Update (May 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 12: The Soul Piper & The Mischievous Little Soul
...
A little time comes and goes in the adventurous quest for the Shikon-no-Tama, and up the Bone Eater's Well flew a brown satchel. Following it right afterward was its owner, Coraline, returning to her era after another excursion into Sengoku Edo.
"I'm home, Grandfath'a!"
Rather than one of the Higurashis, however, she's greeted at the well house doorway by two other friendly faces.
"Hey, sis!" "Cor!"
"Oh!...Hey bros, I didn't see you here."
"Yeah, we came by to see if you were comin' back today."
"Need a hand?"
"Gladly."
Ever since the redhead had told her twin companions about her time traveling excursions and the mission attached, they've been frequenting to the shrine every chance they could to see if she had come back for a short break. Today just happens to be the right day...and not just for Freeman and Besa either.
"Shingles, is that serious?"
Just as Coraline sets her feet on the ground in front of the well after being pulled out, she and the boys focus out the door when they hear a familiar voice.
"Huh?"
"Is that..."
"Don't tell me..."
Heading outside, we discover that Hōjō had come by to check in on his mutual friend, meeting with Hayato at the entrance to the main shrine...Of course, since neither of them knew the girl is actually home, the aging priest was forced to come up with an excuse for the late middle-schooler.
"It's a, nasty form of herpes, from the chicken-pox virus."
"That does sound nasty; last week she had rheumatism. Here, this might help."
The eldest member of the Higurashi's accepts the boy's gift, replying tearfully,
"You're poor mom's gonna go broke giving all this away. Thank you; I'll think of you when I put this on my-er, Coraline's swollen ankles."
By this time, the three teens had exited the well house and were watching the scene from a distance.
"Aw man, i' is Hōjō, and Grandfath'r's tellin' him another bogus story!"
"I don't understand how that poor boy doesn't see the lie in it..."
"I know, right?"
...Once Hōjō was gone, Coraline silently came up beside her grandfather, looking anything but impressed.
"So, how's my rheumatism?"
Nearly jumping out of his skin, Hayato immediately replies,
"Coraline, you shouldn't be out here in your condition. Now get back into bed and put your feet onto some pillows before the swelling gets too bad!"
She irritably retorts,
"I don' have any swellin', except for the headache tha's coming on from th' constant fairy-tales you keep telling when they're no' necessary!"
"Well, somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed..."
As the twins burst into laughter from their vantage point, the redhead sweatdrops in exasperation, mentally lamenting over her predicament at home.
Aside from m' family, includin' Freeman and Besa, nobody of this era's aware of my constant excursions to th' Bone Eater's Well and into the Sengoku era...Which is probably for the best.
I mean, even if I told anoth'a soul, who'd believe me? Not that this hasn' been an issue before, bu' that's another story...
Haah, at least my bros are understandin' enough to take it in stride, even if they constantly worry for me.
Shaking her head, she turns to head inside the house and unload some clothes for the wash as well as change into something fresher.
Maybe I should talk to them abou' givin' Grandfath'a ideas for cover stories if anyone else comes by t' ask about me...
Speaking of which, why is Hōjō comin' by to check up on me?...Could my bros be righ'? Does Hōjō have a crush on me?
...No, that's silly. Why would any guy in Tokyo want to date a girl like me?
Eventually, she, Freeman and Besa would head downtown to hang out, and their first stop is a nearby food stand to get some ice cream to help them cool off during this heat wave that started a few days ago.
To accommodate for the warmer weather, Coraline settles for a white tee shirt, deep blue jean shorts cut to just above her knees, white ankle socks and her brown hiker shoes, while also tying her hair back in a braid. The twins were dressed lightly as well, Freeman occupying a white muscle shirt, black cargo shorts and sepia brown hiker sandals, while Besa opted for a white tank top, teal blue cargo shorts and copper brown hiker sandals.
"Here you go."
"Thank you!"
They walk away with their double-scoops as the twin male with the natural cut remarks,
"Geez, this has gotta be the hottest day yet! Who's idea was it to turn up the heat lamp?!"
His brother laughs a bit and replies,
"I dunno, but if this keeps up, we might end up goin' broke just to stay cool."
Coraline side-glances them and casually offers,
"God forbid tha' happens, I'd be glad t' loan you guys some cash..."
"Nah, it's okay Cora; I was joking."
"Yeah, besides, you got enough to worry about with that Shikon-no-Tama..."
By this time, the three have reached a downtown recreational park, and their attention focuses on a small group of little kids with their mothers playing with some low-grade fireworks. Watching the excitement on the younger faces made a small grin form on Freeman's face, and he says to his twin,
"Remember when we were seven and got our hands on those firecrackers from Manson's place? Haha, never seen the neighbours jump so high!"
"Heh, yeah, it was kind-a funny."
They sigh with smiles of content and quote,
"Those were the days..."
Coraline smiles fondly at them and says,
"Sounds like you guys had a good day...Though'do be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of fireworks. I don't think they're really safe fo' kids to be handlin', even with adults aroun'..."
"Hm, yeah, I guess you have a point. Still, I say we lived it while we did..."
Besa shakes his head at his brother before he shifts the topic to something more serious.
"Speaking of safe, there's something Freeman and I have been meaning to talk to you about, Cora."
