Hey all! A new chapter at last!
So, I've noticed for the past while that a number of you have been asking about the possibility of my OC acquiring a partner, similar to the relationship between Sango and Kilala (who make their debut in this chapter; yay!).
I'll be honest, in the beginning, I had no thoughts in actually doing such a thing. For the most part, my OC Coraline is more the independent type...
But, since then, I've been jumping back and forth with the idea, and now, I'm actually considering it. Just to be clear, though, I'm thinking more towards of an aid rather than a partner partner (Kind-of like Myoga's role to Inuyasha...only more helpful - lol).
This is still in the preliminary stage, so I can't really confirm anything yet, expect for these two things:
1) The creature I have in mind to be Coraline's aid, is not one from Japan (past or present).
2) This will take place during when Trinity will be making their major appearance (that I still haven't pinpointed yet).
Again, it's all in a work of progress, so stay tuned for more details as the story continues!
Update (August 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 26: The Rise and Fall of the Yōkai Taijiya
A new day dawns in the world of Edo's yester-years, the sun adding a serene, pale yellow glow to all it touched...But not everyone was starting their morning .
(Swish-swish, swooosh...)
"It's approaching from the forest!"
We zoom in on one village close to some mountain formations, its people alert with an understandable fear as a demon comes charging fast from a section of thick green...One man turns to call over his shoulder,
"Demon Slayer, it's time!"
...Coming through the crowd of wary men and women, we see the warrior called for the job, a young one at that.
They appear to be a late teenage girl with fair beige skin, a mesomorph body in the inverted triangle shape, and long dark brown hair tied back into a high ponytail with a red ribbon. Her eyes are of similar shade to light roast coffee, contrasting her light blush pink eye-shadow, and finally, the outfit she's chosen to sport is a skin-tight onyx bodysuit of black with a goldenrod yellow kanji symbol on the left shoulder, salmon pink armor plates on her knees, elbows, shoulders and just under her bust extending to between her thighs, the last piece supported by a red obi sash. We also notice a wakizashi sword on her left hip, a metal filter mask over her mouth, and that she's carrying a ginormous boomerang over her right side...
The brunette stops her steady trek at the edge of the forest, just as the demon - revealed to be a giant centipede - comes thrashing out with a screech. They stare eachother down...before the menacing creature makes a powerful lunge towards the human, just as she throws her giant weapon with in great feat of strength.
(Za-za-za-za-za-za-za-za-za...SLICE, SLASH, za-za-za-za-za-za-tok)
The demon slayer catches the boomerang on the rebound, while the centipede demon falls dead, having been sliced right down from the middle of its head and across its thorax!
(...Ping...)
Out of one piece of flesh falls a shard of the infamous jewel, to which the young woman would catch in her palm.
A shard of the Shikon-no-Tama. I thought so...
"Uh, slayer, what is that jewel?"
She turns around, holding the shard out as she answers the man's question.
"The cause of the centipede's ferocity."
...
With the source of danger eradicated, the demon slayer would pop into a hut to slip her civilian clothes back on over her bodysuit. This includes a misty rose/light mulberry kumon kimono over her bodysuit, an avocado green skirt wrap, and waraji sandals. She also restyled her dark brown locks into a looser fashion, simply tying together the lower strands with a white ribbon, and is carrying a small bundle in a sky blue cloth over her upper back under her boomerang.
The young demon slayer smiles at the villagers and says,
"My job here is done! Call again for me should you require help."
"But, we haven't yet payed you a fee..."
"I shall take this jewel shard as payment."
She adds with a thoughtful gaze at the little gem piece in question,
"It makes sense, since it is originally from my home village."
...
...
...
"Tonight, the sky is full of stars...Sometimes I wonder what there are more of: stars in the sky, or shards of the Shikon-no-Tama. Our search has far from ended yet."
"Not necessarily, Shippō."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The demon Naraku is gathering shards of the jewel just as we are. In the long run, he'll save us a great deal of work. He'll get the jewel shards, and then, we will get him! How does that sound for a good strategy?"
Jumping ahead to the cooler night, we zoom in on the more familiar figure that is Shippō, sitting with Inuyasha and Miroku around an open fire as they discuss their current stance in their quest for the said fabled jewel, and eventually, the other force after it as intently as they...
Focusing on the conversation, while the half-demon's reasoning isn't completely off the mark, the young fox demon easily points out the flaw.
