Hey, all! So, I've noticed one or two of the more recent reviews had a question or two to ask about my story, and I thought I'd take the opportunity before this chapter begins to answer a few.
So, first, while technically this wasn't a question, one guest reviewer seemed a bit curious about Coraline's future weapons.
Well, I can say this: in the next chapter, yes, there will be a hint about a new weapon coming into Coraline's arsenal, but no, I'm not gonna say what it is; that's gonna be a surprise.
Second, there was a question about what Coraline wasn't telling about her past...
Sorry, but you'll just have to wait for more details as they come like Inuyasha and the others. Plus, my OC is a bit touchy on the subject, so she'll need time to get her voice ready.
And third, the question about what Coraline's 'bare essentials' are in her satchel?
Actually, this was a bit tricky to answer. Best I can say is to try and imagine a way less bulky version of Kagome's iconic yellow backpack (maybe about the size of a regular highschool backpack?). Plus, my OC has more of a travel survivalist mind, so she's obviously gonna focus on what she really needs, and less on what she doesn't (Not that she won't have an 'unnecessary' item or two like say, her solar-battery Mp3 player, I mean, come on, a girl's gotta have her music - lol). If this isn't a sufficient enough answer, try looking up lists of survivalist/camping items and come up with something on your own...
Whew, ok, that's it. Now to get back to the story!
Oh, and this chapter will feature the first appearance of my other two OCs, the twins. Yay!
Update (May 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 11: Terror of the Ancient Noh Mask
It's been about three days since our protagonists had met the young fox demon Shippō and defeated the infamous Thunder Brothers in Raimei Valley. With five new shards of the Shikon-no-Tama under their belt, along with a new ally, one member of the gradually growing group decided that she could afford a few days back in her own era of birth to catch up on more personal obligations...
Zooming in on one side of the rounded treeline enclosing most of the clearing where the fabled Bone Eater's Well sat, we watch as said redhead peeks out from behind some bushes...She looks behind her, then both ways, before muttering,
"Coast is clear...Here we go!"
And with that, she starts a mad sprint for the well...
"What's your hurry, Coraline?!"
Unfortunately, the girl isn't as stealthy as she thought she was to escape the eyes of a certain half-demon, and is forced to skid into a halt as Inuyasha dashes in front of her to stop her from reaching her destination.
"Not so fast! You're not goin' anywhere until you hand over the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
"Like hell I will! The shards are better off in my care and you know i'! Now step aside. I have oth'a obligations to attend to back home, includin' some assignments t' hand in fo' school."
Moments like these when I'm glad I don' go to public school, otherwise I may as well consid'ar higher education as mission impossible...
Just as Coraline comes to that conclusion, her ears pick up on the sound of something heavy being dragged, and turns back around, only to bulge her eyes out when she sees Inuyasha leaning over the well with a giant boulder in his hands!
"Whoa whoa, what the hell are y' doing?!"
Readjusting his position, the young man with silver hair replies,
"What does it look like? I'm gonna cover up the well for good, then you won't be able to escape into that strange era of yours. (Swing) Good, riddance!"
The redhead acted the only way she could.
"Sit boy!"
(Gleam)
"Gyah!"
Of course, it'd take more than one incantation to get Inuyasha to submit.
"Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit!"
(Wham)
"GYAH!"
And with that final 'sit', the half-dog demon found himself pinned to the ground by the big boulder. Though the girl felt a little bad as she listened to him moan in pain, she nonetheless got ready to leap into the well with her bags.
"Sorry I had t' do that, but you left me no options fo' reason! I'll be back in three days a' most, if not sooner. Until then, don' y' dare follow me!"
With that message in the wind, Coraline leaps up and over to travel through the space-time vortex...
At the same time within the modern-day structure built around the well, a strange cryptic chanting has been resonating for the past ten minutes, courtesy of Hayato Higurashi. Sōta - also in the well house - asks him a somewhat weary voice,
"Why bother wasting time with that chanting stuff, Grandpa? Doesn't actually work, does it?"
"It does. This ancient 'get-out-of-the-well' chant has been passed on through generations of Higurashi priests."
"...Then how come you've been at it for three days and nights and Coraline still hasn't come back?"
The elder of the residence picks up a bucket with a humph, deciding not to dignify that question with a response...Peering down to the bottom of the well, a temporal light emits from the soil as the redhead touches with her era once again.
"Ha, another successful travel."
Not hearing his granddaughter's voice, Hayato lifts the bucket into the air.
"Now for the sacred rice wine."
(...Splash)
"Agh! Ugh, what is this? (..Sniff) Sake...?"
This time, the aging priest did hear the girl, and looks down to see her figure standing below.
"Coraline, it's you! I knew that my prayers would be answered!"
She in turn looks up at him with her hands on her hips before sarcastically replying,
"Gee, thanks Grandfath'r, fo' worryin' about my well-being so much that you'd soak me in alcohol! Ah...Achoo!"
Missing the annoyed response, Hayato gestures his grandson to have a gander into the well.
"See Sōta, I told you it would work!"
"Hey, she's back; you really did it, Gramps!"
"No time like the present to shave your head and start your training for the priesthood!"
"Shave my head?!"
"Of course, time to pass the torch!"
"Get real! I'm gonna be a famous soccer player!"
"Soccer? What kind of a job is that?! Now dusting antiques and checking for pocket change; that's a-"
Coraline interrupts the sudden argument by shouting,
"Sounds real fascinating, bu' can we continue the conversation after you help me ou' of the well?!"
"Anyway, mom wants me to be a doctor!"
"A doctor? Well I suppose you could be a doctor on the weekends, but we're still gonna start your training for the priesthood today!"
