassment for having seen Kawakami in his undergarments, had comically fallen on her butt to the floor. Kawakami, gradually regaining most of his faculties, remembered that he was in Priestess Kaede's cabin. Additionally, he noticed that, for some strange reason, the old woman was nowhere to be seen currently.

"Oh, well, I apologize for that, miss."

Realizing he was practically naked in front of two complete strangers, one of them being a girl, Kawakami quickly covered himself with the sheets.

"Ugh! What a foolish woman. Hmph. Who are you, brat?"

Within moments, the young half-demon decided to pose his question once and for all, not without mocking Kagome in the process. His expression wasn't particularly friendly, and his aggressive tone conveyed his clear displeasure with the situation. Having heard the half-demon's question, Kawakami shifted his gaze to the entrance of the cabin. Noticing the animalistic features of the half-demon, a clear sign of his demonic heritage, the boy's expression darkened momentarily.

"Hmm."

Choosing not to judge the half-demon solely by his appearance, Kawakami regained his usual serene expression. It certainly didn't benefit him to make unnecessary enemies. However, that didn't mean he would take his eyes off the half-demon at the moment.

"Shouldn't the one asking the question introduce himself first?"

With a hint of annoyance at the breach of courtesy, Kawakami oscillated his gaze between Kagome, who had already stood up by then and was looking at him expectantly, and the half-demon youth, who had opted to remain silent in his place, waiting for his response. Simultaneously, the boy searched for his sword among the sheets of his futon. He didn't take long to find it, fortunately. His heart immediately regained its calm. He no longer felt completely defenseless in the face of the possible threat posed by the half-demon youth. On the other hand, it was Kagome who, after wiping the embarrassed redness from her face from the previous situation, decided to initiate the conversation.

"Of course! I'm Higurashi Kagome, and that over there is Inuyasha. Don't mind him; he's always this grumpy with everyone. Now, who are you?"

Satisfied with Kagome's manners, Kawakami nodded in her direction. His expression now displayed a small smile. Despite his humble family background and mostly illiterate upbringing, Kawakami had always made an effort to be as polite as possible to everyone around him, regardless of their origin or status in society. This was another principle of the Sword God; courtesy above all, a principle he had decided to make his own.

"I'm called Kawakami, Miss Higurashi, Mr. Inuyasha. It's a pleasure to meet you. On another note, and without wanting to sound rude, I would appreciate some space to get dressed, please. I believe we can resume our conversation much better after that."

Having heard the reasonable request from the boy, both Kagome and Inuyasha left the cabin shortly after without saying another word. Thus, Kawakami had the place to himself to continue his task without major difficulties. After retrieving his clothes and dressing, sword in hand, the boy stepped outside the cabin slowly. Once there, he was immediately greeted by the warm sunlight on his face; the cloudless blue sky stretched above him, and the beautiful view of the whole village projected beautifully in the distance, so full of life and lush greenery. Kawakami felt really good after having slept and rested for several hours. Now he could properly appreciate everything around him. The village he was in, though small and humble, was truly beautiful. It reminded him of his own village, Mizukaze. Shortly after, a male voice abruptly interrupted his brief moment of enjoying the landscape and introspection.

"What were you doing in the old witch's house, kid?"

It was Inuyasha, and his expression still held a touch of irritation. Kawakami didn't lose his temper due to his rude attitude; calling him a kid instead of using his name, or referring to the priestess Kaede as an old witch, there were people like the young half-demon everywhere, and acting arrogantly would only get him enemies unnecessarily. Therefore, he proceeded to explain his situation as succinctly as possible. Although he never omitted the fact that Inuyasha had been giving him some strange looks for quite some time. All the more reason for Kawakami to keep a close eye on him.

"I'm her guest."

Kawakami didn't trust the two people in front of him in any way, hence his brevity. Additionally, he wasn't too eager to waste time there. The old Kaede had informed him beforehand that the villagers currently had no demon problems. Consequently, his goal had shifted to rest and then continue on his journey. He needed to find a skilled blacksmith to forge his soul sword, and Kaijinbo was currently his first and only choice on his list. The sooner he found him, the better. In response to the boy's explanation, Inuyasha nodded and then asked another question without beating around the bush. An expression of suspicion still defined his face.

"Do you smell demon blood, hundreds of them? Why?"

Inuyasha had caught the scent of the blood emanating from Kawakami; the blood of all the demons the boy had exterminated two days ago. Consequently, Kawakami's face darkened. Hostility couldn't help but corrupt his previous serene expression. Their eyes met suddenly. Kawakami spoke.

"That's my business. Stop sticking your nose into other people's problems."

Faced with such a curt response, Inuyasha couldn't help but bare his teeth aggressively. However, he didn't make any moves yet; he simply growled.

"Grrr."

Kawakami hadn't given him any reason to start a fight, which ultimately frustrated the bellicose Inuyasha. Then, the young half-demon turned around and stood leaning against the door frame of the cabin, muttering curses and visceral promises. His eyes never left Kawakami for a moment. For his part, Kawakami turned around and then, frustrated, ground his teeth in anger. He didn't like being interrogated by anyone, especially not by someone weaker than him. However, he was fully aware that arrogance wouldn't get him anywhere in life. Slowly, he calmed down. The tension in the air faded away as seconds passed. Kawakami began to meditate from his position. Kagome approached Kawakami not long after. Until then, she had remained silent to the side of the interaction. An apologetic smile adorned her features during the process.

