Update (November 2020): Chapter updated and lengthened!
Chapter 39: The Unrequited Proclamation of lupis daemon
Picking up where we last left off, as Inuyasha began clawing his way through a flock of the Birds of Paradise, we shift views back to Coraline who settled herself on the pile of hay inside the den of the Wolf Demon Tribe...She looks around at the various canines and their humanoid comrades lounging around, her expression a mix of indifference and distaste as she thought about her current situation.
...The Wolf Dem'n Tribe, and Th' Birds of Paradise.
Two warring groups reaching the tipping poin' in their latest squabble...
Ugh, I so blame the Shikon-no-Tama on this one. While Kōga may've gott'n a hold of three shards, it seems the single piece th' leader of those damn birds is bein' favor'd in terms of strength and power.
...Now thanks to my 'convenient abilities', I'm stuck here playin' jewel detector for one side before they go after the other.
Coraline grits her teeth, shaking her head as she sourly complains,
Of all the demon types, why do I have to play nice with wolves?
"The ones who attacked me before sure didn'..."
"Attacked you?"
"Huh?"
She looks down at her right side, meeting the confused eyes of Shippō.
"You've been attacked by wolf demons before? When?"
"Uh, (...sad smile) no lad, no' wolf demons; just regular ones...The even' in question happ'n'd almos' four years ago, before I came here to Japan."
Looking forward and observing the wolves in the den, Coraline frowns bitterly as she describes,
"An' those wolves...They weren' just tryin' to attack me. They wan'ed to kill me, or a' least the leader did."
"Why?"
"Well, the poor soul had caugh' a spou' of rabies. Incase y' don' know, it's a disease tha' can be transferred to alot of different animals, includin' humans. It causes the victim foam at the mouth, their mind t' get disoriented and become more pent on aggression or other odd behaviour y' don't see in healthy individuals."
"Ooh..."
"Yeah...I rememb'r th' night well, tha' night in the backwoods of France..."
(Flash)
The sands of time are pulled backwards up the metaphoric hourglass, and the scene opens with a lightning flash highlighting the tops of some thick oak trees, the branches and leaves being pelted with heavy raindrops from the dark storm clouds billowing overhead...
"Hah, hah, hah, hah-hauh! Hah!..."
"Looking back, travelin' at nigh' through the woods wasn' one of my wisest decisions, but I felt safer under the cover of darkness in those days...Or least, I thought I was..."
Running through the deepening puddles in the grass is a familiar redhead, back during her tween years and when her body was covered by rather worn clothing. That evening's choice included a simple pair of blue jeans, a ripped black t-shirt, brown sneakers and a mud-stained green raincoat. Over her shoulder is a red leather bookbag, the only item that compared to what else occupied the girl was in the best shape.
...Of course, she'd soon discover that the stormy weather would be the least concerning problem.
(Growl...)
"Huh?"
She turns around from the tree she stopped at to rest, and in the distant bushes stood several four-legged figures, the one in the middle stepping forward to reveal themselves as a Eurasian Wolf with reddened eyes and slight foaming at the mouth, he snarling more than the rest.
"Uh-h! Wolves...!"
"It's funny: accordin' to history, most of th' forests in France aren' suppose to be teeming with wolves due to over-hunting...Boy, did they ever get i' wrong."
The eleven-year-old whimpers, tugging the bag closer to her...before turning around and bolting for it! The wolves make haste after her, forcing the girl to sprint all the way to the next clearing where a river sat...
She stops, thinking she lost them...until she heard another round of growling and barking none too far behind her.
"Oh no...!"
Coraline turns around...only to get pounced at by the leader!
"Aaaah!"
"At that point, it was dodge or die. I kept ducking and rollin' away from each pounce of the wolves, barely dodgin' each time...And then..."
(Slip)
"Crap!"
The redhead slides on the slippery grass and falls backwards, giving the diseased pack leader the opening it was looking for.
(Leap)
"Aaaah! Aaah!"
"I used all th' strength I could to keep the wolf's jaw away from me throat, but I knew the action would only last for a minute or two...D'at's when I saw it: a rock sharp enough to use as a weapon."
Spotting the jagged rock protruding from the soft dirt, the girl reaches for it with one hand...before letting out a war cry and stabbing the wolf in the neck repeatedly until it stopped thrashing at her! The insane canine lets out a series of pained cries with each blow...before finally feeling their life leave after one particularly sharp jab in the middle of its throat...
Its body is then shoved off of the newly-triumphant human, as she rose shakily with heavy breaths, the wolf's blood drenching her skin alongside the rain, her eyes wide and carrying a crazed quality to them.
"I must've looked pretty scary to the other wolves...'cause they took one look a' me before runnin' off with their tails between their legs."
