Chapter 1: The Girl Discovering the Impossible & The Boy Discovering Time Passment
2017, (430-480 yl), Higurashi Shrine/Residence, Tokyo, Japan...
"Shikon-no-Tama? Did I pronounce that correctly?"
"Yes, my girl, precisely."
That same red-head from earlier is now with the elder Higurashi inside one of the storehouses, examining a new product intended for sale.
She looks at it with a careful eye, though with some light uncertainty on her face:
"Are you sure that these key-chains will sell well to tourists, Grandfather? The idea just seems rather done to death."
Grandfather Higurashi looks at the girl with seriousness:
"Quite sure, as this is no ordinary key-chain. That crystal you see at the end is a replica of the ancient Shikon-no-Tama."
Hearing the fabled jewel's name again, the girl looks up with interest and curiousity laced in her blue eyes:
"Shikon-no-Tama: That translates to 'Jewel of Four Souls', right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Could you explain to me again how the jewel has such legendary prowess?"
Grandfather Higurashi was thrilled by the girl's interest, so how could he deny the request?
"Of course. (Clears throat) The Shikon-no-Tama was a jewel that was rumored to have legend-"
(Meow)
(Jingle, jingle)
Just then, Buyo, the family cat, comes up to the young girl, and begins batting at the key-chain in her hand, interrupting the explanation.
The girl looks briefly at Buyo, eyebrow raised, before focusing back on the elder in front of her:
"Sorry, Grandfather. Go on..." He starts again:
"Ahem. As I was saying, the jewel was rumored to have legendary power that would-"
(Jingle, jingle)
Cue Buyo once again...
Frustrated but determined, Grandfather tries once more:
"The jewel was rumored to have power that would-"
"Oh! I just remembered something I meant to ask. Sorry again for interrupting. You and everyone remember what tomorrow is, right?"
Grandfather sighs, slightly exasperated, but smiles with a laugh nonetheless:
"(Laugh) How could I forget my adopted granddaughter's birthday? Hm, I was planning to wait until tomorrow, but..."
"Really? Thank you so much! Let's see what we got here!"
A few tears later, and the young girl's early birthday present is revealed:
"This my girl, is an authentic, mummified hand of a kappa which has been around since the late Azuchi-Momoyama period."
The girl looks at the hand with intrigue and mild excitement:
"Wow...to think this kappa hand has survived preservation for this long. Incredible!"
Her gazing was then cut short by a pounce and swipe from Buyo!
"Waah! That's an antique!" "No, Buyo! That's not a cat toy!"
Just then, the girl notices a stick, and a piece of twine laying by one of the boxes in the room. Turning to look at the key-chain in her hand...
"Ah-ha!"
With creative innovation on her mind, the girl grabbed the items, and quickly got to work...
A few minutes later:
"There, Buyo. Play with this."
The stick, twine and key-chain, were now made into a makeshift cat toy that attached to Buyo's collar!
Wouldn't take long before Buyo became distracted, and drop the kappa hand...
Grandfather looks up at the girl with astonishment, before smiling in amusement at her quick thinking:
"(Laugh) Oh Coraline, you seem to have a plan for everything, don't you?"
"(Slight laugh) Not everything, Grandfather, but I do my best!"
Coraline's POV
I sigh in satisfaction, looking at the now safe kappa hand before looking around the room in thought:
The replicas, the authenticity...wow. It seems that everything here has a story to tell...
"Why, these pickles are full of history!"
I look over at Grandfather a while later from across the dining room table during dinner in slight amusement, but with enough seriousness on the subject:
"Perhaps in the eyes of food culture enthusiasts, but not necessarily historians or history in general."
Everyone laughs a bit at my answer, with Grandfather looking at me with a mix of appreciation and playful irritation...
As the night rolls in, I think further about this place:
Higurashi Shrine...This place has never ceased to amaze me. The stories, including 'The Legend of the Bone Eater's Well', the objects, even the Goshinboku Tree...they all seem to breathe with mystery and mystic. Of course, I don't have any deep-rooted connections here, or in Tokyo at all for that matter...
