Update (June 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened, including an added name for one character (which is apparently the name he goes by in the manga)!
Chapter 18: Artistic Inspiration from Hell
"Hh, hah, hah...hauh! Hh! Hah!"
"After 'im! He has a fragment of the Shikon-no-Tama!"
A new night in the Sengoku era begins on a more frantic note than its previous, the source of the excitement being a chase sequence between a group of mercenaries on hourseback, and a short, thin-bodied man with tan beige skin, thick lips and beady black eyes, receding black hair tied back in a topknot, and dressed in a turquoise haori, a pair of dark brown hakama and waraji sandals. We see he's carrying a couple scrolls and a bamboo ink holder, his tools for the artist trade which had been his primary desire upon entering Edo from elsewhere...at least, until he somehow got his hands on a shard of the fabled gemstone...
(Twok, tok, tok)
Anyway, the man barely avoids being hit by two incoming arrows, leaving them to embed the wood of a tall oak.
"Gah! Oh no..."
Feeling that higher measures of defense were necessary, the artist goes to grab one of his scrolls, it glowing that familiar shade of amaranth pink...
"He can't be far; find him at once! We mustn't let him flee with the jewel fragment!"
"...Rrrrwwwwooooooooaaaaah!"
The leader of these thugs then looks up upon hearing a ghastly howl, only to bulge his eyes when sees dozens upon dozens of demonic entities flying their way from the mists of an ominous dark cloud! All of the men cry out in fear before their cruel fates were sealed in a merciless slaughter...The artist watches from behind some tall grass, commenting,
"These demons are indeed thirsty for their fill of blood...Heheheh. They shall drink to their content."
He looks down at his ink holder, where his shard of the Shikon-no-Tama currently rests...
(Caw, caw, caw...)
Come the next day, our main travel group - joined by Miroku - come across the aftermath of the attack from last night. Shippō stutters,
"Uuuh...I-I don't think I've ever seen so many dead bodies. Must've been some battle...I'd hate to see what the other guys look like..."
Coraline sighs quietly, occupying a sad expression as she comments,
"This is a rather depressin' scene...Though I suppose I shouldn' be too surprised considering the era. Sengoku Edo's become infamous for bein' one of the most war-fueled times in Japanese history."
"You're mistaken. This was no battle."
"Huh?"
She looks to Inuyasha in confusion, and he explains,
"Something's not right...no blood. I can't pick up the scent of blood."
Miroku adds his own insight as he finishes praying for the departed souls.
"It must be the work of a demon...and a strong one if it was capable of this much destruction. Which must mean, it possess a fragment of the Shikon-no-Tama."
...The half-demon suddenly gazes the monk's way with a serious glare, still not feeling chummy after their troublesome encounter.
"Miroku, let's get one thing straight: I have no intention of teaming up with you, or of sharing any jewel shards with you."
"Each man for himself...that's what you're trying to say?"
"Glad we're on the same track."
As the wind blows past, each man looks at the other intently...and Miroku sends this silent message.
Then I shall take my leave now...Better for us to compete from afar.
He walks away without so much as a goodbye, and the fox demon comments,
"Too bad. He was starting to grow on me."
The redheaded girl was also feeling apprehensive about the monk going solo, and asks her fellow teen,
"Inuyasha, are you sure it's a good idea to le' Miroku just take off? (...Turn) Huh? Oh great, now where is he?"
"Help! A demon!"
"...Never mind. He's that way."
Coraline rushes to where the outcry rang from, and she and Shippō spot the missing half-demon sniffing a scroll while the scribe tries to reason with him, he being held back by his robes.
"Please, return that letter at once! I must deliver it before the sun rests!"
Inuyasha ignores the man, too focused on the smell.
"Is this the scent I was picking up...?"
Coraline glares down his way before exclaiming,
"Oh for the love of...Sit, boy!"
(Gleam)
"Gah!"
