Update (May 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened, now with a newly rewritten scene!
Chapter 9: Enter Shippō, Plus The Amazing Thunder Brothers
"Aaand, done. There we are, the noddles are ready."
"(Slurp) Mmm, not bad, not bad!"
A day or two passes after the defeat of the demon toad, and come around noon today, Inuyasha and Coraline decide to stop in their travels to eat...Actually, let's correct that: the half-demon had discovered the instant ramen in the girl's army surplus bag, and insisted on stopping to have a bite.
"I can see how this stuff would catch on."
Coraline watches the boy eat with a somewhat deadpanned expression.
"It does come in handy durin' travel..."
Inuyasha looks up from his noodles and urges with a bit of confusion in his tone,
"C'mon, Coraline, aren't you gonna dig in?"
She sighs and smiles faintly before replying,
"It's not tha' I don't want to...but m' appetite's a bit apprehensive due to our 'current surroundings'...?"
She's of course referring to the battlefield they were sitting by, the caws of the crow murder indicating that the corpses - though with most reduced to bones - were somewhat still fresh...
"Of course, I can' really complain considerin' at one time ago, I was forced t' eat in trash-filled alleyways and fishin' docks...Still, a grassy field would be a better place t' eat than here."
Myōga comments as he ate a few fishcakes,
"Finally, I found someone who has good taste and tastes good. I must say how impressed I am by the conveniences of your era. That 'cam-per heat stove', and your instant food stuffs...Tell me, has our land started trading with other lands?"
"Yeah! Good observation, Myoga. I had a feelin' you'd take notice. Actu'lly, instant noodles were invented righ' here in Japan during the space age, which will be roughly four hundred years from now. It's become a convenience food for many people 'round the world, but originally, they were made for astronauts for space travel."
"Astro-what?"
"Astronauts. Their job is t' explore the bounds of outer space. (Clap) Oh, right: th' humans of my era have already traveled to the moon!"
Both demons were surprised by such a feat.
"Man has traveled to the moon?"
"How'd they do that?"
"They use a transportation vehicle called a rocket."
"And a rocket would be...?"
Coraline takes a nearby stick and tries to draw in the dirt what a rocket would look like for Inuyasha.
"Well, basically, they're a cone and cylind'r-shaped object with somethin' called an engine a' the bottom. By settin' blaze to a type of fuel called nitrogen, the rocket launches into the air, burnin' the fuel as it went and eventually leaving our planet's atmosphere into the vacuum of space."
She looks back up after her explanation...and sees her companion munching away on his ramen again, not listening...
"Hauh, mind you, I dunno if I should even be explainin' future technology to someone from the Sengoku era..."
...Suddenly, the atmosphere around Inuyasha, Coraline and Myoga got dark, causing them to jump to their feet on edge.
"What the-Who turned off the sun?"
"I dunno, but somethin' tells me it trouble!"
Myōga scolds the younger demon for carelessly throwing away the empty ramen cup.
"Lord Inuyasha, no littering!"
"Kuh, this is no time to talk trash!"
The sky then light up once more as a bright blue flame swirls in the air, and a disembodied voice speaks up.
"You down there! You possess a piece of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
"Who's that?"
"A demon?!"
Myōga hops onto Inuyasha's shoulder, and tells him,
"I believe it's a fox."
"Not likely, Myōga."
The swirling vortex of blue fire suddenly shrinks down...
(Pop)
Before transforming into a...giant, pink balloon creature...The teens look at it with confusion, and the 'balloon' demands in a much clearer tone,
"Hand, over the jewel! The jewel, or your life!"
When the mouth of the entity comes to rest on Inuyasha's head, he growls in irritation...before-
(Slap)
"Auuuhwaaaaaah!"
He backhands the 'balloon' and causes it to sputter out air, and when it finally runs its course, the creature reverts to its true form, that being a rather small male demon. Based on their stature of a foot and a half coupled with his youthful looks, it's fair to say he's only a child just hitting over halfway to double digits. His ginger-copper hair is short and tied back into a small ponytail with a turquoise ribbon, contrasting his fair ivory skin like his dark pastel green eyes, and wore a verdigris happi haori patterned with white leaves, cobalt blue hakama and an ochre brown fur vest. His more defining traits which indicate demonic origin include a bushy, vanilla-cream tail, feet which look remarkably identical to fox paws, and pointed ears.
The teens rush over to where the little invader landed, and Coraline couldn't help but mutter in surprise,
"It's just'a young lad..."