"Oh? What?"
He waves his hand in a gesture to indicate low voices, and the other two nod understandingly before he continues.
"Well, we think that since you're going to be doing this quest in the Sengoku Era for a long while comin', it might be a good idea for you to acquire a weapon."
"Not that we doubt Inuyasha's skills or anything; it's just better to be safe than sorry, ya know?"
The redhead stares at the boys for a moment...before replying,
"I understand wha' you guys mean...but what sort'a weapon are we talking 'bout here? I'm already tryin' to hone the mechanics fo' the bow an' arrow whenever I got the set..."
"Nothing complicated, but maybe something along the lines of...say, a combat knife?"
"...A combat knife?!"
The Brownlees nod, and the single Croft looks at them incredulously.
"Alrigh'...I'm not sayin' that isn' a bad idea...but where in the world am I suppos' to find a combat knife? They don't exactly give 'em away for free, ya know!"
Both boys smile as Freeman replies,
"Oh access is somethin' we can handle, believe us."
"...Bros, you better not be doin' black market trade..."
They quickly wave their hands in defense with Besa explaining,
"Oh no, no; nothing like that!...However, we do know someone from our neighbourhood that is able to get 'things'...and yes, weapons is one of them."
Freeman adds,
"Nothing fancy like a gun; he knows when to limit risk-taking...But, he does know how to get small things, like knifes...Look, we know it doesn't sound ideal, but it's really the only way you can get anything at our ages."
Coraline sighs deeply...but reluctantly nods her head nonetheless, knowing that her friends were right.
"...Alright. This is probably gonna kick my ass later, but we'll go and try makin' a deal with d'is guy."
The brothers high-five eachother and say,
"Thanks, sis; you won't regret it!"
"I better not, or you two are gonna get i'."
Aaand I'm already getting a bad feelin'...
Of course, the redhead would have little time to worry about this new development...when suddenly-
(Ba-bump)
"Uh...!"
She lifts her head, and looks directly at a spot in the play equipment near a bucket of fireworks...Her brothers becomes confused by this sudden shift of behaviour.
"Hm?"
"What is it, sis?"
"...Look, there."
They follow her direct of sight, and all three of them see the hand of a small child dropping a lit spiral into the pile of unused sparklers and firecrackers.
(Sizzz-POP, CRACK-CRACK-CRACK)
Next thing everyone knew, there were fireworks going off all around the little kids and mothers! As they scramble to shield themselves from the sparks, the menace responsible climbs out the top of the domed monkey bars, muttering with a mean smile,
"Ha, that'll keep 'em busy, little brats!"
And she jumps off to run away from the scene...unaware that there were in fact spectators to the prank.
"Hey, stop!"
"Come back!"
"Why'd she-?!"
The three teens take off after the kid...
"Hold it righ' there!"
The child stops, surprised that they were found out and allowing the teens to catch up.
"Why'd you scare all those kids like that?"
"Yeah, that wasn't nice!"
"Not cool, kid..."
"Wait a second: you mean, you can all see me?"
Such a question would cause a wave of confusion to wave over the older souls, the twins whispering,
"See her?"
"What does she mean?"
Coraline thinks the situation over further, taking note of the kid's appearance. Getting a closer look ourselves, we see that they're a young girl just barely hitting the double digit range, with pale ivory skin and short black hair tied into two bunches, seal brown irises and dressed in a turquoise turtleneck with yellow daisy designs on the front, a cerulean pleated skirt, a scarlet puff coat, and white socks. We also notice that there are dark smudges staining parts of the little one's body.
What's with this lass? She's go' no shoes on 'er feet...
Not only tha', but she's wearin' a fall jacket when summer's approaching...Too strange...
The redhead then steps up to the younger girl with a firm expression.
"Look, wha' you did was dang'rous and you owe those kids an apology...I'll go with you t' make it easier."
"Mind your own business!"
(Clap)
"Uh!"
The little girl slaps Coraline's hand away, and her brothers run up to their friend's sides just as a ring of fire suddenly erupted around the four...
"I don't wanna talk to you anymore! All of you, leave me alone!"
And just like that, the girl fades away with the flames...When everything settles, the first to speak out the three was Freeman.
"Wh-What the hell just happened?!"
Besa is just as shocked:
"I have no idea...Unless...could that girl, be a ghost?...Or were we hallucinating?"
Coraline shakes her head and replies,
"...No...that was no hallucination. That girl was real; I could feel 'er hand."
The three teens shiver, wondering what was to become of them from this encounter...
At the same time, back in Edo and deep within the Forest of Inuyasha, we find the namesake sitting behind some bushes, watching as a swarm of strange bee-like insects were crawling around the Tessaiga embedded within their honeycomb...
"How much longer is this gonna take anyway?"
Myōga hops to his shoulder and replies,
"Be patient, my lord. If you try to take the sheath from the Steel Wasps now, you'll be stung to death...The sheath of your sword was badly cracked during your last battle. Let the Steel Wasps do their job and repair it with their special wax."
Having enough of the mundane mood, Shippō comes floating over in his pink balloon form.
"Oooo, hey, how 'bout a bite?"
He then proceeds to playfully gnaw on Inuyasha's head, before the latter replies irritably,
"Back, off!"
The fox demon is forced to retreat after a couple punches, reverting back into his real form.