The rest of the pack members let out their own yelps and scamper off from the little 'killer'...She herself could only stare blankly ahead for a moment...before collapsing to her knees and letting out a cry of her own.
(Flash)
"...Tha' was the first time I actually, killed a wild animal bigger than m'self...It wouldn' be until the storm cleared an hour later, before the weigh' of the situation really kicked in...Remorse being the strongest emotion."
"Remorse?"
"Aye...As much as the pack leader did try t' kill me, they weren' thinkin' rationally thanks to the Rabies. Their mind was, gone...If anything, I likely pu' the poor mutt ou' of its misery tha' night...So, I did the wolf some kindness, and buried their body under some leaves and flowers."
Shippō stares at Coraline with wonder over her tale...while she lets out a breath and says with finality,
"That's why to this day, I can' really stand wolves...I don't, hate them...But I don't trust 'em."
...Unbeknownst to either ginger, a certain pack leader had heard every word of the tale from a couple feet away as he and two of his comrades were preparing to take over guard duty. He felt his periwinkle blue irises narrow the slightest in a mix of pity and subtle disquiet, now understanding where his captive's anger towards his wolves really comes from.
Hm...
Coraline's POV
After another hour of sitting around and doing nothing, I finally settle on a plan of sorts to get the heck out of this den and back to the others. As much as a small part of me wants to sympathize with this tribe's situation, the larger part of me just didn't feel obligated to help the people who kidnapped me, not to mention threaten a young boy's life.
Okay, when Kōga comes back, I should try to convince 'im to take us outside f'r a few minutes.
Tha' should give Shippō the window of opportunity to escape...
There's no way I can make i' far on foot, but I know th' lad can use his shape-shifting abilities t' fly for the others.
Just as I reaffirm myself of the details, I notice that said fox demon wasn't beside me anymore.
"Huh?...Shippō? Crap, where is 'e?"
...Feeling a larger yet familiar presence, I turn my head over my shoulder to see 'Kōga'.
"Uh!"
"...Stand up."
Wait...that voice...Shippō?
"Please, Coraline. Don't make it look suspicious, okay?"
...Oooh, now I get it.
Nodding, I get up and allow the disguised fox demon to lead us to the opening of the den, he holding my left arm so the act is more believable...
"Kōga. Where are you going with the human?"
Shippō stops us near the waterfall and pivots his head over his shoulder to answer,
"The woman needs some fresh air. This place stinks, and I don't think it's the wolves."
I almost crack a smile at the dialogue:
Heh, nice touch...
We continue out...but then I hear one demon call,
"Hey, Ginta, Hakkaku. Go and watch Kōga's back for him."
"What're you talkin' about? Ginta and Hakkaku already left an hour ago with Kōga for guard duty."
"What'd you say?...Then who the hell was that?!"
Oh, damn!
If that wasn't bad enough, we suddenly hear panting, and stop to see three regular wolves sniffing at Shippō's tail!
Oh no, oh no, oh no...!
All it took was one bite, and our cover was blown.
"Owaaah, that hurts, owaah!"
(Pop)
"Uh! Hey, you little thief! Tryin' to fool us, are ya?!"
I grit my teeth on the defense as the wolves gather against us, then grab one of the spare spears lying at the entrance.
"Shippō, get ready...'cause we gotta bolt!"
I whirl around and make a mad dash out of the den, grabbing Shippō's hand and tossing him onto my shoulders.
"Hh, hah, hang on, lad!"
"I'm hangin'!"
The wolf demons chase after us, as expected.
"Get back here!"
...I manage to get as far as the nearest cliff edge, but there wasn't anywhere I could go that wouldn't risk slipping and falling to my demise...
"Awaah, we're trapped, Coraline!"
"...No, no' we, Shippō. I am, but you can make i' outta here."
"Huh?"
I then take his hand...and throw him straight off the cliff!
One of the demons tries to snare him with a chain.
"You're not getting away!"
(Shoom, SHING)
Thankfully, I'm faster and use the spear to knock the chain away, leaving them to tumble to the valley below while Shippō pops into his balloon form.
Oh thank god...He made i'.
"Hurry, lad! Find Inuyasha and the others!"
"Conniving wench...I'll devour you alive!"
Just as I whirl around to the one who dared threaten me...a wild boar is thrown down from up high, and lands on top of the wolf demon!
"Huh? Hey, who did that?!"
And surprise surprise, standing on a higher cliff was Kōga with his two buddies back from patrol, and boy did he look pissed.
"Hey! Wha'did I say about eating her?! I warned you!"
"Huh? Kōga?"