Of course, his temper would more than make up for whatever he lacked in height.
"Who dares to burst my bubble?!"
The boy then widens his eyes in fear when he catches sight of Inuyasha's glare, and tries to run away, but is caught by his tail. Holding the kid in front of him, the half-demon says,
"Huh, feisty little thing, aren't ya? Nice tail; looks like a badger or a squirrel."
"I'm a fox, heathen!"
Coraline comments on the side,
"A fox demon, eh? Interesting," before stepping closer to her travel companion.
"Inuyasha, y' shouldn' hold 'm by his tail like that."
"Ya mind? I'm trying to teach him a lesson. Gaaah!"
(Wham)
Suddenly, the older young male is dragged downward, and in replace of the fox demon is a jizo statue!
"A statue?...Wait!"
Deciphering the feint, Coraline whirls around to see the little demon rummaging in her satchel.
"Hey! Get outta there!"
The fox demon ignores her, zeroing in on what he was looking for.
"Found it! A sacred jewel shard!"
He then turns to the teens with a mischievous smile, and leaps into the air.
"Our time together has been short but sweet! Farewell!"
(Pop)
"Huh?"
"He vanished! The little..."
(Rattle)
"Hm?"
That's when the pair pick up on the sound of bone jittering, and turn around see a skull with a bushy tail sticking out the back trying to make a break for it...One whack of Inuyasha's fist, and the fox demon was stopped.
He's now sitting with the teens on a protruding rock with a new bump on his head, grumbling,
"Always pick on the little guy..."
Coraline takes some healing cream she brought for bruises and begins to put it on his minor injury, deciding to take pity on the young boy.
"This may ache a bi', bu' it'll help to reduce the swelling fast'r...So Shippō, was it?"
"Yes..."
"Why were you so determin'd to rob us of the Shikon-no-Tama shards?"
"...For my father."
The redheaded human stops her treatment, surprised by his answer, and the fox demon now known as Shippō continues.
"I need to get the jewel shards to avenge him!"
"Revenge? Whatev'r for? Unless...was your father killed?"
Inuyasha speaks up from his seat, easily summarizing the younger demon's motives.
"I get it. He's not strong enough, so he needs the power of the jewel shards to take out his enemies."
"I'm strong enough to take on any enemy! I only want the jewel as a precaution..."
...Shippō then realizes the teens weren't listening, instead arguing about who should be holding onto the bottle of jewel shards. He gets them back to speed by shouting for their attention.
"I'll do the talking here!"
They stop bickering and focus back on the kid, as he continues his story.
"It all started not too long ago. Hundreds of warriors were engaged in a battle near the forest where we lived...But a dark cloud past overhead; a cloud so dark and evil, none could imagine the horrors it would bring...The warriors were at first puzzled by the strange turn in the weather..."
By the end of his tale, Coraline, Inuyasha and Myōga will have learned about the growing threat in the form of a pair of demons with the ability to control lightning. Worse still, they already possess a couple jewel shards which make their attacks all the more devastating...
"I see. So they murdered yo'r father t' get his shard of the Shikon-no-Tama...And how did he come to have it?"
"I couldn't say. All I know is that the Thunder Brothers steal the jewels from demons."
The singular human of this odd travel group stops along a dirt path, the fox child perched on her shoulder.
"Thunder Brothers?"
"It's a nickname, because of their thunder and lightning attacks."
"Ah."
Inuyasha - standing up in the tree above them - asks the flea demon,
"Heard of 'em, Myōga?"
"He must be talking about Hiten and Monten. And if the rumors are true, those two are evil incarnate."
The silver-haired half-demon proclaims boastfully,
"Big deal! All I gotta do is defeat the brothers and I'll walk away with all their jewel shards!"
"And one day, man will walk on the moon!"
He looks down to see Shippō frowning skeptically with folded arms, having hopped to the ground off the other redhead's shoulder.
"You're no match for the evil Thunder Brothers...You're only half-demon. I can smell the human in you. This is between demons; it's got nothing to do with half-breeds such as yourself, so stay out of it."
Coraline casts a stern look at the young boy.
"There's no reason for you to act rudely, Shippō."
Of course, Inuyasha wasn't about to let the kid get away with trying to act tough and proud. In that event, he jumps to the ground and lands a hard fist against the smaller skull.
(Bonk)
"Gah! You big-"
And that was only round one. The half-demon then proceeds to clobber the opposing cranium repeatedly, despite Coraline's disapproval.