(Pop)
"Hey, I was only trying to liven things up around here!"
He lands on the ground and then asks,
"Where's Coraline, anyways? I'm getting tired of hangin' around with you."
"Funny you should mention that..."
Well aware of where the half-demon was going in that response, Shippō then stomps around in a tantrum and complains,
"It's not fair! Why do I have to be alone with you?!"
Myōga mutters,
"Um, don't I deserve to be counted...?"
(...Fwoooo-weeee-woooo-eeee-oooo...)
"Hm?"
Suddenly, a bright source of jasmine yellow light came floating in the distance, with smaller orbs of white following it and emitting chirps of children giggling. Inuyasha sees it as well, and asks more to himself,
"What's that?"
Shippō hops onto his arm and exclaims fearfully,
"It's a demon!"
"Why are you scared? You're a demon too."
Myōga then explains,
"That's no ordinary demon; it's the Soul Piper."
Getting a closer look, we see that the demonic spirit is large and round in body, has a long scaly tail, and thin arms which were currently being used to help play its wooden flute in the course of entertaining some young children whom have departed from the mortal world recently.
"When a child dies, the Soul Piper stays and plays with that child until the soul is ready to rest in peace. As long as the eyes of the monster remains closed, there's nothing to be afraid of...But when the eyes of the Soul Piper open, it becomes a fearful demon."
Next Day, Present-Day Tokyo
"...Alright, Akari-sama. I'll take Sōta, but I need t' call Freeman and Besa and let 'em know."
The next morning after breakfast, Coraline is asked by her guardian to take her young brother to the hospital so he could visit a classmate who's been in a coma for some time. After calling her friends and telling them they needed to post-phone their excursion to meet with the acquaintance, the twins said they'd meet up along the way anyway...
"Sorry to hear your friend's in the hospital, Sōta."
The group of four is seen exiting the train station now as the young Higurashi replies to Freeman,
"Thanks. I hope these fortune cranes help in some way."
Besa smiles gently and says,
"With how hard you worked on them, I'm positive that good vibes will be sent towards a full recovery."
Coraline nods in agreement, causing a little smile to appear on Sōta's face in response...which shifts into a worried frown as they move onto the street closer to the health institution.
"...Um, Cora?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think, evil ghosts really exist?"
"Hm?...What do you mean?"
The boy goes quiet and doesn't answer, leaving the remainder of the walk in an awkward silent as they finally reach the hospital. The four head up to the room where the other elementary schooler was, and meet with his mother who's been keeping a vigil over him.
"Oh, Sōta. It's so nice of you to visit."
"...How's Satoru? Will he be getting out soon?"
The woman sadly replies,
"I'm afraid he'll be here for a while yet, he's still hasn't woken up since the accident."
Sōta hands her the tree of cranes:
"Well, maybe these will help."
"Get Well Cranes. How very thoughtful of you, Sōta."
Coraline looks up from her vantage point, and notices something about the woman's appendages.
Her hands...they're burnt.
"Oh these. They were burnt in the fire."
"Oh! Forgive me; I didn' mean to stare."
Satoru's mother smiles faintly and replies,
"Thankfully, he wasn't burnt. But he's been in a coma for half a year, since the fire."
Besa says softly,
"I pray that soon your son awakes, ma'am."
She smiles and nods, accepting his words of sincerity...
(POP)
"Uh!"
Suddenly, the bag full of solution attached to Satoru's arm breaks and crashes to the ground!...Even more disturbing, Coraline sees the little girl from yesterday!
The girl from the park! But, why did she...?
She turns to the twins, who nod, silently saying that they saw her too...
"Not again."
"Huh?"
The redhead looks over to Satoru's mother, watching the woman walk up to where the bag fell while muttering,
"Why does this keep happening?"
Hm, so this isn' the first time that girl's 'visited'...an' since no one else has spott'd her, perhaps, she's no' of this world anymore.
...But tha' still doesn't explain her intentions. I need more information...and fast.
She glances over at the comatose child and concludes with concern,
'Cause I have this feelin' Satoru might be in danger...
Just as the teenage girl marks this situation as a new focus, up on the roof of the hospital, the Soul Piper and the little girl are seen floating by, the flute emitting a low, ominous sound as the probable poltergeist glares down below.
"One of these days, I'm gonna finish off my stupid brother for good!"
...
Once the hospital visit is wrapped up, Coraline, Sōta and the twins would be walking down a side street as the redhead begins to inquire her younger brother about the strange happenings regarding his friend.
"Sōta...is their a specific reason why you asked abou' evil spirits earlier?"
"Yeah. Some people in our class think there's an evil ghost that's after Satoru. He's been in a coma for six months, right?...Everyone used to come and visit him all the time, but then all kinds of weird things started happening every time someone came to see him."
"You mean like what happened just a bit ago?"
The boy nods at Freeman and continues.
"And that's not even the craziest thing that's happened. Some kids were pushed down stairs, others almost getting hit by cars...Everyone's too scared to visit him now. His sister, Mayu, died in the fire, you know. Some guys in the class think maybe she's the one doing the creepy stuff."
By this time, the four had reached their next destination: an apartment building where one particular unit was in horrible shape from fire damage...
"So, this is where the fire occurred?"
