Hey fellow readers and writers!
Finally, the next chapter is ready. I'm so sorry for the delay; this one took alot longer to do, and I have a feeling the same will be for the next two coming. That's what happens when you begin creating chapters specific to your imagination and going off the original storyline...
Plus, I'm a detail-oriented person, soooo...yeah.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next installment of my adventure!
Update (December 2020): Chapter edited and lengthened! Also, there will be some new elements from the Legend of Zelda-verse that will be interwoven into this three-parter original, so be sure to pay close attention (see Prologue for disclaimer).
Chapter 41 (Special): Trinity Strikes
"...Sirs. We've finished the final testings for our new dimensional transport system."
"And?"
"It was a complete success. We're ready to move into the next stage."
"Excellent. Contact the main tactical division and inform them to be ready in the next hour."
(...Swoosh)
A set of metal doors close automatically on a large laboratory, and we watch two leading men from the mysterious and dangerous group known as Trinity move down a hallway to another section of the hidden Tokyo base...
"I assume you'll be leading in this mission, Bishop?"
"Indeed, Saki...It's time I finish what I should have five years ago...and this time, Croft will conform, or fall."
...
...
...
"Ah, I see yu've been puttin' the crayons and paper to good use, Shippō. You cou' have a career as'n artist someday if you keep up the skill."
"Heh-heh, thanks!"
Shifting the scene - and essentially the very fabric of time - from Tokyo to Edo, we zoom down within the Goshinboku Village and over to the home of the resident priestess, Kaede as Coraline finishes packing up some medicinal herbs generously provided for the new trip she and the rest of the group would soon embark on. Given that the repack and reassessment of her bags would take a couple minutes, the young fox demon and fellow redhead decides to take the opportunity to show off some art...
As she holds up one drawing, the Croft laughs,
"These anthrop'morphic animals are cute! Are they anyone I know?"
"Yeah! The cat is you, Coraline, and Inuyasha's the dog, and the wolf is Kōga...It's a love triangle between a two-legged dog, a wolf-man and a cat who hightailed it home."
Raising an eyebrow, the girl looks at the scene more closely...before cluing in on the resemblance.
"O-Oh! Goodn'ss, how did I not see i' sooner?...Um, Shippō, did yeu show this shor' story to anyone besides me?"
"(Innocent smile) I showed it to Granny Kaede earlier, and she said it was really well-done."
"...Sooo, she knows the details as to why Inuyasha and I haven' been talkin' 'til now?"
"Yep, but Kaede isn't the only one who's seen my drawings. I was so proud of them, I ended up showing the whole village! I got lots of compliments..."
Coraline rubs the back of her head with a nerved smile and chuckle at the boy's adorable confidence amidst her newfound embarrassment.
Ó Dia. I'm not gonna hear the end o' this from the villagers for a while...
But I won' blame Shippō's innocence. He's just a curious child...
Besides, I'm not too worried 'bout my reputation. It's Inuyasha's that migh' be taken down a peg for the next while.
The voice of the young man on her mind suddenly cuts in from outside.
"Oi, Coraline, Shippō! Are you two ready to go yet?"
"One second; I jus' need to put the crayons in my satch'l!"
After tucking away the art supplies, the redheads hurry to meet with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Kilala so they could all head out of for their next unfixed destination in their search for more jewel shards and Naraku's whereabouts...
"So where are we headin' this time?"
"I spoke with a villager whom just returned from Kyōto, and she said that she heard rumours of a jewel shard sighted in the area."
Sango gives Miroku a wary expression.
"Are you sure you're taking her word seriously, and that you didn't hear her out because she was pretty?"
He holds up his hands defensively and replies with a nervously confident smile,
"Of course not, dear Sango. I would never jeopardize the group based on where our leads come from, even if they happen to be a young woman."
"Riiight..."
Coraline sighs and shakes her head at those two, before thinking aloud about the place ahead.
"Kyōto, huh? That's abou' a four to five day travel on foot. (Smile) I've been there once with the Higurashis in my era. It'll be interesting to see wha' everything looks like now before the huge changes that'll come lat'r with time."
Shippō hops atop the girl's shoulder with a curious look.
"Really? You've been to Kyōto before? What does it look like in your world?"
"Well unlike future Edo, Kyōto will still have a numb'a of prewar structures, even as i' continues to reform towards a more modern design. There's an abundance of cultural heritage sites from this era and even furth'r back that're well-preserved, including the soon-to-be complete Nijō Castle."
"Whoa! You've seen what Nijō Castle's gonna look like when it's finished?!"
"Aye. It's seen some wear 'n tear in recent years due to typhoon storms, but other th'n that, it's standing well and has been open to the public since nineteen-forty."
The fox demon nods with a hum, and Sango asks,
"How is it that the public can enter?"
"The castle is no longer bein' used by anyone of royal blood, so it was donated to th' city as a cultural landmark, and basically anyone can enter i' to explore."
Sensing that a bigger explanation would be necessay, Coraline goes on.
"Y' see, in my era, Constitutional Monarchy's become the political norm, which means the Emperor is more a ceremonial figurehead, while th'a main source of power comes from someone called a Prime Minister and 'is Cabinet, a group of people who act as advisers. Once more, the choice of who's in power is decided by the public through a mass voting system...That's the simple explanation, a' least. There's no long'ar an Absolute Monarchy where power is in the hands of Emperor; the country is run by a collective body of minds, and even the citizens have a say in what's going on."
"Interesting..."
...
...
A day of travel comes and goes, and the group would wake within a very small clearing surrounded by beech, snowbells and pine in Tokorozawa, Saitama, before indulging in some Irish Scones that the modern era teen made and brought along...
"Mmm, this bread that you brought is really good, Coraline. And you made it yourself?"
She smiles at Miroku and replies,
"Yep. It's one o' the recipes I used to make with fath'r all the time when I was little."
"Really?...I was wondering...what sort of person was your father like? I know you've mentioned he was an, adventurous scholar of sorts, but who was he outside his title?"
Lowering her scone, Coraline ponders over the monk's question.
"Hmm. (...Fond smile) He was one o' the wisest men that I knew; he always seemed t' have an answer for everything. Kindhearted, too, ready t' aid anyone who needed it...Father always believed in talkin' first before taking action, and w's never really one to hold a grudge...If anything, he fel' pity towards people se' in their ways, unwillin' to open their minds and hear's to the world around them. Heh, he was also rather protective of me like any other parent...He, loved mother uncondition'lly, and when she passed away from sickness...it hurt 'm deeply."
A small frown forms on her lips as her mind drifts to sadder memories.
"He spent most of his time mournin' in his room, laying on the bed and starin' off into nothingness. I was too young to fully understand why 'e felt that way...but, I knew mother wasn' coming back, so I had to become his main emotional support...Eventually, he found a form of distraction in his investigations of the unknown and unexplained...Even so, we'd always find time to spend togethar, even if it was jus' me hangin' out in his study while he worked on some papers...Bein' with one another was enough."
Shippō suddenly hops onto Coraline's lap, a slightly worried look on his face all the while.
"Coraline...are you okay? Your eyes are tearing up."
She lightly gasps and touches under her eyes, feeling a familiar dampness...
"Oh. I guess I am...Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm, gettin' a bi' sentimental, is all."
"Mm, well if you're sure..."
"Positive."
(...Ba-bump)
"Huh?"
...What was that? Certainly no' the Shikon-no-Tama...
But, it had a strong energy reading...
"Oi, what's up, Coraline?"
She stands up and turns towards a set of old ruins down below that was once a proud castle.
"...I sense something. It's no' the jewel...but, I felt a strong burst of energy. It's makin' me uneasy."
Everyone else gets to their feet, and Miroku asks,
"Could it be Naraku?"
"Nah, definitely not, or we all would'a felt somethin'...It's, something else. Something that shouldn't be here."
Sango suggests,
"Perhaps we should go down and see what it is."
The group hurries to gather their things, before bounding down the hill to search for the answer to this new mystery.
Coraline's POV
It hardly took us five minutes before we reach the foot of the castle ruins, ones which I suspect may be the remains of the once proud Taki-no-jō, also known as the Waterfall Castle. Since this massive quest to collect and defeat will likely take us all around the country, I decided to do some deeper research into some of the popular and lesser known landmarks of each prefecture. That way, there's less of a chance of getting lost...
Yet, looking around the worn-down structure now, I found myself puzzled by how ruined this place was already, considering the history.
How odd...I though' d'is place would be in bett'r shape, and still lived in...
But here I am, standing within a castle tha' looks like i' was hi' by a tornado.
That's when I spot something...disturbing: half-buried remains of what used to be, soldiers burned down to the bone and armor!
Holy crap...