"Go easy! He's likely never been taugh' how to behave properly in front of those different from 'im."
Inuyasha doubts it, but stops nonetheless, and Shippō bows apologetically.
"Forgive me! No hard feelings. Very sorry..."
"Tuh, someone's gotta teach him a lesson."
"As a token of my a-(Wham)-pology..."
The young fox then brandishes out another jizo statue to sit on top of the half-dog's hands, and slaps on a sutra spell for good measure.
"This suppose to be humorous?"
"Heheheh, you're stuck until you can get the scroll spell peeled off!"
Coraline tries to reason with the former, well-aware that her companion's temper was growing by the minute.
"You're headin' into dangerous territory, Shippō. I highly recommend removin' the sutra now and save yourself some trouble."
"Dammit, Coraline, just rip it off yourself; don't bother reasoning with the little twerp!"
Inuyasha struggles to pry his hands free as he exclaimed that demand, but with no success. Meanwhile, Shippō prepares to execute the next part of his plan, if a bit reluctantly.
"I don't like playing tricks on women if I can avoid it...Don't hold this against me, Coraline."
He then leaps up and thwacks the other redhead's neck, and she tries to grab hold of him, but would be tricked into releasing him by way of fox fire. The boy lands on the ground in a somersault, holding up the bottle jewel shards triumphantly.
"Thanks! I'll use this to lure out the Thunder Brothers!"
"Hey!...Damn brat, he got the shards again...!"
Coraline snatches up her bow and quiver, preparing to head after the fox...but not before pivoting on her heel and reaching to peel of the sutra binding the jizo statue in place.
"Do me a favour and save the 'I told you so' for later, alrigh'?"
Flipping the slab of stone off his hands, the half-dog demon in red replies as he and the girl jog off to hunt down Shippō,
"Oh I'll definitely remember to later...but right now, I wanna focus my time on clobberin' that shrimp!"
...
...
The scene shifts to a nearby mangrove swamp enclosed halfway by a ring of oak trees heading to the forest, and zooming in on the edge of the water pool, we spot a demon gazing at his reflection. His appearance certainly speaks to his origins, that being a large humanoid reptile - likely a snake or a lizard - with sea-salt white skin, bald save the three black hairs sticking out the top of his head and the small braid hanging from the back, and beady black eyes. His outfit would have to be the more impressive feature, it being a somewhat simplistic version of Tosei dou (dō) gusoku style samurai armour with a prominent sapphire blue colour scheme, a fur pelt around his waist, and a pair of gold earrings designed as double tassels joined to a gold disk.
"Hmmm, what a pleasing visage...but with a few more hairs, I could attract the ladies as brother Hiten does."
He takes out a wooden boxwood comb and runs it through the few strands atop his reptilian head, daydreaming about a more handsome countenance...
"Hm?"
He pauses when he hears a rustling in the underbrush...which is revealed to be Shippō, who managed to outfox - pardon the pun - the teens.
"They'll never find me now!"
...Or so he believed. Panning back a bit towards a few oak trunks clustering near eachother and a pair of bushes, we see that Inuyasha and Coraline had easily narrowed down the young demon's trail, thanks to the half-dog demon's sense of smell.
"There 'e is. C'mon, before he starts off agai-"
"Hold on."
"Hm?"
The redhead looks at the silver-haired boy in confusion for not rushing in for once, until he mutters,
"There's another demon nearby, stronger than the brat."
"You're kidding...Oh yeah, now I see th'm..."
"Auwah!"
And unfortunately for Shippō, the humanoid reptilian had spotted him, stepping over to loom over the little demon with a leer.
"What a coincidence; if it isn't the son of that flea-bitten fox."
"Wh-Wh-What do you want?"
...The poor boy then wails when his eyes narrow on the fox pelt, his horror causing pleasure for the older menace.
"Like my fur coat, do you? Just like your father's...Hehehahahahaha!"
In the treeline, Coraline fights down a loud gasp as a wave of anger and sorrow washes over her.
That freak's one o' the Thunder Broth'as?...And he's no' even denying his horrific deed!
...Oh Shippō...
Based on the tears of anguish in those dark pastel irises, the young fox's emotions are more muddled than the other redhead.
"Monster...you'll pay for what you did!"
He then rushes to attack the reptile demon.
"Lemme at you!"
(Whap)
"Gh!"
But he's easily knocked aside halfway, and as he hits the ground, the bottle of the shards he stole fall out of his pocket...
