Update (April-May 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 2: Battle with a Crow and a Quest Ignited
Quick Recap:
...For centuries since the end of the Sengoku Era, Japan's humanity has felt a decline in their understanding of the supernatural.
To this day, very few harbor any sort of strong belief that beings like ghosts, demons and others in-between still exist...
One of those few includes a young woman who hails from another country, her reasons for being in Japan having yet to be unveiled.
Pulled down a mysterious well by supernatural forces on her fifteenth birthday, Coraline would find herself emerging in a much younger Tokyo, back when it was once called Edo! After encountering a boy - later known as Inuyasha - wrapped within the towering roots of an equally younger Goshinboku Tree, she was then brought by local villagers to Lady Kaede, a priestess whom had been on watch of the forest for fifty years...
Soon, the village is under attack by Mistress Centipede, the demon responsible for dragging the redhead into the well and into this era. The creature's true goal was to obtain the fabled Shikon-no-Tama, a jewel that granted unimaginable power to those who sought it...Knowing that the monster was after her, Coraline leads it away to the forest, her cry for assistance echoing back to Inuyasha, whom would awaken after a long, spell-induced stasis caused by an enchanted arrow. When the situation began taking a turn for the worst, the girl from future Tokyo made the rash decision to free the apparent half-demon from the spell, allowing him to destroy Mistress Centipede in no time flat!
Lady Kaede then presented Coraline with the Shikon-no-Tama, informing her that she is now the protector of the jewel, much to the girl's dismay and confusion. Inuyasha then steps forward, arguing that the object has no place in the hands of humans, and demands the jewel be given to him before he used his claws on Coraline!
Now...
As the half-demon gives the fully human redhead a menacing smirk, the villagers begin circling behind him, getting ready to use their weapons should the former choose to attack. Meanwhile, Kaede places a protective arm in front of Coraline and tells her calmly,
"Pay no heed to Inuyasha, child."
The teen could only stare at the boy, before focusing her vision the Shikon-no-Tama.
Grandfather once told me tha' this jewel was rumored to 'ave legendary power for the possessor.
But, he didn' specify on what kind of power...
If it makes, demons, like Mistress Centipede stronger...could that mean the jewel is cursed?
Her thoughts are interrupted by Inuyasha's growling tone, having grown tired of the mystery behind the redhead's appearance.
"I hate havin' to wait...and I hate the smell of you...!"
I dunno why this girl has Kikyō's scent mixed with hers, but it's enough to make my blood boil.
He begins his charge against Coraline, and she grits her teeth before turning the other way to run. She wouldn't get too far, however, when her foot slips against on a bone fragment of Mistress Centipede!
"Ah!"
Fortunately, that seemed to be her lucky break, for she fell forward just as Inuyasha came with a swipe of his claws, barely missing her by a hair!...She slides to the ground with a grunt, and looks up with a glare at her latest assailant whom slides to a stop a couple feet away from her. He cracks his knuckles and asks her tauntingly,
"You want me to scratch your back?"
She lifts herself up on one knee, both surprised yet undaunted by his action.
"...You really tried t' hit me just now, didn't you?"
"Now! Shoot!"
(Twok, twok, twok...)
The men act fast, shooting arrows at Inuyasha who easily slices them in half, before speeding off in a jump to slash through two nearby trees, causing the men to flee before they get crushed!...The half-demon lands on one of the trunks, and glares at the villagers with an annoyed frown.
"Tuh, who'do you people think I am?! You think you can hurt me like I did that centipede?!"
One of the men turns to Kaede and mutters with uncertainty,
"Lady Kaede...methinks mayhap that we might have chanced the centipede..."
The priestess responds with a calm sigh,
"Somehow, I knew that it would eventually come to this..."
She reaches into her kusode, and pulls out a set of mysterious, Japanese violet prayer beads with several jade magatama woven between four spheres at a time...Meanwhile, Coraline continues sprinting from Inuyasha as he closes in for another attack.
"Prepare yourself!"
"Oh great, now what?!"