The friend on his right - a wolf demon with smoky gray hair in what I perceive as an understated Everly-style pompadour, though with a small piece above the middle of his forehead being navy black - points to the sky where Shippō was floating.
"Hey, look, Kōga. The little guy is flying over there."
Another wolf demon lifts up the one who got thwacked to the ground by the boar, and offers to go after the lad.
"Let me go after him, Kōga. It's the least I can do after letting him escape."
"I, don't wanna die, please!"
...I turn to send Kōga a glare, and we stare at one another for a moment...before I see him smirk while putting and hand under his chin in thought.
What the...What's wolf-boy thinkin' now?
I back up a step when he suddenly hops down in front of me, before saying something that threw me sideways.
"...I'm gonna make you my woman."
"...I beg yo'r pardon?!"
What the hell jus' happan'd?!
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was majorly befuddled.
"Huh? Kōga, I thought you were gonna eat her when you were done with her, not marry her."
"You don' want her; she's a human!"
He turns his head to them and replies,
"Idiots. This woman can see the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama. The Bids of Paradise aren't the only ones with a shard, ya know. With her ability, we'll be able to gather all of the jewel shards in the region."
They seemed to like that idea:
"...That would make us incredibly powerful."
"Our pack would be unstoppable!"
"That's the idea. So you see, she's way more valuable to us than some female demon."
Kōga turns back my way and pulls me to him with a hand on my waist.
"Your name is Coraline, right? Wolves mate for life, so you're mine now. You got that?"
...Is he kidding me? Does 'e actually think...Oh-hoh no, not happenin'!
I glare heatedly at the wolf demon and yell,
"I don' belong to any man! Ge' your damn paws off me!"
(SLAP)
...No shame is felt as I backhand Kōga across his cheek, leaving him stunned stupid while his pack members look at us in shock.
"That chick just slapped Kōga!"
"Honeymoon's over. She's dead now."
I send a slightly subdued glare at them and retort,
"What? Yeu scared of a girl tha' has some backbone?! Ge' over yurselves!"
They slowly back up from my seething form, and I focus back on Kōga to set him straight.
"And you. Ge' this through yur thick head well and good: I'm nobody's trophy wife, an' never will be! I'm an independ'n' woman who doesn' need a man in her life, especially one who seeks t' control them!"
He stares at me for a moment with a rather dumb expression...before stuttering out,
"H-Hang on: this doesn't have anything to do with that mutt-face, Inu-trasha, does it?"
I facepalm with an annoyed groan and reply,
"First of all, it's Inuyasha. Get i' righ' the firs' time. And second...he's got nothin' t' do with anything! He and I are best friends, nothing more, nothin' less. I have no interest in bein' with any man romantically, him included."
...And tha's how i's gotta stay. He's go' enough problems with wom'n as i' is.
"You're a stubborn woman, I'll give you that."
"Hm?"
I look back up at Kōga as he states with a smirk,
"But that just makes you more desirable. I'll find a way to win you over, even if I have to get rid of that mutt first."
He reaches down for the boar and tosses it over his shoulder while adding,
"He won't be much competition after that; just a pile of old bones."
...Ugh, men.
No POV
At the same time Coraline was busy dealing with Kōga's strong personality, Inuyasha, Sango, Kilala and Miroku continue cracking down on the Birds of Paradise attacking them...As they land on the ground after another successful take-down, the half-demon suddenly asks the slayer,
"Hey Sango, are these allies of the Wolf Demon Tribe?"
"I'm not sure."
"(Turn) Miroku, show a little effort and get off your butt!"
Said monk had been deep in thought as he sat atop a boulder...before voicing a new idea.
"Inuyasha, I think you should allow one of the birds to capture you."
"Say what?!"
"Why, Miroku? What are you thinking?"
He explains while standing up again,
"If these are the hunting grounds of these bird demons, then there should be bones of their prey scattered everywhere...but I don't see any signs of wolf bones."
"So you're thinking they are in alliance with the wolf pack?"
"That's what I suspect, but I could be mistaken."
Inuyasha quickly catches onto the monk's logic.
"So if I get captured, I'll be taken to where their nest is, which is likely where the wolf den is, and I'll be able to save Coraline, right?"
He then hurries onto a rock mound, and stands still while adding,
"It's worth a shot."
(...Swoop)
He's quickly swiped up by another Bird of Paradise...but as he and the demon fly off, the silverette does a double-take on the plan.
"...Hey, wait a minute! Miroku, why couldn't you be the one who gets captured? It was your idea! I'm always the one doin' all the work, ya lazy bum!"
The monk calls back,
"You have a stronger constitution than I, therefore it makes tactical sense to send you instead of me."
Sango comes to his side atop Kilala's back.
"We should get going if we wanna follow..."
