Kaguya

was a yōkai who absorbed a celestial being, known from the popular Japanese classic The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter as. Kaguya took on both the maiden's name and her physical appearance and even began referring to herself as a celestial being, even though she was technically still a demon. She also gained the celestial maiden's powers, increasing Kaguya's own strength greatly. However, the cornerstone of her power, the Celestial Robe, was stolen by a passerby while she was bathing in a spring. Enraged, Kaguya began to revenge herself by killing nearby villagers. This attracted the attention of the monk Miyatsu. Miyatsu sealed Kaguya within her own mirror and placed it in a shrine in the Forest of Illusion.

Kaguya remained sealed for 50 years until she was discovered by two yōkai, Kagura and Kanna. Kaguya enlisted the duo in setting her free and sent them to find all the requisite objects for the ritual. Eventually, however, this quest and her search for the Celestial Robe set Kaguya on a collision course with the hanyō Inuyasha. She eventually succeeded in obtaining all of the objects, but when Kaguya kidnapped Kagome Higurashi, Inuyasha set out to find and defeat Kaguya, with the help of his allies, monk Miyatsu's grandson, Miroku, and a demon slayer named Sango.

Legend of the Celestial Maiden
Over one thousand years ago, a tale entered the Japanese folk culture of a beautiful woman who had descended from the moon and lived among mortal humans for a period as the daughter of a bamboo cutter and his wife. In this, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, was described the celestial maiden's radiant beauty; so legendary did her appearance become, that men came from all over Japan just to try and gaze at her. Eventually, the maiden, whose name was Kaguya, was asked by her father, out of politeness, to choose one of the many suitors who came to call on her daily. Unwilling to wed, Kaguya came up with five clever tasks to test each of the men. If one of her potential suitors truly loved her, she argued, than they would be both willing and able to obtain the object she requested. Each of the quests, however, was so impossible that Kaguya hoped all of her suitors would fail and she would be free. The tests prescribed that each of the men find a very specifc, rare item: the begging bowl of Buddha, a jeweled sprig from Hōraijima, the Robe of the Fire-rat, a jewel from the neck of a dragon, and a swallow's cowrie shell. Whosoever found the requisite item she assigned would be able to marry Kaguya. Fortunately, Kaguya was correct in evaluating the difficulty of her tasks, and none of her potential suitors were able to succeed in their quests. Though some either were publically humiliated, lost all their wealth, or even died in the process. Nevertheless, these objects would play a much more important role several centuries later and would be successfully obtained by two yōkai.

Eventually, Kaguya's true family from the moon returned for her, and though the Emperor had sent troops to protect her, they were unable to impede the moon delegation. Kaguya reluctantly paid her respects and bid farewell to all of her friends and two lunar attendants put a feathered robe around her body which caused her to forget her troubles and be at ease.

Kaguya, the Ruler of Eternal Night
However, Kaguya would have had to have returned to the Earth once more, at which point she was attacked and absorbed by a female demon. This event, certainly, was never mentioned in the fairy tale. The demon took on the maiden's beautiful appearance and even her identity, coming to call herself an "immortal heavenly being" and the "Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya". Kaguya also retained the princess' association with the moon. Whenever Kaguya was active in the world, a full moon would shine continuously, never waxing or waning. The moon would also give off a pale purple light the longer she exerted her power. More important than her appearance or her effect on the moon, though, was the feathered Celestial Robe she acquired from the celestial maiden. More than simply making its wearer forget their troubles and only experience happiness, the demon Kaguya was able to use the garment's untapped powers with profound and disastrous effects. In addition to increasing her own powers, Kaguya was able to use the Celestial Robe to stop the flow of time. Kaguya intended to use this ability to freeze the world in "eternal night" and reign as its queen. It is unclear as to why Kaguya was so intent on freezing time and ruling this "eternal night", though she claims that only mortals would find the passage of time an attractive prospect. So, perhaps, by contrast, only immortals could truly understand her motivation.

At some point, Kaguya encountered the half-demon Naraku. It is unclear what transpired between the two, but Naraku was of a like nature to Kaguya; namely, he absorbed demons just like she did, in order to gain their powers. It is likely that Naraku either attempted to do so, or made plain his intention to do so. Either way, Kaguya knew of Naraku's existence and hated him; her fears of being absorbed would play a role in her captivity later in life.

Despite her intention to stop the flow of time, Kaguya did not act on her plans immediately, and ultimately was prevented from doing so altogether. While bathing in a spring, Kaguya's Celestial Robe was stolen by a passerby. When Kaguya realized this she became consumed by an unspeakable rage. In her fury, she attacked a nearby village, blaming them for the theft of her robe, killing one villager after another to satiate her anger. Luckily for the villagers, a monk by the name of Miyatsu happened to be passing by and confronted Kaguya. As this man, like his son and grandson after him, was a notorious womanizer, he could not bear to destroy Kaguya outright with his kazaana. So, instead, the monk sealed Kaguya to her own mirror, the Mirror of Life, and hid her in the Shrine of the Mirror of Life in the Forest of Illusion, so that she could not be easily located and unsealed. The only way to break the seal was to find each of the five items from the earlier tale of Princess Kaguya, and drop them each in one of five separate lakes in the vicinity of Mount Fuji.

Kaguya's Celestial Robe eventually fell into the possession of the Hōjō Clan; knowing this, monk Miyatsu warned the family that if a full moon persisted for many nights (a sign of Kaguya's influence in the world), to throw the robe into Mt. Fuji without delay. Miyatsu knew that if Kaguya were ever freed and reacquired her robe that it would be the end of mankind.

Forging an Alliance
While trapped in the Mirror of Life, Kaguya was not rendered completely dormant. She was still able to speak and look out of the mirror like a window. Kaguya might have been able to influence a passerby into helping her, yet even so, she did not. This was most likely because Kaguya feared being confronted by Naraku. Without the powers of her Celestial Robe, she risked being absorbed. Therefore, Kaguya bided her time for 50 years waiting for the most opportune moment to rise again. That time came after the death of Naraku. Two of Naraku's incarnations, Kagura and Kanna, arrived at her altar in the Forest of Illusion. Kanna used her own mirror to reflect moonlight onto Kaguya's mirror. This awakened Kaguya and also caused a reaction in the moon itself, which immediately waxed to fullness, and remained so for the rest of Kaguya's campaign against the mortal realm. However, since she was still trapped in the mirror, the moon still shown white and not purple. As time went by, though, the moon began to change into a pale green and finally yellow, before Kaguya reemerged.