"Yeah. They kept tryin' to clean it up and rebuild it after the fire, but every time someone got near, there was another accident."
As the four continue to gaze upward...a potted plant suddenly rises into the air...
"Heads up!"
(Crash)
They scramble out of the way before they got hit by the pot, and it just shatters on the pavement...
"See! I told'ja there was an evil ghost around! Gh...Uh..."
Overcome with nerves, Sōta faints, much to Coraline's dismay.
"Sōta?...Sōta!"
Besa comes over and feels his pulse, before assuring his sister,
"It's okay; he should wake up in a bit."
Coraline nods, but then jumps startled when Freeman shouts,
"Whoa, hey, get off of there!"
The other two look up, and watch as the little ghost girl suddenly jumps off the railing, only to land slowly and smoothly onto the ground...
"But, how-"
"Duh. I'm dead, don'tcha get it?!"
The young man with cornrowed hair continues to kneel beside Sōta, while Coraline rises to a protective stand with a glare.
"I get i' now. You mus' be Mayu, Satoru's sister...Why are you doing this?"
Freeman asks,
"Yeah, surely you don't want to hurt anyone, don't you?"
Mayu turns away from their stares and replies harshly,
"I don't care about anyone, especially not my mommy...Mommy couldn't stand me...She didn't even cared that I died! She left me in the fire...she only saved my little brother..."
The redhead's eyes soften as she chides,
"I'm positive that's a lie. We've spoken with your mother, Mayu."
Her brother with jade irises steps up and adds,
"We can guarantee that she loves you just as much as your brother."
"What do you know?!"
Mayu then adds in a threat,
"You better stay out of my way or I'll have to kill you too!"
With that, the young spirit vanishes in a flash of light...though not before ripping out multiple bushes and a tree to throw high into the air, before they came soaring back down! Thinking quickly, the three teens huddle around Sōta, and cover their necks just as the uprooted plants and pieces of rubble came raining down.
(CRASH...)
Once the dust cleared, the dirt-dusted teenagers look up, before freezing up at the sound of a low whistling of a flute...Turning around, they see the Soul Piper staring at them!
"Wh-What the hell?!"
"What is that?!"
Coraline looks more intently at its face, sensing a message in its expression.
"...When the eyes op'n up..."
Then just like that, the demon spirit disappears, leaving behind three rattled teens even more hell-bent on solving this problem...
Realizing that the creature may very well have demonic origins, Coraline decides to pop back to Edo to speak with Myōga, while the twins wait for her on the other side of the well, just as curious for the answer...She sits on the lip of the small structure now with Shippo on her left, and Inuyasha sitting on the grass a few feet in front of her, listening to the flea demon's description...
"So you've heard of this creature. The Soul Piper, is it?"
Myōga answers from atop her left index finger,
"Yes, it sounds like we're talking about the same thing. The Soul Piper consoles the children until they can accept their deaths. It entertains the children with its flute, until they can find peace."
"And, wha' happens if the child cannot find peace, because something is holding th'm back, like jealousy or hatred?"
"Then the child will become an evil spirit."
"Just like tha'? Really?"
"You've heard of poltergeists, full of rage and hatred. When the Soul Piper senses the child's rage, its eyes open, and the Soul Piper hurls the child into the depths of Hell."
Shippō then chimes,
"Most of the time, the Soul Piper's eyes are closed, but look out when they open."
"...Oh god...They were opening! I've got t' do something to save Mayu!"
"Let it be, Coraline."
"Huh?"
The redhead looks Inuyasha's way, and he says just as seriously,
"Ghosts and spirits aren't like monsters. We can't just take out our swords and start ordering them around. Ghosts are different and much more dangerous."
She stands up and retorts stubbornly,
"I hear wha' yo're saying, but tha' isn't the case with all polt'ageists. Some jus' need a listening ear to help th'm reach some sort'a closure...And besides all that, I believe in helpin' others when they need it most, as do my brothers! We're not just gonna sit aroun' when we know we can a' least try to save Mayu from eternal suffering!"
"Tuh, well you can count me out. There's nothing you three can do for the girl at this point...Haah?!"
The half-demon discovers that Coraline had already gone back to her time, and the little fox demon says to the former,
"You shouldn't talk to yourself. People will wonder."
Inuyasha growls at the girl's reckless justice, while she mentally declares as she drifts downward,
I can't let th' lass continue down this path...
Mayu, I hear you...bu' you in turn need to listen, before it's too late.
At the same time Coraline heads back to begin planning with her twin companions on their next course of action regarding the young poltergeist, we return to the hospital where Satoru's staying at, watching his mother working on a specially detailed fabric as she thought back to before the tragedy...
(Flash)
We return to the small family's home back before it met destruction by flames, and see Mayu gazing into a fish tank with a happy smile as her mother washed the dishes.
"Mommy, I can't wait to try on my new Kimono! I'll wear it to the festival, and catch lots of new goldfish friends for my new tank! Are you almost finished, mom?"
The older female replies with a smile,
"Almost, but the festival's still a long way off."
"Yeah, I know, but I wanna try it!"
Mayu's mother laughs a bit and replies,
"Yes, honey."
(Flash)
She stops working on her deceased daughter's kimono - a navy blue number with a goldfish pattern - for a moment, willing herself to avoid being buried by her sorrow again...Unbeknownst to the grieving woman, Mayu had come floating in front of the window again, vengeful eyes locked onto her brother.
