Update (August 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 29: The Great Water God Conspiracy
"One would think tha' a large castle would be easy t' track down, but nooo, why make i' easy...?"
"Hauh, especially when you don't have any directions or landmarks to go by..."
A few more days come and go within the war-fueled times of Sengoku Japan, and everyone of our growing group finally decides to leave the decimated demon slayer village to continue the search for the Shikon-no-Tama shards and Naraku. So far, no new leads on either have been discovered...
Currently, they're all overlooking several irrigated fields from atop a hill, awaiting Shippō to return in his balloon form and see if his aerial adventure provides a new trail to follow. In the meantime, Inuyasha was making an attempt to convince Sango that traveling with the rest would be a better option for her and Kilala rather than going alone.
"Come on, you gotta be fully recovered by now. You wanna hunt down that Naraku creep too, right, so why don't you just join us for a while?"
She nods slightly but remains silent, annoying the silverette a bit.
"Well you could show some enthusiasm for my offer! We know a heck of alot more about Naraku than you do!...Plus you're alone now. You got nothin' to lose with taggin' along with us."
The brunette glares at the half-demon for his somewhat tactless observation, but chooses to refrain from starting a pointless argument...Miroku then says,
"He's right. Let's take it one step at a time, and focus on gathering the jewel shards. We won't have to chase Naraku: if we keep collecting the shards, he'll eventually come to us."
The monk kneels in front of Sango, reflecting a gentleness in his tone as opposed to his serious eyes.
"I know you are hungry for revenge, but you must be patient."
"I see..."
"Please believe me. I understand how you feel."
"Thank you...but is it necessary, (pinches his hand) to keep stroking my legs while you talk?"
Miroku laughs nervously, his little move found out and doing nothing to impress the currently stoic demon slayer. Coraline comments while pinching the bridge of her nose and an irritated smile,
"Well, good t' know he's conductin' this talk on'a mature, adult level..."
A wise soul trapped in th' body of a ho'monal teenager.
Inuyasha looks at the monk with a deadpan of disgust and says,
"Miroku, try to control yourself, will ya?"
The redhead then moves to sit on the grass, taking out her combat knife to look at while saying,
"Just be glad you're no' like me when it comes to waitin' fo' vengeance, Sango."
"...And why's that?"
"(Grim Smile) 'Cause I'm already at my five-year wai'in' mark for Trinity and Bishop to show themselves."
The other three humans look at her with mild surprise at how calmly she stated that fact...Sango then asks,
"Who is Trinity, and Bishop?"
"Bishop's th' name of my father's murderer, and Trinity's the organization which tha' sleeven bast'rd belongs to."
"...I see."
I was then the young fox demon comes floating back from his scouting.
"Ah, Shippō. So, what were y' able to see?"
He replies to Coraline as he pops back from his balloon form,
"There's a large lake just over that hill to the north. A huge shrine is right in the middle of it!"
"A shrine?"
Inuyasha's asks with a touch of urgency,
"Is it Naraku's castle?"
...
...
The several young souls waste no time in making their way down over the hill, eventually stopping in a small village dominated by rice fields...However, the crops were ridden with debris and excess water, and one could see in the distance that some trees around the area were ready to fall dead.
"Must have been a flood..."
Coraline comments after Miroku,
"Yikes. Wonder who ticked off moth'a nature to make d'is happen..."
(Bong...bong...)
Their attention is then directed left, and the visiting group watches a progression of villagers - one on each end holding up a flag - leading along a palanquin.
The other people who call this place home murmur as the spectacle trudges by,
"Behold, the human sacrifice..."
"Such a devastating flood this year..."
"I wonder who's child it is this time?"
The girl from another time felt her blood run cold.
"A child sacrifice?!"
Miroku is no more pleased than she.
"(Glare) That is utterly barbaric!"
Zooming in on the progression, one of the men pleads to the leader of the village,
"Please reconsider, headman."
The man in question of middle-age with a receding hairline, the remainder of the black strands in a topknot, long eyebrows and a mustache with the center section shaven. On his body is a dark hunter green yukata with two parallel stripes running from the collar to the upper sleeves, a sleeveless cerulean haori, grey umanori hakama, and a pair of zōri sandals. His manner is grim and serious as he replies to the other man,
"Why do you even ask? It is only natural that we give up our first-born children to the water god to protect the village."
"What's so 'natural' about that?"
He and the others look up, meeting eyes with Inuyasha who's standing on the back of the palanquin, arms folded and looking at them with a stern expression.
"This sacrifice is for your water god? I'll bet he's just some hyped-up demon."
