Update (September 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 32: Dog Fang Race to the Spider's Nest
Recap:
After a failed attempt in destroying Inuyasha and company at Mushin's Temple, Naraku decides to employ more underhanded tactics...Instead of sending an army of demons to overwhelm his enemies, he commands a single fighter to strike not only a physical blow, but a mental one as well...
Eventually, a couple days later after the worm charmer incident, our growing band of neutral hearts come across a villager who dies in the middle of the next road they were walking. Following the dead man's path, they reach a village that had been brutally massacred, then laced with traps that explode on impact should anyone attempt to bury the corpses...Of course, such an ugly obstacle hardly stops Inuyasha from slashing one hut apart, revealing the assassin as Kohaku, the 'dead' younger brother of Sango!
Confused and horrified, the young woman slayer pursues the boy through a Spirit Shield, and Naraku appears before her. He explains that he revived Kohaku with a shard of the Shikon-no-Tama, just as he did to Sango not too long ago...However, the demon took further steps to ensure the young boy's loyalty, erasing his original memory and re-shaping him as a emotionless soldier that kills with no remorse.
Naraku then offers Sango an ultimatum: steal the Tessaiga, for Kohaku's life...
Later on that night, after performing a burial service for the dead villagers, the female slayer thinks about the demon's offer, and becomes conflicted over what to do.
Should she betray Inuyasha and the others to save the last link to her old life...or refuse Naraku's deal to save herself and her new friends, at the cost of laying her past to rest?
Now...
We return to the present moment as Sango sits up on her futon, and begins to slowly reach for the Tessaiga, deciding to save her younger brother Kohaku at the cost of losing her friends...
Or does she?
"Uh...mm..."
She pulls her hand back, questioning her judgement once again.
What am I doing?...If I give the sword to Naraku, who knows what he'll do!
The crackling of the fire startles her from her problem, and she finds herself staring at the half-demon's sleeping form...an action which stirs him out of his own slumber.
"Mm...Hm?"
Blinking his hazel-gold irises open, he focuses on the brunette, immediately sensing something amiss in her emotions.
"Sango, what's the matter?"
"N-Nothing's wrong. I just, couldn't get to sleep..."
She turns away to avoid eye contact, but Inuyasha wasn't about to brush off the tension.
"...I know I have to kill him, but I feel badly for you."
Sango feels her muscles tighten, before she sternly replies,
"I already explained it to you, Inuyasha: he is not my brother. The little brother I know could never slaughter an entire village; that would go against his very soul. I will put an end to Naraku and the imposter."
...Unbeknownst to the conversing pair, Coraline's eyes had snapped awake upon feeling a stir in her allies' auras...Though instead of making her presence known, she chooses to remain still and be a silent listener...Anyway, the silverette male found it hard to believe that the survivor of the yōkai taijiya massacre would be so quick to flip emotions regarding the possibility that her brother has become a killer under Naraku's control.
"How can it be that simple? If Kohaku looks exactly the same, can you really forget everything and turn your heart against him that easily?"
"Don't underestimate me. I am a demon slayer! I won't fall for Naraku's tricks!"
...A beat of silence passes, and Inuyasha confesses an oddly calm tone,
"If I was in your position...I probably couldn't do it."
Coraline felt her irises dilate with a sad sympathy, knowing precisely what the half-demon was thinking of...or rather, who.
To turn yur heart and memory away from someone, even if their appearance has no' changed.
No mistake: he w's speakin' of his situation with Kikyō...
It's no wonder he sympathizes with Sango...
And, if I can be honest with m'self, mad as I am for what she's done...I feel pity for the priestess.
"Inuyasha."
"Hm?"
Focus turns on Miroku, who suddenly sits up wide awake.
"Best be on your guard. We're completely surrounded."
...
...
Outside the small hut, a large cluster of demon spirits begins manifesting...
Kohaku is seen up front...
As soon as everyone got themselves ready, they all rush outside to see the opposing numbers, and Sango immediately locks her eyes on the young slayer.
Kohaku?
She catches herself with a frown, knowing that giving into her sentiments will do nothing to help the current and more dire situation...Meanwhile, Miroku reaches for the prayer beads around his cursed hand, stopping when Shippō protests his actions from atop Coraline's shoulder.
"Miroku, what are you doing?! Don't even think about it! Your Wind Tunnel hasn't completely healed!"
"But...Alright."
Inuyasha holds an arm out in front of the reluctant monk.