"This time, when mom leaves the hospital, I'm gonna make sure that Satoru has an accident."
Lingering behind her is the Soul Piper, and we see its eyes opening a fraction further...A while later, the three teens are heading towards the hospital after finalizing a course of action regarding Mayu, arriving within range of the building as the poltergeist's mother was beginning to leave for the evening.
"Sure, thank you...Oh, goodnight, Missus Ikeda, see you tomorrow. We'll call if there's any news."
"Thanks. Goodnight."
"Have a good night's rest."
...Just as the woman left out the door, Coraline, Freeman and Besa hurry her way.
"Missus Ikeda!" "Hold on!"
"Oh!...Hello, what are you three doing here? Visiting hours are over, dears."
"We know, but we need t' speak with you. It's about, Mayu..."
...They all watch a nurse direct an ambulance to the entrance, and though she was curious over why these three wanted to know more about the tragedy, Missus Ikeda indulges them.
"It seems like just yesterday..."
(Flash)
The evening itself had already been breeding a tense atmosphere, as evident by the scorned expression on Mayu's face as she addresses her mother who was tending to an ill Satoru within the children's shared bedroom.
"I hate you, mommy! Why didn't you come to the school's open-house?!"
"I'm sorry, Mayu, but your brother's been sick in bed all day."
"It's always about stupid Satoru!"
"That's not true."
"I can't stand you or Satoru!"
The older elementary schooler throws her bag to the ground and darts off, despite Missus Ikeda trying to call her back.
"Mayu!...Don't run out on me!"
She's answered by the harsh slam of a door...
"It seemed we were always having arguments like that...I thought I heard the door slam and I assumed that had she run off to the neighbour's apartment like she usually did...but I was mistaken..."
The woman was returning home a while later with a bag of groceries, only to meet with two of her neighbours who tell her that her apartment was on fire! She immediately runs back, and enters the flame-engulfed home, desperate to find the 'one child' inside...
The fire department eventually arrived to help, and one escorts the worried mother out through the smoke, she holding her unconscious boy in her arms as they're covered in a blanket...
"How could I have known that Mayu was still inside...?"
Zooming within the blackened apartment after the fire dies down, two firefighters discover the unfortunate victim who didn't make it.
"We got a body in here. Poor thing...Looks like just a kid..."
(Flash)
"If I had known, I would have gone back in, but I was sure that she wasn't, there...!"
As Missus Ikeda tears up from the horrible memory, Coraline mentally deduces,
So then, she wasn' even aware Mayu was still inside...
Oh god, poor her...Poor them.
(Crash)
"Huh?"
The four look up and see shattered window glass fall from a certain hospital room, along with the lights flickering erratically...
"That's Satoru's room!"
"It's Mayu!"
"Oh god, we gotta get up there!"
They rush up to Satoru's aid, reaching the closed doorway just the lights shut off and the wiring hits the machine beside the bed, causing it to short as well...The redhead leads practically rips the door open and shouts,
"Mayu, no, stop!"
Besa and Freeman add respectively,
"Please, let's talk this out!"
"This is all a big misunderstanding!"
The vengeful little ghost could only stare in shock, with a similar feeling passing through her mother who finally perceives her presence.
...Mayu...?
"Mayu...!...But, you were-"
"STAY OUT!"
(Whoosh)
Unfortunately, Mayu was far from wanting to see one of the causes of her rage, and she sends out a wave of energy to force the woman causing her to slam against the wall of the hallway!
"Missus Ikeda!"
Besa hurries to her side while Coraline and Freeman try again to reason with the torrential storm that's currently Mayu.
"Please, Mayu, your moth'a isn' to blame fo' this!"
"Try and think back: she didn't abandon you in the fire! She didn't even know you were still at home!"
(...Flash)
"Ooo, it's nice and warm in here."
We see moments after the argument that Mayu had returned home after her mother went out for a grocery run. She heads into her room, her voice stirring her brother awake as she hangs her scarf up on a line hanging over a little stove.
"Ooh, hi there Mayu. Mom said, (sniff) you're not suppose to hang stuff over the stove when it's on, remember?"
"You gonna snitch on me?"
The older child then opens the door to the closet and walks in...
"I'm gonna play a trick on mommy. Don't tell her I'm in here or I'll be mad! I'm gonna make her worry about me..."
She closes the door...
"I left my scarf over the stove. It must've fallen and caught on fire. It was my fault our apartment burned down, and mommy didn't know I was home..."
(Flash)
Coraline and Freeman take a few steps closer, staying as calm as possible as they spoke to the girl remembering parts of the tragic day.
"Mayu..."
"It's okay. It isn't too late to make this right..."
But though the young spirit was coming to grip with some of the truth, her wild emotions won out over her logic.
"I forgot that...but it doesn't matter, (snap) 'CAUSE I STILL HATE HER!"
The sheer force of her shout sends a quaking power through the floor and causes it to erupt into pieces, forcing the two teens to cringe back while Satoru and his bed suddenly move towards the window!
"Satoru!" "Satoru!"
But just as they ran to save him...he already fell out the opening...
"No...!"
"Oh Satoru..."
