Episode 174

Mausoleum of Mount Azusa is the 7th episode of the Final Act.

Plot


After Kikyo heals Miroku, she and Kohaku leave InuYasha and company. The two then encounter giant spiderwebs that Kikyo knows from Naraku. As it turns out, Naraku has figured out Kikyo's purification plan and has gone back to get his human heart for its negative properties. He now uses spiderwebs to capture Kikyo and to lure both InuYasha and Kagome in, and he shows her the scene of Kikyo and InuYasha from 50 years ago so that Kagome can feel Kikyo's love for InuYasha. When Kagome regains consciousness, Kikyo explains what Naraku is up to and offers her bow to Kagome to purify the contamination inside of her. When Kagome touches the bow thought, the string breaks and Kikyo confirms that Kagome has been contaminated as well. The only way to save Kikyo now is for Kagome to retrieve a bowstring kept in a nearby mountain mausoleum, though Kikyo warns that Kagome has to truly want to save her. Kagome thus sets off with everyone except for InuYasha and Kikyo, who end up going after Kohaku. Kohaku had been attacked by Byakuya, but he was saved by Sesshomaru and is gone by the time InuYasha and Kikyo arrive.



Kagome's group meanwhile reaches the mountain, but Kagome soon finds herself separated from everyone else. She the encounters a faceless spirit who takes on Kikyo's appearance and leads her to the bow. Kagome is able to leave with the bow, but on her way down the mountain, she get sidetracked by the sight of InuYasha and Kikyo together. This Kikyo implies that Kagome doesn't truly want to save her, and Kagome finds herself hanging off the side of the cliff. Looking down at her is Kikyo, and she wants the bow. The spirit of the mountain also appears and suggests that Kikyo will take the bow, abandon Kagome to die, and go off with InuYasha. Kikyo then suggests that Kagome is the one filled with jealousy and hatred and is only pretending to pity her. Kagome, however, thinks that Kikyo is afraid of her, and she recognizes that Kikyo and InuYasha have a past together that she can't tresspass on, but she points out that she's also spent a lot of time with InuYasha and that she knows sides of him that Kikyo doesn't. All of this causes Kagome to realize that she's in the same position as Kikyo, and she refuses to abandon her. The spirit then tells Kagome that she can now climb up with her own strength, and Kikyo subsequently turns into an illusion of spiderwebs. Kagome becomes freed from these spiderwebs, but she finds herself in a free fall.

Regrets of Kagome
Kagome understands that she lookes at Kikyo as if she was cruel and unpassionate therefore she sticks to this side believing that this is the true nature of Kikyo because that Kikyo had attempted to kill Inuyasha therefore she ignored the other sides of Kikyo for consideration. After the test she finally realizes this and begins to also regret that throughout Kikyo's brink of death. Kagome knows that she is hedious of thinking that way therefore she confides these feelings to Inuyasha, but Inuyasha ignores her complaints over herself and said that it meant that her heart was strong. Her final reply mentally was, "Is th...Is that true?" she asked.