Chapter 13: The Mystery of the New Moon & the Black-Haired Inuyasha
It's been a few days, and we now zoom in on Coraline as she leaves the downtown library, after returning some texts she borrowed for school work.
Out front waiting for her, were the twins, and they began heading back to the shrine:
"So, what'd you return this time?"
"Just an algebra text and a book on Shakespearean plays. Nothin' major." Freeman cringes from the sound of the first text:
"Ugh, don't mention algebra to me! I can't stand anything math-related!"
Besa and Coraline laugh, before the former asks,
"Speaking of major, any luck on finding leads for the missing girl, Rikona?" Coraline frowns and replies,
"Not until yesterday: I went down to the street where she was last seen, and spoke with a shop keeper and his son who said that they saw her heading for the abandoned factory district a few times for the past week and a half."
"Well, better something than nothing." As they turned the corner to the shine stairs, suddenly:
(Bump)
"Oh!"
Coraline walks into someone, and a slab of bamboo falls out of the packaging they were carrying. Coraline looks up, and sees the person to be Hōjō!
"Oh, Hōjō!" He smiles at her and says,
"Hey, Coraline. Didn't expect to run into you, but I'm glad I did. This is supposed to be good for hitting pressure points. Can't hurt to try it."
"Um, I dunno what to say..." Besa and Freeman whisper to eachother,
"Gotta give the guy an A+ in persistency."
"I think he'd have better chances with flowers..." Hōjō then asks Coraline,
"I know that sitting bothers you, but, do you think you can make it through a movie? It's just two hours."
Coraline felt a small blush come to her face, before the twins each put a hand on her shoulder and say to him,
"Hate to interrupt, but may we have a word with our sister for a moment?"
Though a bit surprised, Hōjō nods, and the twins gently pull Coraline aside to talk about this new development:
"Whoa, didn't see that comin'...Did he seriously just ask me, on a date?"
"Looks that way."
"So, ya think you might take him up on it, Coraline?" Coraline looks at Freeman in surprise and replies,
"What? Seriously, me go out with him?! You're joking, right?"
"Why not? I mean sure, you're not into him, but it couldn't hurt to test the waters, if ya know what I mean..." Besa cuts in:
"I'm gonna have to go with Cora on this one, bro. If she doesn't have any interest in Hōjō, why should she go out with him? Besides, we kind-of have another priority on our plate with Shuji and Rikona..."
"...Riiight, almost forgot about that..."
"In that case, I know what I have to do." Coraline then walks back over to Hōjō, and says with an apologetic smile,
"I'm sorry, Hōjō, but I must decline. I have this, project I'm working on currently, and it's gonna take me longer than I want it to."
"Oh, I see. No worries, I understand. I guess I'll see you around then?"
"Sure. See you, Hōjō." And he heads off, leaving Coraline with the gift...
Later in the evening, Coraline gets ready with her satchel to head back to Sengoku Edo, and she asks Inuyasha,
"Say, Inuyasha? What are the chances we can get me back here by Saturday at the latest?"
"Um, fair to moderate, if were lucky."
"Good." Inuyasha lifts Coraline up to the well by her satchel, and asks while scratching his head,
"Uh, when exactly is this Saturday of yours again?" Coraline sighs and replies patiently,
"About four days from now." Inuyasha drops her in surprise:
"Four days?!" She calls back on the drop down,
"And I only need to be here for a few hours! Honest!"
"Feh...fine! We'll see, but you better promise that!" And he leaps in after her...
Time Skip
By the next day, Inuyasha, Coraline and Shippo were now far from the village, and floating down a river in a small boat.
Coraline looks up from her notebook, and looks around the scenery with a smile:
"Heh, flora like this isn't something you come by in my time..."
(Splash)
"Haha, neither is the fauna!" Inuyasha turns to her with an annoyed glare and replies,
"Would you mind focusing a little? We're not here to look at the scenery." Coraline half-smirks at him and replies,
"I am focused; It's called multi-tasking."
Meanwhile, Shippo was leaning over the side of the boat with a queasy expression. Inuyasha looks at him incredulously and says,
"Shippo, you call yourself a demon? You're not suppose to get seasick!"
"I'm not trying..." Inuyasha then comments,
"This is ridiculous. We're not gonna find any shards unless you two snap to it." He then notices the notebook in Coraline's lap:
"And what is that you're writing anyway? That's gotta be the weirdest-looking scroll I've ever seen."
"That's cause it's not a scroll; it's called a notebook. As for what I'm writing, it's stuff for a missing girl I'm trying to find."
Shippo looks at Coraline curiously:
"Missing girl?" Coraline nods and says seriously,
"A mutual acquaintance of mine and my brothers has a little cousin who went missing a few weeks ago. In exchange for a, 'certain item', I'm trying to find some sort of lead to where she could be."
"Feh...and what's this, 'certain item' you're trying to get?" Coraline looks at Inuyasha and replies simply,
"A weapon. And I'm not telling you what it is yet. You'll just have to wait until I get it."
Inuyasha is shocked with surprise at her answer, before turning back to the front, and noticing something odd:
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
"Spider webs..." Coraline looks forward, and sees the white strands of something that did look a lot like spider silk!
"What the...That's strange. Webs shouldn't get this large..."
Inuyasha brushes some aside, but grasps a bit into his hands, looking at it, before clenching it with a frown...Myoga hops onto his shoulder and asks,
"Master Inuyasha, what manner of webs are they?"