Sensing that Naraku had died, Kaguya proclaimed that the time had come for all life to be eliminated. She introduced herself to Kagura and Kanna, and raised her Dream Castle of the Pentacle Mirror from the depths of Lake Motosu. Despite the fact that these two demons were the former servants of her most hated enemy, Kaguya was eager to obtain their help and bore no ill-will towards them. Kaguya was even able to discern Kagura's wish for freedom, and she told her that the freedom she had gained from Naraku's death was only an illusion. Kaguya tempted Kagura with the promise of showing her true and everlasting freedom; if she helped free Kaguya from the mirror, then Kaguya would grant this burning wish. Intrigued, Kaguya acquiesced; however, she explained that she was only doing it to "pass the time."

Obtaining the Five Items
Kaguya was already in possession one of the five items, the jeweled sprig, which was originally placed on the altar with her mirror. Therefore, Kagura and Kanna set out to find the second item, the jewel from the dragon's neck. They located it within a canyon and brought it back so that both items could be dropped in one of the lakes surrounding Mount Fuji. As each was dropped into the water, a poem from the Tale was recited by either Kaguya or Kanna. First, the jewel was dropped into Lake Yamanaka and then the jeweled sprig was dropped into Lake Shōji. Next, Kanna instructed Kagura to head towards the Robe of the Fire-rat, which the two yōkai knew to be in possession of their old adversary, the half-demon Inuyasha.

The trio soon found Inuyasha and Kagura engaged him in combat. Kagura fought furiously and with a combination of her Dance of Blades and Dance of the Dragon techniques, she sliced off a sleeve of Inuyasha's robe. Elated, Kaguya decided to reveal herself to Inuyasha. The clouds immediately parted to unveil the full light of the moon, which glew with an eerily beautiful green light. As cherry blossoms began to fall from the sky, Kaguya began to recite a haiku connected with the Robe of the Fire-rat. Inuyasha demanded an introduction, and Kaguya introduced herself as the "Ruler of Eternal Night." Inuyasha's keen senses picked up on Kaguya's strong demonic aura and later described her as "reek[ing] of disaster." Kaguya's ability to discern the desires of others' hearts allowed her to peer inside Inuyasha's soul, and she discovered his wish to become a full-fledged demon. Kaguya mocked Inuyasha, telling him that at heart he was little more than a "despicable beast". As she did so, she displayed images on her mirror of Inuyasha completely overtaken by his demon instincts, and incoherent monster. This goaded Inuyasha into attacking Kaguya with his Kaze no Kizu. Kanna, the Mirror of Life in hand, was easily able to deflect this.

Seeing that his attack had failed, Inuyasha elected for a direct charge to strike at Kaguya herself. Kagura headed him off, unleashing the violent gales of her Dance of the Dragon. Inuyasha countered with his Bakuryūha, reversing the flow of Kagura's demonic energy back at her. Kaguya rebuked Inuyasha, calling him a fool. She then proceeded to summon a warp hole via her mirror which absorbed both Kagura's Dance of the Dragon and Inuyasha's own energies. Adding her own aura to the accumulated energy, Kaguya fired the combined force back at Inuyasha with immense force, effectively augmenting it five-fold. The attack was so destructive that it completely leveled the surrounding landscape. Inuyasha was only saved from annihilation thanks to the timely usage by Kagome of her osuwari command. As Kaguya and her allies ascended on Kagura's feather, Kaguya noticed that the flow of time around Kagome was different than normal, a side effect of her time traveling. Although intrigued, Kaguya's ruminations were interrupted by Kagura, who asked Kaguya if she was okay with letting the duo live. Kaguya replied that she got what she came for&mdash;namely, the Robe of the Fire-rat&mdash;and so the fate of Inuyasha and Kagome were no longer her concern. With that, Kaguya and the others flew off, dropping the sleeve of the robe into Lake Motosu, accompanied by a verse.

The next two items were the swallow's cowrie shell and the begging bowl of Buddha. Kaguya went to retrieve these items by herself, and succeeded in quickly gaining possession of both. She returned triumphant after confronting several dangerous foes; the objects were summarily dropped into Lakes Sai and Kawaguchi, respectively, accompanied by more verses.

With the objects all in place, the five elemental seals within the Mirror of Life shown brightly with color. As Kagura and Kanna looked on, the pentagram on the face of the mirror dissolved and the glass began to glow. Cherry blossoms poured out of the mirror, whirling in a quick, circular fashion. As they did so, Kaguya's form suddenly appeared in the midst of the flower petals. Gazing upon the moon, now turned purple by her release, Kaguya remarked upon its beauty, commenting that it is much better when viewed with a physical body, as opposed from within the confines of her mirror. With her tasks completed, Kagura demanded that Princess Kaguya revealed the "true freedom" she had spoken of earlier. Kaguya, however, said that she had one final task left to complete.

Recovering the Celestial Robe
Kaguya used her powers of clairvoyance to detect the location of the Celestial Robe, and set off by herself to reclaim it. By connecting herself to a nearby cherry tree, Kaguya teleported, with her mirror appearing first as she recited yet another poetic verse. The tree she had connected with was at first barren, due to the season; yet in Kaguya's presence it bloomed fully and glowed with a brilliant light, petals falling softly on the surface of the adjacent stream. Upon arriving, however, Kaguya noticed that she had run into Inuyasha and Kagome again; the robe was in the possession of a man in their company. Annoyed, Kaguya lamented her poor luck in running across "such fools" for a second time.

Putting aside her grief, Kaguya inquired to know where the Celestial Robe could be found. Inuyasha and Kagome claimed not to know what she was talking about; however, Kaguya sensed the Robe in the arms of the man behind them, Akitoki Hōjō. Inuyasha immediately leapt into action, menacing Kaguya with his Tessaiga and telling her that she would not lay her hands on the Robe. Kaguya began chanting and dissipated the Kaze no Kizu with her mirror. Proclaiming that she would not allow the hanyō to interfere, Kaguya raised her mirror and sent out six whip-like beams of light to strike at Inuyasha. Failing to block all of the blows, the hanyō was knocked up against the cherry tree, at which point Kaguya manipulated the roots to envelop him. Upon closer inspection, Kaguya realized that the reason Inuyasha was so "weak" was because he was, in fact, a half-demon.