"Forget it, Miroku. Don't risk your life over this vermin. All I gotta do is take out their ringleader and the rest of them are toast."
On the other side of the battlefield, Kohaku stares blankly ahead for another few seconds...before raising his right arm ahead of himself, signalling the charge!
"Get lost, you pack of rodents! Gyraaah!"
(Slash)
Inuyasha takes the initiative by slicing down a good number of demons, only to be forced to a halt when a familiar chain wraps around the blade of his sword.
"Gh!"
Kohaku then charges against the half-demon, the latter barely managing to block the incoming demon-bone kusarigama. He's then forced to defend against a few more swipes...
(CLANG)
Before finding an ample moment to not only block, but push Kohaku back.
"You're gonna need to fight better than that if you're plannin' on tryin' to take me out!"
The brainwashed slayer attempts a backwards retreat, but Inuyasha saw that move coming, and pulls the boy back with the chain to send him flying over the sword-wielder, landing in a harsh slide against the grassy grounds...
Whirling around, the silverette in red prepares to finish Kohaku off.
"It's, over!"
But, Coraline cries out in protest,
"Inuyasha, no! Please don't kill Kohaku!"
(...TOK)
Tessaiga lands just a few centimeters in front of the boy's head...and just as the young boy looks up-
(PUNCH)
Inuyasha socks him with a couple blows from his bare fists, knocking him backwards to the ground again!...The half-demon then curses himself for his show of mercy.
"Damn it anyway, I don't know why I even caved in. It's okay to kill him: he's just another trap set up by Naraku. I should kill him! I have to!"
Kohaku rises to a stand again...and vocalizes a most unexpected and dead-ridden response.
"You're right. You should kill me. I deserve to die."
Everyone is shocked, especially Sango...but the boy wasn't done.
"I killed my own. Father, my friends, the villagers...I killed them. I murdered them one by one."
He raises his head, revealing eyes so lifeless they may send shivers down the spine of the grim reaper.
"It's true: I shouldn't be allowed to live."
Kohaku then takes his weapon, and turns the tip of the sickle towards him...
(TOK)
He then drives the kusarigama into his back, and as he drops to his knees, the boy is asked by an incredulous Inuyasha,
"Hey! What are ya doin' hittin' yourself?! What're you tryin' to prove?!"
Ignoring the half-demon, Kohaku reaches one of his hands towards the exposed Shikon-no-Tama shard...Coraline quickly deduces what he's doing.
"He's, tryin' to take the shard out'a his back!...But, t' go so far...!"
Is this even h's doing...or is this anoth'a part of Naraku's psych'alogic'l tactics?
Sango thinks to herself in her own turmoil,
But the jewel shard embedded in his back is what sustains his life...
If the shard is loosened and taken out of his body...Kohaku will die instantly!
Fingertips barely brush against the bit of gem, triggering the brunette to grab her Hiraikotsu out and sprint her brother's way to stop him from committing suicide.
"Don't, do it!"
(Toss, za-za-za-za-za-za-za-za...TO-CLING)
The giant boomerang hits Tessaiga dead-on, sending it flying through the air and forcing back into its dormant form, much to Inuyasha's confusion.
"Huh?"
The female slayer catches her own weapon on the rebound, just as the dog fang sword plants itself blade-down into the dirt...Everyone else in her peer group turns to the young woman in disbelief for her action.
"...Sango?"
"Sango!"
"W-What are you doing, Sango?"
She does not answer...Kohaku stares at her for a minute with a hand over his wound, before turning to run and hop atop a worm-like demon to ride away from the area...Sango watches him go, before focusing on the distant Tessaiga as her mind runs.
...Is he testing me? Does he really believe I will steal the Tessaiga from Inuyasha and take it to him?
...What do I do?...What do I do?!
In the end, despite part of her heart pleading against turning her back on her allies, she takes hold of the sword's hilt, and hops towards her transformed demon companion.
"Kilala!"
Bewildered by this sudden turn to thievery, Inuyasha tries to stop her.
"Hey, wait! Sango, what the hell are you doing?!"
But she and the twin-tail were already far away from the others, following close behind the demon horde.
I have no option. This is the only thing I can do...
This is what I truly want.
With that set, she allows the demon spirits to surround her and Kilala, and they all vanish away to the awaiting Naraku.
Coraline's POV
...Sango...
I can't let her do this. This won't help her, or her broth'a!