"Nothing to be concerned about. Huh?" Coraline points up to a cliff-side:
"Look, there!"
Backing up from the bushes, was a young girl in a short green kimono:
"Get away from me!" She ducks out of the way of an oncoming attack, and falls from the cliff!
"Aaaaahhhh!"
Inuyasha immediately leaps off the boat, and catches her, before landing on a nearby rock. Coraline calls back with an impressed smile,
"Nice catch, Inuyasha!" He watches as the unknown appendage shoots back into the bushes...
"Looks like some sort of demon..." The girl looks at him and says gratefully,
"My thanks. You saved me from certain death...Whuh!?"
She then cringes in shock, and Inuaysha turns to her in confusion, not realizing she was fixated on his ears:
"Unhand me, demon!"
(Slap)
"Gah!" "Wah!"
(Splash)
...Once Inuyasha and the girl were out of the water, and the boat docked onto the shore, Coraline went to work to take care of the girl's injury:
"Here, this type of alcohol is good for cleaning out cuts. It may sting a bit, but that just means it's working."
As Inuyasha sits by the river, grumbling incoherently to himself while flapping his arms a bit to dry his robes, Coraline asks the girl,
"Do you mind explaining what just attacked you a moment ago?"
"A demon known as a Spider Head. These mountains have been plagued by their presence since Springtime. Several villages have already been attacked. Spider Heads trap humans in their webs, paralyze them and devour them alive. They are terrifying demons."
"No kidding. Sounds like a more monstrous version of a regular spider." Coraline turns to Inuyasha and says,
"Inuyasha, we need to do something to help."
"Any signs of the Shikon-no-Tama fragments?"
"Not so far. Not even the Spider Head from earlier had a shard."
"Then let's move out. I wanna cross these mountains before nightfall." As Inuyasha rose from the ground, Coraline says insistingly,
"But we can't just walk away from a situation like this! There's likely more demons than that one on the prowl!"
Inuyasha looks at her with a serious glare and replies,
"Listen: I don't go slaying around demons every time a human comes running scared to me." Coraline frowns and calmly replies,
"That's not what anyone's asking you to do." What's gotten into him? Usually he'd at least check out the situation...
The girl suddenly rises and says with a hateful tone,
"I'm leaving. Being obliged to a demon doesn't sit well with me." Shippo says to her,
"Feigning some measure of gratitude might sit well with us, though." The girl snaps at him,
"Insolent Beast!"
Shippo cringes from her, and she goes over to the rock wall, starting up the vines while adding in a sarcastic tone,
"Thank you, for reminding me why I detest demons."
Coraline glares a bit at her attitude, as the girl begins to climb up...until:
(Snap)
"Owaah!"
(Thud)
Coraline sweatdrops as the girl falls into a bush, and she turns to Inuyasha with a smile and says,
"How 'bout displaying some old fashion chivalry?"
Time Skip
By around sunset, everyone had reached a temple, situated within the mountainside.
"There's the temple!"
Coraline and Shippo lead the way, with the former remarking,
"Well, that wasn't too bad, eh?"
Inuyasha was carrying the girl on his back, both looking rather unhappy with their current arrangement...As they walk into the temple grounds, a elderly man wearing a priest uniform comes out to greet them:
"You have returned. Are you injured, Nazuma?"
"Master!"
The girl, now known as Nazuma, hops off Inuyasha (getting him with her elbow on the way down), and kneels at the priest, shaking a bit as well.
The priest steps to her, and says,
"I feared that a Spider Head had attacked you."
"It spied me while I was attending to the grave sites. I had no choice but to rely on these demons to bring me home. I'm sorry, master."
Shippo glares before retorting to Nazuma,
"All demons are not created equal, you know!" The priest looks up at the newcomers:
"I don't suppose they are." Inuyasha then says,
"Aw man...Don't worry, we're leaving anyway."
"Wait, friends. You must spend a night here with us at the temple." Nazuma protests:
"No, master!" He puts a hand on her shoulder and gently orders,
"Go. Prepare a meal for your nice guests," to which she reluctantly replies,
"Yes..."
As she gets up to walk away, the priest turns back to the other and says apologetically,
"I beg you to forgive Nazuma for her rudeness. Her parents were killed by a Spider Head and she has harbored an understandable fear of demons since that incident. I have attempted to quell her fears, but to no avail."
Coraline smiles sadly and replies,
"I can understand how she feels...Although to be honest, I think her hatred is rather misguided. Hating the one responsible for her parent's murder is one thing, but to direct it at all demons is not justifiable."
The priest nods, and Inuyasha and Shippo look at her with shock at her words...Coraline then asks,
"But never mind that: How bad is the Spider Head situation here? Is it likely we'll be running into any through the mountain path?"
"As the number of men dying in war increases, so do the number of Spider Heads...but by leaps and bounds."
Coraline's eyes widen:
"Leaps and bounds?" She turns to Inuyasha with a serious expression and says,
"I think it may be in our best interest to stay the night here." Inuyasha turns his head away from her and retorts,
"Uh, we're on a quest, and I refuse to let some measly spiders to stop us!" The priest smiles a bit and says,
"Stay the night with us and rest at ease. I have posted sutras around the temple to ward off any demons to try and attack us."
Coraline smiles a bit and says to Inuyasha,
"Not really an offer to turn from, is it?"
"..Suppose there's no sense arguing about it."