"Inuyasha, with every shard that Naraku gathers, he will get stronger, does he not?"
"Heh, (...double-take) huh?"
"In that case, we'll never be able to capture him...It's obvious: our only hope is to find more jewels than he does. Haaauh, even a little kid like me can figure out something that simple. It makes me wonder if maybe you haven't taken a few too many blows to the head..."
The silverette rises with a menacing glare cast at the ginger.
"Why don't we try that theory out on you?!"
"Whah!"
"Inuyasha..."
He stops at Miroku's call, who then asks the following question.
"What will you do once you've gathered the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama?"
...Sitting back down, Inuyasha replies casually,
"What else? I'll become a full-fledged, bonafide demon."
"Oh...That's what you have planned."
He doesn't miss the judgment in the monk's tone, and tries to defend his decision.
"Nobody wants to be a weakling, right? You gotta be able to stand up to someone you don't like, if ya need to."
Inuyasha turns briefly towards the hill a few feet away from where they were sitting, gazing at the other redhead's form as she sat with her knees tucked into her chest, looking up at the stars.
"Just ask Coraline: she knows what I mean by that, not wanting to be weak in anyone's eyes..."
Especially considering how rough her childhood was...
"Tell me something, though: when you use the power of the Shikon-no-Tama to become a full demon, do honestly think you will remain as you are now?"
That seemed to catch him off-guard, and he replies in a dubious manner,
"Why wouldn't I?!"
"Well then, can you ever recall ever seen a demon, that was using the Shikon-no-Tama for a benevolent end?"
Miroku looks down at the fire and adds,
"This is merely a theory, but I believe those who seek out and gain the powers of the Shikon-no-Tama, will eventually lose their own hearts in the process."
"Huh...That may be so, but when did I ever say that I wanted to be a 'good demon'?"
"You didn't, but you did say you wish to protect Coraline, and that is why you desire more power...Inuyasha. Once you become a full demon, who's to say that you won't devour Shippō or Coraline?"
Unbeknownst to the three by the fire, the young Croft's ears had picked up on this particular piece of the conversation, and felt a shiver of worry jolt through her skin. Shippō meanwhile, asks with a slight stutter,
"W-Why me?! Wouldn't you be tastier?"
"I would have fled long before..."
As for Inuyasha, his thoughts were running in a mantra, trying to reassure himself of his goals.
He's wrong. All the demons I've fought before were rotten from the start...
It's a mere coincidence, that's all!
...I'm different from them.
Coraline's POV
As I sit on the grass a small distance away from the fire so I had the best view of the glittering stars, I couldn't help but have a listening ear to the boys as they once again talk about the jewel...What made me stop listening was when Miroku brought up the topic of Inuyasha's goal of becoming a full dog demon. Personally, the concept had vaguely crossed my mind a few times...but those moments are fleeting considering the larger situation...or so I thought.
Letting out a puff of breath, I tug out the near-half-complete Shikon-no-Tama we possess, and gaze at it with a serious and morbid look.
Miroku does have'a point. Even one shard of th' jewel has managed to drive souls to insanity and greed...
Could, Inuyasha end up the same way?
I shake my head, trying to rid my mind of the negative imagery.
No! No...That won' happ'n. Inuyasha's better than those others who once possessed a shard...
I know he is...an' yet, I, can't help but worry for him...
Hauh, still, that day won't be comin' for a while yet, so I shouldn't give m'self a headache worryin'.
Putting the jewel away, I then take out the torn arm band printed with Trinity's symbol.
Besides, I've got another problem ta deal with. (...Glare) Trinity...
So far, I haven' seen any other signs of their presence...but, when I went to restock and catch up at home a few days ago...I swear I felt I was bein' watched.
...Is it, possible they might know I'm alive, and are beginnin' to monitor my movem'nts?
"If that's true...then, what if, they discover the portal in the Bone Eater's Well?"
I feel dread beginning to rise up in me...and I guess someone else sensed it as well.
"...Hey, Coraline?"
"Hm?"
I turn around and see Shippō wandering over my way, his expression creased with hints of worry.
"You okay? Are you getting cold over here?"
I didn't want the lad's anxiety to grow, so I simply reply with a small smile,
"Yeah, a bit...I'll come and join you lo' by the fire. I just wanted a better view of the stars for a few minutes."