"Nothing wrong with a little distance between us."
As they prep to trail after their friend, Inuyasha begins struggling in the talons of the bird demon, already getting more bristled than he ought to be (even though he had every right).
"Miroku, you coward! Come here and switch places with me!"
...Moving further up the mountain path, we find Shippō bounding down the rocky road after successfully alluding his captors.
"I need to find Inuyasha! I wonder where he is?"
He'd get his answer quickly enough, suddenly sliding to a stop when he sees the dog demon being carried off by the Bird of Paradise...
"Inuyasha! You're suppose to be rescuing Coraline! Now you've been captured and we gotta rescue you too..."
He lets out a cry of frustration and starts wracking his fists against his head repeatedly.
"I let you out of my sight and this is what happens!"
"...Shippō, it's you! What's wrong; are you alright?"
Snapping out of his panic, the fox demon turns to see,
"Oh, Miroku, Sango! Look, Inuyasha's been captured!"
After hopping aboard Kilala, he and the other two souls catch eachother up over what's going on from here to the wolf den...
"Strategy?"
"Yes. We think that Inuyasha will lead us straight to the wolf den because they're allies."
"...Who came up with that lame idea?! The Birds of Paradise and the Wolf Demons are mortal enemies, and Coraline is in the wold den!"
"I see. (Looks downward) I guess I should've looked further up the summit for their feeding grounds. This valley is filled with wolf bones."
Sango hurries to inform the silverette flying ahead of the new information.
"Inuaysha! They're enemies!"
That did not serve to please him, for a few different reasons but mostly one.
"Damn it! Right now, I don't care about the wolves or these stinkin' goose heads! There's only one person I wanna kill! (Flip) Let me go, buzzard!"
After breaking free with a hard kick to the demon's base and falling down into massive pile of ivory, Inuyasha bounces back onto his feet and shouts,
"You're gonna pay for this, Miroku! Be a man! Get down here and fight!"
...The slayer asks the monk,
"Are ya gonna go down there and fight him?"
"We have to rescue Coraline. That is our first priority."
With that, they begin flying off...
"Hey! Wait up, you guys! Don't you dare leave me here, Miroku!"
Coraline's POV
It wouldn't be long before I'm crouching down beside Kōga behind a large boulder near the nesting grounds of the Birds of Paradise, the rest of his more able-bodied comrades posted near and around us. Much as that beyond-idiotic proclamation did rub me the wrong way, I had to agree with wolf-boy on one thing: these vultures need to be taken down before they can procure more jewel shards...
"This is it! Are you ready, men?"
They all cheer a collective 'yeah', and I ask him in a whisper,
"So this is the main nestin' grounds of the enemy, correct?"
"Yeah, and one of them possesses a Shikon-no-Tama shard. (Turn) You have to find out which one."
"Yes, I know, so don' badger me."
There's a shard here, alrigh'. I can sense its power...
"Hey."
"Hm?"
Kōga then asks me in a strange tone,
"...Is it, true what you told that fox kit earlier?"
"Wha' do you mean?"
"That story about killin' a wolf in the past when you were young...Did that really happen?"
So he was listening. I just assumed 'e was invested in 'is plans...
I stare at him for a short moment...before turning away and replying in a monotone,
"Yeah, it is...I was only eleven a' the time, and durin' those days, it was kill or be killed. I did what I had t' do to survive."
"I see..."
I smile at him bitterly and add,
"Which is why I think you should qui' on me while yeu can. I don't think yor tribe would do well with'a human girl who doesn' trust wolves and knows how to kill 'em."
He could only stare at me with a new level of surprise...And before he could make any sort of counter, we turn to the sound of a bird screech, and see that one Bird of Paradise is looking where we're skulking!
"Uh! They're onto us! (Turn) Okay men, you take on the grunts yourselves."
Kōga then moves to wrap an arm around my waist.
"Come on, Coraline."
I brace myself for the first of many powerful leaps, and we begin ascending towards the approaching flock, with Kōga clawing and kicking his way through...
"Coraline! Can you see which one has the jewel shard?"
"It's kind-a hard ta pinpoint with yeu movin' so fast and fighting!"
(...Ba-bump)
"Uh! Wait. (...Looks up) There! The top of th' nex' cliff!"
He nods, and we head that way...only for the mountain face to open up, courtesy of a giant Bird of Paradise! We retreat to a ledge a few feet below, and I cringe away from a few boulders bounding past us...I then force my gaze upward to soak in the full profile of the bird demon, noticing that unlike the others, this one had two blue-skinned bodies atop the giant bulk!
"We have been waiting for you. You have Shikon-no-Tama shards. My brother and I have been searching for them everywhere."