At that moment, Hōjō tripped and dropped the bundle in his arms, exposing the Celestial Robe. Excited at having found it, Kaguya began chanting, in preparation for an attack. Moving to stop her, Kagome shot a sacred arrow which badly damaged the sleeve of Kaguya's kimono. Kaguya found this very interesting; since the girl not only had a strange flow of time, but also spiritual powers, she could be quite useful if her powers were absorbed. Kagome prepared a second arrow, demanding that Kaguya release Inuyasha from the tree's hold. In response, however, Kaguya merely scoffed, daring Kagome to attack her. When Kagome fired her arrow in retaliation, Kaguya absorbed the arrow into her mirror and fired it back, but at Inuyasha, not Kagome. This panicked Kagome into jumping into shielding Inuyasha with her body, while Hōjō threw the Celestial Robe in an attempt to stop the arrow. In effect, though, the Robe was caught by the sacred arrow and pinned into Kagome's back. Inuyasha became furious, lashing out at Kaguya. The princess, however, had no intention of allowing Kagome to die (having already made designs to absorb the young priestess' powers into her own being), and tried to allay the hanyō's fears. Nevertheless, he demanded to be released. Kaguya told him that if he agreed to become her servant, she would grant his wish to become a full-fledged demon. Inuyasha blatantly refused, so, with her business concluded, Kaguya took Kagome and the Celestial Robe with her as she departed. As she ascended into the sky, Princess Kaguya told Inuyasha that if he still wished to win back Kagome, then he could come to her Dream Castle, if he so desired.

Power of the Mirror of Stillness
In preparation for putting an end to time, Kaguya returned to Lake Motosu. She then activated each of the five objects which had been placed in each of the lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji. From each lake, a beam of light spouted from the water's surface, each beam representing a different object, element, and color. The beams suddenly changed angles, intersecting each other in the sky, forming the shape of a pentagram, mirroring the one which formerly constituted the seal on Kaguya herself. The lights faded, but the pentagram, inscribed within a circle, remained, shining a brilliant pink. As the light showed brighter and brighter, a powerful demonic aura was gathered around Lake Motosu and the Castle of the Pentacle Mirror. The lake's waters began to rise in tumult, as a large rock rose out of its depths to join the one already in place behind Kaguya's castle. At its summit was a vast hall, where Kaguya's true dwelling resided.

Discarding her princess guise, Kaguya assumed her true demon form, as swirling cherry blossoms transported Kaguya to her halls atop the mountain. Here she stood in the midst of her seal, similar to the one which surrounded her when she was trapped inside her mirror. Behind her was another seal, of unknown significance. Having trapped Kagome inside her mirror, Kaguya now released her, but kept her legs bound by root-like growths which merged with the wooden floor of her halls. The rest of her body was suspended by a levitating replica of Kaguya's signature pink pentagram.

Noticing that some intruders (the demon-slayer Sango, her brother Kohaku, the grandson of the monk Miyatsu, Miroku, and other demons) were attempting to approach her castle, Kaguya summoned the aid of the creature at the bottom of Lake Motosu, which performed her bidding: a giant, five-headed dragon. From beneath the waves, this monster fired balls of fire at Kaguya's enemies, forcing them to land. Inuyasha made his appearance however, and began running across the lake. Hearing his cries through the mirror, Kagome regained consciousness. He wound in her back healed and the arrow disappeared, leaving the Celestial Robe unpinned and free to fall to the ground. Kaguya was suprised that Kagome had recovered, and acknowledged that this was due to the power of the Celestial Robe. Kaguya claimed the garment from off of the floor, stating that now her wish would be granted. Kaguya then commanded the creature to breach, confronting Inuyasha directly. While this was happening, Kaguya mused over the Celestial Robe, reflecting on the infinite power she now possessed. Kagura interjected, claiming that the Robe did not suit a "fake" celestial being such as Kaguya. This rebuke would foreshadow Kagura's actions shortly thereafter.

Despite its best efforts, the creature was unable to slay Inuyasha, and was finally destroyed by the hanyō's Kaze no Kizu (with the help of Kikyō, unbeknownst to either Kaguya or Inuyasha) when it collided with the creature's base: a gigantic crystal at which point all five heads of the creature were connected. With this destroyed, the monster was immediately obliterated by the force of the blast. Before she could regroup, Kaguya was accosted by Kagura for the creature's failure to defeat Inuyasha, contemptuously asking if Kaguya had been conquered already. She revealed to Kaguya that she had found out from Kanna that "Princess" Kaguya was little more than a ruse, and that Kaguya was in fact not a celestial being at all. She further drew a comparison between Kaguya and Naraku, claiming that like him, Kaguya simply absorbed the powers of others to increase their strength, and guessed correctly that Kaguya probably devoured the real celestial maiden to gain immortality. Uncomfortable with the comparison to Naraku, Kaguya proclaimed that she detested "all these half-demons." Kagura conceded that Kaguya's hatred was probably well-founded, but that she, Kagura, was tiring of Kaguya's deception. As a woman "born of Naraku", she claimed that she was tired of Kaguya's "antics."

Amused, Kaguya asked if Kagura planned on confronting her, welcoming it as a source of good entertainment while she waited for Inuyasha's arrival. Kagura announced her attention to have Kanna steal Kaguya's soul. As the white whisps of Kaguya's soul began to flow into Kanna's mirror, Kaguya laughed at the foolish duo, admonishing them for thinking that it would be so easy to take her soul, which was quite safe against Kanna's meager incursion. Kaguya then asked if Kagura wanted to know why she had sought the Celestial Robe. As the aforementioned garment unwrapped itself form around Kaguya, it formed the shape of a circle facing Kagura and Kanna, while Kaguya began to chant the words to another spell. Kagura and Kanna lay helpless as Kaguya's Power of the Mirror of Stillness spell enveloped them, sending them paralyzed to the bottom of Lake Motosu for their betrayal.