She looks over her shoulder, and cries out in surprise as the half-demon brings his claws down in another swipe! This time, although not hitting her directly, his power does send an impact which shoots her body forward while the surrounding earth itself is cut...!
"Aaaaagh!"
Coraline lands on her front again, and accidentally drops the Shikon-no-Tama a few feet away...She turns around, and her eyes bulge out at seeing the huge claw mark now embedded into the dirt and moss.
Holy hell...
Inuyasha then side-jumps off a tree, diving for the dropped jewel.
"Ha! Now it's mine!"
...Or so he thought. By this time, Lady Kaede had finished the prayer spell accompanying the strange beads.
(...Pow, bzzt-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pip)
The necklace flies out from her hands, and splits into a dozen or more glowing pieces, aiming straight for Inuyasha! The beads reform around his neck, and he looks at artifact confused, landing on a rock just a few feet in front of Coraline.
"Th' heck are these?!"
Kaede then calls out to the redhead,
"Quickly, child, the word of subjugation!"
Coraline calls back as she reaches to grab the jewel,
"Uh, can you be more specific?"
"It matters not! Your word has power to hold his spirit!"
The redhead takes off once more, running a short distance before reaching the edge of a small cliff, and looses her footing before sliding down to the bottom.
"Wah!"
She looses grip on the Shikon-no-Tama again, and it bounces all the way to the middle of a wooden bridge overlooking the river cutting between the forest and village...
"Ha!"
It was in this moment Inuyasha comes bursting from the treetops.
"How can you overpower me when you can't sit up?!"
Realizing her own physical strength wouldn't be enough to stop the half-demon, Coraline tries to come up with a 'word of subjugation'.
"Dammit, what word will work on 'im? What word?!"
...She then notices Inuyasha's silhouette within the light the full moon, zeroing in on his ears and thinks of the creature akin to that particular physical feature.
Wait...That's it!
He's probably gonna hate me more fo' this, but it's his fault for choosin' t' act so aggressively.
And just before Inuyasha could grasp the jewel, Coraline calls out her new command.
"...Sit, boy!"
(...Gleam)
The set of beads glow as the spell activates, and the half-demon is suddenly yanked downward to crash face-first into the bridge with a off-guard yelp!...Coraline steps forward to the foot of the bridge, amazed by the spell's effectiveness.
"...Whoa. I can't believe tha' actually worked."
The enchantment wears off, and Inuyasha sits up fast with aggravated disbelief tracing his features.
"What the heck is this thing?!"
He then tries to yank the beads off, but no matter how hard he pulled, the beads would not come off...Kaede comes up to the edge of the cliff and explains why, a hint of amusement in her tone all the while.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but even you lack the power to remove it."
Jumping to his feet, he retorts back in heated irritation,
"We'll see about that! I'd come up there and finish you off if you didn't look half-dead already!"
"...The word, please."
Coraline obliges the elder priestess, she herself put off by the boy's prolonging crudeness.
"Sit, boy."
The subjugation beads activate again, sending Inuyasha against the surface of the bridge again, this time with enough force to crash through the boards.
"Aaauuhh!"
(Splash...)
With that 'minor annoyance' taken cared of, Kaede approaches Coraline and remarks lightly,
"Well then. Shall we head home?"
The redhead looks down at the river where the half-demon, and comments with mild surprise,
"...Well, that was easier than expected."
Time Skip
Come the next morning, the villagers would be hard at work reconstructing the buildings damaged in the onslaught of Mistress Centipede...Focusing within Kaede's hut, the priestess is seen redressing Coraline's wound.
"How's that? Perhaps I'll put more salve on your belly..."
The redhead grimaces a bit in pain, but was otherwise unharmed from the events last evening. We see that she had shucked off her flannel shirt, and tied up the bottom of her tee since it's stained by her blood, leaving her midriff exposed.
"Thank you, Lady Kaede...T' think, this is where the Shikon-no-Tama once resided...I noticed tha' everyone is already busy with repairs from las' night. All that destruction..."