At least...I thought I didn't. But I would soon be proven wrong in my assumption, come tomorrow...My fifteenth birthday, the day where not only my life would change, but so would others through the events set to motion...
Next Morning
I begin to leave the house to walk Souta to school, and then head off to the library in search of more references for a research project I'm working on. True, not the 'most fun' way to spend my birthday, but my friends said they would meet me there later in the afternoon.
And no, this project is not for school; this is my own solo research. I'm actually not enrolled in any school at the moment, instead choosing to self-educate myself through an online program...
Anyway, I have on a simple white tee, my green/blue flannel shirt, dark-wash jeans, and my brown hikers, along with my brown leather satchel.
"I'm heading out! See you in the evening!"
As I move on to meet Souta at the top of the stairs, I begin thinking about the dream I had last night:
Fourth time consecutively this week alone. What does this mean?...What is it trying to tell me?
"Buuuyooo..."
My thoughts were interrupted by Souta, calling out for someone...in the Bone Eater's Well?
"Souta?"
He turns to me with unease written on his face, holding a dish in one of his hands.
I walk over to him, eyebrow raised, and told him sternly,
"You and I both know this well is off-limits without Grandfather here."
He turns back to look inside the well-house:
"I know. It's the cat."
"Buyo?"
Curious, I peer inside: Not much to look at, minus the sealed well, and the strange bone fragments littered around it...
"I don't know where else he could be..." I kneel down, and reply nonchalantly,
"So go down." Souta gains a whiny tone as he asks,
"But why do I gotta be the one?"
"Well, aren't you the one looking for him?"
Suddenly:
(Scritch, scratch...)
"Ahh, wh-what's that? Something's down there!"
He dives behind me afraid; I turn to him with a look of obviousness:
"Who else? Buyo. He's probably just freaking out a bit, is all."
Seeing that Souta wasn't gonna try to retrieve Buyo, I began venturing down the stairs towards the sealed well myself.
As I got closer, the sound from earlier began again:
(Scritch, scratch...)
I stop, and narrow my eyes suspiciously:
That noise...it sounds like it's coming from, inside the well...
Next thing I knew, I heard a thump, something brushed against my leg, and I cry out in surprise:
"Wah!" Souta yelps before tripping backwards with a scared look...
I look down, and see that sneaky cat...
"Oh, there you are Buyo."
I pick him up, and hold him securely to my torso. I then hear Souta scoff while saying,
"You make fun of me 'cause I'm scared, but then you're all, (fake girly scream)"
I turn to him with my own scoff, and retort,
"You may want to take note of who's down here and who's up there. Honestly, there's nothing to be afraid of here in the well-house..."
But just as I'm ready to take my leave, I hear strange sounds, mixed with an even louder chorus of the scratching, began to erupt from inside the well...
"C-Cora, behind you!"
(CRASH)
(WHOOSH...)
The sound of wood splitting to pieces rings in from behind me, and I feel a strange, strong wind gushing up, most of it coming from the now unsealed well!
I become too stunned to move, and the next thing I knew, I felt semi-solid hands grab me by my upper body, and I'm DRAGGED IN!
I drop Buyo, and barely hear Souta shout,
"What's going on?! Cora!", as I began my backward descent into the well...
Strangely, it doesn't feel like I'm falling, but almost floating downward...The inside of the well is also strange, no temporal space anywhere...
But that was the least of my worries, for those hands that still have a hold on me, have begun to turn into full-on arms, attaching to a body that was slowly regenerating before my very eyes!
The body had the torso of a woman, and the rest some sort of insect. The woman half had about six arms, was pale and bare-skinned, had long, dark-brown hair, and blank eyes. I suddenly hear the creature speak:
"Ah, alive. O, to be alive one more...Already my strength returns." The insect-woman then focuses on me:
"So then, you have it, don't you? The jewel...give it to me..."