She lets out a sigh of exasperation as her two relatives carry on.
Note to self: talk to Akari-sama abou' investin' in a rope ladder...
Eventually, the teenager did climb out of the well and went to take a shower to wash the rice wine off her body and from her hair. Once she was done, she'd be sitting in the dining room eating a piece of toast while wearing a jasmine yellow cami top and sweapants, a plain white towel hanging around her neck. Suddenly, Buyo lets out a sneeze from his place in Coraline's lap, and she looks down at him in confusion.
"Hm? What's up, Buyo? Gettin' a cold?...Or, maybe my hair still reeks of alcohol..."
She'd get her answer as the bobtail hops down with a mreow.
Haaah, should'a known. Then again, cats have a sensitive sense of smell...
The girl snaps out of her thoughts as Akari wanders into the room while holding one of the former's tees.
"Here's a clean shirt from the dryer, Coraline. I'll put it on your bed for you."
"Thank you, Akari-sama. Looks good."
Sōta then asks after swallowing some of his rice,
"Where's that dog-guy Inuyasha? Didn't you bring him home with you?"
Coraline replies with a neutral expression,
"Of course no'. I've got other priorities for today, and babysittin' a dog-demon is not one of them."
She takes a bite from her toast, and mentally sighs,
Hah, as if me life hasn' been complicated enough these last few years...
I've lived here at Higurashi Shrine since I was jus' shy of twelve years old. There's Grandfath'a, an old colleague of my late father, Akari-sama, my kid-brother Sōta, and then me, Coraline Croft, your anything-but-average fifteen year-old...
It's only this year things met a major one-eighty, when I found out the hidden-away well is actually a vortex that leads to Sengoku Edo! To make it even more exciting, there are demons (or yokai to use the Japanese terminology) tha' seek the shards of a powerful jewel called the Shikon-no-Tama. Now, this chapter in m' life has a supernat'ral element to add to the mix.
About twenty minutes pass before the teen found herself overlooking the view from atop the long staircase leading away from the shrine, redressed in a tan-shaded tank top, an unbuttoned sea green/jonquil yellow checkered flannel shirt, dark-wash high-rise jeans and her black combat boots. She watches her younger brother jog past her as she thinks to herself,
If I wasn' who I am, I'd probably be thinkin' that this'll turn out t' be a crazy nightmare or something...
But I know better. This is far from a dream, and I'm jus' gonna have to roll with it.
She sucks in a new breath of air, before running to catch up with Sōta, then meet with two very dear friends of hers...
Unbeknownst to her, the shards she left behind in her bedroom will have awakened something that should've stayed asleep.
...
...
Moving along, after seeing her younger sibling off to school, Coraline would jog over to a small herbal shop where her companions said to meet at...
"Hey, Freeman, Besa!"
A pair of teenage twins with dark espresso complexions turn around and replies back with smiles,
"Coraline!"
"Hey, Cora!"
Getting a good look at them, you could easily see their similarities, they being five foot seven with body types smack-dab between the trapezoid and inverted triangle, thin but with a little muscle tone, and both sported short, coarse black hair and green eyes with a brown outline.
However, while Freeman's hair is in a simple crop style, Besa was sporting cornrows, and had irises a shade darker than his brother. They also wore different outfits, the former-mentioned being a dark spring green tee shirt with a black leather vest, onyx-washed jeans and battleship gray converse sneakers. Meanwhile, the latter wore a mantis green button-up shirt with indigo jeans and monochrome converse.
These three teens had made plans a while back to meet at Hōjō Herbal, a medicinal shop they discovered a year ago that they've since frequented to for purchasing natural remedies...
(Ding-ding)
"So where have you been, Cor?"
Besa adds after Freeman,
"Yeah, when we went to the shrine two days ago, your Grandfather said you were sick with some crazy illness..."
"Lyme Disease, I think he said...but me and Besa know that's bull. So what, have you been 'project hermiting' again?"
Both boys laugh while Coraline answers with a nervous laugh,
"Uh, yeah, somethin' like that..."
Dammit, I gotta talk to Grandfath'r abou' cover stories...
But considerin' how sharp my bros are, that may not matter long.
(Ding-ding)
"Oh, Coraline!"
"Hm?"
She and the twins turn around, meeting eyes with another boy entering the shop. He's dressed in a boys middle school uniform - also known as a gakuran - consisting of a single-breasted black blazer, black pants and dark brown penny loafers. For physical traits, this boy has natural brown hair cut into an extra long business cut, a pale ivory complexion for his trapezoid body type, and Prussian blue eyes.
Realizing he was talking to her, Coraline replies in a soft tone,
"Hōjō. Hey..."
Besa and Freeman whisper on the side,
"Hey, isn't that-"
"Hōjō, the school cutie..."
The twin with cornrows shakes his head at his brother's dreamy look, knowing all too well that Freeman wore his heart on his sleeve and always has an eye for hot guys...Focusing back on the brunette and redhead, the former asks,
"How are you making out with those bunions?"
"Huh?"
Coraline becomes confused while the twins form amused smiles, realizing they weren't the only ones to receive the phony report from Hayato Higurashi...Hōjō forms a concerned frown on his face.
"Wow, talk about a double whammy. Bunions and Gout?"
The poor girl on the receiving end of this conversation grew mortified at the same time the twins barely contain their laughter...
"Oh, hang on a second. I, have something here in the shop for you. You know, for your ailments...?"
Hōjō ducks behind the counter briefly, then comes back with a package wrapped with a red bow to hand over to a perplexed Coraline.
"Mom wrapped it up. Hope you like pink."
The twins watch in bewilderment as the redhead unwraps the present to find a curious set of footwear...
(Ding-ding)
"Uhm..."