By this time, Inuyasha had reached the summit of Kaguya's mountain. To prepare for his arrival, Kaguya finally set her ultimate plan into action. The Celestial Robe once again unwrapped itself from around Kaguya, but this time encricled Kaguya herself, directly overtop the seal at her feet. As Inuyasha ran into her hall to confront her, Kaguya activated the Power of the Mirror of Stillness once again, as a blinding pink light shown out across the entire room, overcoming Inuyasha. The pentagram in the sky began to expand, as Kaguya's spell began to take its effect. As the pentagram's boundaries expanded, so to did the effect of the spell, completely stopping the flow of time in the affected area. With the passage of time thus halted, the Robe returned to Kaguya's body, as she proclaimed with ecstasy that she would never be parted with her "beautiful, everlasing night" ever again. To her shock and chagrin, however, Inuyasha began to rose from where he had been pinned to the floor, steaming. Kaguya demanded to know how he was still free to move, and not frozen in time. Inuyasha answered back, claiming that his ability to move was the least of her worries, attacking her without further delay with the barrier-breaking Kaze no Kizu of the Red Tessaiga. This, however, only served to dispel the illusion Kaguya had cast of her castle into the physical world. Kaguya revealed to a startled Kagome (alarmed that Inuyasha had suddenly vanished) that he had never really been in their presence at all. Inuyasha had never entered her castle, but only a fake one on the surface of the lake. Kagome and Kaguya were, in actuality, inside a separate dimension within her mirror, connected as it was with Lake Motosu itself. By this understanding, Kaguya believed herself to be completely safe from the interference of outsiders. But this obstacle, too, was soon to be overcome by Inuyasha.

Final Confrontation
Inuyasha eventually figured out how to break through to the dimension inside Kaguya's mirror, by using his barrier-breaking Red Tessaiga on the frozen surface of Lake Motosu. Inuyasha and his friends were thereby able to make their way through the breach and into the Realm of the Pentacle Mirror. Kaguya thought it was foolish for her foes to confront in her in her own domain, and awaited their ensuing destruction.

Meanwhile, Kagome interrogated Kaguya, demanding to know her motives for stopping time. Kaguya dismissed Kagome's concerns, claiming that only mortals such as herself were enamoured with the passage of time. When Kagome claimed that she would rather die than remain in the timeless void of Kaguya's "eternal night," Kaguya announced that Kagome's wish would soon be fulfilled, as it was Kaguya's intention to devour Kagome and take both her spiritual powers and her ability to put up a time barrier. At that moment, though, Inuyasha suddenly made a dramatic entrance, lunging at Kaguya with his Tessaiga. Kaguya removed one of her hair pins, which transformed into a large sword, allowing her to repel Inuyasha's attack. The hanyō set in for a second attack and Kaguya removed her cape, ready to do battle. After parrying his second strike, Kaguya grabbed the Tessaiga with her bare left hand, enveloped by a small barrier, which allowed her to touch the naked blade edge without sustaining any injury. After continuing to repeatedly thrust her sword at Inuyasha, Kaguya then wrested the Tessaiga out of Inuyasha's grip completely and threw it into the wall behind her. Sango and Miroku also tried to enter the fray, but Kaguya was able to effortlessly destroy the monk's sacred sutras. She also blocked the demon-slayer's weapon, the Hiraikotsu, with her sword. Miroku, Sango, and her brother, Kohaku, then followed up with a direct attack. But, after chanting a quick spell, the Hiraikotsu was consumed by blue flames, and catapulted back at Sango, slamming her and Kohaku off the platform. Inuyasha, too, tried a direct attack again, using his Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer technique. Two tendrils then unfurled from the armor on either of Kaguya's arms, speeding towards Inuyasha and Miroku. The left tendril pierced Inuyasha's chest, bringing him to his knees. Miroku was only able to temporarily block the attack with his staff, but it was quickly snapped it half and he was struck in the arm.

With all of her enemies thus summarily routed, Kaguya moved onto her next objective: transforming Inuyasha into a full-blooded demon and bending him to her will, effectively making him her servant. To this end, Kaguya turned her mirror on Inuyasha, promising to release the carnage within his heart, giving him the true form he desired. Once she began chanting a new spell, Inuyasha's appearance became savage, while his reflection in the mirror began to slowly morph into his human form. Sango tried to throw her Hiraikotsu at the mirror in order to halt the transformation, but Kaguya sent out her armor's tendrils to stop her, the coils morphing into branch-like formations which bound Sango to a pillar. Kaguya also constrained Kohaku and Sango's demon cat ally Kirara for good measure. With the darkness in his heart amplified and his human blood sealed in Kaguya's mirror, Inuyasha even attacked Miroku, who tried to snap his friend out of the trance. Kagome, however, was able to break out of her seal with the help of Shippō, and ran over to Inuyasha in an attempt to get through to him. As Kagome continued to plea with Inuyasha to go back to normal, Kaguya chided her, proclaiming that it was already too late, and that Inuyasha could never go back to being a hanyō again. Nevertheless, Kagome leaned up and kissed Inuyasha. This proved to be too much, and Inuyasha reverted to normal, breaking free of Kaguya's spell. As a result, the Mirror of Life cracked down the middle. Perhaps because of this, small red particles began to fall from the ceiling, confusing everyone present, even Kaguya. Retracting her armor coils from Sango and the others, Kaguya derided Inuyasha, believing him to be fool for giving up what she perceived as an excellent opportunity to see his wish to be a fully-fledged demon fulfilled.

After sharing a moment with Kagome, Inuyasha retrieved the Tessaiga from the wall, turning on Kaguya. In response, Kaguya indignantly chastised Inuyasha for "bear[ing his] fangs" at her, warning that he had tempted his fate. At that moment, though, the red particles which had been floating in the air coalesced to reform the lost sleeve of Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire-rat, to the rejoicing of his friends. This served to only enrage Kaguya further, her hair pulsing angrily and shrill noises erupting out of seemingly nowhere.

Inuyasha attacked Kaguya yet again, this time with a point-blank range Kaze no Kizu blast. Kaguya attempted to prevent his attack by striking at him with her armor coils. However, these, along with Kaguya's entire left forearm were destroyed by the blast. Nevertheless, Kaguya's arm was immediately restored, thanks to the power of the Celestial Robe.

