Update (September 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 31: The Malice of Suffering and Puppetry
(klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk-klk...)
We zoom in on the Higurashi Shrine and residence during another sunny morning, watching Coraline as she finishes up one of two reports to send to her online courses before tomorrow. As you may recall, the young redhead is not enrolled in a regular post-secondary school system, choosing instead to take her education into her own hands...
"Haaah, done."
Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, she looks over her completed homework with a satisfied smile.
"Took me almost a week and'e half, but I can finally say see ya to d'is damned English paper, and that hist'ry report on Japan. Heh, luckily, I had some help from both sides of the time warp for that one."
Sparing a couple more minutes for proof-reading, Coraline would then Save, Copy and Paste the two files into their respectful folders for the online education site...
"Aaaand, Send!...Hauh..."
She leans back in her desk chair while running a hand through her long red locks.
"That took alot of brain power this round...Makes me glad I'm not in regul'r school, otherwise I'd be scrambling like a madman to get even one sheet of homework done. I dunno how those poor girls do it..."
"...Cooora! Freeman and Besa are here to take you to Martial Arts Class!"
Smiling a little at her younger brother's call, she shouts back,
"I'll be right down, Sōta!"
Standing up, she walks over to grab her black Harrington jacket hanging off a hook attached to the front of her closet door, revealing the rest of daywear to be a form-fit blue tee, black yoga pants and a new pair of black marital arts slippers...She speeds down from her room to meet with Freeman and Besa at the foot of the stairs, they wearing matching outfits of smoke grey v-neck tees, black sweatpants and their own martial art slippers. The only difference - besides their hairstyles, of course - is that Freeman's tee has a silver tree on the back, while Besa's occupies a gold crown.
"Hah, hh, hey guys!"
"Hey, Cor!"
"You ready to go?"
"Sure am!"
Waving goodbye to Sōta, the three teens make their way out the door and begin their journey downtown...
"Now then, let's see what state the world's in today..."
They come across Hayato Higurashi reading today's newspaper near the torii gate at the top of the staircase.
"Hmm...What's this? 'Foot and Mouth Disease only effects Younger Children'? Mm, can't use that, then..."
Furrowing his eyebrows, the Brownlee with natural cut hair asks his cornrowed brother in a whisper,
"What's he talkin' about, bro?"
"No idea..."
Coraline sighs in slight exasperation before concluding,
"I think I do: he's tryin' to come up with more illness excuses fo' mae."
"Really? He's still doing it?"
"Aye, no matter how many times I keep tellin' him it's not necessary."
The boys hum understandingly, before catching the sound of someone sneezing.
Peering down the large staircase, we see a mother and her child walking by.
"Oh, bless you, mommy. Are you sick?"
"(Sniff) Oh, the cold virus is nasty this year. I should've worn a scarf today..."
As they continue their way, the elder Higurashi feels a small epiphany come to him.
"Ah! She could have a cold!"
"For what reason, exactly?"
He pivots around to see his granddaughter and her friends, she having an irritated smile on her face while they were quietly snickering to themselves.
"Oh, Coraline! Heh-heh, I didn't see you there. Where are you and the boys off to?"
"Master Yoshi's dojo; we're taking anoth'a class today."
"Oh, how nice..."
Seeing that her adopted parental figure was starting to sweat a bit nervously, the young Croft decides to go easy on him this time.
"Hauh, Grandfather, you really don't hafta worry about makin' excuses for me. Remember tha' I'm not in regular school, so my homewo'k schedule's very flexible. Plus, Freeman and Besa are virtu'lly the only ones outside the shrine who know abou' my excursions to Sengoku Edo, so if anyone's gonna ask about my well-bein', it'll be them."
Hayato sighs deeply - partly in relief from avoiding incurring the girl's wrath - before replying,
"Alright, I understand...but what if that Hōjō boy comes by?"
"(Quirks brow) Hōjō? Why would 'e?"
"Well isn't that boy interested in you?"
"...Whether he is or isn' is not my concern. I'm not interested in dating or anything related."
The old man stares intently at Coraline intently for a moment...before saying,
"Well, if you're sure. You three better get on your way to Yoshi now."
"Right. See ya, Grandfather!"
"Nice to see you, sir!"
"Bye, sir!"
With that, the teens were off...and as he watches them go, Hayato says to himself with a smile,
"She's a strange one, that girl. You don't see alot of young ladies not interested in boys and more interested in self-defense and seeking out the unknown..."
Akari - whom had been sweeping the shrine grounds nearby - quirks to him jokingly,
"Well, that's Coraline for you: never one to follow the crowd. Instead, she draws one."