"A shard of the Shikon-no-Tama."
Hearing the other demon's mutter, Shippō hurries to sit up, then turns to cover the small glass container with his body. Before he could move to escape, the reptilian humanoid presses a foot on his tail, pinning him in place.
"Now, hand it over like a good little lad...or else."
The larger entity then opens his mouth, charging up what looks to be a lightning attack! From afar, Coraline mutters under her breath,
"Damn...I gotta help 'im!"
She then takes off from the bushes, much to Inuyasha's protest.
"Wha-Coraline, get back here!"
Idiot, what is she thinkin'?!
Pulling out an arrow mid-run, the redhead says to herself with both empathy and determination,
He may've been a pain...bu' I know where the lad's comin' from, almost too well.
...Which is why...
(Twok)
I won't let him die!
(TOK)
She meets the mark and lands the arrow straight through the sides of the reptilian's nose!
"Hh!...Uh! My beautiful nose!"
Shivering slightly from the new pain, he then turns to meet eyes with the one who attacked him.
"Who are you? (Glances down at Shippō) And as for you..."
"Not anoth'a step, you beast!"
The antagonistic demon pauses and focuses back on the glaring Coraline, just as she prepares another arrow.
"Otherwise this next arrow's goin' right through your brain!"
The fox demon cries out the other redhead's name, and she orders,
"Shippō, hurry my way and bring the shards with you!"
Glancing up at his tormentor briefly, the boy then swipes up the bottle of jewels and makes a mad dash over to Coraline. The reptilian demon doesn't hesitate to pursue his quarry.
"Stop! I must have those Shikon-no-Tama shards!"
That's when the girl notices the casual glow of power near the top of his large cranium.
"Looks like he's go' two shards in his forehead. (Pulls back the bowstring) If I hit 'im there, that'll be the end..."
Just hope m' aim holds ou'...
"No ya don't!"
(Slash)
But before Coraline could release the ammo, Inuyasha cuts into the altercation with a long leap from the side, swiping his claws along the back of the reptilian's head!...He lands in a flip beside both redheads, shooting a scolding glare at the teenage girl.
"Are you insane?! Don't go runnin' into danger like that!"
"Oh calm down; it's no' like I planned on bein' target practice. I kept a distance when I fired m' arrow, didn't I?"
"That's not the point!"
"Then what is your point?"
Shippō interrupts the budding argument by saying,
"Uhm, guys...?"
They look down at him confusingly, until he points ahead at the other demon in the area, he now trembling while reaching his hands towards his head.
"...What's up with him?"
"Didn't think I nicked 'im that bad..."
In some respects, Inuyasha's blow could be considered more restrained since his opponent didn't die instantly...However, his claws did more than just leave a shallow wound. Two of the hairs occupying the balding head of the reptilian demon suddenly float off, much to his horror. He tears up in anguish...before letting out a cry of rage and charges up his lightning attack once again!
Fearing annihilation, the fox demon grabs Coraline's hand to yank her along with him.
"Come on, we gotta flee!"
Inuyasha would have yelled at him, if he wasn't thinking the same thing.
Oh crap!
He whips around and runs alongside the other two as Shippō reveals,
"That's the same kind of attack that killed my dad!"
...Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough.
(Ka-BOOM)
"Aaaaahhhh!" "Aaaaauugghhhh!"
"Gaaaauuuuuhhh!"
All three souls are knocked off their feet from the force of impact, flying until they land hard against the barely dry ground...
"Hah, hah, that should stop them for a while..."
The fox demon is the only one who remains conscious, and he scrambles to try and wake up either of the teens.
"Coraline, you gotta get up! Inuyasha?!...Nh!"
He freezes when he hears the reptilian approaching, and with cowardice getting the better of him, he darts into the underbrush...The antagonistic entity reaches the the half-demon and human, whom we notice had landed in a way that Coraline was laying sideways on top of Inuyasha's torso.
"Hm, so the little fox managed to escape...Mm?"
The humanoid reptilian's focus fixates on the female, a light blush forming from her beauty.
"She looks good enough to eat...Ah, she's lovely..."
In the underbrush, Shippō remains as quiet as possible to avoid detection...until he hears a crash of thunder, and looks up with horror at the sight of his fellow redhead being carried away with the demon atop a large thunder cloud!
"He's got Coraline!...I gotta go rescue her!"
...Of course, he stops in his tracks atop a stump when he fully contemplates the situation.
"But how? I don't stand a chance against the Thunder Brothers. Coraline will soon be in serious trouble...Unless..."
