Update (March 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 58: The Beast Hidden in Silver
A small amount of time has passed since three out of four of our titular group's men arrive to help the people under siege from the group of bandits led by what we can guess to be an insect demon. Unfortunately, they're quickly outwitted and become encased in a cocoon of poisonous silk, barely staying alive...
By now, the last of the embers from the fires have burned out, and the subordinate bandits has begun taking advantage of the resources at their disposal, and upon the request of their leader, Gatenmaru, the women have been moved towards him...Two bandits then drag a large pot over to him.
"Hey, we found some sake over here, chief!"
A third drags up a woman in a dull blue kimono to act as a server.
"Wench: stand up and pour the chief a drink."
Fearing for her life as well as her friends, she complies, her hands shaking as she poured...
Gatenmaru takes a sip and laughs, looking towards the poison cocoon and the ones trapped inside.
"You've weakened considerably, half-demon. Serves you right, siding with humans and meddling in my affairs..."
Inside, Miroku and Besa grit their teeth as they each think,
Gh, we're in trouble. The barrier isn't going to hold much longer!
Come on, crystal, hang on...
Inuyasha curses again within his own mind, and we see his eyes gleam a faint red light, his inner demon steadily becoming stronger...
"Attend the chief, you foolish wench!"
A bandit pushes another woman towards Gatenmaru, who seizes her by her shoulders before opening her upper kimono some, she gasping in fright.
"Heheh, are you afraid, woman?...Such a pretty countenance..."
...But contrary to what she predicted would be her fate, the demon provides something much worse, shoots his long tongue out and into her neck!
Besa cries out from inside the cocoon,
"No," and the rest of the women gasp in horror as their friend shrivels down to skin and bones!
...The bandits seemed rather shocked by the action as well.
"He truly is a demon..."
"E-Every woman the chief has had always disappeared mysteriously. This explains what happened to them..."
Inuyasha bares his fangs and growls aloud,
"Curse him. Leave them alone!"
But as he leans forward, his wound gets the better of him, and he leans back to Miroku who asks,
"Inuyasha, are you alright?! Hang on!"
Gatenmaru laughs and states mockingly,
"The poison has spread throughout his body."
He then grabs another fearful woman by her hair and adds menacingly,
"Observe me until you perish, half-demon, as I devour these women one-by-one."
All three trapped men grit their teeth in anger at the sinister man...
Meanwhile, the old man gathers up all the strength he has, and rushes over to steal back Tessaiga.
If I can get that sword back to him, we will all be saved.
"Huh?! My sword!"
The men inside the poison trap watch the action with surprise, the last two commenting,
"The Tessaiga!"
"The old man from before; he's still alive!"
The elder calls out,
"You must take the sword and save our women from this terrible fate!"
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get as close to the cocoon as he wanted, when two bandits block him.
"Where do ya think you're, (whack) going?!"
The old man is beaten by the blunt end of one bandit's spear, and is quickly held down while the second one kicks him repeatedly.
"Stupid old fool! You've sealed your own fate this time!"
Inuyasha watches the old man struggle to hold on, his eyes flashing the faint red again.
...Damn them.
The elder is soon laying face-down on the ground, shuddering from pain as one bandit mocks,
"That'll teach ya for tryin' to act smart, ya old geezer!"
"...Grandpa!"
"Huh?"
He and his companion look to their left, spotting the grandson of the old man with a party of protectors coming to relieve the situation. The young boy quickly rushes to his grandfather's side:
"Gramps..."
"Heh, another nuisance!"
Just as the bandit raises his spear, Sango makes her move and kicks both him and the other bandit away! The others hurry over, and Coraline kneels down in front of the elder's head to ask,
"Are yeu alright? Can y' stand?"
"The sword...G-Give the sword, to your friend."
She takes the Tessaiga for her own hands, and immediately becomes concerned.
But, if the sword's here...
"Shit! Inuyasha; where are you?! Inuyasha!"
Freeman taps her shoulder and points to the cocoon.
"He must be trapped inside that giant cocoon over there...And I think Miroku and Besa are in there too."
He looks down at his Seven Light Crystal shard...and points it towards the structure, feeling a pulse vibrate on his wrist.
"Yeah...Yeah, they're definitely in there. My crystal's sensing Besa's."
Brother...