The headman cringes back, and the half-demon concludes with a grim smirk,
"A demon is taking advantage of his new-found strength from a jewel shard. (Jumps down) Don't even try and hide anything from us."
The progression is understandably wary of this stranger.
"Who, who are you?"
"Never seen the likes of him before..."
"Look at his ears! Are you a demon?!"
The headman regains his resolve and says to Inuyasha with a glare,
"Listen well: this is a peaceful village protected by a great water god. Demons are not welcome here."
"Are you talkin' to me, old man?!"
"Stop it!"
(Bonk)
Miroku whacks Inuyasha on the head lightly with his staff, coming in to mediate the situation.
"What are you doin', Miroku?"
He places an arm in front of the silverette and says plainly to their audience,
"Our company is not hostile. Our mission is to travel around the country and assist those who are in need of help. (Lowers arm) We have heard of your misfortune. If you will allow me, I will exorcise your village."
One of the men asks,
"Are, are you really that powerful?"
Another says,
"I think an exorcism would be an excellent idea..."
The headman however, heavily disagrees.
"Do not be so easily deceived, men. They are conniving imposters!"
"I beg of you, headman, at least hear what they have to say."
He remains stern, too worried about the possible repercussions from incurring the wrath of this supposed deity.
"If we indulge the whim of shysters and we rely on their trickery only to raise the ire of the water god, who knows what else might befall our village. How can I just define exorcism now when it's my son's turn to be sacrificed? (Shakes head) How can I risk undoing all of the sacrifices made by the children before him?!"
...Coraline feels a stare, and turns to see a small body in a white robe peeking out from behind the curtain of the palanquin.
Is that the young lad who's t' be sacrificed?
...How odd. He's wearin' a mask.
The child ducks back inside the wheel-less vehicle as the headman says in finality,
"We must deliver the sacrifice before the sun sets. Hurry up; continue the procession."
So with heavy and hesitant hearts, the village men continue onward...
As the unique group of young souls watch them go, Shippō comments with a frown,
"That guy with the moustache is weird. I don't trust him."
Inuyasha nods,
"I agree. He's actin' like he wants his son to be sacrificed," and Miroku adds,
"He was strangely upset with our interference..."
"Well, I guess we move on and let him dunk the kid."
Coraline quickly protests,
"Te heck with tha' plan! We need to save that boy from this crazy fate! (Turn) You with me, Sango?"
"Mhm."
"Are you serious?!"
The girls look downward, and spot another boy hidden underneath a straw cloak, otherwise known as a mino.
"Then follow me."
He makes his way down a path heading for the treeline, calling back,
"Hey! You wanna be left behind?"
Inuyasha wonders,
"What's with him? Bossy kid..."
...
...
(Clatter)
Once they all reach a clearing, the unnamed boy shucks off his cloak to reveal himself in full. We see he has black hair cut short enough for a small high ponytail, coal brown eyes, semi-prominent eyebrows, and is wearing a dark teal kusode with lighter diamond outlines and a gray hakama. He dumps out a collection of items to our group from a large cloth wrap.
"You can have 'em. Take your pick."
"What is this garbage?"
Miroku and Sango see differently than our minimalist half-demon.
"Oh~, there are some valuable articles here..."
"I've never seen such find silk before..."
"You done choosing? Good. Then consider yourselves hired."
Inuyasha asks the boy,
"What do ya mean hired?"
"I heard you bragging to the villagers. Coming to people's aid is your mission...so I want you to live up to your reputation: you're working for me now to destroy the water god."
The silverette leans down near the boy's face...before the former clonks a fist against the latter's skull!
"Ow! Hey, what'd you do that for?!"
Inuyasha does not answer, and only proceeds to hit the boy's head multiple times, much to Coraline's dismay.
"Ey, cut tha' out! He's only a young lad!"
"He needs to be taught who's the boss around here."
Shippō tip-toes to the boy's side and whispers,
"Just apologize, even if you don't mean it. Inuyasha can be really childish sometimes..."
Time Skip
Jumping ahead to the late evening, our setting shifts to a small boat dock, the few lit torches casting eerie shadows against the lake's misty waters. In the distance, a riverboat in the shape of a water serpent is seen floating towards the silhouetted shrine, the child sacrifice looking at it with fear...
Back at the dock, the boy who 'hired' our group of budding heroes/heroines peeks out from the tall grass.
"The human sacrifice is taken to the shrine in a boat...So we'll follow the boat, and attack it when the water god surfaces, and is about to devour the sacrifice. (Turn) Got that?"