"Therapeutic sandals, for your bunions. I gotta head to school; see ya!"
And with a bright smile on his face, Hōjō was out the door...Snapping out of their individual stupors, the teens refocus on buying what they came to the shop for before leaving themselves...
"Say, Coraline, are you, going out with Hōjō by any chance?"
She immediately answers Besa,
"What? No, o' course not. I haven't the time."
Freeman puts a hand under his chin and playfully teases,
"Are you sure? Hōjō reaaally seems hot for ya..."
Coraline glares at him a little before replying,
"Quite sure, especially since we never really talk to eachoth'a."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, aside from when 'e occasionally works with his mom in th' shop, we never really exchange words."
"Huh...But aren't you even a bit excited that he's interested in you?"
"Or, do you like someone else?"
The redhead stops her steps to look at the twins in disbelief.
"Wh-Where's all this comin' from?! Look, I don't have the sligh'st interest in any guy, least of all Hōjō. Don't get me wrong, he's nice, but, he's also a bit too gullible for his own good."
The boys hum in thought, and Besa mutters,
"I guess you have a point there. He does kind-a seem like the pushover type, and based on what happened back there, he's liable to believe almost any lie you tell him..."
As they wait at a crosswalk, Freeman then asks,
"Okay, so let's say you do like a guy: who would be your type? The athletic, intellectual, romantic...?"
"...You're gonna keep eggin' me until I answer, aren' ya?...Hah, I dunno. I guess, if I was to like a guy, he wouldn't be too aggressive, but have enough backbone t' say his opinion, even if he disagrees with me...He would need t' keep his temper in check, and be kind, understanding, see me as me, y'know?...And I'm not askin' f'r a sappy romantic, but it would be nice if he could open up abou' his emotions once in a while..."
Simply put, a much milder version of Inuyasha.
The twins watch Coraline go into deep thought, and whisper to eachother,
"Definitely undecided."
"I'll say this: she's askin' for a toughy with a type like that..."
...
Speaking with regards to the half-demon on the redhead's mind, we return briefly to Edo and find Inuyasha laying on his stomach within Kaede's hut, his back still aching from the boulder falling on top of him earlier...As he grumbles and winces in anger and pain, the aging shrine maiden turns to him and says,
"Stop lazing about. Get off ye daft and seek out some information on the Shikon-no-Tama."
"And if ye hadn't noticed, my back's out o' commission thanks to all those 'sit' commands!"
Inuyasha turns away and mentally grumbles,
Nrh, you just wait until you come back, Coraline. You're gonna pay for this!
Though even as he thought up that budding threat, another moan of discomfort would escape his lips as his spine cracks...
Bouncing back through time to Tokyo, we're back at Higurashi Shrine just as Hayato starts walking towards the main shrine with a dust pan and broom...only to pause when he suddenly heard and smelled something off.
"Huh? Something smoking..."
The source was one of the old storehouses on the property, and when the old priest rushes over so see what the damage was...
"The storehouse is on fire!"
And that was only the start of the trouble. Atop a table in the back, a wooden box had been emitting a dark aura for a short while, and the sacred sutras plastered on top were mysteriously burning off...
(CRACK)
Until the entire containment itself broke apart, revealing a scarred onna noh mask that was floating in the air on its own!
"This is terrible! The Noh Mask has burned through the talismans that had sealed up its evil for generations!"
Said mask then began speaking, using a chilling woman's voice with a light rasp.
"I must have a physical body..."
Acting quickly, Hayato dumps a bucket of sacred rice wine over his body, and pulls out another set of sutras to use against the rising entity.
"My great-great-great-grandfather exorcised that evil mask for a Noh actor who brought it to him. It was called 'The Flesh-Eating Mask', and was rumored to have incredible malevolent powers. I must do everything possible to seal it up again!"
He sets up a few talismans for each hand, and throws them at the Noh Mask...but it easily burns them away.
"A body...I must possess a body!"
It then dives at the elder Higurashi, who ducks away from it several times before watching the mask float up to the head of a suit of armor...But try as it did, the object entity couldn't utilize the armed clothing for its own uses.
"A body! I must possess a human body!"
Hayato backs away a bit, muttering worriedly,
"It's looking for living flesh to embody and reek havoc on us!"
(Criiick...Crack-CRASH)
"Ahhh-guh-gyh!"
He's then taken down by the supports of the storehouse as the fire spreads, while the mask continues to voice its plight.
"My soul yearns for a living body..."
The old priest tries to lift himself up, determined to slow down the onna in any way he could.
"I must, stop it...!"
"Give me flesh and blood!"
...Thankfully, a fire alarm would finally go off and alert the local emergency forces to come to the Higurashi Shrine, forcing the Noh Mask to go into hiding while Hayato uses the last of his physical strength to plaster his remaining sutras on his face.
You, won't have, my flesh, you evil incarnate...!
...Coraline...Coraline, beware...Beware of, the mask...!
Catching up with the redhead as the elder Higurashi passes out, an ambulance speeds by her and the twins as they were walking down a road heading back to her home.
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
"That don't look good..."
Their worry would only grow ten-fold when they overhear another small group of late teen boys say to eachother,
"Hey, did ya hear? Higurashi Shrine's on fire!"
"Cool; come on, let's go check it out!"
Coraline felt her blood run cold as they take off.
Wha'...What, did they say...?
She turns to Freeman and Besa, meeting equally-wide irises before they all make a mad dash for the shrine...At the area below the stairs, two firetrucks and police cars were parked in front with a crowd of neighbours already gathered, the authorities doing their duty in preventing the people from getting mixed into the suspicious activity...Of course, that wasn't gonna stop the adopted member of the Higurashis from going up there, the twins following close behind.