"Found some of the dead humans, did ya?"
I turn around to the approaching Inuyasha, and swallow down whatever nerves were forming before answering,
"Uhm, aye...Do y' know wha' happened 'ere?"
"Yeah. A bunch of furaribi came and tore this place apart, about...fifteen years before I was sealed to that stupid tree."
"Really? F'r wha' reason?"
"Tuh, hell if I know. I was just passin' the area and couldn't help but stop to watch the horror for a second before I got out of there. They're one demon even I know not to tick off unless I wanna get fried."
Gazing around the area, he adds,
"That's my only guess over what happened here: somebody pissed off one furaribi and the rest came running."
"I see..."
Placing a finger under my chin, I wonder,
It seems my era's texts really aren' as accurate as they presen' themselves.
I think I understand why th' truth behind this destruction was cover'd...but I can' help bu' wonder how many other lies have been told to cov'r up demon-related moments.
(...Ba-bump)
"Mh!"
Current events quickly reel me back when my supernatural quirk suddenly picks up on several humans skulking nearby...Yet for some reason, I couldn't pinpoint where exactly they were.
"What, the..."
"What's wrong?"
"...I sense several humans nearby...bu', I can't pinpoin' their exact locale. It's like, somethin's blocking me for zeroing in on them..."
The eeriness increases when the nekomata of our group rumbles out a growl, prompting Sango to ask,
"What is it, Kilala? Is there danger near?"
(...Bang)
"Hh!"
And then it intensifies thanks to a bullet shot against the ground just a foot away from me! Hissing out my name protectively, Inuyasha hurries to tuck my body behind me.
"Stay behind me! Grrh, where'd that come from?"
Good question...Hm?
My eyes then catch a gleam of metal from behind a distant tree near one side of the moat...That's when it hits me.
...Impossible. A gun from d'is time period couldn' shoot from tha' far...
Which means...could it, be...
"Shit."
"What?"
"We need t' get outta here, now!"
Before Inuyasha could ask me why, a series of gunshots are fired out way, forcing all of us to duck down or risk getting wounded!
"Owah! Where are these bullets coming from?!"
I hurry to scoop up the frightened fox child just as Inuyasha pulls me onto his back, and as we leap away, I turn my head to shout to the others,
"Guys, get ou' of here! It's too dangerous!"
They nod and begin running out of the area not too far behind us...Meanwhile, I start panicking over a possbility raising its ugly head.
No way...This can't be...They can't be here!
How could they've found a way into this world? It's impossible...isn't i'?
I'd have little time to deny or accept the truth, when a dangerous object is launched our way...
"Oh crap! Inuyasha, look out!"
(Ka-BOOM)
"Aaaagh!" "Aaaaah!"
"Waaaaah!"
The bomb explodes, and the impact sends the three of us to kiss the ground hard!...Luckily, we were fine, or at least Shippō and I were since Inuyasha took most of the blow, but despite his strong endurance, that didn't mean the bomb's impact didn't hurt in some way...
"Rrgh...C-Coraline, you okay?"
"Yeah, an' so's the lad...Wha' abou' you?"
"I'm fine."
We rise to a stand...and my eyes spot a piece of the bomb laying nearby.
"Hmm..."
I walk over and pick it up, recognizing the make.
"...This...This is a grenade. But, how could there be a grenade here?"
"Inuyasha!"
"Coraline, Shippō!"
I whip my head right and see Miroku, Sango and Kilala hurry our direction.
"Are you guys okay?"
Inuyasha answers for us:
"Yeah, we're alive, but that was one hell of an explosion. And what was up with those bullets? I've never heard of a gun that can shoot from that far."
Miroku agrees:
"Yes, that was odd..."
...Shippō then cringes and shakily points some shadows coming from the dissipating dust cloud.
"Uuh, I think we're about to find out why! Look!"
We follow his direct of sight...and watch about a dozen men emerge, wearing a mercenary uniform more familiar in my world, and armed considerably...But what really struck a chord, was the insignia I saw on one of their vests.
...No. It...it is them!
"Who are these men?"
Miroku answers Sango's question with a serious tone,
"I don't know, but they look more well-armed than the samurai armies I've seen before. Everyone be on your guard."
...I step forward, much to everyone's surprise.
"Coraline?"
I ignore them, and ask with a strong voice and glare,
"Who are yeu?"
One man steps forward, and I recognize his appearance instantly.
...Bishop...
"You're a smart woman. I think you already know."
"Trinity..."
Inuyasha doesn't miss my growl of the hated name.
"Wait, hold on: this is them? This is Trinity?"
"Yes...an' that man there, the blond?...He's th' one who killed me father."
My friend takes a turn at grinding his teeth, and I focus back on the bastard to inquire his sudden presence.
"How th' hell is this even happening?! How'd you get heare?"
"We've developed a teleportation technology for the very purpose of finding you, based on energy fluctuations we studied from the Bone Eater's Well at the Higurashi Residence. You must have felt some 'invisible eyes' for the past few weeks, have you not?"
Damn, so I was right: they've been watching me since tha' squabble with those street punks.
"...Why are y' here, Bishop? What do yeu want?"
He smirks the slightest as he answers,
"Heh, I think the answer is pretty obvious, Croft: while you have resisted, Trinity still sees you as a potential ally. With the knowledge you possess, and ability to sense the supernatural, our goals could be reached at a more efficient pace...Of course, this would require your compliance. Why continue to run? We will find you no matter where you are. Make this easier for both our sides, and come with us willingly."
"To hell with that!"
"Huh?"
I turn Inuyasha's way with surprise by his outburst, noticing how angry he looked.
"There's no way Coraline would ever join up with the likes of you, especially after the pain and suffering you've caused her!"
Shippō chimes in just as pissed,
"Yeah! You killed her father and forced her to leave her home!...And she's told us what you people do to others. There's no way she'd join forces with evil humans like you!"
...Inuyasha...Shippō...
I glance over at Sango and Miroku, who nod in confirmation...I smile at them all for their willingness to remain at my side, before turning to look at Bishop again with a smirk of my own.
"Hate t' break i' to you, Bishop, but they're right: I've go' the scars that proves you and Trinity are no good. An' thanks to Fath'r, I know exactly what you people are capable of. You gain wha' yeu want a' the cost of many withou' so much as an eye roll, and that's jus' sick! I'd rather die than join up with Trinity, and you can tell yor higher ups t' suck it!"
Bishop frowns at my rebellious words.
"I see...I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this, but if you refuse to come willingly, then I have no choice but to take you by force."
I ball my fists in anger, and Inuyasha moves in front of me.
"You'll have to go through me if you want her."
Miroku and Sango stand by his sides.
"Same here."
"Me too."
Shippō rushes to join them from atop my closest friend's shoulder.
"And me! None of us will let you take Coraline away!"
"...Guys...Thank you, but remember this is my battle t' fight. Trinity is my enemy."
"Which makes them our enemy as well."
"Huh?"
Inuyasha turns to look at me seriously, knowing I was trying and failing to redirect my personal war away from him and the others.
"Anyone who dares to threaten you is automatically an enemy of mine, or all of us for that matter. This may have been your fight for five years...but now you've got backup who will protect you and fight with you, like what you've been doing for us."
"Inuyasha..."
He's talking about Naraku...
Miroku nods in agreement:
"He's right. You've been fighting for us against Naraku, Coraline. Now it is our turn to fight for you against Trinity."
"...Alrigh'. Thank yeu, everyone, but please be careful. Trinity will be usin' weapons from my time, so this won' be as easy as fighting a group o' bandits."
They nod, and we turn forward at ready to begin the fight...Bishop notes our stance, and turns to address the men he brought with him.
"You know your objection: we must capture Croft, even if it means casualties on either side. Now, (gesture) attack!"
At that, the battle begins. Some of the men fire at us again with high-tech guns, the bullets either acting as traditional ammo or creating eletrical explosions that allow little room for error in dodging. Others chose to brandish blades and batons to use for hand-to-hand combat...Inuyasha found himself up against four gunners.
"Hrrah!"
Luckily, the robes of the fire rat protected him from the bullets, and he'd kick all of the men down in a single roundhouse blow...Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku teamed up against five melee fighters, she using her giant boomerang as a club and he his staff in a manner similar to the art of the bō staff.
"Hiyah!"
"Hah!"
While they did produce some admirable strength, the mercenaries weren't giving an inch either. One even manages to shove the slayer back using two criss-crossed batons.
"Gh! They're a lot stronger than I anticipated!"
"Yes. They seem rather prepared for this sort of combat! Keep up the pressure, Sango!"
"Right!"
Shippō and Kilala were fighting too, taking on the last of the soldiers themselves. The cat demon had since transformed into her true form, pouncing against the soldiers and distracting them with dodging long enough for the lad to use some of his illusion magic.