The silverette slams face-first into the ground, releasing the scroll and allowing it to be caught by the delivering scribe before he takes off from the area...Inuyasha quickly recovers from his nose-dive and darts over to Coraline.
"What'd you that for?!"
"Because you we're harassing the poor man!...What was that all about, anyway?"
He folds his arms and replies,
"I was picking up the same scent of ink from the battlefield."
"Ink? Seriously?"
"(Nod) If I can track down the source, we can probably find the demon."
The younger ginger mutters tiredly,
"A demon, or anyone who has a letter on hand..."
Inuyasha turns to him and retorts,
"You wanna come up with a better plan, or use mine and find the jewel fragment first before Miroku?"
Coraline sighs and asks,
"Why are y' so against Miroku? Do you really find 'im that unpleas'nt?"
"So now you're telling me you like the lecher?!"
"...Well, yeah, kind-of."
Inuyasha is stunned by the girl's answer, and she adds offhandedly,
"But obviously not in a roman'ic way; I mean come on, that would be crazy...Mm?"
She looks up and sees the young man now standing a few feet away, muttering to himself in disbelief,
"She likes him...?! What could she possibly see in that guy...?!"
"Hey! Can you a' least try t' pay attention for more than three seconds at a time?!"
Shippō scoffs under his breath,
"He's such an idiot..."
...
...
At the same time these small events came to pass, the artist responsible for the mercenary massacre had reached a new town harboring the home of a wealthy nobleman, and sought an audience with him. We notice that he's wearing a more formal haori/hakama combo this time, the colours being Persian red and violet-blue respectively...
"In-credible! You mowed down that army of men?"
He nods, and the high-class citizen says,
"On your own, no less. If it is the truth you speak, I would be honoured to have you join my military forces, Kōtatsu-san."
"My lord. I have heard that those mercenary soldiers were becoming a nuisance to you. I thought it the perfect opportunity to display my capabilities."
...Suddenly, a guard comes in.
"My lord, I must speak with you."
The artist now known as Kōtatsu became nervous as he watches the two converse...and a few minutes later...
"Aah!"
The ink artist is thrown out through the front gates by two guards, who continue to antagonize him for his 'falsehoods'.
"Your claims of power are unfounded! You're nothing but a wandering artist from the capital!"
Littered with bruises, Kōtatsu lifts his head out and tries to plead his case.
"No, I spoke only the truth! I am powerful; I am not a wandering artist. Please, allow me to speak with your master again."
"Liar!"
The guards whack him repeatedly with their bō staffs, refusing to believe in his power, despite how true the event really was.
"You were selling your paintings in the market!"
"...Go easy on the poor man!"
"Uh?"
The artist looks up, and sees the source of his moment of mercy to be the princess of the home. Her appearance is akin to most noblewomen of this era, having her black hair in the Hime cut (ponytail style), fair skin as opposed to her cherry-painted lips, and dressed in a blue-gray and emerald-dominant Jūnihitoe, the outermost robe decorated with fairy pink and purple red lotus flowers.
"O-O-Of course, princess! F-Forgive us; w-we didn't see you there."
As the court lady walks away with two of her tenants, the guards turn back to the artist, one muttering lowly,
"We're not through with you yet."
Kōtatsu meanwhile, is struck with awe by the sight of the woman yonder.
"Uh!...The lady is stunning..."
Unfortunately, one pretty sight wouldn't change his luck, and he'd find himself bound within a straw hat by the guards, who cart him to a bridge overlooking a small gorge.
"Hope you can swim!"
(Toss)
"Aaah!"
(Splash)
Luckily for him, the artist does not drown and manages to emerge his head...though has some difficulty in keeping afloat...
"Safe journey!"
"Hope the trip is pleasurable!"
The guards laugh tauntingly as they watch their victim continue downstream...Eventually, Kōtatsu makes it to a nearby riverbank, and frees himself from the mat before shedding off his wet over-clothes until they dry...
"Curse them all. They'll regret this! I can summon my demon brigade, and defeat all who stand in my way!"
