Update (March 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 56: Short-Term Revelations & Long-Term Regret
Recap:
Following a decision of morale and loyalties between Inuyasha and Coraline, and the latter's dangerous new pact with a mysterious entity, our gang returns to the ruins of where Naraku's Illusionary Castle once stood. The locale is confirmed through a few obvious signs, including a failed tracking attempt by the Aura Reader, and the discovery of the remains belonging to Sango's father and the other slayers that were summoned by the fake lord...
Come the evening and hours after reburying the armor and bones in cleaner soil, our titular group would then discover that the wayward Kohaku is still alive!...However, they quickly learn that the boy's time as Naraku's servant has taken a toll on his mind, rendering him with a severe case of amnesia. Sango tries hard to convince herself that her younger brother is out of the wicked demon's grasp for good, but her friends were understandably skeptical...
Kagura soon comes attacking with an army of demons to take back the Shikon-no-Tama shard embedded in Kohaku's back, forcing Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippō, Besa and Freeman to fight her while Sango, Kilala, Coraline and Lumos rush into the forest to find the boy and protect him.
Shortly after finding and saving Kohaku from a swarm of Saimyōshō, the brunette slayer and her twin-tail partner separate to take on another group of demons, while the redhead leads the boy deeper into the forest to cloak themselves. They then take refuge inside a hole in the ground under a tree that the Will O' Wisp finds...
As they lay in wait for someone to come and back them up, Kohaku wonders why he seems fearful to get back his full memory...Naraku's voice then echoes into his mind, and the jewel shard reactivates the mind control!
Now...
Catching up with two other members of the Inuyasha team, we find Sango and Kilala cracking down on the demons they led away from Coraline and Kohaku, the former using Hiraikotsu as both boomerang and club while the latter implements her fangs and claws...
As the brunette charges into battle again, she mentally vows,
Don't worry, Kohaku. I'll never let you be taken from me again!
Just as she cuts down a couple more enemies...Sango's ears then pick up on the following sounds.
(Clang, SHING)
"Aaaaagh!"
She widens her eyes upon recognizing the scream:
"Coraline!"
After clubbing a centipede demon, Sango calls for Kilala, and both rush off in the direction of their friend's cry...
Meanwhile, back at the abandoned shrine house, the men stand bravely against the horde of demons backing Kagura, while Shippō ducks under the structure, knowing his own powers won't be strong enough to lend much assistance, deciding to make it seem that there's people inside to protect...Miroku says to the others,
"Inuyasha, Besa, Freeman: we must keep Kagura and her demons distracted as long as we can."
The twins nod, their weapons out at ready, and the silverette replies,
"Sure, I'll do what I can," before calling to the enemy,
"Hey, Kagura, you need to bring an army just to capture one puny kid? Fine by me!"
The wind sorceress just smirks, thinking to herself,
They're falling straight into Naraku's trap...Now you must follow through, Kohaku.
"My, isn't this just so convenient? May as well slaughter you all while we're at it...Don't you worry at all; I shall personally take your head, Inuyasha. (Swipe) Dance of Blades!"
(Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip...)
The wind blades fly, and the men jump out of the way, the battle on this side of the forest beginning...while the situation inside the greenery takes a dangerous turn.
Coraline's POV
"Hh! Hah, hah, damn...!"
Just when it seemed like things were gonna stay somewhat calm for a short while, the boy I'm supposed to be protecting suddenly turns on me! I manage to block one blow from his kusarigama with my combat knife, but he gets my right arm on the second try. I cry out in alarm, but kick him away in the abdomen before hurrying out of our little hiding place...
I'm now running as fast as I can with my left hand clasped over my wound, my right hand grasping my short blade. I would've pulled out ShatterSoul, but I had to focus half of my energy on making sure I don't bleed out. Moreover...it would just be overkill to use on a victimized boy.
I know he's no' doin' this on purpose...Still, how long can I afford to no' counterattack?