He looks back at the still unconscious Inuyasha, frowning in thought.
...He may be a half-demon and a bully...but I'd be dumb to not admit he's strong.
The young fox pulls the bottle of jewel shards out of his robes and adds to himself,
Plus it's obvious that Coraline means something to him, so she, and the jewel shards the brothers possess should be enough to motivate him.
By the time he reaches that conclusion, a certain flea demon - whom had been hiding at a greater distance from the action this whole time - had hopped over to stand on top of his young master's bangs, glancing down at the latter with concern and urgency.
"Oooh, this isn't good. At least Master Inuyasha escaped being fried, but he's not gonna be happy when he wakes up...Hm?"
He turns around when he hears the fox demon bounding over this way.
"Inuyasha!...Oh, it's you, Myōga!"
"Ah, Shippō. What luck; you've escaped harm as well."
"Yeah, barely..."
"...Am I also correct to assume you know who that was and where they're taking Coraline?"
Looking down with a rising guilt in his being, the younger demon nods,
"Yeah. That was Manten, one of the Thunder Brothers, and he's likely taking her back to their lair in Raimei Valley, the, mountains that are always stormy...Mmmh!"
Just as the little fox fights back tears of frustration and dare we say, humiliation...Inuyasha begins to stir awake, blearily blinking his eyes open.
Mm-mmh...Rh, damn, that was a hard blast...
He refrains from any further movements when his ears pick on the rest of Shippō's dialogue.
"I...I knew it was only a matter of time, before even one of 'em would find me, with or without the jewel. I may not be, as strong as my father was..but I remember him as a strong demon, even before he got that shard. (Sniff) It still confuses me how those...those bastard Thunder Brothers, even got the best of him..."
The half-dog frowns slightly in a rare show of sympathy for the boy.
He must've really looked up to his old man...
"And now, with him gone, I'm the only one who carries his blood. It falls to me, to become as strong as he was, and worthy of our clan. I figured if I nabbed even one jewel shard, it would help speed up my training until I could actually take revenge against those brothers...But I...I jumped into this too fast!"
Shippō beats one of his fists against the ground as he fights the urge to sob over how badly his plans were backfiring.
"I never meant for this to happen! I only wanted to trick Inuyasha and Coraline out of their jewel shards! I never meant for any of them, especially her to get caught in my mess; really, I didn't...!"
The flea demon nods and replies solemnly,
"I know you didn't, young man, but there's no use wishing to undo what can't be undone...The only proper action to take at this point is admit your mistakes, then find a solution."
"...Alright, I've heard enough."
Both fox and flea jump in their spots, and look over as Inuyasha sits up with a light shake of his head.
"Inuyasha!"
"You're awake, young master."
Letting out a grunt of a sigh, the half-demon focuses his eyes on the youngest soul in the area.
"So if I understand it right, thanks to your greed for revenge, Coraline's now in the hands of the Thunder Brothers?"
"Mmh!...Rrrh..."
Shippō avoids those hazel-gold irises with a discreet nod...
(Bonk)
"Ouch!"
"First of all, you're an idiot."
Inuyasha then plucks the little bottle of jewel shards from the fox demon's hands.
"And second, I'll be takin' these back since you obviously can't handle them...So how'd you let Coraline get kidnapped, anyway, by concealing yourself in the bushes while they made off with her?"
"Grrrh, why do you have to pin all the blame on me?! I'm already feeling guilty enough as it is!...Besides, she's your woman; you should at least do some of the rescuing!"
"Huh?!"
A light blush dusts the half-demon's cheeks from the turnaround...before he pins the young fox to the ground in angry embarrassment.
"She ain't my woman! Kh!"
"Hey!"
"...But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to save her."
Now on his feet with arms folded and directing his back to Shippō, Inuyasha adds in an attempt to bring the interactions back to a normal he could process,
"If you're prepared to give me an apology, that is. And also prepare me a nice, hot bath tonight."
The young ginger gets up and growls incredulously at the half-demon, but Myōga hops atop a tall marsh reed and says to him,
"Shippō, give the master what he wants. Time is wasting and the girl is in danger."
"Rrrrrrrr...why am I always the one handing out apologies...?"
The boy then recalls the moment when his fellow redhead was taken away by Manten.
"Mmmh...but I can't rescue Coraline on my own..."
So with major reluctance on his part, Shippō forms the saikeirei and grunts,
"Okay! I apologize..."
"...Don't mention it."