He redresses in his somewhat damp original attire and walks down the path away from the river, continuing his rant mentally.
I deserve to become a warlord! No one will be able to criticize me, once they witness my power...
I shall possess my own castle and be surrounded by riches!
He then remembers the beauty in the lord's house.
"Aye, and I shall marry a princess! There is nothing I cannot achieve! Hahahahaha...Uh? Uwah!"
Suddenly, Kōtatsu is lifted up by the back of his robes, courtesy of Inuyasha.
"Excuse me. Mind answerin' a few questions?"
"Eh-what?"
Coraline and Shippō aren't too far behind, spotting their friend interrogating the man...like he had several others this last while.
"Oh no, here we go again..."
"Six innocent peasants down, hundreds of thousands to go..."
Though nervous, the artist manages to blurt out a reply to the half-demon.
"W-Who are you? I warn you, I am powerful! I-I mean, I am nothing more than a mere second-rate artist..."
"An artist? (Glare) Then answer me this, little man: why is it that you reek of ink and fresh human blood?!"
"Ah! R-Release me! Free me at once!"
Kōtatsu manages to break free from Inuyasha's grasp, and starts running away...
"Come back here!"
He stops and turns around, pulling out a scroll like he did the last time he ran into trouble.
(Fwap, roooolllll...sheen)
The Shikon-no-Tama shard he possesses responds, and the scene captured in black glows, before a monstrous, full-coloured version of the monster - more than likely an oni - bursts forth with a menacing groan!
"Huh?"
Inuyasha dodges one of the hands of the monster as it claps down at the ground in front of him. He lands in front of Coraline and Shippō as they both comment respectively,
"What th' hell is that?!"
"A demon!"
The giant groans again as the artist makes his escape, sliding down the grassy hill and into a riverboat...
"Hey you, come back here!"
Coraline sees the man go, and questions mentally,
What's goin' on? Is that man a demon?
Feeling a need to double-check, she uses her special power to see into the man's aura, confirming him as a mortal.
Nope, he's definitely human...
He must be usin' some sort'a dark power.
She focuses her glowing eyes upward, and notices something about the demon giant.
...Odd. This demon's aura looks weaker than he appears t' be.
Not only that...but it seems, unstable somehow...
Returning to the appending battle, the massive entity brings down its cresent-shaped ji pole-arm down against Inuyasha, who leaps out of the way while brandishing out Tessaiga.
"Raaaaahhhhh!"
(SLASH)
With one strike down the middle, the giant stood no chance longer than a minute and a half...
"Heh, well they say size isn't everything..."
...But their destruction time is delayed by a more confusing fate, by which they swell up like a balloon, before bursting apart and sending a wave of very dark blood all over the area, including their killer.
"Ah!"
(SPLASH)
Coraline and Shippō watch the scene with wide eyes.
"Holy Hera...!"
"His blood's black!"
Sitting in a puddle of the substance, Inuyasha coughs a little and shakes himself while muttering,
"What the hell? (Sniff...) This is blood and black ink!"
...The stench would then overwhelm the half-demon's olfactory senses, he falls backwards with eyes practically swirling in a daze. Coraline rushes over to try and snap him out of it, ignoring the liquid seeping into her jeans.
"Inuyasha, get a grip!"
He only responds with a weird giggling, and the fox demon informs the girl while covering his own nasal area,
"His nose is so sensitive, the smell of ink and blood got to him."
"...Haaah, o' course it did. (Focuses downward) C'mon, Inuyasha; wake up!"
Meanwhile, Kōtatsu manages to get a fair distance away from the area, stopping by the trunk of a cypress to catch his breath...
"What manner of beast was he? And how did he detect the scent of black ink and blood?"
...He then shifts into a smile, adding to himself as he looks down at his enchanted ink holder,
"But it is he who should be afraid. I have an endless stream of demon battalions ready to back me on my command."
...
...