Small Time Skip, Coraline's POV
"Alright, everyone: line up and we'll do some drills, focusing on repetition and delivering power."
"Hai, sensei!"
My brothers and I make it to sensei's dojo in record time, and after setting our bags against one of the walls, we'd ready ourselves in-between four other students to do some kicking and punching drills for the main warm-up...As we went through the easier routine, I hear Freeman ask me in a whisper,
"So what'd you hand in this time for school, sis?"
"Two big essays: one fo' English class on the Grimm's Fairy Tales, and a hist'ry paper on Japan before the seventeen-hundreds."
Note: I do not own Grimm's Fairy Tales. Rights and ownership belong to Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, one of my favourite story-telling duos.
Besa whistles quietly and whispers as the combos speed up,
"Wow, sounds like you got alot of work done this round."
"Yeah. By the way, thanks for heading to the library for me and checkin' out Grimm's Fairy Tales. You totally saved my butt."
"Hey, no prob."
"What I'd like to know is why you chose that book for your English Paper?"
I pivot my head Freeman's way and reply,
"I wanted to explore the moral lessons the stories taugh' and why the content is not always told to children today."
"Ohhh..."
Unfortunately, our quiet conversation is noticed by sensei.
"Brownlee, Croft, focus!"
"Gah, sorry, sensei!"
Ah-heh, anyway, after a few more combo lessons, it'd be time for sparring...I'm currently leaning against the wall waiting for my turn, my mind drifting over the recent events of my life.
It's been'a while since I crossed over from the Sengoku era to me birth era. I gotta remember to thank Inuyasha, Miroku, Kaede and Myōga for helpin' me with my history research between travels...
Now that I'm back, I hafta rely on my own brain to get things done, especially since I'm close to accessin' mid-term exams...
(Smile) Well, okay, maybe I'm not completely on my own.
I've been getting help from my broth'as in having all the necessary materials...
Heh, even Sōta's been doin' his fair share, keeping track of my online schedule fo' any big tests or assignments.
"Croft, Takashi, you're up!"
I sigh in satisfaction as I move to meet one of my classmates in the middle of the room to begin our spar session.
I guess I'm just tha' lucky.
Freeman, Besa, Sōta: a trio of annoyance time after time, but helpful brothers all the same.
Time Skip, No POV
Returning to Edo after another day or so, we zoom in on an isolated castle covered by a thick purple smog, watching as one of the Saimyōshō came hovering downward in front of a room entrance, seemingly reporting what had occurred not too long ago at Mushin's Temple...
Inside, Naraku - retaining his guise of the young lord Kagewaki - says more to himself,
"I see. So Inuyasha managed to wipe them all out in a single swing..."
He rises to his feet, the evil being decides,
"Rather than sending numerous demons to their deaths, it would seem better to send one that he cannot kill. (Smile) Well, killing or not would serve me either way. I intend to use you in my service...What do you say?"
His focus is on a small figure kneeling behind a bamboo-wicker door...
"Are you able to move your body now?"
The figure replies monotonously, their vocal pitch suggesting them to be a young male,
"...Yes, Master Naraku."
"Good. Can you kill him?"
"Yes, Master Naraku."
"Can you kill Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango?"
"...Yes, Master Naraku."
...
...
Moving ahead to nighttime in another area of Tokyo's younger lands, we catch up with Inuyasha and company as they rest in their latest trek from Goshinboku Village after Coraline came back through the Bone Eater's Well...Of course, contrary to the peace reflected by the stars and moon, someone in our group of rising heroes is in full concentration mode.
"...Aaaaaa-hah!"
(Swipe)
You see, our protagonist half-demon has been hard at work trying to hone in on the massive power his dog fang sword carries after his miracle success in destroying that demon spirit army at Miroku's birth grounds...But so far, things haven't been as successful for him.
"Huh? Damn it. How do I engage the Tessaiga's ultimate power?"
Shippō says to the frustrated silverette from high atop a tree branch,
"Don't worry about it, Inuyasha. Even if it was luck, you saved us. Just get lucky again next time."
"Tuh...Teeeessaaiiiga!"
Once again, no results are made, other than making the fix demon fear for his life and jump for a higher slab of bark.
"Owah! Are you trying to kill me, or what?!"
"Hmph, I thought you said that it was all luck..."
"Listen, you're really pushing your luck with me today! Go test those sword powers of yours somewhere else, okay?!"
"Be quiet. Stop calling it luck; it's skill."
After a while longer, Inuyasha decides to call it a night, moving to sit in front of a campfire with Miroku as they discuss the recent attack from their common enemy...
"Naraku took the offensive with those demons. He's probably keeping a watch on us from somewhere. It would be very hard to make a move..."