Coraline couldn't help but feel guilty...Kaede washes her hands once she finishes treating the girl, replying,
"Aye, child, and the destruction has only just begun. Now that the Shikon-no-Tama is back among us, many more demons will come to claim it and its power."
"I'm assuming they will be stronger than Mistress Centipede?"
"Yes. And not just demons: there are humans, whose hearts fall prey to petty ambitions and dark desires, that will come for the Shikon-no-Tama as well."
"Hm, speakin' on the subject of petty, (turns) why are you still around?"
Coraline's question is directed to Inuyasha, who got out of the river sometime last night and has been lingering at Kaede's since. He's currently laying on his side with one arm propped up at the elbow and his chin resting on his palm, his back turned to both women...The silver-haired youth turns his head briefly to meet the younger female's eyes with a grunt, and replies irritably,
"I'm waitin' for the jewel," and turns away with a scowl...
"With the beads around his neck, his threat is greatly diminished. It is perhaps the only way we can allow him so close to the jewel."
Furrowing her eyebrows in thought over the priestess's words, the redhead then says to Inuyasha,
"What I don' understand is why you wan' the jewel in the first place. You already have such incredible strength tha' can easily best most opponents in yo'r way. What more could the Shikon-no-Tama possibly give you?"
"Ah, but he's just half-demon."
(Smash)
In a spat of sudden anger from what he deemed to be a tactless comment, Inuyasha drives his fist into the floorboards before spinning around to exclaim,
"You know what, I'm sick of hearin' some dried-up witch I just met, talkin' like she knows me!"
Kaede of course is unfazed, and calmly replies as she moves to stoke the fire in the hearth,
"So ye don't remember? I thought as much. I am younger sister to Kikyō, she who bound ye to the tree. Kaede."
"You're Kaede?"
Inuyasha thinks hard, remembering a young girl who used to be by the previous shrine maiden's side half the time...
"So you're the brat, huh?"
"Fifty years have passed...and I have grown old."
The half-demon then scratches his eyebrow as he thinks aloud,
"If you're this old...Kikyō must be pushing a hundred. (Half-smirk) Sure glad I don't gotta worry 'bout being old, least not for a while..."
"Kikyō didn't worry either...Kikyō died."
Inuyasha's ears twitch on that bitter-toned information, his face settling into a distant expression as the fact sinks in...
"It was on the same day she shot ye with the arrow."
As Kaede adds more wood to the fire, the half-demon regains his smirk and says with a sarcastic tone,
"Gee, sorry to hear it. Not that I really care or nothin'..."
He leans back into a lazy position and adds,
"It's one less thing for me to worry about."
"I wouldn't let your guard down just yet, Inuyasha...for I know now that Coraline, is the reincarnation of my sister."
Said girl's eyes widen in shock at Kaede's claim.
"Say what now?!"
"Though true ye do not bear any 'physical' resemblance to her, for whatever reason, the Jewel of Four Souls was in your body. That alone is proof enough...It is up to ye now, child, to take over its protection."
...
...
Later on and closer to noon, Coraline is seen walking by the riverside, the Shikon-no-Tama now in a set of beads around her neck as she contemplates her newly developing role.
...Me? Protect this?...This, can't be right.
"I can' possibly be Kikyō's reincarnation. Hell, I'm not even Japanese! Unless citizenship counts..."
Some of the villagers observe her moments as they pause gathering provisions, conversing over her rumoured origins.
"She's the reincarnation of who?!"
"You gotta admit, there's something other-worldly about her..."
"But who?"
"They're saying that girl is really Kikyō reincarnated."
"That's Kikyō-sama for those who respect her!"
"Me? I knew that it was Lady Kikyō all along."
"Kikyō-sama has come back just as she left."
Sensing their stares, Coraline turns to see a small crowd on the other side of the river bowing to her as if she were standing at a shrine for worship...Of course, the redhead doesn't take this gesture too well.
"...Crud! I gotta get outta here while the gettin's good...!"
I mean, I'm glad they're no' treatin' me with disdain, but I'm nothing divine!
...