(...Trip)
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the tip of my foot catches a tree root, and I fall on my front, my right arm taking some of the blow and shooting nerve pain into my injury. I struggle to sit up...and Kohaku catches up to me...Lumos comes to my side, hovering near in a panic as I meet stares with the expressionless eyes of the young boy.
"Kohaku...please...don' do this."
He doesn't say anything, and raises his weapon slightly...
What could'a triggered him to become a puppet again?
...Has Naraku reinstated control?
(Swash)
"Uh!"
I dodge another attack, shuffling in a northwest direction so I'm standing near the trunk of a pine...My Will O' Wisp partner then comes to me and sends a sparkle of energy near my ear.
(Twinkle...)
"Lumos...?"
(...Ba-bump)
"Huh?"
A strange beat like the echo of a gong sounds, and I feel myself turn to stare at Kohaku...That's when I heard it:
(Flash)
"Kohaku...Kill Coraline..."
(Flash)
"Hh! Naraku's voice! (Narrows eyes) He must be usin' some kind-of, telepathy..."
Kohaku readies his weapon again, and thanks to my Lumos, I can hear Naraku urge his slave on.
"Kill her..."
Swallowing a lump in my throat, I switch from holding my injury to readying my knife in an upright defensive position.
"Kohaku, listen to me...You don't wan'ta do this. Naraku is manipulatin' you; he wan's t' cause you pain by makin' you to do terrible acts. You mus' fight back."
"Kill her..."
"Kohaku: fight back!"
...
...
Much to my relief, the boy hesitates, his arm shaking slightly...
"Kill her!...Kill her...Kill her!"
I remain strong and urge over the echoes of that bastard behind the scenes,
"Don' yeu dare lis'en to 'im. (Sad smile) You're better than this, Kohaku, and I don' wanna hurt you. No good will come from hur'in' eachother."
...Just as he ceases up completely, Sango and Kilala come flying in.
"Coraline! Kohaku!"
I turn to them as they land:
"Sango. Kilala..."
Of course, my fellow woman's focus is on her brother, a heartbroken expression on her face.
"Kohaku...I knew it. You're still..."
He takes a few steps back, before running off altogether...
I watch him leave with a mix of sadness and astonishment.
He didn' listen to Naraku...Oh Kohaku...I knew the real you was in there.
...But how long will i' be until yeu gather the courage to face reality again?
I focus back as Sango kneels in front of me to check my injury.
"Are you okay?"
She forms a disbelieved and horrified expression, knowing where the cut came from, and I reply dryly,
"I'm fine. The slash isn' deep."
I sheath my knife as Sango rises to her feet and mutters her brother's name...then orders,
"Kilala, you stay here with Coraline."
She glances down at me and sadly comments,
"You must be in alot of pain..."
"(Shakes head) No' really. I've had worse than this. I would'a avoided gettin' hi', but...I didn't wan' to hurt him with my knife."
She looks at me in surprise...before making her way down where Kohaku had left...
She stops to look at me once more with a strange look in her eyes, and mutters an apology before taking off again...
"Sango...Guh!"
Wait...no! No, she can't be planning to-
"Sango, come back! Sangooooo!"
No POV
As the injured Coraline deduces the horrifying decision Sango may have come to with regards to Kohaku, the men were cracking down on the demon horde brought by Kagura...Miroku uses his staff to take down a mutant eyeball and a serpent demon, and comments in frustration,
"There's too many!"
Besa blocks one demon with his kama, giving Freeman the distraction needed to bash his war mallet on it, and another on the rebound.
"Hrrrah!"
(Thwack)
They move closer to the monk and each call back,
"Don't give up, Miroku!"
"Yeah! The second we start doubting, the second they get a leg over us!"
He sees their determined smiles...and cracks a small one of his own.
"You're right. We must have courage!"
These two truly are becoming an asset...just like their sister...
Meanwhile, Inuyasha dodges a barrage of attacks from Kagura, before leaping into the air to narrowly avoid getting his head lopped off by a singular blade of wind...He lands on the ground again just as the incarnation asks,
"What's the matter? Why don't you draw your sword, Inuyasha?"