Gatenmaru found his gaze locking on Coraline's form, and stands up while commenting,
"Ah~, a delectable-looking woman. Bring her to me."
The bandits nod with menacing sneers, brandishing their weapons...
They soon surround the arriving group, and Sango says with an angered tone,
"Why you...!"
"Come quietly."
Back inside the cocoon, Miroku checks up on his most injured companion.
"Are you alright, Inuyasha?"
He and Besa then see the silk beginning to sink around them.
"Oh no; the barrier's diminishing!"
"Dammit!"
Inuyasha growls...and Besa feels a pulse from his wrist.
"Huh?"
He looks down and sees his shard glowing somewhat, and he points it automatically towards the outside.
"...I know that pulse and glow...Uh! Freeman! He and the others are here!"
Back outside, the bandits begin charging at the rest of our group, with Sango taking a good amount down with her Hiraikotsu, and Kilala backing her up in her full form...Meanwhile, Coraline stands defensively behind Freeman and Shippō as a few other enemies close in.
"What do you want with her?!"
"Back off, creeps!"
"We're following the chief's orders. Hand the girl over!"
Shippō and Freeman heavily protest against such an order.
"No way! You won't touch a hair on Coraline's head!"
"Come any closer and I'll knock the lot of ya into the next village over!"
The twin-tail and her human partner come back over as the latter blocks a few swords with her weapon.
"Sango!"
"You ain't gettin' away!"
"There's too many of them!"
"Get her!"
Freeman grits his teeth, before stepping up a bit and calling,
"Stand back!"
He then swings his war mallet onto the ground, sending a decently strong seismic wave through the earth and causing the bandit men to wobble backwards while gripping their heads, dropping their weapons in the process.
"Wh-Whoa!"
"Agh!" "Yaaah!"
Freeman breathes heavily from the new exhaustion in his muscles from forcing out such a powerful swing.
"Hah, hah...that should slow 'em down a bit."
Question is for how long?
Miroku's POV
The silk begins dropping lower and lower, some landing on my staff and burning it a little...
"It's breaking...The barrier won't hold out, much longer..."
(Sizz)
"Gh!"
Some silk hits my back and leaves a burn, and I look down at Inuyasha, trying to get him to respond.
"Inuyasha, are you alright?! Hang on!"
Damn, he's not responding...
A bit more of the silk droops, hitting Besa's arm and singing his skin.
"Argh!"
"Besa!"
"I'm, alright. (Bitter smile) Picked the wrong day to wear a tee shirt, eh?"
"Besa..."
"My crystal's runnin' low on energy, and is starting to steal, from me. Unless, we find a way to break out of here fast...I might collapse before we get fried."
I could only stare in wonder at this young man beside me for his bravery...
(Ba-bump...)
We then detect a pulse of demonic power pulsing within our other victimized companion.
"Guh! I-Inuyasha..."
What's happening?
"...Oh crap. Miroku, I think he's going to transform!"
No POV
And right Besa was: zooming in on Inuyasha, we watch his head dart up to show that his more demonic features are manifesting!...Back outside, as Sango and Freeman stand together with their respected weapons at ready, the cocoon begins to glow a faint pink...before expanding tremendously!
"What's this?!"
(...BOOM)
The cocoon is cut to pieces by a set of claws, and Inuyasha leaps into the air while Miroku and Besa fall backwards onto the ground!
Coraline cries out in relief,
"They're alrigh'!"
Gatenmaru thinks to himself in surprise,
He ripped through my poison cocoon!
This of course would be the least of the demon's worries...As the half-demon barrels back down, he violently claws at the bandits, his inner demon showing no mercy for the lowlifes...His allies could do nothing but watch in shock and horror, and Coraline pulls the young boy's face into her chest so he wouldn't have to witness such a sight.
Inuyasha...What's happen'd?
...Unless...No!
When he lands back on the ground again, her fears are confirmed.
Bloodied claws, carnelian red sclera with cat-like irises of dark cyan, and the jagged African purple stripes on his cheekbones...
"Oh no! Look at his face!"
"...His, inner demon took over."
Inuyasha turns his growling form towards Gatenmaru's direction, and though slightly wary of the change in power, he only laughs out,
"You amuse me, but the show is over!"
His back hunches...before four wings expand out and his skin shifts to an aqua blue, his eyes shading pink.
