Update (May 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 13: The New Moon Reveals All
Another two weeks comes and goes, and we zoom in on Coraline as she leaves the downtown library after returning some texts she borrowed for school work.
Waiting for her out front were Freeman and Besa, who walk with her back to the shrine...
"So what'd you return this time?"
"Just an algebra text and a book on Shakespearean plays. Nothin' major."
Freeman cringes from the sound of the first text.
"Ugh, don't mention algebra to me! I can't stand anything math-related!"
The other two teens laugh before Besa asks,
"Speaking of major, any luck on finding leads for the missing girl, Rikona?"
The redhead frowns in thought and replies,
"Not 'til yesterday. I wen' to the street where she was las' seen, and spoke with a shop keeper and his son who said they saw her heading for th' abandoned factory district a few times this past week and a half."
"Well, better something than nothing."
As they turn the corner to the shine stairs...
(Bump)
"Oh!"
Coraline walks into someone, and a slab of bamboo falls out of the packaging they were carrying...She looks up, and sees the person to be Hōjō!
"Oh, Hōjō!"
He smiles at her and greets,
"Hey, Coraline! I didn't expect to run into you, but I'm glad I did. (Hands her the gift) This is supposed to be good for hitting pressure points. Can't hurt to try it."
"Um, I dunno wha' to say..."
The twins whisper to eachother,
"Gotta give the guy an A+ in persistence."
"I think he'd have better chances with flowers..."
The brunette then asks the redhead,
"I know that sitting bothers you, but...do you think you can make it through a movie? It's just two hours."
Coraline feels a small blush come to her face from the question...before her brothers each put a hand on her shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Hate to interrupt, but may we have a word with our sister for a moment?"
Though a bit surprised, Hōjō nods, watching as Coraline is gently pulled aside to talk about this new development...
"Whoa, didn't see that comin'...Did he seriously just ask me, on a date?"
"Looks that way."
"So...ya think you might take him up on it, Coraline?"
She looks at Freeman in surprise and nearly exclaims,
"What? Seriously; me go ou' with him?! You're jokin', right?"
"Why not? I mean sure, you're not into him, but it couldn't hurt to test the waters, if ya know what I mean..."
Besa cuts in as the devil's advocate.
"I'm gonna have to go with Cora on this one, bro. If she doesn't have any interest in Hōjō, why should she go out with him? Besides, we kind-of have another priority on our plate with Shuji and Rikona..."
"...Riiight, almost forgot about that."
"In that case, I know what I hafta do."
Coraline then walks back over to the patient middle-schooler, and says with an apologetic smile,
"I'm sorry, Hōjō, but I must decline. I have this, project I'm workin' on which needs a rigorous amoun' of attention, and it's gonna take time to finish."
"Oh, I see. No worries, I understand...I guess I'll see you around then?"
"Sure. See you, Hōjō."
And he heads off, leaving Coraline with the gift...Later in the evening, she's seen getting ready with her satchel and backpack to head back to Edo with her half-dog demon companion.
"Say, Inuyasha...what're the chances we can ge' me back here by Saturday a' latest?"
"Um, fair to moderate if were lucky."
"Good."
The young man lifts the equally young lady up over the well by her surplus backpack, and asks while scratching his head,
"Uh, when exactly is this Saturday of yours again?"
Coraline sighs and replies patiently,
"About four days from now."
"Four days?!"
She calls back on the drop down,
"And I only need to be here for a few hours, honest!"
"Feh...fine, we'll see, but you better promise that!"
And he leaps in after her...
...
...
By the next day, the teenagers, Shippō and Myōga were already traveling far from Goshinboku Village, choosing to float down a river in a small boat. Looking up from her notebook, Coraline gazes at the scenery with a smile.
"Heh, flora like this isn' somethin' you come by in my time..."
(Splash)
"Haha, neither is the fauna!"
Inuyasha turns to her with an annoyed glare and replies,
"Would you mind focusing a little? We're not here to look at the scenery."
She half-smirks and calmly retorts,
"I am focused; it's called multi-tasking."
Meanwhile, the fox demon was leaning over the side of the boat with a queasy expression, clearly expressing a dislike for aquatic travel. The half-demon looks at him incredulously and groans,
"Shippō, you call yourself a demon? You're not suppose to get seasick!"
"I'm not trying..."
"This is ridiculous. We're not gonna find any shards unless you two snap to it!"
Inuyasha then notices the writing material in Coraline's lap.
"And what're you scribbin' in anyway? That's gotta be the weirdest-looking scroll I've ever seen."
"That's 'cause it's not a scroll; it's called a notebook. As for what I'm 'scribbling'...it's stuff for a missing girl I'm tryin' to find."
Forgetting his nausea for a moment, Shippō asks curiously,
"Missing girl?"
"Mhm. A mutual acquaintance of mine and my brothers has a little cousin who wen' missing a few weeks ago. In exchange for a, 'certain item', I'm trying to find some sort'a lead to where she could be."
"Feh...And what's this, 'certain item' you're trying to get?"
Coraline looks at Inuyasha and replies simply,
"A weapon, and I'm not tellin' you what it is yet. You'll just have to wait until I get i'."
...The half-demon found himself without words at her answer, and turns his vision back in front of him with a new frown that seemed unreadable.
Hmph...Wha'does she need another weapon for? Is the bow an' arrow not enough?
"...Hm?"
His attention returns to reality when he notices a strange change in the environment. The noise he made catches Coraline's attention:
"What is it?"
"Spider webs..."
The girl looks forward, and sees white strands of something that did look a lot like spider silk!
"What the...That's strange. Webs shouldn' get this large..."
Unless...is there an arachnid demon nearby?
Inuyasha brushes some of the apparent webbing aside, but grasps a bit into his hands to looking at more closely, before clenching it with a frown. Myōga hops onto his shoulder and asks,
"Master Inuyasha, what manner of webs are they?"
"Nothing to be concerned about..."