'The, jewel'? Could, she mean-
Her tongue then slithered out her mouth, and began licking my face!
"H-Hey! What are you doing? Get OOFFFF!" I shove from me, and the next thing I knew:
(Sheen)
A strange light emits from my hand, forcing the insect-woman back! I watch as she tumbles into nothingness, her last message being,
"Retched girl. I must have the Shikon-no-Tama!"
...Eventually, I reach the bottom of the well, gently landing on my hands and knees. I pant heavily, as try to make sense of it all:
"...What...just...happened?"
I look around, and take in my surroundings:
"Ok. I definitely fell into the well...or, was I dragged in? That insect-woman...was it real, or some sort of illusion?"
I look to my left, and see a severed arm:
"Ah! Alright, not an illusion!" I take a deep breath, and stand up:
"Either way, I need to get out of here. Hey, Souta! Get Grandfather and tell him to bring a ladder!"
...No answer. With that, I switch to plan B, and started climbing up the well using the vines on the walls:
"(Grunt) I guess he, must've ran off. Not that I can really blame him, but still..."
After a few minutes, I reach the top, pull myself out, and was greeted by the sight of...a woodland area?!
Wait, this can't be right...I am dumbstruck by the change of scenery:
"...Ooooh, this is a problem..."
Beautiful as the landscape was, I was so confused! Where did the shrine go? Where did Tokyo go?!
"Granfather? Akari-sama*! Where are you?!...Souta! Buyo!..."
No matter who I shouted for, I was given the same answer: Nature's silence.
As I kept looking around, I finally spotted something familiar:
"The Goshinboku Tree!"
I began rushing towards it, happy to see that one thing in the area hasn't changed...
But, when I reached the tree, I was struck stupid by yet another surprise: Tied within some rather ancient-looking roots, was a boy!
And judging from the size of those roots, it looks like he's been there for quite a while...
"Uh, hello?...Are you alright?...Could you maybe tell me where I am?"
...No response. I then climbed up onto the main root, and moved to get a closer look at this boy: He had long, silver-white hair, was wearing a red robe of some sorts, and no shoes...
"Wow...He looks more amazing up close...Hm?"
I then see the arrow that was lodged into his chest, right where his heart is!
"Oh no...Does this mean-...Yet, it doesn't, look like he's dead...It looks, more like he's been frozen in time..."
I then look up, and notice the ears on top of his skull, dog-ears at that!
"...No way...Those can't really be...Well, only one way to find out..."
I remember to be gentle, just incase they were. I take my index finger, and very gently stroke the boy's left ear...
"(Soft gasp) It is real!"
I repeat the action with the right ear, then rest my hand lightly on his right shoulder, questions stirring within my mind:
...How? How is this even possible? Who is he? And most importantly...what happened to him?
"Hey, you! Get away from there!"
(Twok, twok, twok)
Next thing I knew, I have several arrows shot at me! I duck just in time, placing by body where the boy is, and the arrows barely miss me!
...Phew...That was close...
I turn to see my assailants: Men, dressed in simple clothing, possibly the locals of the area. I decided to go on the defense, and surrender peacefully...
Small Time Skip, No POV
Unfortunately, that plan did not go as smooth as she would've wanted it to. Bound by her wrists and ankles, Coraline now waits on top of a wicker mat for what was to comes next...
"Hey! Was tying me up 'really' necessary?"
None of the people were listening to Coraline, for they were too busy trying to make sense of the situation, moreover, of this 'new stranger':
"Who is this girl?" "Such strange clothing..." "Is she a foreigner?"
"You reckon it's war?" "Of course it is. And right in the middle of rice planting season too."
"She could be a kitsune in disguise." "Nah, them shape-shifting foxes are alot trickier than that..."