I stand up, and we both walk back to the campfire, with Shippō sitting by Miroku while I softly drop beside Inuyasha.
"Mm? Keh, back already, are you?"
"Yeah, the chill was star'in' to get to me."
Among other things...
I stare into the fire for a minute, my mind wandering back and forth between the day I snatched up that blasted arm band, to those few days prior to tonight when I felt those invisible eyes...Miroku seemed to notice my faraway look.
"...Is something troubling you, Coraline?"
"Mm? Um, well..."
I was conflicted by whether or not I should let these three know about what's currently going on at home...Of course, Inuyasha would end up being the one to pry the answer out of me, not one for dodging topics concerning the livelihood of his friends. It may not seem like it on the surface, but once you get to know him, one can see that he truly cares about the people who get close to him.
"...What's wrong? Did something happen back in your era?"
"Not, exactly. It's really more of ae feeling...I don' know if this is worth mentioning, but...I think, Trinity might know I'm alive."
My answer threw him and the other two into a tailspin.
"What?!"
"No way...!"
"You're sure?!"
Letting out a breath, I explain the scenario plaguing my soul.
"When I went to restock supplies a few days ago...I kept gettin' this, feeling I was being watched...I sensed human auras nearby in the shadows, though they were obviously tryin' t' cloak their presence. How, I don' know. Luckily, I haven't sensed any unknowns in, near or around d'e shrine...but..."
"You're worried that Trinity may be spying on you."
I look up to meet Miroku's eyes and nod...Suddenly, I feel a hand on top of mine, and I pivot my head left to see Inuyasha looking at me with a serious expression.
"You haven't been receiving any threats, have you?"
"No, and I call that a good thing. It means Trinity isn' plannin' to elimina'e me...Well, not yet, anyway. A' the very least, they may leave my surrogate family alone."
"...There's somethin' else that's bugging you. What is it?"
I sigh, and reluctantly tell them my worries.
"I'm, scared...I'm scared that Trinity may find ou' about my excursions to this era...And if they do, they'll likely find some way to use this against me, maybe even find'a way to hurt you, all of you..."
I feel my body shake a little as I add with a catch in my throat,
"I-If anything were to happen to y' guys...especially you, Inuyasha...I don't, I don'know..."
I couldn't finish that sentence, and that's when Shippō then jumps onto my lap to hug me around my middle.
"Don't be scared, Coraline! Nothing's gonna happen to us, or to you!"
"The squirt's right."
I look up at Inuyasha, my eyes a bit watery from stress, and he says to me with a gentle look in his hazel-gold eyes,
"Besides, as far as we know, only you and I can travel through the well between our eras, so how's Trinity gonna be able to hurt anyone here when they can't get here? (Small smile) You've got nothin' to worry about, Coraline. We're safe, and if I have to, I'll be there in your era to protect you if those bastards try anything."
Miroku offers his own smile of encouragement.
"Well said, my friend. (Looks at me) As we told you before, Coraline, you may consider yourself safe and sound with us through all our endeavors."
...I feel myself smile a bit back, touched by all of their words.
"Thank you. All of you...And you're right. I'm just makin' myself sick with paranoia worryin' over a threat that isn't even real yet. There's no way Trinity will ev'a come to this era."
And I'm gonna keep crossin' my fingers that it remains impossible for them to try...
Time Skip, No POV
"What?!...A girl took the jewel shard? Who was it? Come on, answer me!"
Night turns into a new day, and after setting a new course down a path cutting through Edo's many thick forests, our group of four would come across the same village that the female demon slayer was in yesterday, learning about the jewel shard that was here but isn't anymore...
"Oh no, look, another demon!"
"Call for the slayers!"
Unfortunately, Inuyasha's information obtaining strategy was on the aggressive side.
The man he currently had held up my his kimono nervously shouts,
"A giant, centipede!"
"I am not a centipede!"
Coraline quickly intervenes before the situation could get truly violent.
"That's not wha' 'e meant! I believe he means another demon that was in the area recently."
"The maiden is right!"
With that confusion cleared up, the half-demon sets the man down and allows the latter to dispel the full story...
"Demon Slayers, you say?"
The redheaded teenager hums,
"Interesting. So people can actually make a profession out o' slayin' demons."
Miroku then asks,
"So this demon slayer has collected the jewel shard as way of payment, you say?"
