Update (February 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 46: Through the Demon Looking Glass
...
Night falls over the landscape of Edo Japan, the moon shining down and highlighting the roads for weary travelers seeking shelter. One particular group of travelers we all know has been fortunate enough to come across an abandoned shrine house not too long after their encounter with Naraku, or rather, his sorcerer agent Kagura and his demon puppet...
Zooming inside, we see the young men, women (including Kilala), child and Will O' Wisp gathered in a circle as they rest their bodies and discuss what they witnessed at the illusionary castle. Coraline finishes applying some medical tape across a large gauze she set on Inuyasha's torso wound, turning to meet Miroku's eyes with interest.
"So you're suggesting tha' this Kagura woman may've actu'lly been born from Naraku?"
"I'm saying that we have to consider it a possibility."
A delicate frown forms on her face, caught between agreeing with the monk and her own uncertainty. Shippō meanwhile is feeling fairly skeptical about the theory.
"Come on, that's impossible! Naraku's a man. How could a man give birth to a woman?"
Freeman nods,
"I'm with Shippō; that sounds way too freaky."
Miroku makes his case:
"Naraku himself was created from a host of various demons. What if one of them was torn from his body?"
Coraline widens her eyes a little...but then says,
"Tha' would make sense. It didn' seem she knew too much abou' us, so she couldn't be Naraku in the guise of a woman."
Besa adds,
"And didn't you say her aura had only 'similar' qualities to his, Cora?"
"Auy, I did...I could see hints of the same darkness, but a' the same time, it was different...which means Kagura may be connected to Naraku in tha' fashion, bu' she's still her own person."
"In any case, whatever her story might be, if she's been created from Naraku, then I'm not interested in her."
...Both redheads turn raised brows at the monk.
"It's not like she was flirtin' with you or anything, so why give energy to the though'?"
"Could you try to stay focus please, Miroku? Don't think about...what's that word you use sometimes, Coraline?"
"Heh, malarkey, also known as nonsense."
One of the girl's brothers quirks,
"But if you ever wanna use a word that'll really throw people off, I highly recommend bull-honky."
Just hearing the term was enough to get the little fox giggling.
"Bull-honky?! That's the most ridiculous word I've ever heard!"
"That's the point!"
Miroku shakes his head in amusement at the pair and teases,
"Now who's getting off-topic?"
They in turn smile sheepishly, and Inuyasha slips his layers back on as he puts in his opinion to get everyone's focus back.
"The woman had the same scent as Naraku...and the burn scar on her back was just the same as his...Still, don't you think it's strange? For a woman, this Kagura possessed unusual strength. If Naraku could create someone like her..."
Sango sees where his pondering was going.
"Right. Why wouldn't he have done so much earlier?"
Miroku answers,
"That's the point: it's not that he didn't choose to do it..."
"He wasn't able to before."
Besa wonders,
"Does this mean, he's gotten a new power recently...?"
Freeman shivers,
"If that's true, only kami knows what else he could send our way besides Kagura."
They all decide to end the topic there for now and change focus to getting some sleep...Turning the viewpoint out and far away from the abandoned shrine, we head inside a new manifestation of Naraku's stronghold as he speaks with Kagura over the recent encounter with the enemy...
"With the blows that you've received from Tessaiga, I was able to comprehend the power of Inuyasha's sword. (Glance) Go forth now, Kagura."
She glares hard at her master, the anger still running high from the latter's careless dispatch of the former into battle...Still, she forces herself to hold her tongue after yesterday's warning...
"Your sister, Kanna, has already been dispatched."
...
Moving away from the castle and down a path heading into a valley close to where our titular group is resting, we spot a young girl slowly wander along with a smaller swarm of the Saimyōshō. Getting a closer look, we see she's about four foot seven, has pale beige skin, snow white hair cut into a long lob with bangs and a pure white azalea clipped on either side of her head, they matching the colour of her kimono, and bleached rice straw yōri sandals.
In her hands is a mysterious, rounded silver mirror...which unlike her pure black irises, was the only surface that reflected life.
...
...
"Where did that wench get to?!"
"How dare she resists the keeper of the oil's young master!"
Winding the clock forward about two days, we shift the scene to a misty marsh a little ways from the road that strange entity in white had been wandering, the natural tranquility broken by the sound of men as they comb about for a person they just lost sight of. There's three on foot, carrying bō staffs made from bamboo stalks, while another rode on horseback, his lanky head wrapped with a strip of cloth and his right arm in a sling.
"Once you find Koharu, I expect you to beat her."
"We'll consider it an honour."