"Fox Fire!"
(Fwooom)
"Auh!"
...As this chaos went on, I found myself preparing to fight my prime enemy from five years past one-on-one...
"Yur plan won' work, Bishop! You and yor men are gonna wish yeu neva came here!"
"Is that so?"
With that, we engage in hand-to-hand combat, I blocking his incoming fist before trying to kick him in his side.
"Hah!"
He dodges, before grabbing my leg and throwing me to the ground...I waste no time in getting back up, and rush forward to land a fist in his chest...
"Damn..."
Unfortunately, my strength wasn't enough this time, something that Bishop would point out.
"Ha, it will take more than that to take me down, Croft."
Despite his taunt, I refused to give up. We continue delivering blows and blocks...until I finally found an opening.
"Hiiiyah!"
(KICK)
"Uh!"
A jab to his side from my foot finally sends him stumbling back a bit, making me smirk in way I'm sure looks similar Inuyasha when he gets the jump on his opponents.
"Tha' enough power for ya, Bishop?"
He grits his teeth and straightens up, then turns his vision to where each of my friends were fighting, and thankfully, they were starting to get the upper hand on the Trinity soldiers...
"Humph, you have quite the allies with you...Perhaps Trinity could find a place for them as well, especially the half-demon fellow."
"(Glare) You leave my friends outta this! And how do y' know Inuyasha's a half-demon?"
"We used a scanner before sending that first wave of bullets to find out what we were up against. Two humans, a half-demon, and two full demons, one of them being a child...You Crofts certainly know how to acquire help from the supernatural side of the world."
"You say tha' like humans and non-humans can' coincide...Is tha' what Trinity believes?"
"In a sense, yes. One of our prime goals is to ensure the superiority of the human race. Using supernatural amenities to strengthen our constitution is but one of several methods."
"What abou' the people yu've killed in the process?! What's the point of makin' the innocent suffer f'r the sake of yur daft cause?"
"They were heretics, misguided souls who could not be reasoned with, which lead to their demise."
I crack my knuckles in anger at his unsympathetic response.
...They really don' care abou' their actions. These bast'rds destroy anything for th' sake of results...!
"Yeu, mac de a soith...You'll pay!"
I charge at him with a war cry, pulling out my combat knife with the intent of leaving my own mark...
(TOK)
"UH!"
But, fate seems to be against me, and I feel something piece my arm halfway to my target...Looking down, I see,
"A dart?"
...Oh, crap!
"Good work, Samuel."
I turn to see a soldier pop out from behind a tree, holding a tranquilizer-style gun...
"D-Damn i'...!"
My body sways as it's subjected to whatever sedative was injected into the dart, and I drop my knife to hold my head from an oncoming headache.
"Ggh...You, bast-! Urrgh..."
I hear Bishop approach me, and the last thing I heard before passing out was,
"Your fight ends here, Croft."
No...
No POV
Inuyasha will have just sent another mercenary to kiss the ground, when his ears barely pick up on a strangled gasp from Coraline.
"Huh?"
He turns around, and his eyes widen with shock over seeing the dart lodged into her arm.
"Coraline!"
The others stop what they're doing at Inuyasha's shout, and watch the named girl drop her weapon and collapse to the ground...
"Oh no! Coraline!"
"Coraline!"
...Bishop steps forward to her unconscious body, and lifts her up by an arm while looking at her with a mixed expression of pity and indifference.
"...She should count her blessings that Trinity hasn't declared her life forfeit...yet."
"Don't touch her!"
"Hm?"
He looks up and sees Inuyasha staring with scorn written in his gold-hazel irises.
"Grr, you coward...You're gonna pay for that!"
The silverette leaps forward, hell-bent on protecting his friend.
"I won't let you take Coraline away!"
The others form similar expressions, and begin charging in Bishop's direction...Unfortunately, this was a move the commander predicted.
"(Smirk) Fools. Samuel, you know the call."
"(Salute) Yes, sir. All of you, at arms; set to stun!"
The mercenaries all aim their guns at Coraline's companions, resetting the weapons so they wouldn't fire bullets...but something just as painful.
"Fire!"
(Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow, BZZZZZTTTTT)
"Aaaaaagggghhhh!"
"Raaaghh!"
"Aaaaaah!"
"Uuuuuur-hh!"
"(Rowl)"
All five of the humans, demons and half-demon are blasted with multiple bolts of energy, shocking them down to the bone!...They all quickly fall to the ground, their bodies twitching but were otherwise alive...As their collective unconscious states settle in, Inuyasha struggles to hang on and crawl in Coraline's direction.
"Ghh, C-Cor...Cora-line...Uhhh..."
But even he couldn't stay awake, and he too would fall into darkness...Bishop orders his men to grab each one, and two more hurry to activate the portal technology to leave this era, while he himself snatched up the teenage girl with red hair.
"...Heh. It seems your sacrifice was in vain, Mathias. Your daughter will now either submit to Trinity...or will join you in the afterlife."
...
...
Meanwhile, in Present-Day Tokyo's Downtown...
"Hey, Besa?"
"Yeah?"
"...You think Cora's doin' alright?"
"Well, if she left for Edo, I'd say so. Inuyasha and she must've made up with one another."
The Brownlee twins, completely unaware of the grueling danger their spiritual sister was in currently, are found walking down the busy streets as they wonder over current events as well as where they'll be going for lunch. Today, Freeman is wearing a black leather jacket over dark forest green tee, black jeans and monochrome converse high-tops, while his brother chose a dark red jacket with a white tee, blue jeans and full black converse high-tops...
They stop over at one corner to wait for the light to change, and the boy with cornrows looks over to see that his twin sporting the natural cut had a troubled expression.
"...Is something wrong?"
"I just, have this feeling that somethin's wrong. Like, Cora and Inuyasha are in danger. (Shakes head) I dunno, maybe I'm just bein' paranoid..."
As they move with the small crowd across the crosswalk paint, Besa replies,
"Well, actually...I'm getting a similar feeling."
"Really?"
"Yeah...and it's not just today: lately I've been feeling like someone's watching us, especially when Coraline's here."
"No way! So have I!...Come to think of it...hadn't Cora mention something about some dangerous people who came to her old home a couple years ago and killed her father?"
The boys pause by a lamppost as the boy with cornrows puts a hand under his chin in thought.
"She did...Funny thing though is that she never went into any major details about it, not even saying who they are..."
"Hm..."
As the boys began pondering over the lack of information...Freeman suddenly spots something odd a few blocks ahead.
"Huh?"
"What is it, bro?"
"Look, there."
Besa turns around, and both boys watch two teens dressed in full black - one with bleach blond hair tied into a topknot and another with dark brown hair styled into a buisness cut - talk to eachother, one of them having an odd symbol on their arm...
"Who are those dudes?"
"Not sure..."
...One of the teens feels their stare, and turns their way...Freeman feels a familiar shiver run down his spine.
"Hang on...I, feel like I know them, but don't."
"Yeah, same...and I think I know why: we just talked about feeling invisible eyes for the past few weeks, right?"
"(...Widens eyes) Are you sayin'-"
"Yeah. (Narrows eyes) I think these guys might be the source, and there could be more of them than those two."
As if they could hear his suspicion, the nameless young men turn to one another, nod, and start speeding off to another direction!
"Wha-Hey! Hold on!"
The twins hurry after their supposed stalkers, dodging any pedestrians in their way and determined not to lose them...
"Hah, hah, I gotta feeling these weirdos have something to do with why we're suddenly worried about sis!"
"Me too! Hh...Let's be careful, though. They might be armed."
"Right."
...After a persistent twenty-minute chase, the twins will have tailed the black-clothed teens to a quieter part of Tokyo's busy streets, watching from behind a store sign as the latter made their way into an alleyway...Nodding to one another, the Brownlees slowly peer around the corner, careful to not make any noise and compromise their position...It was then that one of the secretive souls pulls back their sleeve, revealing an odd-looking watch.
"What the heck is that?"
"No clue, but shh..."
The blond points the device in the direction of the blank brick wall...just as a tiny satellite shape menifests from the tip of the frame near where the twelve numeral would've rested.
(Beep...Pow)
A bolt of energy shoots out from it, remanifesting into a portal over six feet tall!...The ones responsible for creating it waste no time in stepping through...leaving their observers gobsmacked.
"...Besa...is, that...?"
"Yep. That was definitely a wormhole...and...I think we should go in."
"What?! Are you off your rocker?! There's no way of knowin' what could be on the other side!"
"I know...but, my gut's telling me we should go anyway, that whatever is waiting will answer the question of who these guys are, and why they were spying on us and Cora."