"Aye. She said that this, 'Shikon-something' or other jewel originated from her home village in the first place."
That caught everyone's attention, and the monk asks the half-demon,
"Inuyasha, have you heard of the jewel's origins?"
"Not at all...When I learned of the Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls, Kikyō had held it in her protection. I had never given any thought to where the jewel came from, or how it was created..."
...
...
At the same time this new side-topic began to form, we jump ahead several miles to a fair-sized village surrounded by a fence made from tall logs, the place that our demon slayer from before would call home...The front gate opens, and she enters with one of the women greeting her.
"Hello, Sango. Welcome home."
"Thank you."
One man asks,
"What was your prey?"
She - Sango - opens her bundle, revealing parts of the enormous insect she slew.
"A giant centipede. I didn't bring much except some hide and legs. We can use it to make some armor."
...Suddenly, a small feline comes bounding over to greet the returning slayer. Getting a closer look, we see they're no ordinary cat, having canary yellow fur, black stripes near the end of its two fluffy tails, black paws and ears, a black diamond-shaped marking on their forehead, and scarlet sclera. They hop atop the brunette's shoulder, and the latter giggles out,
"Hello, Kilala. I hope you've been a good kitty."
The twin-tail rubs her head against Sango's neck and shoulder affectionately...
"Welcome home, Sango!"
She looks up and smiles at the one who called.
"Hello, my dear brother."
Gazing her way, we see a preteen boy a few inches shorter than his apparent sister, confirmed by the similar complexion, hair and eye colour, though with a much shorter ponytail and shaggier bangs. On his body is a powder blue kimono with a simple black obi, and gauze wrist and ankle bands.
He pauses in front of Sango and says,
"Father says to-er, the lord, wishes to see you."
They hurry to the headman's house where the older sibling regales to her father of her success in slaying the centipede demon, as well as obtaining another shard of the sought-out jewel...
"I see. So you managed to bring home a shard of the Shikon-no-Tama? Well done, Sango."
The older male places the shard on a small shrine, and goes into prayer as a way to help ward the malevolent power it still carries...
"Tell me, father: will prayers help suppress the evil within the shard?"
"...It is unlikely."
"I didn't think so."
"Fifty years pass, the jewel was supposingly given to a young priestess with unusual powers for purification...But, in the end, even that maiden became embroiled in a fight over the jewel, and paid for it with her life."
Sango's father turns to her and adds,
"Until we are able to find someone to with the power to purify the jewel, all we can do is continue to find the shards, and keep a close watch over them."
She gazes at the pedestal again as her mind wanders.
The power to purify the jewel...
She's then seen stretching the muscles in her arms outside, just as her father comes 'round again.
"Rest yourself, Sango. We'll be needing you again in a short time."
"Yes, father."
As she walks off, the lord of the demon slayer village then turns to his son.
"Kohaku, you to must prepare for battle."
"Who, uh, me?"
"Yes, you are eleven now. Plenty old enough to go into battle."
"Mm...mhm..."
...
A little time passes, and we catch up with the boy as he practices his targeting with his kusarigama out back behind his home, a sickle weapon made from demon bone on a metal chain. He then asks his sister who's laying on the porch nearby with Kilala,
"Hey, um, Sango?"
"Yes?"
He successfully breaks all of the clay targets on the poles with a single slash, before asking his question.
"Do demons breathe fire and toxins as they say?"
"Sometimes."
"Hauh, then it's true..."
Sensing the anxiety in her brother's heart, Sango comes up beside him and asks,
"Kohaku, what's wrong? Are you scared?"
"No, I never said I was scared!"
But the sigh he expels after trying to defend himself said it all...
The older brunette pats Kohaku's back and says reassuringly,
"You'll be fine. We slay such things as snakes, spiders and other types of large beasts. As father says, the most frightening demon is one that masquerades as a human being."
Her expression grows more serious as she adds,
"He says that if that type of demon comes to possess the jewel, then it's trouble."
Though still a bit nervous, Kohaku nods, understanding that there are greater dangers than that of his imagination.
Small Time Skip
A couple hours pass, and the location shifts to a fairly large castle that several demon slayers - including the small family of three - travel to in response to a daimyō by name of Nagasaki Hitomi who called for their expertise. The man himself is of a near-gaunt appearance, with pale skin and thin cheekbones, black hair in the traditional chonmage style, and dressed in fine clothes of grey-black and sand brown...