"How convenient that you've decided to make a home delivery. It saves us the trouble of hunting you down."
Kōga retorts,
"Heh, I got somethin' to deliver alright," before asking me in a whisper,
"Coraline, where's the Shikon-no-Tama shard?"
"Gimme a sec..."
(...Sheen)
"There! In th' mouth!"
"Heheheh, and you'll get a good glimpse of the shard, as we swallow and devour you!"
It then opens its gargantuan gob before swooping down towards us.
"A wolf and a human, delicious!"
We just barely dodge the creature...and Kōga takes me back to ground-level, handing me to one of his buddies whom I've since learned is called Ginta.
"Hey."
"Kōga?"
"Protect Coraline."
"Huh? Where are you going; what are you planning to do?"
He answers while grabbing a spear with a u-shaped blade (possibly a variant of the Bisentō),
"I'll cut its stupid mouth wide open."
I ask him in near-disbelief,
"Hang on: you're no' seriously takin' this one solo, are yae?"
"I'm the only one strong enough to take that two-headed talkin' parrot on."
With that, Kōga dashes off.
"Here goes nothin'!"
...He's determined, I'll give'm that.
"Don't worry, sister. We'll get you to safety."
I turn to Ginta in confusion from the address he used.
"Huh? Sister? You talkin' to me?"
The other close comrade of wolf-boy - whom I believe is Hakkaku - replies simply,
"You're Kōga's woman, so we treat you like one of us now."
Obviously, that does not sit well with me.
"Grrh, were you two no' payin' any attention before? I ain't Kōga's, nor any man's woman! Don' make me repeat myself!"
Suddenly, another Bird of Paradise comes barrelling at us!
"Watch out, sis!"
I duck in the nick of time, but Ginta wasn't so lucky.
"Aaah, help!"
"Ginta!...We have to save him!"
"It's too late! He'll be taken up to their nest and devoured!"
I wince at the thought, and look around...only to spot a bow and quiver.
"(Glare) No...No, he won' be devoured!"
Like I said, I don' hate wolves, so I can have a hear' and save a wolf demon.
I grab the weapon set, and get ready to fire.
"Come on...Go!"
(Twok)
The arrow flies, wrapping itself in blue energy similar to my eyes when I use my second sight, and blasts right through one of the wings of the ugly avian!
"(Smirk) Gotcha!"
The bird demon falls, and Ginta lands safely enough on the ground after bouncing off the new bird corpse...We don't hesitate in rushing over to check his health, although a few of the wolf demons were left in awe at my growing skill.
"Ginta, are you hurt?"
"Wow..."
"She's one hell of a good shot!"
He looks up at me and replies,
"Th-Thank you, sis. (Eyes bulge) Look out, there's more!"
I whirl around, just as more Birds of Paradise come shooting down at us!...But before they could attack...
"CORALIIIINE!"
(SLASH)
Inuyasha comes barreling in with the Tessaiga, taking them all down in a few swings!
"...Inu...Inuyasha..."
I rush over to hug him around the middle as soon as he landed, happy tears in my eyes.
"Thank god you're alrigh'!...Thank you. Yeu came in the nick of time..."
The others arrive shortly after, with Sango asking me,
"Coraline, are you alright?"
"Sango!...Yeah, I'm fine. Miroku, Shippō, you're here too!"
"Coraline!"
The little lad hops towards me, and I catch him, he and I smiling at eachother in relief...
"Coraline, what's going on here?"
"War, Sango. The Wolf Dem'n Tribe and th' Birds of Paradise are in all-ou' war, winner takes all. These ugly-feathered menaces need to vanish."
Miroku steps off Kilala, and positions himself to use his cursed hand.
"Alright, then I'll take care of them...If you value your lives, stand back! Wind Tunnel!"
(Whooooooossssssshhhhhh...)
In one quick suction, Miroku easily destroys the massive flock, impressing the wolf demons greatly.
"Wow!"
"Amazing! I've never seen anything like it!"
Hm. Clearly, these guys haven' been outside their den a whole lot...
Kōga's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
"I don't have time for dog-training today, so I'll let you escape! Go on, puppy; get outta my face!"
Obviously, Inuyasha wouldn't take that insult lying down.
"Shut up! Dream on, wolf! You're gonna pay for kidnapping Coraline!"
Mentioning me prompted the demon to stare my direction for a moment...
"Hey, dog-breath, take this chance to run, but keep your hands off my woman, got it?"
Oh, no...
I hear Miroku mutter confusingly,
"His woman?"
"She can see the Shikon-no-Tama shards, so she's perfect for me!"
Inuyasha shouts incredulously,
"What?!"
A groan escapes me just as Miroku asks me in a weird tone,
"Is, there any truth to what he's saying, Coraline?"