"You are no more than a half-demon."
His body and robes expand further...before his true form of a large mutant moth with aqua blue fur and wing-like hands bursts forth!
"You cannot defeat me, the demon Gatenmaru!"
Inuyasha only grins as the moth demon shoots into the air.
"Die, Little Man!"
Using his wings, Gatenmaru sends a current of wind around the silverette, before summoning a cyclone!...But the deranged smile on the half-demon does not falter, and he suddenly leaps out of the cyclone to claw at the moth demon's wings.
(SLASH)
"Aaaaaaauuuuh!"
Gatenmaru falls face-down to the ground, and looks at Inuyasha's form in confusion.
Why does he carry the scent of pure demon blood?
He then raises himself up and shoots a torrent of poison silk at the dog demon!
...Thinking that he perished, Gatenmaru laughs triumphantly,
"I melted him! He really was a mere half-demon."
"You talkin' about me?!"
He looks up, and sees Inuyasha leaping over and towards him, claws raised!
"Filthy vermin!"
(SLASH)
And with a final outcry, the moth demon Gatenmaru is hacked into non-existence...With their leader dead, the other bandits decide to make a break for it while they still had their lives...Inuyasha's inner demon of course had other ideas.
"You won't escape!"
The rest of the gang and young boy look at him with concern for his behaviour...
Meanwhile, deep in the forest valley, we see Jaken emerge from a bush after trying and failing to locate his master.
"Lord Sesshōmaru!...Oh Lord Sesshōmaru, have you gone and left me once again? (Looks down a hole) Lord Sesshōmaru?!...Where are you, master? Lord Sesshōmaru!"
He then jumps around frantically while shouting dramatically,
"How could you leave without taking your faithful retainer along with you?!"
Rin observes with a blank expression, and the two-headed dragon demon grazes on some grass...That's when the imp stops and looks at the human, coming to a plausible conclusion.
"I know: it's all because of you, Rin. (Hunches shoulders) Curses! Mmph, I wish he would abandon that human child somewhere...Oh! Wait a minute! Could it be that Lord Sesshōmaru has gone to find Inuyasha to confirm what Bokusenō advised him?"
Having heard the name several times but received no real explanation of who they are, Rin decides to try and sedate her curiousity.
"What is this Inuyasha like, Jaken?"
"An excellent question, Rin! It's a looong story, but one which must be conveyed. Aa-c-c-hem!...As you are aware, Inuyasha is Lord Sesshōmaru's younger brother...but he hardly compares in demon rank or in demon dignity, and that is because he is..."
Jaken pauses when he notices that his singular audience is leading the two-headed equestrian dragon away from the area...
"Huh?! Hold up! Where are you going?!"
"Oh, I don't really like long stories."
Rin then says to the other demon,
"Let's go, A and Un. We'll find some nice juicy grass."
Jaken watches their retreating forms while mentally chiming in disbelief,
I just wanted to tell the story...
Leaving the imp to his woes, we return to the devastated village as the remaining bandits run as fast as they could to get away from the dog demon, he on a mission for blood...
"You won't get away!"
(Leap, SLASH)
Inuyasha claws down a good number of the humans, while the rest manage to reach their horses and attempt to gallop away...An evil laugh bubble in the unstable half-demon's throat, before he leaps up again and slaughters the bandits and mares! A final chorus of strangled whinnies and cries of pain runs through the air as those souls fall dead...Coraline watches from afar, gripping the hilt of Tessaiga tightly before nodding to herself firmly, knowing what she had to do.
I hafta ge' the sword to him, now!
With that, she begins running in Inuyasha's direction, with Shippō and the twins chasing after her.
"Coraline!"
"Sis!"
"Wait!"
Miroku and Sango watch them run pass, and decide to join them, with the latter ordering the twin-tailed cat demon,
"Kilala, stay here and protect the villagers!"
Coraline keeps her pace, and calls out to the demonic dog demon,
"Inuyasha, please, stop!"
But he does not heed her, and laughs before landing in front of remaining trio of bandits who were still alive, blocking their path. They fall to their knees and plead for mercy:
"I beg you to spare us!"
"We were simply, f-following the chief's orders, that's all!"
"Have mercy on us!"