As the villagers kept murmuring possibilities, Coraline took the time to observe the people and the area:
Hmm...The men around here all have topknots...while the women have scarves tied on their heads...Wooden huts, old farming tools, kimonos of simple quality, some weapons, even a shrine-house or two...The style and structure of this place and its residents suggest the time to be Sengoku, the Warring States era...but, how?
"Make way for Lady Kaede!"
Coraline's thoughts were interrupted, as a man calls out, and an elderly woman comes through the crowd of wary eyes. The woman, Lady Kaede, wore an outfit that indicated she was a priestess, had a bow in her right hand, quiver slung on her shoulder, and wore an eye-patch over her right eye.
She carried a serious look abound, which told Coraline that this elderly woman was not a person to toy with...
Suddenly, Lady Kaede passes her bow to a villager standing by, reaches her hand into a pouch, and proceeds to throw some sort of dust powder at Coraline:
"Demon, begone!"
"Hey, hey! Cut it out, I'm not a demon! What in the world would give you that idea?"
Kaede stops, and then asks with some surprise laced in her voice,
"Are ye not? Then why were ye found in the Forest of Inuyasha?" The village man with Kaede's bow whispers a suggestion:
"She could be a spy from another village..."
"In that case, she would be a fool. Who would invade such a poor village as ours?"
Kaede then looks a bit more intently at Coraline, and her eyes widen a fraction, noticing something in Coraline's eyes that seemed, familiar...
She move forward, to examine the strange girl:
"Let me have a good look at ye..."
Kaede then grasps Coraline's chin, and moves her head from side to side, adding,
"Look clever, girl. Or be ye a half-wit?" Coraline was not pleased with that last comment:
Grrr. Who is she to call me a half-wit?
When she was done, Kaede then stood straight, with an expression that would hint at slight disbelief:
"It's there...though, I know not why..."
"Hm?"
If Coraline wasn't confused before, she was now...
Time Skip
After Coraline was finally deemed harmless, she was untied, and brought to Lady Kaede's hut. The inside was fairly modest: A hearth, Wooden bars on the window, wicker door cover, some clay dishes, various herbs, various pottery items, and the bow and quiver laying by the entrance...
As Coraline rubbed her wrists a bit, she was then handed a bowl and chopsticks:
"Stew?"
"Oh wow. Thank you. I didn't even realize my hunger until now." With that, Coraline began to eat. As she ate, Kaede began speaking again:
"Bare us no ill will, child, for though I now see ye mean us no harm, in these trouble times of war, no stranger may be welcomed among us without a deep distrust."
"I understand...So then, this really isn't Tokyo, is it?"
"To-ky-o. Never heard of it. Is that where your people are from?"
"Um, in a sense, yes. Anyway, I really should be finding a way back..." The only question is how in the world am I gonna do that?
Suddenly:
(BAM, CRASH)
The sound of wood being crushed in multiple areas of the village began resonating.
An alarm bell is rung, with Kaede and Coraline peering out the entrance way to see the trouble:
"What's going on?"
They rush out, and both gasp, as their eyes meet the sight of that same insect-woman that attacked Coraline in the well!
As the villagers voiced the danger, the said monster rose into the air, with a horse clamped in its jaws. It hisses, before brushing away the village men with its insect half, and then releasing the horse with a menacing laugh. The horse gives out a final strangled cry, before falling to the ground dead...
"Oh man...I thought that monster was gone!" The insect-woman calls out in a threatening tone:
"Give me the Shikon-no-Tama!"
It then dive-bombs Kaede and Coraline, the both barely dodging it. As the women get up, Kaede then asks Coraline,
"It said 'Shikon-no-Tama'...Tell me, are ye it's quarry?!"
"Uh, technically, yes. But I honestly don't know why! I only know of the Shikon-no-Tama by legend."
The men continue to fire arrows at the insect-woman, as it continues to voice its obsession:
"I must have it! I MUST!"
It then twists and spins its body, swinging it at villagers and structures around it...Coraline watches with anger and guilt:
Everyone here is suffering...because of me...
