Episode 177

Flowers Drenched in Sadness is the 10th episode of InuYasha: The Final Act.

Summary
Inuyasha's group comes accros a village where everyone is disturbingly happy. The reason behind this unnatural happiness is the Flower Prince, who feeds on their sorrow. Inuyasha is in danger of falling victim to the Flower Prince thanks to the grief he feels for Kikyo's passing.

Elsewhere, there is someone else besides Inuyasha's group that may be feeling sorrow. Kanna is thinking of Kagura and the freedom her sister desired. Could Naraku's emotionless puppet have developed a heart of her own?

Plot
Kanna walks through a misty, grey field, reciting a poem alone. She walks forward and picks up Kagura's fan. With emotionless eyes, she wonders aloud if Kagura really did became free as the wind. As Kanna stands in the rain she continually repeats that she has nothing as she fades away in the distance; she takes Kagura's fan with her.

Rain is pouring down in front of Naraku's hideout. Inside, Naraku is regenrating himself rom Kikyo's final attack on him before her death. He thinks about how there is a small peck of purity deep inside the Shikon Jewel, which has defiled; as something of great annoyance, Naraku finds that he cannot banish this speck of light from the jewel, meaning Kikyo continues to defy him even in death.

Later, on a sunny forest path, Inuyasha and friends are walking, as as usual, quarreling, as they enter a small village full of beautiful flowers. Kagome, Sango, and Miroku find the scent of the flowers soothing, while Inuyasha find it sickening. Not to mention Shippo and Kirara who were beginning to fell sick, suffering from hayfever. So villagers invited them to stay the night. Inuyasha was apprehensive at first, but nonetheless, he joined in. As they walk, Kagome quietly reflects on how Inuyasha got over Kikyo's death. The gang is then given a house that they have for travelers, to sleep in for the night. After that, the villagers walk over to an ominous castle and report to their "Flower Prince" that they have brought new travelers. The Flower Prince smiles as he is happy to conclude that he has found a horribly injured soul in one of said travelers.

Back in the traveler's house, everyone but Inuyasha is asleep. Shippo and Kirara are getting much more ill as the night goes on. Inuyasha doesn't want to go to sleep because he knows if he does he will dream about Kikyo. Outside, the villagers are wandering around like zombies being controlled be someone. The flower's vines contract their bodies as they cry tears of blood, and say they are now, "at peace, finally." Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango and Miroku run out to rescue the villagers. Miroku uses a sutra at them and they reveal that all the beautiful flowers weren't real, as the humans turn into soil. The Flower Prince arrives and introduces himself. He claims that all he does for people is to give them "peace" of mind. Inuyasha yells out for everyone not to breath the toxins around them, but it is too late. Sango collapses into a dream about her lost brother, Kohaku. The Flower Prince is gone, and Inuyasha and Kagome (with prayer beads given to her by Miroku) sets off behind to find the Flower Prince.

Elsewhere, by a glistening pond, Kanna tosses Kagura fan into the water, bidding farewell to her sister incarnation. Byakuya of the Dreams arrives, informing Kanna that he has an order from Naraku for her.

Inuyasha and Kagome arrive at the Flower Prince's castle, where he says he's forgiven Inuyasha for his previous attack on him. He captures Inuyasha as he explains that his soul is a wreck. Kagome realizes the reason she still feels pain and sorrow is because she is wearing the prayer beads of protection Miroku gave to her. Meanwhile, inside the castle, Inuyasha is having artificial dreams about Kikyo as he too, cries tears of blood. Outside the castle, Kagome desperately tries to rescue Inuyasha. Then, by hearing Kagome's voice call out to him, InuYasha reawakens from his dream and fights the Flower Prince. The Flower Prince takes on his real form, a mass of vines, to battle. Just then, Kagome shoots her arrow, with the payer beads attached to it, and manages to break through the barrier around the castle and gets Inuyasha out.

Now that Kagome is unprotected be the prayer beads, the Flower Prince finds that he likes the taste of her soul more than Inuyasha's, because he sees that Kagome is hurting much more than he is. Inuyasha is shocked. Kagome fiercely begins to fight back, surprising InuYasha with her intensity, immense power, and burning desire to win; she tells the Flower Prince that all the emotions she has are hers alone. Kagome destroys all the flowers, leaving the Flower Prince nowhere to hide, except in the flowers outside, right behind her! Inuyasha quickly slays the Flower Prince.

All the flowers disappear with the Flower Prince, and Shippo and Kirara are no longer ill as they sit in the traveler's house with Sango and Miroku. Kagome and Inuyasha stand together in the open field. They have an emotional, deep conversation that ends with a cute scene of her wiping the tears of blood of Inuyasha's face. A shooting star flies by.

On a pond, Kanna slowly sinks beneath the surface water. Her mirror emerges and the whole pond shines. Meanwhile, Inuyasha and gang are off to follow a trace of Naraku's scent, they are lead to a small pond. Kanna's mirror lays on the surface. Then, Kanna and a huge mirror demon emerge. Inuyasha draws his sword and realizes that this demon can not only mock his sword, but can steal it's power as well. With Inuyasha left powerless, Shippo uses his Fox Magic to get them away safely. Kanna and her mirror demon walk through a forest at sunset. Kanna's demon picks her a small flower as she again recites the same poem from the beginning, while Inuyasha and friends run into the forest to find her. Kanna emotionless-ly crushes the small flower in her tiny fist.

Trivia

 * Kanna's scenes in this episode, just prior to Inuyasha's group running into her, are completely anime only.


 * In the manga, Kanna was sitting in a tree when she felt a gust of wind, and thought it was Kagura. In this episode, she performs some kind of cermony for bidding her good-bye.


 * Kanna has shown sorrow at Kagura's death, meaning she's not as emotionless as Naraku thought she was.
 * In a way, the Flower Prince helps Inuyasha overcome his grief over Kikyo's second death.