The half-demon in red just smirks and replies,
"Keh, it'll save us time looking for him, the creep. Just try to attack us, anytime, anywhere."
The young monk chuckles a bit, causing Inuyasha to ask suspiciously,
"And what are you laughing at, Miroku?"
"Sorry about that...My Wind Tunnel can't be used for a while. I'm feeling vulnerable, and hearing you talk with such confidence is encouraging."
"Heh, chill out, monk. I gotcha covered. If Naraku comes slinkin' around, I'll take care of him with the Tessaiga."
Inuyasha adds to himself,
Even if it is luck, if I can engage the Tessiaga's true power again, I know I can beat Naraku.
I vow I will master this sword.
The Tessiaga is mine!
...Unbeknownst to the two men, Shippō has been spying their movements from the shadows of the thicker greenery.
"Well, Shippō?"
He turns to the two ladies and nods,
"They're just in deep conversation."
Coraline smirks a bit mischievously:
"Excellent. (Turn) Then you and I can slip into the hot spring no problem, Sango."
"I know the monk would try to peek at us, but do you think Inuyasha might?"
She frowns indifferently as they both wander close to the steaming waters surrounded by a couple protruding rocks.
"Doubtful. Inuyasha's not the Peepin' Tom type..."
Sango senses something hidden in the redheaded woman's tone, and asks as she begins undressing,
"Do you want him to look?"
Coraline blushes heavily and replies quickly,
"What?! Hell no!"
Once they were bare, the girls slowly make their way into the soothing waters of the hot spring...As she got in about knee-deep, a small breeze causes the brunette's hair to flutter from her back, highlighting a large scar, taking the redhead aback.
"Uh!...Oh wow, and I thought th' scar on me shoulder was bad..."
"Yes. I-It, didn't heal well."
Sango lowers herself into the pool as Coraline asks a bit hesitantly,
"Who hurt you? Was it, a demon of sorts?"
"No...I got this scar...from my younger brother. If only I had realized some things earlier, I could've prevented his death."
The latter nods sympathetically,
"I used t' feel the same regardin' my father's death...Tell me: what was your broth'r like?"
"Kohaku was tenderhearted. He was always a very gentle boy...Perhaps he wasn't suited for the life of a demon slayer."
"(Sad frown) Forgive me if I brough' back any painful memories. I understand these things are hard te discuss..."
Sango smiles sadly and replies assuredly,
"...No, it's alright. Before he died, Kohaku reverted back to his old self. I still mourn for him, but that thought helps ease the pain of his loss. We were both strong demon slayers. I'm proud of that. We all have our reasons for being here, don't we?"
She then changes the subject by asking,
"Why are you gathering the Shikon-no-Tama Shards?"
Unsure of how to answer at first, Coraline then mutters,
"Um, well...Hauh, I suppose it's mainly to make up for wha' I did to it in the first place."
She then tells the demon slayer the truth about how the jewel shattered, and how she is the supposed reincarnation of the priestess Kikyō...Sango is soon sitting atop one of the large rocks with one of the towels the modern-born girl brought wrapped around her body, amazed by the details of the event in question.
"So you're the one who broke the jewel?"
Slipping up from the water to sit beside the slayer, the redhead offers a weak smile as she replies,
"Aye, but not intentionally, I assure you. I was only aimin' a' the carrion crow demon that seized it, but the arrow I shot had different ideas..."
"Hm, well I'm sure that your true intent was clear, so it wasn't your fault. (Smile) What's amazing is that you're the reincarnation of a priestess."
Coraline frowns a little at that last remark, recalling the previous praises of the villagers from Goshinboku.
"Technic'lly, I'm more of'a surrogate, since the true one died in an accident five years ago...Her spirit then came to me in a dream, and passed the Shikon-no-Tama to me, along with Kikyō's soul. Before that witch Urasue interfered, I was the carrier of a Merged Soul...Now my own soul is okay, but I also carry half of Kikyō's..."
"Interesting...but why did the original reincarnation choose you as the next carrier of the priestess's soul?"
Wrapping a towel around her neck before gathering it up to dry her long locks some, the redhead shrugs,
"Well that's the million yen question, isn't i'? I don' know why...and if I may be honest, there's a part of me that doesn' wanna know."
She releases the thick cloth to drape over her shoulders, and fingers the large shard of the Shikon-no-Tama around her neck.
"One thing I do know, however, is tha' we need to gather these shards, and we'll do that best by joinin' forces. (Narrows eyes) Addin' that bastard Naraku into the mix just makes this whole quest the more complex..."
Sango nods seriously,
"In order to break the curse on the Shikon-no-Tama, we must destroy Naraku first."