Two men, now known as village head-men, come up to stand protectively in front of Kaede and Coraline, with looks of frustration:
"Spears, arrows, nothing works!" Kaede then says sternly,
"We must lure it to the Dry Well." Coraline turns to Kaede in confusion:
"Dry Well, you say?"
"Yes, in the Forest of Inuyasha."
Of course, the well I climbed out of...Alright: I can't let this monster destroy the village!
"Tell me: Which way is the forest?"
Kaede points it out, and Coraline turns to the east where the trees grew thickest, noticing a strange light:
That glow...it has to be it!
"Got it! Where that light is shining!"
With that, Coraline began sprinting towards the forest, despite Kaede trying to call her back:
"Wait!"
The insect-woman dives between the head-men and Kaede, heading after Coraline. Coraline jumps down into a ditch, calling out to Kaede,
"I won't let the village be destroyed!" Kaede watches as Coraline runs, muttering in surprise:
"How is it she can see, what cannot be seen in the Forest of Inuyasha?"
"Lady Kaede!"
More men come, with horses that were not spooked off by the insect-woman, armed and ready for battle. Kaede lifts herself onto one of the horses, armed with her bow and quiver, before riding off in the direction that Coraline and the insect-woman left for...
Meanwhile, Coraline was having a hard time keeping a distance from the insect-woman:
I don't know, how long I can keep this up...could, this be the end?...NO! It, can't be!
"(Pant, pant) Please...someone...I need HEEEELLLPPP!"
Coraline's cry travels, mixed with the howl of the insect-woman, deep within the forest...The echoes reach the Goshinboku Tree, where the young man tied within the roots...begins vibrating with an unearthly energy:
(Heartbeat)
One of the boy's hands, now seen having claws, begins to twitch, then slowly lifts to his face, revealing that the boy, was in fact now alive!
"I smell it...The blood of the woman who killed me...And it's coming closer...Rrrgh!"
(Sheen)
The boy tried to remove the arrow embedded him, but found he could not, as it began to glow...
Getting back to Coraline, she eventually reached the edge of the forest, the insect-woman still in hot pursuit:
"The jewel...Give me the Shikon-no-Tama!"
"How many times must I say it?! I don't, have it!"
The insect-woman then cuts through the ground, sending Coraline forward, tumbling in front of the Goshinboku Tree.
As she begins to rise from the fall, groaning a bit from the impact, a new voice cuts into the silence:
"Hello, Kikyō. Playing with bugs, now are we?"
Confused, Coraline looks up, and her eyes widen at seeing the source, was none-other than the mysterious boy tied within the roots!
He...spoke?
She gets up, astonishment traced into her features:
"...So I was right...You really weren't dead at all..."
"Why you taking so long to kill it? Just do her like you did me..."
The boy's eyes then widen a bit, looking at Coraline, before speaking again:
"You look pretty dumb there, Kikyō. The Kikyō I know wouldn't waste time."
Coraline gets an annoyed look, and stands up to answer back to the boy:
"Why I outta...Listen up: Whoever this 'Kikyō' is, is not me! My name is-"
The boy's eyes then narrow:
"...She's here."
The insect-woman then dives from the top of the Goshinboku Tree, and Coraline quickly moves backwards to get away...
(Twok, twok)
Suddenly, arrows with rope attached shoot into the insect-woman's torso. It turns, and sees the source to be the villagers who went after the monster:
"Good! Now pull!"
The men begin pulling, forcing the insect-woman back, while Coraline looks over at them with an urgent but relieved look:
"Damn...that was too close..." The boy in the tree roots comments again:
"You're pathetic, Kikyō."
Coraline gets fed up with being called 'Kikyō':
Alright, that tears it!
"Hey, you! I'm not Kikyo!"