That's when Coraline points up to an approaching cliff edge.
"Look, there!"
Panning upward, we watch as a young tween emerge from some bushes. She has pale ivory skin, shoulder-length bistre brown hair tied into a short ponytail, seal brown irises, and is wearing a short-sleeved fern green kosode with salmon pink stars decorating the clavicle and thigh area of the garment, an auburn red obi sash, fern green shin guards, and a pair of waraji sandals on her feet.
"Get away from me!"
She ducks out of the way of an oncoming attack, and falls from the cliff!
"Aaaaahhhh!"
Inuyasha immediately leaps off the boat and catches her, landing on a nearby rock protruding from the moving waters. Coraline calls with an impressed smile,
"Nice catch!"
He watches the unknown appendage shoot back into the bushes.
"Looks like some sort of demon..."
The girl looks at her savior and says gratefully,
"My thanks. You saved me from certain death...Whuh!?"
She then cringes in shock when she gets a full gander at not who, but what Inuyasha was...
"Unhand me, demon!"
(Slap)
"Gah!" "Wah!"
(Splash)
...
Once they're both out of the water and the boat is docked, Coraline went to work to take care of the girl's minor injury.
"Here, this type of alcohol is good for cleanin' cuts. It may sting a bit, but that jus' means it's working."
We see the half-demon grumbling incoherently to himself while flapping his arms a bit to dry his robes, but keeps his canine ears sharp as he listens to his calmer companion ask the new stranger.
"Do you mind explaining wha' just attacked you a moment ago?"
"A demon known as a Kumogashira, or Spider Head. These mountains have been plagued by their presence since Springtime. Several villages have already been attacked...Spider Heads trap humans in their webs, paralyze them and devour them alive. They are terrifying demons."
"Sounds like a more monstrous version of a regular spider..."
The redhead then says to the young man with silver hair,
"Inuyasha, we need t' do something to help."
"Any signs of the Shikon-no-Tama fragments?"
"...Not so far. Not even the Spider Head from earlier had a shard."
"Then let's move out. I wanna cross these mountains before nightfall."
The half-demon prepares to continue onward, but his human companion was insist on remaining.
"We can't jus' walk away from a situation like this! There's likely more Kumog'shira than that one on the prowl."
Inuyasha looks at her with a serious glare and replies,
"Listen: I don't go slaying around demons every time a human comes running scared to me."
"That's not what anyone's asking you to do."
What's gotten into him? Usually he'd at least check out the situation...
The tween suddenly rises and states with a hateful tone,
"I'm leaving. Being obliged to a demon doesn't sit well with me."
Shippō calmly but smartly retorts,
"Feigning some measure of gratitude might sit well with us, though."
"Insolent Beast!"
He cringes from her snap, and she goes over to the nearby rock wall to start climbing up the vines.
"Thank you, for reminding me why I detest demons."
Coraline glares at the younger female for her attitude...but then sweatdrops when she falls into a bush. The redhead then smiles awkwardly Inuyasha's way and says,
"How 'bout we try displayin' some old fashion chivalry?"
...
...
By around sunset, everyone had reached a moderately grand structure situated within the mountainside forest...
"There's the temple!"
Coraline and Shippō lead the way, the former remarking,
"Well, that wasn' too bad, eh?"
The expressions on the faces of Inuyasha and the tween on his back say otherwise, but they each choose to remain silent on the matter...As they walk into the temple grounds, a elderly man wearing a Buddhist monk uniform (including a rakusu) comes out of the main building to greet them, one in particular.
"You have returned. Are you injured, Nazuna?"
"Master!"
The girl now known as Nazuna hops off Inuyasha, getting him with her elbow on the way down, and stops to kneel in front of her apparent Buddhist master with a tremor in her muscles.
"I feared that a Spider Head had attacked you."
"It spied me while I was attending to the grave sites. I had no choice but to rely on these demons to bring me home. I'm sorry, master."
Shippō glares indignantly before retorting to Nazuna,
"All demons are not created equal, you know!"
The old monk looks up at the newcomers.
"I don't suppose they are."
Inuyasha then mutters,
"Aw man...Don't worry, we're leaving anyway."
"Wait, friends. You must spend a night here with us at the temple."
"No, master!"
He puts a hand on Nazuna's shoulder and gently orders,
"Go. Prepare a meal for your nice guests," to which she reluctantly replies,
"Yes..."
As the tween gets up to walk away with a bend in her back, the monk turns back to the others and says apologetically,
"I beg you to forgive Nazuna for her rudeness...Her parents were killed by a Spider Head and she has harbored an understandable fear of demons since that incident. I have attempted to quell her fears, but to no avail."
Coraline smiles sadly and replies,
"I can understand how she feels...although t' be honest, I think her hatred is rather misguided...Hating the one responsible fo' her parent's murder is one thing, but to direct her bitterness a' all demons is far from justifiable."
The aging man nods in agreement, while Inuyasha and Shippō look at her in surprise...
"But never mind that. How bad is the Spider Head situation? Is it likely we'll run into any through th' mountain path?"
"As the number of men dying in war increases, so do the number of Spider Heads...but by leaps and bounds."
Coraline's eyes widen:
"Leaps 'n bounds?"
She turns to Inuyasha with a serious expression and says,
"I think it may be in our best interes' t' stay the night here."
The half-demon disagrees, turning his head away from her and retorting,
"Uh, we're on a quest, and I refuse to let some measly spiders to stop us!"
The priest smiles a bit and persuades,
"Stay the night with us and rest at ease. I have posted sutras around the temple to ward off any demons to try and attack us."
The redhead smiles at her fellow teen and quirks,
"Not really an offer to turn from, is i'?"
"..Suppose there's no sense arguing about it."
...
...
"Ahh, that was a delicious meal! Perhaps we should stay a few days and get to know Nazuna better."
Coraline smiles amusingly at the fox demon laying against her satchel with satisfaction after eating his fill of the simple rice and meat dish they travelers were presented with.