At this moment, Kohaku began to experience pain in his shoulder, which began to bulge. Perhaps sensing a demonic aura, Kaguya turned with a look of concern, as she joined with her enemies to watch the bizarre scene unfold. The bulging flesh continued to grow, eventually taking the shape of a spider, with eight legs and mandibles, at which point it exploded violently. When the smoke cleared, Naraku, exposed in his true, most grotesque form, lay in wait. He greeted Kaguya, saying that it had been too long since they last met. Kaguya disdainfully told Naraku that she thought he had died. He explained that he had merely faked his own death, long enough to draw Kaguya out of hiding. As he sent out his tentacles to ensnare her, Naraku told her to prepare to become one with his flesh, extending his body out to absorb her. Beside her self with disgust, Kaguya commanded Naraku not to lay his filthy hands on her and began to chant her most powerful spell yet. Her entire palace began to shake, timbers falling from the rafters, a few smashing into Naraku's bulbous body. As he got closer and closer, though, the Mirror of Life began to glow. As the light grew in intensity, Naraku's body was obliterated, except for his head. Finally the light shone out blindingly, and when it was all over, Naraku was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the hated half-demon. Naraku had simply retreated into the recesses of Kaguya's halls, waiting for a better opportunity to attack her again.

Inuyasha decided to take this opportunity to go on the offenisve yet again, unleashing yet another blast of his Kaze no Kizu. Kaguya easily dispersed it, telling Inuyasha that he did not have the power to defeat her. She and he continued to exchange blows, until finally Kaguya retrieved her mirror, electing to blast Inuyasha away in the same fashion she erased Naraku. Inuyasha stubbornly refused to move, and was only saved from destruction by the timely assistance of Miroku. Meanwhile, Kagome retrieved the broken top half of Miroku's staff, planning to use it as a projectile against Kaguya. The celestial maiden noticed her presence, and nearly killed her with her armor coils, but was thwarted by Sango. Still in attack mode, Kaguya wasted no time in turning her sights back on Inuyasha, slashing violently at him and narrowly missing Miroku, as her blade cut through a thick piece of wood, which had fallen from the ceiling. After exhanging a few last blows with Tessaiga, Inuyasha thrusted Kaguya away from him. She deftly used the momentum to skip back to the platform, where she gathered energy for a final attack. Raising her sword abover her head, Kaguya chanted another spell, her sword shining with a brilliant light, finally culminating in a large ball of fiery energy. Inuyasha began charging forward, and just before she threw the attack at him, Kaguya dismissively told him to return to her darkness and vanish forever.

Inuyasha used the Bakuryūha to reverse the flow of Kaguya's blast, but she countered by absorbing it in the same fashion she had during his fight with Kagura. The warp hole gathered yōki, amplifying the attack. When the blast was unleashed, Inuyasha countered with the backlash wave yet again, much to Kaguya's disappointment at his unoriginality. Much to her dismay, however, this time Kagome shot the piece of Miroku's staff she had gathered earlier, catching the Celestial Robe and pinning it to the Mirror of Life, which smashed. Without the protection of either object, Kaguya was vaporized by Inuyasha's attack, leaving behind only a handful of falling cherry blossoms. With her body gone, Kaguya's voice still called out, questioning how she could possibly have been defeated by a mortal and a mere half-demon.

This was not the end for Kaguya, though. As her enemies tried to make it out of her palace as it collapsed, the black smoke-like form of Kaguya's aura cut them off, claiming that she could not be slain, since she was an immortal heavenly being. She then proclaimed that she intended to steal Kagome's body and take it as her own. Flowing forward, Kaguya's disembodied aura kidnapped Kagome yet again, dropping her on a fallen wooden beam. As she turned around, preparing to possess Kagome, Naraku emerged from hiding just behind the girl, planning to absorb her aura into his body, as she planned to do the reverse to Kagome. He didn't have the chance, however, as he was blown away, yet again, this time by a blast of Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu. Kaguya herself did not escape attack, as Miroku opened his kazaana, sucking Kaguya's aura into the void of his hand and putting an end to her existence in the physical realm forever.

Personality
In her guise as "Princess of the Heavens," Kaguya acts in a very refined manner, like any high-born member of the nobility, as her title would suggest. She is almost always smiling and seems to keep herself in a good mood at all times. She often recites poetry from the original Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, and sometimes waxes philosophical at points, musing on the beauty of the Moon and how it is best viewed with a physical body (a dichotomy that admittedly few are in a position to take a stance on, given her unique circumstances). Building on her natural refinement, Kaguya is typically very calm and calculating; thus, losing her temper would be unthinkable. Her serenity is essentially a tool to accentuate her own beauty and gracefulness. Even when facing off against enemies, Kaguya maintains her poise and graceful bearing, yet she usually treats her foes with arrogant disdain and blatant sarcasm. While trapped in her mirror, Kaguya is completely self-assured in her abilities and does not perceive Inuyasha or any of his friends as potential threats. Even when Kagome fired a sacred arrow at her, pinching off a piece of her kimono in the process, Kaguya merely weighed the advantages of absorbing Kagome's spiritual powers, not even deigning to consider Kagome as a real threat. This was further displayed when Kagome threatened to fire at Kaguya again; Kaguya scoffed haughtily at Kagome, daring her to try it. Because of Kaguya's immense power, she was in fact able to simply redirect the arrow, thus establishing her superior fighting prowess and, to a large extent, justifying her arrogant, aristocratic disposition.

This low estimation of her enemies' abilities also led her to spare Inuyasha and Kagome's lives, even despite Kagura's misgivings and her foes' vulnerability. Kaguya simply did not perceive them as potential threats. This may also derive from Kaguya's single-minded determination. Kaguya is a very goal-oriented person, ruthlessly pursuing her objectives in a careful and methodical manner. Since she had, at the time, only been concerned with obtaining the Robe of the Fire-rat and using it to free herself, the fact that Inuyasha and Kagome might come back to oppose her likely did not occur to her. Nevertheless, this rather tepid reaction was only due to Kagome and Inuyasha not figuring into her plans. Conversely, in other instances when the same duo actively stood in her way, Kaguya reacted with overwhelming force. In general, due to her intense drive, Kaguya reacts with severe annoyance at the least bit of resistance or interference in the pursuit of her goals. When Inuyasha and Kagome tried to keep Kaguya from obtaining the Celestial Robe, she quickly dispatched them with her mirror; this proves that Kaguya's fierce nature only reveals itself when individuals get in her way, since, as soon as she got what she wanted, she immediately left yet again, ignoring the potential threat posed by Inuyasha. Again, whether this is due to her single-mindedness or her genuine disdain for Inuyasha's fighting ability is difficult to determine.