She walks over to him, and gets into his face adding,
"Quit calling me by a name that's not mine!" The boy stubbornly retorts back,
"Well I'm saying you gotta be her! Cause if you're not, there's no way that you could smell so-"
He breaks off, and then sniffs the air, before saying in a soft, and surprised voice,
"You're not her..."
"I know. My name is Coraline. Cor-a-line." His eyes widen, before turning away from her with a disgruntled tone:
"...You're right. Kikyō was cuter...Much cuter..."
Coraline raises an eyebrow at the boy's change of attitude: Sheesh. What's up his corduroys?
Next thing she knew, Coraline was then grabbed by two sets of arms, and was being dragged away by the insect-woman!
Coraline desperately grabs for something to help pull her away, and winds up grabbing the boy's hair:
"Ah! Let go, dammit! Let goooo!"
"Ow, ow, ow! You let go!"
The villagers watch the scene with disbelief, one of the men remarking,
"Inuyasha has revived!"
Kaede watches just as stunned, if not more so: How can that be?! The seal should've held forever!
The insect-woman calls out her demand once again, in an even harsher and desperate tone than earlier:
"Give me the Shikon-no-Tama!"
Inuyasha then has a look of epiphany rise in his eyes: The Shikon-no-Tama...
The insect-woman's face then shifts to look even more monster-like, with huge fangs prodding out of her mouth! Before it could attack, however:
"GET, BACK!"
Coraline holds her hand out, and the same weird glow comes out of her palm!
The insect-woman is forced back, and Coraline falls to the ground, along with the rest of the insect-woman's arms...
Coraline rises, and looks at her hand, softly commenting,
"That glow...It happened again, just like in the well..."
The village men and Kaede watched with amazement at Coraline's move, while she herself questions further:
"But how...How did I..."
(Sheen)
"Huh?"
Coraline looks down upon herself, and her eyes widen in shock, at seeing her left side glowing with a strange, orb-shaped energy!
"Wh...What is this?!"
The insect-woman then charges across the ground, and with a growl, bites into Coraline's side, before tossing her into the air!
Coraline cries out in pain, before noticing something pop out of her, along with her blood:
What...is that? It came, from inside me...Is that the-No! It can't be! The Shikon-no-Tama?!
Coraline then falls from the air, hitting the insect-woman's body, before landing on the ground hard:
"Argh...Ghh..."
As she goes to lift herself from the ground, Inuyasha then urgently tells her,
"Give me the jewel, quick!"
"What?"
"Hurry!"
But before she could do anything, the insect-woman then surrounds the two with her body, and constricts Coraline to the tree alongside Inuyasha!
The insect-woman then comes down, and addresses the two, namely Inuyasha:
"I heard some half-demon spawn was after the Shikon-no-Tama. It's you, isn't it?"
Half-demon? So, he isn't human?
Coraline looks up at Inuyasha, while he retorts with a smirk:
"Half's all I need to kick your scaly hide. Anything more than that would be a waste of my time!" Coraline then asks him,
"Do you really have the strength to beat this monster?" He looks at her confused, before she asks again:
"Well, do you or do you not?"
...Inuyasha turns back to the insect-woman, glaring as it continues to mock him:
"What can he do, pinned there like that? Or you for that matter? You're powerless to stop me!"
It then bends down to the Shikon-no-Tama, adding with a laugh,
"You're helpless, the both of you!"
It then sticks its long tongue out and swallows up the jewel, despite Inuyasha's angry threat of,
"Don't you dare!"
The villagers begin panicking:
"It swallowed the jewel!" "Lady Kaede! What shall we do?!"
The insect-woman's fallen arms glowed an ominous red, before floating to re-attach!
It then bends down on the ground, and shudders, before shedding it's skin, revealing a more hideous version of its upper torso!
"At last...My power is complete!"
The insect-woman then begins to squeeze its body further on Coraline and Inuyasha, causing her to cry out:
"Auh...D-Damn...It's, crushing me..." As she struggles, Inuyasha then asks her in a calm tone,
"Hey. Can you, pull out this arrow?"