At the same time, Inuyasha is seen laying against the trunk of a beech tree atop a high branch as he thought about how much time has passed since he had been trapped under that stasis spell. His train of thought is focused on one particular woman who's not of this world anymore.
"...She died...and I never knew..."
...Suddenly, a loquat is thrown at Inuyasha's back, but he catches it with ease.
"Hm?"
He then spots Coraline whom had decided to approach him.
"Hey. You hungry?"
"Where'd you get all that stuff from?"
He's indicating to the two bags of food and a bushel of daikon radishes now in Coraline's hands. She explains,
"The villagers jus' gave it all to me, (mumble) even though I tried to politely decline. (Slight smile) How 'bout you come down and help me eat it?"
Soon, both teens were sitting at the base of the tree as they gradually eat a good amount of the food...However, as Coraline munches on a loquat, Inuyasha had his mouth set in a frown, his hazel-gold irises narrowed in suspicion at the girl's niceness.
"...Whatever you're up to, I ain't buying it."
"Who said I was up to anything?...Hah, alright, it's become quite obvious tha' you don't like me, am I right?"
"Waaay more than obvious."
"Sure, sure. But it isn' even me you have an issue with. It's this, 'Kikyō'."
At that remark, Inuyasha grunts before dropping his daikon and jumping back up into the tree...
"Look, Inuyasha, I am not Kikyō. I'm Coraline...Can't we just, I dunno, come to some sort o' compromise?"
He immediately whirls around and retorts,
"Ha, I knew it! You talk of compromising, but you forget my only goal is the jewel! You're just trying to lull me into a false sense of security!"
"Really? That's your conclusion?...Kuh, that's funny, since all I have to do to 'ensure my safety' is say the word Sit."
The beads around the half-demon's neck glow to the tune of the incantation, and he's yanked off the tree branch by the outworldly power to crash face-first into the ground. Coraline realizes her mistake too late:
"Oh shit; I'm so sorry! (Remorseful tone) I gotta be more careful with tha' word..."
Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha lifts himself up with an infuriated expression.
"Aw, man...!"
I'm gettin' a horrible feeling these stupid beads are gonna cause me more grief than any demon...
Hours later, the darkness of night cascades over the land, and zooming inside Kaede's home, we find Coraline laying under a borrowed blanket atop a futon as she begins to drift to sleep, despite the unease in her spirit.
It's been two days since I came here...I hope everyone back home isn' too worried abou' me.
...Grandfather, Akari-sama, Sōta. I'll find a way back to you all...somehow.
With that promise to the wind, she succumbs to slumber with the Shikon-no-Tama held close to her being...Meanwhile, sitting on the branches of a hinoki cypress none too far away, a large murder of crows has gathered. One of them is particularly large and radiates with a dark aura, a long, lizard-like tail protruding from is hindquarters, its three piercing red eyes focused directly on the priestess's hut, flashing in want at the prize inside...
Suddenly, Inuyasha comes bursting from some nearby greenery, swiping his claws at the murder of birds and scaring them off.
"Keh, they've all come just 'cause they smell the jewel. Stinkin' vultures..."
...Unfortunately, what the half-demon didn't know was that it wouldn't be the last time he'd be seeing one of those crows, the latter creature deciding to switch up their approach.
Time Skip
As the sun came and rose to greet the new day to the tune of a rooster crow, we catch up with Coraline as she heads for the forest to try and find a way back to her time.
Hmm...I'm sure this way leads back to the Bone Eater's Well...
If it brough' me here, surely it's the key to going back.
Back in the village, we observe Kaede searching for the redhead, indicating that the latter had managed to elude the village's eye.
"Coraline?...Coraline!"
Three men come rushing to her after coming up dry in their own search.
"Lady Kaede, we've looked everywhere but she's not here!"
"Could it be that she's gone off on her own? We spoke of those who seek the Shikon-no-Tama, yet we spoke not nearly enough..."
...Unbeknownst to the priestess, Inuyasha is listening from atop another home, mildly surprised at the girl's boldness.
What? She seriously left all by herself?