Small Time Skip
"Ahh, that was a delicious meal. Perhaps we should stay a few days and get to know Nazuma better."
Coraline smiles amusingly at Shippo, who's laying against her satchel with satisfaction after eating his fill:
"Funny how a couple bowls of rice can change your tune about someone..."
"I liked her from the start. I merely thought she was lacking in manners."
As they chatted, Inuyasha was sitting by the open door of the room they were staying in, looking outward with a serious expression:
It's getting late...
"Hey, Inuyasha?"
"Hm?"
Coraline looks at him with concern, noticing his look of unease:
"Are you alright? You, look a bit on edge..." He replies quietly,
"Hmph, it's nothing."
Coraline doesn't buy his answer, and comes in close to Inuyasha's face:
"What? You gotta problem or something?"
"Hold on...I think I may know what's going on..." Inuyasha tenses up, until Coraline asks,
"Inuyasha, are you, afraid of spiders?"
Seeing an opportunity to make fun of him, Shippo transforms into a large spider:
"Ooo, who's afraid of the big, bad spider? Owah!"
(Thump)
Inuyasha squishes Shippo to the ground, and Coraline remarks,
"...Okay, so my theory was wrong..." Inuyasha looks up at her and replies through his teeth annoyed,
"I'm not afraid of spiders."
"Then why are you so tense?" Inuyasha doesn't answer, and goes out the door...
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"To get some fresh air! I'm sleeping outside tonight." As he turns to go, Inuyasha suddenly sees something off:
"Huh?" Damn, we're surrounded! How could I have missed their scent?
By their, he means the glowing red eyes of Spider Heads, that somehow fought off the sutras, and were storming into the temple!
Coraline and Shippo see them, and come out to Inuyasha's side:
"But how?! Shouldn't the sutras have kept them at bay?!"
A few spring out through the wall behind them:
"Wah!"
"Careful, they're behind us as well!" Myoga remains calm and remarks,
"Their numbers are great, but they're not a formidable enemy. Up for some after-dinner exercise, my lord?"
"Oh yeah!" Inuyasha takes out Tessaiga:
"We'll ward them off! So much for the priest's sutras!"
Meanwhile, Nazuma was running down the walkway, trying to find the priest and warn him of the attack:
"Master! Master, the Spider Heads! (Gasp)"
Unfortunately, she arrived to her master a little late, for he was already trapped within webbing!
"They've got you!"
By this time, Inuyasha was already on the attack, hitting the Spider Heads with his sword...But, for some reason, the Tessaiga wasn't transforming, so he was merely just knocking them to the ground. The Spider Heads immediately took their opportunity to shoot their webbing at Inuyasha, as he tried to fight against getting entangled!
"Inuyasha!" He turns to Coraline and shouts,
"Make a break! I'll be right behind you!"
"But we can't-"
"Do what I say! I can handle these demons!"
As he kept trying to hack at the webs, Shippo and Coraline are each confused by Inuyasha:
"Why has he been acting so strange today?"
"And why isn't Tessaiga transforming?"
Suddenly, Inuyasha is hit with a wave of webbing, and becomes so entangled that he can't move his arm holding Tessaiga!
Thinking quickly, Shippo brandishes his own attack:
"Fox Fire!"
The illusionary fire manages to scare away the Spider Heads, and Coraline goes to help Inuyasha out of the webbing:
"Hang on, I'll have you, (Grunt) out of here in a sec!" Shippo comes to assist:
"We've gotta get outta here!"
Back with Nazuma and the Priest, the latter tells former in a hoarse voice,
"Nazuma, the demons have broken through my seals. My sutras are no longer strong enough to ward off the Spider Heads..."
Nazuma begins to tear up, realizing the old priest wasn't going to make it:
"Oh, master...Master, noooo!"
The others manage to escape into the forest, stopping by a tree to rest:
"We should be far enough away from the Spider Heads now..." Inuyasha curses his failed efforts:
"Damn it..."
Coraline frowns, determined to find out what's making Inuyasha act this way:
"Okay, seriously, what's with you? You're definitely not acting like yourself."
As she tries to reach her hand to him, Inuyasha immediately snaps,
"Leave me alone!"
Coraline glares, and goes to remove the webbing in his hair:
"What is wrong with you, Inuyasha?! Tell me!" But when she gets a good chunk of the webbing off:
"Huh?!"
"Forget about me for now. You should worry more about yourselves."
"...Inuyasha, your hair, is black..."
He goes to sit by the tree, removing the rest of the webbing, and revealing his now more human form!
"If you think you can rely on my strength to save you this time, you better think again." Shippo asks with a stunned stutter,
"W-W-What do you mean?"
"Inuyasha...what's happened to you?"
He just stares at her, while Shippo hops onto his head, noticing something wasn't there:
"His dog ears are gone!" Coraline then widens her eyes in realization:
"You're, not half-demon now...You're human!" Inuyasha grabs Shippo and mutters,
"You're lucky that my fangs and claws are gone," before throwing him to the ground...Coraline looks to Inuyasha and asks,
"Inuyasha, please, explain to me what's going on here..." Myoga steps in to speak his insight:
"All half-demons, such as Master Inuyasha, are subject to certain times when they lose their supernatural powers as demons."
"...Whoa...So, does this mean that during these times, half-demons become no stronger than I or any other human?"
"Typically, yes. For him, the time falls on the first cycle when the moon is dark."
"When the moon is dark...Oh! That's the beginning of the month, or the full moon!"