"Funny how a couple bowls of rice can change your tune about someone...?"
"I liked her from the start. I merely thought she was lacking in manners."
Inuyasha is seen sitting by the open door of the room they were all staying in, looking outward with an apprehensive frown.
It's getting late...
"Hey, Inuyasha?"
"Hm?"
Coraline looks at him with concern, sensing his unease.
"Are you alright? You, look'a bit on edge..."
"...Hmph, it's nothing."
She doesn't buy his answer, and comes in close to his face.
"What? You gotta problem or something?"
"Hold on...I think I may know wha's goin' on..."
The half-demon tenses...until the girl asks,
"Inuyasha, are you, afraid of spiders?"
Seeing an opportunity to make fun of him, Shippō transforms into a large if comical-looking arachnid.
"Ooo, who's afraid of the big, bad spider? (Thwack) Owah!"
He's unceremoniously squished to the ground, and Coraline mutters,
"...Okay, so my theory was wrong..."
Inuyasha looks up at her and replies through his teeth annoyed,
"I'm not afraid of spiders."
"Then why are you so tense?"
...He doesn't answer, and goes out the door.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"To get some fresh air! I'm sleeping outside tonight."
...But just as he turns to go, Inuyasha suddenly sees something off.
"Huh?"
...Damn, we're surrounded!...How could I have missed their scent?
By their, he means the glowing red eyes of Spider Heads that have somehow fought off the sutras, and were storming into the temple! Coraline and Shippō would spot them as well, and hurry to their companion's side.
"But how?! Shouldn' the sutras have kept th'm at bay?!"
A few spring out through the wall behind them.
"Wah!"
"Careful, they're behind us as well!"
Myōga remains calm and remarks from atop the teenage boy's shoulder,
"Their numbers are great, but they're not a formidable enemy. Up for some after-dinner exercise, my lord?"
"Oh yeah!"
Inuyasha takes out Tessaiga:
"We'll ward them off! So much for the priest's sutras!"
...
At the same time, Nazuna runs down the walkway for the priest's quarters, having seen the approaching enemy herself.
"Master! Master, the Spider Heads!...Hh!"
Unfortunately, she arrives to her master's proximity a little late, for he was already trapped within webbing!
"They've got you!"
...
By this time, Inuyasha was already on the attack, hitting the Spider Heads left and right with his sword...But for some reason, Tessaiga wasn't transforming into its full form, so the half-dog demon could only use his weapon like a baseball bat. Sensing their advantage, the Spider Heads switch up their tactics to shooting their webbing at their opponent!
"Inuyasha!"
As he fights to prevent himself from getting too entangled, he turns to Coraline and shouts,
"Make a break! I'll be right behind you!"
"But we can't-"
"Do as I say! I can handle these demons!"
The half-demon refocuses on trying to hack at the webs, while Shippō and Coraline become confused by his odd rashness.
"Why has he been acting so strange today?"
"...And why isn' Tessaiga transforming?"
Suddenly, Inuyasha is hit with a wave of spider silk, and becomes so entangled that he can't move!
Thinking quickly, the fox demon brandishes his own attack.
"Fox Fire!"
(Fwoom)
The illusionary blue flames manage to scare away the demonic arachnids, and the redhead hurries to help her friend out of the webbing.
"Hang on, I'll have you, nnh, out o' here in a sec!"
Shippō comes to assist, exclaiming,
"We've gotta get outta here!"
The situation over at Nazuna and the monk's end meanwhile, was growing grim, and the latter tells the former in a hoarse voice,
"Nazuna, the demons have broken through my seals. My sutras, are no longer strong enough to ward off the Spider Heads..."
The tween girl begins tearing up, realizing the old Buddhist practitioner wasn't going to make it.
"Oh, master...Master, noooo!"
...
Thankfully, our small group of travelers manage to escape into the mountain forest away from the temple, stopping by a tree to rest...
"We should be far enough away from the Spider Heads now..."
Inuyasha curses his failed efforts:
"...Damn it..."
Coraline frowns, not liking the sound of this self-berating, and becomes all the more determined to find out what's making her fellow teen act this way.
"Okay, seriously, what's with yeu? You're definitely not actin' like yourself."
"Leave me alone!"
She pauses at the snap, but then forms a glare and goes to remove the webbing in his hair.
"What is wrong with you, Inuyasha?! Tell me!"
...But when she gets a good chunk of the spider silk off...
"Huh?!"
"Forget about me for now. You should worry more about yourselves."
"...Inuyasha...your hair...It's black...!"
He goes to sit at the base of the trunk, removing the rest of the webbing and revealing several changes in his appearance. His claws, fangs and canine ears were gone, replaced with regular fingernails, canines and human ears, and as the redhead pointed out, his hair colour has shifted from silver to black. Finally, rather than hazel-gold irises, he instead sports amber-gray.
Yes, we are no longer staring at a half-demon,
but rather...a full human...
"If you think you can rely on my strength to save you this time, you better think again."
Majorly confused, Shippō and Coraline each ask,
"W-W-What do you mean?"
"Inuyasha...what's happened to you?"
He just stares at the girl while the fox demon hops onto his head, noticing one of the new physical differences.
"His dog ears are gone!"
Wiping away most of her shock, Coraline quickly deciphers the new situation.
"You're, not half-demon now...You're human!"
Inuyasha grabs Shippō and mutters,
"You're lucky that my fangs and claws are gone," before throwing him to the ground...
"Inuyasha, please, explain to me wha's going on here..."
Myōga steps in to clear up the rest of the girl's befuddlement.
"All half-demons, such as Master Inuyasha, are subject to certain times when they lose their supernatural powers as demons."
"Whoa...So durin' these times, half-demons become no stronger than I or any oth'a human?"
"Typically, yes. For him, the time falls on the first cycle when the moon is dark."
"When th' moon is dark...Oh! That's the beginnin' of the month; the new moon!"
"Precisely."