"Righ'."
The young Croft adds to herself,
And in order fo' me t' live on longer than most of my ancestors, I need to thwar' Trinity, and destroy Bishop...
She then hears the brunette calls while picking up a rock to toss at the treeline,
"Did you follow the deeper points of our conversation, you Peeping Toms?!"
(Tok...)
...But we see that the interloper was only a harmless macaque...
"A monkey..."
"Sango, I could've told you if we were being spied o-"
The redhead cuts herself when Inuyasha and Miroku suddenly come walking out of the bushes in front of the girls.
"Uh, hey, what's with all the ruckus?"
...She then realizes,
Oh crap! I'm not dressed!
Sango is quicker on the reaction, proceeding to pound the living hell out of the boys and drive them away...Once the men were gone, the girls would begin drying off...and as she straightens herself from drying her legs, Coraline couldn't help but stare sadly at the brunette for a minute.
Everyone has been sucked into the doom tha's the Shikon-no-Tama...but I feel sorry for her most of all.
She was forced to watch her fath'r and her broth'a Kohaku be murdered right in front of her...
"Say, Coraline?"
"Hm?"
She snaps out of her thoughts to look up at said demon slayer occupying a curious look on their face.
"That combat knife that you carry...I was wondering if you know what materials were used to make it."
"Uh, I'm not sure. That's actually a question I keep meanin' to bring up with the guy who gave it to me."
She reaches down to her clothing pile to grab said knife, brought along incase something other than the boys came prowling, and pulls the blade out of the sheath.
"I'm guessin' it could be made of steel, or even a mix of earthen metals. One thing I do know is that i' must be strong material, since it can withstand stabbing through clay and demon puppet hide."
Sango comes over for a closer look.
"...May I examine it?"
"Uh, sure."
Coraline hand the weapon over, and the slayer looks at it intently for a few minutes...before her eyes widen in astonishment.
"What? What is it?"
"...Coraline. Do you know where the distributor got this knife?"
"No, and I doubt Shuji knows much h'mself. He likes to keep this kind'a dealin' as discreet as possible...Why do you ask?"
"...Because this knife, is not ordinary."
"Not ordinary?"
Sango meets the other girl's blue irises with a serious reflection in her brown.
"Yes. I don't know how this is possible, given where you come from...but this blade is made from earth metal, and traces of demon bone."
"What?!"
"Whoever crafted this blade likely mixed in fragments of demon bone into melted metal, steel perhaps."
"...A-Are you sure?"
The slayer nods before smiling reassuringly.
"But I would call this a good thing: if this blade is reinforced with demon bone fragments, then it can come in handy during most combat situations...You could even dole damage to stronger demon varieties."
"Oh wow..."
Sango hands the knife back to Coraline so she could get dressed, leaving the latter to stare at the weapon in wonder.
Holy Hera. I had a feelin' this blade had more to it than i' looked, but certainly nothin' like tha'!
...I can't help but wonder, though: how in the world did Shuji get 'is hands on'a demon bone-metal mixed blade?
Inuyasha's POV
I'm sitting by the fire again with a lump on my head thanks to that dang slayer and her presumptions of my character. Lucky for me, Miroku looks worse than I do, even with that goofy smile on his face, the pervert. Shippō comments to us while holding Kilala,
"This time, you actually were in deep conversation and rushed to help."
I grumble to myself,
"Why'd they have to suspect me too?"
At least Coraline didn't use her fist against me this time...
"It was worth the pain. That was a wonderful sight we just saw~..."
I smack the monk upside the head, making him explain,
"H-Hey, what was that for?!"
"Keh, you know damn well what...idiot."
That damn monk's not goin' anywhere near Coraline, especially when she's under-dressed!
...I'll protect her from him, and any other man who has the nerve to think about taking advantage of her.
Small Time Skip, No POV
Come the next morning, everyone prepares to hit the road again despite any feeble awkwardness from last night's interactions...
"Alright, time to go."
Shippō tries to drag along Coraline's satchel, but was finding the weight a bit excessive...
"Here, let me get tha', lad."
Today, the girl is wearing the same form-fit blue tee from a few days ago, but with a gray/white flannel shirt overtop, green cargo pants and her combat boots, while also wearing her long hair in twin braids.
She easily saddles the satchel over her shoulders, causing the fox demon to nearly drop his jaw in disbelief.
"Coraline, what do you have in your bag, rocks?! It's way heavier than it was before; I dunno how you can carry it!"
The Croft smiles in amusement and replies,
"It's not as bad as y' think. I only brough' an extra book or two in my bag, plus a notebook for'a research project I'm working on outside of school...Y'see, I've been tryin' to continue some of my father's work that was left unfinished."