...Unbeknownst to them, hiding in the reeds a couple feet away is the girl in question. We see she has a fair complexion, medium length black hair tied into a loose bun and under a pale pink headscarf, and is wearing a baby blue kumon kimono with little off-black stripes decorating it, and a pale canary yellow skirt wrap.
Koharu wraps her arms around herself, her coffee brown irises alight with fear.
Mm-hh...What course do I have?
As she continues to remain as quiet as possible, the men skulk past her...and come across another figure kneeling by the water several feet away.
"...Over there!"
"It's her."
"We have found Koharu!"
One man wearing a light indigo kimono and a tan hakama charges at the figure...whom upon closer inspection, is revealed to be Sango! She of course senses the assailant coming, and immediately turns to clonk the attacker on his head with her bamboo water container after dodging the staff.
"Hr-gh!"
(BONK)
"Aaah!"
He falls back into the water, while Koharu watches from a distance in surprise...The rest of the quartet search party men quickly rush over, and the oil keeper's son demands,
"What manner of being are you, wench?"
Sango stands up while gripping Hiraikotsu, sending a glare at the rude fellow.
"That's exactly what I would ask...You seem to be no more than ordinary men."
The man who tried to attack her peers more closely at her, then says to his master,
"She is not Koharu, my lord."
However, despite this brunette not being the object of his search, the thin-faced son of the merchant found himself engulfed by her natural good looks.
"...Such beauty. Bring her with us."
"Yes, sire!"
His three vassals prepare to close in on Sango.
"You will come with us."
"Resist and you shall regret it."
Koharu begins coming out of her hiding spot, her fears being replaced with concern for the other woman.
"She is in danger. I must help!"
...But just as she begins charging out to stop her pursuers...
"Sango!"
"Hey! Leave her alone, you cowards!"
Freeman and Besa suddenly burst out from the reeds behind their companion, the first brother quick to defend.
"Take, (swing) this!"
He slams his ōtsuchi into the swampy marsh, the force of impact causing the area to shake and the men lose their steady footing.
"W-Whah!"
"Auh!"
"What the-"
Freeman then lunges forward and punts the head of his weapon into each of their torsos, knocking them straight into the water...
"Besa!"
"I'm on it!"
The other brother charges at the son of the oil merchant, and spooks the horse by swiping his kama in the air in front of the tamed creature's eyes. It lets out a frightened whinny and bucks, causing their passenger to fall off while they gallop for safety...
"Hyah!"
(KICK)
"Gaaaah!"
Besa delivers a spin-kick to the man's gut for an extra measure, sending the latter flying into the marsh! The vassals hurry to their lord's side:
"Are you hurt?!"
"Master!"
"Forgive us, sire!"
They hoist him up and begin retreating from the area.
"You shall see you treated."
"The young lord's ribs have cracked!"
...Once they were gone, Besa turns to wade his feet back over to his twin and the brunette.
"You alright, Sango?"
"Yes. Thank you both."
"Of course."
Freeman glares confusingly in the distance.
"What I'd like to know is what the heck that was about..."
"Same here."
They turn to see Inuyasha emerge from the reeds.
"You guys were quick on the action. Nice job."
The twins smile in appreciation and each reply,
"Eh, no sweat."
"To be honest, I wasn't even sure I was gonna land that kick at the creep on the horse."
"...Thank you."
"Huh?"
The four friends turn to meet the eyes of Koharu, who held a grateful expression on her features. Sango asks her,
"Was it you they were after?"
"(Frown) I'm afraid so..."
"Sango! Guys!"
We then watch the rest of our group hurry over from the main road onto the soft dirt of the marsh. Miroku asks,
"Something wrong?"
Freeman casually replies,
"Nothin' me and Besa couldn't handle," while Koharu gazes at the monk...
"Hh!...Miroku!"
"Mm?"
"It is you, Master Miroku! You've returned!"
Koharu then rushes to embrace the older young man with a happy smile.
"Miroku, how I've missed you!"
Everyone else looks in their direction in confusion...and it seems Miroku isn't as familiar with the shorter blackette as she is with him.
"Uuhm, I take it we met in the past?"
"I am Koharu."
"Koharu?...O-Oh, you don't say?"
"For three long years, I have waited."
"(Smile) Koharu! I almost didn't recognize you! How very, providential meeting you like this..."
Inuyasha moves to stand by Coraline - who had Shippō on her left shoulder - and wonders aloud,
"That young girl is a friend of Miroku's?"
She comments in a whisper,
"That migh' be what he thinks, but Koharu's view seems to differ...and considerin' how he usually chats with pretty girls..."
The little fox nods,
"Oh-hoh yeah..."
Meanwhile, Besa notices the change of expression in the demon slayer's face.
"...Hm? Hey, Sango, are you alright?"