I snap back,
"Of course not; he's a deluded eg'tist! He's barkin' a load o' nonsense!"
Inuyasha replies,
"I knew it. He's living in a fantasy, (glares upward) ya fleabag!"
Yet, wolf-boy was insistent:
"It's not a fantasy. I've claimed her as mine...I'm in love with you, Coraline!"
"WHAT?!"
"You're far better off with me, and you know it! It's time you made a clean break; let go of any past distrust and give up on that pathetic mutt-face! He's not good enough for you; forget about him. I'm gonna kill 'im off someday anyway!...Once you've been with a real warrior like me, you'll never go back to scraps like him again!"
And he lets out a laugh while his fellows whistle and cheer in encouragement...I hear Shippō say to Miroku,
"He's pretty direct, isn't he?"
"I wish I had that kind of audacity..."
...Audacity is right. Tha' ignoran', depraved...asshat!
My knuckles crack as I feel myself explode under the pressure of this man's ego, firing back in a rage,
"And tha' there is exactly why I can't stand wolves!"
"Wh-Wh-Whuh?!"
"You think yu'r so clever with yor lofty claims and 'show of power', but all I heard was a load of crap tha' means nothing to me except tha' you seek dominance! I hate men who don't understand tha' No means No! I outta come up there and shove you straigh' to Hell, you arrogan' moron!"
No POV
...The area fell into a near-dead silence as everyone gazes at Coraline in shock at her heated outburst, she sucking down some well-deserved air through clenched teeth while sending an icy glare at Kōga...Inuyasha's own stare would last a few more seconds, before turning to growl at the wolf demon responsible for causing his friend's emotional eruption.
"Nobody talks down to Coraline with me around! How dare you humiliate her; she's not your property!"
With that, he begins pursuing Kōga, forcing the wolf demon to continue his own trajectory upward the mountain.
"Stupid mutt. I told you, I'm too busy; go play fetch somewhere else!"
The young Croft watches them go, feeling her anger and disquiet barely settle as she refocuses on other other arguably more dangerous problem.
Okay, ge' i' together, Cor. You c'n yell at wolf-boy s'more after the giant bird-thing's dead.
"Inuyasha! Th' Bird of Paradise with two heads has'a jewel shard! It's about fifty feet higher from where yeu and Kōga are!"
He stops on a rock ledge and looks back down at Coraline.
"You sure?"
"Positive!"
Kōga stops too and asks,
"Fifty feet more, 'cause there's nothing at the peak!"
"Hrgh, then look a' the sky, moron! Look towards the sky!"
The silverette nearly trips over himself in disbelief at the girl's willingness to answer the other demon.
"W-Wait a second! She's helping him too?!"
But she did call him a moron, so, maybe it's just the situation...right? It has to be!
He wouldn't have much time to think further on the matter, when the Bird of Paradise suddenly comes swooping out from the cloud cover! Luckily for their intended target, Kōga manages to dodge the attack, leaping backwards as the other demon kept up its charge...
"Chew on this!"
(Clang)
He then stabs the spear into the creature's gaping mouth to keep it pried open...Unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to hold, and the bird demon's jaw would quickly clamp shut against Kōga's arm!
"Rrrrgh!"
"Thanks for giving us a hand! Now we will tear it off!"
The Bird of Paradise soars upward, leaving Kōga to hang on for dear life while cringing in pain from the teeth burying into his flesh.
"Rrrgh, d-damn it!"
In retaliation, he breaks the monster's teeth with one swift kick, allowing him to fall free...though at the cost of losing a certain power.
(Ping...)
"The shard in my arm!"
Kōga slams against the mountain peak hard, and as the dust clears, he barely manages to get up from the crater he created, grasping his wounded appendage.
"...I-It's comin' back for the jewel shards in my legs. Rggh...Rh?"
He turns to the presence approaching his side, and nearly lets out a groan when he sees Inuyasha.
"Oh, great. Why're you here?!"
The half-demon doesn't answer for a second...but then retorts,
"Shut up and take some notes, fleabag. You're about to witness some real power now."
Meanwhile, the Bird of Paradise boasts to themselves over their little victory.
"He has two jewel shards left, brother!"
"I know! Think of the power we'll have when we take them!"
Both upper heads let out a laugh, before charging up their finishing blow...which is exactly what Inuyasha was waiting for.
Draw out the power now, Tessaiga. Don't fail me!
"...There's the Wind Scar!...Hrrrraaaaaaahhhhhh!"
(SLASH)
One perfectly-timed swing was all it took, and the clawed energy cuts down on the Bird of Paradise instantly, sending the demon to its destructive end.
...
...