"...Can't you handle anything on your own?"
Recognizing that voice, the teens turn their gazes to the upper right out the window...and see Inuyasha hanging from the wall by stabbing Tessaiga into the hard plaster, with Satoru in his free hand!
"Inuyasha! You came t' help us...thank you."
"Nice catch, by the way."
"Good thing I came too, otherwise this kid would be in big trouble."
The half-demon then turns his gaze outwards in Mayu's direction.
"Give up on the girl; it's too late for her."
The teens back up a little from the window, and Freeman takes Satoru to hold as Inuyasha came to crouch on the windowsill.
"Even if you get her to realize what happened and make her stop, I guarantee you she's not going anywhere near heaven."
...In accordance to the latter's judgment, the Soul Piper appears behind the ghost girl...
"Oh no, it's eyes...!"
"Aw man, not good!"
The demonic spirit's dark red irises were quickly revealed, foreshadowing the fate it had in store for Mayu...Red chains materialize, wrapping around the young one's arms.
"W-What are you doing? Hey, lemme go; I wanna stay heeere!"
And the Soul Piper drags her away...
"Mayu!"
Coraline turns to Inuyasha and says,
"...I won't give up on her, no matter wha' you say! I'm going after her!"
Freeman suggests,
"Try the apartment where the fire was. That Soul Piper may be forcing her to relive her past before hurling her to Hell."
"I was just thinkin' that. And guys...I hate t' ask you this, but-"
Besa cuts in with a reassuring nod.
"Say no more. We'll take care of things here with Satoru and Missus Ikeda. You go on ahead, but be careful."
Coraline bops her head up and down in a silent promise, and begins to run out the door...only to be dragged onto the back of Inuyasha!
"Agh-Hey, what're you-?!"
"Feh, like I'm lettin' you go on your own. Hang on and we'll get there faster!"
"Inuyasha...Okay."
And she bids her brothers farewell as the half-demon takes off into the night.
"...I'll give you and your brothers this: your instincts aren't too bad, for humans."
...
...
After a bit, the duo of opposite genders arrive at the Akeda family apartment, the destroyed home now glowing an ominous mix of amethyst and rose quartz colours...
"That must be it. Let's just hope we're not too late..."
Inuyasha lands atop the railing, and Coraline hops onto the deck before shooting her ride a grateful expression.
"Thank you for gettin' me here...I've go' it from hereon."
"Like you and your brother handled that kid back at the hospital? I don't think so; I'm goin' with you."
"Haah, if you insist..."
As they walk inside, the half-demon comments under his breath,
"I can relate to whoever first said 'there's nothing scarier than an ignoramus'..."
...But just as he says that, Coraline suddenly vanishes!
"Huh? She disappeared! Right, this is the dimension where humans are dragged into hell!...I'm half-demon so I can't make it past this barrier. Awoh, damn! Coraline cannot handle this on her own!"
...
We delve into the said dimension now, and discover Mayu kneeling within a darkened space, the chains of Hell still visible around her arms...
"Where am I?...Why's it so dark in here?"
She turns to the right, and sees a sliver of orange light shimmering through a door...
"The light's on..."
...But when she opens the door, she cringes back in horror at the sight of towering flames and suffocating smoke, and begins to scream!...A reaction that seemed to connect to her mother, who jolts awake back in the hospital.
"Hh!...Huh?"
"You're awake. How do you feel?"
Missus Ikeda rises to a sitting position in a sick bed, a new bandage on her forehead.
"Where am I? What happened?"
The nurse gently explains,
"Satoru's woken up, and one of the nice boys who helped you is waiting with him."
"Huh...?"
"Missus Ikeda?"
She turns towards the door and sees Besa, who says with a relieved smile,
"I'm glad you're alright, ma'am. My brother is waiting for us with your son."
They walk together to where the other boys was resting, Freeman standing by the bed.
"...Satoru!"
The twins step back respectively as the frantic mother went to greet her son, he weak but awake.
"M...Mommy?"
As she kneels by him, Satoru then says,
"Mommy...Mayu, She's...hiding, from you, in the closet..."
Missus Ikeda felt her body go numb with shock.
"Uh-h!"
"Hurry and, get her, mommy..."
The twins look at eachother, the same message on their minds.
Coraline...please be careful, and save Mayu!
...
Returning to the Hell-enchanted apartment, the little ghost girl found herself curling into a ball, surrounded by the torturous flames of her memories as she fearfully laments,
"I-I'm at my house...this is how I died...Nobody could save me because no one knew I was here...!"
"...Mayu! Where are you, Mayu?!"
She looks up in shock, hearing someone call out for her.
"...Is that you, mommy?"
In reality, it was Coraline looking around the home for her, following a similar path Missus Ikeda did back when the events actually took place.
"Ch-koff, where are you?! Please, answer me!"
Mayu opens the closet door and sees the redhead, who in turn pivots around to spot the other female.
"...There you are!"
Coraline comes up to Mayu and says with a relieved smile after stifling another cough,
"C'mon, let's get outta here! It's not too late!"
But rather than feeling relieved someone found her, the deceased Ikeda was angered by the Croft's persistence.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm dead, you stupid idiot! What's your problem?!"
"Dead or no', my problem is lettin' someone suffer when they shouldn't suffer at'all!"