A few hours pass, and we return to the nobleman's home as Miroku arrives in the area, deciding to use his position to manipulate his way into more promising lodgings...
"An exorcism?"
"Yes. I sense an evil shadow hanging over this palace. I could drive out the demons in a single night."
Unfortunately for him, the guards were no more as easy to persuade as they were earlier when they disregarded the ink artist.
"Some claim. This mansion is not cursed with demons. Every year, a reputed priest of much greater standing than yourself comes to bless the ground here."
"Leave this place at once! The only curse were plagued with is visits from rogues like you! Evil shadow, he says, humph..."
With that, the pair turn to head back inside...
"There you have it. Hauh, I suppose I'll have to retire in the woods tonight..."
...But as Miroku begins to walk away from the palace grounds, he suddenly stops when he spots a large shadow across the ground...He looks up, and sees a large ominous cloud with a foreboding glow heading straight his way!
"My prediction is true...!"
He darts around and calls back as loud as he can,
"Run! The evil shadow I spoke of is upon us!"
Of course, the guards only thought he was trying to con them.
"Listen to him, his arrogance goes unbridled..."
...But when they turn around...
"Uaah!"
"What?!"
The demons of the cloud manifest from within, and the two men run away in terror, but are not fast enough to escape being killed...Miroku arrives on scene:
"A bull demon and dragon demon! I've only seen paintings of them in Hell...!"
"AAH, help! Someone rescue the princess!"
...One look at his smile would tell anyone with a lick of intelligence what the monk was thinking upon hearing that outcry.
"Coming!"
Kōtatsu's POV
"Princess...princess...princess..."
I eventually found an abandoned hut to rest in for the night after my disastrous audience with that lord and the strange encounter with the beast man...However, the realm of dreams has decided to make my attempt for slumber difficult, carrying me into a world I'd soon regret stepping into.
"Rrrgh...princess!"
(Flash)
It starts out promisingly enough, myself searching the mansion until I finally spot the princess I caught a glance of today...
But when she turned to face me...
"Uah! Princess! What happened to you? Your eyes glow red!"
She only gives me a menacing smile, before replying longingly,
"I want your blood...Give me your blood!"
"Aah!"
The princess then grabs me tight by my neck...and the horror would only increase as I watch one of my hands shrivels away before my very eyes, the blood gone!
"Aaaaah! Stop this madness, release meeee!"
Miroku's POV
It didn't take long before I reach the princess's chambers, and ready myself as the demons come barrelling through the wall towards us!
...But then...
(Whoooooosh...)
By some strange stroke of luck, the demons retreat!
"Wha-What happened?!"
"...Ooh thank goodness, they're gone!"
The princess rushes to embrace me in a show of relief and gratitude.
"Thank you for protecting me. I know not who you are or where you came from, but I am grateful nonetheless."
"O-Oh, yes, you're quite welcome, your highness."
Still, as I place a gentle hand on her higher back in comfort, an uneasy confusion riddled my being.
They just disappeared...But why go to all that trouble only to flee?
Kōtatsu's POV
(Jolt)
"Stop thiiiis!"
I jump awake, ending that terrible nightmare before it could get any worse...Yet despite being awake, I feel a great amount of unease in my soul, and flinch at the sight of my drawings...I soon calm down...but then suddenly, I hear an odd noise outside, and look out the door to see,
"The skies are raining black ink...!"
When it was done, the ink then jumps from the ground, past myself, and flies back into my bamboo ink pot...!...It was then I realize,
"The ink must've sprung to action on it's own accord, while I lay sleeping...!"
I can only stare in wonder and fear at the ink, questioning what will soon come about me in this new development...
No POV
With the abrupt chaos of the ink demons cleared from the mansion, Miroku would be granted an audience meal with the lord...
"I am indebted to you for saving my daughter. Monk, I hope that you will find in your heart to forgive my men for earlier rudeness."
Though he technically did not do much but stand as a human shield, the young man accepts the thanks nevertheless.