"O-Oh, um, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? You look, unsettled..."
"(Fake smile) Don't worry about me, Besa. I'm okay."
He nods, but frowns in suspicion:
Hmm...I know that phony smile.
It's the same one Coraline makes when she doesn't want us to know she's troubled by something.
He turns to his brother, who nods while glancing at Sango, indicating that he too could see the emotional mask...They then focus with everyone else as Koharu tells them about how she and Miroku met a few years prior to now.
"I lost my parents and siblings in the war. The keeper of the oil took me under his care...but worked me day and night..."
(Flash)
Winding back the clock, we witness a younger Koharu - back when her hair was a bit shorter and used to wear a worn short-sleeved kimono of light fern green with a mauve pink obi - carrying a large barrel of oil with some difficulty...
"I was weary from my duties, and I wept each night..."
She sets it down, and wipes her eyes of a few oncoming tears and sweat...
"Then, a wondrous day..."
The memory shifts to a sunny afternoon, and we see a younger Miroku offering Koharu some rice balls.
"Here, eat up."
"A kind gesture from you, when you happened by our village to perform an exorcism."
The pair are soon sitting by one another on the grassy hill as she eats...
"So your name is Koharu. And how old are you?"
"I'm eleven."
"Are you? (Smile) Koharu...would you consider bearing my children?"
(Flash)
The monk's friends cringe back with faces of disbelief and disgust...
"Um, is something the matter?"
Coraline and Sango are quick to stomp over and reprimand him.
"Are yeu serious, Miroku?! Leadin' an innocent girl on like tha'?! How could yae?!"
"You lech!"
And yet, Koharu sighs blissfully,
"The happiest day of my life."
The other two ladies nearly fall over at the younger's innocence, and Coraline grasps Miroku by his robes before sternly ordering,
"You better step up like th' man you claim to be and take responsibility for yur actions, or you'll have my fist t' answer to!"
"U-Uh, right."
On the sidelines, Freeman asks Shippō - the latter having hopped on the former's left shoulder to avoid falling off the other redhead - in a low voice,
"Is this a regular problem for Miroku?"
"Hauh, more so than you think..."
The monk in question lightly blushes in embarrassment as Coraline releases him, then says,
"Look, would it change the matters if I told you I hadn't laid a hand on the girl?"
Sango replies with some bitter skepticism,
"That seems hard to believe..."
"Well, she was still a child."
Taking that fact into account, the two older teenage girls decide to back off...for now, just as Koharu finishes her tale.
"Miroku had to take leave of our village shortly afterword..."
(Flash)
Once he had performed his duty for the people, the monk would pay a final goodbye to Koharu, before turning to continue his journey...The tween sees him off with sadness in her eyes, but the rest of her face as straight as possible...
"I knew that one day, he would return to me. I believed it with all my heart."
Three years later, we see our current Koharu continuing her service in the oil keeper's house...She feels a stare, and turns to see the merchant's son gazing at her from behind the doorway...
"As of late, I've noticed the keeper of the oil's young lord leering at me..."
(Flash)
Everyone had settled onto a drier patch of the marsh shores by this point, and Koharu clenches a hand in front of her torso with a tortured expression.
"My fears were realized last night when he tried to force himself on me."
The twins gasp,
"He tried to-?!"
"That's just wrong!"
Coraline forms a serious expression and concludes,
"So that's why yeu ran off, to avoid being raped."
"Yes. I struck him with some firewood until he laid motionless."
"(Nod) Good call."
Koharu then shifts herself so she's kneeling in front of her object of affection, her hands folded in a pleading gesture.
"Please, Miroku. Won't you take me with you?"
"Koharu..."
"I have no where else to go! Besides..."
She clasps his hands into hers with a small smile.
"I am an adult now. I am able to bear your children."
Everyone else makes wary noises at her statement while Miroku chuckles nervously...Freeman and Besa then lean by the ears of their sister to ask about the underlying subject.
"She can't be any younger than a year before you, Cor, and she's already thinkin' about kids?!"
"Doesn't that seem a bit too early?"
She smiles sadly and replies,
"Keep in mind where we are, you two. The expectations of w'men in this era are quare different from ours...Men often did more of the heavy liftin' and went off to war, so marriage and childr'n came early so there'd be a better chance of bloodlines carryin' on. The furth'r back yeu go, th' more common teen motherhood is; th' young are almost always forced t' grow up faster than they'd like."
"Huh..."
Freeman's eyes then narrow when he remembers,
"Hang on...Does this mean Miroku really threw that 'bear my children' line at you?"
Coraline's eyes widen, and then she smiles nervously.
"Uhh, maybe?"
"...Wh-What the he-?!"
"We thought you were joking!"