Shippō widens his eyes in amazement.
"Wow, really?!"
"Mhm. Just because he died, doesn't mean his work has'ta."
"...Must be hard for you."
Coraline turns to Sango and replies nonchalantly as they make their way to the nearest road,
"No' really. My school schedule is pretty flexible, so I can make time for other matters of importance like our quest and revivin' my fath'r's work. Plus, I can use some of my personal research as extra credit incase I miss an assignment."
She smiles sadly and adds,
"And anyway, continuin' his work helps me cope with the loss, and...I sometimes feel like h's spirit is helpin' me along, ya know?"
The brunette nods in understanding...Shippō then comments with his arms crossed,
"Miroku says you should just give up on school this year and flunk a grade."
"Tmph, well let him believe what 'e wants, but I'm lucky enough t' have access to an alternative learning program. If I was in the regular school system, I'd be in big trouble."
"Why's that?"
"Because the work can pile up really quickly if you don' stay on top, plus it can get extremely demanding. I honestly think d'ose teachers expect too much out'a their students, and don't see that they need a break."
Coraline then frowns in irritation as she mutters,
"Of course tha' hasn' stopped Sōta from saying things like, 'If you flunk six times, then I'll be in the same grade as y' and I can help ya study and we can graduate together'. Little twerp..."
Sango smiles a bit at the other girl's description, feeling a commonality between her own sibling and the Higurashi.
"...I bet he acts tough and pretends to be cocky, but he hates to be lonely and he cries easily. (Turn) He's a good boy, this little brother of yours."
The redhead nods with a small upturn of mouth.
"Yeah, that's my kid brother for ya...It's funny: ever since I was adopted by the Higurashis, I've called him my kin...but, haven't really felt it on'a super deep level. It's the same with Akari-sama, his mother...I jus' can't picture her as a mother-figure."
"Why not?"
"(...Bitter smile) I guess after losin' me own moth'r at such a young age, I lost interest in havin' another mother-figure of any kind. As for Sōta...I was born an only child and lived a rath'r lonesome childhood, so I guess a part of me is still adjustin' to having a younger person who looks up to me."
Both slayer and fox demon look at Coraline with surprise at her confession...before Sango inquires,
"What about Freeman and Besa? You said that you see them as brothers too, do you not?"
Coraline's smile brightens a bit more as she thought of the twins.
"Heh, that's true. It's more of a term of endearm'n'...but, Besa did once say tha' he and Freeman see me as the sist'a they wish they had."
The girls sigh a little, losing themselves in two sides of the same coin titled kinship...
That's when Shippō notices something up the path ahead.
"Hey, look, somebody's coming."
"Hm?" "Huh?"
They look upward...and slowly making his way down the path is a male villager, appearing to be grievously injured!...He'd only take a few more steps, before falling face-down and succumbing to his wounds...
"Uh-h! Sir! Are you al-(sheen)...Damn..."
...He's gone.
By the time the Aura Reader sensed the man's departure from the physical world, everyone else will have gathered by her and the corpse. Miroku kneels down to examine him.
"He's not breathing. (...Rise) He seems no more but a simple villager."
Coraline wonders with a serious tone,
"Is it possible he w's attacked by raiders?"
Sango notices something abnormal about the man's injuries.
Those wounds weren't made by a sword...
"Well whatever happened, he's not the only one who's been killed around here."
The female with redhead looks at Inuyasha for clarification on his judgment.
"Yo'r sure?"
He nods, looking towards the distance where the stranger had wobbled from.
"The air is filled with a thick scent of blood...and the blood is fresh. There's been a slaughter."
...
...
After a good deal of running, the half-demon and his pack reach the village where the dead man came from...However, they would find that his deduction was right on. The whole area is in shambles, with snakes of smoke slithering out of some homes, and the bloodied bodies of the villagers scattered every which way!
"A massacre!"
Shippō wonders aloud,
"Is anyone left alive?!...Coraline, you can sense human souls, right? Can you see if there's somebody that's not dead?"
Nodding, the girl with two-toned blue irises does as the fox demon requests...
"Nrh, no good. All I sense are departing spiri's...Wait."
Her glowing eyes suddenly narrow, as her vision takes in a small figure moving around behind one home with half the roof caved in.
"...There's someone here, human fo' sure...bu', I sense, something off abou' their aura."
The monk asks,
"Off in what way?"
"...Corruption. Instability...I think I may've found our killer."
The others tense, and Miroku says to Inuyasha,
"We should confront them now before they become wise to our presence."
"(Nod) Good idea."