As the two redhead look up at the sky in their own thoughts, the flea demon hops onto Inuyasha's shoulder and asks frantically,
"Why, master?! Why didn't you inform us that your period of vulnerability was impending?!"
"'Cause if I had, you would've taken off a long time ago."
Myōga stops hopping, and avoids the younger male's eyes while replying,
"Don't you have a wit of trust in me?"
"Yeah, I trust you to run away when there's trouble!"
"Then what? You can't rely on my trust eith'a?"
Inuyasha looks up in surprise, and Coraline adds with a serious and angry tone,
"If you had told me abou' your transformation sooner, I would'a gladly braved the forest trail instead of havin' us stay a' the temple with Nazuna! Whatever happened to leanin' on one's close friends?!"
"I don't trust anybody, got it?!"
The girl flinches, feeling some old emotions resurface from his tone...
Inuyasha looks away and replies more calmly,
"It has nothin' to do with you. It's just the way I've been living up until now. It's the only way I can protect myself."
...Coraline smiles bitterly, now fully recognizing that tone and attitude.
Because that's how I used t' react to the world.
Back when I though', there'd be no one ou' there who could accept me for me.
"Inuyasha, I...I understand what you're sayin'...maybe more than anyone else here...I just, wish you could've opened up a little more..."
Overwhelmed by the situation as well as some old memories returning, the girl starts to quietly release some tears. Inuyasha is taken aback by her reaction, and tries to stop her from crying.
"No, wait, I'm supposed to be the one who's down...!"
Coraline smiles a bit at his attempt, drying her eyes before replying,
"Sorry...I guess seein' you act like this, is remindin' me of me own childhood...I too used t' isolate m'self, from practically everyone, save my father, of course."
"...Isolate yourself?"
"Yea'...Y' see, believe it or no', my family has a history of encounters with the supernat'ral that runs deep, and because of that, we've acquired an, odd sort-of reputation. Whether it be good or bad, depends on the generation...In my case, it was more the latt'r. The children of Majora would constantly abuse me with their words o' hate, and some were even bold enough to hur' me physically too...All just 'cause I could see things and experience wha' they couldn't, what they refused to believe in..."
Inuyasha's eyes widen in shock:
"...You were hurt as a kid just for that? Seriously?"
A bitter smile curves onto the young Croft's face as she nods in confirmation.
"Eventually, I fough' back and managed t' get the brats to back off. Th' price I paid was bein' forced into further social isolation, and the adults began to look a' me with disdain rather than a cold indifference. Like you, I lost me trust in the wid'a demographic of people...It's only in recent years I've been openin' up more, for I've learned that too much independence isn' always a good thing. Sometimes, it's good to have a' least a few people you know you can turn to for anything..."
...The currently human half-demon was speechless, almost not believing a girl like the one in front of him could ever have issues with trust...At the same time, he could sense there was more to her tale than what she revealed, a more specific reason why she received such a negative reception from other humans...But for the sake of current affairs, the boy decides to tuck his questions away for a later time.
Anyway, as the two teenagers stare at one another in silence, Shippō thinks aloud to himself over what course of action to take next with regards to the Kumogashira.
"Now that Inuyasha has been rendered a mere mortal, I shall have to take over protecting the others. I need to summon all of my courage!"
(...Rustle...)
"Ahhh, awah!"
He's then spooked by the sound of moving branches, and runs to Inuyasha and Coraline while muttering,
"Someone save me...!"
...But it turns out the one coming out of the bushes was none other than the tween Nazuna, whom despite a little worn down from her escape was otherwise unharmed.
"Nazuna!"
"I-I knew that..."
"Are you okay?"
She drops to her knees with a heavy breath, before lifting her head to plead,
"Please, you must return to aid the monk."
Coraline comes to her side and asks,
"You really want us t' go back?"
"Your demon is strong. I'm certain he can assist us."
Inuyasha scoffs and turns his head away, recalling Nazuna's previous reactions to her and the other travelers of demonic origins.
"Keh, now what were you saying about not being obliged to demons? Get the monk to write up some more of those sutras."
The tween looks his way, and notices his new appearance.
"Your countenance seems altered. Has your hair not changed?"
"Tuh, it isn't easy being human, believe me."
...Coraline suddenly yelps, remembering something she wished she remembered earlier.
"Oh shit!"
Shippō shouts fearfully,
"What is it?!"
"My bags; they're back at th' temple!"
Inuyasha looks at the redheaded girl and replies nonchalantly,
"So get new ones when you go back."
"You don't understand: the shards...they're inside m' satchel!"
"WHAT?!"
Coraline cringes and explains in a haste,
"I was so concerned for you guys tha' I totally forgot! I'm so sorry!"
"...Take this."
"Huh?"
She reopens her two-toned blue irises to see Inuyasha handing her the Tessaiga, and he tells her with a serious glare,
"You and Nazuna stay here and don't even think about moving. The Tessaiga won't transform for me tonight...I'll be able to handle a few Spider Heads using my own strength."
"Inuyasha..."
"It's time to go back to the temple, Shippō. Let's move."
The fox demon flinches and asks,
"Uuuh, why do ya need me?!"
...A few seconds later, he's is seen tucked under Inuyasha's right arm as he tries to psyche himself up for the battle ahead.
"Rrrr...I am strong enough to handle this. I gotta be strong!"
...
...
Returning to the temple, a hand is seen reaching into Coraline's satchel that had been sitting with her backpack in front of the door to the traveler's quarters, grabbing out the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama...
"Heheheheh...Hah..."
(Shoom)
"Ah!"
But the bottle is knocked out of the appendage by a wooden spear, and the thief is revealed as the old monk! He tries to reach for the scattered shards...
"Hands off!"
(THUNK)
But Inuyasha stops him with a wooden plank before that could happen.
"So, you were plannin' this right from the start!"
The monk turns to the human-transformed half-demon and replies with a laugh,
"I could hardly contain myself when I saw you, the half-demon rumored to possess jewel shards!"