The Brownlees felt a new set of glares form, and they turn to bark the monk's name. He turns to them in confusion, his Prussian blue irises widening at the scorned expressions directed his way.
"...Uuuh, is their a problem, gentlemen?"
The twins spring to their feet and retort,
"Damn right there's a problem!"
"What the hell were you thinkin' when you made a move on our baby sister?!"
Said girl blushes brightly in embarrassment at the familiar nickname.
"Guys!"
Meanwhile, Miroku slowly rises to his feet while nervous sweat beads his forehead.
"N-Now, there's no need to get worked up; that was months ago..."
Freeman cracks his knuckles, and glances at his brother with intent.
"...We're gonna beat him up, right?"
"Oh yeah."
Next thing we know, the twins began chasing the monk out of the marsh.
"Gya-ah!"
"Get back here, you pervy moron!"
"You've got some answering to do!"
...Coraline facepalms at their antics, and Sango comments,
"Your brothers seem extra violent today..."
"Ach, actu'lly, that's jus' them bein' the overprotective eejits they really are."
...
After a little bit, the small band of friends return to the small structure they had slept in for the night, allowing Koharu to follow them and not be turned back to the village where the terrible man lusting for her would be waiting.
We see Sango and Besa sitting together on a large rock protruding from the grassy earth in front of the structure, Shippō behind them on the rail going around the main shrine, while Miroku sat on the stairs to their left, rubbing his right arm from one of the bruises he recently received from a pair of overprotective brothers. The second sibling of that twin duo meanwhile, is lounging on the green with Kilala. Upon closer inspection, we see he's wearing the same cobalt blue jeans from yesterday like Besa...but because the marsh incident, they had to change into drier long-sleeve shirts - teal blue for the former and moss green for the latter - while also temporarily go barefoot to let their shoes air out.
...Inuyasha comes out of the structure to sit directly behind the monk, and addresses the 'elephant in the room'.
"Hauh, I hope you understand our position, Miroku. We can't take that girl with us."
"I know..."
Sango gently argues,
"Still, we cannot simply abandon the orphan child."
"True enough...Perhaps she can simply accompany us until we can find a suitable family that can take her in."
"At the least, seeing it was you who asked her to 'bear your children'."
Besa places a hand on the brunette's shoulder as a way to keep her calm, and Miroku rubs the back of his head with a half-smile.
"Oh, that. I ask that same question every single time I meet a new girl."
Freeman retorts from the ground with a somewhat irritated smile,
"Which is why I'm amazed you hasn't received an answer like the one Besa and I gave you several minutes ago. Word to the wise: don't flirt with a girl that has an older brother or two who can kick your ass."
Miroku frowns but nods all the same, while Inuyasha and Shippō snicker in amusement over the recent memory of watching the chase scene in question...Anyway, Sango found herself muttering without thinking,
"Hmph, you've said it to every girl except one maybe."
Miroku looks at her in confusion...then widens his eyes in realization before getting up to clasp her hand into his to as he 'makes up for missing her'.
"Sango, would you consider bearing my-"
"Spare me, would ya?!"
Freeman sighs at the scene and scratches behind Kilala's ears.
"And Besa says I need to work on my flirting skills..."
...Speaking of the other twin, he suddenly stands up and takes Sango by her shoulders, guiding her to sit on the boulder again.
"Come on, Sango, this isn't worth the energy. Trust me."
"...Hah, fine."
She complies with a small smile directed at the young man with espresso complexion...
For some reason, the gesture causes a small scowl to appear on Miroku's face.
What just happened?...How did he cool her ire so easily?
...And why do I suddenly feel, as though a Wind Tunnel just opened in my chest?
At the same time this all occurred, Coraline and Koharu had gone to the river connecting to the marsh to gather some water, and found themselves conversing about the monk while watching Lumos gently float around...
"So Miroku's your first love, huh?"
"He is. I remembered him every day that passed. I knew we'd meet again...and the thought of that, helped me through the hard times."
"(Smile) Love is a beautiful thing to hope on, it'is."
"I am so happy...so happy, I could die."
...Little did the girls know, someone was watching them - specifically, Koharu - from deep inside the forest canopy through a vision in her mirror...
That someone, was Kanna.
...
Moving ahead with their new plan for Koharu, the group continues down the main road until they arrive in a new village, a somewhat large one that sits on some rolling hills close to the valley forest, and occupies alot of farm fields. They quickly locate the headman, and Miroku explains the young woman's situation...
"Such a pity. Poor young child..."
"So, would you be willing to take this young girl into your village, elder?"
"I would be honoured. Leave the girl with me, young monk."