"Excuse me; le' me through!"
"Hey you, this area's off limits!"
"It's okay! She's part of the residence, and we're with her!"
Up at the top near the front of the main shrine, Akari finishes conversing with one of the policemen.
"Thank you for all your help, officer."
"No problem."
He walks off just as the three teens came into view.
"Akari-sama, what's going on?!"
"Miss Higurashi!"
"Coraline...!...You as well, boys?"
The redhead stops in front of the older woman and asks a touch frantically,
"What happen'd; where was the fire?"
"The old storehouse caught on fire, and Grandpa was trapped inside with the smoke."
"...Is, he...?"
Akari smiles sadly but chides,
"Oh, don't worry. He fainted and suffered from a bit of smoke inhalation, but they say two or three days in the hospital and he should be good as new. I'm just on my way now to check in and see how he's doing."
"Please, le' me go with you!"
The single mother puts a hand on her adopted daughter's shoulder.
"Coraline, you stay here and wait for Sōta. Someone's got to explain things to him."
"...Okay."
Yet despite residing towards a calmer demeanor, Coraline felt unease as she gazed over at the damaged storehouse.
How the hell could a fire star' in th' storehouse of all places?...Somethin's seriously no' right here...
"If it's alright with you, Miss Higurashi, we'll stay here and help out any way we can."
Akari turns eyes to Besa and replies with an appreciative smile,
"Thank you, Besa, and you as well, Freeman."
She'd soon leave for the hospital while the teens wait for the last young soul to receive the troubling news...Meanwhile, firemen were still busy assessing the damaged storehouse and trying to figure out what the cause of the fire was...As one fireman walks by a hole in the floor, he suddenly turns back towards it, feeling something eerie from deep within the water.
"...What's down there...?"
Unbeknownst to him, the Noh Mask was lurking below...
(Splash)
"Uhh...uhh!"
It launches itself onto the poor man's face, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pry it off! One of his companions turns to him in concerned bewilderment.
"Hey, wh-what's the problem? What's going on?! Say something; what's the matter?!"
But all the latter got for an answer was the muffled cries of the former as he stumbles out the door...By that time, Sōta had finally gotten out of school and came sprinting up the stairs to find someone who could tell him why there's firetrucks and police cars at the shrine.
"Hah, hah...Coraline!"
He bumps into his sister, and she takes the boy by the shoulders to help steady him physically and mentally.
"Don't worry, Sōta. The fire was jus' in one of th' old storehouses and no one was seriously hurt."
Besa adds,
"Your Grandfather has been taken to the hospital for some smoke inhalation, but your mom said a few days of recovery are all he needs."
(Crash, scrrrrrreeee-vroooooommmm...)
"Uh!"
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, the sound of metal and glass being crushed and tires screeching start resonating from the road below...All four children run to the top of the stairs, and watch one of the firetrucks being driven over a few police cars, before clumsily and dangerously speeding away!
"That way!"
"Sir, requesting to call in for back-up!"
The three teenagers and one elementary schooler felt their eyes stop wide as the frantic cops begin directing a car chase, and soon, the following message would be broadcasted on the local news.
"This just in: a firetruck is driving wildly through the streets, completely out of control and smashing into anything and anyone in its path. The number of injured so far has not been confirmed since every person that crosses its path seems to have vanished into thin air. That's all the information we have at present, but until more is known about the incident, we strongly advise everyone to stay off the streets."
We catch up with said firetruck as it barrels for the downtown area, and it's revealed that the driver is the Noh Mask!...However, getting a closer look at its new hand, it seems that the flesh it's acquired is not stabilizing well.
"The flesh is disintegrating!...If I can find more shards of the Shikon-no-Tama, I can gain the power to stop this flesh from decomposing. Then I will have an almighty, everlasting body of living, pulsated flesh!"
...
...
As soon as Coraline was sure she could navigate the streets safely, she leaves the shrine to see the adults at the hospital while Freeman and Besa volunteer to stay behind with Sōta and help keep the boy in a calm place. Once the girl arrives at her destination, she'd ask the receptionist for her grandfather's room and meets with Akari out in the hall to discuss the details...
"How is Grandfath'a? Has he awoken yet?"
"He's still unconscious, but the doctor's a little baffled. He said it was nothing serious, so he expected Grandpa to have woken up by now."
"I see..."
Noticing the worried expression, Akari adds,
"I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Let's not forget his age is a factor."
Coraline nods, then focuses on something within the hold of the older woman.
"Hm? What're those...in your hands?"
"Oh, these? They're talismans...The firefighters found them plastered over grandpa's face and in his mouth...Poor dad. Something must've really spooked him..."
"Urh...uuh..."
Both women then hear the unconscious senior stir from inside his room, and they look inside as he mumbles,
"Beware, the Flesh-Eating Mask...Beware, the ancient Flesh-Eating Mask..."
...
Eventually, Coraline would be back at home and sitting at her bedroom desk, writing down a list of assignments ready to go into the scanner for one of her online courses.
"So i' looks like it'll be just the four of us since Akari-sama went back to th' hospital to keep an eye on Grandfath'r incase he wakes up..."
She pauses her scribbling to pivot around and face one of her guy friends sitting on the side of her bed.
"Thanks again to you and Besa for stayin', Freeman."
"Eh, no probs. Better to have your friends around in times of crisis. I'm just glad Miss Higurashi allowed us to stay..."
...Suddenly, the door creaks open, revealing Sōta and Besa with Buyo on top of a blanket being dragged by the younger boy.
"Cora. Got any room for Buyo and me to sleep here tonight?"
The twin with cornrows smiles apologetically.
"Sorry; I tried to get him to stay in his room, but he insisted."