"You have done us well to come to our aid, slayers."
"Sir."
"We have been plagued with nightly visits from a giant spider, which has devoured several of our people. Can you put a stop to it?"
"Fear not, sir. I have brought along my best people to serve you."
"...Oh?"
The lord glances at Sango and Kohaku and says,
"Perhaps they are skilled, but I see that you have brought along a girl and even a young child."
"Yes, my lord. They are my son and daughter, and the finest slayers in my village. Witness their skills for yourself, if you would."
The older brunette side-glances at her younger sibling and says,
"Hear that, Kohaku? Now do your best."
"Mhm..."
Problem was, the boy's nerves have returned tenfold, causing him to tremble slightly.
...Father tells a lie...
"Hm?"
He then turns to the stormy skies, as the atmosphere begins to grow more dark...
"My lord, it approaches."
"...Go forth, demon slayers!"
"Aye. Move out!"
The dozen or so slayers hurry to spread themselves across the courtyard as the clouds begin to swirl...and out from the sky, sprang forth the giant spider demon! This arachnid was indeed ginormous, bigger than that of the Kumogashira (Spider Heads), with dark-green hair all over its body, red-orange sclera with black pupils, a large jaw with huge horns and pincers, and eight long legs that also had horns at the tips!
As the entity's roar echoes across the grounds, we zoom inside one room where the son of the lord was speaking with one of the elder vassals.
"So the demon has arrived, I gather?"
"Yes, my lord. I fear that it's the same demon that prolongs your illness...But a number of demon slayers have been called, and tonight, we hope to see the last of the beast! Then I can only pray for your speedy recovery."
Getting a closer inspection of the younger royal, we see they're of a more handsome countenance, with long thick black hair, dark brown eyes, and dressed in an off-white nagajuban. He becomes curious of the people who came to his father's aid.
"...Demon Slayers?"
...
Meanwhile, back outside, the giant arachnid began its assault, shooting spider silk from its mouth to try and entangle its latest prey...
"Surround it!"
Each slayer splits into a different direction, trying to box the demon in one spot...
Unfortunately, Kohaku becomes entangled by the silk, and would be unceremoniously tossed into the air.
"Aaaahhh!"
"Kohaku!"
(Slash, slash)
Thankfully, he'd be cut free by an older slayer wielding a pair of ono axes, and they both land safely on the ground.
"Take a deep breath."
"Uh-huh."
At the same time, another slayer uses a longer variant of the chigiriki to rip and tear through the demon's abdomen, causing it to trip on itself and allowing Sango's father to pin it by its upper jaw with a kama-yari.
"It's done! I have it!"
Sango goes in for the kill:
"Hiraikotsu!"
The giant boomerang flies through the air and cuts right down the middle of the arachnid, killing it instantly!...Kohaku and the other slayer comment on her skill.
"Sango is incredible!"
"They claim that she is the best in the village."
The guards of the castle were certainly impressed:
"Ah...!"
"She brought the demon down in one sweep!"
Now that the entity has been killed, the slayers went to work on the corpse.
"Alright, let's finish this up!"
"Off with his head!"
The youngest member decides to get in on the action.
"This is where I come in..."
...Suddenly, a string of white comes shooting onto Kohaku's neck, and he slows his jog into a stop as his mentality descends to a blackened space...The other slayers were too busy hacking away at the hide and bone of the demon corpse, to notice something was amiss with one of their own.
"For a demon so large, it was easy bringing it down..."
The only one does feels a wrongness in the victory, is Sango.
"It was too easy...There's something about this spider that rings false..."
(...SLASH-SLASH, TOK)
"AGH!"
"GAH!"
"AAAGH-! Uhhh..."
Suddenly, before anyone could blink, all three male slayers are killed in cold blood!
...
...
...
Sango felt her body solidify into icy shock, and barely remembers how to move as she turns around to the source of the senseless slaughter...The blood in her heart quivers when the murderer is revealed to be her own brother, Kohaku!
"...Why...Kohaku, why did you slay father and the others?!"
...
...
He says nothing, and as he looks up, we see that his eyes are missing their pupils, indicating that he's not in his right mind...
He then begins charging at his sister, much to her further dismay.
"No! Don't, Kohaku!"
(Slice)
"Ngh!"