The latter then begins to shift forms, his neck extending and his teeth replaced by a large arachnid mandible, revealing himself as a Spider Head!...But during the transformation, Shippō manages to slide across the floor to the shattered bottle, and begins swiping up the shards...
"Aaah!"
(Slam)
But he only grabs so many before he's forced to dodge the oncoming head of the demon monk, allowing the latter to suck up four gem pieces...!
"The jewel shards! He swallowed some of them!"
It turns on all fours, then shoots an arm against Inuyasha, pinning him to one of the support beams with its hands.
"What an unfortunate mishap that your supernatural powers have deserted you. By the time I'm done tying the final knot on my gauze web of deceit..."
"I may not have my usual powers...rrrah!"
The latter manages to shake off the arm and add,
"But I can still crush you!"
But as he goes to attack, the Spider Head monk shoots his webbing at Inuyasha, knocking him onto his back. Shippō tries to lend a hand:
"Fox Fire!"
But even though he hits the demon, the fox demon is backhanded away at the same time the human half-demon is pinned by his neck by way of the spider silk...
"Finally, this tiresome charade as a human has ended!"
The fake monk's body glows, and the light disappears to reveal a mass hemisphere of web-like limbs with its head in the center! It then extends its neck to attack, biting hard into Inuyasha's shoulder, causing the latter to cry out in pain...
"Inuyasha!"
With the young man fully immobilized, the Spider Head turns focus to Shippō.
"Now, tell me where you've hidden the rest of the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
"...O-Over, there!"
They don't fall for the fox demon's feint.
"I believe you possess them!"
"...Master!"
Suddenly, they all turn eyes to the doorway, and see Coraline and Nazuma, the latter shocked with by this turn of identity.
"I, I don't understand..."
"He was deceiving you."
Shippō tearfully warns his fellow redhead,
"Coraline! Inuyasha's been poisoned!"
Looking upward, we see that the human half-demon has gone stiff with pain, courtesy of the Spider Head's poison bite...
"Inuyasha, hang on! I'm coming!"
Coraline dashes forward to free her friend, and the Spider Head monk shoots his webbing at her...only to be blocked by Tessaiga!
"...Huh?"
Myōga hops onto the girl's shoulder and reminds her,
"The Tessaiga is protecting you as it did before!"
"So i' is...and since you're here, our chances of success mus' are high...otherwise you'd be far gone..."
"I am not certain I enjoy your insinuation!"
The Kumogashira chuckles menacingly and says,
"I have injected a large quantity of poison into him. His innards will already be starting to liquefy..."
Nazuna looks up at the fake monk with tears of betrayal forming in her eyes.
"Master...how can you do this...?"
Meanwhile, Coraline had begun climbing the web and reaches just a few feet away from Inuyasha, who's barely hanging on from the poison in his system.
"Cor-aline, save, yourself..."
"No way, no how, Inuyasha! I'm gettin' you down!"
"I'm serious. It's, too late for me...!"
"I refuse to believe tha'! I'll die before I leave you to suff'a!"
The girl jumps forward with the Tessaiga held in front of her, and Inuyasha could see fearful tears falling from her determined eyes.
Coraline...?
The second the dog fang katana makes contact with the webs, the sheath evaporates the strands like they're nothing.
(Pow, ssshhhhhk...)
"Urgh!"
The teens fall to the ground below, the latter passing out from the pain...The former props up on her elbows and shouts,
"We need to get outta here post-haste!"
Shippō looks out the door, cringing when he sees more Spider Heads coming from the outdoors.
"Uuh, there's gotta be another way!"
Nazuna takes the initiative:
"There is a small room at the end of the hall! Quickly!"
She and the older female drag Inuyasha away as the fox demon opens the door, and they all dive inside the small storage room...
"Coraline, quick! Thrust the Tessaiga into the door!"
"Uh, right!"
She does as the flea demon advises...and on the other side of the door, the Spider Head priest is blocked by the energy of the sword.
(Bzzzt)
"Aaagh!...You wretches!"
Back inside, Myōga explains,
"The Tessaiga should be powerful enough to ward them off for some time."
Letting out a short breath of careful relief, Coraline then clasps Inuyasha's hand...and widens her eyes when she feels a change in his body temperature.
"Damn, his skin's cold as ice!...Inuyasha, can y' hear me? Stay with us!...Inuyasha!"
...No response is given, and the girl felt her body begin to quake with fear and guilt.
"Oh god...this...this is all my fault...I practic'lly forced us t' stay at the temple, and now..."
Feeling bad for the older young woman, Nazuna chides,
"You mustn't blame yourself..."
"Yet this is my doing...or rather, the shards I carelessly forgo' about..."
Not all hope was lost, however, when Myōga hops onto Inuyasha's neck and proclaims,
"I shall draw the poison from his blood!"
He furiously begins sucking out the crimson liquid tainted with the Spider Head's poison, and the more he drew, the larger the flea demon grew...He stops when he's close to the same size as Shippō.
"Nice to meet'cha, I'm Myōga. A flea's never a burden."
"Rr...rhh..."
We see Inuyasha cringe a little in his unconscious state as the flea demon rolls over beside the fox demon child.
"Master Inuyasha's survival will now depend on his own strength from this point on, (...burp)."
Coraline ceases some of her shaking as a new assurance caresses her being, and she sits on her legs while looking over Inuyasha's face with worry and relief.
"Thank god...Oh, his face is drippin' with sweat..."
She reaches into her pocket, grabbing out a handkerchief recycled from old denim and decorated with a few Japanese Snowbells in the corners and Blackthorn flowers circling the center. She uses it to gently dab Inuyasha's forehead...only to pause when his currently amber-gray irises open to meet her two-tone blue.
"Oh! Sorry...I didn't wake you, did I?"
The boy looks away and replies in a weakened tone,
"No...Coraline?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me something...Why were you crying?"