I rush back into the hut to grab my bow and quiver. As much as a part of me almost didn't want to, given what it represents in my hands...I can't deny that it will be very useful against the enemy we'll soon be facing.
If I'm lucky, I migh' be able to land a crippl'n' blow against 'm...
But tha' migh' be wishful thinking, and Sango comes first.
I hurry back to the boys to snap them out of their stupors.
"Inuyasha, guys, come on! Standin' 'round like idiots will help nothin'! We need to move now!"
Shaking themselves loose, Miroku turns to Inuyasha and says,
"He has the Shikon-no-Tama shard."
"(Nod) I can still smell his blood. Yeah, that's him; Kohaku is still close by...I can follow it."
Shippō concludes a bit nervously,
"Naraku's calling him back, I bet."
"Exactly."
The men turn to me, and I insist in a serious tone,
"Which is why we need ta cu' the chi'-chat and get moving, otherwise we'll lose more than just a shard."
We're soon sprinting on a straight course for where Sango had disappeared to, I riding Inuyasha's back as he follows the scent of Kohaku's blood, and to a lesser extent the scent of Naraku's demons. Miroku runs alongside us with Shippō on his own back, and couldn't help but sum up our current situation.
"I can't use my Wind Tunnel and the Tessaiga is stolen!"
"So?"
The monk looks at me incredulously, and I argue with a determined smile,
"When have disadvantages like tha' ever stopped us?"
Inuyasha agrees:
"Yeah, who cares? I can still punch him out! I still have my fists!"
Facing the front of myself again, I think to myself with no fear,
No matt'a what an enemy may try to do, we'll always find a way to prevail.
...I'm sure y' know that too, Sango...which means you also know tha' whatev'r offer Naraku made, has no sincerity.
Sango's POV
After swiping up Tessaiga and taking off from our companions, Kilala and I fly with the demon horde through a mysterious space of light purple mist and light with no visible landing area...Eventually, we come to an opening, and I widen my eyes at seeing the very castle I was at once before...
We land atop one roof, and I look around the area, feeling my memory put it to name.
"This, castle..."
...I remember, though so vaguely...This is where it all came undone.
I hear Kilala emit a low growl, reminding me that this was not going to be an easy feat to pull off.
And who's to say that fiend will even keep his word to the letter?
"...Kohaku?...Kohaku!"
I hear no reply for a few seconds...until the wrong voice answers me.
"First, put down your weapon."
"Naraku."
I clench my teeth before complying to his request, if a little brashly. I throw down Hiraikotsu so it lands in the roof the castle's main section, just as that baboon-faced freak dares to show himself to me...I hop down to the ground, and he says to me,
"Well done, Sango. Good work. You brought me Inuyasha's sword, the Tessaiga as promised."
I keep my voice firm, making my next demand clear.
"Let me see Kohaku! I will only hand over the sword after I see him!"
...The inside of the room behind Naraku glows an ominous red, and I see a familiar silhouette standing behind the wicker screen.
Kohaku...
The silhouette fades away, and I point authoritatively at the evil entity while shouting,
"Naraku: turn Kohaku back to his former self immediately!"
"Killing me won't help. You should know that already...This is the fault of the Sacred Shikon-no-Tama: demons and evil humans desire the jewel, and out of that desire, demons attacked your village...That's why your father was killed. That's why your brother's soul now wanders in darkness. It's all part of the curse of the Shikon-no-Tama."
I was appalled by how easily he redirected the blame from himself to that damned gem. It may have helped amplify darker desires for many, but it's far from an excuse to refuse to take responsibility for your actions.
Even so, I'm starting to see what Coraline means in her philosophy about the jewel being a grim reaper.
It only provides a power, and cares not for the destruction and pain that may come...
It's neither good nor evil, but is rarely chased by those with decent hearts.
"Stop lying! You're the one who killed my father and comrades! You coveted the stupid jewel! You're responsible for everything!"
"People die because of the power of the Sacred Shikon-no-Tama, and people live because of its power. There's no reason why you should despise the Shikon-no-Tama as much as you do. Remember: Kohaku was revived because of its power...You made a promise to exchange the sword for his life. So, what will you do?"
I spit out in a rage,
"I despise you! I made no promise! (...Leap) You want my answer?! Here it is!"
I throw the Tessaiga his way, and brandish the hidden blade on my arm just as Naraku catches the sword's handle...We meet in a clash of steel, and he leaps back as I charge forward to hack away his cloak of fur, revealing long black hair...He lands back on the ground, and I turn to see,
"...It's you. The young lord of the castle!"