Coraline's POV
Okay, so striking out on my own may not be one of my 'smartest' decisions, but I have to get back home! True, I do feel bad for accidentally starting what I'm positive will turn into a crazy war for power, but how can I concentrate on fixing the problem unless I figure out if returning to my era is even possible?
I'm still shocked tha' time travel is a real thing...Hm?
After walking for a while, I finally spot the well in the distance.
"Aha! There it is!...Now, to see if I can get back..."
...But just as I began to move in that direction...
"Hah!"
I'm ambushed by a group of bandits! They grab me by my arms and waist, with one of their hands covering my mouth so I can't scream for help.
Aw damn!...Why does a concept like goin' home suddenly have to be so difficult?!
Despite my struggles, they cart me off to an abandoned shrine house where the whole gang of them is hiding out at. One of them pins me to the ground with a hand on my head and my arms behind my back.
"Rrrgh, ouch!"
"Heheh, hey, boss, we caught the girl just like you said we should!"
As I struggle to get out of his grip, another one then says,
"Hahahah, check out her clothing. Never seen hakama like these before~..."
I feel a hand fondle by backside and tug at by jeans, causing me to flush in anger and embarrassment before quickly rising into a defensive position.
"H-Hey, cut that out!"
The bandits look at me with teasing expressions, a few of them having lust in their eyes.
"What's the matter, princess~? Our hands too dirty for ya?"
"Marry me and I'll buy you a nice kimono."
They all chuckle at their comrades' comment while I angrily retort,
"Quit laughin', you perverts!"
...Suddenly, their leader - a tall ogre of a man with no hair, pale skin and wearing what I'm guessing is stolen samurai armour like his fellows - speaks up from his shadowed spot against the back wall, his voice low and commanding.
"Hand over the jewel, right now..."
As he rose onto his feet, I notice his face has a rather dazed expression and his walk is a bit unsteady.
Hm, somethin's wrong here. I'd almost say he's drunk, but, my intuition's sayin' otherwise...
He then unsheathes his sword, just as two of the bandits grab my arms to hold me in place.
"Auh! Hey, what're you-"
"Here, boss: try taking off on one swing, like a dandelion! Haha!"
"Are you nuts?! Get off!"
The leader does swing his sword...But instead of hitting me, it cuts down the bandit holding my left!
"Aggh! What'd you, do that, for?...Auuuuh."
He drops dead, and the others look at their leader with shocked and frightened expressions, telling me this was extremely abnormal behaviour.
Now I'm definitely convinced something's wrong.
The lummox just brushes it off with a low chuckle, before going to swing his sword again with no real target in particular! His blade even cuts through a statue, the top half crashing to the ground...
"Boss, Boss! W-Where you aimin'? She's who you want!"
They began pushing me - the intended target - towards him, but I wasn't having any of that.
"Whoa, whoa, hang on! Can' you idiots see there's something seriously wrong with 'im?! Get your heads together before 'e chops them off! Am I the only observant one here?!"
The bandits suddenly duck, and I turn around, only to barely dive down in time from another sword swing! We all scatter around the room, I rolling across the floor between the leader's legs, trying to put as much distance between him and myself as possible.
Crap! Here I am, in Sengoku Edo, playin' a round of Red Rover, with an eight-foot fores' troll!
Inuyasha's POV
Using my demon speed, I run past the river and through the forest as I track down that strange human.
Where'd that damn woman get to now?
I pause my pursuit atop a tree branch, and sniff the air for her scent...
"Tch, stupid girl. I don't care where she goes, but she took the jewel with her."
Not that there's alot of places she can really go...
Where did she come from anyway? I noticed a few strange scents on her clothes that don't smell like anything around here...
Is she really from another era?
I jump down and continue the search, hoping that I'll find the human before she gets herself into trouble...and looses the jewel.
Coraline's POV
Rrrrh, this isn' getting me anywhere. There has t' be some way to defeat this oaf.
I watch the leader continue to blindly swing his sword, cutting and smashing all in his way. The other bandits and I have barely managed to keep out of the way each time, while the room becomes all the more ruined and our options of escape start to diminish...I then rush over to help one man who got caught under some rubble.