Freeman looks at his brother in surprise...before sighing,
"Okay, I'm in. But if we get killed on the other side, I blame you."
"Heh, right. Come on, let's go!"
"Lead the way!"
With their decision made, the twins began charging towards the portal that was slowly beginning to close...They barely leap inside just in time, and the rip in time and space closes.
Besa's POV
(Leap, leap)
"Uh!"
"Whoa!"
Freeman and I made it through the strange portal, and when we landed on the ground, we looked up to see...a forest?
"What the...Where are we?"
Wherever this is, I could tell that it wasn't anywhere near the larger populace of human life. We're now somewhere deep in a large forest clearing, where a large seven story tall building stood, along with several vehicles and multiple giant crates. Then of course, there's the structure that stood behind Freeman and myself, that looks like one of those fictionalized transporter pads from sci-fi...
As we stood up, Freeman asks me,
"Got any clue where this is, bro?"
"No...but I don't think this is anywhere near Tokyo..."
Suddenly, I heard the distant sound of a man talking to someone.
"So Bishop and his team are back, huh?"
"Gh! Oh crap! Freeman, this way!"
I yank by brother behind a stack of those crates to hide...and after a minute, we see two men come around the corner wearing some sort of mercenary uniform, with that same symbol I saw earlier plastered on their vests.
Huh? It's that insignia again...Who are these people?
"Yeah, he returned, and brought back the target, along with five others that were with her."
"Why's he so interested in this girl, anyway?"
"Apparently, she's suppose to have this freaky ability to sense the supernatural, and the higher-ups in Europe want to put that to use."
Wait...a girl that can sense the supernatural...
No...No way. Are they talking about-!
"Ha, well I'll say this much: that Croft girl's in for the shock of her life when she wakes up!"
As the men both laugh, I felt my brain freeze.
...Coraline!
I turn to look at Freeman, and he had his eyes as wide as mine probably were.
"Di...Did he just say..."
"Yeah, I heard it clear as day...Which means our guts weren't lying: Coraline's in big-time trouble."
"They also said something about five others...You think, they got Inuyasha and those other four friends that Cor mentioned too?"
"Probably...I dunno how the hell they did, but, I'm thinking that transporter has something to do with it."
Freeman nods, before asking in a low tone,
"So what do we do now?"
"Good question..."
I then turn my attention to the building:
"But I think-no...I know that Cora's somewhere inside that building, along with Inuyasha. We need to get in there somehow."
...I then notice an air duct entrance.
"(Smirk) And I know just how we can do that..."
Hang in there, Sis. Wherever you are, we'll bust you out of this place!
Coraline's POV
"Mmm...Rgh..."
God, my head is killing me...So's my arm...
My eyes slowly blink open, and I find myself staring upward at...a florescent light...
"Huh?"
I sit up, cringing a bit from sore muscles, and saw that I'm inside a small room with white walls, one metal door with no knob, and I'm sitting atop a cot bed...
"What the hell? Where 'm I?"
It's like solitary confinem'nt in'a mental institution...Gh! Wait a minute!
"I was in Edo...but th'n, we were attacked...by Trinity...Hh! Then tha' means...!"
I mus' be locked up in one of their home bases!
...But...the oth'rs. Where are they? Are they safe?!
(Ping)
"Huh?"
I dart my head towards one corner of the room, spotting a large television screen. The image being captured was a laboratory of sorts...and Inuyasha and the others were inside, trapped in glass casings!
"Inuaysha! Sango, Miroku! Shippō, Kilala!"
Dammit! Bishop must'a ordered their capture as well...bu' why?
"Ah, I see that you five have awoken."
Aaaand speak o' the devil...
Damn you, Bishop! If you hurt any of 'em, I swear I'll kill yae with my bare hands!
No POV
"Mm...mrrh...huh?"
Zooming into the identified laboratory, Inuyasha arouses from unconsciousness, only to find himself inside a cage of likes he's never seen before...
"Wha...What the heck is this? Glass?"
"...Inuyasha!"
"Hm?"
He looks to his left, and sees the two smaller demons of his social group trapped in one as well!
"Are you okay?"
"Shippō!...Yeah, I'm fine. How are you and Kilala?"
"Okay, I guess. I dunno what that energy blast was, but it hurt...Where are we?"
"Not sure..."
"I have a feeling this is where Trinity resides."
The silverette looks right and sees Miroku and Sango were awake too within their own glass containment.
"Miroku...Sango..."
"Don't worry, we're fine too...but what really concerns me is that I don't see Coraline here with us."
"Uh!"
Inuyasha darts his head back and forth, confirming to himself that the redhead was nowhere within his radar.
"...You're right. She's not here!...Those bastards must've put her somewhere else."
(Fwwip)
The five souls focus over towards the automatic door opening, and see Bishop walking in along with three other mercenaries.
"Ah, I see that you five have awoken."
Inuyasha growls at the man with steel gray irises.
"You...Where's Coraline?! What did you do with her?!"
"Calm yourself, half-demon. Croft is fine...See for yourself."
Bishop walks over to a large computer monitor, and presses a button to turn on the screen...The five captives gasp when they see their imprisoned friend sitting on the cot with her head in her hands.
"Coraline!"
"Hm?...Hh! Guys!"
The commander of this shady organization then explains,
"We just felt it best to keep her separated from you five for the time being in solitary confinement. She can also see you on her own screen...You'll also find yourselves stripped of your weapons and any other items deemed too suspicious to be left on your person. They are now stored within the weapon depository."
Inuyasha feels down at his side, finding no sign of his signature sword.
Crud! They even took Tessaiga!
"Grrrh! You bastards aren't getting away with this, you hear me?!"
"Big words, coming from someone currently confined."
"Ha, you think some lousy glass will contain me? You're dreaming!"
The half-dog demon brings out his claws and tries to cut down the square cage.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash, bzzzzt)
"Aaagh!"
Unfortunately, though the hit was dead on, the glass did not break, and the contact would cause a shockwave of energy to pass through Inuyasha, sending him backwards to the floor!
"Grgh, what the hell was that?"
Bishop chuckles a bit and explains,
"I'm afraid you're no longer in a world where those of demon blood have the advantage. Here, we have created technology strong enough to keep someone as strong as you contained. For example, the glass dome you're in right now is built with a deflector shield that will send a shockwave of energy throughout your body if you try anything foolish with your claws."
Inuyasha growls deeply as the others become defensive, realizing that the glass domes they were in likely had a similar function...
"Damn you, Bishop! Yeu already have me; why drag my friends into this?!"
Bishop turns to the screen, addressing Coraline who had her fists balled and fury written on her face.
"You should know how our organization works by now. We cannot have any loose ends in our missions, and that includes witnesses...Of course, if you swear yourself to Trinity, perhaps we can discuss sending your friends back safe to whence they came."
"Bullcrap! It may 'ave been more th'n five years, but I know your gambit, Bishop: you won't let th'm go whether I join Trinity or not. So how 'bout you let me ou' of this room, and I'll show you how fast I can beat yeu black and blue!"
"Tmph. Continue to be stubborn if you wish, Croft, but I've broken others with stronger wills before. It's only a matter of time...and the longer you refuse, the longer your friends' lives will hang in the balance."
The redhead forms a worried expression at that last sentence...but Inuyasha wouldn't let her be blackmailed.
"Don't listen to him, Coraline! He's just trying to manipulate you!"
Miroku and Sango chime in,
"We'll be fine, as long as you stay strong!"
"We've faced tougher situations than this, and we won't give in as long as you don't!"
"...Guys..."
Coraline smiles and nods, refusing to let her friends down...Bishop frowns at the sound of the encouragement, and decides the cut the connection.
(Ping)
"Auh! Coraline!"
"Perhaps some silence between the groups will be best for now."
With that, he leaves the laboratory, leaving the five captives to start brainstorming ideas of how to get out of here as well as worry for Coraline's safety.
Coraline's POV
"Rgh, dammit; he turned off th' screen! Now what?"
I sit back down on the cot, running my fingers through my hair to try and calm down so I can come up with a plan.
Okay, Cora...pull yurself together. Panickin' isn' gonna solve the problem...
There's gotta be someway to get ou' of this room and find the oth'rs...but what?
(Thump, thump)
"...Huh?"
I look up to the ceiling, hearing a faint banging echo from behind the walls.
"...Was tha', the air ducts?"
...Hang on a second...There mus' be an entrance to the air ducts aroun' here.
After peering around the room for a couple seconds...I spot a large vent cover under the cot.
"Aha!"
I crawl underneath and look between the metal blinds to make sure this duct didn't lead directly to a fan or something else.
Looks clear...Yeah, yeah this'll work!
I grip the sides of the cover, and begin to pull.