"Kagewaki was a noble lord. He gave all the demon slayers proper burials. (...Smirk) Ah yes, and I was the one who ordered for your care after the massacre."
Wait...Then that would mean, Naraku and Kagewaki are the same man?!
"You killed him!"
"...Kagewaki's still alive...at least, according to those I fooled into thinking I was him."
So then the demon puppet...Now it all makes sense.
Cursing him to hell, I soar down from the rooftop and try to cut down on this demon bastard.
"DIE!"
(CL-CRACK)
...But, my blade shatters...
(Slash)
"Rgh!"
Naraku then cuts me across my torso with the Tessaiga (a feat I'm a little surprised by considering how rundown it looks in its dormant form), and I roll to the ground hard...I just barely prop up on my elbows...
(CHOMP)
When Kilala dives down and bites Naraku's shoulder!...A move that would prove to be unwise.
(Shoooomsshh)
A stream of mist shoots out of the wound, blinding and disorienting her!
I cry out her name as she falls on her side, returning to her smaller form and writhing in pain...
"Oh no, Kilala, what's wrong?!"
"Nothing can withstand an attack from my poison gas. That also includes you, Sango."
Before I could react fast enough, the strands of hair that I managed to cut off wrap around me!
"Wha-?!"
(Shooomsshh)
"Gah!"
I hold my breath for as long as I could, trying to avoid inhaling the poison...
It soon dispels, and I drop to my knees while gulping in some very well-needed air.
Hah, hah...that was too close...
"Well, Sango, will you agree to be my servant here with Kohaku? I remember Kagewaki's last command: he asked you to, return to the castle."
Once I got my breathing under control, I dart my head up to retort,
"Me, be your servant?! In your dreams! Don't make me laugh, Naraku; my only goal is to destroy you! I will avenge my comrades! I will kill you!"
"...Kohaku...come."
My eyes widen, and I hear the door behind me slide open...I turn around, and see my younger brother stand before me...He raises his kusarigama up into the air.
"And now, Sango sister...goodbye."
I take in a shaky breath, and softly emit his name in despair.
Is this where our clan meets its end?
No POV
At the same time our brunette slayer is pinned into a corner, Inuyasha and the others had finally reached their destination, spotting the structure from up high a large hill...
"The castle!"
"This is it. This must be where Naraku is hiding."
Just as Miroku finishes his sentence...a strong female scream echoes from inside the walls, one which Coraline recognizes instantly.
"Ah! Sango!"
Inuyasha curses and leaps downward as fast as he can...
Inside the shadowy castle, the once gentle-hearted Kohaku shows no mercy as he uses his weapon to deliver blow after blow against his sister, the sickle leaving behind deep cuts along her shoulders and arms! After what felt like several minutes, Sango finally gets thrown back by the boy, who retracts his kusarigama just as she tries to reason with whatever shred of sanity might still be lingering.
"Kohaku...Kohaku, resist Naraku!"
...Suddenly, Hiraikotsu begins emitting a strange red light, before removing itself from the roof to drop to the ground a few inches from Sango!
(TOK)
...She stares at her weapon, before slowly reaching her hand towards it just as Naraku's voice echoes through the air again.
"Yes, Sango...Kill him. Kill your brother with your own hands. Slaughter him, and then burn with the desire to live. Pray to continue wandering the world, and vow to do whatever you can to survive...When you kill Kohaku, and are bathed in his blood, the sacred Shikon-no-Tama will glow brighter with the power of the dark. The more sullied it is, the more beautiful the Shikon-no-Tama becomes."
...
...
Her fingertips pause a mere centimeter or so away, and she lets out a humourless laugh, her smile devoid of joy and instead teeming with sorrow and defeated acceptance.
"Kill you?...What makes him think I am able to kill you?"
She turns away from her weapon, and forces herself up on her feet to start a slow wobble towards her zombified brother.
...I can't. Kohaku...
The brunette reaches her hand out to the boy, ignoring the fact that he had his kusarigama poised to attack...Suddenly, Kohaku's eyes dilate back to their original state.
"Uuh...uh?"
S...San...go...?
She falls against the courtyard floor face-first, and he lowers his weapon while muttering,
"...My sister..."
By this time, Inuyasha leads the others into the stronghold, cringing when they see their ally down for the count.
"Sango?!"