...Unfortunately, everyone else was a bit distracted by the goods they were given for their services, mainly the men.
"These are stolen goods. I just know it!"
Miroku replies to Inuyasha,
"Well, that's none of our concern..."
Coraline sighs and says in an attempt to get back to the more prudent issue,
"Guys, we need to focus...and for th' record, I say we should leave d'is stuff behind."
"Hey! Are you paying attention?!"
She turns her two-tone blue irises on the boy in dark teal.
"Yes, or a' least I am...So wha' exactly is drivin' you to do this? Are you the other boy's broth'a, or perhaps another possible candidate should he be rejected?"
The boy is taken aback by the question, and turns away while muttering,
"Who I am is none of your business."
She kneels down to his level and says with a knowing smirk,
"Oh really?...Because I'm fairly sure tha' you may be the real son of the headman."
The younger soul flinches, his eyes bulging at the girl's deduction. Miroku then remarks,
"Now that you mention it, they got the same eyebrows and forehead..."
Inuyasha adds,
"And the same attitude..."
"Am I correct to assume then the boy t' be sacrificed is yo'r stand-in?"
The boy reluctantly replies to Coraline,
"Yes...My name is Tarōmaru, and I'm the headman's heir."
"Hmph, (small smile) my intuition hasn' failed me yet."
Inuyasha asks,
"Why are you so eager to do this?"
"...The water god started demanding human sacrifices from the village about half a year ago. There were heavy rains and flooding...The water god said that in order to lift the curse, a human sacrifice was necessary. A child was selected when a white arrow landed on the roof of his home..."
(Flash)
A grieving mother holds her young one close...The headman gives her a look of regret...
"Father would always say,"
"Please bear the loss for the sake of our village."
(Tok)
"But when the arrow had landed on our roof, he told me to go and hide..."
(Flash)
Inuyasha concludes,
"So he found another child to take your place, meanwhile you're in hiding?"
Miroku sighs and remarks,
"What a stupid, selfish parent," and the half-demon says with a deadpan,
"I agree with you there..."
The Aura Reader could sense another factor, and gently pries,
"There's more to this, isn't there? Is th' lad is a dear friend of yo'rs?"
"(Nod) He's the son of one of my father's servants...and one of my best friends. We grew up together. There's no way I'm gonna let him take my place."
"Well, I hope you have a boat."
"Huh?"
Tarōmaru looks up, and sees Sango dressed in her slayer gear and with Hiraikotsu at ready.
"That demon has to be exterminated. I have a reputation to uphold. I shall take care of the water god all by myself."
Inuyasha retorts,
"You're still recovering. Stop trying to act so tough, showoff. (Smirk) I bet you can't even lift that heavy weapon over your weapon yet."
"(Glare) Is that a challenge?"
The half-demon rolls up a sleeve and taunts,
"Bring it on anytime!"
Coraline protests both their actions:
"Inuyasha, Sango!"
Miroku holds up a hand with a nervous smile and says,
"Listen, we all received payment for our services. So, let's band together and finish the job."
"Miroku's righ'. W'need teamwork, not internal conflict."
Inuyasha scoffs a tad defensively,
"Keh, tell that to her, not me. She wants to work alone all the time and doesn't want to join our team."
Sango just stares at them all, specifically at the half-dog demon...Moving on, the group is soon setting sail in another riverboat (with the slayer riding the twin-tail up front), determined to find the water god and save Tarōmaru's friend...
"There it is. The water god shrine gate..."
Shippō recognizes the structure:
"That's the shrine I saw this afternoon..."
It was indeed impressive for a water shrine-house, complete with statues depicting supernatural serpents...
"The human sacrifice has entered..."
Up at the front door stood two guards, whom were obviously of non-human origin, side-stepping back and forth and on the lookout for any interlopers.
"Gatekeepers. Hide."
"Why should we hide?"
Inuyasha leaps out of the boat, and takes the initiative in ridding the first blockade.
"You're in the way! (Kick) Hgh!"
The guards and the door are knocked down in record time...
"Hurry! Don't just stand there! We're goin' in!"
Tarōmaru is in awe over the half-demon's skill.
"Is he ever strong..."
...Meanwhile, inside the shrine...
"We brought the human sacrifice, master."
The so-called deity - a man with very fair skin, large slanted eyes with dark blue eyeliner going around, thin lips, two large dots on his forehead near his shaven black hair, and dressed in purple robes fit for someone of prominent descent - says to the young boy,
"...Come closer."
Said young soul does as the god tells him, but only inches a few steps before bowing zarei saikeirei style, his breathing a bit shaky from the fear coursing through his veins...