"Huh?"
He looks up and sees Inuyasha heading back in the direction where Coraline's two bags would still be sitting.
"C'mon, we've got a lot of work to do, Shippō...Let's move out."
Watching the red-clad teen heading for the drier dirt path in the forest, the fox demon says to himself with mild surprise,
"That was fairly painless..."
Coraline's POV
Auh...Wha...
I'm not sure how long I was passed out for after that crazy lightning attack, but when I did finally stir, I knew instantly that I had been taken far away from familiar faces. Blinking open my eyes, they refocus to show me a stone ceiling.
...Where 'm I?
"Ah, mother would be proud if she knew that the family recipe was being put to use..."
Hm?
I turn my head a little and spot that reptile demon from before, tending to a stone pot of something I'm not sure I want to know the name of.
Oh great. I've been kidnapped, haven't I?
"The only ingredient left is the most important. The one I like to call, deliciously awful, hehahahaha..."
I decide that it would be pointless to feint unconsciousness, sitting up while holding the side of my head from an oncoming migraine. My movements catch the brute's attention:
"Awoken, have you, my fair maiden?"
I glare at him and reply,
"Tha' I have...Where are we?"
"That's the least of your worries..."
"What're you implying?"
"I'll tell you: the flesh and blood of young maidens does marvels for hair growth. Some call it 'The Wonder Potion of the Century'."
...Wait, what?!
Repulsion is probably the best word I can use to explain why there's a new surge of indignation creeping into my bones. I exclaim in such a tone,
"I'd rath'a be thrown off'a cliff than become an ingredient for some damn hair potion!"
"Shhhh; keep your voice down! If brother Hiten hears you, he might just fulfill your wish!"
Hiten?...So both Thund'a broth'rs are here?
I'd get my answer quick enough, when said suddenly drives his fist in through the door, sending it sprawled into splintered pieces!
Holy crap...
Getting a better look at the other half of this gruesome duo, I notice that unlike the lummox who kidnapped me, Hiten sports a more human-like appearance save his pointed ears and prominent incisors, and is wearing a slightly more elaborate form of battle armour. He too has a braid of long black hair, but it still retains life and shows no signs of balding unlike his brother.
"Thought I heard voices. Back so soon, Manten?"
Making note of the three jewel shards in his forehead, I then glance at the lady on his arm, a more-than-likely-demoness with long, bushy midnight blue hair, light red eyes with muted blue pupils...and dressed in a rather provocative fashion, with only the scarlet, ankle-length hakama-style skirt that could be considered 'modest', while her chest is only barely covered by a snake wrapping from over her shoulders! She's also adorning a couple pieces of gold jewelry, mainly a princess-style necklace and a few arm/wrist cuffs.
Ugh, she may as well wear a sign tha' says 'shameless'.
Her rather nonchalant attitude doesn't help my opinion of her either.
"Huh. That thing is your brother?"
Manten's nerves meanwhile had risen at his brother's arrival.
"Hiten! Good to see you!"
The new male's red eyes then land on me.
"Who's she? What's she doing here?"
I'm immediately blocked from view by Manten.
"She's mine! I found her first!"
...When I suddenly ge' deemed as an object?
"No need to worry; I have no use for her. Not when I have this little vixen~..."
...Euw. Too much information, and with a response like tha', I'm wondering if tryin' to reason with him is even worth it.
"Oh, while I'm thinking about it, how'd you fare in your search for more jewel fragments?"
"Heuh? Um...How could I have forgotten?"
Hiten growls and he steps forward, causing Manten to jump to his rather weak but honest defense.
"My apologies, dear brother! I found one, but I lost it!"
"...Found one but lost it?...Don't tell me you were more interested in this woman that much that you would forget about the precious jewel shards!? Grraaaah!"
(FLASH-CRACK-BOOM)
All it took was one flick of an enraged wrist, and Hiten's lightning attack completely incinerates the demoness to a charred corpse...
"Please Hiten, forgive me!"
"You bring nothing but shame to this family. If you were not my younger brother, I would've done you in long ago!"
His cruel words set my eyes frozen with terror.
(Gulp) Yep, definitely pointless t' reason with that temper.
I better think of something fast, or I'm done for!
Manten then explains what happened, and though he calms down, I could tell Hiten's still disappointed in hearing about his brother's blunder...
"So, this little Shippō tyke has our jewel shards?"
He then turns to leave...
"A-Are you going after him?"
"Of course I am, and you're coming with me."