He cuts Sango's filter mask off, and she falls to her knees as the sickle returns to his hand, her expression shining with fear and confusion.
"...Have you, forgotten who I am?"
The guards were just as dumbfounded:
"What's going on? Halt, lad!"
"Stop this madness!"
"...Let him continue."
The guards turn to their lord shocked, as he adds in a half amused, half sadistic tone,
"It should prove to be entertaining..."
Kohaku throws his kusarigama at Sango again, who manages to block it with her wakizashi, tossing the opposing weapon aside. But, that doesn't stop him from continuing the assault with his own sword.
(...Clang)
"Why do you do this, Kohaku?!"
Again, he does not answer...but his sister then notices the white thread protruding from his neck.
A web...A spider's web!
She traces the source, and it's revealed to be the lord himself!
"...He's the one."
Sango hurries to knock her brother aside, before grabbing Hiraikotsu and making a new charge at the true evil.
"You did this to him! You're finished!"
Not understanding what was going on, the guards ready to defend their lord...Said deceitful man then orders,
"The siblings have taken leave of their senses...Slay them!"
The brunette manages to strike away four of the guards...but-
(TOK)
"RGH!"
...The blade of Kohaku's kusarigama hits dead-on in her back!
...
...
She slows her footing to a stop, and turns around to meet eyes with her brother...who drops to his knees, suddenly fully aware of what was going on.
"Uh-h! (Slips off his mask) S-Sango, what have I done?...!"
"...Kohaku..."
He immediately sprang from the ground, tears of agony running from his eyes.
"NOOO! SANGO!"
(Twok...TOK)
"NGH...hhh...!"
He's then shot by several arrows by the guards, falling to the ground as Nagasaki then commands,
"Take aim and fire your arrows at the crazed siblings."
Sango crawls to her brother's side, her heart threatening to sever at the broken sight of her dying sibling.
"...Kohaku..."
"H-Help me, Sango. I'm so afraid...!"
"Do not worry. I am, right here with yo-"
(TOK)
"UH!"
Another set of arrows are released, hitting the older brunette's back and stealing the last of her strength!...She falls down to death's waiting arms, and the lord felt a cruel smile form at the sight.
"A deathbed truce between siblings, how sweet-"
(SLASH)
"GUH!"
He'd then be the third to be killed, struck down by a katana wielded...by his own son?!
"My lord...!"
"My lord, you have slayed your father!"
"...This man is not my father. See for yourselves."
Casting eyes to the shadow of the dead daimyō...we watch as spider legs spring out from the back!
"Some kind of beast...!"
"It's a demon!"
(...Tok)
Kagewaki doesn't hesitate to stab the shadow, ending the existence of said demon while commenting monotonously,
"I thought for some time that father had been acting strangely. Clearly, he was possessed by the demon."
He casts eyes to the corpses in the courtyard, specifically, Sango and Kohaku.
"It's a shame that these slayers were sacrificed...Bury them in the corner of the garden."
"Yes, my lord..."
...
...
...
"We must be getting close. It's hard to believe that no one could tell us where the demon slayers were from."
Around the same time if not an hour before this tragic event took place, Inuyasha and company will have started their journey to the hidden village of the demon slayers...As they continue their trek, the redheaded girl replies to the monk's comment by saying,
"Well a' least we know it's somewhere in the moun'ns. I think the reason the information is so fragmented is tha' the demon slayers wish to better protect themselves. Given their profession, it wouldn' be wrong to assume they have plenty of enemies are of demonic origin..."
Inuyasha - with Shippō on his shoulder - turns to the two humans and replies,
"Coraline's right, so let's not complain about it and just find the village."
The fox demon himself then asks,
"Inuyasha, do you plan on stealing the Shikon-no-Tama fragments from the village?"
"Yeah, what do you think?"
Miroku comments,
"Let's just hope they don't slay us in the process."
Coraline says back,
"As long as we don't give them any reason to, I'm sure things will go okay."
...I can't believe there's actually a chance t' learn about the history about the Shikon-no-Tama.
To think, it originates from'a village of demon slayers...I'm sure Inuyasha is just as interested as I am.
(Whoosh...)
Suddenly, the wind speed began to increase, and everyone stops, sensing something off.
"This wind is strange...I don't like it..."
Coraline's eyes glow on alert, and she gasps,
"There's a large cloud comin' overhead...And the aura-no, auras, are especially dark-ridden...There!"