"Hmm, your hands are dirty and calloused from working out in the fields...This proves you are not the headman's son."
The boy's body shakes even more, his secret found out, and the 'deity' rises to his feet in anger.
"What is the meaning of this? How dare you try to deceive the water god, boy!"
"Please, oh mighty water god; please eat me as your sacrifice instead!"
(Shoom, grip)
"Ah!"
The older soul shoots an arm out to hold up the boy by his face.
"You have dishonoured me with your little ruse..."
"Ngh, rgh..."
"I will tear you limb from limb..."
He breaks the mask, adding,
"And send you back to the village, back in pieces with the next rain!"
...He suddenly turns towards the door, sensing something amiss.
What's this?...Intruders...
"Agh!" "Rrrggh!"
Back out in the courtyard, Inuyasha and the others were on the move.
"You better get out of the way! Move it, (punch)!"
One of the guards calls back,
"How dare you charge in here! This is a sacred house!"
"Aah, shut up!"
(Whack)
"Agh!"
Miroku and Sango knock down a few guards as well, and upon striking each one senseless, it's revealed that these shrine keepers...were not as they appeared.
(...Sizzz...)
"A crab!"
(Splash)
"All the guards are just a bunch of fish and crabs put under a spell!"
Coraline concludes after Shippō,
"Then this adds to the proof the wat'r god is usin' deception...Uh!"
One of the fake guards comes rushing over her way, but the young Croft was ready.
"Oh no y' don't!"
She uses her arms to block the base of the incoming staff...then delivers a strong uppercut kick to their torso, causing him to drop his staff, before she punches him to the ground!
"Wow! Nice one, Coraline!"
"You're really strong, ma'am!"
"Thanks, Shippō, Tarōmaru. C'mon, let's go!"
Thank you, Master Yoshi!
They catch up just as Inuyasha bursts through the screen window.
"Rgh!...Did I interrupt dinner?"
The fake sacrifice cries out from the hand seizing him,
"M-Master Tarōmaru?"
He in turn calls back,
"Suekichi!"
He then prepares to charge over to help, but Inuyasha pulls him back.
"Calm down."
The 'water god' acknowledges Tarōmaru's presence.
"You're dressed like a dirty urchin, but you are the headman's son, aren't you?"
"That's right! Now that you got me, release Suekichi! I am the real human sacrifice!"
The silverette pulls the boy up to his level and asks incredulously,
"Why'd you hire us if you're just gonna throw yourself at 'im?!"
He then focuses on the supposed deity with a smirk.
"The only thing strong about you, 'water god', is your scent!"
He drops Tarōmaru and leaps forward to attack, pulling out his sword halfway.
"You reek of demon! Hrrraaaah!"
(Clang)
But the suspected demon manages to block the incoming blade with a weapon of his own, namely, a trident! Inuyasha is sent backwards, and the Tessaiga reverts back to its dormant form, much to his dismay.
"The Tessaiga's been transformed back!"
The opposing weapon glows a bit as the 'water god' says with a mocking tone,
"A pity demon sword like yours is no match for the power of the Trident of Amakoi. You have committed a grave crime in defacing my shrine. You will pay for this with your lives."
He raises the trident a little higher, before tapping it hard on the ground.
(Wa-wa-wa-wa-wooooom...)
A strange wave of energy begins to throb from the trident, like sound waves emanating from a cymbal...
(Whooooosh)
Everyone of the rescuing party cringes from the spectral wind that rose, and the scenery around them shifts instantaneously.
(SPLASH)
Next thing they knew, the ones daring oppose the entity controlling the shrine were swept away by a monstrous wave!...Inuyasha flips back to an upward position, and looks to his left to see,
"...Coraline!"
She's currently unconscious, yet managed to grab Tarōmaru beforehand to hold tight against her torso, while Shippō grabbed onto one of her calves...Catching a weak echo of the half-demon's waterlogged voice, she stirs awake.
"Mm...Hh!"
"Coraline!"
(...Crack)
"UH!"
A large boulder then knocks him in the back of his skull, sending him on a new collision for the watery grounds below...
"Inuyasha!...Ahp!"
Damn, th' wat'r...!
Coraline continues her own journey through the enchanted water current, eventually meeting the end point.
(Pow)
"Gh!" "Uh!"
Coraline's POV
Somehow, I made it out of the water with Shippō and Tarōmaru...As I rose from the floor, coughing and sputtering, I see,
"Oh, crud."
The obviously fake water god was in front of us, and the glow around his body fades as he begins to slowly approach us.