"You need not thank me, and I bear no grudge towards your men...But I fear that the danger has yet to pass. The demons will surely attack again...Come to think of it, the princess will undoubtedly be safer if she were to stay here with me. Here in the same room, sharing the same bedding..."
"He's at it again!"
"Huh?"
"And I suppose you'll need to search her robes while you're at it too, you pervert?!"
Peering out one of the side entrances, we see the source of that claim to be our familiar half-demon, followed swiftly behind by the two redheads.
"Well, if it isn't my old friends, Coraline and Inuyasha."
Of course, the three arrivals were more pressed with tracking down the ink artist by following the trail of demon creations.
"Damn, must've just missed 'em."
The teenage girl turns to ask the young monk,
"Tell us, Miroku: have any ink demons passed through here recently?"
He rises from his seat and answers,
"I suppose. But I didn't realize they were made of ink..."
...
"So an artist is capable of manipulating those demons?"
Emerging from behind a byōbu after changing out of her blood-soaked jeans for a pair of dark grey cargo pants, Coraline nods,
"Yes, but he's definitely human, and I don't think he's even aware jus' how unstable his creations really are."
"Very troubling. For a human to have such strength, he must be drawing on the power of a jewel shard."
"Exactly what we've theorized."
"So, how do we stop an artist who has the power to bring demons to life?"
Sitting down in front of the monk, the teenage girl replies,
"I don't think i' should be too hard. The demons aren' really true demons since their auras are so weak and shaky due to bein' made of ink and blood.
It may not look it, but they're barely clinging t' life thanks to the power of the shard."
"Interesting. How is it that you know that?"
"(Slight smile) I'm an Aura Reader. I can see into the energy of the soul and their distinct make-ups...I, haven't really shown my power to others f'r a long time, mind you, but I'm starting t' gain the courage in usin' it when I can."
"Remarkable. I've never heard of such a power before...I can see how that would be useful; I hope that all goes well for you in gaining your courage to show the world what you can do."
"Thanks. I appreciate tha'."
Shippō bites into a dumpling and adds his own insights to the more prudent matter.
"I've seen the Shikon-no-Tama give people some incredible powers before, but bringing paintings to life?"
He then looks Inuyasha's way, noticing the other demon was seated away from the other three souls in the room.
"Why do you sit there? Don't you wanna join the others in forming a plan?"
"Keh."
Coraline looks over to see her fellow teen sitting in the doorway to this section of the mansion.
"Oh come on, don' tell me you're actually sulking?"
Miroku was also a bit curious to the lack of engagement.
"Is something the matter, Inuyasha?"
"Leave me alone."
"Hello! Cut th' tough guy routine and contribute, will ya?!"
The girl then sighs and says to the monk,
"Sorry, what can I say? The guy is so jealous..."
"Hardly! Why would I be jealous?...Huh?"
Inuyasha would then see Miroku grasping Coraline's hands into his.
"Your faith in me is strong. So you at least can sense my pure intentions."
The girl calmly removes his appendages and replies,
"Not quite how I'd word it, but whatever floats yo'r boat...I was actually more focused on th' jewel shards you have."
"Huh?"
"I see two...no, coun'in' three..."
The monk covers below his shoulder where Coraline could see the hidden amaranth pink glow, and comments with a smile,
"You have the power to see the shards..."
"Aye, so i' would seem, though the reasons for it are more complex than I care t' mention...Mm?"
The redhead then senses a certain half-demon fast-walking their way, likely wanting to chew Miroku out for however he came to possess his trio of gem pieces...
"Oh no you don't!"
But Coraline would quickly rise to her feet, then block her companion by placing her hands firmly on Inuyasha's shoulders.
"Wh-Hey, what're you-?!"
"Don' you dare start anything tha' isn't necessary."
Miroku then argues,
"I collected these shards on my own. Taking them would make you a thief."
"Thanks for spellin' it out! Anyway, who are you to call me a thief? I happened to remember a 'certain someone' who made off with Coraline's shards!"