He replies neutrally,
"It'd be a waste using the Tessaiga to kill the likes of you."
He then uses his claws to cut down some more demons from the larger army.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
...Watching from underneath the shrine house, Shippō comments a bit too loudly,
"He must be using his claws because he's still not strong enough to control the Tessaiga. What a brilliant idea!"
Hearing him, Kagura gains an intrigued look while Inuyasha calls back in angered annoyance,
"Grh, fool!"
The fox demon claps his hands over his mouth, realizing his mistake.
"U-Uh, did I say that out loud?"
The wind sorceress chuckles a bit and comments mockingly,
"So that's why you're not using your sword."
The silverette heatedly retorts,
"I'm gonna silence you once and for all," and pulls Tessaiga out to use.
"Hrrraaaaaahhhhhh! Tessaiga!"
(Slash, boom...)
Unfortunately, the weight of his sword slows his thrust, allowing Kagura to dodge while the Tessaiga cuts and upturns the ground where she stood...She lands a few feet away and asks in a tease,
"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Seems you're having an awkward time with your sword."
The dog demon curses to himself,
Damn. It's still too heavy to wield easily...
While the half-demon racks his brain for a plan, Miroku, Freeman and Besa keep up the pressure on the demon horde, blocking them from the shrine house with their respected weapons...
"Hrah!"
"Hah!"
"Take, this!"
(Whack)
The young man with the ōtsuchi swings the weapon against one bird-like demon and sends it crashing into several others, the impact causing them all to fall apart like weak clay.
"Yes!"
...But the fight wasn't over yet. As the monk blocks two demons with his shakujō, he says to himself,
We must keep these demons believing that Kohaku is hiding inside the hut...
"I got 'em!"
(Hack, hack)
Besa slices through the demons pushing on Miroku, and as more come charging their way, the latter switches tactics, shooting several sacred sutras onto their faces and causing them to freeze up long enough for him to spin his weapon in a circle to destroy them before the spells could wear off...With the task complete, he sticks his staff into the ground with a grunt of exhaustion, prompting Besa to clap a hand on his left shoulder while asking in concern,
"You alright?"
"Hh, hh, I'll be fine..."
Freeman then calls out,
"Incoming," forcing them to focus upward at the next wave of demons heading their way...
"Geez, don't they know when to quit?! They're just gonna get minced like their comrades before them!"
Besa replies with a grunt,
"That's just it, brother: they only seem to know to attack with no haste! Death is an afterthought!"
"...Well that's a stupid way to live."
...Suddenly, a millipede demon slips by, heading straight for the shrine!
"Oh shit!"
Inuyasha looks behind at the struggling men:
"Miroku! Freeman! Besa!"
Kagura gets him back on track:
"You should pay more attention!"
(Fwip)
She sends a wave of wind blades at him, and the half-demon in red uses his Tessaiga to block, using all the strength he can muster to stay in one place...Meanwhile, the young man with cornrowed hair pushes back a few demons and cuts them away with his kama, before going after the millipede.
"No you don't!"
He tries to land a blow on its head, but instead ends up getting wrapped by the tail and thrown backwards.
"Gaaaah!"
His brother and Miroku call his name in worry, and he slides and rolls to the forest treeline...He barely manages to get back up.
"G-Gh...I'm fine...Hh! Oh no!"
Unfortunately, the millipede demon succeeds in crushing the old shrine house with its body, trapping poor Shippō under the rubble...
"Huh. So the hut was empty all along. (Sneer) Very clever: you fooled us into thinking Kohaku was still inside."
As Besa hurries over help the fox demon out of the ruined structure, Inuyasha says to the enemy,
"You aren't going anywhere. Humph, this fight is far from over, Kagura."
She's hardly fazed by such a threat; on the contrary, she merely smiles more...an act that isn't unnoticed by Miroku as he pushes some demons on his shakujō back and destroys them.
Wait a minute...!
"Don't be tricked, Inuyasha!"
"What are you talking about?"
"We thought it was Kohaku that Kagura and the demons were after. Hiyah, (wack, wack) so why is it that none of them are going after him?"