"Precisely."
As Coraline and Shippo look to the sky in thought, Myoga hops onto Inuyasha's shoulder and asks,
"Why, master?! Why didn't you inform us that your period of vulnerability was impending?!"
"Cause if I had, you would've taken off a long time ago." Myoga stops hopping frantically, and avoids his eye before replying,
"Don't you have a wit of trust in me?" Inuyasha angrily retorts,
"Yeah, I trust you to run away when there's trouble!"
"Then what? You can't rely on my trust either?"
Inuyasha looks up in surprise, and Coraline adds with a serious and angry tone,
"If you had told me about your transformation sooner, I never would've suggested staying at the temple with Nazuma! Whatever happened to leaning on one's close friends?!"
"I don't trust anybody, got it?!"
Coraline flinches, feeling something resurface from his tone...Inuyasha looks away, and replies more calmly,
"It has nothing to do with you. It's just the way I've been living up until now. It's the only way I can protect myself."
...Coraline smiles bitterly, now fully recognizing that tone and attitude:
Because that's how I used to react to the world...
"Inuyasha, I...I understand what you're saying...maybe even more than anyone else here...I just, wish you could've opened up a little more..."
Suddenly, Coraline begins to cry silently, overwhelmed by the situation, as well as some old memories resurfacing...Inuyasha was taken aback by her reaction, and tries to stop her tears:
"No, wait, I'm supposed to be the one who's down..." Coraline smiles a bit at his attempt, and dries her eyes:
"...Sorry. 'Guess seeing you acting like this is, reminding me of my own childhood...how, I used to isolate myself from everyone, save my father, of course."
Inuyasha raises a confused eyebrow:
"...Isolate yourself?"
"Yeah. You see, believe it or not, my family has a history of encounters with the supernatural. And, because of that, we've acquired an, odd sort-of reputation. Whether it be good or bad, depends on the generation...In my case, it was more the latter. The children of Majora would constantly abuse me with their words of hate, and some were even bold enough to hurt me physically too...All just 'cause I could see things and experience what they couldn't, what they refused to believe in..."
Inuyasha's eyes widen in shock:
"You were hurt as a kid just for that? Seriously?" Coraline smiles bitterly and says,
"Yeah...Eventually, I fought back and managed to get the brats to back off. Unfortunately, that just forced me into further isolation from the village, and the adults began to look at me with hate rather than a cold indifference. Like you, I lost my trust in the wider demographic of people...It's only in recent years, I've been opening up more, because I learned that too much independence isn't always a good thing. Sometimes...it's good to have at least a few people you know you can turn to for anything..."
...Inuyasha was speechless, almost not believing that a girl like the one in front of him could ever have issues with trust...
As the two just stare at one another in silence, Shippo goes into thought about the current situation:
"Now that Inuyasha has been rendered a mere mortal, I shall have to take over protecting the others. I need to summon all of my courage!"
(Rustle...)
"Ahhh, awah!"
Shippo suddenly gets spooked by the sound of moving branches, and runs to Inuyasha and Coraline while muttering,
"Someone save me..."
But, turns out the one coming out of the bushes, was none other than Nazuma, who despite a little worn down from her escape, was otherwise unharmed!
"Nazuma!"
"I-I knew that..."
"Are you okay?" Nazuma drops to her knees, breathing heavily, before lifting her head to reply,
"Please, you must return to aid the priest." Coraline comes to her side and asks,
"You really want us to go back?"
"Your demon is strong. I'm certain he can assist us." Inuyasha scoffs and turns his head away:
"Keh, now what were you saying about not being obliged to demons? Get the priest to write up some more of those sutras."
Nazuma looks up at him, and notices his human form:
"Your countenance seems altered. Has your hair not changed?"
"Huh, it isn't easy being human, believe me."
Coraline suddenly yelps, remembering something she wished she remembered earlier:
"Oh shit!" Shippo shouts fearfully,
"What is it?!"
"My bag, it's back at the temple!" Inuyasha just looks at her and replies nonchalantly,
"So get a new one when you go back."
"You don't understand! The shards, they're inside it!"
"WHAT?!" Coraline cringes and says loudly,
"I was so concerned for you guys that I totally forgot! I'm so sorry!"
"Take this."
"Huh?" Coraline looks to see Inuyasha handing her the Tessaiga, and he says with a serious glare,
"You and Nazuma stay here and don't think about moving. The Tessaiga won't transform for me tonight. I'll be able to handle a few Spider Heads using my own strength."
"...Inuyasha..."
"It's time to go back to the temple, Shippo. Let's move." Shippo flinches and asks,
"Uuuh, why do ya need me?!"
...A few seconds later, Shippo is seen tucked under Inuyasha's right arm, as he tries to psyche himself up:
"Rrrr...I am strong enough to handle this. I gotta be strong!"
Meanwhile, at the Temple...
A hand is seen reaching into Coraline's satchel, grabbing out the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama...
"Heheheheh...Hah..."
(Shoom)
"Ah!"
(Glass shatter)
(Thump)
But the bottle is knocked out of their hand by a spear, and the thief is revealed as the old priest! He tries to reach for the scattered shards, but:
"Hands off!"
(Thunk)
Inuyasha stops him with a wooden plank before that could happen. He then comments,
"So, you were planning this right from the start!" The priest turns to Inuyasha and replies with a laugh,
"I could hardly contain myself when I saw you, the half-demon rumored to possess jewel shards!"