Kaguya is also extremely vain, given that her entire life has been dedicated to the pursuit of greater beauty and eternal youth. She reacts very negatively to any criticism or skepticism that she is a true celestial being. This vanity is what leads her to be so self-absorbed and narcissistic, only augmented further by her immortality and unlimited power. It is likely this aspect of Kaguya's personality, so oriented towards aesthetics, that causes her to react with such hostility towards half-demons. As a general rule, most demons look upon half-demons with disdain for being weak and part human. Kaguya's feelings are less like disdain and more akin to overt hatred. She calls half-demons "unsightly" and does not consider them beautiful at all, completely unlike herself. Whereas she is the pinnacle of perfection, Kaguya views half-demons as imperfect and of all the creatures that pollute her ideal "Eternal Night," the ones least worthy of existence. These hostile feelings may belie Kaguya's own insecurities, as well. Since Kaguya is not a true celestial being, but technically a "half-demon" herself, Kaguya may be reminded of her own charade in the form of half-demons. This is perhaps why Kaguya, despite her self-proclaimed hatred of half-demons, was willing to take on Inuyasha as her servant and grant him his wish to be a full-fledged demon. It is possible that Kaguya saw reflected in Inuyasha her own desires to pursue perfection and leave her weaker, demon state of being behind. Another factor, though, is likely that Kaguya likes to demonstrate her power to grant wishes and show off before her terrified foes as their best friend was turned into a brutal demon.

Finally, of course, the most prominent reason behind Kaguya's hatred of half-demons is Naraku. Naraku represents the antithesis of everything Kaguya values; namely, beauty and power. Because Naraku is a haphazard collection of lower-class demons, his true form is extremely ugly. For someone like Kaguya, who values aesthetics above all else, that such a disgusting creature like Naraku exists in the world would be completely anathema to her. Secondly, Naraku's powers prior to his reconstruction at Mount Hakurei (which occurred only after Kaguya was defeated by Inuyasha's group)were negligible in comparison to her own, and Kaguya would have disdained him for that as well. Also, of course, Naraku attempted to absorb Kaguya once in her past. The idea of someone as perfect herself becoming a part of someone as vile as Naraku would have constituted the most revolting idea Kaguya could imagine, and it is something that Kaguya would never get over emotionally. It so disturbed her that she remained dormant in her mirror for 50 years waiting for Naraku to die. The fact that she and Naraku gain power through similar methods (i.e. absorption of others to gain their strength), giving them something in common, could not have helped matters. When Naraku returns after revealing that he had faked his death to lure Kaguya out of hiding, Kaguya's long-held anxiety breaches her well-polished, confident veneer and she experiences a rare moment of concern and fear. With the Celestial Robe in her possession, however, this moment fades when Naraku actually tries to confront her. Kaguya does not even consider her old foe Naraku a threat anymore and defeats him with ease.

Perhaps fitting in with her general aristocratic attitude, Kaguya has little regard for the lives of others. In its most extreme form, this aspect of Kaguya's personality is evidenced in the fact that Kaguya's overall goal in life is to freeze time and rule over a world of "Eternal Night." This is an overwhelmingly selfish goal, as Kaguya essentially wants to end the existence of every other living creature and rule over an empty, frozen world, inhabited solely by herself. What stands to be actually gained by this is unclear; in fact, Kaguya's motives are never clearly stated. Kaguya seems very attached and possessive of her "Eternal Night." She proclaims at one point that no one would ever "separate" her from her "Eternal Night" ever again, as if it were a living, tangible thing. It is possible that Kaguya simply believes that she is the epitome of perfection and so self-absorbed in her own existence that she looks at every other living creature with disdain and seeks solitude in an empty void to contemplate her own greatness. The fact that Kaguya also believes she deserves an entire planet just for her own personal enjoyment, albeit one frozen in time and void-like, is also thought-provoking. Ultimately, in contrast to the ambitions of other powerful yōkai such as Naraku, Menōmaru, or Sesshōmaru, all of whom desire personal power and even world-conquest, Kaguya's goals seem rather nihilistic in comparison. It is possible that since Kaguya is an "immortal, heavenly being," her motives are simply beyond mortal comprehension.

Also in keeping with her low disregard for others, Kaguya also wished to make Inuyasha her servant, naturally against his will. Kaguya found Inuyasha's desire, based in his insecurity of being a hanyō, to become a full-fledged demon revolting, due to her universal hatred of half-demons, and yet also interesting at the same time. Inuyasha constituted something akin to a plaything for Kaguya's amusement. Similarly, Kaguya did not hesitate to kidnap Kagome with the intent of absorbing her powers, viewing her, again, as a mere tool to increase her own power.

Surprisingly, however, Kaguya did not seem ill-disposed towards either Kagura or Kanna. While she obviously manipulated Kagura's desire for freedom to secure her assistance in finding all the requisite objects for Kaguya's own freedom, Kaguya seemed to have a genuine desire to fulfill her wish and never treated her or Kanna with any sort of disdain or ill-will, despite her desire to destroy all life on Earth. It seemed likely that Kaguya would have even allowed Kagura and Kanna to live alongside her in her castle. This eventuality may be tempered slightly by the fact that Kagura and Kanna were confined to the illusory Dream Castle, and never allowed into Kaguya's actual domain. Additionally, Kaguya did not seem particularly concerned when Kagura decided to betray Kaguya, and she treated her self-made foes with characteristic disdain. However, Kaguya did seem rather perturbed that Kagura had the audacity to betray her after all she had promised to do for her.

When Kaguya unveils her true form, her demeanor changes remarkably from her cheery princess masquerade. Kaguya's manner of dress is not so much refined and lady-like, but she rather wears armor and is very warrior-like. She also freely exposes her skin and attractiveness in a slightly provocative fashion. Her empress-like cape and armor in combination with her intimidating scowl and even her make-up give her the appearance of a conqueror and ruler, and far from her original princess disguise. Despite her villainous appearance, Kaguya's own beauty remains undiminished, though it has far more menacing overtones from its previous semblance of feminine grace and purity.