Twilight begins to cloak the mountain valley, and back up at the nesting area of the Birds of Paradise, many bodies of the aviary demons as well as their enemies lay scattered across the ground, the war over...Inuyasha comes back to ground-level, and Shippō exclaims,
"You killed that giant Bird of Paradise in just one swing!"
Miroku compliments,
"You've certainly mastered the Wind Scar."
"Keh, yeah, well..."
The half-demon then directs his attention to the surviving members of this branch of the Wolf Demon Tribe, specifically, the injured Kōga being brought back down on Kilala with Coraline and Sango...
"Now for them. I've single-handedly gotten rid of the pigeon from Hell. Now there's just this fleabag wolf to deal with..."
...But when he makes his way through the crowd...
"HUH?! She's, hugging him?!"
Well, actually, Coraline was only helping Kōga to sit down, gesturing Ginta and Hakkaku to hang onto him, before getting back on her own feet and sending a stern gaze to her companion, knowing full-well what he had in mind for the wolf demon.
"There isn' gonna be anymore fights today, understand? Kōga's already received enough punishment from those damn Birds of Paradise, no' to mention my own tongue-lashing, so you can pu' your salt away."
Kōga mutters in a strain,
"Never, mind. This is nothin..."
"Oh don't you star' either, smart-guy. Back off or I'll make you back off."
Inuaysha is shocked speechless by the girl's lack of support to 'ridding a problem before it could fester'.
Why's she taking his side?! I don't get it!
The wolf demon then attempts, and succeeds in standing upright again.
"T-Tryin' to get me while I'm down? But I'm still able to whip ya..."
"Heh, again with the insults...Hah, (swings arm) now you're dead!"
"Inuyasha, stop!"
(...PUNCH)
"GH!"
But rather than beginning another pointless squabble, Inuyasha would accidentally sock his fist against Coraline's gut when she decided to play the human shield for Kōga!...She drops to her knees seconds afterwards, leaving all spectators to gasp and cringe, while the one who committed the act could only freeze up with a 'what have I done?' expression.
"C...Coraline...?"
Wh-Why'd she...?!
Gritting her teeth, she manages to get back up, holding her stomach with her right hand while sending a glare at both the half-dog and full-wolf demons.
"Enough! Inuyasha, I'll use the S-word if I have to! (Turn) You two: get yur idio' of a leader outta here, or the next fist flyin' his way will be my own!"
"U-Uh, right!"
Ginta and Hakkaku bend down to lift their leader and close comrade up.
"Kōga."
"Take my arm."
"...Hey, come back! Cowards!"
None of the members of the canine tribe pay the silverette any mind, too focused on dashing back to their den...A gust of wind passes, before Inuyasha would turn his frustrations on the redhead from beyond this era.
"Why...Why'd you do that?! Why'd you take my fist and let them go?!"
Coraline would follow suit by whirling on her heels and retorting,
"Because I've had i' up to here with testost'rone-fueled fights today! God, you and Kōga are a perfect example of why I think men are hopeless!"
The half-demon recoils slightly from such a statement, before walking so he's about a foot or two away from the girl.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"It means tha' a' th' rate I'm going, I'll be better off a single woman than dating any man at'all."
"Huh?"
Coraline looks down with a pained expression, feeling overwhelmed by both Kōga's exploits and Inuyasha's rashness.
"Didn't yeu see how pissed off I was a' Kōga when he made tha' stupid claim? Didn't you sense tha' I just, wanted us to call i' a night and stop wastin' energy bett'r spent on matters tha' don't involve getting the wrong idea before even knowing wha' the idea is?"
"...Coraline-"
"Save it. I just...wan' to rest, and sleep off the increasin' pain in me gut thanks to that punch you delivered."
Inuyasha stares at her with an unreadable expression for a moment...before turning away with a grunt.
"Guh, this is stupid. Forget it."
Time Skip
Come the early morning, everyone in our titular group would awake near the mountain peak where the Birds of Paradise once lived, after deciding to camp here for the rest of the evening. They would then climb up to gather the jewel shards left behind from the battle...Or rather, Coraline would bend down to pick up the two gem pieces, since one of them was likely still tainted with the ravenous nature of the Bird of Paradise...
"So those are the two shards that the bird had."
The redhead nods at the monk's deduction.
"Yeah. One of 'em was torn out of Kōga's arm durin' battle."
Sango wonders,
"Won't he come after us in search for it?"
Miroku replies,
"Probably," but Coraline disagrees, her bitterness towards the demon male still relatively high.
"Doubtful. Wolf-boy will probably snag 'imself a replacement soon enough...Hauh, yet I can't help bu' wonder if there will be more stupid contests of strength between 'im and Inuyasha in the comin' future..."