He must've redirected us back 'ere so he can eat Tarōmaru. I need'a plan, fast!
I notice out of the corner of my eye that Suekichi is inching towards a nearby torch...
"Aaaaaah!"
But despite the boy's commendable efforts, the demon easily saw such a blunt move coming, and uses his elastic arm to throw him to the ground.
"The boy's brave, I'll give 'im that..."
Bett'r use this momen' while I can.
I rise up onto my knees and quickly take out an arrow...
"You're goin', (twok) down!"
As expected, the demon catches my ammo before it could pierce its throat...
(Sheen)
"AGH!"
But thanks to the power of my soul (and the half of Kikyō that remains joined to me), the arrow still burns his hand and reduces it a tendril as he's thrown backwards...
"Impossible. How could this body succumb to a human arrow...?"
I run to Suekichi's aid while Shippō slaps Tarōmaru's face to wake him up.
"Come on! Snap, out of it, will you?!"
"Mmm...huh?"
Helping the fully conscious boy to his feet, I say to him,
"Thank yeu for the distraction. Are you alrigh', lad?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Suekichi!"
We turn to see his best friend jog over, and they engulf eachother in a well-needed hug.
"M-Master Tarōmaru!"
I smile a bit at their relieved faces, before switching to a more serious look as I remind us of our current situation.
"You two can catch up lat'a, but right now we need te scram!"
I lead us out of the shrine house, but not before catching a menacing hiss on the way out...
We're reach the dock, heading towards a small storehouse.
"Just keep movin', boys. I promise to protect ye while we wait fo' Inuyasha to catch up with us."
Inuyasha, if you can hear me, please, come back safe.
I glance back to see the demon coming out of the shrine, his eyes glowing red while his body shone blue.
"How dare you injure my arm, you impudent wench. I'm going to swallow your soul!"
Dammi'!
No POV
"Sango! Sango, wake up!"
At the same time the young woman with red hair struggles to keep the youngest members of this temporarily larger group alive, Miroku and Sango had washed ashore of a group of boulders and flat rocks, but only the monk was awake...As Kilala mews with worry, Miroku realizes,
"Oh no. She swallowed too much water! I'll have to breathe air into her!"
He leans his face down towards hers with the intent of getting her respiratory system going again...But just as his lips were only a few inches from hers, Sango's eyes blink open.
"Hm?"
...And her reaction?
(SLAP)
...
...
Miroku replies calmly to the seething slayer (a fresh hand-print on his cheek),
"My intentions were honourable..."
"Riiight...Where am I, anyway?"
"We're outside the gates of the water god shrine. I found myself here when I came to...Uh!"
Suddenly, he spots someone else floating in the water.
"Is that, Inuyasha?!"
It was him indeed, unconscious but not dead! His miraculous dodge of death is courtesy of the two beings holding him up above the water: two large ryukin goldfish with deep red and silver-white bodies, wearing dark cerulean dresses and had black hair with a flower tied in near the top...
Miroku and Sango pull the half-demon to dry land, and the former says to the fish,
"Thank you for your help. Did you save us from drowning in the flood of water like this too?"
"Yes!"
"But judging from your appearance, you look like you were servants of the water god."
"The water god is nothing but an imposter!"
The ryukin gain tears in their eyes as one explains,
"He used to be a simple water sprite like us and lived here in the lake, but he resorted to trickery to gain power."
They turn their attention left and add,
"He sealed the real water god in the craggy rock over there."
"Then he took the Trident of Amakoi and with a great declaration he fooled the villagers into thinking that he was the water god!"
Both the slayer and monk look over to where the aqua sprites were indicating, and Miroku says,
"Now I understand. That means we need to rescue the real water god!"
By this time, Inuyasha has regained consciousness, but his concerns were being directed elsewhere.
"Get your priorities straight, you idiot! What are you thinking? Ka-koff, I'm gonna head back to the shrine now! (Leap) Saving Coraline has to come first!"
Coraline's POV
The boys and I have hidden ourselves in the old storehouse, keeping as quiet as mice as we hid from the demon. Rather than my bow and arrow, I decided to pull out my combat knife this time.
I'll have a bett'a chance with d'is in such tigh' quartars...
Shippō then notes in a whisper,
"The footsteps have stopped..."
I use my Aura Sight...and instantly figured out why.
Oh no! The demon's revertin' to 'is true form...A gian' serpent!
But before I could warn the boys...
(CRASH)
The snake - figurative and literal - uses its body to destroy the hut!...Lifting myself out of the splintered rubble, I look around for the other three, spotting them close by.