I prepare to sneak down off the wooden bench and run for another part of the castle where these two can't find me.
After tha', I'll hurry outta here and find the oth'rs...
"Where do you think you're going?"
Unfortunately, Manten turns back around, grabs a cleaver and tries to cut me down!
"Whah!"
(Clang)
I barely jump to the side in time, shooting a hard glare at my assailant.
"What the hell, man?!"
"Oh, a thousand pardons..."
Manten lifts the weapon back to him and taps the blade against his palm with a menacing leer.
"I meant to make it quick so you wouldn't have to suffer, and there's no sense delaying since I don't want my main ingredient for my hair potion escaping..."
"Hold it! Killing me is a really bad idea!"
"Oh, and why is that?"
Dammit, think...Wait.
"Because if you opt m' life, you won't be able to find Shippō and his shard of the jewel!"
"Huh?!"
A smirk forms on my lips as a new scheme starts stacking its building blocks.
Heh, there truly is a suck'r born every minute...
I've got Manten's attention, now t' reel in Hiten. Let's see...Oh!
"Are you two familia' with Inuyasha? The strong, brave, handsome warrior?"
Hiten scoffs,
"Him, strong? That Inuyasha's merely a half-demon."
"Half-demon means nothing to 'is strength! He's defeated all kinds of oppon'nts single-hand! Moreover, he has most of the fragments of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
That causes a double gape from both brothers, making my confidence rise higher.
That's it, Cora! That'll get their interest!
Hiten then comes to sit me, and asks somewhat skeptically,
"Hey, you. Are you lying?"
A short chuckle escapes my lips before I bring out the big guns (which I would kick myself on a later date for).
"I would be a fool t' lie about 'im. After all...he's madly in love with me."
Manten widens his eyes, and I add with a mock passion,
"If you tell him you're holdin' me captive, I know my one and only love will gladly hand ov'a the shards for my safe return!"
Inuyasha is so gonna kill me for this...
I hear the brothers talk among themselves, with Monten saying to Hiten,
"Something tells me she's lying," while the latter replies,
"I think she's telling the truth."
Even so, Hiten doesn't hesitate to remind me what consequences will be in my future if my lies are exposed, yanking me up by my tank top. I'm basically wearing the same outfit from when I met Nobunaga, but with a black sleeveless jacket instead of a flannel shirt.
"Wench, take us to this Inuyasha lover of yours at once. But be warned: if you're lying, you'll suffer the same fate as she."
He grabs my chin and adds in a mocking tone,
"And I doubt you'd enjoy being fried to a crisp."
His smile made my own lips curl in disgust.
And he'd do i' in a heartbea' too, no doubt. Sadist.
Small Time Skip, No POV
As Coraline successfully dupes the Thunder Brothers to keep her life long enough to reunite with her comrades, Shippō rides atop Inuyasha's shoulders as they leap from each rock peak to the next in search of the girl within Raimei Valley...Of course, it became fairly obvious that the fox demon wasn't fond of the area, and the half-demon proceeds to mock him as a form of distraction (possibly).
"What's the matter, Shippō; not afraid of heights, are ya? I could always take you back if you're frightened..."
"I'm not afraid! Whoah!...I'm gonna save Coraline and avenge father! W-With a little help form you that is. You better be as strong as you say you are;
those Thunder Brothers have jewels in their foreheads to make them more powerful!"
Inuyasha stops atop one rock peak, and after steadying his balance replies with a confident chuckle,
"That'll only make defeating them more enjoyable."
As a storm begins to brew in the darkened sky, Myōga says from his place on the subjugation beads,
"Master, we must hurry before they do something to Coraline."
"I'm sure she can handle herself. She's probably talkin' their ears off or somethin'..."
"We can only hope. But if the rumors are to be believed, the Thunder Brothers do not keep pretty young ladies for long before, devouring them."
That doesn't read well to Shippō's ears.
"Devouring them? Inuyasha, you don't suppose Coraline is-"
"Get real. Didn't you hear him? He said 'pretty young ladies'."
"Yeah, and she is pretty, and brave and smart!"
The flea demon hums,
"Hmm, isn't anyone gonna ask my opinion?"
The fox demon then wails,
"Oooh, this is all my fault! She's probably being eaten alive as we speak!"
"Methinks it's not too late."
"If it's not too much trouble, could we continue the search?! We might be able to get to Coraline before the Thunder Brothers get hungry!"
Inuyasha retorts calmly,
"What's the rush? She ain't pretty, so they're definitely not gonna go for her."