(Rattle...)
"Rrrgh...!"
After a few minutes of forceful tugging...I manage to pry it off!
(Clang)
"Gotcha!"
I put the cover down on the floor, and begin shimmying inside, thanking my lucky stars that I was born skinny.
"Hah, hh...alright, here goes nothin'..."
I crawl down to the end, and pull myself upward to the next path.
"Okay...This will be a chall'nge, but I can do it."
I spread my hands and feet against the metal walls, and began shoving myself upwards as slow and careful as I could to the next floor.
"Hah...Hah. That wasn' too hard...Now le's see where this leads."
I travel down the new floor path for a good couple feet...then stop when my ears pick up on that thumping from earlier, only it was slowly getting louder.
...Where is tha' comin' from?
I shake my head, trying to stay focused on locating my friends, and use the vent covers I come across to see what part of the building I was in...But after passing at least five or six of them, I was beginning to get frustrated.
"Still noth'ng...Dammi', where'r they keepin' Inuyasha and the others?"
I turn around the next corner...and the next thing I knew, I crawled into someone!
"Ah!"
"Gah!" "Whoa!"
Wait...those voices...No way. It can't be-
"...Cor? Is that you?"
I look up, and saw my twin brothers looking back at me with shocked expressions that likely match my own!
"...Freeman...Besa...!"
I feel a huge smile form on my face, happy to see some friendly and familiar faces.
"Guys! I can't believe you're here!"
I move to hug them (well, tried to; it's not easy in a cramped space like this), and they hugged back, all of us keeping our voices low so that they didn't echo but laughing at the craziness of meeting eachother inside an air duct.
No POV
Soon enough, the three teens were moving along in the air ventilation system to continue the young Croft's current mission of finding her Edo-born allies and breaking them out. Along the way, she finally reveals the full details of her interlinked past with Trinity and her grudge against Bishop, while Besa and Freeman tell her about how they got here...
"So you followed a pair of spies through'a portal to this place?"
"Yeah, it was crazy: one of them used some kind of weird, futuristic watch to blast a portal open on a brick wall."
"We initially followed them because we had this gut feeling they had something to do with why there's been invisible eyes watching us for the past few weeks. When we heard those two soldiers talking about you...we knew something was wrong."
Coraline stops for a moment, forming a guilty look on her face.
"...I'm so sorry I never told yeu two abou' Trinity. I's been five years since I last saw any signs of th'm, and I honestly though' they believed me t' be dead by now. I should'v warned you after tha' encounter with those street punks...but I didn't wan' to endanger either of you."
Freeman turns his head to her and replies,
"Don't apologize, Cora. This isn't something you could've predicted, like what happened with the Bone Eater's Well and Inuyasha. I mean sure, it would've been nice that you said something more about why you came to Japan in the first place, but we understand the secrecy."
Besa nods in agreement, flashing a soft smile at her.
"You just wanted to protect us, and we get that. We probably would've done the same thing if we were in your shoes...Just remember that secret-keeping can lead to trouble, especially ones like this."
"Gotcha. I promise I won' make the same mistake again. I wan' you two te be safe, but not ignoran' to the dangers of my life before and now."
The teens each reach a hand out, making a three-way handshake.
"No more secrets,"
"And we look out for one another,"
"No matt'r how tough life gets."
With that promise made, the trio focuses back on reality.
"Alrigh': Bishop has Inuyasha an' the others in a laboratory of sorts according to wha' I saw on the televisi'n monitor of my cell."
Besa goes into thought:
"Hmm...well we're on the third floor of the building now, and I recall reading on a wall map that the labs in this joint are on the fifth floor."
"Which means we need to find'a path up."
"Right. Let's keep going."
The twins lead the way...and after taking a few lefts and a right, they find a path leading up.
"Aha, here we go!"
Besa elbows Freeman in the ribs:
"Shh! Not so loud, or our voices will travel."
"Sorry."
The trio climb upward, and reach the next floor...As they crawl along the new path, they come across another duct cover which opened to something of interest.
"...What's that? Looks like a, giant boomerang?"
Coraline's head snaps up at the description.
"What? Giant boom'rang? Le'me see!"
"Hang on, hang on..."
The boys move so Coraline could look down into the room below.
"...Oh my god. It's Sango's weapon, Hiraikotsu!"
"That's a weapon?!"
"Yeah...And, I think I see Miroku's staff in d'ere too...along with, crates of other weapons...Oh! Tessiaga!...All of our items mus' be in here, this, armory."
The boy with cornrows nods,
"Then let's remember to come back to the fourth floor once we bust everyone else out."
With that thought in the back of their heads, the three keep going...Eventually, they find another upward path, and climb up to the next floor...
"Hah, huh, weird...This is more spacious than the other floors."
Apparently, this part of the ventilation system was much larger, enough so that the two young man and young woman could stand up, and had a few control boxes in random areas, along with multiple vent covers...Coraline comments while looking around,
"This must be the main part of the vent system for this place."
Freeman nods,
"Yeah...Uh! Guys, over here, look!"
Coraline and Besa rush over to his sides.
"What is it, bro?"
"I see Inuyasha and the others."
He points to one large vent cover, and the other two look inside, and gasp at seeing the laboratory Coraline was talking about, as well as its current captives.
"Inuyasha..."
"What the hell are those things they're in? Looks like something out a bio-genetics special..."
"I dunno, (narrows eyes) but I remember witnessin' Inuyasha getting blasted by some kind of energy when 'e tried to claw his way ou', so the material mus' be pretty powerful to stave off a demon."
"All the more reason to get him out of there, and everyone else...Hmm, question is though, how are we gonna get there without being spotted? I can see at least four, no, five guards roaming around."
...An answer presents itself to the blue-eyed girl, when she spots an entrance to the vents that was hiding behind a giant computer.
"(Point) That vent is in their blind spo'. We just have t' go around righ' a couple feet and we can drop down...Then there's just the problem of taking them out..."
"One step ahead of ya, sis."
"Huh?"
She and Besa turn to Freeman in confusion, whom had moved over to stand near another vent cover with a knowing smirk.
"I can see some smoke bombs down there. We just have to sneak over, snatch one up each, and let 'em fly. They can't hit what they can't see, right?"
The other two look at one another for a moment...before forming their own smirks, and nod at their companion...Meanwhile, down in the laboratory, Inuyasha was becoming restless and irritated over his imprisonment.
Damn it, this sucks. If I try clawin' my way out, I'll just get electrified again.
And god forbid if the others try breaking out too, only to get hurt in the process...
Coraline...I hope you're okay, and I promise to keep thinking until I come up with something to bust out of here and save you.
What he didn't know, however, is that he and the others would be the ones getting rescued in the next few minutes...
(Crick-clang)
"Huh?"
His ears suddenly pick up on a strange sound.
...What the hell was that? Didn't sound like one of these weird contraptions.
He turns around to the back right...only to feel his eyes bulge out at the sight of Besa, Freeman and Coraline crawling out of the air ducts!
Coraline!...And the twins?! How'd those two get here?!
How'd she get here?!
Sensing the young man's stare, the girl turns to Inuyasha's direction and sends a salute, followed by a finger over the mouth to signal silence. The half-demon tilts his head in confusion, until Coraline points to the guards...He understands immediately, and nods. The redhead smiles and nods back, before turning back to her brothers to whisper the details of their makeshift plan.
"Okay, Inuyasha knows we're here. Let's ge' those bombs, then split up to cover more ground."
Besa nods,
"Right," and Freeman volunteers,
"I'll go get the smoke bombs; you two stay here."
He turns around and begins making his way over to the crate where the bombs were sitting on, using every available object large enough to hide behind to keep invisible to the guards...He succeeds, grabbing three bombs before crawling his way back as quietly as possible...
"Got 'em."
"Nice job...Okay, I'll go over to Shippō and Kilala, while Besa, yeu go behind Miroku and Sango, and Freeman, take the entrance to the lab. We'll box these bast'rds in."
"Good plan."
"Gotcha."
With one quick nod, the three teens split up and steal themselves over to their stations...When Coraline reaches the two smaller demons, the fox becomes ecstatic over seeing her.
"Hah! Coraline!"
"Shh, yes, it's me, Shippō, but stay quie', okay? My brothers and I are gonna ge' the jump on these guards, then we'll bust you all ou'."
"Oh, right. Okay...wait, your brothers?"
Coraline points over where the twins were, causing an expression of realization to spread onto Shippō's face.
"Oooh...how'd they get here?"
"Long story. We'll explain after."
At the same time, Freeman and Besa had made their way behind Miroku and Sango, who in turn would become quite surprised by their presence.
"...Huh? Who are you two?"
The cornrow-haired boy shushes them, signaling Freeman to keep moving.