Distracted from her squirming, Coraline looks up to the arrow in his chest:
"Rrrg...Do you mean...this one?"
"Yes! Can you pull it out, or not?"
Coraline reaches a hand to it, answering Inuyasha with some strain in her voice,
"I...I think so...rrgh..."
Keade then gets off her horse, and calls out to Coraline in protest:
"Nay, child! Once the arrow is removed, then Inuyasha will be free to destroy us all!"
Inuyasha retorts back,
"Don't be stupid, you old hag! At least with me you got a chance, where as that thing's gonna eat you!"
He then looks down at Coraline:
"And what about you? Are you ready to die yet?"
Coraline freezes, thinking on his choice of words:
...No...I'm not ready to die! Not now! I don't know what'll happen after, but I've come to far, to give up my life now...
She reaches the arrow, grasping it while shouting,
"I...Refuse...To DIE!"
(POW, SHEEN)
The arrow glows a bright pink fushia, before disintegrating into nothing! Kaede is awestruck:
"It's gone! My sister's spell banished..."
The power glow spreads briefly to the two bodies, before disappearing as quick as it came...Suddenly:
(Heartbeat, heartbeat, heartbeat...)
The boy's body pulsates an ominous energy, with Coraline watching, before calling out in a quiet voice,
"Inu...yasha?"
He shivers, before breaking out into a menacing laugh! The insect-woman turns with a howl, before lifting its body off of the two briefly, then slamming it back on them again, seemingly crushing them...
That is, until Inuyasha breaks out with a war cry, cutting the torso into pieces, and forcing Coraline to fall to the ground:
"Oof...Ouch..."
Coraline looks up, and sees Inuyasha spin-barrel in the air, landing on the ground with ease...The insect-woman then turns and says with malice,
"Retched child!" Inuyasha turns back, and retorts with a smirk,
"Nasty hag!"
The insect-woman charges him, and he raises his right arm into the air, crying out his own attack:
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
His claws slice straight down the middle of the monster, cutting it into pieces, and ultimately destroying it!
...Coraline looks at Inuyasha with amazement at his quick work of the insect-woman, as pieces of the monster fall to the ground:
Incredible...His strength surpasses any normal person...Then again, I'm not sure what normal is...
Of course, the fight wasn't over yet, as Coraline notices the flesh begin to twitch:
"Oh crap, it's going to regenerate!"
Kaede comes up to Coraline and tells her what to do:
"Find the glowing flesh, quickly! That's where the jewel will be. It must be removed at once, lest the flesh of Mistress Centipede revives!"
"What? Seriously?!"
Seeing no other options, Coraline began scanning the flesh; a few seconds later:
"There! That piece!"
Kaede walks up to where Coraline was pointing, and removes the Shikon-no-Tama from the flesh. The second it was taken, the flesh began disintegrating, leaving nothing except the skeletal remains of Mistress Centipede...Coraline watches in amazement:
"Huh...Guess that's the end of that..."
Kaede then turns to Coraline, and presents the Shikon-no-Tama to her!
"Wh..What? But, why?"
"Only ye may possess the Shikon-no-Tama now..." Ye who so holds the spirit of the dead Kikyō...
Coraline is taken aback, shocked by this turn in events:
"But, how? How could the Shikon-no-Tama have been inside me? I, shouldn't have any prior connections to the jewel at all..."
(Step, crack)
Inuyasha then steps forward, crushing a set of bones with his foot, offering his insight:
"Exactly. Humans can't use it, so why bother to keep it? If you hand over the Shikon-no-Tama right now, I won't have to start sharpening my claws on you."
Coraline is shocked by Inuyasha's threat:
"Wait, what?!"
I don't understand. Does this mean, he isn't a good guy?...Oh man, what do I do now?!...
*Note: This is the name I'll be using for Ms. Higurashi, as Coraline does not really acknowledge her as her mother...It'll be explained later on in the story why.