As the priest begins to shift forms, revealed to be a Spider Head himself, Shippo slides down to the shattered bottle, and tries to snatch up the shards...
"Aaah!"
(Slam)
Only to dodge the oncoming head of the priest! The Spider Head priest then sucks in the shards that were missed by Shippo, and the latter hops back to Inuyasha and says,
"The jewel shards! He swallowed some of them!"
It turns on all fours, then shoots an arm at Inuyasha, pinning him to one of the support beams with its hands!
"What an unfortunate mishap that your supernatural powers have deserted you. By the time I'm done tying the final knot on my gauze web of deceit..."
"I may not have my usual powers...rrrah!" He manages to shake off the arm and add,
"But I can still crush you!"
But as he goes to attack, the Spider Head priest shoots his webbing at Inuyasha, knocking him onto his back. Shippo goes to lend a hand:
"Fox Fire!"
But even though he hits the demon, Shippo manages to get backhanded, and Inuyasha is trapped by his neck in the webbing!
The Spider Head closes in on him:
"Finally, this tiresome charade as a human has ended!"
Its body then glows, and the light disappears, revealing a giant web with its head in the center! The Spider Head priest then extends his neck to attack, and bites hard on Inuyasha's shoulder, causing the latter to cry out in pain...
"Inuyasha!"
"Now, tell me where you've hidden the rest of the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
"O-Over, there!" The Spider Head priest doesn't fall for Shippo's trick:
"I believe you possess them!"
"Master!"
Suddenly, they all turn to the door, and see Coraline and Nazuma, the latter shocked with this turn of identity:
"I, I don't understand..."
"He was deceiving you..." Shippo calls to Coraline,
"Coraline! Inuyasha's been poisoned!"
Looking upward, we see Inuyasha has gone stiff in pain, courtesy of the Spider Head poison bite...
"Inuyasha, hang on, I'm coming!"
As Coraline dashes to free Inuyasha, the Spider Head priest shoots his webbing at her, only to be blocked by Tessaiga!
"...Huh?" Myoga hopped to Coraline's shoulder and explains:
"The Tessaiga is protecting you as it did before!"
"Seeing you here must mean our chances of success are high...Otherwise you'd be far gone..."
"I am not certain I enjoy your insinuation!"
The Spider Head priest chuckles menacingly and says,
"I have injected a large quantity of poison into him. His innards will already be starting to liquify..."
"Master...How can you do this?"
As Nazuma looks up with tears of betrayal in her eyes, Coraline begins climbing the web, reaching just a few feet away from Inuyasha, who was barely hanging on from the poison in his system:
"Cor-aline, save yourself..."
"No way, no how, Inuyasha! I'm getting you down!"
"I'm serious...It's too late for me."
"No! I'll die before I leave you to suffer!"
(Leap)
As Coraline jumped forward with the Tessaiga held in front, Inuyasha could see...tears, running from her eyes...
Coraline makes contact with the webs, and the sheath of Tessaiga breaks the strands:
(Pow)
"Urgh!"
Coraline and Inuyasha fall to the ground below, the latter passing out from the pain. The former props up on her elbows and shouts,
"We need to get out of here post-haste!" Shippo looks out the door, seeing more Spider Heads coming:
"Uuh, there's gotta be another way!" Nazuma takes the initiative:
"There is a small room at the end of the hall, quickly!"
As she and Coraline drag Inuyasha away, Shippo opens the door, and they all dive inside the small storage room. Myoga then tells Coraline,
"Coraline, quick! Thrust the Tessaiga into the door!"
"Uh, right!"
She does as he asks, and on the other side of the door, the Spider Head priest is blocked by the energy of the sword:
(Bzzzt)
"Aaagh! You wretches!" Back inside, Myoga explains:
"The Tessaiga should be powerful enough to ward them off for some time."
Coraline then clasps Inuyasha's hand, and widens her eyes when,
"Damn, his skin's cold as ice! Inuyasha, can you hear me? Stay with us! Inuyasha!"
...No response...Coraline begins to shake:
"This...this is all my fault...I suggested we stay at the temple, and now..." Nazuma chides to Coraline,
"You mustn't blame yourself..."
"Yet this is my doing, or rather, the shards that I carelessly forgot about..."
Not all hope was lost, however, as Myoga hopped onto Inuyasha's neck, and exclaimed,
"I shall draw the poison from his blood!"
(Suck)
And as he drew out the poison, Myoga suddenly expanded to a much larger size:
"Nice to meetcha, I'm Myoga. A flea's never a burden."
"Rrhh..."
Inuyasha began to cringe a bit, as Myoga rolled over beside Shippo, adding,
"Master Inuyasha's survival will now depend on his own strength from this point on...(burp)."
Coraline ceased some of her shaking, as she sat on her legs, looking over Inuyasha's face with worry and relief:
"Thank god...Oh, his face is dripping with sweat..."
She reached into her pocket, grabbing out a small blue and red handkerchief, and proceeded to try and wipe Inuyasha's forehead.
Coraline only got a few strokes in, before Inuyasha's eyes opened:
"Oh! Sorry. I, didn't wake you, did I?" Inuyasha looked away and replied,
"No...Coraline?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me something...why were you crying?" Coraline's eyes widened, before she softly replied,
"You mean, back in the other room?...Because, I was scared that I was going to lose you...(sniff) that you, were going to die..."
"...You shed tears for me...cried for me...Coraline, if it's not too much trouble, may I lie on your lap?"