Everyone looks up to see a large river of demonic entities swimming through the air.
"Owah!"
"A horde of demons!"
The Aura Reader then notes in a worried yet confused tone,
"There's gotta be hundreds of 'm!...But, where are they heading, and why so many at once?"
Miroku too felt that orchestration was afoot.
"She's right. Their very presence is making me ill..."
Shippō lets out a whimper as Inuyasha growls,
"I smell death...These demons are charging to attack!"
The latter begins following the horde, and Miroku says to Coraline,
"We should follow them."
"Don't have t' tell me twice."
...
...
We return now to the castle of the previous lord Nagasaki Hitomi, the skies clear of the dark aura which emitted from the giant spider demon previously terrorizing the area...Unfortunately, the creature's death came at a terrible cost, one that two castle wards would note as they pass the gardens.
"The demon slayers were still so young..."
"Hh, the poor things..."
Yes, the small massacre was truly heart-wrenching...
(...Crick)
However.
(...Crack-SHOOM)
A glimmer of bitter hope rises, quite literally: a hand bursts out of one of the grave mounds, and we witness Sango crawling out of the dirt, somehow still clinging to the land of the living!
"Rgh...rrrh...!"
Her strength has greatly diminished due to her injuries, but nothing could deter her spirit.
"I'm, alive...I will not die!"
Hearing some sounds coming from outside his main chamber, the young lord Kagewaki slides open the side door to the gardens, and is surprised to see the brunette struggling to stay conscious.
"The woman demon slayer...She still has life."
And the two are left staring at one another, neither one sure of how to approach this new development...
But while Sango may live for a while yet, her village is a whole other story. Currently, the hidden home of the demon slayers is under a mass attack from the horde of demons that passed over Inuyasha's group just moments ago...Watching from afar atop a cliff, Naraku lets out a dark chuckle, before making his grand leap downward into the village, the grounds erupting in chaos with fires ablaze and demons slaughtering the remaining people!
(...Ping...)
Inside the headman's house were five shards of the Shikon-no-Tama, including the one Sango brought back only hours ago...However, several demons were already surrounding the fragments, yet have not made any moves to make off with them, too distracted by eachother...
"It would seem you have avenged your long-harboured grudge against the slayers."
Naraku moves to stand in front of the shards, the fire adding an ominous sheen to the white fur of his baboon cloak.
"And did I not tell you that the demon slayers were not to be found at this fortress?...Will you attack me as a form of rebuke?"
These creatures of the dark snarl and hiss at him, before acting upon his prediction...
(Pow)
Which would prove to be a mistake, when Naraku invokes a power mirroring the events of Onigumo's demise and his creation, absorbing the demons for his own strength!
"Yes...That feels much better. Heheheheheh..."
...
...
...
By the next morning, the half-dog demon and his companions will have reached the village of the yōkai taijiya...
Or at least, what would be left of it.
"The village..."
"It's burned...!"
"So the demons from last might must have come here..."
Inuyasha leads the charge, Coraline calling after him.
"Quickly!"
"Righ' behind you!"
...When they got inside, the four travelers see that the damage is much worse then they anticipated. Carnage everywhere, both human and demon, along with broken homes, scattered weapons (only some of them still usable), and small fires still ablaze...!
"...This...This is horrifyin'! Dia, it's like somethin' out of a nightma'..."
Miroku nods in agreement with the girl with Irish roots.
"The villagers must have battled with the demons."
Inuyasha grimly concludes,
"There's no mistaking it: this is the very same village of the demon slayers we were seeking."
The redheaded woman casts her vision to and fro...before cursing under her breath,
"The jewel shards...If any were here, they're gone now."
The monk figures,
"Someone must have stolen them."
Shippō exclaims,
"Maybe if we hurry, we can catch up with them!"
As much as the silverette felt a similar urgency, his conscience won him over with regards to the dead villagers.
"We'll think about that after we properly lay these people to rest. They deserve that, at least."
Miroku nods,
"Inuyasha's right."
...Suddenly, a low rowl rumbles from behind one large hut in better shape than others amongst the destruction, prompting Coraline to narrow her eyes on alert.
"...There's something here still."
Inuyasha gets his claws ready...and the source of the growl comes wandering out of hiding, revealed to be a giant twin-tail cat demon with an appearance very familiar to a smaller entity we met earlier...