"We'll explain in a minute, but in the meantime, act like we're not here."
"Uh, okay..."
"(Point) If you look over there, you'll see Cora."
"...Oh! Then you must be-"
"Hold that thought: the guards are coming into position. Like I said, we'll tell you who we are in a second."
He then focuses on the area where the guards were standing, as do Freeman and Coraline...The girl holds her fingers up, counting down from,
Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One!
At her thumbs-up, all three teens throw a smoke bomb, catching the Trinity guards completely unawares.
(BOOM, Foooosh...)
"Ah-kk-koff! What the hell?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Ambush!"
Coraline calls out to her brothers,
"Now!"
They all then charge with matching outcries of determination, and with the guards disoriented by the smoke, the teens had a pretty good advantage.
(Punch, kick, kick...)
"Agh!" "What the-?!"
"Uhh!"
The imprisoned souls couldn't see the action at first...But as the smoke clears, their eyes widen in shock as they watch Coraline roundhouse-kick one guard to the ground, while Freeman and Besa team up against the last one standing.
(Kick)
"Aaaag-"
"Hrah!"
(KICK)
"Uuuhhhh..."
...With all of the mercenaries down for the count, the modern trio cheer iover their triumph.
"Yes!" "Alright!"
"And who says teenagers can't kick ass?!"
They all laugh at Freeman's cheer, before focusing on everyone else, with Coraline waving at everyone with a smile.
"Hey guys. Miss me~?"
"Coraline!"
Shippō broke into his own cheer alongside Kilala's excited mewls.
"That was awesome! You three totally kicked their butts!"
"Thanks Shippō. Now then...let's ge' you all out of those things."
Coraline walks up to Inuyasha, while Freeman walked over to Shippō and Kilala, and Besa to Miroku and Sango.
"...Dang. Whatever happened to labeling these things 'On and Off'?"
"I know, right? Hey Cor, any ideas of what button to press?"
"Still lookin'..."
"...You came here to rescue us."
"Hm?"
She looks up at Inuyasha's astonished expression, and smiles while replying,
"Of course I did. I would nev'a ev'r consider leavin' yeu lot behind...You're all precious to me, especially you, Inuyasha."
"...Coraline..."
"Hey, Cora, Freeman! I think I got it!"
The redhead turns to Besa's direction.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I see something labelled 'Energy Fail-Safe Disabler'. I dunno if it'll get rid of the glass, but I'm pretty sure this controls the force-field lining it."
"Hm, alright, tha' should be enough. (Turn) Inuyasha, do y' think you can cu' down the glass once the barrier's down?"
"Keh, easy. Just push the button already and get me outta here."
Coraline half-smirks at his cockiness:
"As you wish, oh mighty dog demon. You heard the man, bros, let's try it."
"Right!"
(Click, click, click)
The buttons are pushed...and in a stroke of luck, the deflector shields begin powering down!
"Yes!"
Once they completely vanish, Coraline backs up a bit and says,
"Alright, Inuyasha; give i' a whirl!"
"(Leap) Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash, shatter)
The glass breaks, and the twins rush to pull their sibling away from the flying shards.
"Watch it, sis!"
"Whoa!"
At the same time, Inuyasha lands smoothly on the ground, feeling rather invigorated from smashing open his cage.
"Ha, finally I'm out!"
He then turns to smile at the three responsible for granting his chance for freedom.
"Nice job, you guys."
They nod with big grins on their faces, and the half-demon quickly induces the same punishment on the other glass domes to free the other Edo-born people...Once everyone was out, and got a big hug of relief from Coraline each, Miroku would then turn his attention to the two friendly but unfamiliar faces.
"...Sooo, are these two gentlemen friends of yours?"
The twins walk up to either side of Coraline, and she puts her arms around their shoulders while answering,
"Brothers, actually. Inuyasha's already met th'm, but I guess now the rest you can. Miroku, Sango, Shippō, Kilala, I'd like yeu to mee' my twin broth'rs, Freeman and Besa Brownlee."
Said twins shake hands with the monk and slayer.
"Hi."
"Nice to meet you."
The fox demon hops up onto Coraline's shoulder to get a closer look.
"Wow, I've never seen humans with that kind of skin colour before!"
The boys laugh lightly at the comment and say,
"Yeah, we get that alot in Japan."
"It's because we're of African-American descent that we have a darker skin pigment. We have ancestors from Africa, but originally, we come from North America in a country called the United States. Blood travels; know what I mean?"
"Uuuh, I think so..."
Inuyasha then asks them with a raised eyebrow,
"So how'd you two get here anyway?"
"Long story short, we followed some spies into a portal that sprouted downtown and came here."
"Once we heard Cor's last name, that's all we needed to know something bad was going on."
Said girl folds her arms with a frown.
"Then this means Trinity's teleportation technol'gy isn' just fo' time travel: they can choose the locale...That's not good..."
Miroku nods in agreement:
"Indeed, that is quite troubling...but right now, we need to focus on getting out of here before any other guards find out what happened in here."
Inuyasha retorts,
"But we can't leave here without our weapons! I'm sure as hell not leaving Tessaiga here with these stupid humans!"
"Actually...we know where i's bein' stored."
He whirls over to Coraline:
"What? Where is it? Where's Tessaiga?"
"Calm down. There's an armory a floor down from where we are. I saw Hiraikotsu, Miroku's staff and Tessaiga inside, so I'm fairly sure everything tha' was taken from us is in there."
"...Alright. So how do we get there without getting caught?"
Freeman answers with a shrug,
"Same way we got here: the vent systems."
...
...
(Thump, thump, thump...)
"How much further 'til we're there?"
"Not far. Just need to keep going down this end, then make a right."
The group was now on the fourth floor of the ventilation system, crawling along while trying not to make too much noise and arouse suspicion...
"What?! What do you mean Croft and her allies are gone?!"
Everybody freezes to the sound of Bishop's furious voice echoing from an vent cover a stone's throw away from Besa, who was leading the charge...He signals everyone else to be silent, and they listen as another Trinity soldier nervously explains the situation.
"I-I dunno how she did it, but Croft escaped! And one of the others found the guards in the lab knocked out cold, and the glass domes were smashed open!"
"Damn it...Put everyone on alert! Destroy the others if necessary, but Croft is to be captured alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
...Once the sound of footsteps died off down below, Coraline curses,
"Shit. So much for escapin' unawares..."
Freeman replies matter-of-factually,
"Nobody said this was gonna be easy, Cor. Let's just get to the armory and get out of here."
Everyone gets moving again...and eventually, they reach the vent cover that lead to the armory room.
"Okay, we're here."
(Kick, clang)
The cover falls to the ground below, and Besa drops to his feet, followed by Freeman, Coraline, Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippō and Kilala...Looking around, the room is seen to be filled with crates and containers of weapons, some standard, some unusual, some labelled 'Danger'...
Freeman lets out a low whistle and exclaims,
"Holy crap, are they planning for World War Three?! There's more guns and blades here then they can use!"
His sister scoffs,
"I doubt all o' these are made by Trinity. Some of th'm are likely stolen contraband..."
"Ah, Hiraikotsu!"
Coraline turns to see Sango happily take back her weapon, along with Miroku grabbing his staff.
"Thank the gods, I've got this back."
Shippō then spots his pouch of magical items.
"Yay! My fox tricks!...Huh? Hey, Coraline, I think I found your bags!"
"What? Where?"
She rushes over to Shippō's position atop a crate, and he points down to a space between the stacks...
"Good eye, Shippō!"
Coraline pulls her satchel and backpack out from the crevice, and does a thorough check to make sure everything is still inside...
"Haah, good, everything's exactly how I left it, and nothin's missing."
Luckily, I chose this round of packin' to no' include any of Father's research.
No way is Bishop gettin' his hands on that...
"Aw come on, seriously?! How am I suppose to get past this?!"
She turns to where Inuyasha's complaint came from, and sees him brooding over the fact that his sword was, not within easy reach...She walks over to where he stood, and sees the problem.
"Shoot. This wasn't here earlier. It must've been recently activated."
By 'it', she means the newly-formed laser gird that was surrounding the display stand Tessaiga's resting on...And guess what was sitting below it?
"Auh! My combat knife's in 'ere too! (Facepalm) Great...Now what?"
Freeman's POV
As everyone scrambles to steal back their possessions, I decided to take a look around...
"Hmm, this is pretty advanced technology. I wonder if the government knows about any of this? Likely not...Hm?"
That's when I come across something familiar: it looks like those weird transporter watches the spies used, except simpler. It was mainly a leather strap with a round metal base, and a crystal shard lodged comfortably in the center...
"Hey Besa, check this out."