"You alrigh'? Can y' stand up?"
The others rush over as I wrap the arm of the injured bandit over my shoulder. Hey, I know they kidnapped me, but come on, I'm not heartless! Plus I'm starting to have serious doubts that these thieves share the same level of desire their boss does...Anyway, we all turn to watch the behemoth wander our way again.
"I want the jewel. Give it to me."
Tch, of course, he's after the Shikon-no-Tama...
God, if only I didn't have i' with me. Then again, Kaede did warn me that evil and desire of all circles would be after it...
But I'll worry more abou' that later; I need to focus on gettin' out of here!
The bandits and I begin to slowly side-step out of the leader's line of vision and to another wall. I'm still acting as a crutch for the injured bandit, while the others...scramble behind me.
Cowards...
"Seriously, what kind of bandits are ya?!"
They just nervously laugh...around the time the leader lets out a war cry and swings his blade at us! Luckily, we were faster, and he just ends up flinging himself into the wall...
"Alright. This has gone on long enough."
I hand the injured bandit to one of his comrades, then take the Shikon-no-Tama off my neck...and throw it out the entrance as far as I can!
"The jewel..."
Now's our chance.
"Quick, all of you: push ou' the wall while he's distracted!"
"You got it!"
They all slam against the surface at once, but it wasn't enough for the wall to give way.
"Sorry, boss, no good!"
"What did-Who the hell elected me as your boss?!"
I hear a grunt, and turn around to see the leader standing directly behind me! He swings his sword, and with no hope of getting out of the way, I form a defensive X-position with my arms, praying for a miracle...
(CRASH)
"Hrraaah!"
Which was fortunately answered by Inuyasha! His robes - surprisingly - surpass in strength to the blade, causing it to break on impact, and I watch as he punches and roundhouse-kicks the leader to the floor...With the giant out of commission, the other bandits take this opportunity to flee for their lives.
"We're outta here, boss!"
"Thanks again..."
I couldn't begin to explain my relief in seeing Inuyasha, expressing such after the thieves disappear.
"Thank you. You came just in the nick of time."
He turns to me and asks with urgency,
"Is it safe? Where's the jewel?"
I give him an expression of stupidity.
"Uh, the jewel?"
"Oh, no! Tell me you did not just say that!"
I laugh nervously, while inside I'm panicking as I realize that I've completely forgotten about the Shikon-no-Tama!...But that would be the least of my worries at present, when I notice the bandit leader rising to his feet once more.
He's still conscious?!
"Inuyasha, behind you!"
He turns around, and immediately covers his nose with his sleeve in disgust.
"Augh...What is that smell?! It's like, rotting meat, or-!"
Strange, I picked up a hint of that too, now tha' I think about it...
Wait! Could the bandit-
Next thing I knew, the oaf's armor comes off one side, revealing a gaping hole where his heart would be...And inside, was a monstrous crow!
No POV
As the demon crow caws menacingly at the two souls in its way of claiming the Shikon-no-Tama, Coraline cringes and Inuyasha comments with a grim smile,
"How much you wanna bet that bird ripped his living heart out and made itself a bloody nest?"
"(Glare) This would explain the bandit's odd behaviour until now. This crow's been usin' him as a puppet of flesh!"
The antagonistic aviary lets out another hoarse caw as the half-demon explains,
"Carrion crows don't fight on their own when there's dead bodies handy. They ain't so tough...but they're hell-a nasty!"
Inuyasha then jumps and drives his claws into the hole, trying to get at the crow...But the bird busts out the rotting flesh from the back, flying away and abandoning the body, leaving it to disintegrate away until only the skeleton remained...
Coraline comes to the side of her fellow teen and says,
"It's getting away!...Shouldn't you go after it?"
Inuyasha just rises straight while rolling his shoulder and calmly replying,
"Maybe you haven't noticed, but the world is full of monsters. You want I should go after them all?"
"Of course not, but-"
"No but! You wanna start doin' the fightin'? Be my guest!"