Coraline sighs and says as gently as she could,
"I'm sorry, Sōta, but I go' some work to catch up on, so I can't have any interruptions."
"Please, Cora?"
"I'm sure if y' ask the guys politely, they could stay with you until you fall asleep."
The twins both nod, and Freeman adds jokingly,
"Yeah, besides, the only thing that you should be scared of are the dust bunnies under your bed."
Sōta's expression relaxes slightly, but his reply still teems with worry.
"But Grandpa was scared. He covered his face with those written spells...Something creepy happened in there, you guys, I just know it."
Coraline thinks about the boy's words, then the muttering of her grandfather, and felt a foreboding feeling begin to grow.
...Something is wrong. Aside from the hair attack from Yura, there's never been any troubl' like this at Higurashi Shrine before.
Why now? Why after all these years?
...Unless...The shards! Of course!
She glances at the little glass bottle of gems near the left corner of her desk.
It must be because I brough' back the Shikon-no-Tama shards.
...So much for my idea of th'm bein' safe in this era.
She's interrupted out of her thoughts when her ears pick up on the sound of a distant siren, one that the boys would hear too.
"Hm..."
"The police must've caught up with the crazy driver..."
Indeed: downtown, the police have set up a road block at ready for the firetruck that was slowly creeping up the road, with police cars bringing up the rear...But, the Noh Mask wasn't fazed at all. On the contrary, it seemed more ready for them then they for it...
(Shatter, swoooom)
"Ahhh!" "Oh no, oh no!"
"Aaaargh!"
Using the limited elasticity of its fleshy sludge, the onna entity crashes through the windows of the various vehicles and emerges itself onto its human victims, absorbing them to add to its growing physical presence!
...Back in the hospital...
"Beware, the Flesh-Eating, Noh Mask..."
Hayato Higurashi darts awake, and cries out for all to hear,
"Beware of the Noh Mask!"
(...Screeeeech...Crash-shatter)
"Aaah!"
Returning to the shrine, Coraline grabs Sōta to tackle to the floor just as a firetruck ladder came crashing into her bedroom window!...The twins rush over to them:
"Are you guys okay?!"
"We're fine!"
Freeman then looks up...and sputters,
"Wh-What's that?!"
His vision of course is locked on the Noh Mask, it reaching a hand into the girl's bedroom...
"A Noh Mask?!...Tha' must be the Flesh-Eating Mask Grandfath'a was mumblin' about in the hospital!"
Coraline then follows the hand, quickly realizing that the entity was after the jewel shards inside the glass bottle. Luckily, it only rolls off her desk and onto the floor...
"The jewel...I must have the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama..."
She dives down and snatches up the gems for her own hand, much to the mask's frustration.
"Give me the pieces of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
All three teens don't hesitate in running out the door, Besa carrying a shocked silly Sōta in his arms.
"C'mon, we gotta get out of here!"
"Don't have t' tell me twice!"
"Right behind ya!"
They manage to escape outside, and Coraline exclaims more to herself as she leads everyone else towards the well house,
"I've got to call Inuyasha. He's th' only one who can help us!"
Having snapped out of his stupor and settled into a jog between the twins, Sōta notices a distinct crimson stain on his sister's left hand.
"Cora...Cora, look at your fingers; your fingers are bleeding...!"
"Don't worry. I just cut th'm a bit on the glass; nothing serious."
...Just then, they all feel a shadow loom over them, and look up with Freeman shouting,
"Look out!"
(Gloop)
The quartet barely scramble away just as the Noh Mask dropped down at them. It looks in the girl's direction, demanding menacingly,
"The jewel shards...Give me the jewel shards!"
...That's when Coraline saw it.
The mask has a fragm'nt of the jewel in its forehead. No wonder it's so desp'rate t' get these shards...
I need to ge' Sōta and the guys outta here before they wind up in more danger!
"Sōta: run to the Bone-Eater's Well and get Inuyasha! Tell 'im there are more jewel shards here; that should be enough t' get 'im here to help us! Guys, you keep Sōta safe while I draw this freak away!"
The twins didn't like the sound of their close friend being on their own amongst this mess.
"No way, sis!"
"We're coming with you!"
So while they run to catch up with Coraline, Sōta calls out to her,
"I have to go in that spooky well?!"
"You can do it, Sōta; I know you can! Now hurry!"
"Yeah, dude! You got this!"
And the three teens take off down the long staircase, the Noh Mask following close behind...With that done, the young Higurashi had clearance to run into the Bone-Eater's Well with Buyo still clinging to him. When they reach the rim of the well, the bobtail hops on top while Sōta looks down towards the bottom, fearful but determined.
"Nnh...Humph. I can handle this! (Leap) Yaaaaaaahhhhh!"
(Wham)
"Cuh!"
...Unfortunately, all the determination in the world wasn't enough to allow the young boy to pass through the vortex to Sengoku Edo.
"How...come I'm still here? Gaahah, what went wrong?!"
Buyo may have been staying cool up above, but Sōta felt his anxieties erupt over, using his bare hands to dig into the ground in a desperate attempt to reach Inuyasha.
"I've gotta get through the well, 'cause Cora's in trouble! Gh-hh! Th-The mask is after her and the twins, and I'm the only one who can help!"
Thick tears form and fall fast from the boy's eyes, feeling like this was the end...
(Whooooosh)
"...Uh..."
But then a miracle occurs: the vortex activates, and rising in front of the young elementary schooler was the half-demon!
"It's you, you're Inuyasha..."
"In the flesh, kid. Now what's this problem you need help with?"
...
...
As soon as Sōta gives the older male a short summary of the day's events, both would be leaping from building top to building top through the downtown sector, searching for where Coraline and the twins had lead the Noh Mask to...