The girl is taken aback by the question...until she realizes what her companion was talking about.
"You mean, back in the other room...?"
She lowers her hand holding the handkerchief to sit in her lap at the same time she casts her own stare downward, fighting the urge to break down into tears again.
"Because...I w's scared that I was gonna lose you, (...sniff) that you...were going to die..."
"...You shed tears for me...cried for me...Coraline. If it's not too much trouble, may I lie on your lap?"
"Uh...Hm, (nod) sure thing."
...
...
A couple hours pass, and the sun begins peeking in through the little barred window of the storage room. Shippō, Myōga - he back to his normal size - and Nazuna have since fallen asleep, while Coraline kept a sharp vigil over Inuyasha who's currently laying his head on her lap. By this time, it seems the young man's fever finally broke...
"How are you feelin'? Any bett'r than earlier?"
"Yes...Coraline...you smell kind-a nice."
"Huh?...!"
A small blush creeps onto the girl's cheeks from such a random compliment.
"But, didn' you say durin' our first mee'in you couldn't stand my scent?"
"I did...But, I was lying..."
Her blush darkens a little more, baffled by the boy's honesty.
...Where in the world is this comin' from?...And, why is my heart racing?
...I've never felt like this before.
"God, I'm so confused..."
She then notices her companion had fallen asleep, and couldn't help but run a gentle hand through his hair.
"Asleep, eh?...Oh Inuyasha..."
Unfortunately, this was where our moment of peace would reach its end, thanks to the sudden rumbling of the entire temple.
"Huh?!"
Shippō and Myōga jump awake:
"Aaah, what's happening?!"
"The monk must be in pursuit again! Get the master out of here!"
After shaking Nazuna awake, Coraline says,
"We'll need t' carry 'im! He's unconscious!"
Outside the storage room, the leader of the Spider Heads launches another attack on the surrounding area, causing wood to split and structures to crumble! Everyone covers their heads, huddling around Inuyasha to keep him safe from the falling beams...Suddenly, a hand launches out and snatches up the fox demon!
"Eyaaaah!"
"Shippō, no!"
"I must possess the remaining jewel fragments!"
The arachnid monster shakes the child to knock out the other shards, tossing him away for Coraline to catch. It then consumes the gems just as Nazuna notices the Tessaiga...The Spider Head sheds the rest of its guise while laughing evilly, revealing dark green skin and yellow sclera. Having all she could take of the chaos, the tween grabs the dog fang katana and readies it for her own hands.
"How dare you possess the body of my dear master!"
"There wasn't any monk here! It was all a trap, to lure the half-demon and his jewels to me!"
"You...you slaughtered my parents and all the other villagers?!"
The Spider Head laughs and remarks mockingly,
"You served me well, gullible fool."
With the full truth out in the open, Nazuna lashes out in a near-blind rage.
"TREACHEROUS BEAST!"
Unfortunately, she couldn't deal any serious blows with the dormant Tessaiga, and would soon be snatched into the monster's grasp.
"Your fears of the Spider Heads will soon be over! Once I have consumed you, you will become a part of me."
The tween quietly calls out against the strain of the hand crushing her,
"F-Forgive me, father. I should never, have trusted this, monster..."
She loses her grip on the Tessaiga...only for it to be caught by Inuyasha!
"...You're pretty determined, for a human that is."
"Y-Y-You're alive...?"
Coraline cries out her companion's name in surprise, while the Spider Head laughs before grabbing the human half-demon with several of its limbs!
"Inuyasha, no!"
...That's when Shippō notices the sky brightening up for the coming sunrise.
"Look, the sun is rising!"
Unaware of the implications with the shift in hours, the arachnid demon pulls Inuyasha closer with the intent of devouring him as well.
"You are a fine human specimen."
"Don't be so sure about that."
(...Ba-bump, ba-bump...)
As the closest star to the earth began coming up over the horizon, the boy's body began pulsating...and his eyes glow a bright red!
"You're beginning to transform, but I shall devour you beforehand!"
The Spider Head rose it's hands into the air...but it was already too late.
Inuyasha had already transformed back into his true half-and-half form!
"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's an arrogant spider that doesn't know when to keep it's hands off!"
(SWIPE)
His claws cut through the Spider Head's hold, and the silver-haired swordsman shouts,
"The moonless night has come to an end!"
Tessaiga shifts into its true form, causing the pending prey to cringe.
"The sword's regained power!"
"You got it, Spider Head! Hrrraaaaah!"
(SLASH, BOOM)
Inuyasha launches his attack, and the energy of his dog fang not only destroys the main Spider Head, but the others in its wake!
(...Ping)
Left behind are the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama...except they've fused together to form almost half of the once proud jewel!...Coraline walks over to pick it up.
"Whoa...The shards must've come togeth'r inside the demon's body."
"Is that all we have so far? I thought we had a lot more!"
"...Hey, I'd call this a good start a' least!"
...
A while later, the small group of travelers would be ready to set out in the river boat once again, with Nazuna seeing them off partway down the ribbon of blue.
"...This is far enough. The village is close by."
"Alright. Take care, Nazuna."
As the boat begins floating away, the tween adds,
"Oh, and Inuyasha? I appreciated your help. I'll try to remember that not all demons are bad. Not most, but some."
"Don't kid yourself, Nazuna. All demons are bad; it's that simple."
"I won't forget you! You'll always be in my prayers, Inuyasha!"
He glances back at the girl, before turning to the front again while muttering,
"...Keh, whatever," but does send a small wave back to Nazuna...
After a bit of quiet sailing, Coraline mentally comments to herself about her fellow teenager's current state.
Well, it seems like he's back t' normal again...
But still, what he said to me back in th' temple...
(Flash)
"...Coraline...you smell kind-a nice."
(Flash)
Did he really say that...or was i' the fever talking? Physically he's fine, but what abou' emotionally?
Inuyasha feels her stare, and turns the girl's way to say irritably,
"Are you gonna keep starin' at me, cause it's tickin' me off! If you got something to say, just say it!"