Mayu becomes stunned by Coraline's words...
(Rumble)
"Huh?!"
Just then, the floor behind the former caves in, revealing the entrance to Hell!
Both girls look down in shock, and more chains wrap around Mayu to begin dragging her in.
"Aaaah!"
"Mayu!"
(GRASP)
Coraline manages to take hold of poltergeist's hand, now stuck in a contest of strength between herself and the chains of hell, with Mayu caught in the middle and fearfully looking down below...
"Mayu, don't let go!"
Overhead came the eyes of the Soul Piper, and more strain is put on the chains. Knowing it wouldn't be long before her grip would slip, the redhead continues her mission in convincing the little spirit to seek forgiveness.
"Listen to me: you need ta go home! You need to go back and make up with your moth'r!"
The room begins to crumble as Coraline adds,
"Your mother loves you, now and forev'a, Mayu!...Don't you wan' to make peace before you say farewell fo' good?"
Mayu looks up at the redhead...and asks timidly with tears in her eyes,
"Isn't, mommy mad at me?...Are you sure mommy's not mad?"
Taken aback, the teenager then shifts into a sad but reassuring smile.
"...Of course she's no' mad. How could she be? You're her daughter...She loves you and misses you dearly, and only wan's to see you again, Mayu."
Memories of all the happy times with her mother, smiling face and all flash before the little ghost girl's eyes...before she bursts into tears and shouts,
"Mommy!...I miss you, mommy! I wanna say sorry to you! I've always wanted to make up with you! I'm Sorry, Mommy!"
And just as her grip tightens on Coraline's hand...
(SNAP)
The chain around Mayu's arm broke to descend back into the fiery depths of Hell! Coraline pulls the crying girl into her arms, feeling the former poltergeist hug her torso, burying her face into her shirt...The redhead strokes Mayu's back and murmurs soothingly,
"It'll be alrigh' now, Mayu...It'll be alrigh'..."
She then glances upward upon feeling the presence of the Soul Piper, seeing that they've returned to their dormant state. They stare at one another for a moment...before the human whispers,
"Thank you for givin' her a second chance."
...The demonic spirit nods the slightest, before softly fading away just as Inuyasha comes into the ruined bedroom.
"Coraline!...There you are."
"Hey..."
...
Shooting forward to the next morning, as the sun shines into the more peaceful shell of the apartment, we see Missus Ikeda wandering within the place, searching for something...or someone...
"Mayu...?"
As she kneels in front of what was once her children's bedroom closet...
"Mommy?"
The mother turns around, and meets eyes with her deceased daughter, the latter's form a bit more translucent and emitting a much more innocent aura...
"Mayu...?"
The spirit comes up to her, and says while placing a hand on her head,
"I'm sorry, mommy...Will you forgive me?"
...Mrs. Ikeda smiles sadly, tears in the corner of her eyes.
"Yes..."
Mayu smiles in return, and removes her hand before saying,
"Bye, mommy. I have to go now."
And she fades away, leaving her mother behind with both feeling a weight lift from their consciences...As this went on, Coraline, Inuyasha and the twins were sitting on a nearby rooftop as they lament over the events that occurred.
"...I hope Mayu's spirit is a' ease now."
The half-demon scolds the single girl for her recklessness.
"What were you thinking, going in there all alone? That girl could've easily pulled you into Hell, Coraline, and I wouldn't have been able to save you!"
She glances at him before commenting mentally,
It was worth the risk.
Freeman then says,
"Sometimes you gotta take risks in order to get things done. Sure, going into a place like that is dangerous, but if you don't try regardless of the odds, wouldn't that make you a bit of a coward, or a quitter?"
The other three teens cast surprise glances at him, before going into their own thoughts...
A week later, Sōta would come home with good news: Satoru was finally free to leave the hospital, and he and his mother were looking towards a happier future as they move forward past that lingering pain...Heading into the Higurashi household as the sun sinks for the day, we find Coraline reading over a set of notes within a file folder.
"Hmm, let's see here..."
"Coraline...?"
"Hm?"
She looks out the window, and smiles when she meets eyes with Mayu, floating within the open air and in her new kimono.
"Hey, Mayu!"
"I wanted to see you one last time before I left."
"I love yo'r yukata. You look adorable."
"Thanks. My mommy made it just for me. I better be going now! Bye!"
With that, the young spirit begins to gently fly away, the redhead waving her farewell.
"Goodbye, Mayu; safe trav'ls!"
Heh, I knew you were never destined fo' Hell...
You were just a sweet little lass who needed t' be guided back to her moth'a...
We watch as the giggling ghost fades away with the tune of the Soul Piper, the former finally able to pass into the afterlife with no regrets...Coraline sighs in content, before turning to sit back at her desk.
"I'm glad Mayu is at peace...Now, t' focus on this other little girl..."
Rikona...
"Why do I always get m'self into these situations?...And all this to acquire a weapon..."
Flashback
"It's right up here; we just gotta turn down this alleyway..."
A few days after the incident with Mayu Ikeda, the redhead would be led by the Brownlees through a shady-looking district of downtown Tokyo to meet up with their acquaintance and see about obtaining the combat knife...
"So how'do you two know this Shuji character anyway?"
"We met 'im during our first year here in Tokyo. He was actually the one who helped us find a place to live."