He blocks another demon and wonders aloud,
"Maybe this whole battle was stage from the beginning, and we were the ones ensnared in their trap!"
Inuyasha turns to stare accusingly at the incarnation, and Freeman asks the monk after whacking another trio of demons back,
"Wait, are you saying Naraku's after someone else?"
"Yes!"
The other Brownlee pulls Shippō into his bruised arms, and widens his eyes when he deduces,
"...Oh crap! The real target was-"
Inuyasha finishes for him:
"Coraline!...She's taken Kohaku into the forest...I knew it: Naraku still has him under his mind control!"
Kagura does not deny it:
"You're only realizing that now? Oh, what a shame; you're probably already too late."
"(Growl) Damn you. You used Kohaku to get to Coraline."
"Correct. The girl can use Sacred Arrows, not to mention use a foreign blade that can turn her own soul into a weapon...She's quite a nuisance."
With the truth out in the open, the demon horde moves to attack as one force...Miroku decides to take one for the team, and prepares to unleash his Wind Tunnel, much to Shippō's protest.
"No, Miroku, what are you doing?! You'll get the poison insects!"
But his warning fell on deaf ears:
"Wind Tunnel!"
(Whooooooooooosssssssshhhhhhh...)
The black hole in the monk's hand bursts forth, sucking back all the demons...which of course includes the venomous Saimyōshō.
(Ba-bump...ba-bump...)
Even so, he remains strong and tries to ignore the poison pulsing into his veins...
"Miroku, don't do it!"
"Don't throw your life down further into the curse!"
Inuyasha looks back and sees what the monk is doing.
"Miroku!"
He's sucking in the poisonous insects!
As he continues to suck the demons into oblivion, Miroku shouts with some strain,
"Gh, Inuyasha: go and rescue Sango and Coraline!"
"Count on it!...Thanks, Miroku."
He recalls Tessaiga's power, and calls to his comrades,
"Don't die! You two: protect Miroku and Shippō!"
"Right!"
"You got it!"
Kagura watches Inuyasha take off for the forest, and mutters ruefully,
"Oh yeah," while readying to attack with her wind power...
"Don't move, Kagura!"
She pauses and turns to meet eyes with Miroku, who glares in warning.
"All I have to do is turn and I'll suck you in as well!"
The twins ready their weapons with equally threatening stares, and Kagura grits her teeth...before deciding to make a tactical retreat.
"I'll pass, thanks."
She then uses her feather to get out of the area...
"She escaped!"
Miroku restrains his Wind Tunnel with the prayer beads, and grimaces from the painful effects of the insect poison, falling to his knees...Shippō, Freeman and Besa rush over to help:
"Miroku! Are you dying?!"
"Hang in there, man."
"We can try to heal you with our crystal shards."
The monk mutters,
"We have no time to waste. We must, hurry after Inuyasha..."
"...Yeah, sure."
"Got it."
"Put your arms over our shoulders, Miroku. We'll keep you upright."
By this time, Inuyasha had used his demonic speed to clear through the thick canopy of the forest in his search for the young women, cursing Kohaku in his mind.
Damn that kid, acting like someone who wouldn't even hurt a fly...
Coraline...
Speaking of the boy, he's made a good distance through the woodland area in another direction, leaping over some fallen logs to get away from the giant boomerang heading his way...He stops when Hiraikotsu comes barreling in front of his path, and turns to face Sango as she catches the weapon on the rebound, staring at him with a mix of betrayal and disappointment...
"Kohaku...Inuyasha warned me...You haven't escaped Naraku's grasp after all. You came to hurt Coraline, and to steal the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama."
Her anguish rises when she thinks ruefully,
Why should I let Naraku keep controlling you?...I'd rather...
Barely swallowing a lump in her throat, the brunette pulls out her wakizashi.
"Kohaku, don't move...Let me free you from that demon!"
The siblings engage in battle, and Kohaku wraps the chain of his kusarigama around the blade before leaping up to land a blow with the sickle...