She rises to a stand, grimacing a bit halfway while rubbing her stomach...
"Are you alright? Does the bruise still hurt?"
"Like hell...but I'll be fine. Believe i' or no', I've had worse injuries than this."
"Hm...Coraline, why don't you go and try to calm down Inuyasha."
She turns to give a confused expression to Sango.
"Huh?"
"He is very protective of you, and this whole event upset him."
Miroku adds,
"I feel bad for him, considering how things ended up..."
Coraline turns her stare at the silverette's figure sitting closer to the viewing edge...
She then lets out a breath, and nods at her companions before walking over to his side.
"...Hey."
He says nothing, and turns away from her face in a stubborn fashion, causing the girl to smile sadly but kindly.
"Inuyasha...I'm sorry for causin' you so much worry. Thank yeu for comin' to my rescue."
As she sits on her knees beside him, he replies bitterly,
"I bet you would've preferred it if I didn't show up at all."
"What?"
"The way you acted yesterday. I'd be surprised you weren't taken by those 'sweet words', yet I'm more so that you blocked my fist from 'im with your own body...It, doesn't hurt bad, does it?"
"Oh, that...I was only sick of the fighting. I didn't wan' to see anymore needless bloodshed, and as for th' bruise, I'll be fine...Hang on: were you actu'lly jealous of that idiot's proclamation of love?"
Inuyasha growls and springs to his feet while exclaiming,
"Why would I be jealous of that jerk? I don't care!"
A skeptical expression spreads onto Coraline's face.
Riiiigh', he's sooo not jealous...
"If i' wasn' clear enough yesterday, I'll say i' again: I have no interest in dominan' egotists like Kōga. Plus, I can't stand wolves, period."
...The half-dog demon turns away with his arms folded and replies offhandedly in a grunt,
"Kuh. I wasn't askin'. I don't care what you do; just forget it. I don't wanna talk about it anymore, so just spare me."
The human could only sigh, turning her gaze outward to the distant view while swallowing down the urge to become depressed.
Oh Inuyasha...please don' le' this event stiffen our friendship.
I thought i' meant more to yeu than this...
"So?"
"Hm?"
The silverette then comes back down to Coraline's level and asks,
"What exactly happened between you guys?"
...
...
Something inside the young Croft's heart rips, and she snaps with acid in her tone from the constant explanations,
"I slapped 'im for tryin' to 'claim me', and gave him the tongue-lashin' of a lifetime while defending you! But now I'm startin' to think it was all for naught! How can my own best friend not believe me when I say I'm not, interested?!"
"Guh, w-well you don't have to bite my head off! I was just wondering!"
The teenagers were standing up by now, giving eachother nasty glares under the weight of their repressed emotions.
"I, I thought you had more trus' in me than this, Inuyasha! Why do yeu still doubt me?!"
"Well if you think I'm too suspicious of you, then maybe you should stop taggin' along and gettin' in the way! I'm done with havin' to rescue you all the time!"
Another strike to the heart is dealt to the young woman, and she barely musters enough strength to form her lips into a straight line while her eyes were weakening under a familiar weight of water.
"...So tha's it, then? All tha' we've been through up to now has been bullshi'."
"Huh?"
She then turns to the direction of the brunette standing by the monk.
"Sango."
"Uh, yes?"
"If...If i' won' inconvenience yeu or your partner, may I please borrow Kilala?"
The twin-tail hops atop the slayer's head as she replies uncertainly,
"Um, sure, but what are you gonna do?"
Inuyasha scoffs and says,
"She misses wolf-boy already, huh?"
That careless remark would be the final straw to break the camel's back, and Coraline feels a small sob escape her as she hurries to grab her bags, much to everyone's concerns.
"Coraline?"
"Coraline, what's wrong?"
Sensing the girl's urgency and already aware of their plans, Kilala jumps off of Sango and shifts into her true form to allow the former to put their things on her back. The human sends a grateful half-smile and sniffle to the twin-tail, before drawing a shaky breath and whirling around to send a final message of anger and hurt to the half-demon.
"I'm goin' back to my era, you idiot! I hope yur proud of yo'self! I...I HATE YOU, INUYASHA!"
With that, she and Kilala were off, tears flying out of the girl's eyes as she went.
...I hate him. I hate him, when he forgets our friendship.
Shippō comments shakily,
"When she gets angry, she can be really scary..."
As for Inuyasha, he found himself propped back against a rock with a mix of shock and worry on his face.
...She...She said she hates me?
And...she was crying...Coraline...I...Dammit, I hate it when we get like this...!
But his stubborn pride gets in the way, and he shouts back,
"Fine, go back home again! See if I care!"