"I'm sorry, but you must understand-"

However, Kawakami didn't let her finish her explanation. His hand rose in a curt gesture to silence her.

"Not now."

Kawakami focused on finding his mysterious observer. His gaze abruptly lifted.

"There."

In the forest bordering the village, flying above the treetops, there buzzed several hell wasps, the same hell wasps that the mysterious man had sent to gather information about Kawakami. Having been detected, the insects intelligently began to venture further and further into the forest until they disappeared from view completely. They would inform their master of everything and then resume their task later. Kagome began murmuring to herself, as she thought aloud. Her face displayed doubt and concern. Her hands instinctively gripped something around her neck.

"What were those things? Why were they watching us? Could they be after the fragments of the Shikon Jewel?"

Kawakami couldn't help but overhear Kagome due to their close proximity. The content of her words, as expected, surprised him. Rumors about the Shikon Jewel had been circulating everywhere lately, mainly among the demon communities that Kawakami had previously eradicated in his work as an exterminator. These stories told of the jewel, a powerful demonic artifact capable of granting unimaginable powers to any demon who possessed it, returning to the world after more than fifty years of absence, and, for some strange reason, being scattered into thousands of fragments across all of Japan. So far, Kawakami hadn't found direct evidence of it, but apparently, it was a daily fact for the two people near him. His eyes narrowed dangerously as a result. Using his spiritual sense, the boy slowly began to examine Kagome. Having completed his scan, he couldn't help but be taken aback by his discovery. His expression turned suddenly dark.

"How is this possible?"

Setting aside the issue of the Shikon Jewel fragments for now, Kawakami was taken aback by the abnormally high concentration of spirituality within Kagome; it was nearly three times his own, and that's considering that Kawakami was already quite unnatural in that aspect. After all, the boy was the reincarnation of a man who had lived more than eighty years, a man inherently gifted in that area. That, combined with his over fifteen years of life, gave the boy over a century's worth of spirituality to draw upon. It's not for nothing that he was so strong as a mere teenager. In redundancy, Mordekkai's experiences and Kawakami's youth had led him to his current level of power; the peak of the nascent soul and yet, there was someone with even more concentrated spirituality than him. An aspect of cultivation that couldn't be increased apart from accumulating years of life, hence the deep-seated desire among all cultivators to attain immortality and thus keep growing stronger indefinitely. Doubt settled deep within Kawakami at every passing second. Kagome, an innocent-looking young girl and visibly reckless, recklessness evident in her having foolishly revealed the location of the Shikon Jewel fragments, wasn't a cultivator or someone reincarnated like him. On one hand, her physique was too weak to have cultivated at any point in her life, and on the other, she didn't display signs of the wisdom that came from a lifetime of memories. Kawakami felt completely lost at this precise moment. Just a few minutes ago, he thought Kagome was simply a young noble traveler, given her surname and strange way of dressing, but now things had proven to be beyond his imagination. Curiosity grew deep inside him, yet he remained silent. His expression immediately returned to his usual serenity. In the back of his mind lingered a persistent thought. "If destiny has brought me here, it must be for a reason. Higurashi Kagome, you fill me with curiosity." On his part, Inuyasha had approached Kagome and Kawakami at some point between the sighting of the infernal wasps and the subsequent contemplations of the boy. His face was visibly wrinkled with annoyance.

"Damn insects. They must have sensed the presence of-".

Abruptly halting his external monologue, Inuyasha noticed Kawakami's smiling gaze; a mocking look that oscillated between Kagome and himself. That look subtly conveyed to the young half-demon that the boy was already aware of the whole matter. Concern in Inuyasha's heart increased substantially. The shards of the jewel were in danger.

"Damn you, you-".

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, his complaints died in his mouth; Kawakami's smug look shifted to one of absolute disdain. Shaking his head, Kawakami cut off the impending curses of the young half-demon while narrowing his eyes with visible boredom at the same time.

"I'm not interested in that broken jewel. Goodbye, Miss Kagome. Tell the priestess about my departure."

With that, deliberately ignoring Inuyasha in his farewell, Kawakami turned his back to both youths and proceeded to leave the village with all the patience in the world in his stride. A thought was currently circling in his mind. "If this was the work of destiny and not merely a coincidence, we will undoubtedly meet again, Higurashi Kagome. For now, I will search for that demon blacksmith, Kaijinbo. My soul sword must be forged as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, with Kagome and Inuyasha.

Currently, Inuyasha looked notably confused. Kawakami's previous actions had left him utterly speechless. A frustrated snort couldn't help but escape his lips. His face reddened with anger.

"Humph!"

Following that, he leaped onto the dried tree behind the priestess Kaede's hut. Once there, he comfortably sat on one of its branches. His grumbles and growls comically relieved the otherwise shapeless tension of the moment.

Kagome reflexively observed the entire unfolding right before her eyes as she shook her head; from Kawakami casually dismissing the importance of the jewel to the present moment. For her, Kawakami didn't seem like a bad person; judging by his actions and flowery words, he didn't appear dangerous at all. Yet, being around him still gave her a sense of insecurity, hence her moments of prior silence in his presence. Consequently, a thought couldn't help but arise in her mind. "There are truly unpredictable people. I should be more careful. This situation could have turned really bad." Shortly after her contemplations, Kagome slowly entered the interior of the hut. Silence and sighs defined most of the process.