"Sango, are you alright?!"
Shippō hurries to the poisoned twin-tail's side.
"Oh no, Kilala, are you okay?!"
...Kohaku drops the chain-sickle weapon and falls to his knees, his true perceptions of reality very slowly resurfacing and simultaneously recoiling in horror over recent actions...He of course is spared of scrutiny this round, Miroku already pinpointing the true culprit.
"He made her brother do this to her?!"
Coraline feels enraged tears well in her sky blue/dark cerulean irises.
"...Disgustin'. How could he-?!"
Inuyasha shouts out in a growl,
"Naraku! Show yourself! Where are you?!"
The demon's voice is heard across the palace again, he perplexed over this abrupt turn from despair to bittersweet.
"Kohaku killed his father and his fellow villagers. He massacred an entire town...yet his sister says that she cannot kill him. She loves her brother more dearly than her own life. How can this be? I do not understand..."
Coraline had rushed over to the heavily injured Sango's side as the entity spoke, placing the brunette's head on her lap as they stir half-awake to stare at their younger brother.
Kohaku?...He'll be able to gain full consciousness soon...
That's when the monk realizes the ulterior motive in Naraku's manipulative scheme.
"Inuaysha, this is what happened to you fifty years ago! Naraku tried to set you up against the one you love!"
"What do you mean?"
Coraline answers with a grim expression,
"The sleeven demon intended ta turn Sango and Kohaku against eachoth'a jus' as he did yeu and Kikyō, all f'r the sake of plunging the blasted Shik'n-no-Tama further into darkness...Of course, he executed both plans withou' considerin' the durability of the human heart. (Sad smile) In Kiky'aō's case, she chose to die with the jewel hopin' it wouldn't make a second return..."
Which almost makes me feel guilty fer entering d'is realm, bu' who could'a predicted such an event happening?
"Sango's refusal to fight Kohaku is similar: both her heart an' Kiky'aō's are able to combat adversities as great as these...Keh. Naraku's a pretentious fool. Neither woman will sacrifice d'eir emotions for things like power an' revenge."
...
...
In accordance to such a burning insult to his evil, Naraku releases a large gust to poisonous gas to storm around his enemies in the courtyard! Shippō shouts fearfully,
"Aowaah! Miasma,"and the entity responsible exclaims threateningly,
"Foolish mortals! Now you can all die in this sea of poison!"
The gust of miasma grows, and feeling more awake, the brunette slayer begins to lift her head from Coraline's lap, much to the redhead's protest.
"Ease yourself, Sango. Your injuries are great."
Inuyasha agrees, if more harshly:
"Yeah, stay where you are and don't budge! I got a thing or two to chew you out on, so don't you die on me, ya understand that?!"
Though touched by the care in their voices, Sango's mind focuses on her immense guilt.
It's all my fault...But...
She then unwraps her filter mask, and gestures it to Kohaku with a faint smile.
But I can give you this.
The boy reluctantly takes it and ties it on, and Sango reaches behind him near the Shikon-no-Tama shard that grants him life...Coraline sees the faint glow from that fragment, and feels a spark of inspiration.
Hang on...Naraku has'a a rather large collection of jewel shards...
Which means-!
She uses her Aura Sight to strengthen her detecting ability...
There!
Forming a determined glare, the redhead takes out one of her arrows to aim at the one section of the palace the demon is currently residing.
"Naraku...You're Dead!"
(Twok, whizzzzzzzzzzzzz...BOOM)
The ammunition hits dead-on, blasting apart the room with icy blue and amaranth pink energies! Inuyasha cringes a little at the impact, then peers over to see Naraku's locale exposed...Once more, the demon's right arm and shoulder have been harshly burned away by the combined spiritual power of the young Croft and priestess's souls, much to his shock.
What?!
He turns eyes on Coraline, her own filled to the brim with hatred.
"Yor'a despicable bastard! You will die!"
She's only a young girl. Why does she have so much power?! She's rendered the vapors harmless somehow!
This kind of power only belongs to the priestess, Kikyō...Can it be?
Icy blue consumes the normal white, sky blue and dark cerulean as she spits acidly,
"...You're jus' like him, Bishop. You and he are one in th'a same, bastards who will use any form'a ruthl'ssness and manipulation to achieve your goals!...I won't stop, not until you're both destroyed!"
She fires another dual-coloured arrow, hitting Naraku straight in his chest!