Coraline and the others pause a couple feet away, and she shouts,
"Inuyasha, don' do it! They're beggin' for their lives!"
Freeman and Besa add,
"It's not worth it!"
"Please, Inuyasha! Don't continue this path of destruction!"
...He raises his bloody claws to himself and lets out a quiet laugh, and Miroku remarks,
"It seems not even you or your brothers can get through to him, Coraline."
Said girl looks onward as her companion examines his blood-soaked claws and knuckles, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she picks up on the evil chuckle.
He...He's laughin'. Laughin' at the though' of brutally killin' these bandits...
No. No, I can' let this continue!
Shippō leaps onto Freeman's shoulder and pleads,
"Coraline, give Inuyasha the Tessaiga and he'll turn back to normal! (Looks up front) I can't stand seeing what he's turned into now..."
The young man with the naturally-cut coarse hair brushes the young fox's head in comfort, and Coraline nods with a determined frown before running towards the dog demon.
"Inuyasha, take yur blade! Give up this beast!"
Again, he does not perceive her order, instead raising his claws threateningly at the bandits...He only pauses when he senses something off, and leaps a couple feet to the side before turning to the new arrival: Sesshōmaru...
Everyone else gathers with Coraline as she exclaims,
"It's Sesshomaru!"
Miroku asks aloud,
"Why is he here?"
Besa mutters,
"I dunno, but it can't be good..."
He watches Sesshōmaru look towards the corpses of the bandits and horses, then back at the rising Inuyasha, and narrows his eyes in thought.
Something about this seems too perfect...Too calculated...
Unless...Does Sesshōmaru know-
"Ah! Of course!"
As everyone else turns to ask what Besa just realized, the older full dog demon comments with a bitter smile,
"Huh. You are nothing more than a murderous demon," remembering Bokusenō's words.
(Flash)
"Unfortunately for Inuyasha, the pure demon blood of his father is too strong for a half-demon such as himself."
"What will the outcome be?"
"Well...in essence, the demon blood will devour his human soul. He will not be able to recognize himself. He will not be able to differentiate between friend or foe. He will simply kill, and with repeated transformations, Inuyasha will eventually lose his soul. He will become a demon who only knows how to fight and kill, and he will continue to fight until he is destroyed..."
(Flash)
He observes his younger half-brother emit a feral growl, then calls out,
"Come after me, Inuyasha. I wish to test your strength transformed as such."
By this time, Besa had finished explaining his theory about the elder half-brother's timely arrival...
"So, Sesshōmaru somehow found out about Tessaiga's purpose for Inuyasha and his transformations?"
He nods at Sango,
"Yeah. I dunno how, but that's the only explanation that would make sense."
Besa turns to gaze between the two half-brothers, adding grimly,
"And if I'm right, then this latest encounter's going to get ugly real fast."
Inuyasha growls again, and makes his charge at Sesshōmaru, leaping into the air to attack!...But the latter easily counters with Tokijin, brandishing it out and unleashing a torrent of power, cutting into the former's skin and robes!
"Hh! Inuyasha!"
Miroku calls out after Coraline,
"No, don't do it! Sesshōmaru's new sword can slay an enemy with just the slightest bit of pressure! You'll be destroyed before you even get close to him!"
Inuyasha does not hear them, and somehow fights through the energy pressure to punch the blade from his direction!...Sesshōmaru is a bit surprised, while everyone else is stunned by the action.
"He fought off Sesshōmaru's sword!"
...But getting a closer look, we see that the move came with a painful cost as a couple new cuts manifest on the offensive arm...Inuyasha lands on the ground, and Sesshōmaru comments,
"Ha, that was foolish."
The unstable half-demon only charges again, oblivious to his pain.
His older half-brother dodges the incoming claws, then counters with another blast from his sword.
...But just before the power could make contact...
(Slash, POW)
An ice blue talon-shaped burst of power cuts through the ground, and knocks the power of Tokijin away!
"Gh!"
"That's enough!"
Sesshōmaru turns to meet eyes with the source of interference, they being Coraline, who glares at him seriously while holding out ShatterSoul. She then hands the Tessaiga over to Freeman:
"Hang onto this no matter wha'."
"Cora...what are you-"
"I have a good idea of wha' Sesshōmaru may be doing...and I won' let 'im do it while hurting Inuyasha."