...Of course, despite the kindness of bringing her to a place where she could start a new and more pleasant chapter in her life, Koharu's infatuation for her first love causes her to be stubborn to common sense. In that regard, she tries desperately to convince Miroku's companions to let her journey with them.
"Please, I promise not to be a burden! Let me come!"
Inuyasha and Coraline reply,
"No chance."
"I'm sorry, Koharu, but our quest would pu' your life in jeopardy."
"Stop arguing and stay behind."
Sango and Shippō add,
"It is in your best interest."
"She's right."
The twins nod in agreement with serious but apologetic frowns, causing the young maiden to feel discouraged...
"I have spoken to the village elder."
They look up the small hills to see the monk wandering down from the headman's home.
"Miroku..."
"(Smile) Koharu. Come with me, would you?"
Placing an arm over her shoulders, Miroku leads his acquaintance down a ways to speak with her one on one, knowing that he has to let her down gently but firmly...They stop, and she turns to him with a beseeching expression.
"Miroku, I cannot bear to part away from you after such a short time."
"...Try to understand, Koharu..."
They kneel on the grass, and the young monk guides the girl's head to lay on his chest while he hugs her to comfort her.
"I cannot always guarantee that I would be able to protect you in times of battle...You see, the demon that I pursue is more devious and formidable than any other. Parting like this is difficult for me as well..."
Koharu lets out a quiet whimper, burying her face into his robes...
The others watch from higher up the hill, and Inuyasha asks Coraline,
"Does it look like he's setting her straight?"
"Hard t' tell...I wan' to say yes, bu' I'm just crossin' my fingers he's not accident'lly seducing her..."
Even the emotions in h's aura seem ambiguous.
...Yet...I sense...
Sango bitterly comments,
"Lecher, he's all over the girl. A parting like that will make her fall deeper in love."
She then sees Inuyasha eyeing her oddly.
"...Why are you staring?"
"I might just be imagining it, Sango, but is there a little jealousy thing goin' on here?"
Her glare hardens:
"It's your imagination!"
The half-demon winces and ducks behind the taller redhead, and we see the others were looking at the brunette just as warily...save Besa, who puts a hand on the slayer's shoulder with a wise smile.
"Hm?"
"What we see isn't always the truth...Miroku likely does have his head on straight, Sango, so don't get bristled over something we don't know from every angle."
"Uh...mm..."
Sango's anger drops in an instant, and she turns away from the other teen with a tiny blush dusting her cheeks...
Night soon coats the land like thinned ink, and it was time for our group to set out...
But Koharu wasn't ready for the monk to leave quite yet.
"Miroku, I'm begging you: won't you stay with me one last night?"
The village headman is also a bit concerned, knowing how dangerous evening travel could be.
"You heard Koharu. Won't you please stay the night with us?"
Miroku remains firm to his belief of not delaying the grief before the eventual acceptance.
"No. I fear that postponing our departure will only make it that much harder for her."
The girl's coffee brown irises begin pooling with tears, before she turns to run back inside the elder's home...Sango suddenly says a bit begrudgingly,
"Stay for her sake. One last night won't make that much difference."
Freeman folds his arms and replies with a small frown,
"I disagree. Coming from experience, the longer you delay any departure from a love interest, the harder it becomes to leave."
His friends looks at him oddly...
"There was, this guy I hooked up with last year who was only in town for a week before he had to go back to Kyoto. Long story short, he got real clingy and emotional when the days were up, and I made the mistake of being lenient to his desperate behaviour...which made our eventual parting really bitter."
Coraline stares at her brother for his example...before shrugging,
"Still, we are the only kinder souls she's come t' know..."
Miroku forms a closed-eye frown and responds,
"I must decline. If reason gave way to passion and Koharu were to become pregnant, she would be burdened for the rest of her life for my likeness."
Sango flinches with an appalled expression at the same time Coraline facepalms, while Freeman whispers to the other two men with a wry smile,
"That's where he and I differ: as a gay man, I don't have to worry about pregnancy scares."
His brother retorts with a frown,
"Maybe not, but you wouldn't be harsh and kick someone to the curb without so much as a 'later, dude' after leading them on too strong, right?"
"Of course not, but I gotta keep in mind of the realism and what my chances of keeping commitment are. I can't see myself as someone who can make long-distant work, nor do I want to burden anyone with that heartache."
Inuyasha looks at Freeman in surprise and comments,
"Huh. In that case, you're smarter than Miroku at controlling yourself."
"Haha, well I dunno about that. You might think otherwise if and when you see my own flirting techniques...I'm not a very moral romantic, but I'm man enough to admit it."
As that conversation went on, Shippō asks innocently,
"Reason gave way to passion? So what does that mean, Miroku?"
