Kochō

Kochō (胡蝶) and Asuka (飛鳥) are characters from the anime/manga, InuYasha. They are two shikigami in the form of two young girls, appearing to be about Rin's age. They are mainly used as Kikyo's messengers after Kikyo was slain on Mount Hakurei (by Naraku) and became unconscious, bringing her close to her second death. They are also attendants for Kikyo's other shikigami, Saint Hijiri, who is just a puppet and container for Kikyo's soul. Kochō and Asuka are also capable of erecting and maintaining powerful barriers.

The girls are slain by Kohaku when Kikyo sends them to divert Naraku's attention and stop the invading demonic rats. However, Kikyo later summons them again to protect Kohaku (who has become her travelling companion since Kagura's death).

They can be distinguished from one another by their appearance. Asuka has two ponytails at the side of her head, and wears a blue kimono. Kochō has a ponytail at the back of her head, like Kikyo, wears a light yellow kimono.

Name Meaning
Kocho roughly translates to "strange butterfly" (ko 胡 - foreign, barbarian; cho 蝶 - butterfly).

The characters in Asuka's name roughly mean "flying bird" (asu 飛 - fly, scatter; ka 鳥 - bird).

Powers and Abilities
It appears that Kocho and Asuka both contain a vast amount of spiritual power as they lend it from Kikyo's powers, due to the fact that when Kikyo is distracted somewhere else (usually in difficult circumstances), they cover for her in her absence.

Flight: Both Kocho and Asuka is shown to have the ability to fly.

Spiritual Barrier: Being Kikyo's shikigami, the two can defend themselves by erecting a powerful spiritual barrier which prevents any attacks from harming them. In various occassions, they are seen erecting a barrier to protect Kikyo during her recovery and while she was incapacitated.