(Leap)
"Hang on tight, kid; it's a long way down."
"I guess I wasn't strong enough to pass through the hidden well..."
"Lucky for you...because in my world, there are plenty of monsters who would love to have you for lunch."
Inuyasha jumps down onto a moving truck, and the boy riding on his back then asks,
"Do you know how to find Cora and the twins?"
"Sure. I'm not human, remember? I can pick up scents from miles around with this nose."
"...Cora cut her hand on some glass."
"Don't have to tell me that: I could smell the blood from the well. Fear not. I'll rescue Coraline and these 'twins' before they get into any real trouble."
Hearing these comforting words made Sōta reconsider how his sister described the half-demon.
(Flash)
"What is he like? He's impatient, a show-off and has a easily provoked temper. Hah, honestly...he's your typical macho guy who needs a crash course in talkin' to people."
(Flash)
This can't be the same guy Cora was told me about.
Sure, his outfit's a bit out of date, but, Inuyasha's the only guy around I think I can trust...
...
Speaking of the redhead, we catch up with her and her two guy friends at a construction site, hurrying all the way down and up a building that's yet to be completed, stopping a moment to catch their breath.
"Hah, hah, ya think we lost it, bro?"
"No idea..."
Coraline has a gander at the view, her mind a mess.
Inuyasha's not here...I hope Sōta reached 'm somehow...
(Shoom)
"Ah!"
She's then forced to duck away from the edge, the twins supporting her balance just as the Noh Mask came shooting up and landing in front of them!
"Oh damn!"
"What now?!"
"Hand me the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
The entity lunges, and Freeman and Besa scramble to stand in front of Coraline protectively, waiting to take the blow...
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash, sploosh)
But karma decided to grant perfect timing to a certain half-demon's claws, slicing the flesh in two!...He lands in front of the three, and Coraline comments in relief,
"Nice timing!"
Sōta asks,
"Are you guys alright?!"
"Yeah, we're fine."
The young boy then goes to embrace the three teens.
"Oh Cora, Freeman, Besa..."
Inuyasha looks at him in confusion:
"Hey, what's with all the tears? I thought you said you weren't afraid?"
Coraline bends down to Sōta and says with a reassuring smile,
"It'll be okay now. Inuyasha will take ou' that mask and it'll all be over."
"Ahem."
She looks up, and sees said young man with silver hair standing in front of her with his arms crossed expectantly.
"Before we get on with my little rescue mission here, this might be an appropriate time for an apology, wouldn't you say?"
"Huh? Apology?...For what?"
"For what?! For shouting all those incantations and puttin' my back out, that's what!"
Now she has the gull to beg me for help...
Recalling said incident from earlier today, Coraline stands up and says,
"Oh, yes of course. Not tha' I haven' already, but...Okay: I'm very sorry for that repeated incantation. It was uncalled for of me and I should've handled the situation differently...Can y' forgive me?"
Inuyasha stares at her for a short moment, noting the remorseful look on her face, and replies while turning away from her,
"Tch, alright, close enough...Yeah, I guess I forgive you..."
"Uh, excuse me."
The teens then turn to the twins, they occupying an understandable amount of surprise and confusion at the half-demon's sudden arrival.
"Sis, who is this guy, and how did he do, what he just did now?!"
"Does he have something to do with why you've been so recluse lately?"
They both ask at the same time,
"What're you not telling us?!"
Inuyasha is taken aback by their protective looks, and Coraline quickly replies,
"Uh, now's not a good time, you guys, but I swear once this is all ov'a, you'll get a full explanation!"
"We better!"
She turns to her other fellow teen and adds,
"And I'm sure you wan' an explanation about them as well, and you'll ge' one too, honest."
"Feh, whatever..."
With promises in the wind, the situation shifts back to what brought them all here: the Noh Mask...
"Uh, g-guys? The sludge is formin' back up!"
Everyone looks to where the twin with natural-cut coarse hair is pointing, just as the malicious entity spoke up again.
"Who dares to attack me?"
Coraline informs her half-demon companion,
"Inuyasha, aim fo' the mask. The shard is embedded in its forehead!"
We then receive the full creation story from the onna itself.
"I am the Flesh-Eating Mask. Centuries ago, I was carved from an old tree, which had a shard of the Shikon-no-Tama embedded in it. Since my creation, I have craved human flesh, and devoured my victims. But now, I wish to have a living body that will not rot. For that, I require more shards of the Shikon-no-Tama."
"I see. This explains why th' mask is so desperate for these shards."
The young man with long silver hair remarks with a cocky smile,
"I dunno how many humans you've eaten so far, (snaps up, leaps) but it's time to lose some weight!"
His fist connects with the mask...but the latter had been expecting that move, and opens up to reveal sharp teeth which lock the former's appendage in place!
"What the-?!"
"You've fallen into my trap. Now you shall never escape me!"
With that, Inuyasha is pulled into the mound of flesh!
"Inuyasha!"
"Aw man, he got duped!"
The poor half-demon in red becomes immobilized within the barely-stable sludge, cursing himself for rushing into battle so recklessly.
"Rrgh...gh!...Should've known better..."
The mask then reforms back into its original shape and floats out the flesh to dive straight at Coraline! Using her free hand, the girl barely blocks the entity from slamming against her face, though is thrown on her back from the impact.
"Coraline!" "Cor!"
"Gyh!"
Dammit, I can't le' this thing get the shards!
She turns to the other three boys and exclaims desperately,
"G-Guys, take th' shards and run! Hurry!"
She tosses the bottle to land in Freeman's hands, and though stunned at first...he then grows a serious expression and nods at his sister, before telling his brother and the youngest male,
"Besa, Sōta, split up!"