"...Hold it."
Our feminine demon slayer could sense something else dangerous abound the death-filled village. She picks up a rock and tosses through the doorway of one random hut...
(Ka-BOOM)
Everyone cringes from the impact of the abrupt explosion, and Sango warns,
"Don't move an inch. Traps are set everywhere. One step and your leg might be blown off."
Shippō panics a bit on the spot:
"Owaaah! Traps are buried underground?!"
Miroku asks the brunette,
"Beside all the dead bodies?"
"Probably."
Coraline curses,
"Damn, that's low," and the monk concludes,
"If you try to help or bury the dead, you get blown up too..."
"Aye. It's even possible they set these traps up the momen' that unfortunate man from earlier escaped...They knew their misdeed would be discovered eventually."
Inuyasha isn't anymore pleased than the others.
"This heartless bastard doesn't deserve to live. Let's find him before he makes another move."
Coraline turns to him and retorts,
"Uh, that's easier said than done, smart guy! We're standin' on an active minefield!"
"Tuh, if he thinks I'm the kind of guy who's gonna stand still and take it, he's got another thing coming!"
The half-dog demon dashes forward, and leaps into the air to bring down his Tessaiga against the hut the girl with abnormal detection skills was staring at.
"Haaaaaaahhhh!"
(SLASH)
The figure comes dashing out, sending the sickle of a kusarigama against the silverette as a means to counterattack...Inuyasha easily knocks it away, so the unnamed assailant is forced to yank their weapon back to their hand...
"Is he the one?"
Getting a better look, we see they're a very familiar adolescent male in a demon slayer uniform...
"He couldn't have killed all the villagers, he's just a young boy!"
Coraline agrees with Miroku...to some extent.
"...It doesn' seem possible..."
And yet, their aura...Something is instillin' a killer's instinct in 'im...
Hang on...That uniform, looks familiar...
Inuyasha retorts to them both,
"Look at the chain that he's got and the blood on his body. He's covered in it! The kid's gone insane!"
He then asks the boy,
"You massacred a whole village! Why did you do this? What're you after? Hey!"
The boy does not respond...Meanwhile, Sango's body begins to tremble, recognizing him instantly.
...Ko-haku?
That's when the Croft remembers,
A demon slayer outfit...Just like Sango's...!
...Wait...is tha' boy...No. No way!
The twin-tail mews in recognition, an action which the brunette takes notice in.
...Kilala recognizes him...But how?
"It can't be. Kohaku..."
Coraline looks at her with worried eyes:
Did, Sango say what I think she just' said?
Suddenly, the boy demon slayer - supposingly the dead Kohaku - turns around and begins to run away from the scene...
"Huh? Get back here!"
But when Inuyasha tried to chase after him...
(Ka-BOOM)
He accidentally triggers a landmine!
"Gyaaaah!"
Thanks to his demonic endurance, however, he only slides back on his feet.
"Aw, damn it..."
Meanwhile, Sango calls her two-tailed friend to her, and Kilala hops into the young woman's hand, before being bounced into the air in a spiral.
(...Fwoooom)
The cute creature then transforms into her more fiercely beautiful form, rumbling out a growl that prompts Sango to jump up and grab onto her companion's fur to pull herself onto their back.
"Go!"
With that, the pair begin chasing after the demon slayer boy...Zooming in on said boy, we see a foreboding and familiar gleam of amaranth pink emanate from his back...He then passes through an area that had a barrier cast around it, with Kilala and Sango following none too far behind...
Inuyasha - who took off as soon as the brunette and twin-tail had - stops in his tracks when he sees the barrier.
"Huh? A Spirit Shield!"
Kilala keeps true in her speed, and Sango thinks to herself in tortured astonishment,
...Kohaku. I thought you were dead!
The half-demon circles back to get the others, and when he had them all on his back, he hurries to the Spirit Shield...
"Alright, we're here. Get off my back!"
They do so, and Coraline mutters sarcastically,
"Gee, you couldn' be anymore subtle if you tried..."
Inuyasha shoots her an annoyed glare, before focusing on Miroku's question.
"So you saw both of them enter the Spirit Shield and pass through?"
"Yeah. (Turn) Coraline, are you sure? Maybe you heard wrong, maybe she mumbled something else."
She shakes her head and replies,
"I'm absolutely one-hundr'd percent sure Sango whispered Kohaku, the name of her younger brother. (Sad frown) She told me last night a' the hot spring that Kohaku had been murdered in the castle occupied by Naraku."
"Did you notice that he had a Shikon-no-Tama shard embedded in his back?"
"...Actually, yes I did, and I also know where yo'r thoughts are goin'."