Thank god...
"I'll destroy you first, wench."
I turn to focus on the cause of this destruction, noticing his lower body is less human than before...I glare at him hard, and rise to my feet while holding out my knife in a threatening gesture.
"You can damn well try."
Sango's POV
Miroku and I are now en route to rescue the real water god from the craggy rock. Along the way, I ask him,
"Are you gonna leave Inuyasha alone and let him deal with the 'water god' all by himself?"
"Don't worry about Inuyasha. He can handle the 'water god' just fine on his own."
"(Turn) Are you sure? Is he really that strong?"
"Not only is he strong, he's also very cunning. He's not usually so hostile to be around, but I'm guessing it's his way of having sympathy for you...He thinks that fighting will ease your pain, which is why he's acting so aggressive. He's seeking vengeance for you...But, maybe I'm giving him too much credit, and reading too much into his behaviour..."
I face forward again and think to myself,
...Fighting to ease your pain, huh?
(Flash)
"...I learned a long time ago that you can either le' yourself wallow in self-pity and anger...or, you can take the pain, and reshape it into something you can use to help you keep goin' in life."
"Don't allow yourself t' be swallowed by the darkness of yo'r suffering, Sango. Mourn for as long as you have t'...but remember you have the power to take your pain and make into a strength to carry on...I'm, sure your loved ones would wan' that for yae..."
(Flash)
...Shape pain into a strength...
Coraline's POV
The demon serpent lunges its tendril at me, but I use my combat knife in a counter.
"Get, back!"
(Slice)
"Rgh!"
I successfully cut into his flesh, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to leave a crippling impact.
The demon then sends the tendril to wrap around my ankle, pulling me downward to slam against the deck.
"Agh! Rrh...Hh!"
Next thing I knew, the Trident of Amakoi was coming at me!
Damn!
(...CLANG)
Thankfully, the weapon that would've meant my death is blocked by a familiar dog fang sword!
"Inuyasha!"
The Tessaiga transforms back as it did before, and Inuyasha asks me,
"Coraline, is everybody safe?"
"I think so..."
I turn to see the boys rising from under the wood pieces, and Shippō suddenly shouts,
"Hey! The water god is escaping!"
I correct,
"That's no wat'r god, Shippō. (Narrows eyes) He's nothin' but a cannivin' snake!"
The demon serpent disappears into the misty fog, and Inuyasha rushes to the end of the dock to shout,
"Where are you, 'water god'?!"
(...Splash)
"Agh!"
He flinches back from the incoming trident, and the next thing I knew, he's dragged into the lake by the serpent's tendril!
"Inuyasha!"
(...Splash)
"Gah!"
Luckily, he manages to resurface, but only for a short time before the demon serpent manages to wrap its body around him, pinning him down! Still, the turn in the situation doesn't deter his courage.
"You're showing your true colours now, aren't you? Coraline's right: you're not the water god, you're a snake! And without that trident, you're back to the bottom of the food chain!"
"How dare you!"
The demon serpent shoots at Inuyasha, who barely dodges before he gets dragged down into the water again!
Rrrgh, this is gonna be harder than I though' it'd be...
No POV
While the half-demon keeps the serpent demon and former sprite busy, the monk and slayer had finally reached the place where the true water god is sealed...only to run into a slight problem...
"I wonder which cave the real water god is being kept in?"
"Well, it has to be around here somewhere..."
"...Is someone there?"
"Hm?"
Sango murmurs,
"The voice of a young woman..."
"...Who's there?"
...Miroku quickly deduces (in a manner completely unrelated to the more important issue),
"I see~, so the water god is really a water goddess!"
The brunette looks at the rat tail-haired monk warily, not liking the tone he used...The apparent water goddess then calls out,
"Just hurry up and unseal this cave and set me free!"
The two then spot the sutra plastered on one small natural void, and Miroku bows while replying,
"Right away," before he peels the sutra off.
(Glow...POW)
A large pale yellow light springs forth, fading just as quickly as it came...
The pair of humans look at the cave for a minute, before the monk calls uncertainly,
"Uh, hello?...Goddess?"
"In here!"
He looks inside the small cave opening, and is enthralled by the deity's beauty. She has waist-length dark brown hair with the top of her head sporting an understated version of the odango buns with wildberries tied in (possibly koshu grapes), a porcelain complexion, red lips, coffee brown eyes, pointed ears with earrings made from flowers and berries, and dressed in a beautiful furisode kimono of misty pink with a light lavender blue hifu overtop, and a light tea green scarf wrapped around her arms.