They don't hesitate to follow his direction, rushing for cover in their own separate areas of this building level...Freeman ducks downward in a plank away from the bombarding Noh Mask's path, thinking to himself,
I dunno what's going on, but if Cora says these gems are important, then I'll do whatever I can to keep 'em away from that freak.
Pushing himself right in a side roll, he then pounces up in a crouch and throws the tiny bottle his brother's way.
"Besa, catch!"
The cornrowed boy does so, and runs for the runs for the southeast corner...Unfortunately, he accidentally trips on a set of cables.
"Gh!"
Crap...
He gets up just as the mask comes barreling at him, and at the last second, Besa dives downward while throwing the shards at the other partcipant of this crazy spin on 'Monkey in the Middle'.
"Sōta!"
The grade-schooler just barely catches the bottle, and turns to run for another end of the unfinished building level...He'd take a turn at stumbling on his own two feet, falling hard on his front while dropping the Shikon-no-Tama pieces...
The mask is after this bottle...I'll throw it away.
(Shakes head) No, that won't work; I can't let it get these jewel shards!
He gets up and grabs the bottle, deciding to see this battle out to the end...Sōta's then forced to stop at the precarious edge, and turns around to see the Noh Mask heading straight for him!
"Aaah!"
(Sploosh)
Luckily for him, Inuyasha manages to build up enough strength to break free from the entity's flesh, making a mad dash for the one responsible for putting him there.
"Don't move, kid!...Rrrah!"
(SLASH)
And just like that, the Noh Mask is cut in half by Tessaiga just inches away from Sōta's face!...It falls apart and disintegrates as Inuyasha lands on the ground while the young Higurashi falls on his rear in shock...The twins awe at the half-demon's skill, and watch as the jewel shard floats to gently lay on the metal floor.
"You destroyed the mask. (Grin) You did it!"
"Sure thing. You still got those jewel fragments?"
Getting to his own feet (albeit with a slight wobble in his step), Sōta nods,
"M-hm, yeah!"
"...Inuyasha."
The young man turns to the redhead with a smile and says,
"Hey, Coraline. How's your hand?"
She's a bit taken aback by the question, but replies,
"Uh, fine; thanks for askin'..."
...Okay, this is a bi' weird. When did Inuyasha get so nice? I mean, no', so nice, but well enough.
And maybe it's the mornin' sunrise, but...he looks kind-a cool agains' the glow.
"Wait...it's morning already...?"
Coraline walks over near the edge, and watches as the big star's horizon begins to show through the tall downtown buildings.
"...Damn, we were up fo' that long..."
Inuyasha watches her for a moment, until he feels someone tug his sleeve, and looks down at Sōta who has a new sheepish smile on his face.
"Know what?...I got a new hero. Bet you can't guess who it is."
The older male turns away with a somewhat embarrassed blush and mutters,
"Oh, man..."
Meanwhile, the twins share a look and nod, silently agreeing on stimulating the topic regarding their friend and these recent events. They walk over to Coraline, and Freeman asks,
"So, sis, you gonna introduce us or what?"
"Huh?...Oh, right."
They all wander a little closer to their other fellow teen until there's about four feet between, and the redhead clears her throat to get his attention.
"Um, Inuyasha?"
"Hm?"
"I'd like you t' meet two close friends of mine, brothers really. (Gestures) This is Freeman, and Besa Brownlee. Bros, this is Inuyasha, a new friend I made recently...through an adventure you're no' gonna believe."
The young men with matching espresso complexions smile and say to the half-demon,
"Hey."
"Nice t' meet you, dude."
Not well-versed with rather friendly greetings, Inuyasha could only reply awkwardly,
"Uh, yeah, same."
...
...
The whole quintet would soon make their way down the construction site and began to slowly walk back to the shrine, ignoring the stares from any early morning pedestrians. Along the way, Coraline tells the twins everything that has happened to her this last while, from entering the well to the quest she was roped into involving the Shikon-no-Tama. Needless to say, the boys were stupefied by the news...
"So, lemme see if I got this right: you got pulled into the Warring States Era, attacked by a centipede lady, accidentally shattered a jewel that gives power to demons or anybody with dark intentions, and now you and Inuyasha gotta go and find all of the pieces before something crazy happens?"
She turns to Freeman and replies,
"Well, that's the short version of it, but yes."
"...Holy crap."
"Yeah, I know..."
Besa then remarks with a slightly irked smile,
"So this means you were lying when you said you were just recluse in your room with school work? Not cool, sis."
"Hey, technic'lly, I didn't lie! I just, half-truthed it, is all..."
The twins hum in a 'suuure' fashion, but then Freeman mutters,
"Well, okay; you're off the hook on that one...But, why didn't you tell us?"
"I was worried abou' your reactions, plus I didn't want t' endanger you both. Not that I wouldn've told you guys eventually; I just, didn't know when..."
"Heh, well, you're kind-a late on the danger part."
Coraline shoots Inuyasha a half-glare but says,
"Tch...yeah, I guess I am. So, are you two mad or what?"
The twins smile and shake their heads, the one with natural-cut hair and jade green/russet brown irises saying,
"How could we be mad, Cora? This obviously wasn't easy to explain, and we get that."
The other with sea green irises ringed by russet brown adds,
"Absolutely. In fact, we support you, just like any brothers should. We'll help out any way we can...and you too, Inuyasha."
Said dog demon looks at the teen boys for a minute, taken aback by how understanding they were...He then asks,
"Really? You're, not against me or anything?"
"Why would we be? Because you're half-demon? Psh, that kind-a thing don't matter to us. We judge by character, not by background or how a person is made up. As far as we're concerned...you're a cool guy."