(Tok)
Sango uses Hiraikotsu as a shield, and pushes Kohaku back before charging to attack, swinging her boomerang to club him.
Kohaku, I won't let you die alone! I'll follow after immediately...
I'll be right behind you, I promise! Let me end it!
Inuyasha's POV
I finally pick up the scent of Coraline's blood, and immediately went in that direction...I soon found her kneeling beside Kilala.
"Coraline!"
"Mm? (Turn) Uh, Inuyasha!"
I land in front of her, and she says to me with a look of worry,
"Please, you hafta find Sango. Her eyes...they had the look of death in th'm."
But I was a bit more pressed with her injury:
"Coraline...Kohaku did this to your arm, didn't he?"
"(Looks down) Unfortunately, yes. I tried to block 'im with me knife, but 'e go' me on the second swing before I kicked him and bounded ou' the hole we were hiding in...Still, it isn' a killer's blow...and he hesitated when 'e had me cornered...Lumos then granted the ability to hear into the boy's soul, and I could hear Naraku tryin' to manipulate Kohaku...But he fought back."
"Huh?"
She looks back up and adds,
"I wasn' able to tell Sango before she ran after 'im...Inuyasha...I, I think she's gonna try to do a mercy kill-suicide."
"(Nod) 'kay...I understand."
I stand back up and dash off to find Sango before she makes the worst mistake of her life.
Kohaku didn't kill Coraline, even though he could have.
From what she just told me...it sounds like he disobeyed Naraku's orders...
If so, then he still has a will of his own, even if his mind's being controlled.
...Which means I have to stop Sango, and fast!
Sango's POV
How...How did it come to this?
...Why must fate deal such a cruel hand?! Haven't we suffered enough?!
These were the thoughts running through my head as I continue to use Hiraikotsu to whack at Kohaku's kusarigama...before finally knocking it out of his hands...With both our main weapons disarmed, I hurry to pin Kohaku to the ground, my right hand poised at the ready with my blade.
"Kohaku!"
I think back to the moment we shared not too long ago in the old shrine house, then the proclamation I made in the forest.
My brother...My, dear brother...!
I felt tears come to my eyes as I say to him in a raw tone,
"I'm going to kill you...then myself...It's my only choice. This is the only way to free you from Naraku."
Please...Please free him, free us from this cycle of pain!
"Forgive me, Kohaku...!"
...But before I could perform my terrible act...
"Stop, Sango!"
"Grh...GH!"
(Swing, SLAP)
Inuyasha comes rushing in and whacks the sword out of my hands!...I gaze at the fallen blade in shock, my distracted mind allowing Kohaku to flip back a few feet...
"I...Inuyasha...Why did you stop me?!"
"Don't be stupid! Killing Kohaku will only accomplish one thing: it will make Naraku happy."
It will, please Naraku?...Oh kami...Wha-
As I realize my foolishness, Kohaku decides to make a break for it, but not before looking back at me once more...
No POV
As Sango kneels frozen from the emotions coursing in her veins, Inuyasha calls,
"Kohaku, get back here!"
He takes off after him, and leaps into the air with his claws at the ready.
"Snap, out of it, ya little brat!"
But Kohaku's able to dodge him, and before Inuyasha could get close, he's pushed back by some strong winds, courtesy of Kagura...Sango catches up just as the silverette addresses Naraku's subordinate.
"Kagura..."
"As commanded...Kohaku shall murder Coraline. Kohaku is unable to defy Naraku's orders."
"Oh yeah?"
"Heheha, Inuyasha, why do you think Kohaku has lost his memory?"
"That's obvious: because Naraku is controlling his mind!"
"That's part of it...but it's also because Kohaku himself doesn't wish to remember...Such awful memories."
Inuyasha grunts in confusion...but then sees the look of horror on Sango's face, for she knows exactly what the incarnation is implying...She then barks in anguish and rage,
"That's enough! Don't say anything more in front of Kohaku!"
