Kagome returns to the past and pleads with Inuyasha to allow her to remain by his side, even if he still loves Kikyo.; Sango realizes that the key to defeating Juromaru is to take out Kageromaru first.; Inuyasha destroys Juromaru and Kageromaru and nearly destroys Koga in the bargain. Naraku realizes he can't bring himself to destroy Kikyo as long as Onigumo's spirit remains part of his makeup.; Naraku sends a mutated soul skimmer after Kikyo, designed to suck the souls of the dead from her reanimated form and destroy her.; Kikyo reveals that part of Onigumo's plan for fifty years has been to separate her and Inuyasha so he could claim her as his own, and that Onigumo's intentions are causing conflict within Naraku.; Kikyo tries to convince Inuyasha that she must confront and destroy Naraku by herself. But Naraku, through Kanna's mirror, overhears the entire plan.; Armed with soil from the spot where Onigumo merged with demons and became Naraku, Kikyo constructs a shield around her that will dissolve any attempt Naraku makes to harm her.; Upset over seeing Inuyasha with Kikyo, Kagome returns to the twentieth century. Determined to protect Kikyo from Naraku, Inuyasha resolves to let Kagome stay there.; Investigating the sudden disappearance of the castle where Naraku was hiding, Inuyasha and the gang discover Kohaku battling against a monstrous demon seeking the jewel shard that keeps him alive.; After dispelling the demon, Sango finds that Kohaku has no memory of his previous life, or of what he suffered at Naraku's hands. Later Kagura shows up seeking Kohaku's shard.