"Hm~, your powers of recall are greater than I imagined..."
A sigh escapes the young lady's lips before she mutters to both young men,
"Guys, knock it off, will ya?"
Unbeknownst to our travelers, two of the guards was listening in on their conversation, before reporting back to their master...
"What?! That artist Kōtatsu was manipulating the demons?!"
"Yes, my lord. It seems the Shikon-no-Tama shard he possesses grants him that power."
"He possesses a fragment of the jewel? I have heard rumours of its powers: they claim that a single shard can increase one's natural powers by one hundred fold...!"
"Perhaps we should, liberate it from the artist."
"Hm, (nod)."
"My lord, it seems the monk also possesses one."
"That young monk does?!"
...
...
Later in the evening, our travelers will have gone to sleep on their respective futons, deciding to seek out the artist once they're better rested...We zoom in on Miroku, his slumbering figure unaware of the two forms creeping up from behind the screen door...
(Slide)
"Ha!" "Hra!"
The two eavesdropping guards from earlier thrust their sword blades into the form on the futon...but it's quickly revealed that the monk had created a decoy!
"You tricked us!"
Miroku is far from pleased by the assault.
"What is this about? I remember doing nothing to warrant this violent and traitorous attack. (Bitter smile) Not yet."
"Listen, monk: hand over the jewel shard!"
(Swing, tok)
Miroku manages to block both swords with his shakujō, before hitting the guards back and knocking them off their feet! Hearing the commotion, Inuyasha and Coraline hurry over from their own guest quarters.
"You alright, Miroku?!"
"What is this, a freak out?! What're these vassals doing here?!"
Said monk holds the intruders in a choke hold using his staff, and begins interrogating them.
"Now, what were you saying about a jewel fragment? Which one of you wants to go first?"
"It isn't our fault! The lord demanded that we seized your jewel shard!"
"The master himself went to seize the one from the artist!"
"...You know the whereabouts of this artist. Tell me where he is, now!"
Once the guards confess the location, Miroku takes off, much to Coraline's protest.
"Miroku, wait up! I'll go with yo-Whoa!"
Inuyasha yanks her up onto his back, and Shippō hurries to hop onto the girl's shoulder.
"Me too!"
The half-demon bounds on, calling to the monk,
"Keep going! I'll catch up!"
These demons are created by the power of a jewel fragment!
The young Buddhist practitioner felt a similar thought of foreboding run through his head.
Mere mortals cannot possibly defeat them!
...
By this time, a reasonably large army of soldiers have gathered near the old traveler's hut where Kōtatsu is currently hiding out at, their mission being to gain the jewel shard at any cost...The lord gives the word from atop his mare.
"...In."
With that, the soldiers begin their charge, spears and swords in the air!
...Inside the hut, Kōtatsu hears them coming, but refuses to quiver in fear.
"Heheheh, I have an infinite number of soldiers at hand, and if any are destroyed, they can be immediately replaced with the stroke of a brush."
(Fwap)
"Come forth, my demons of Hell!"
(Fwoooom...)
The scrolls expel a dark light and smoke as the living manifestations draw forth from the parchment...The cloud seeps from the crevices of the hut, and the lights reform into living shapes of the demons depicted in ink! The hellish smog easily overtakes the army of humans, doomed to be slaughtered by the murderous monsters inside...
The lord of the mansion tries to call back some of the lucky soldiers who evaded the horde and began fleeing for their lives.
"Wait, come back! Somebody, help me get my horse under control!"
By this time, Inuyasha, Coraline and Shippō arrive on scene.
The half-dog demon prepares to attack, but the young fox warns him,
"Don't slay them, or the noxious fumes will overcome you again!"
"Just watch!"
(Slash, slash)
Inuyasha successfully deals some fatal blows with Tessaiga, and lands beside the lord.
"You saved me, young man. You shall be compensated."