Myōga then suggests,
"We can always take a vote, and seeing as I have four hands instead of two, I should be able to vote twice."
"Aaaah, she'll come back and haunt me for this! I've heard the legends, so I know how it works!"
"I did say pretty young ladies, that's true, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Shippo might find her good-looking, but I myself am more fond of-"
Finally having his fill of the nonsense, Inuyasha shouts for all to hear,
"QUIT NAGGING; I'M GOIN', ALRIGHT?! STOP YAPPIN' AT ME AND JUST POINT ME TO THE WAY OF THE EVIL BROTHERS!"
...Two seconds later...
(CRACK)
"Guuaaaah!"
A huge bolt of lightning comes crashing down on the steep rock they were standing on, and Shippō tumbles to the ground with Coraline's bags while Inuyasha lands on his feet, the latter quickly whirling around to snatch up the fox demon as another energy bolt shoots their way...They look up to meet eyes with the source of the onslaught, they noneother than Hiten.
"Very impressive maneuver, dodging my lightning bolt...especially in spite of your light and dull conversation just now."
We notice that the humanoid demon is now wielding Raigekijin, a kama-yari spear with a uniquely-shaped base blade that resembles a lightning bolt, and the horzontal kama curved outward more before pointing upwards.
"You must be the reputed Inuyasha himself."
Myōga quietly informs the half-demon,
"Master Inuyasha, that is Hiten, the elder of the Thunder Borthers."
Shippō hops onto Inuyasha's shoulder and demands,
"Where's Coraline; what've you done with her?!"
"Don't despair. We've done nothing to her, as of yet. Monten."
Hiten directs his attention to his brother, the reptilian demon now situated atop a thunder cloud.
"Coming, brother!"
He then pulls up Coraline to show the concerned souls of her companions.
"Behold."
She calls down with a relieved smile,
"Inuyasha! Shippo!"
"Coraline!"
The half-demon's shoulders raise with tension, causing the young fox demon to slip off and roll to the ground...But Inuyasha was more focused on his relief and agitation in seeing the other redhead.
Well, at least they haven't hurt her...yet.
"Judging by your expression, it seems the girl spoke the truth. Now hand over the fragments of the Shikon-no-Tama to me, or you'll never see your lover alive again!"
Though as Hiten cracks lightning from his body threateningly, Inuyasha went into a confused and somewhat shocked stupor.
"See my lover...?"
Coraline notices the half-demon's expression, and mentally facepalms.
Oh man. I should'a known he wouldn' play along with the ploy...
Inuyasha makes his way forward, responding to the kami-yari user with a slight voice break,
"Uh, there must be some sort of misunderstanding...!"
He then shoots an accusing glare at the captive redhead.
"So lemme get this straight, you and I are supposed to be lovers?"
Coraline quickly calls down to him in a weak attempt to keep her lie afloat,
"Well there's no need t' be shy about it; come on!"
But Manten sees through her instantly, and chides while rubbing a fist against the top of her head.
"You little vixen, I knew you were fibbin'."
A nervous laugh escapes the equally nerved grin on the girl's face, before she's forced to address her incredulous companion.
"You actually think I'd hand over the jewel shards as a ransom to get you back?!"
"O' course you would, cause that's wha' a lover would do!"
"But we ain't lovers! And without love, the whole argument kinda falls apart!"
"Alright, clearly I didn' think m' cover story thoroughly, but you have to a' least admit you have some sort'a feelings towards me, otherwise you wouldn't have come!"
Hiten interrupts them before the argument could progress.
"I believe I've heard my fill. It's clear that you do have some jewel shards for us, Inuyasha. Shards that will be mine!"
Using a set of melee weapons on each side of his feet similar in appearance to wind-and-fire wheels (known in the original Chinese pinyin as feng huo lun), the humanoid charges at Inuyasha as the latter draws out Tessaiga.
"Not in my lifetime, pal!"
"Hrrrah, gyaah!"
(Clang)
Both blades meet in a clash of steel with Raigekijin emitting blots of lightning, the sheer force of their auras loosening the ground underneath the demons...
"No one can withstand my attacks for very long!"
"Rrrrraaaaaaah!"
Contrary to Hiten's statement, Inuyasha manages to push the former back, though he recovers pretty quick.
"You do have power, but no style. This should be an interesting battle!"
Another roll of the atmosphere's chaotic weather passes as the half-demon finishes mentally,
And hopefully, your last...