Coraline deadpans and mentally quirks,
On second thought, I think I'll leave tha' question for another day...
"Uuuh, are we there yet? What do ya say we stop for a short rest?"
"Yeah, sure, as soon as you get over your seasickness."
"Hey, Inuyasha?"
"Huh?"
The seasick fox demon makes the motion to throw up in the half-demon's direction, but Coraline quickly grabs him and aims over the side of the boat.
"Oh, Shippō..."
Time Skip
As soon as the four made it back to Goshinboku village, Inuyasha took Coraline back to the well so she could meet with her brothers about the lead on Rikona, promising that she'd come back in a couple hours, no more, no less...When the girl did reach home, she immediately calls the twins who tell her that the recon they did while she was away was successful, spotting the missing young girl coming in and out of an old factory building in the suspected area. Needless to say, Coraline was ecstatic, and all three teens agreed to meet at the abandoned factory district to see about finding and speaking with Rikona...
Catching up with them now, they reach one particular factory nestled between a few severely broken-down structures the twins had spied on for the past few days. We see this round that the boys are wearing similar outfits of off-white tees, board shorts and hiker sandals, the cornrowed twin choosing a seaweed green and sunny yellow pattern for his shorts while his brother went for a bolder crimson red and sea-salt white. Their sister meanwhile quickly changed into a pair of rust orange dolphin shorts and an Alice blue tank top while leaving her hiker shoes alone...
"You guys sure this is where Rikona is hidin' ou'?"
"Yep! Besa and I have kept a careful watch for the past few days, and this is the same building she comes in and out of around mid-afternoon."
"She's usually got a bag or two when she returns, so we think she comes out every once in a while for supplies...She's a pretty resourceful kid."
The teens walk through what's left of the rusted fence, and crawl through the opening cut within the wall. They agree approaching quietly and calmly would be the best strategy, for Rikona could possibly become frightened by their appearance and try to run...
Once they're inside, they looked around for any hints of human life, drinking in the desolate view of paint peeling off the brick, rusty metal frames and a few dust-covered machines long since left behind by the workers who used to occupy it.
"Hm, so far, no sign of her..."
...Suddenly, they hear a shuffling in the back, and a small whimper...
"Rikona?...Rikona, is tha' you?"
"...W-Who's t-t-there? Who are you?"
Coraline answers in a friendly voice,
"We're friends of your cousin, Shuji. My name is Coraline, and I have my brothers Freeman and Besa with me."
The twins use similar tones as they add,
"We're not here to hurt you, Rikona."
"Yeah. We just wanna talk and make sure you're okay."
...The room is quiet for a moment, before a small shadow comes into light, belonging to a young girl whom despite looking rather grimy didn't look injured. Much like the photograph the redhead was provided, she has long black hair in a messy braid, skin a touch lighter than her cousin, and is currently wearing a green shift dress with decorated yellow heart designs and black Mary-Jane shoes.
The young one slowly walks up to the teens and timidly inquires,
"Y-You know Shuji?"
"Yeah. I just met 'im myself, but my brothers have known him for a couple years now."
"He's a cool guy, caring too."
"He's been worried about you, sweetie. He asked us to find you and see if you were okay."
"(Sniff) He's worried about me?"
The teens nod, and Rikona cautiously approaches Coraline while tearfully confessing,
"I-I want to go home, honestly, I do...but I'm scared."
Coraline kneels down to her level and places a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Scared of what? Wha's got you so scared, Rikona?"
"T-The scary gang member's brother. He...He's been around my neighbourhood a few times, and he looks really mad. I, heard he was lookin' for the people who saw his brother do that robbery. I got so scared, I ran away to hide...Now, (sniff) I dunno what to do..."
As Rikona broke into tears, the older female gently rubs her shoulder and chides,
"Shh, it's okay...Rikona, I understand why you're so scared...But if you keep hidin' like this, the mean man will win."
"(Sniff) Huh?"
"You see, he's coun'in' on you to feel so fright'ned that you can't live life withou' thinkin' about him...But, I can see that inside you is a brave girl who wants to stand up for herself, and be at home with h'r family."
The twins kneel down by the two girls and add,
"Cora's right. You're braver than this, Rikona. Just look at how long you managed to hold out on your own."
"If you can venture out on your own to get supplies to help yourself, how can one mean man stop you?"
The very young lady looks at the three smiling faces in shock...before saying,
"...You're right. I, I am brave...I can't let fear get the best of me. I, I have to go home."
"That's the spiri'! If you come with us now, we can get you back to Shuji."
"Whaddo ya say, Rikona?"
"Ready to go home?"
She looks at the teens, and breaks out a small smile with a bop of her head.
...
After a while, the group of three turned four teens make it to Shuji's garage...
(Clang, clang)
"Yo, Shuji! You in? We got some good news for ya!"
"...Really? Then come in and tell me!"
Besa opens the door so he and the others could walk inside, spotting the older teen wiping his hands on a cloth while standing in front of a table with a motor of sorts sitting on it.
"So, what's this good news you all brought me?"
Coraline smiles and says,
"Turn around and see."
"Huh?"
Shuji does as she asks...and nearly has a heart attack.
"Uh!...R-Rikona?!"
"...Shuji!"
Rikona rushes to wraps her arms around her cousin's neck in a big hug as he bends downward to her level...
"Oh Shuji! I'm so sorry I was gone for so long!"
"R-Rikona..."
Shuji's eyes well up in tears, and he hugs her back tightly.
"Oh god, Rikona...You're okay...You're alright..."
The three slightly younger teenagers watch the warm and touching display with smiles on their faces, happy it all worked out...Shuji then straightens up with one of his hands clasped around Rikona's, and looks at Coraline with gratefulness and surprise.
"...I...I can't believe you found her."
"Heh, you didn't think I'd give up tha' easy, did you? You wanted Rikona to come home, and now she can..."
"...How?"