(Splash)
The ink blood spills out of the ink demons, spooking the nobleman's horse and forcing him to retreat...Meanwhile, Coraline cringes from the smell of the blood spilled from the fallen monsters.
"Urgh, this stuff reeks worse than human blood..."
"Inuyasha, are you alright?"
...The half-demon is once again overwhelmed by the scent, causing the trio to tumble over. Shippō mutters,
"Don't say I didn't warn you," just as another ink demon comes straight for them!
Coraline jumps to her feet, grabbing the handle of her combat knife.
"Crap!"
...But just before she could try to defend, Miroku comes leaping in to destroy the demon with his staff!
"Uh! (Smile) Good timing, Miroku!"
He sends a smile back at the redhead, before turning focus towards the approaching demon army while removing the prayer beads around his right hand.
"Stay behind me, friends; this is dangerous! I'm going to unleash the Wind Tunnel!"
(Whoooooooooooosssshhhhh...)
The black hole manifests, and begins sucking in the mass of ink demons, much to their creator's shock.
"What's this?! He's drawing in all my demons into his hand!"
...A few more seconds pass before a good number of the ink manifestations are drawn into oblivion, and Miroku is forced to contain his Wind Tunnel...Coraline notices how exhausted the monk has become.
"Miroku, are you alright?"
"Hh, hah...Never before have I drawn in so many demons in one attempt. Hh, if I just rest a bit..."
Inuyasha mentally quirks,
Oh great; I knew we couldn't depend on him...
The human dressed in modern era clothing then narrows her eyes and rises to a stand, sensing something amiss.
"Damn. I'm picking up on'a large an' unstable demon aura..."
(...CRASH)
Suddenly, a huge, three-headed serpent ink demon bursts forth from the roof of the hut! Inuyasha quickly grabs Coraline as the body of the demon comes towards them, and leaps over to a safe distance.
"Fantastic. This must be the artist's last resor'..."
"I'll get 'em."
The half-demon begins his charge to attack...only to wind up ducking from one of the opposing demon's heads, the others joining in suit...As Inuyasha jumps out of the way of another head dive, he calls,
"Coraline! Can you tell me where the fragment is?"
She looks up and skims over the entity...before narrowing down the source on Kōtatsu's person.
"Ah! There: in th' bamboo ink contain'a on his waist!"
"I'm all over it!"
Inuyasha jumps up high and lands atop the body...
"Oh, right, how could I have forgotten this? Hey Miroku: you'll never impress anyone with those flashy antics!"
The ink artist turns to spot the half-demon from his place near the heads of his masterpiece creation.
"Agh, miserable wretch. Behold, the Demons of Death!"
He then sends a torrent of demons at Inuyasha...but the latter is far from fazed.
"Isn't that trick getting old?! Hrrraaaaahhhh!"
The silverette then proceeds to rain a series of punches against the ink monsters, knocking them all off of the giant! Miroku comments from down below,
"My, what do you call that technique he's using?"
Coraline replies with a half-smile,
"In my world, it's called 'wailing on 'em'."
Once that small thug group is taken cared of, Inuyasha calls to Kōtatsu with raised claws,
"Alright, I've finished that group off! Now hand over the jewel shards before I lose it!"
...Next thing he knew, two of the serpent heads began breathing fire on him!
(FWOOM)
"Aaaargh!"
"You underestimate me! The flames of my hellfire shall burn you to the bone!"
Inuyasha is thrown backwards by the impact...but manages to use his claws to steady himself. Once more, thanks to his fire-rat kimono, the half-demon escapes being burned to a crisp...Though his temper certainly ignites.
"This is it! Take your last chance to surrender!"
"Aah!"
Inuyasha's flamed body charges at the artist, the fires dispersing as Tessaiga is drawn.
"Maybe one day I'll fall at the hands of someone stronger than me, but they won't be human!"
"Stay back! You cannot have the jewel! It is my last chance of happiness!"
Kōtatsu attempts an escape by jumping off the demon serpent's head...but his enemy is faster.