"(Nod) We've experienced that one before."
Inuyasha agrees with both the monk and Aura Reader.
"It's Naraku's same old trick: he forced Sango to fight against her will in the same manner."
Shippō wonders fearfully,
"Do you think Naraku is manipulating Kohaku in the same way?!"
Miroku looks out to the Spirit Shield and mutters,
"...Sango's probably aware of what's going on. But then, why did the shield allow her to pass through? I've got a bad feeling about this..."
Sango's POV
Kilala and I kept moving through the area, and soon, we would catch up with, him...I hop off, and walk to stand by Kilala's head as we stare at the figure standing in the misty fog...I pet my companion when she whimpers with uncertainty, before I softly demand,
"Let me, see your face..."
...He slowly moves his hands to the filter mask, and removes it, revealing himself to be,
"Uh-h!...Ko-haku?"
I begin my slow approach, thinking to myself happily,
You're alive! Kohaku!
...But then, the one voice I didn't want to hear comes ringing through the fog.
"Are you happy to see your brother alive?"
I freeze, before the demon makes his appearance behind Kohaku...
"It has been such a long time, Sango."
"Naraku!"
He chuckles a bit, before having the nerve to ask,
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
"Ha, for what?"
"I salvaged your brother's life after he was felled by those arrows at the castle."
I cringe, realizing what he's indicating.
...No...
"Kohaku's life should've ended right then and there as he laid bleeding, but I saved him. You of all people experienced this kind of salvation: it was through the power of the Shikon-no-Tama...When you harbored the shard inside your back, you were able to fight Inuyasha, and you were his equal in battle."
"Silence!"
"Now, Kohaku possesses that same power; he stands before you as an equal warrior because of the Shikon-no-Tama. If it is extracted from him, he will surely die...Do you understand, Sango? Think through your actions: Kohaku's life is in your hands."
A shiver passes through me as I step back, my mind drowning in disbelief...But Naraku was far from done, and offers me a devil's deal.
"Bring me the Tessaiga, Inuyasha's precious sword. Only then shall I let Kohaku have eternal life."
I don't miss the smirk on Naraku's face...and I instantly burst out in a rage,
"I won't be bribed!"
...But just as I raise Hiraikotsu...
(Toss, tok)
I block an incoming attack from Kohaku's kusarigama!
"Kohaku! Why are you protecting that demon, Naraku?!"
The bastard explains why:
"I've erased all of Kohaku's memories of you and his former life in the village. A fighting machine has no room for feelings; they would only get in the way. He slaughtered an entire village by himself...You should be proud of your little brother; he has become a fine demon slayer."
I only become all the more angered.
"Gh! DAMN YOU!"
I try to charge Naraku, only to cringe back from a cloud of black smoke.
"Gah! Poison gas!"
The cloud then swirls into a tornado, and Naraku leaves with the following message.
"You will bring me the Tessaiga!...I will be waiting for you, Sango."
...For a moment, I couldn't move from the sheer weight of this new conflict...But after what felt like hours, I made my way back to where the Spirit Shield ended, finding the others awaiting for me with worried eyes...Coraline is the one who approaches me first.
"Sango, are you...Was, that boy slayer, Kohaku?"
I girt my teeth, before replying bitterly,
"That boy was not my brother!"
She flinches back from me, and though I feel bad for snapping at her, I just wasn't in the mood to talk...Miroku then says,
"Well, the important thing is that you've returned unharmed. Sango, this whole incident with the traps and the barrier...tell me, was it Naraku who was behind it all?"
I nod almost reluctantly...
"I see, then you must be exhausted from the encounter. Let's return to the village and get some rest, okay?"
"Wait, Miroku."
He stops, and I request in a somber tone,
"I beg you, please perform a service to honour and commemorate the dead."
He looks at me for a moment, before nodding sympathetically.
Time Skip, No POV
The sun would soon set over the horizon for the evening, and by this time, Shippō and Kilala will have finished locating and disabling the bombs set by Kohaku...
"That's the last one. You're amazing, Kilala! Growing up in the slayers village payed off; you managed to sniff out every single one of the traps."
He looks down into the basket they were using to collect the explosives.
"We'll give these to Sango to safely destroy them somewhere else later. (Proud smile) Now then, I'll go tell everyone about what you managed to do...Uh?"
But the twin-tail is no longer next to the young fox...
"Hey, Kilala? Where did you go? Kilala? Kilala!"
At the same time, Coraline had been helping Miroku with digging some graves for the dead villagers...After pausing to wipe some sweat from her forehead, the former asks the latter,
"So what's yo'r take on what's happened, Miroku?"
"What's that?"