...Snapping out of his dream-like state, Miroku says in an uncertain but infatuated tone,
"Uh-uh...You're so beautiful but so tiny...It would be a first for me, but I'm only willing to give it a try..."
Sango asks him incredulously,
"Try, what?!"
He quickly replies with a nervous smile,
"Uh, nothing! (Murmur) Resist all temptation..."
...Ahem. Anyway, getting back to the more heated scene, our location shifts deep within the waters of the lake. The revealed demon serpent looks down with a mocking smile as Inuyasha struggles to hold in his breath, his body wrapped within its coils.
I, can't, breathe!
Back up above on the dock, Coraline, Shippō, Tarōmaru and Suekichi watch with bated breath as the lake's surface began to swirl around in a spiral...
"Inuyasha..."
"He's not coming out!"
"...Coraline!"
She and the others turns around, just as Sango and Miroku coming towards them with the latter carrying the water goddess in his palms.
"Are you alright?"
"The demon serp'nt dragged Inuyasha underwad'r to drown 'im!"
The small deity says to the monk,
"Let me down. I shall subdue this imposter."
"Whatever you say, Goddess."
He lowers her to the dock as Coraline wonders aloud,
"So she is tha true water god-er, godd'ss? Amazing..."
Said tiny woman takes one of her berry earrings, and tosses it into the whirlpool while saying authoritatively,
"I command the waters to part!"
The earring sinks downward to where the serpent demon is, and he looks up to see a red light shine.
"Hm? Wha-That's..."
(...POW)
"The waters are departing!"
Indeed: the clear body had been pushed back thanks to the goddess's enchantment, leaving the area around the demon dry. The redhead from centuries forward then calls below,
"Inuyasha, wake up!...Oh shi-Look ou'!"
They all duck away from the incoming trident, but the serpent demon was far from done.
"I don't know how you freed the water goddess, but it doesn't matter. Now I'm the reign water god!"
Miroku glares up at the demon and says to everyone else,
"Even though she's the real water god, she's powerless without her sacred trident."
"(Lunge) Prepare to die!"
"(Leap) Not so fast, bottom-feeder!"
Inuyasha puts a stop to the enemy's charge against his companions by slashing them from behind with his claws, scratching away some of the scales! Considering the danger, the serpent begins rising in the air with the half-demon riding along...
"Kilala!"
Sango jumps onto the transforming twin-tail's back, and they fly upward so the slayer has a clear vantage to release Hiraikotsu in a hard swing!...But, the demon serpent uses the trident to block it.
"You fool!"
As the human catches her weapon, the enemy adds,
"Now you shall feel the awesome and powerful wrath of the Trident of Amakoi!"
He raises said weapon into the air, and begins to summon a powerful storm...Tarōmaru comments back on the docks,
"The sacred shrine trident is making rain clouds!"
Returning above, Sango tries to attack the demon again.
"Catch this, water snake!"
And once again, the demon uses the staff to block the Hiraikotsu, and sends a whirlwind of water straight at her!
"What?! Agh!"
Coraline cries out the brunette's name as she falls from Kilala, and the demon readies to lunge at her with the trident.
"Now you die-"
(GRASP)
Thankfully, Inuyasha jumps in to stop the trident.
"Sango! Are you okay?!"
She lands safely on the back of her twin-tail partner, calling the half-demon back while he focuses a hard glare on the demon serpent.
"I'm tired of lookin' at your scaly hide, you big faker, (punch)!"
He takes away the staff after a strong sock to the gut, but would receive a counter-blow in his stomach by the demon's snake body.
"Grh!"
The fake water god then finally transforms into his true form, it being a giant albino version of the rice paddy snake, with red eyes and sharp fangs!...Fangs that they use to deliver a menacing bite into Inuyasha's arm!
"Damn it, aaaagh!"
"No, Inuyasha!"
...Yet despite his appendage being in the jaws of the serpent, the half-demon wasn't about to go down easy.
"Enough is enough, you overgrown inchworm!"
(PUNCH)
He hits the demon's skull dead-on with his free hand, before both splash back in the lake...Coraline says with worry,
"If these twisters aren' contained, they'll head straight fo' the village!"
Tarōmaru adds,
"They'll blow the whole place apart!"
The water goddess remains calm, and says to the redheaded woman holding her up,
"Calming a twister is a simple matter. I could do it in my sleep."
"Wha-seriously?!"
"Then just don't talk about it, do it!"
"I would be happy to, young man, as soon as you retrieve me my sacred trident."
(SPLASH)
The demon serpent comes out of the water again, with Inuyasha still in its jaws!