"It's, over!"
(SLICE)
The bamboo container is cut away from the ink artist's waist, his life spared...
(SLASH)
Inuyasha then destroys the object, which in turn causes the serpent demon to morph back into ink and blood...Kōtatsu hits the ground hard, rolling downhill and slamming into the nearby tree...He shakes his dizziness away, before bulging his eyes out at seeing his creation defeated.
"My ink! My ink has all been spilled!"
Desperate to find a way to bring his medium to life again, the ink artist takes one of the soldier's fallen swords, and stabs his arm, releasing his own blood as an offering!
"Here me, ink: I give you my blood! Drink well, and fill yourself! Come to life...Feast on my life blood!"
...Inuyasha watches as the ink quivers mid-air, before heading on a straight course for the human.
"Uh-h! That fool!"
The dark red-black liquid masses and surrounds Kōtatsu, who shouts in a blind fury,
"You are mine! I shall never let anyone else take their hold on you!"
He lets out a crazed cackle...which comes to an abrupt halt when he realizes his grave error, and what the ink's true intent was to be.
"My blood...Oh no...They're devouring my blood! Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
The artist's body begins shriveling up before Inuyasha's eyes, and the former calls out fearfully,
"Help meeee, aaaaaaagggggggghhhhhhhh!"
(Whooooosh...splash)
But Kōtatsu's fate was sealed, and he's completely devoured by the ink before it fell to the ground in a dark puddle...The others rush to Inuyasha's side as he comments in disbelief,
"The fool...The ink devoured him..."
Coraline looks at the liquid with a sickened stare.
"By god. Yet anoth'a fate I wouldn' wish on an enemy..."
"You're telling me. The artist's ambitions must've turned the ink into a parasite...Imagine, he'd rather have his blood sucked dry than to give up the jewel fragment, and he paid for his foolishness with his life."
(Ping...)
Suddenly, the said gem piece floats up to sit atop the inky muck, and Miroku mentally curses,
Damn. The jewel shard I worked so hard to get is tainted with evil! I dare not even touch it...
Coraline then kneels down and takes the shard between her fingertips, much to the monk's surprise.
What?
Ignoring a slight beat of resistant dark energy as the jewel fragment settles back into its more or less pure colourization, the redhead then turns focus to the two men.
"Alright, so who's takin' this one?"
Inuyasha argues,
"Obviously it's mine!"
"Yet Miroku fought his share of th' battle too."
...Said young monk then smiles and says,
"Why don't you keep it, Coraline?"
"Hm?"
"Really?"
"Mm-hm."
"...Alright, it's a done deal!"
Shippō hops atop Inuyasha's head and comments,
"Glad that someone's grown up," to which the half-demon responds with a humph...
Meanwhile, Miroku quirks to himself,
Amazing. Coraline purified the jewel just by picking it up...
Hm, perhaps my days of wandering solo should come to an end after all.
...
...
...
"Really, Miroku? You'll join us?"
"Gladly."
The next morning, we find our trio of travelers turned quartet wandering down a new stretch of dirt away from the lord's mansion and the town it sits in. Miroku is seen walking beside Coraline, she sporting a new crop tee of almond white and her dark blue jeans, and holding Shippō on her shoulder.
"Traveling in the company of a pretty young woman is so much more enjoyable."
The redhead smirk-glares at the monk and replies,
"Easy there, you flirt. I don' swoon that fast for any man."
Inuyasha humphs from his spot a couple feet ahead, and the other young man adds while glancing the former's way,
"And despite Inuyasha's appearance, he's not really a bad fellow."
Coraline nods in agreement, thinking to herself as she looks at the half-demon with her own eyes,
Miroku's right: Inuyasha could've ended the battle in one fell swipe of his sword...but instead, he spared th' artist's life, and went straight for the ink container.
...Yeah, he's really a good friend and a one-of-a-kind person; he jus' doesn't know i' yet.
I'll be sure to tell him so...when the time is righ'...