Kaguya's personality is also clearly changed. She openly submits to impulses of anger and lashes out at her foes. Before she was sealed, and the Celestial Robe was stolen from her, Kaguya slaughtered innocent villagers nearby, despite the fact that she had no idea whether or not they were complicit in the theft, simply to satiate her unfathomable rage. In moments of intense anger, her emotions sometimes even manifest themselves in eerie screeching sounds in the distance, at the same time that her powerful anger causes her hair to ripple. Whereas, before, Kaguya was very precise in her actions and ignored individuals who did not figure into her plans, Kaguya in her true form is brutal and merciless. She attempts to kill Inuyasha, his allies, and especially Kagome, at every turn, completely forgoing her earlier, relative restraint. She completely disregards even her own palace in her attacks, causing extensive damage and leveling entire sections with powerful blasts. Kaguya's demeanor is completely remorseless, and the only happiness she experiences is from relishing in her own personal power or in the pain she inflicts on her enemies. Kaguya also adopts a much more physical style of fighting; whereas previously she had fought from a distance with the Mirror of Life, in her true form she confronts Inuyasha and others directly, preferring to fight primarily with a sword.

Appearance
Kaguya is widely recognized for her beauty. In fact, it was her attractive features that saved her from being sucked into the monk Miyatsu's kazaana and led to her being sealed inside the Mirror of Life instead. As Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya has long black hair, with a slight blueish tint, that reaches down to just above her knees. Her hair is parted down the middle and two, long strands of hair that pass in front of her hair reach down to her chest. Both her eyes and eyelids are turquoise, framed by very long eyelashes and dark eyebrows. Her lips are colored a light purple. Kaguya also has very pale, delicate skin, which contrasts greatly with her dark hair.

As the Queen of Eternal Night, her true form, her features change only slightly, as her eyelids shift to magenta and her lips become blue. Her eyelashes become much longer and thicker, the lower lashes gathering together into jutting points, giving her a menacing appearance.

Outfit
As Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya wears a very intricate kimono, befitting a woman of her station. The colors of her multiple layers are from innermost to outermost: khaki, dark green, off-white, and purple. The only layers exposed at her feet besides her purple outer-kimono is the topmost, off-white inner-kimono. As is the custom with such clothing, Kaguya's sleeves are very long. Curiously, unlike most kimonos worn by women, Kaguya has no obi sash that ties her kimono together. As such, her robes flow loosely when she floats or flies, billowing in some places rather unflatteringly, similar to Miroku. Kaguya also wears pearls around her neck; this piece resembles Inuyasha's Beads of Subjugation, due to the turquoise, tooth-like beads that separate every third pearl from the next three pearls. However, the color scheme is different (Kaguya&mdash;turquoise beads with pearls; Inuyasha&mdash;grey fangs with black beads) and numbering as well, as Inuyasha's beads are grouped into fives not threes. Kaguya also adorns her hair with two fin-like kanzashi hair-ornaments; both a light purple. It is not clear what sort of footwear Kaguya employs with her kimono, but in keeping with the fashion she wears, it can be assumed that she wears bamboo sandals with tabi socks.

As the Queen of Eternal Night, Kaguya's style of dress becomes far more macabre and menacing. Discarding her kimono, Kaguya wears a very distinct set of armor. It is comprised of shell-like pauldrons with red edges on her shoulders and a double-breasted plate on her chest that wraps around her back as well. This central plate connects in the middle of her chest with a large red coil. Similar coils wrap around the vambraces on her forearms (made of the same material as her other armor pieces) as well as the forearms themselves. These can be used as weapons to ensnare or impale her enemies. The center coil that runs from her breastplate almost resembles a segmented worm of some kind; tendril-like pieces jut out above her collar bone. A coiled circle in the middle forms the centerpiece of her armor and is located just above her heart. From her pauldrons drapes a large, red, floor-length cape. Kaguya also wears a black, floor-length skirt; tied around her waist by a red, floor-length sash. She replaces her earlier fin-like ornaments with three hairpins (two on one side of her head, one on the other), which she can enlarge at will and use as swords. Contrasted with her kimono, Kaguya's armor is far from conservative, and is very revealing and provocative. Interestingly, considering her armor, Kaguya in this form is barefoot, though she wears greaves, of a similar style as her other armor pieces, on her shins.

Powers and Abilities

 * Absorption: This is essential to Kaguya's nature; just as Naraku, Kaguya has the power to devour other beings and steal their powers. She devoured the real celestial maiden to gain her powers, her body and her immortality. She intended to devour Kagome to get both her holy powers and her ability to erect "time barriers".
 * Immortality: Kaguya is a celestial maiden and hence is immortal. She also has an eternally young body. It is hinted that regular weapons have no effect on her body. Kaguya called Kagome a pretentious girl and she seemed confident to be able to deflect her arrow just with the sleeve of her kimono (not knowing about Kagome's sacred powers). Kaguya could also regenerate her arm after receiving a blow of InuYasha's Wind Scar.
 * The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass: After being awakened, Kaguya summons a celestial castle that appears on the surface of Lake Motosu, Mount Fuji.The castle's actual location is inside the mirror and can be accessed through the mirror or the lake.
 * Nature Manipulation:KaguyaNature.jpg Kaguya has the ability to summon a continuous full moon. She appears to have a connection with cherry blossoms. This is specially observed when she retrieves the Feathered Robe of the Heavens from InuYasha's group. Instants before making her appearance, the cherry tree located where InuYasha's group was resting, suddenly bloomed. As Akitoki Hojo pointed, it was not natural to have cherry blossoms in that time of the year and so suddenly.
 * Teleportation:Kaguya can teleport from location to location, along with at least one additional person, as seen when she kidnaps Kagome. She can also visibly teleport by fading into a breeze of cherry blossoms.
 * Telekinesis:Kaguya has been shown to be able to levitate objects and even people, such as her mirror, her Feathered Robe of the Heavens and Kagome.
 * Flight:Kaguya has the ability to fly and hover in mid air.
 * Wish Granting: After pointing out that Kagura's freedom (after Naraku's supposed death) is no more than an illusion, Kaguya promises to grant her real freedom. Kaguya was also about to grant InuYasha's wish to become a full-fledged demon, in exchange of making him her servant.
 * The Mirror of Life : The Mirror of Life acts as a medium for many of Kaguya's abilities.
 * The Black Hole: Kaguya can use the mirror to summon a "black hole" that absorbs InuYasha's Wind Scar power and throws it back in many directions. This power is particularly destructive as it uses the enemy's power, augments it and redirects it.
 * Deflecting Attacks: Kaguya used the mirror, along with her mystic chants, to deviate InuYasha's Wind Scar when she was fetching the Feathered Robe of the Heavens. She also throws Sango's Hiraikotsu back at her and Kohaku.
 * The Whips of Light: Kaguya makes these whips come out of the mirror. They have the power to thrust people away.
 * Reversing Mirror: After noticing Kagome's sacred powers, she receives Kagome's arrow with the Life Mirror and reverses the attack, pointing the arrow at InuYasha.