He comes over to my side:
"What is it, Freeman?"
"I think I just found the prototype to those transport watches...Oh, there's a second one here too."
I pick them up, and hand one to him so he could have a better look.
"Huh, weird...The crystal kind-of looks like those jewel shards that Coraline's been hunting, only different."
"Yeah. It's more quartz-like..."
...I stare at the prototype for a minute, feeling this, strange pull.
This crystal...It's faint, but, I can feel an energy calling to me...like I was suppose to find it.
"Besa...I think we should take these with us."
"...Yeah. I was just thinking the same thing."
We snap the prototypes on our wrists, just as we heard Inuyasha exclaim,
"Aw come on, seriously?! How am I suppose to get past this?!"
We rush over to where he was, and see a laser grid covering the area where Tessaiga was sitting.
"Oooh, that's a problem..."
"Auh! My combat knife's in 'ere too! (Facepalm) Great...Now what?"
I step forward to examine the grid.
"Hmm...The holes between the lasers aren't too small...I think we might be able to slip the blades out."
I turn to Coraline, and compare her arm size to the holes in the laser grid.
"...Yeah. Yeah, this should work as long as we do it carefully. Cora, you up for the job?"
"I guess...?"
"Hey, your arms are skinny enough to reach inside."
"...Hauh, fine, bu' I'm gonna need a boost so I can ge' the Tessaiga's handle."
"Leave that to us, right, bro?"
Besa nods, and we go behind Coraline before hoisting her up on our shoulders.
"Mph, there we go. Ready?"
"Yeah, start easin' me in, slowly..."
My bro and I start to edge forward, and Coraline eases her arm carefully inside...
"Rgh...a little more, guys."
We heed her order, and she stretches as far as she can...
(Grasp)
"Got it!"
"Okay, slowly tilt it forward, and ease it out one of the holes that way. Inuyasha, stand by to grab."
He nods, and Coraline begins tilting Tessaiga, fumbling a bit before catching it.
"Yipe!...Phew..."
"Oi, careful with my sword!"
"Sorry, Inuyasha."
"Calm down, dude. This is delicate work."
"Whatever..."
Coraline manages to bend it down to a hole around the middle of the lase grid, and very carefully starts sliding it through...
"Almos', there...Okay, Inuyasha, go ahead and grab it, but be careful of the laser edges."
"Yeah yeah."
He takes it by the upper sheath, and slowly pulls it out while Coraline pulls back her arm...
"Yes!"
"We did it!"
"Way to go, Coraline!"
"You guys are a good team!"
We set our sister down on her feet, and she remarks lightly,
"Hoo, that wasn' so bad. Now I jus' have to grab m' knife. That should be easier to pull out..."
She turns back to the grid, and once again puts a careful arm between the lasers, successfully grabbing her combat knife.
"Ha!"
She pulls back with a big grin on her face.
"Heh, guess Trinity should rethink their security measures. (Serious frown) Now tha' we got our stuff back, le's find our way outside. I don' think we can take the vent system now withou' makin' too much noise, so we'll need t' take the halls."
I fold my arms in thought:
"Hm, that's gonna take some major stealth. This place has gotta be filled with guards runnin' around lookin' for us by now...We should try to find the stairwell. It'll be less likely that they'll find us there."
Everyone nods in agreement, and we begin walking over to the door out of here...
"Aw crap, it's locked! How're we-"
"Relax. I got this one covered."
"Huh?"
Everyone looks at me confused...before I brandish out a key card with a cheeky grin. My brother asks,
"How the heck did you get that?"
"Stole it off a guard from the lab."
"...Sometimes I worry for you, Freeman."
I just chuckle at his comment before swiping the card into the slot.
(Beep)
No POV
The door to the armory slides to the left, and Freeman pokes his head out the doorway to look back and forth to see if any hostiles were nearby...
"Coast is clear."
The group of eight slowly steps out into the corridor, and Besa says in a low voice,
"Okay, based on what I remember from the wall map, the staircase entrance for this floor in't too far from the armory. We just have to go right, then left, and right at the end of the hall should be the door."
Coraline nods,
"Sounds good, bro...Let's move fast, but silent, and keep your senses sharp for any guards."
None of them waste time in rushing down the determined path...eventually finding the stairwell in question.
"Ha! Got it. Do your thing with the key card, Freeman."
(Swipe, beep)
The door unlocks, and they head inside...
"Should we go down or up?"
Miroku answers the small fox demon by reasoning,
"It's more likely there will be guards posted below, so we should head for the roof of this place and escape from there."
Freeman bugles his eyes a bit at that suggestion.
"Uh, this place is at least seven stories high! How do you propose we jump from that high to the ground?"
He heads up the stairs with the others nonetheless, and Inuyasha scoffs,
"Don't be a scaredy cat, man. We've got that covered: I can take two plus Shippō down on my own, and the rest can ride Kilala."
"Kilala?"
His closest companion turns her head to the twins and says,
"Oh right, y' guys haven' seen her true form yet, have ya. Kilala's more th'n capable of carrying a few people at'a time."
"...You sure?"
"Positive. You'll see once we're on the roof."
...Eventually, they reach the door leading to the roof...but when they open it, the group barely stops in time before three skulking guards could spot them.
"Gh! Damn. Should'a known there'd be a few soldiers here..."
...That's when the Brownlees spot a pair of crowbars on the ground near a crate that used to house some dangerous contents (at least that's the guess based on the Danger stamp).
"Hmm...You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Besa?"
"Yeah. Stay here, everyone. We got this one."
They begin their silent trek to the blunt pieces of metal, much to Coraline's protest.
"Wha-Besa, Freeman, what're you doin'?"
They ignore her and snatch the crowbars up, before sneaking around slowly behind the guards, much to Miroku's and Sango's surprise.
"...Looks like they're going to try a sneak attack."
"Your brothers are brave, I'll give them that, Coraline."
Meanwhile, the unsuspecting soldiers of Trinity guards continue to keep watch over the area above and below, waiting for the moment their targets of inquiry would show themselves...
"Yo, wiseguys!"
"Huh?"
(Swing, CLANG)
"Uh!"
Which would leave them vulnerable to being taken out by said targets. In which case, Freeman makes the first move of knocking aside one guard's weapon with his crowbar, before landing a kick in his gut. They fall with a winded gasp, prompting the other two soldiers to point their guns at the teen.
"W-Why you-?!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"(Smirk) Your worst nightmare. Now, Besa!"
(WHACK, WHACK)
"Owhuh!"
"Rrrrgh!"
The other arguably calmer Brownlee whaps his crowbar against the back of their heads, knocking them out cold...Unfortunately, the first guard was still conscious...
"Freeman, behind you!"
"Huh?"
(Whoosh)
"Whoa!"
Freeman barely dodges an incoming fist, before swinging one back.
"Hyah!"
(Whap)
"Urgh!"
Besa adds to the pressure with a kick, before both suckerpunch the guard at the same time in the back and gut.
"Aaagh!"
...Now the soldiers were down...
"Ha, yes!"
"Way to go, bro!"
As the twins highfive eachother, the others come out of hiding with their own smiles.
"Nice work, you guys."
"That was excellent teamwork."
"You knocked 'em out cold. I'm impressed."
They rub the back of their heads with modest smiles, before turning attention over the edge of the roof, looking down below at a treeline for a large forest.
"...Sooo back to the whole 'getting down' issue..."
Coraline laughs a bit and says,
"Hang on...Sango?"
"Right. Kilala, you know what to do."
Said cat demon mewls, before surrounding herself in flames and transforming into her larger true form. The twins gape at Kilala in awe:
"Whoa..."
"Heha, pretty mind-blowin', isn' i'?...Okay, who's goin' with who?"
In the end, the group decides to split up so Inuyasha was taking Coraline, Shippō and Freeman, while Kilala carted Sango, Miroku and Besa...They all land on the ground safely, with the twins exclaiming excitedly,
"That was so cool!"
"Amazing!"
Coraline smiles at their lit-up expressions...before noticing something on the back wall of the building.
"Hm?"
...Is tha', a placard?
"What is it, Coraline?"
She walks over to get a closer look and replies to the half-demon,
"There's a lab'l here for the buildin'...Le'see...It reads 'Trinity Headquarters, Japan Division, Section 2. Location: Aokigahara Forest'."
Besa and Freeman feel their eyes widen, realizing this locale is much further off from familiar territory than previously estimated.
"Aokigahara? As in 'The Sea of Trees' near Mount Fuji?"
"Aw jeez, that's way far from Tokyo!"
Coraline curses,
"Dammi', an' knowin' Trinity, this is likely one'a the lesser known areas of th' forest far off from human activity. Wha' to do..."