"Delighted you asked..."
Coraline slams the breaks on the monk's cheeky smile.
"Oh-hoh no, you're not fillin' his innocen' head with tha' malarkey, so shut yor gob before I shu' it for yae!"
Inside the village elder's home, Koharu begins to sob, her heart cracking apart at the thought of Miroku leaving so soon...Inuyasha's sensitive ears would of course pick up on the sound.
"Damn it, she's crying..."
"Hm?"
"Who is?...Koharu?"
He starts heading inside, ignoring the confused expressions on the Brownlees.
"She shouldn't waste her tears on that creep..."
He stops in front of the girl's crouching form...and reluctantly says in a blunt tone,
"Fine. We'll stay here the night and set out in the morning."
"(Sniff) Hm?"
"But no tears in the morning, alright?"
Koharu's crying ceases, and she looks at Inuyasha with shock...before smiling in happiness at the demon's kindness.
"(Nod) Yes!"
Outside, the young Croft thinks to herself with a half-smile,
Heh, the tough softie...He doesn't like seeing any woman sad and cryin'.
So with that decided, everyone settles into the headman's home for the night, and Koharu offers to prepare Miroku a hot bath to relax his weary body, which he would gladly oblige to...She adds more wood to the hearth built in below the ofuro, before calling from outside,
"Miroku, how is the bath temperature?"
He calls back in a blissful tone,
"Perfect. Nice and hot."
"After you finish your bath, I shall do my best to prepare the finest dinner for you and your friends."
"Thanks for going to all of this trouble."
Deciding to leave the object of her affections in peace, Koharu stands up and begins rushing off to start preparations for the meal with a smile on her face...
But then, about halfway back to the main house, she is stopped by the appearance of Kanna!
...The demon girl holds up her mirror, and it begins to glow. Koharu freezes...and her body glows a faint light, before a ghostly mist begins to flow out of her body and into the reflecting silver!
...She collapses, while the other girl stares at her form, face void of emotion...
We catch up now with everyone inside the elder's home as they begin eating the meal prepared for them, unaware of Koharu's fate. Shippō comments with a grin,
"This stew is incredible!"
Freeman nods,
"It is good, isn't it? Really fills the hole."
Besa elbows him with a mild glare and smile.
"You could show a bit more manners than that, brother."
"What's wrong with saying hole?"
"Oh never mind..."
Coraline shakes her head at them before saying,
"Easy, you guys...Oh, and I meant ta say this earlier, so I'll say it now: just because yeu two are older than me by a year does no' automatic'lly make me the 'baby' of our sibling trio!"
The twins stop glaring playfully at eachother to look at her with matching cheeky grins.
"Aww~, was ou' baby sister embawassed~?"
"You're just worked up because we called you our pet name in front of everyone here, aren't you? Admit it!"
"Ach, shut up!"
Everyone laughs at Coraline's red face, and as her blush cools down, she changes focus to the one who made the meal.
"Anyway...Koharu's a real gem of a girl. (Glance) I'd say she really pu' her efforts into pleasin' you with her cooking, Miroku."
...Suddenly, Inuyasha picks up his Tessaiga, his face set in a suspicious glare towards the outdoors.
"Inuyasha?...Wha' is it?"
He doesn't answer, but the monk does.
"We're surrounded."
"Wha' do you mean?"
"...I fear that the meal Koharu took so much trouble to prepare will go cold."
The half-demon nods,
"Yeah...Strange though that there's no scent of demons in the air..."
"(Ghostly moan...)"
Lumos then pops out of Coraline's rucksack, and floats to the doorway behind Inuyasha, circles three times...before blinking back and forth between red and his normal white-blue...Freeman says with narrowed eyes,
"Well, your nose may not be pickin' anything up, but Lumos is definitely sensing something off."
Miroku grabs his staff and says,
"Let's go out and survey the area," before leaving outside with the silverette...
They'd quickly discover the danger to be a group of men carrying torches and simple farming equipment for weapons...But upon closer inspection, we see that their movements were somewhat on the sluggish side, their voices strained and robotic.
"Get theeeem, hurry..."
"Uhhh..."
"Get 'em awaaay..."
Nevertheless, Inuyasha retains an authoritative front.
"Identify yourselves!"
Kilala comes to stand with he and Miroku, her fur standing on end as she growls...
"Are you from the village?"
The monk notices the army's condition.
"They seem to be under some sort of spell..."
One man holding a kama sends a signal to the small army, and they all begin charging to attack! Inuyasha makes his first move:
"(Leap) I don't think so!"
(Punch)
He takes down three of the men with one swing of his fist, and easily dodges the swing of a fourth's farming hoe...But the fight was just getting started, and the half-demon found himself dodging and shoving the village men away, while Miroku shoves two down with his shakujō.