"He does dabble in the black market, but he's not a full-on gangster or anything. He just, does what he has to to survive..."
"Hm, I see...and you said weapons are his specialty?"
"Yep."
"Like we said before, he stays away from guns and the big grade stuff, but knifes are easy for him."
They come up to the end of a slightly worn-down alleyway where a banged-up garage door stood.
"This is it."
Freeman steps up and knocks on the metal.
(Clang, clang)
"Yo, Shuji! You in? It's us, Freeman and Besa!"
A muffled voice answers,
"Yeah, I hear ya! Come in!"
The twin with the natural cut of hair lifts the rusty door up, and all three teens walk in, bending down a bit to avoid hitting their heads before Freeman sets the door down again. The interior is about what one would expect for any garage, with a few tables set up around the walls, tools and various gadgets scattered atop the wood surfaces. The walls were a bit worn down from age, and there's a few puddles from spilled oil on the floor...
"Oi, Freeman, Besa; good to see ya guys!"
Coraline looks back in front of her, and took in the appearance of the new face. They were a young man at least a year older than the twins, with an ectomorph trapezoid body of pale beige skin, a messy asymmetric cut of black hair, and tawny brown eyes. His outfit consists a lightly ripped black tank top with a silver-white skull printed in the middle, a rip-sleeved jean jacket, slate gray baggy jeans and Russian violet sneakers. We see he also has a lime green skull tattoo on his upper left arm, covering a fading scar from a previous injury.
"Yo, Shuji, it's been a while!"
The new face then looks over in the redhead's direction.
"Is this who I think it is?"
"Yep. Shuji, this is Coraline, Coraline, Shuji."
They shake hands and greet one another.
"It's nice to mee' you."
"Yeah, likewise. Your bros have mentioned you a couple times, and I gotta say, you look prettier than I imagined..."
Coraline blushes a bit and replies,
"U-Uh, thanks, I guess..."
Freeman steps up and wraps an arm around his sister's shoulders while sending his friend a playful smile.
"Easy there, Shuji. We didn't come down here so you can flirt with our sister."
Besa adds,
"Haha, yeah, besides, Cora isn't interested in dating anyone yet."
They all laugh a little as Shuji says with his hands held out,
"Alright, alright...So what can I help you guys with?"
Coraline shifts to a more serious expression before making her plight.
"My brothers told me you're the kind'a guy who knows how t' get a hold of weapons. Is that true?"
"Maybe. Depends on what a body needs...What sor'of weapon are you lookin' for?"
"...A combat knife."
Shuji whistles through his teeth:
"Wow, goin' for the type that'll get the job done, eh?...May I ask why?"
"It's kind-of complicated to explain...but let's jus' say that the adventure lying ahead of me is liable to gettin' more dangerous, so it would do me good to have another form of protection..."
The young man nods understandingly.
"I see...Well, unfortunately I don't have anything along the lines of a combat knife currently. I can get you one...but it won't come cheap."
"I figured. What sort of price am I lookin' at?"
"Based on what I've seen for sales of knifes in today's market, I'd say around...eight thousand yen."
Coraline's eyes bulge out slightly.
"Eight thousand yen?!...That's a little steep for me. I can barely get five thousand ou' of my account during a good month."
"I know, but that's the cheapest there is if we want top-grade, which I'm sure you'll need...But I'm not unreasonable. We can negotiate the price."
The redhead folds her arms and looks at Shuji skeptically.
"...This better not be leanin' towards me doin' black market smuggling, 'cause I'm not sinking that low."
"Oh no, no, nothing like that!...Actually, this is more of a personal favour."
The boy with the asymmetric cut then walks over to grab a photograph and a folder off of one table.
"Your brothers told me you're the kind of girl who has a mind for detail and sleuthing...My little cousin, Rikona...she's been missing for a couple weeks, and though I already have other sources keepin' an eye out for her, she's still not showing up...This may be asking for a lot, but if you can find any sort of sign of where she could be, I'd be willing to slash the price to half. Hell, if you can bring her home, I'll cut it down further."
Coraline takes the items for her own hands, and sees a picture of a cute little girl with long black hair tied in a braid, wearing a fairytale pink shift dress with white lilies decorating it.
"...What's this other folder?"
"It's a copy of a file from a few months ago about a gangster that got busted for weapon possession. Don't ask me how I got it...Apparently, Rikona was a witness to the event. I think she ran away from home out of fear, because the brother of this guy has been threatening to get back at everyone who was at the scene..."
The redhead narrows her eyes at the file, before looking back up at Shuji with a serious expression.
"So you want me to find yo'r cousin, and in exchange, you'll lower the price of the combat knife?"
"Yes."
"...I'll do i'."
End of Flashback
A sigh escapes the young Croft's lips as she once again goes over her current amount of information, which admittingly, isn't alot.
"...I canno' believe I agreed to do this...Wha'did the guys tell Shuji, anyway, that I'm some sort'a police girl in training or somethin'?"
A little laugh bubbles in her throat as her thoughts drift to Mayu, comparing what she did for that young girl to what she's doing now.
"...Still, she's like Mayu: another lass caugh' in a bad situation...But at least, I have a chance to help before the worst comes to pass."
Coraline smiles faintly and continues on, a new determination surfacing in light of this side-quest.