"...Sure thing."
Small Time Skip
After a couple hours, the sun was starting to peek out through the little barred window of the room. As Shippo, Myoga (normal sized) and Nazuma slept on, Coraline kept a vigil over Inuyasha, he laying his head on her lap. By this time, it seemed that Inuyasha's fever finally broke:
"How are you feeling? Any better than earlier?"
"Yes...Coraline, you smell kind-a nice."
"Huh?" Coraline felt a small blush creep onto her cheeks, and she replied,
"But, didn't you say during the first time we met that you couldn't stand my scent?"
"I did...But, I was lying..."
Coraline's eyes widened, and her blush grew:
...Where in the world is this coming from? And, why is my heart racing?...I've, never felt like this before...
"God, I'm so confused..."
She then notices that Inuyasha had fallen asleep, and she couldn't help but run a gentle hand through his hair:
"Asleep, eh? Oh, Inuyasha..." But the peace wouldn't last:
(Rumble)
"Huh?"
Shippo and Myoga jump awake:
"Aaah, what's happening?!"
"The priest must be in pursuit again! Get the master out of here!"
"We'll need to carry him! He's unconscious!"
Outside the storehouse, the Spider Head priest launches another attack on the surrounding area, causing wood to split and structures to crumble!
Everyone covers their heads, huddling around Inuyasha to keep him safe from the falling beams...
Suddenly, a hand launches out, and snatches up Shippo!
"Shippo, no!"
"I must possess the remaining jewel fragments!"
The Spider Head priest shakes Shippo, knocking out the other shards, before tossing him away, Coraline catching him. It then consumes the shards, just as Nazuma notices the Tessaiga...As the Spider Head sheds the rest of its guise while laughing evilly, Nazuma stands up, sword in hand:
"How dare you possess the body of my dear master!"
"There wasn't any priest here! It was all a trap, to lure the half-demon and his jewels to me!"
"You...you slaughtered my parents and all the other villagers?!" The Spider Head laughs and remarks mockingly,
"You served me well, gullible fool."
...With the full truth out in the open, Nazuma goes to lash out in a rage:
"TREACHEROUS BEAST!"
Unfortunately, she could not hit any real blows with Tessaiga, and soon the Spider Head would grab Nazuma, and remark,
"Your fears of the Spider Heads will soon be over! Once I have consumed you, you will become a part of me."
Nazuma quietly calls out against the strain of the hand crushing her,
"F-Forgive me, father...I should never, have trusted this, monster..."
And Nazuma loses her grip on the Tessaiga...only for it to be caught, by Inuyasha!
"You're pretty determined, for a human that is."
"Y-You're alive?"
"Inuyasha!"
The Spider Head laughs, before grabbing Inuyasha with multiple hands! Coraline cries out,
"Inuyasha, no!" Shippo then notices the sky getting brighter:
"Look, the sun is rising!"
The Spider Head laughs, bringing Inuyasha closer to it:
"You are a fine human specimen!"
"Don't be so sure about that..."
(Heartbeat, heartbeat...)
As the sun began coming up over the horizon, Inuyasha's body began to pulsate with energy...and his eyes glowed a bright red!
"You're beginning to transform, but I shall devour you beforehand!"
As the Spider Head rose it's hands into the air, Inuyasha, now fully half-demon once more, remarks,
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an arrogant spider that don't know to keep it's hands off!"
(Swipe)
His claws cut through the Spider Head's hold, and Inuyasha shouts,
"The moonless night has come to an end!" The Tessaiga transforms into its true form, causing the Spider head to cringe:
"The sword's regained power!"
"You got it, Spider Head! Hrrraaaaah!"
(BOOM)
(SLASH)
Inuyasha launches his attack, and the energy not only destroys the main Spider Head, but the others in it's wake!
(...Ping)
Left behind from the main Spider Head, is the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama, except now they were fused together, forming almost half of the once proud jewel!
Coraline comes up to the fallen piece:
"Whoa...the shards are now fused as one...They must've come together inside the demon's body."
Inuyasha comments just as surprised,
"Is that all we have so far? I thought we had a lot more!"
"...Hey, I'd call this a good start at least!"
Small Time Skip
A while later, Inuyasha, Coraline and Shippo were ready to set out in the river boat once again, as Nazuma goes out on her own:
"This is far enough. The village is close by."
"Alright, take care, Nazuma." As the boat begins to float away, Nazuma adds,
"Oh, and Inuyasha? I appreciate your help. I'll try to remember that not all demons are bad. Not most, but some."
"Don't kid yourself, Nazuma. All demons are bad, it's that simple."
"I won't forget you! You'll always be in my prayers, Inuyasha!" He glances back briefly, before turning back to the front muttering,
"...Keh, whatever," but does send a small wave back to Nazuma...
After a bit, Coraline mentally takes in Inuyasha's behaviour and appearance during this time:
Well, it seems like he's back to normal again...But still, what he said to me back in the temple...
(Flash)
"...Coraline, you smell kind-a nice."
(Flash)
Did he really say that, or was it the fever talking? Physically he's fine, but what about emotionally? Did, something change in his feeling for me? Maybe, I should ask...
Inuyasha felt a stare, and he turns back to Coraline and says irritably,
"Are you gonna keep starin' at me, cause it's tickin' me off! If you got something to say, just say it!"
Coraline deadpans and mentally quirks,
On second thought, I think I'll leave that question for another day...