"About Sango meetin' with Naraku...Wha'do you think was in their word exchange?"
"He probably told Sango that he was manipulating her brother like a puppet."
The redhead frowns angrily at such a possibility.
"I though' so. Naraku couldn't control 'er before, so he's moved onto Kohaku...Tha' sleeven bastr'd...!"
Miroku agrees, but then says,
"She can't slay her own brother. Let's leave her alone for a while; leave her with her thoughts until she's ready to talk about it."
Inuyasha comes over to the hole that the pair were working on to put in his insight of the situation. Of course, he's less sympathetic, having a focus on the underlying cruelty.
"Well you can't just let him off the hook. So what if he's Naraku's puppet with a jewel shard in his back? Kohaku's responsible slaughtering an entire town! If Sango can't kill him, then I'm gonna have to take him down."
He looks up in the slayer's direction - she kneeling in front of some graves in a prayer position - and shouts,
"Hey, Sango, you got a problem with that?"
...She rises to her feet, and sends an icy glare towards the silverette before walking away...Coraline would then call him out on his attitude.
"Inuyasha! How can ya possibly be so insens'ative towards Sango at a time like this?!"
She climbs out of the hole...before letting out a breath and turning back to add a little heavily,
"Look, I'm not, completely disagreein' with you. If worst comes to worst and Kohaku can't be saved from Naraku's control...then taking h'm down may be the only humane thing t' do. He's likely sufferin' from spiritual pain despite being a puppet...But I'm still holdin' onto the hope that there's anoth'r way, and I'm disappointed you don't seem to think so."
With that, Coraline rushes off to find Sango, leaving Inuyasha speechless...Miroku then sighs out,
"I don't know what we're going to do about him. (Turn) Do we kill him?"
"Of course."
"No matter what?"
"Yeah, think about it: Naraku sent Sango's zombie-shard puppet brother, because he thought we'd be too sentimental and wimpy about it to kill him off. And there's no way I'm gonna fall for that!"
"Hm...I can see that you're really torn up about it."
Inuyasha makes noises of protest and quickly spouts,
"Shut up, Miroku! Get lost!"
The monk hums with a knowing smile, but does as the half-demon demands...Meanwhile, the latter thinks to himself lowly,
I'm in a lousy position: nobody else will take care of this except me.
...But I feel bad for Sango...
Eventually, all of the mass graves were build and filled, and everyone would retire into a small hut that had been spared from destruction for the night...
But one person would still be awake, with memories playing like a record through her head.
(Flash)
One of the more or less peaceful days comes to mind for the slayer, remembering when Kohaku had begun his more rigorous training with his kusarigama. We see him swinging the sickle high in the air, preparing to throw it against some distant targets, while Sango and a trainer observe...
(Swip, tok-tok-tok)
"Did it!"
(...Cut)
"Ghh!"
Unfortunately, Kohaku fumbles a bit on the rebound and accidentally cuts his hand, an action which the trainer would rebuff him on.
"Kohaku, you're not trying hard enough."
Jumping ahead, we see the boy feeding a bird from his gauze-wrapped hand...
Kilala then hops onto his shoulder and rubs her face against his cheek.
"Heh-hey, Kilala, come on now, cut that out."
His sister then comes on scene:
"How is the wound?"
"Hey, Sango."
She sits beside him with a calm smile.
"Rough training?"
"Rough for me, that is. I have such a long way to go."
"Father told me he's been watching you, and he thinks you're getting better everyday, Kohaku."
"Really?"
"Really."
Kohaku's eyes light up with excitement.
"That's the first time I've heard of Father praising me! Heh, makes me feel kind-a embarrassed."
He then sends the bird away into the sky, and he turns to Sango with a happy smile...
(Flash)
As she lays near the burning hearth now, though, Sango couldn't help but recall Naraku's words earlier today.
(Flash)
"I've erased all of Kohaku's memories of you and his former life in the village..."
(Flash)
...Her eyes blink open, dilating with sadness and melancholy.
Kohaku didn't react at all when he saw me...
Has he truly forgotten everything about me? About himself?
(...Glare) No. He doesn't even know that Naraku is our sworn enemy.
She clenches her fist, feeling her earlier struggles make room for a desperate determination.
I won't allow Naraku to manipulate Kohaku. I must rescue him from Naraku's evil grip.
(Flash)
"Bring me the Tessaiga, Inuyasha's precious sword. Only then shall I let Kohaku have eternal life."
(Flash)
...Sango rises to a sitting position, and stares at a sleeping Inuyasha while drawing this conclusion, her eyes drifting to the infamous blade.
I must steal the Tessaiga, in order to save my brother Kohaku!