"Inuyasha! They are only mortals, not demons!"
"Yeah, I figured that much out!"
Kilala soon joins in, knocking some men aside in her full demon form...Yet what all three of them didn't know, was that this was a distraction.
Coraline's POV
I'm sitting by the door with the others as we watch the action outside. Shippō asks,
"What's going on out there?"
Besa replies,
"Looks like some of the men from the village...but something's up. Why are they here attacking?"
Sango comments,
"Their numbers are great. I shall assist them," and Freeman adds,
"I'll come too."
...But before either them could go out, Koharu comes into the room from the other side.
"Something dreadful has happened!"
"What's wrong, Koharu?"
"A demon got inside and attacked the elder and his wife!"
I suck in a sharp breath of worry...but then wonder,
Hang on...a demon? If tha's true, why didn't I pick up on a dark aura?
...Besa's right. Something strange is afoot.
Even so, I grab my weapons while Sango grabs Hiraikotsu, and Freeman and Besa snatch up their respected war mallet and kamas. We then head down the hall to where the elder and his wife are resting...We reach the room, and Sango peers around the corner first before we all enter inside, coming across the dead elder and wife!
I hear Freeman wince, while Shippō stutters nervously,
"A-Are they really dead?"
Koharu mutters,
"The poor elder..."
I flash my eyes ice blue...and widen them when I sense,
No auras...How? This doesn' make sense...
When a death is recent, I usually pick up on the residu'l essence of a soul tha' once lingered...
It's like, their souls vanished...
Sango seemed a little suspicious too.
"A demon did this?"
I turn to question Koharu in a gentle but stern tone,
"Koharu, think carefully: did you happen ta see wha' this demon looked like?"
"Not exactly. I only caught a glimpse of it."
I furrow my eyebrows in thought:
None of this adds up.
Neither Inuyasha, Miroku or I could sense anything suggestin' a demon is behind this absurdity...
But Lumos is certainly on edge. Does'e sense somethin' we don't?
Speaking of, my Will O' Wisp companion begins emitting frantic moans again, zooming towards the door to the next room and bobbing up and down in intent...
"Is the threa' in there, Lumos?"
He 'nods', and I turn to the others, before we silently decide to investigate. Sango opens the door, and as we slowly step inside...a girl clad in white appears in the doorway on the opposite end!
...Who is that?...Tha' mirror...I'm getting a bad vibe.
"There it is!"
Before Sango could throw Hiraikotsu...the girl fades out of focus!
"Uh, she vanished!"
We all dart our heads around the room...before Besa calls out,
"Behind us!"
"I got her!"
Freeman tries to swing his hammer at her, but she disappears again before the head could make contact, causing him to bonk the floor instead.
(Whap)
"Gah, crap, I missed!"
He steadies himself, and we search for the girl again...who reappears at another end of the room!
"Grh, Hiraikotsu!"
Sango's boomerang travels straight for the demon girl...
(Shine, pow)
Her mirror glows, and a thin but powerful shield generates around her, deflecting the weapon back at us!
(Za-za-za-za-za-za-za-WHACK)
"Gyaaaaa-hh!"
Sango's hit dead-on by her own weapon in her torso, and as Shippo gets knocked aside by her body, Besa rushes to catch her around her middle.
"Sango!"
He succeeds, but falls back from the force of impact, hitting his head against the door frame at the same time Freeman yanks Koharu and I out of the boomerang's path.
"Look out!"
(Crash...)
We come out safe, which is more than I can say for the others. Besa is currently face-up with Sango sprawled across his stomach and legs, Shippō on his back nearby...and not a one of them was moving. I hand Freeman Koharu while I kneel down to check up on everyone else.
"Sango?! Shippō! Besa!"
Damn, they're ou' cold.
"...Hm?"
I feel a stare, and look up to meet the emotionless eyes of the white-clad demon girl.
"...Coraline."
I stand up on the defense:
She knows who I am?
(WHACK)
"Uuu-gyrh!"
I dart my head around, and watch Freeman fall to the ground after being viciously knocked out by his own mallet, courtesy of Koharu!
"Freeman!...Koharu, wha' the hell?!"
She drops the weapon and speedily wanders my way, and before I could lay a hand on her, she suddenly seizes me around my underarms, fixing me to the direction of the demon girl.
"Rgh, h-hey, ge' off!"
Where'd this upper body strength come from?! What's wrong with-
...Wait. (Looks up) Tha' girl thonder must'a put Koharu under a spell of sorts...Oh crap!
(Glow)
"Look into my mirror. Give me your soul."