"Inuyasha!"
"Don't worry guys! It'll take more than this reptile to get rid of me!"
Coraline calls back,
"I'm glad t' hear, bu' we really need that trid'nt, so please toss it over here!"
The half-demon mumbles to himself sarcastically,
"You'd think she could show a bit more concern than that," before doing as he's asked...
"(Splash) Here! Take the stupid thing!"
He throws the trident in Coraline's direction, just as the demon serpent lunges once more. The tail of the entity knocks into the pointed weapon, sending it back into the water just a few feet in front of the dock.
"Dammi'!"
"I'll go get it!"
"Tarōmaru!"
He dives into the depths, his mind echoing with one thought.
I must save the village!...Otherwise I'll never be able to face the families who lost their children...
He manages to grab the trident, but then gets knocked out of the water by the serpent demon's tail!
"Ugh!"
"Master Tarō!"
(Za-za-za-za-za-za-za-za...SLICE)
The Hiraikotsu then cuts through the giant snake's body, just as Inuyasha goes splashing back into the water! Sango and Kilala dive after him, and the former garbs the sleeve of his red robes before they head back out to finish the job.
"Pretty slick maneuvering there, Sango!"
"That's nothin'!"
"Okay, I'm goin' down and aimin' for his head!"
"Gotcha."
They swoop downward...
"Do it, Inuyasha!"
"I'm, on it!"
Splashing down back into the lake, the silverette swings his dog fang sword down hard.
"Tessaiga!"
(SLASH)
It cuts the serpent right down the middle, and the equal halves of the corpse erupt out of the water, the last outcry of the demon ringing through the area...
"Don't worry, I'll handle the clean-up! Rrrah!"
(Whooooooooossshhhhhh...)
Miroku then unleashes the Wind Tunnel, sucking away the evil entity for good...Meanwhile, Inuyasha resurfaces with Tarōmaru under his arm, and the trident in his hand.
"Here ya go."
Coraline takes the trident, flashing the young man an appreciative smile before focusing on the tiny woman below.
"Water Goddess, please use yo'r power to stop d'is chaos!"
Said deity touches the Trident of Amakoi, and her body is enveloped in an ethereal glow as she reverts back to her original size!
"Uh! She got bigger!"
The water goddess raises the trident into the air, and cries out,
"Clouds, disperse!"
The power of the weapon is sent to the skies, and the storm almost instantly dissipates into nothing with the twisters...The sun shines through the clouds, the chaos of the fake water god finally put to an end. Everyone is relieved, and Coraline turns to Inuaysha to say softly,
"Inuyasha, you were amazing today," before she hugs him gently, much to his surprise.
"Guh-um..."
"I'm, really glad you're okay...The serpent didn' hur' y' bad, right?"
His gaze softens at the innocent tone, and the half-demon puts an arm around the girl while replying,
"Nah, I'm fine...Thanks for askin', though."
Heh, now here's the concern I was lookin' for...
And I'm glad she and others aren't hurt either.
...
...
...
Hours after the rescue party and the two village boys return with fortunate news regarding the water god conspiracy, we zoom in on Tarōmaru and Suekichi as they overlook the area from atop a hill...The latter suddenly asks,
"Did they leave us already?"
"Yes. I didn't get to thank them properly...Each one of them risked their lives to save our village from the fake water god..."
The village headman's son smiles and says more to himself,
"When I grow up, I wanna be brave and honourable just like them."
...Catching up with said group a few kilometers away, while a part of Inuyasha's heart may be satisfied with the happy ending after a good fight, he nonetheless complains about the lack of support the event had to the bigger mission.
"Man, we spend all our time fighting an overgrown snake, and no jewel shard..."
Miroku replies,
"It wasn't all a waste. We, helped out the needy..."
Zooming out a bit, we see the monk riding a horse pulling a cart chock-full of items.
"Hey! Wha'cha got in the cart, monk?"
"Well...I mentioned to the headman that I wouldn't be opposed to telling the villagers that his son acted with tremendous bravery, and for some reason, he gave me these gifts."
Inuyasha saw through that fib pretty quick.
"You blackmailed him into it, didn't you?!"
Up front the traveling party, Sango asks Coraline in a hushed tone,
"Does he always pull stunts like this?"
The redhead forms a exasperated smile and replies tiredly,
"One of th' many dangers of travelin' with a con artist..."
Though his schemes usually come from'a good place...sometimes...
"I think we should sell these things off in the next village and have a big party to celebrate."
Inuyasha groans,
"This is the last time I do any acts of kindness with the likes of you!"