As they continue to argue, the crow flies overhead the vacant shrine house, then dives to the ground where the Shikon-no-Tama lays, and takes it within its beak!
"In the meantime, where's the jew-Awwoh!"
Inuyasha breaks off in a groan as he watches the demonic bird fly away with the jewel.
"That stupid crow's makin' off with the jewel! What's wrong with you?!"
Coraline yells at him in return,
"Hey! I never mentioned having the jewel, did I?! Anyway, let's go after it!"
(CRASH)
"Whoa!"
"Come on!"
The half-demon bursts through the blockage, dragging the redhead by the wrist with him with the intention of pursuing the beast...He suddenly stops, forcing Coraline to land against his back.
"Oof! Why'd you-"
But Inuyasha wasn't listening; he was focusing on a bandit's abandoned horse, specifically, a set of bow and arrows strapped to the side of their saddle...
"Oh no you don't!"
The pair are soon chasing after the Carrion Crow, Coraline riding atop the boy's his back while holding onto the quiver and bow...As he kept moving swiftly along through the treetops, Inuyasha then turns to the girl and asks,
"What're you waitin' for?! Hurry up and shoot it!"
"Shoot?! You can't be serious! The only long-range I know is with a rifle, not a bow and arrow!"
"...What's a 'rifle'? Anyway, the crow lives by eatin' human flesh. If you think that's bad, let it swallow the jewel!"
And guess what the avian demon did?
"Crap, it swallowed it!...Ugh, alright, I'll, give i' a shot!"
"Thank you!"
And after she takes out the crow, it's her turn.
Coraline slips out an arrow to use, getting the bow ready as Inuyasha continues dashing across the dirt.
"Kikyō was a master archer. Take it on one shot!"
(Leap)
"I keep tellin' you, my name is Coraline!"
Even so...Kikyō, if you can hear me, please lend me your strength...!
"Here we go..."
(Twok)
She fires...but unfortunately, her aim causes the arrow to miss the crow by a mile. Inuyasha trips face-first in surprise, with Coraline barely managing to steady herself on his back. She curses,
"Dammit...Hey! Didn't you say Kikyō was a master archer?"
"She was! It's you that's the klutz!"
The two begin their pursuit again, and watch as the Carrion Crow grows larger and more hideous than earlier.
"See how big it is?"
They come within range again...
"Do it!"
(Twok)
But even though she's a bit closer to her mark, Coraline's shot misses again...Inuyasha suddenly slides into a stop, and harshly dumps the girl off his back and onto the ground.
"Ouch! Why'd you-"
The young man turns around abruptly, and points at her while angrily shouting,
"I don't care what the old lady says: you, are not, Kikyō, you got that?! I am so outta here!"
He turns and speeds off on his own as Coraline gets up off the ground, muttering sarcastically,
"Gee, took 'm long enough to take his blinders off," before running after him.
"Come back here!"
...
We now zoom in on the Carrion Crow as it swoops over the Goshinboku Village, specifically overhead a young boy and his mother as they were crossing the bridge overlooking the river...The creature dives down, and snatches up the boy in its talons!
"Waaah!"
"Help, somebody, help!"
Inuyasha arrives on scene, speeding up atop the treeline and catching up with the monster.
"Looking for your next meal already, huh? You forget, first you gotta get through me!"
Coraline arrives on the bridge, and calls out in protest,
"Inuyasha, no! You'll hurt the boy!"
"Back off!"
He leaps from the trees and deals out his attack.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(SLASH)
He claws the crow into pieces, sending the poor boy into the river with a splash! He bursts from the water, crying out,
"Help! Help me!"
Unfortunately, the silver-haired youth is too focused on locating the Shikon-no-Tama to bother with rescuing the younger male.
"Where'd it go? Where's the jewel?"
As the little boy is forced downstream, much to the worries of the villagers, Coraline decides to take action. She yanks off her shoes, socks and flannel shirt, leaving her in just her jeans and t-shirt before diving off a rock into the water.
(Splash...)
She bursts back up and starts paddling over to the boy.
"Hah, hah, it's a good thing, I was taugh' how to swim when I was little..."