"Kah-hh!...This, is exactly like Kikyō's enchanted arrow! Don't tell me this girl is...!"
Inuyasha and Miroku watch the attack in awe.
"...She did it!"
"Coraline purged the miasma and pierced Naraku!"
The demon's flesh is soon overpowered, the body splitting apart into chunks and leaving only his head in tact, before it becomes wrapped in a tornado of miasma...
"Coraline!"
Inuyasha grabs hold of the redhead so she remains ground-level as the winds pick up, while Miroku held tight to Shippō who in turn grasps onto Kilala.
"Don't let go of Kilala, Shippō; hang on!"
"Aaagh!"
Sango cringes from the strong gusts...before turning to see her brother's body floating into the air!
"Kohaku!...Kohaku, KOHAKU!"
As Inuyasha pins Coraline and himself to the dirt to prevent them both from flying away, the castle comes undone and collapses around our protagonists!
...
...
...
...
"...Mmm...Uh?"
Several hours later, just as the sun begins peeking over the horizon, Coraline rouses from her unconscious state to find herself, Shippō, Sango and Kilala curled up together, safe from the destruction.
We're...We're still, alive...
The fox demon wakes up shortly afterward, and would be the first to comment over the new change in their surroundings.
"The castle disappeared!"
Having awoken herself, the brunette slayer explains with a weary tone,
"...It was a phantom castle."
Inuyasha and Miroku rise a few feet away, before the latter says,
"Look."
"Huh?"
The half-dog demon peers over where the monk pointed...and saw that the Tessaiga was still here!...He then asks Coraline as she kneels down to pick up the fallen filter mask,
"Do you think Naraku escaped?"
"...Most likely, but not withou' some form'o physical damage...Still, I don't sense any jewel shards near us, so who knows where he could'a ran to."
"Damn it..."
Inuyasha sheathes his sword back where it belongs, and the redhead suddenly mutters despondently,
"...I'm sorry. I wasn't able to kill 'im, no matter how determined I was."
Miroku replies,
"No need to apologize, Coraline. We should be thanking you. Without you, we'd all be dead right now."
Inuyasha kneels down beside her, agreeing with the monk and going as far as to compliment,
"You might not have killed 'im, but you showed how strong you're becoming. Really, between that knife, the bow and even your fists, you're steadily becoming a strong warrior."
"You think?"
"Totally. I mean, there's room for improvement, but it'd be stupid to compare you to any of the weaker humans."
Smiling slightly at the silverette's words, Coraline mutters,
"...Thanks. It's good to know I matter to th'a team beyond locating jewel shards...Mind you, if we wan' Naraku's destruction to become a reality, we must pull together as a team, and help eachother ge' stronger. Only then will we have a better tomorrow."
She clenches her fist while adding to herself,
And as for Bishop, that's a problem I'll likely be takin' care of on me own, assumin' he dares shows himself.
...Still, I'll be ready for every fight tha' comes.
"Don't try to move around, Sango! You're badly hurt!"
Her head darts up and behind her to see the brunette attempting to get up and leave, despite Shippō and Kilala's protests...
"Sango, wait!"
The others move their way as the young fox shouts worriedly,
"Somebody help me stop her! She's trying to get up and walk!"
Miroku asks her gently,
"Sango, where are you going? Rest a while; we'll take care of you."
"...I'm sorry...I can't stay with you any longer."
"Sango, we understand that Naraku was threatening you with the life of your brother if you didn't hand over the sword."
"Exactly! (Turn) I'll end up betraying you again! As long as Naraku still controls Kohaku..."
Coraline chides,
"But Sango, please," and the monk inquires,
"Sango, what do you intend to do, go after Naraku on your own? You'll never succeed that way."
"I don't have any other choice, Miroku..."
The redheaded girl calls the brunette out on such a claim.
"That's bull! Sango, we'll all work as one te save Kohaku."
Miroku agrees, arguing,
"You need more than one person to handle that kind of an opponent."
Coraline moves to kneel in front of Sango, placing her hands on the latter's shoulders with a sympathetic smile.
"Heh, there's no use tryin' to get rid of our company, so come on. Let's get those injuries sorted out, eh?"
"...But, why would you still help me?"
Inuyasha had heard enough of the self-berating tone the slayer was using, and snaps,
"Would you stop whining, Sango?! We want you to stick with us because you're not a half-bad fighter, and that's all there is to it!"
Coraline is surprised by the half-demon's show of 'tough kindness'.