"Yeah, and you we're totally badass with that sword of yours! And you're protecting our sis too, so I say, welcome to the club!"
...Inuyasha is stunned, definitely not expecting such an answer...He then replies in a small voice,
"Thank you..."
The twins nod with comforting smiles on their faces, and the half-demon almost smiles back before turning his own inquiry towards Coraline.
"Alright, my turn for questions. How'do you three know eachother, and what's with the 'brother, sister' thing?"
The three human teens chuckle a bit before Besa replies,
"Well, the reason we call eachother brother and sister because that's how we see eachother as. We just, feel that close."
Freeman then chimes,
"As for how we met, well...we were the ones who actually helped Cora get to the Higurashi Shrine in the first place."
Inuyasha looks at them with surprise, then turns to Coraline who smiles and says,
"...It would've been abou' three and a half years ago..."
(Flash)
"I had just arrived in Tokyo, a bi' worse for wear 'cause of how long I'd been travelin'. I also had no idea where I was goin'; the map I did acquire go' soaked in a puddle when I was pushed to the ground by a rushing businessm'n...I couldn't remember my way to the kiosk, and my Japanese was a bi' too broken to properly ask anyone for directions, so I was left t' wander on my own...That is, until..."
(Bump)
"Oh!"
"Ouch!" "Whoa!"
"I walked into two people, and we all fell to th' ground. As I rubbed my back from the impact, I heard 'em get up, and one asks me,"
"...You okay?"
"I look up, and see two boys with dark complexions, obviously no more from aroun' here then I was...I accepted the hand, got up and replied,"
"Yea', I'm fine. Sorry 'bout walking into y' like tha'."
"No prob. I'm guessing you just arrived here?"
"Is it tha' obvious...?"
"Heha, well you were wandering in a bit of a daze, you just crashed into two strangers, and are now talking to them, in English I may add."
"Not that we mind, since we like meeting people and English is our native language...I'm Freeman Brownlee, and this is my twin brother, Besa."
"...Coraline. Coraline Croft."
"After talking a bit more, I told them abou' my directional issues..."
"Higurashi Shrine? We know where it is, don't we, Freeman?"
"Yeah! We can take you there, if you'd like."
"Really? Thank y' so much! I totally owe you both fo' d'is!"
"No owing needed. Happy to help!"
"Eventually, we all made it to the shrine, and after exchangin' contact information, I hugged them both in gratitude and made my way up th' stairs..."
"Thank y' again! Let's meet up again sometime!"
"Totally!" "See ya!"
(Flash)
"...And that's the story. After a few mo' adventures here and there, we became especially close."
By this time, everyone had made it back to the shrine and were just making their way up the stairs. Inuyasha had been a fairly attentive to the story all the while.
"Huh...so if not for them, you wouldn't have been here at all."
"Yeah, pretty much, or at leas' not for a long while."
He then turns to the twins to ask,
"So where are you guys originally from? Are you from this, I-re-land place that Coraline's from?"
"Haha, nah, we're from waaaay further away, from a place called Pennsylvania in the United States of America, USA for short."
"Ah, okay...And, why did you leave, and when?"
...The twins grow quiet for a moment and some sadness forms in their eyes as they thought about what brought them to Japan...Besa would be the first to speak on the subject.
"We ran away from home when we were twelve, so, about four years ago...As for why, well...let's just say we were having parental issues..."
"...The biggest problem was that our so-called 'Dad'...he hated me."
Inuyasha quirks up a confused eyebrow.
"What? Why would your own dad hate you?"
Freeman hesitates...but answers,
"He didn't agree with my sexual orientation."
That just confused the half-demon even more, until Coraline explains the definition.
"Sexual Orientation refers to a person's romantic and/or sexual pref'rences in another. You know, who they like and what gender...?"
"Ooooh...Why would your old man hate you for something like that?"
The twin with the natural cut of hair answers,
"Because I'm into guys, not girls...I'm homosexual, or gay as some people call it."
Inuyasha's eyes widen:
"...Whoa...Uuh, I see you're not shy in saying it to."
"Heh, thanks. I wasn't always this open about it, 'cause dad used to bark at me for 'how wrong it is for a man to like another man', or somethin' along those lines...He even started beating me for it at one point. Nothing too serious, but enough for it to hurt physically and mentally."
The boy from another era and Sōta gasp, and Besa says,
"I tried to reason with dad a few times, but he either ignored me or called me a traitor for siding with with my brother. Mom wasn't much of a help either, 'cause even though she didn't hate Freeman for being gay...she pitied him. Eventually, I had enough of the violence, and decided to step up as the brother I was. After a serious discussion, we both agreed we couldn't stay any longer, and packed whatever we could before leaving at morning light. Why Japan?...Heh, well, we're big fans of the dancing and music scene here, and it just seemed like the right place to go."
Inuyasha found himself speechless at the courage of these two young men.
Whoa...These guys are brave, just leaving home like that...
I can't believe anyone can hate someone for, something so trivial.
The young Higurashi then says somewhat timidly,
"Um, if it helps, I don't think being gay is a reason to not like someone. I think you're pretty cool, Freeman, and Besa, you're a good brother for protecting him...You guys are so brave for coming all the way here, to Japan, I mean."
"Uh yeah, what he said..."
"Thanks, both of you. That's appreciated."
An odd silence fell between everyone for a bit...before Coraline broke it with a smile.
"Hey, how 'bout we all head inside, and I'll cook up some breakfast?"
The guys brighten up at the thought of food.
"Yeah!" "Good idea!"
"Let's do it!"
And with a small chorus of laughter, all five made their way into the resident grounds, a new friendship formed and a good feeling for the future...