She then wanders over in the middle of the battlefield, and turns to the full dog demon to say,
"If anyone's gonna stop this senseless malarkey, it'll be me!...And if you make any beelines to use Tokijin again, I can and will cu' yeu down with me own blade, Sesshōmaru."
Everyone else on the sidelines tries to protest her actions.
"No!"
"Don't do it, Coraline!"
"Cora!"
"Inuyasha could very well hurt you!"
Sesshōmaru narrows his eyes at Coraline...but then asks,
"You are aware of what you'll be up against, human? He is not of his right mind, and will not be able to recognize you."
"Maybe no' now...bu' tha' makes me all the more determined to bring 'im back."
"...Hn. Very well. Step in if you must, but know that this may very well be your last battle."
With that, at the shock of everyone else, the full dog demon steps aside and allows Coraline to take over the battle...She turns to face her companion, readying her sword.
"Inuyasha...'m sorry it had t' come to this...but I won't le' you fall into darkness, even if it means we hafta fight!"
A growl bubbles in his throat, and he tilts his head in slight confusion from the change in opponents...He then snarls and charges at Coraline, claws in the air!
(Swipe, clang)
She hurries to block with ShatterSoul, before rolling away and sending a blast of her aura in a counter.
"Claw Spiorad!"
(Swash)
The talon-shaped energy collides with the half-demon's body, but rather than taking devastating physical damage, he's only thrown back...Once he regains his footing, he lunges Coraline again, and it doesn't take long before the two were clashing claw-to-blade once more...As the rest of the group watches in awe and worry, Sesshōmaru thinks to himself,
Inuyasha...you know no pain. The demon blood that's coursing through your veins is taking over your soul. You don't even know who you are...and you'll continue fighting, until you die.
I came in your pursuit, to see if Bokusenō's words were true...
"And now, little brother, watching you take on one of your dear companions...I understand. You are not a full-fledged demon. All you are is a half-breed."
Zooming in the action, the redhead is suddenly overwhelmed by the silverette's strength.
"Aaaaah!"
She's quickly pinned down, forced to hold back the threatening claws by gripping her blade with both hands!
"Oh no!"
"Coraline!"
"Inuyasha, stop!"
As she struggles to hold Inuyasha back, Coraline calls out hoarsely,
"L-Lumos, assist!"
The little Will O' Wisp jumps out of her rucksack and barrels through the air over to the redhead...
"P-Please...lend me your strength, Lumos...There's, only one way, t' end this: I mus', overpower his soul with me own."
The creature is hesitant, knowing what that will entail...but after seeing Inuyasha's demonic expression, he complies.
(Twinkle...)
"Thank, yeu...Head back, with the others now, so you won' get hit."
Lumos darts back to the rest of the group, and Coraline turns to focus on Inuaysha's snarling form, her eyes forming that signature glow.
"Gh, f-for wha' I'm abou' t' do next...forgive me!"
Reinforcing her grip on her weapon, the young Croft then bellows,
"Madhmadh Anam!"
(...Ping-KA-POW)
Both bodies are swallowed by a blinding reflection of ice blue light clashing with blackened silver-red, forcing the observers to shield their eyes...Five seconds later, an explosion sounds, the force of clashing spiritual energy sending both sources backwards from the impact.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
"Arrrrrrgggghhhhhh!"
Everyone from our main group cries out their names, and both human and half-demon slide across the dirt hard...Then with some difficulty, Coraline struggles to sit up, her body aching in pain.
"Uh-h, hh, hh...In-Inu...yasha..."
He in turn is laying face-up several feet away...The weakened girl then senses movement from the sidelines, and turns to see Sesshōmaru slowly making his way over to Inuyasha, stopping a few feet away, his face expressionless...
"Don'...yeu, dare...!"
Coraline forces herself to a stand and limps over to Inuyasha, collapsing over his torso while sending a tired but determined glare at the half-brother...
"He has finally been brought down...and by a human, no less...Your blade carries power."
"I mean', my promise earlier. Hh...Yeu want his life, you'll haf-ta go through me."
Sango, Shippō, Freeman and Besa each exclaim,
"Coraline, no!"
"Coraline's in trouble!"
"She's too weak to fight now!"
"We gotta get her and Inuyasha outta there!"