 * Pentagram SealKaguyaPentagram.jpg: As a reminiscence of her own broken seal, Kaguya traps Kagome with a pink-colored pentagram. Kagome is only able to break the seal with the power of the Sacred Jewel along with her own sacred powers.
 * The Six-Headed Dragon: When InuYasha, Miroku and Sango try to access Kaguya's castle, she summons forth a six-headed dragon that shoots blasts of fire and thunder. Although its formidable appearance; as Kagura points, it was relatively easy beaten by InuYasha's Windscar along with Kikyo's sacred arrow.
 * The Feathered Robe of the Heavens: Although having multiple functions that overlap with other of Kaguya's abilities, the celestial robe was specifically to cast eternal night in the world and giving her infinite regenerative abilities . It also prevents her soul from getting stolen.
 * Meikyoshisui no Hou: Translated as "The Clarity and Serenity Spell, it is probably Kaguya's most fearsome technique. Its ultimate use is to freeze time and to bring the world into "eternal night". This spell is ineffective against Kagome, her items, and anyone wearing them (i. e. InuYasha worn the pendant given to him by Kagome) because, as Kaguya herself stated, the flow of time around her is different.


 * The Illusion of Parallel Mirrors: After InuYasha gets into the castle and manages to keep moving after the time was frozen, Kaguya used this power. InuYasha had not really gotten into the real castle, but into a parallel illusion. InuYasha then discovers that the real castle is the one in the reflexion of water; the world within the mirror.
 * Scarlet Tendrils: Scarlet-colored tendrils grow out of Kaguya's armor. She can use them to pierce her enemies, as she did with InuYasha.
 * Golden Hairpins:KaguyaHairpinSword.jpg The golden hairpins Kaguya wears can be enlarged and used as swords.
 * Light Reflexion: After Naraku wakes up from his stasis and reincarnates from Kohaku's body, Kaguya uses the mirror to cast a light that disintegrates Naraku's body. Kaguya was about to use the same spell on InuYasha but Miroku saved him using his Wind Tunnel.
 * Burning Sphere Attack: While fighting InuYasha, Kaguya conjures a Burning Sphere with her golden hairpin sword. This final spell was turn back at her when InuYasha used his Backlash Wave.
 * Enhanced strength:Kaguya was able to stop Sango's weapon as well able to grasp Inuyasha's sword and throw it across the room with one hand while attacking nimbly.
 * Immunity:When Kaguya holds and throws Inuyasha's sword she is unaffected by its demonic barrier that prevents demons from holding it. (This could be due to the absorption of the celestial maiden as well as possessing the celestial robe giving her a immunity to the Tetsaiga's barrier or just the shear size of her demonic power).

The Five Items
Five items are required to break Kaguya's Mirror seal and to grant her the power to summon eternal night. With the help of Kagura and Kanna, Kaguya recovers each of these items. Each item is cast in a corresponding lake of Fujigoko (The Five Lakes of Mount Fuji) and then a poem stanza is recited alternately by either Kaguya or Kanna. It is unclear if these haiku are needed as a part of the ritual that releases the seal. Since Kaguya and Kanna always recite them while dropping an object into one of the lakes, it may be that there is a connection. However, there are other times when they recite poems, apparently to no effect; therefore, the question remains up in the air.
 * Jeweled Branch of Hourai: Literally, a jewel branch; this item was enshrined along with the Mirror of Life in the cave inside the Forest of Bewilderment; it represents color green. The Jeweled Branch of Hourai was cast in Lake Shouji with the verses: "I ventured to see if what I had heard was true, with this jeweled branch with leaves so real. T'was nothing more than an empty promise.".
 * Jewel of the Dragon's Neck: Obtained in a unknown-location river; this item is a yellow spherical jewel with markings on it. This jewel was cast in Lake Yamanaka with the verses: "Oh arrow of mine with power pure and immense to slay the dragon, do your good deed fast and swift; grasp the crystal in its neck.'"
 * The Robe of the Fire Rat:TheRobeoftheFireRat.jpg Naturally, this item corresponds with InuYasha's red robe. Lake Motosu was the place where this item was tossed with the verses: "Could you have but known that it would burn so swiftly this raiment of fur, you would not then have set which was such little show of concern".
 * Swallow's Cowrie Shell: This item was a necklace with a crafted shell, originally carried by Kohaku but stolen from him on an ambush by Kagura.. Its color is blue and it was tossed in Lake Sai with the following words: "Time has passed swiftly as I've waited to see the shell you promised: they say I wait in vain, could this be so?"
 * The Stone Bowl of Buddha:Stone-bowl-of-buddha.JPG The last of the five items, it was Buddha's stone cup and it was enshrined in a unknown village. It was first recovered by Kikyo, but then she gave it on her own accord to Kagura. Its color is purple and it was cast in Lake Kawaguchi, with this words: "I hope to find the gleam of the fallen dew but nothing can I see, why did you go yonder to Mt. Ogura?".

Trivia
Princesa Kaguya 神久夜
 * After using the Parallel Mirrors Illusion, everything in Kaguya undergoes a "reflection effect". When she changes to the armored outfit, Kaguya originally wears two golden hairpins in her head's right side and one in the right side. After using the spell, she appears wearing them the other way around. Even Kaguya's laterality changes; in the world of the mirror she used her left hand to cast spells (previously, she had used her right hand).
 * Kaguya's name in kanji is 神久夜, meaning "Goddess of Eternal Night," reflecting her own self-proclaimed title as the "Ruler of Eternal Night." However, the name of the original Princess Kaguya from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is spelled 赫映, meaning "Radiant light." Both are read as "Kaguya" (hiragana: かぐや) and are therefore homophonous, but do not mean the same thing.