"Uuuh, are we there yet? What do ya say we stop for a short rest?"
"Yeah, sure, as soon as you get over your seasickness."
"Hey, Inuyasha?"
"Huh?"
Shippo then went to throw up in his direction, but Coraline quickly grabbed him and aimed over the side of the boat...
"Oh, Shippo..."
Time Skip, Present-Day Tokyo
As soon as Coraline and the others made it back to the village, Inuyasha took her back to the well so that she could meet with her brothers about the lead on Rikona, with her promising that she come back in a couple hours, no more, no less.
When Coraline did reach home, she immediately called the twins, and they told her that the recon they did while she was gone was successful, as they did see Rikona a few times coming in and out of an old factory building...
Needless to say, Coraline was ecstatic, and all three agreed to meet at the abandoned factory district, and try to see about finding and speaking with Rikona.
So now, the teens were coming up on the one factory building that the twins had spied on for the past few days:
"So, you guys are sure this is where Rikona is hiding out?"
"Yep! Besa and I have kept a careful watch for the past few days, and this is the same building she comes in and out of around mid-afternoon."
"She's usually got a bag or two when she returns, so we think she comes out every once in a while for supplies...She's a pretty resourceful kid."
"Hm..."
The teens then approached the rusted fence that surrounded the run-down building, and crawled through the opening cut in. They agreed that approaching quietly and calmly would be the best strategy, as Rikona could possibly become frightened by their appearance, and try to run...
Once they got inside, they looked around for any signs of human life:
"Hm, so far, no sign of her..."
Suddenly, the heard a shuffling in the back...and a small whimper...
"...Rikona? Rikona, is that you?"
"...W-Who's t-t-there? Who are you?"
Coraline answers in a calm and friendly voice,
"We're friends of your cousin, Shuji. My name is Coraline, and these are my brothers, Freeman and Besa."
"We're not here to hurt you, Rikona."
"Yeah. We just wanna talk, is all, and make sure you're okay."
...The room is quiet for a moment, before a small shadow comes into light, belonging to a young girl, who despite looking rather grimy, didn't look injured.
She had long, black hair in a braid, and was wearing a green dress with yellow flowers that had a few dirt stains on it, and wore black Mary-Jane shoes.
The girl came up slowly to the teens, and asked timidly,
"Y-You know Shuji?"
"Yeah. I just met him myself, but my brothers have known him for a couple years now."
"He's a cool guy, caring too."
"He's been worried about you, sweetie. He asked us to find you and see if you were okay."
"(Sniff) He's worried about me?"
The teens nod, and the girl cautiously approaches Coraline, saying tearfully,
"I-I want to go home, honestly, I do...But, I'm scared."
Coraline kneels down to Rikona's level, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder:
"Scared of what? What's got you so scared, Rikona?"
"T-The scary gang member's brother...He, he's been around my neighbourhood a few times, and he looks really mad. I, I heard he was looking for the people who saw his brother do that robbery. I got so scared, I ran away to hide...Now, (sniff) I dunno what to do..."
As Rikona broke into tears, Coraline gently rubbed her shoulder, and chided,
"Shh, it's okay...Rikona, I understand why you're so scared...But, if you keep hiding like this, the mean man will win."
"(Sniff) Huh?"
"You see, he's counting on you to feel so scared that you can't live life without thinking about him. But, I can see that inside of you, is a brave girl who wants to stand up for herself, and be at home with her family."
The twins come down to their level, and add,
"Cora's right. You're braver than this, Rikona. Just look at how long you managed to hold out on your own."
"If you can venture out on your own to get supplies to help yourself, how can one mean man stop you?"
Rikona looks at the three smiling faces in shock, before saying,
"...You're right. I, I am brave...I can't let fear get the best of me. I, I have to go home."
"That's the spirit! If you come with us now, we can get you back to Shuji."
"What do ya say, Rikona?"
...Rikona looks at the teens, and breaks out a small smile, nodding.
Small Time Skip
After a while, the teens eventually made it to Shuji's garage, Rikona walking in front of them. When they got to the door, Besa knocked:
(Clang, clang)
"Yo, Shuji! You in? We got some good news for ya!"
"Really? Then come in and tell me!"
Besa opens the door, and they all walk in, seeing Shuji wiping his hands on a cloth, his back facing them:
"So, what's this good news you all brought me?" Coraline smiles and says,
"Turn around and see."
"Huh?"
Shuji does as she asks, and nearly has a heart attack:
"Uh!...R-Rikona?!"
"Shuji!"
Rikona rushes to Shuji, and wraps her arms around his neck in a big hug, as he bends downward, shock on his face:
"Oh Shuji! I'm so sorry I was gone for so long!"
"R-Rikona..." Shuji's eyes well up in tears, and he hugs her back tightly:
"Oh god, Rikona...You're okay...You're alright..."
The three teens watch the warm and touching display with smiles on their faces, happy it all worked out...
Shuji then straightens up, one of his hands clasped around Rikona's, and looks at Coraline with gratefulness and surprise:
"...I...I can't believe, you found her..."
"Heh, you didn't think I'd give up that easy, did you? You wanted Rikona to come home, and now she can..."
"...How?"
"I got a lead a few days ago from a shop owner and his son that they saw Rikona heading for the abandoned factory district a couple times. I then had Freeman and Besa check into it to confirm the lead, and then we went to find her, and convinced her to come with us to you."