Goodness, he's really allowin' his some leeway for h's emotions t'day...
Miroku places a hand on the half-demon's shoulder and says to Sango,
"You see, even Inuyasha wants you to stay, and that's coming from a guy who's sword you stole so easily from."
"Don't say that! It makes me sound like a stupid half-wit!"
"I'm just saying you're a very generous person, that's all."
All banter aside, Shippō then asks the brunette innocently,
"Sango, don't you like us anymore?"
She responds with a catch in her throat,
"Of course I do. It's just, all my fault that this happened...and I might end up doing something like this to all of you again...But-"
She then whirls around to hug Coraline around her torso, burying her face in the other girl's shirt to cry her eyes out, the angst finally hitting her with full force. The redhead holds her close, stoking her hair comfortingly.
Oh Sango. This h's been an emotional roller-coaster for her...
But, a' least she has people she can turn to now, and we'll stand by her as th' friends she needs.
(Smiles bitterly) Besides, I can understand all too well why she did wha' she did.
"If it was me, and Kohaku was one of me own kin, I likely would'a done the same thing withou' a second thought."
"(Sniff) You...You would?"
Coraline's eyes widen a touch, realizing a second too late that her thoughts turned vocal. Nevertheless, she nods and pulls back to look Sango straight in the eye with a sad smile.
"Aye. Like you, I believe in protectin' the ones I care abou' deeply, no matter what th' cost...even if my life is forfeit."
The brunette releases a small gasp, causing the redhead to giggle slightly.
"It seems we've lived similar lives, haven't we? Losin' what we once perceived as a normal life, and forcin' ourselves ta carry on."
...Sango nods, a very faint smile appearing on her face while her eyes still glisten with a tear or two.
"Yes, I, (sniff) suppose so...And, you were right back then, too."
"Hm?"
"I...I can't let my pain and agony, consume me. I...I have to find the strength to move forward, and, shape the pain into something I can use."
"(Nod) Righ'. I'm glad you remember."
"...How do you do it, Coraline? How do you take your pain, and use it to survive?"
Shrugging with a crooked smile, the young Croft confesses,
"Can't say I know meself...but it's been five years since tha' fateful day, so, I guess time does help to heal...Still, (frown) I don't think all the time in the world will be able to heal my wounds...Not yet, at least. Not while he's still alive."
"You mean Bishop, right?"
She turns to Inuyasha and replies seriously,
"...Yes. As long as he lives, and Trinity continues t' seek me, I have more th'n one enemy to think about."
...
...
At the same time the confrontation at the phantom castle draws the curtains on the aftermath, intrigue begins to stir back in the modern era. The source setting is the abandoned streets of a once proud city district, the area virtually void of noteworthy human activity and allowing room for Mother Nature to squeeze some weeds out from the cracks of the poorly-tended concrete walkways...
We zoom in on one rundown building that was likely an office center one time ago, and watch a pair of teenage boys dressed in full black clothing - the individual pieces being a simple long-sleeve under an above-the-knee trench coat, jeans and Chelsea boots - stop behind the brick wall as one of the two takes out a device bearing a similar shape to that of a watch...
(Ping)
"Your report?"
"Sir, we've been monitoring the Croft girl as you ordered, and we've begun to notice an odd pattern."
"Explain."
"There's been a number of strange time gaps in which she hasn't been detectable by our radar, and she's been seen entering and exiting an old well house within the Higurashi Shrine."
The second young male continues,
"The Bone-Eater's Well, as the elder of the residence calls it. We suspected supernatural forces were at play, so we had another operative plant an energy fluctuation measure as close to the well-house as possible...For the past few weeks, there's been random spikes in atmospheric energy for brief moments about the time she enters the well, and exits it."
On the other side of the line, Saki - the leader of Trinity's Tokyo base - hums in thought from this new information, he currently standing in front of a large monitor within the main communication and planning room.
"Interesting...Continue monitoring, and work towards finding a way to get a visual view of this anomaly."
"Yes, sir!"
(Ping)
Turning from the screen, he says to the comrade listening nearby,
"It would seem that Croft has made contact with a supernatural anomaly."
"Humph, I'm not surprised. The Croft Family has a history of supernatural encounters...It's to be expected with Aura Readers."
"Mm, yes."
...Bishop steps out of the shadows, and says to Saki with a sardonic smile,
"Even so, she will soon realize that there is no escape from the hands of Trinity."
She will either submit...or meet the same end her father did.