The adults watch her in amazement:
"How can she do that?"
"She's fast...!"
"She's a kappa, I tell ya! A kappa; she isn't human at all!"
Coraline manages to reach the boy as he struggles to stay afloat.
"Ah! Hh!"
"Don't worry, lad, I got ya!"
She wraps her right arm around his torso, and begins swimming to shore with her free left and halfway on her back...
"It's on it's back now! I don't believe it; what a day, what a girl, what a kappa!"
Coraline mutters with regards to the one man's cheering,
"Obviously, swimming isn't a normal teaching 'round these parts..."
Inuyasha stops on the other side of the river and shouts,
"Save the jewel, stupid! The jewel!"
But the redhead ignores his urging and reaches shore, setting the young boy on his feet so he could rush to embrace his mother. She then sends an icy glare the half-demon's way, before turning her back to him with a huff. He backs up in surprise, sputtering in confusion...The boy and mother then proceed to thank Coraline for her rescue.
"Thanks for saving me."
"Thank you. Thank you, thank you..."
She just smiles modestly and replies,
"No worries. I'm just glad everyone's safe..."
...But the fight isn't through yet, because the flesh pieces of the Carrion Crow began to from back into one again, and the crow bursts out of the river with a caw!
"Knew it. Hey, it's getting away!"
Coraline turns at Inuyasha's shout, and mutters with a frown directed at the monster,
"Great. Should'a seen this coming considerin' the 'Mistress Centipede Incident'..."
Suddenly, the boy she just saved begins crying out, and the redhead turns back to see one of the crow's feet gripping the back of his kimono, tugging in the beast's direction!
...Hang on. I got it!
She looks around before settling her eyes on one villager with weapons, and comes in front of him to ask,
"Excuse me. May I borrow your bow?"
"Uh, sure..."
The man hands over his bow and quiver to Coraline, and she takes a piece of twine to tie the crow foot to one arrow...
"Alright, third time's the charm..."
Inuyasha watches from his vantage point as the girl steadies the ammo against the bowstring.
"My butt she's gonna hit it..."
(...Twok)
The arrow flies, but unlike the first two shots, this one was flying at a speed and aim that felt guaranteed! The half-demon notices why:
"Of course! She's shootin' the foot!"
Coraline muses to herself,
With the foot attached, this arrow's pretty much a heat-seekin' missile! Now way it'll miss...
(Whizz...TOK)
The arrow point embeds feathers and flesh, and destroys the Carrion Crow in a burst of power!...But...it also aimed directly at the Shikon-no-Tama, the impact of the sharp arrowhead causing it to form crack spots...before ultimately shattering into pieces! Not that anyone knew that, yet...
"Yes! Got it!"
"She hit it!"
...Inuyasha then notices the bright amaranth pink light emanating from up high in the sky, as does Coraline.
"Huh?"
"...That light. Is that the jewel?"
(...BOOM, whoosh)
Everyone watches with wide eyes as beams of that same light shoot in every which way from the central area of impact...
"Lady Kaede! Those lights...!"
The priestess watches the beams travel away from the village, narrowing her eyes as she senses something amiss.
"...Oh aye. And I like not the looks of it."
...
...
We jump ahead now to around dusk, and discover the teenagers searching the edge of the woods for the Shikon-no-Tama...
"Are you sure it landed here?"
"Fairly sure. This is where the crow hovered last before i' was destroyed."
Still, I can't help but be worried abou' that burst of light...
Suddenly, Coraline hears a rustling in the treetops, and looks up to see the Carrion Crow head bursting out from hiding!
"Wah!"
"I don't, (slash) think so!"
Now the demon is gone...but.
(Ping...)
Instead of the 'fully intact' Shikon-no-Tama...
"Oh shit, that better not be...!"
"Better not be what?"
Coraline kneels down, and picks up the very tiny object before replying in a worried but curious tone,
"Um...I believe this is a shard of the Shikon-no-Tama."
Three, two, one...
"Wh...WHAT DID YOU SAAAAAYYY?!"
Aaaand I'm screwed.