"One surviving demon."
The half-demon switches to readying his dog fang katana, while the monk grabs out his shakujō staff, and the aura reader touches the handle of her combat knife...But then, a familiar voice suddenly calls from atop the feline's head.
"Lord Inuyasha, is that really you?"
"Huh?"
Coraline mumbles,
"That voice...is tha'...?"
"Down, Kilala. These people are not our enemies."
Said identified demon drops the head of an earlier kill from her jaws, before the flames on its paws shoot up around her body...and she transforms back into her smaller form!
"Huh...?"
"Wow. She can transform..."
Kilala scratches her face, and out jumps Myōga the Flea, who then hops onto Inuyasha's.
"How I longed for this nose..."
(Slurrr-Slap)
"Still annoying..."
Coraline greets the flea demon as he unceremoniously floats down to the ground,
"Myōga, it's been a while. What're you doin' 'ere?"
Miroku asks Shippō,
"You know this flea?"
"He's Inuyasha's vassal. Well, sort-of..."
...So at the same time the monk and the new world girl begin digging some graves, the flea demon would both confirm the locale and dispel the details of the attack.
"Precisely. This is the secret village of the demon slayers. For generations, the people of this village have trained and worked hard to dispose of demons."
Inuyasha carefully drags another dead body onto one of several tatami mats fished out of the debris, commenting,
"It would make sense then that they were despised by the demons."
"It is true...though it is strange that they chose this time to attack."
"Huh?"
"A number of their warriors were summoned to a distant castle, and the village was left with few to protect it. I cannot help but wonder if those who had traveled to the castle are indeed safe..."
...
Speaking of said castle, we return to the structure just after the surviving lord Kagewaki ordered Sango's wounds to be treated, he now sitting in front of her laying form...
"I am relieved. At least you have survived."
The elder vassal is put-off by her silence.
"Slayer! Show the master respect with a response!"
"Stop. That's enough."
"My lord..."
"You said your name was Sango...My dear girl, you have my deepest apologies. You lost your family, and fellow villagers."
The brunette remains silent, but tilts her head up on that last remorseful remark.
Truthfully, however, her emotions have fallen numb as a way to cope with her new tragedy.
I don't understand...How could this have happened?
"...Young lord."
Kagewaki steps outside the paper sliding door, and watches as that baboon-cloaked demon emerges from the green cover.
"Naraku...Yes?"
"As you commanded, I rushed to the village to notify them of this, terrible development...But, the village had already been, annihilated."
That caught the listening Sango's attention...By this time, the bodies of the dead had been laid in the ground, and Coraline began placing flowers on the graves, a morbid look on her face.
...So much death...
She began murmuring an old prayer in her mother tongue at the same time Miroku made similar gestures.
"It's a shame. I hoped to speak to someone about the Shikon-no-Tama..."
Inuyasha then turns his eyes to the flea demon sitting on his shoulder.
"Talk to me, Myōga. You must know something."
"Uh, do I know something? About the Shikon-no-Tama?"
The redheaded human alliterates with the following question after she was through with her wishes to the deceased.
"Isn' that why you came as we did, t' find out more abou' the jewel's origins an' hist'ry?"
"Yes. It's been troubling me for a great while now. I needed to know more about the history of the jewel. After all, everyone who has come across the jewel has suffered great misfortune...I followed the rumors of the jewel and found myself here in this village...However, there is still one thing that disturbs me: during my journey, a white baboon continually slipped in and out of my sight."
That caught the silverette's attention instantly.
"A white baboon?!"
"Yes."
...It's Naraku. He's close by.
...If only he knew just how close...
"Tell me everything you saw."
Naraku heeds Kagewaki's order.
"The village of the slayers...Their slain bodies were countless, and the half-demon that attacked them, his name is Inuyasha. Inuyasha seeks the power of the Shikon-no-Tama to become a full-fledged demon."
"The Shikon-no-Tama?"
"He must have believed he would find the shards at the village, and thus attacked it."
(...Flap)
Suddenly, the sole survivor of that ravaged place - wrapped in bandages around her torso and right arm - came out from behind the door, having heard all she had to.
"Sango..."
Her emotions reignite anew, swirling together into a monster of hatred and agony.
"Return, my weapon, rgh...and my armor...I shall avenge my village, gh...and destroy this Inuyasha who has slain my kin!"