Inuyasha growls and utters a curse at the wind sorceress, while she only chuckles,
"Kohaku didn't want to remember, so Naraku granted his wish and erased his memories. It's so easy to manipulate someone who's a blank slate."
The half-demon rushes in front of Kohaku, and grasps the boy by his kimono as he tries to them to fight against the semi-self amnesia.
"Kohaku, you gotta remember; bring your memories back! Remember Sango and the demon slayers!"
It was then that Coraline arrives on scene with Kilala.
"...Inuyasha..."
"You're gonna remember every last detail! Do it if you want to live!"
Sango shouts,
"Stop it," but Inuyasha insists,
"The only way to free him from Naraku's control is to get him to remember everything he forgot!...Naraku will eventually kill him anyway to get the Shikon-no-Tama shard in his back!"
Kagura cuts in with an airy laugh:
"You always see the worst in people."
She then sends wind blades at the half-demon, forcing him to leap away and cringe with Coraline, Sango and Kilala from strong wind gusts, giving Kagura the opportunity to leave on her feather with Kohaku...
"Come back here!"
"I'd think twice about forcing this boy to remember everything...His past really would destroy him. Let the poor lad die in bliss, free from all those terrible memories."
With that, the pair fades away...Sango mutters Kohaku's name in a strain, before falling to her knees and breaking down in tears, beating her fist onto the ground.
"Damn! Not again!"
Coraline looks at the brunette with pity:
"Sango..."
"...Not again..."
Inuyasha curses this whole event:
"Damn. You and your brother are a real pain..."
As the girls look at him ludicrously, he then says a bit more calmly,
"Hey, Sango: maybe this will make you do things a little differently next time...Naraku ordered Kohaku to kill Coraline..."
"Hm?"
"But you see, Kohaku didn't carry out his orders, and that's because he still, has a human heart. That's why we can't kill him...We have to take him alive. Got that?"
Sango stares at him, before nodding sadly...Coraline smiles a bit at Inuyasha's show of mercy, and kneels beside her fellow woman to add,
"Not only that, bu'...his soul: I could see it vibrating. His light is sendin' waves against a piece of his darkness, which I now believe represen's his amnesia...The dark half go' stronger when he hesitated with his kusarigama, so his will is slowly takin' back control. I don't mean ta give any false hope...but if Kohaku can gather his courage to face those memories...he'll have a chance at life."
"His, darkness?"
"Mhm. Contrary to wha' most believe, Ligh' and Darkness don' follow the societal creation of Good 'n Evil. They're independen' of such human thought, and there mus' always be a balance of both. Havin' too much of one thing can cause problems; even Ligh' can be a bad thing sometimes. (Sad frown) In Kohaku's case, thanks to Naraku, the Ligh' in his soul is suppressin' his Darkness, making his aura...unstable."
"D...Does that, mean...?"
"Auy. Unless Kohaku can find a way to face his fears...the Light in his soul could kill 'im before Naraku does."
...
...
A little while after Coraline presents her findings regarding the damaged psyche of the wayward young demon slayer, somewhere deep within a fog-covered mountain range, Kohaku found himself kneeling before Naraku at an old oak, the latter not pleased by the former's disobedience...
"Kohaku...remember that I spared your life. I also erased those terrible memories for you, and yet you still failed to kill Coraline...Why is that, Kohaku?"
The blank-eyed boy doesn't respond...
"Do you wish to become human again?...Then do you want your memories returned?...All of your memories?"
The fiend gently taps the boy's forehead with his fingertips...and a pulse of power runs through the latter's body as his amnesia weakens and gives way to the flood of horror he involuntarily caused.
"No...No!"
Kohaku grips the sides of his head and starts crying, and Naraku hums...before deciding,
"Fair enough," and places a palm on the boy's head as he locks the memories away again.
"I'll let you live. Now...forget it all..."
Kohaku's eyes dilate back to their soulless state, and he mutters in a robotic tone,
"Yes..."
Still...I can't erase that woman's face from my mind.
By woman, he of course means Sango and the expression she wore as she prepared to perform the murder-suicide...a sign that his will, is slowly getting stronger...