I try to look away, but no matter how much my instincts told me to, I found myself frozen to the spot by an unworldly force!
S-Son of a, bitch!
I watch helplessly as my soul is slowly and steadily pulled into the mirror...
S-Someone, help...!
Inuyasha's POV
After fighting with these men for a while, Miroku and I decide to switch up the strategy a bit, leading them down the hill and as far away from the headman's home as we could...Once that was done, we began fighting them again.
"Hrrgh!"
I try to hold back on my strength, and just knock these zombified villagers down with a couple good punches. Miroku takes down another few, and needlessly reminds me,
"Inuyasha, use restraint! The villagers are under someone's spell! We must not harm them!"
Tuh, try telling them that, genius!
I dash behind two more farmers and put them out of commission...but they just come back for more! I shout in frustration,
"We aren't getting anywhere!"
This is worse than fighting those corpse wolves. At least they were already dead...
Wait...Come to think of it, this is alot like the spell that Kagura woman used a few nights ago...
Dammit, how did I not see this sooner?! This is her doing again!
And just like that, my thoughts are confirmed by the following jeer.
"You fools are so pathetic."
We stop, and turn to see that damn wind witch standing on a small hill nearby, staring at us with a mocking smile.
"You would've done well to slay them all. That way, they wouldn't keep coming after you."
Miroku and I address her in bitter tones,
"Kagura..."
"Not you again."
"Then again, I suppose if you were capable of slaying them, you would've already done so."
Cold-hearted bitch.
"Are you the one who's possessing these villagers?"
"I am. A mortal with no soul is no different from a dead man."
"...'Mortal with no soul'?"
"(Cruel smile) Your friend Coraline is having her own soul sucked out of her even as we speak."
I felt my blood turn to ice:
"You, witch!"
"That must mean that there's a second demon here with Kagura...U-hh! That must have been what Lumos was trying to warn us about!"
No...!
Kagura fwips out her fan, and calls to me with an evil smirk,
"Inuyasha, unsheathe your Tessaiga! This time, victory shall be mine!"
But I was barely listening, my mind stuck on one person.
Coraline...!
"What ails you, Inuyasha? Don't tell me you're afraid."
I growl at her lowly...before glancing behind me to tell the monk,
"Miroku, go back to the house and help the others."
"Of course I will, but what about you?"
"You know what."
I pull Tessaiga out and proclaim with gusto,
"I'm stayin' here to finish this bitch off!"
Kagura's smirk widens a bit, before she unleashes her wind attacks.
"Dance of Blades!"
(SWIPE)
I use Tessaiga to block the wind blades and call back,
"Go now, Miroku!"
"I'm on my way!"
I hear him take off for the house as Kagura jeers,
"Your help will arrive too late!"
I block her wind blades again, and think to myself,
Coraline...once I defeat Kagura, I'll come to help you too; I promise!
Stay, strong for me!
Miroku's POV
I rush back to the headman's house as fast as I can, and Kilala knocks a few of the spell-bound men aside to clear a path for me.
"Thank you, Kilala!"
Hang on, everyone. I'm coming!
I rush into the home and down the halls...only to find,
Koharu!
I quickly rush to her side:
"Koharu! Koharu! Say something! Koharu?!"
I pull her into my arms...and she stirs awake just a few seconds after.
"...M-mm, ngh!"
Oh thank Buddha, she's okay.
She retracts back and stares at me in shock for a second, before embracing me in fear.
"Miroku, it was horrid!"
"I'm here for you. You're in safe hands now."
...But, where is everyone else?
Shippo's POV
"(...Ghostly moans)"
"Hm-hr...nrha?"
I wake up from that harsh knockout, and find Lumos bouncing against my head frantically.
"Whoa, Lumos!"
I sit up while rubbing my head...only to bug my eyes out, and turn to see that demon girl using her mirror to suck out Coraline's soul!
"Stop! What are you doing to my friend?!"
I charge and leap at the demon, only to be thrown back by a barrier!
(Bzzzzt)
"Aaagh!"
I fall back against the door, and the last thing I see before I black out again is Lumos hovering over me with worry.
H-Help, Coraline, Lumos...!
Besa's POV
"Rgh...mr-h-uh?"
What the hell is happening...?
...Uh! Coraline, Sango, and-?!
I struggle to raise my head, feeling a pounding in my skull and my vision a bit blurry from getting slammed into the side of the door to protect Sango.
"D-Damn, come on..."
I found myself staring into the next room...and see Miroku embracing Koharu!
Miroku?
...Inuyasha must still be outside...Wait, what's that in Koharu's-
"Hh!"
A knife!
I try to sit up, my body stiff, and called out in a strain,
"M-Miroku, look out! She's got a knife!"