The whole group rushes over to help while Coraline and Sesshōmaru continue to stare one another down...The latter then says,
"If you wish him to stop, use Tessaiga to reverse the transformation."
"Uh...!"
"Otherwise, he will continue to fight when he awakens, and I doubt that in your state, you will be able to stave him off a second time."
The girl is understandably confused:
He, doesn' wan'ta kill Inuyasha?
...What changed?
Sango, Miroku and Besa move to stand protectively in front of Coraline and Inuyasha, while Freeman and Shippō kneels down beside the redhead with Tessaiga...The monk then calls out on Sesshōmaru's change in tactic.
"You could've finished him off earlier, but instead, you allowed Coraline to step into the battle...Why did you? We all know that you despise Inuyasha. I can't believe that you've developed feelings for your brother."
"...I can."
"Huh?"
Eyes fall on Besa, who says to the full dog demon in a neutral tone,
"I may not know the full history between you and Inuyasha, but I do understand that brotherhood works differently in many circles...You acknowledge him as a, rival of sorts, and when you do want to end in a final clash, you want it to be between two warriors, not a single clear head and a feral beast...Am I right or wrong?"
The area falls silent, as Sesshōmaru stares eye-to-eye with the young man with cornrowed hair for a moment...before answering,
"I will slay him...eventually. But if I kill him now, when he doesn't know himself, there would be no point."
With that, he turns around and begins walking away...Coraline watches him go wondering,
So 'e wan'ed to stop Inuyasha's violence?...Is Besa's theory righ'?
Before she could try to make anymore sense of the events, she hears a quiet groan and turns to see Inuyasha's eyes blink open, revealing their normal hazel-gold irises!
"Inuyasha..."
"He's come to!"
...
...
Catching up with Sesshōmaru, we find him deep in the forest valley returning to the area where he left Rin, Jaken and A-Un...The young human vassal is the first to greet him.
"Oh, Lord Sesshōmaru; you're finally back!"
"...Rin. I hope you have fared well."
"Mhm. A-Un and I were on our very best behaviour. (Turns and points) Jaken has become most melancholy, though..."
Looking over where she's pointing, we see the imp sitting on the grass with his arms folded and a depressed frown carved onto his face...He then looks up to see his lord, and immediately snaps out of his negative mood.
"Oh! Lord Sesshōmaru!"
He rushes over and asks,
"Wh-What gives, my lord? Why did you go alone after Inuyasha?"
...Sesshōmaru stares at Jaken expressionlessly, and the latter falters back a bit before saying softly,
"O-Oh, that was most uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me."
...Once again, no vocal response is made, and the dog demon turns to stare into the distance, confusing his charges.
"Huh?"
"...Lord Sesshōmaru?"
Inuyasha's POV
Once I was awake and, informed about what happened to me, I slowly move to stand up, using Tessaiga as a crutch as I look around at the devastation...Coraline gently chides,
"Inuyasha, careful. You shouldn' push yurself too hard..."
"...Did I, do all this?"
I hear her gasp quietly, and she does not answer...But her silence said it all...
I then look down at my claws with a grim and bitter smile.
"...Heh, look at me: my claws absolutely reek of the scent of the bandit's blood."
Coraline looks at me with a worried expression, and tries to put a better light on the situation.
"Inuyasha, yeu, did wha' you had to do to save the innocent. That's why yeu attacked th'm."
...But is that all the reason?
We then see that kid from before in the distance, who hesitates before trying to walk over towards us, only to be stopped by two of the surviving women.
"No! He's a demon!"
"If you get close, he'll rip you to pieces!"
The women glare my way, and Coraline calls out,
"No...No, yu'r wrong!"
As she steps forward, she grimaces, and nearly falls over before steadying herself...I look more closely at her body, and see she's holding her sword and that she's got numerous rips in her clothes, along with some cuts and bruises.
...Wait...she...she didn't...Did she and I-
"I don't care if he is a demon!"
I focus back to reality at the shout from the kid, and watch as he tries to defend my actions.
"He did everything in his power to save my grandpa! He helped get rid of all the bad men!"
But I take in a sharp breath, and look down at my hand knowing that his words were only a blind truth.
...No...I hunted those men down.
The demon that I wanted to become...the power that I had desired...it wasn't like this.