"I got a lead a few days ago from a shop owner and his son who saw Rikona heading for the abandoned factory district a couple times. I then had Freeman and Besa check into it to confirm the lead, and then we went to find her and convince her t' come with us to you."
The young man with the messy asymmetric cut was speechless...but then he breaks out a laugh and remarks,
"Wow, I dunno what to say...Thank you, so much, for not giving up, and for bringing her back."
"Of course. I'm just glad she's okay."
"Oh, right!...Before I forget..."
Shuji then goes to another table adjacent to the one he was previously working in front of, and grabs an object off from it. He then walks back over in front of Coraline to present it to her.
"Here. It just came in yesterday..."
Coraline takes it, and softly gasps at the glock-style combat knife sitting in her palm.
"The combat knife!"
The twins wander closer to her sides to get a gander at the blade as she pulls it out of the mahogany leather scabbard.
"(Low whistle) That looks pretty sharp."
"Yeah, and it's even got sawed teeth, so it has it be high-grade."
"Glad you approve...'cause I'm giving it to you free of charge."
The three looks up in shock at the smiling Shuji.
"What?!"
"...Shuji, I-I can't possibly-"
"Yes, you can. You brought me back Rikona...I can't think of any other way of repaying you than with this. Besides, something tells me that you'll need this in the coming future..."
"...Shuji..."
Coraline smiles and reaches her hand out to shake his.
"Thank you. I deeply appreciate this."
"Heh, no problem. Just be careful; blades like that don't come cheap, and can be dangerous if you don't know how to use it."
"I will."
...
After saying goodbye to Shuji and Rikona, Coraline would then return to Higurashi shrine, bidding her brothers another farewell before repacking her things, and dove back into the well...On the other side waiting for her were Inuyasha and Shippō.
"Mmh...hey guys, I'm back!"
"Coraline!"
The fox demon launches forward to hug her as soon as she's sitting on the lip of the well, causing the girl to laugh a bit while gently running a hand through his hair.
"Hey Shippō, good to see ya."
She then turns to the half-demon and says with a small smirk,
"See? Told you I'd be back in a few hours."
"Keh, alright, you pass this time...So did you find that little girl?"
Shucking off her army backpack to set down by her satchel in the grass, she replies,
"I did. Rikona's now safe an' sound with her cousin Shuji. He was so grateful for her safe return...he gave me the weapon I asked for free of charge."
"Whoa, really?"
"Really."
"...Can I see it?"
"Oh, me too!"
Coraline smiles in amusement at the boys for their interest.
"Sure, give me a second..."
She then reaches into her satchel, and pulls out her new combat knife.
"Here it is. It's called a combat knife, the glock style t' be more precise 'cause of its back teeth. It comes with a sheath tha' I can strap to m' thigh. It might no' be as sharp as say Tessaiga, but i' should come in handy in a tight spot."
The demons stare at the unsheathed knife, seeing the blade glitter a bit in the light. Shippō makes the first comment:
"Wow! And this Shuji guy gave it to you for free?!"
"Yep!"
Inuyasha hums,
"So this is what knifes in your time look like..."
"Pretty much, though i' depends on the maker and wha' the knife is made for. Still...I'm confident this'll help me defend myself better."
"...Defend yourself better?"
The half-demon in red grows a strange look on his face, like he was almost disappointed by what Coraline just said...
"Inuyasha?"
He then turns to the younger demon and asks in an oddly calm and serious voice,
"...Shippō. Do you mind heading on ahead back to the village on your own? I need to speak with Coraline in private for a moment."
Shippō is obviously taken aback by his tone, but decides to comply.
"Um...okay. I'll see you two in a bit."
And the fox demon begins bounding down in the direction of Kaede's, leaving the two teenagers alone...
"Coraline...come with me."
"Uh, okay...?"
She follows Inuyasha away from the well and over to the Goshinboku Tree, sitting down with him at the base of the large roots...The grounds grow quiet for a moment, until the young man broke the silence with a question.
"...What do you mean when you say the knife will help you protect yourself better?"
"Huh?"
"...Do you think I can't protect you?"
Coraline's eyes widen, before realizing what precisely Inuyasha was asking.
"...Oh, Inuyasha, no. That's not wha' I meant at'all. Of course I believe you can protect me...What I meant was tha' I now have something besides the rare bow an' arrow to use in combat, if fo' some reason you can't reach me in time."
...The half-demon suddenly whirls around at the human, slapping his hands at the sides of her head trapping her against the tree roots!
"Gh-hh! I-Inuyasha!"
"No way in hell that's happening! I won't ever allow you to end up in that vulnerable position! I said I'd protect you, and I mean it!"
"...Inuyasha..."
Coraline smiles softly and reaches a hand to touch his shoulder.
"And I apprecia'e that...bu' you and I both know that sometimes it can't be helped."
...Inuyasha slowly removes his hands, looking at the redhead with shock at how calm she's acting...
"Perhaps I worded my comment earlier a bit hastily. What I probably should'a said was tha' the combat knife can better help the group collectively. Not just in battle, but for other practical uses, like hunting."
"...You can hunt?"
Coraline's smile shrinks in a sheepish manner as she rubs the back of her head.
"Heh, well, to a point. It really depends on the animal. I can sometimes ge' rabbit, but I'm better at snarin' fish..."
...We then see an insecure look form in her irises.
"Anyway, the combat knife will definitely help in makin' me 'look' less defenseless...and not as weak a human that I likely am..."
Inuyasha looks at her in surprise, and she goes to stand up while adding offhandedly,
"But hey, what 'm I rambling abou'?...We should go catch up with Shippō..."
With that, Coraline began walking away for the village, while her fellow teen hangs back a moment to watch her go with a confused frown.
...Did she really just call herself weak? Damn...I didn't think she'd take that insult so seriously...
Still, I'm getting this feeling she's leavin' something out.
...There's another reason she armed herself up with that combat knife...and I'm gonna find out what.