The boy with cornrow-styled hair then remembers,
"Hold up...We're at the back of the building now, (glances left) so that transporter Freeman and I came out of should be over that way...If we can get to that, maybe we can use it to get to Edo."
His brother adds,
"And maybe these prototype watches we swiped can help."
"Wha' prototypes?"
They pull back their sleeves to revealing the protable transporters with the crystal centers.
"We found these in the armory, and for reasons we can't really put into words, we decided to take them."
"It's weird, though...As I was lookin' at it, I felt this, strange pull, like the crystal was calling to me. Besa felt it too."
The rest of the group wanders their way for a closer examination.
"Huh...strange. They sort-a remind me of the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama, bu' they aren't...Wait a sec. I think I know wha' they are!"
"What?"
"I rememb'a Grandfath'r once told me abou' this other infamous gem that held strange powers, but as abundant as'a normal crystal...I, think i' was called 'The Cryst'l of Seven Lights'. It was mostly spoken in anci'nt texts as a healing crystal, but hidden between the words, scholars have hinted tha' the gem held secrets only a chos'n few will uncov'a."
Everyone hums in thought, and Miroku concludes,
"Well, whatever the case, if these work the same way as those devices used by Trinity to travel to our world, then we should be able to use them for our own purposes."
Inuyasha nods in agreement:
"Yeah, so let's quit standing around and get movin' to that trans-porter pad thing, or whatever. (Turn) You guys know where one is, right, Besa?"
"Yep. It's right around this corner."
With the twins leading the way, everyone starts rushing for the transporter pad...But when they turn the corner...
"Auh crap!"
A large group of Trinity soldiers would be waiting for them, including Bishop!
"There they are! Get them!"
The men cock their weapons, and Coraline shouts,
"Run for the forest!"
Guns begin their rapid fire as our heroes and heroines retreat for the deep tree cover...
...
...
"Hah, hah, have we lost 'em yet?"
"Not even close! They're still a good couple feet away!"
Half an hour has passed since Coraline, Inuyasha and everyone else began their run from Trinity forces, dodging any incoming gunfire as they attempt to create as much distance from the enemy as possible...
(Bang, p-ting)
"Ah!"
A bullet suddenly scars a tree just a few inches away from the prime target, and Inuyasha immediately becomes concerned.
"Coraline, are you okay?!"
"Yeah, i' missed...but I dunno how long we can keep going like this!"
...The dog demon decides to switch things up, spinning around to scoop up the redhead and one of her brothers so they're riding his back.
"Ah!"
"Whoa, dude, word of warning!?"
"Trust me, this'll be faster and easier, so shut up and hang on!"
Kilala follows Inuaysha's example, gathering the other humans onto her own back before both demon and half-demon pump up their speed...They manage to leave the pursuing soldiers hanging, causing the silverette to smirk and scoff,
"Ha, those idiots can't catch us now."
"Maybe no' for a while, but wha'r we gonna do?"
"Huh? What're you talkin' about, Coraline?"
"We're not in familiar territory, and the only way to really get outta here is all th' way back at their headquarters. I doubt Bishop will leave it unguarded too..."
Sango calls out in agreement,
"She's right. We're literally and figuratively not out of the woods yet."
The group stops in a small clearing, and the half-demon grumbles,
"Hey, at least I'm trying to stay positive about this."
Coraline replies with a patient smile,
"I know you are, and I'm glad for that, but we need t' keep in mind of the situation. We can't afford to get cocky."
He hmphs and folds his arms, and the girl just sighs to herself with a head shake,
Boys...
"Alright, a' this point, we need te pick a direction, and hopefully find one o' the main hiking trails that can direct us to some help. (Turn) Whaddo you think, bros?...Bros?"
The twins weren't listening, their eyes currently fixated on the prototype transporters they stole.
"...Do you feel that?"
"Yeah...It's pulsing again, but stronger..."
They suddenly dart their heads towards the northeast.
"That way."
The twins then broke into a run for that direction, much to everyone else's confusion.
"Huh?"
"Freeman, Besa!"
"Where are you guys going?!"
"Wait up!"
...
...
Eventually, Freeman and Besa come to another clearing, only this one held a large gathering of craters.
"...Whoa. Must've been alot of volcanic activity in this area."
"Yeah...Now, where is that-"
"Freeman! Besa!"
Coraline and the others catch up, and as she bends over in exhaustion, she manages to wheeze out,
"Hauh, wha', the heck, was tha' about?"
"It's the crystals. They started pulsing again, and we felt a pull in this direction."
"What?...That's weird...Wait...Maybe this area has another transport'r pad set up, and the crystal shards detected it somehow."
"Hm, could be...Let's look around for anything that looks out of place."
Everyone splits up to comb the crater-filled clearing, keeping their eyes sharp for anything unusual...
"Hey! I found it!"
Everyone darts over to the one giant crater that Freeman shouted from, and looking down below, we see a transporter platform sitting at the bottom!
"Nice one, brother!"
"Let's go see if we can activate it!"
The group bounds down the wall of the large indent in the soil to the advance piece of technology...But when they got there, they ran into a little problem.
"...Damn it. Looks like they have'a specific location code system. And the only other option is the Lottery."
Shippō asks Coraline,
"Lottery? What's that mean?"
"Short version, it means tha' when we go through the portal...there's no way of knowin' where we'll come out."
Everyone cringes at the thought...but had little time to worry about the consequences when the following voices echo from the forest.
"Sir! I'm picking up signals from this area! Croft and her cohorts must be here!"
"Everyone spread out and start searching!"
Inuyasha curses and says,
"We have no other choice. We'll just have to risk it and hope we don't end up somewhere we'll be blown apart."
Everyone reluctantly nods, knowing he was right...
"It looks like we just need to hold our watches over this module here. Freeman?"
"Right, bro. Everyone else, get on the platform."
Everyone but the twins step up onto the metal base, and the Brownlees hold the wrist watches over the module, waiting for it to activate the portal.
"...Come on. Turn on!"
"Hold it right there!"
"Crap, they found us! Come on, crystal, work, work!"
(...Sheen...Sheen, Bong)
The module lights up green, much to their delight.
"It worked!"
Soldiers began circling the crater edge, just as a portal slowly begins to open behind the group!
"Guys, hurry! Get on!"
The twins run fast to their companions, reaching their safe hold as the portal enlarges and begins swallowing their bodies.
"Fire!"
(BANG, WHOOSH)
...Bishop's call comes too late, and our group escapes through the portal, leaving behind an empty platform and an enraged commander.
"Crooooooft!"
Coraline's POV
"Mmm...h-huh?"
Where...Where'r we?...Did we make it back to Edo, or Tokyo?
My vision focuses back to normal, and I sit up while holding my head from an oncoming headache, noticing that the others were laying in different positions on the ground unconscious...
I look around, seeing that we were on a grassy hill filled with...Bell-Heather?
"...That's strange...How could Bell-Heath'a be in Japan? It's a European native plant."
I get up and look down below the apparent hill...and I feel my eyes go wide as saucers from one sight I haven't seen for years, namely, a familiar village nestled near the ocean...
"Oh. My. God...This is-"
"Rgh...aw, my head..."
I turn back to see one of my companions rising to a sitting position while gritting his teeth a bit.
"Inuyasha...!"
I rush over to his side, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alrigh'?"
"I think so...What about you?"
"Ah, fine...sort-of."
He looks at me with a confused scowl at my hesitance.
"Fine, sort-of?...What's wrong?"
"Um, Inuyasha...I, don' know how I can put this...but, I think we're in-"
I'm interrupted by the sounds of everyone else softly groaning and getting up.
"Wh-What happened?"
"Did we made it?"
"Whoa, what a rush..."
"I think my head got turned upside-down..."
When their minds clear from the muddle, it would be Shippō who notices that this place was not on our original radar.
"Huh?...Where is this? This doesn't look like Edo..."
He then goes up to sniff and look at the Bell-Heather.
"...These are pretty, but, I've never seen these flowers before."
"That's 'cause they're not native to Japan, Shippō."
Everyone looks at me in confusion.
"How do you know that, Coraline?"
"If not, then whe-...Hang on, are you saying we're not in Japan anymore?"
I nod grimly, looking down at the village again, the others coming to stand beside me.
"...This is one place I never thought I'd return to...One place I thought I left behind for good..."
Inuyasha looks at me questionably, then looks back at the village...before he puts two and two together.
"Gh, wait...Coraline...are you saying..."
"Yes...We're no longer in Japan, Inuyasha...We're in Ireland...and this, is Majora Village, my old home."
Whaaaat?! The gang has landed in Coraline's old village?!
How did that happen? Are they still in her time? And are they safe from Trinity?
Find out in the next chapter to come. Stay tuned!