No POV
It wouldn't be long before our titular group of heroes and heroines take their leave from the ruined village, knowing they couldn't linger any longer...As the sun sets, we find them somewhere near a semi-marshy section of the nearby river, with Sango, Kilala and Miroku sitting closest on a bed of grass...
"Each time that Inuyasha transforms into a demon, he loses a piece of himself...Today, he didn't even hear Coraline's voice, and fought her, despite it being her choice."
"Miroku...I want to stay with Inuyasha, even if he fully transforms into a demon."
The monk looks up from washing his hands in the water with surprise.
"...Sango."
"I've caused so much trouble over Kohaku, but you've all stood by me like it was the natural thing to do...That's why I must stand behind him."
They exchange stares, and Miroku slowly breaks out a smile while nodding in agreement.
"...Yes."
Panning up closer to the treeline, we see Freeman, Besa - he having a bandage around his right arm from the burn he received in the poison cocoon - and Shippō look at one another...and nod firmly, silently following Sango's example...
Moving down the river some ways, we see Coraline with a small towel and a clear container of pale yellow liquid, watching as Inuyasha furiously tries to wash his hands spotless of any traces of the blood they were previously caked in.
I can't get the smell of blood off my hands! It's sickening!
He decides that his efforts were useless, and wades back to shore to sit Indian-style with a discouraged frown...The young Croft slowly steps over to sit beside him, before presenting the container.
"Here. Try soakin' yur claws in this for a bi'."
"...What is it?"
"Lemon juice with some water mixed in...The citrus acid should neutralize any, lingerin' scents."
Inuyasha glances at Coraline with a surprised expression...before frowning again with a grunt, but decides to give the solution a try and dips his hands into the container...A moment of silence passes, before he mutters,
"You don't have to force yourself to stay by me."
"...Who says I was?"
The silverette growls and turns to bark,
"What's your problem? You know, I'd wish you'd all stop pussyfooting around me, because I don't have a problem with what happened! I don't give a damn about what happened!"
"...Not even the par' when I stepped in to figh' you?"
"...What?"
"I couldn' allow Sesshōmaru to brutalize y', so I interfered and wen' sword to claws with yae...I...I had no choice bu' to release an explosion of me aura agains' yours. (...Sniff) I' w's the only way to stop us from makin' it a fight to the death."
Inuyasha recoils with a shocked expression.
"...Then, those injuries...your fatigue...You...!"
"Mhm..."
"W-Why would you do that?...Why would you risk your own life, just to reverse my transformation?"
...Coraline moves to gently hug her arms around his neck and whispers tearfully,
"Because the last thing I wan', is for my best friend's soul t' be snuffed out like a dyin' star."
She buries her face into Inuyasha's robes, hiding her tears...He in turn had nothing to say in response, and moves one of his hands out of the lemon juice solution to grip hers tightly, a sad expression forming.
Coraline...I don't remember a thing from when I transformed...
It wasn't like that before...
The next time I transform...I may even come after you with these claws, Coraline.
"...Yur claws should be done soaking."
"Hm?"
Inuyasha pulls out his other hand, and checks to see if the lemon juice worked.
"(Sniff...) The smell's gone. It's just this, lemon stuff."
"Heh, auy. It migh' linger for a couple hours, so I hope yeu don' mind your claws smellin' fruity f'r a while."
Coraline pulls back from her hug, a watery smile on her face...only to be pulled back into another by the young man in red, this time from the front!
"Uh!"
Inuyasha squeezes the girl to him and whispers,
"...Thanks."
She's a bit taken aback by how meek he sounds...but then smiles gently and squeezes back.
"Anytime..."
They remain in this caring position for several minutes, neither side wanting to let go...Coraline then says to herself,
I can't keep i' from him anymore...I have to tell 'im abou' Tessaiga.
"...Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"...There's somethin' I need to tell yae, somethin' I should'a talked to you abou' straigh' after discoverin' it...Bu' I was conflicted on how you'd react at the time...Still...you have the righ'ta know, abou' what Tessaiga's secret purpose is."
Inuyasha pulls back a bit, keeping Coraline in his arms while staring at her inquisitively.
"...Does this have to do with my transformations?"
"Yes."
"...Start talking."
And we leave the riverside as the girl begins revealing a truth to the boy that needs to be known, to save his soul from falling into the abyss...