Shuji was speechless, then he broke out a laugh, and remarked,
"Wow, I dunno what to say...Thank you, so much, for not giving up, and for bringing her back."
"Of course. I'm just glad she's okay."
"Oh, right! Before I forget..."
Shuji then goes to another table, and grabs something off the table. He walks back over in front of Coraline, and presents it to her:
"Here. It just came in yesterday..."
Coraline takes it, and softly gasps, seeing a knife inside a brown leather sheath:
"The combat knife!" The twins get a closer look, and Coraline brings the blade out:
"(Low whistle) That looks pretty sharp."
"Yeah, that's definitely a good-grade combat knife!"
"Glad you approve...cause I'm giving it to you free of charge." The teens looks up in shock at a smiling Shuji:
"What?!"
"...Shuji, I, I can't possibly..."
"Yes, you can. You brought me back Rikona...I can't think of any other way of repaying you than with this. Besides, something tells me that you'll need this in the coming future..."
Coraline is shocked:
"...Shuji..."
She then smiles, and reaches her hand out to his, shaking it:
"Thank you...I deeply appreciate this."
"Heh, no problem. Just be careful with that; blades like that don't come cheap, and can be dangerous if you don't know how to use it."
Time Skip, Sengoku Edo
Eventually, Coraline said goodbye to Shuji and Rikona, and after returning to the shrine, bidding a goodbye to her brothers, she repacked her things, and dove back into the well.
On the other side waiting for her, were Inuyasha and Shippo:
"(Grunt) Hey guys, I'm back!"
"Coraline!" Shippo launches onto Coraline, and hugs her, and she laughs a bit:
"Hey, Shippo, good to see ya." She then turns to Inuyasha, and says with a small smirk,
"See, told you I'd be back in a few hours."
"Keh, alright, you pass this time...So, did you find that little girl?"
Coraline gets out of the well, and stands up straight, answering,
"I did. Rikona's now safe and sound with her cousin, Shuji. He was so grateful for her safe return...he gave me the weapon I was asking for free of charge."
"Whoa, really?"
"Really."
"...Can I see it?"
"Oh, me too!" Coraline laughs a bit at the boys and says,
"Sure, give me a second..."
She then takes off her satchel, reaches into one of the pouches, and pulls out the knife:
"Here it is. It's called a combat knife; it comes with a sheath that I can strap to my thigh. It's not likely as sharp as say Tessaiga, but it should come in handy in a tight spot."
The demons look at the knife, seeing the blade glitter a bit in the light. Shippo makes the first comment:
"Wow! And this Shuji guy gave it to you for free?!"
"Yep!"
"Hm, so this is what knifes in your time look like..."
"Pretty much. It depends on the maker and what the knife is made for. I'm confident that this will help me defend myself better."
"...Defend yourself better?"
Inuyasha then grows a strange look on his face, like he seemed almost disappointed in hearing what Coraline just said...
Coraline sees the look, and is confused:
"Inuyasha?"
He then turns to Shippo, and asks him in an oddly calm and serious voice,
"...Shippo. Do you mind heading on ahead back to the village on your own? I need to speak with Coraline in private for a moment..."
Shippo was taken aback by his tone, but decided to comply:
"Um...okay. I'll see you two in a bit," and he begins to dart back to the village, leaving the two teens alone...
"...Coraline. Come with me."
"Uh, okay..."
Coraline follows Inuyasha away from the well, and over to the Goshinboku Tree, where they both sat down, Inuyasha on one side, she on the other...
Everything is quiet for a moment, until Inuyasha broke the silence with a question:
"...Coraline, what do you mean when you say the knife will help you protect yourself better?"
"Huh?"
"...Do you think I can't protect you?" Coraline's eyes widen, before she realized what Inuyasha was asking:
"...Oh, Inuyasha, no...that's not what I meant at all. Of course I believe you can protect me...What I meant was that I now have something besides the bow and arrow to use in combat, incase for some reason you can't help me at the time."
Inuyasha whirls around at Coraline, putting his hands at the sides of her head, trapping her against the tree:
"Inuyasha!"
"No way in hell that's happening! I won't ever allow you to end up in that vulnerable position! I said I'd protect you, and I mean it!"
"...Inuyasha..."
Coraline smiles softly, and reaches a hand to touch his shoulder:
"And I appreciate that...but, you and I both know that sometimes it can't be helped."
Inuyasha slowly removes his hands, looking at Coraline with shock at how calm she is, and she continues:
"Perhaps I worded that a bit wrong earlier. What I probably should've said was that the combat knife can better help the group collectively. And not just for battle, but for other practical uses, like hunting for example."
"...You can hunt?"
Coraline smile goes sheepish and she rubs the back of her head:
"Heh, well, to a point. It really depends on the animal and the time of day. I can sometimes get rabbit, but I'm better at snaring fish..."
Coraline then grows an insecure look in her eyes:
"...Anyway, the combat knife will definitely help in making me 'look' less defenseless...and not as weak a human that I likely am..."
Inuyasha looks at her in surprise, and she goes to stand up, saying offhandedly,
"But hey, what am I rambling about? We should go catch up with Shippo..."
With that, Coraline began walking down to the village, while Inuyasha watches her go with a confused frown:
...Did she really just call herself weak? Damn...I didn't think she'd take that insult so seriously...
Still, I'm getting this feeling she's leaving something out...
There's another reason she armed herself up with that combat knife...and I'm gonna find out what...