Thanks to Ear-Tweak for the scans.

Chapter 453

Kagome reports to Inuyasha that she’d seen a giant spider web for a moment just behind Inuyasha and wonders if Naraku is involved. Inuyasha recalls the dream about he and Kikyou from 50-years before. However, he turns from Kagome which not only she notices, but the others do too, causing Inuyasha to react.

Kikyou and Kohaku are waiting outside of a village while being protected by a barrier. She notices spider threads falling from the sky and touching villagers, who are unaware of it. She identifies the threads as Naraku’s malice against her. Massive “ropes” of spider threads fall to the ground, one hitting a little girl and knocking her down. The girl’s mother reacts to her child’s collaps, not seeing the spider ropes. Kikyou knows this is a trap to have her touch those threads, but since she cannot allow the girl to die, she dissolves the barrier and saves the girl. It is then that a spider web net captures Kikyou.

Inuyasha’s group is on approach and Kagome sees the budles of spider threads going from the sky to the ground. They encounter the woman and her daughter, who says that the miko who healed her daughter left them. This leads Inuyasha to take off. Meanwhile, Kohaku is hiding at Kikyou’s request and is being protected by the Shikigami with their barrier.

The rest of Inuyasha’s group and Kouga are on the move again with Kouga annoyed at Inuyasha taking off after Kikyou. Kagome knows Inuyasha was hiding something from her about the spider webs. Meanwhile Inuyasha comes upon a small (shrine?) building in a field. Within, Kikyou finds herself tangled in bundles of web. She knows Naraku’s plan to fill her heart with malice. Inuyasha bursts in, unable to see the webs. Kikyou attempts to warn him but is knocked out. Inuyasha then notices Naraku’s shouki wounds upon Kikyou.

Chapter 454

Kikyou awakens to find Inuyasha holding her and she attempts to get him to flee the webs. He hasn’t seen them, but then notices them. Kikyou tells Inuyasha that Naraku may have figured out her plan to purify his piece of the Shikon no Tama. Inuyasha tries to cut the threads with Tessaiga but only makes things worse.

Inuyasha’s group comes to the small structure and Kagome can see it tangled with mounds of thick spider thread. Kikyou calls out to Kagome, asking if she can see the bundles of thread. Kagome can and begins firing purifying arrows at them, though no one else in the party can see them. She clears the threads outside the building but not inside. She opens the door and is warned not to touch the threads by Kikyou, but the threads grab her. The door to the stucture closes and when Kouga attempts to rescue her, he is repulsed by a barrier.

From where ever, Naraku is in a web and notes that Kagome has become entangled now. Kagome then witnesses the events between Kikyou and Inuyasha from 50-years earlier. Kagome observes and notes the bond between Kikyou and Inuyasha and falls unconscious. When she comes to later, she notes the spider webs are gone. Inuyasha wonders if Kagome purified them, but Kikyou feels the purpose of the web was served and thus the webs withdrawn. Kikyou wants to know what Kagome saw. Kagome doesn’t say, but Kikyou is pretty sure she knows what she saw.

Kagome notices Kikyou’s wounds and asks if she can heal it. She’d healed Kikyou before so she could do it again. Kikyou gives Kagome her bow and asks her to shoot the wound with it. That’s the only way to purify Kikyou. However, when Kagome takes the bow, the bow string snapps immediately.

Chapter 455

The fact that the sting broke means that Kagome is being corrupted by Naraku’s web. Kikyou states that Kagome saw the events from 50-years before and despite the fact that Kagome knew the facts of that story, witnessing them has caused the corruption. Thus Kagome could not use Kikyou’s bow and heal Kikyou. Thus, Naraku’s plan continues since Kagome has lost her healing powers, Kikyou cannot touch the remaining shards because she will taint them, and now Kouga has lost the protection on his Shikon shards.

Kagome decides to do something anyway and comes out to report to the group that she has to get a bowstring from a certain mountain mausoleum. Sango inquires about Kohaku, but is told he’s safely hidden. Kikyou cannot move since if she does so, Kohaku’s barrier will drop. Kagome tells Inuyasha to stay with Kikyou as she does her normal “I’m pissed with Inuyasha” moment. That makes her wonder if she is corrupted but Inuyasha sees it as no different than the other times she’s been mad with him.

Inuyasha’s group rushes to the mountain and discuss the current situation. The group notes Kouga’s venerability with the shards. Kagome recalls Kikyou’s words, saying that only if she truly wished to save her, Kagome will then be able to see the bowstring. She’s bothered that Kikyou always seems to be testing her and that Inuyasha always runs to her.

In the cave, Kohaku notices that the Shikigami “children” are fading, meaning Kikyou’s power is weakening. Naraku’s Saimyousho insects are outside the cave and Byakuya appears in the cave. This is immediately known to Kikyou, who instructs Inuyasha to take her to Kohaku. Byakuya introduces himself to Kohaku and asks him to come out of the barrier since it is weakening. The Shikigami instruct Kohaku to run as they use their remaining power to launch an attack on Byakuya. Byakuya easily overcomes the attack, but it gave Kohaku time to escape.
Kikyou notes that the Shikigami have disappeared and Kohaku is in danger. Kohaku runs, but is easily intercepted by Byakuya. Kohaku makes a desperate attack which Byakuya avoids before capturing Kohaku.

Thoughts

And so we have another “Kagome gets ticked with Inuyasha because of Kikyou” story. *yawn* Someone wake me when its done. Still, Takahashi-sensei manages to pull off enough things to keep the pages turning and the desire to keep reading there. I guess that’s her greatest skill.