Update (May 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 63: The Dreaded Ninmenka, Part One
...
...
The peaceful silence deep within the Forest of Inuyasha is interrupted by two beings coming out from opposite ends of the treeline.
One is a familiar young redhead of a future time period...
The other, a demon of mysterious and questionable origins...
"Hehahaha, you got them both, Little Doll! Nice work!"
"(Weak smile) It wasn' easy...bu' I managed. Now...I'm ready t' make things right."
Coraline takes out two quartz-like crystals shaped like hearts...noticing that the one in her left hand seems lighter and more see-through than the other.
Huh?...Strange...Is there somethin' different about this one?
...Nah, 'm just imagining it.
"Here. The Seven Light Crystals, as promised."
Bill takes the objects...and the human's body glows...before an orb of light emerges from her body!
Au-hh!"
"Aaaand, there!"
(SLICE)
The orb is split in two, and one half glows an amaranth pink while the other emits an icy blue, forming into its own orb before reentering the redhead...
"Ah, and here comes Fuchsia Arrow! Right on schedule!"
"Hm?"
Coraline turns around...and sees a familiar priestess emerge from the shadows.
...Kikyō!
The other orb flies, before penetrating the miko's body.
"Oh!"
She's surrounded by a pink glow...before her skin cracks like clay and breaks away, leaving behind a more lively appearance!
"A-h...I...I'm no longer made from grave soil...I am alive again!"
"...Kikyō!"
Both ladies turn around to see a familiar dog demon leap from the treetops, landing on the grass soundlessly to stare at them both for a moment...
"Last, but certainly not least, Red Sword's extra protection!"
(...Sheen)
"Huh?"
Inuyasha's body is surrounded by a bright yellow glow, before it fades as quick as it arrived...
"You're both free now, Inuyasha."
"...What?"
He turns to the redhead, who smiles and adds,
"More free than you were in the past, and naow into the fut're."
"...Coraline...I..."
(Wobble)
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the area darkens...and a larger version of the Bone Eater's Well pops in behind Coraline, the inside teeming with energy!
"Hh! Wha-What's happening?! Bill?!"
"Sorry, hun! It looks like this world's decided on which pair can stay, and pairs mean two, not three! You seem to be the odd one out!"
Cerulean/sky blue irises widen...and the owner of those eyes feels the well's gravity begin tugging her backwards.
"N-No! No, I don't wan'ta leave! Inuyasha! Inuyasha, help!"
The dog demon snaps out of his shock and prepares to move in and try to assist the girl.
"Coraline!"
"Inuyasha, wait."
"Hm?"
Kikyō steps over to him, and touches his arm with a sad look.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing that you can do...This world has made its decision...She has to go back to her era."
"But..."
Coraline struggles harder to stay on the ground...but then loses her footing, and is dragged into the vortex.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
"Coraliiiine!"
Inuyashaaaaaa!
(Jolt)
"Gh!"
Our redhead finally snaps awake, revealing the scene to be no more than a vivid nightmare...
She sits up from her blanket and rucksack, and we find the real setting is outside of an old temple in ruin...
Breathing a bit heavily with a hand over her chest, Coraline looks around to see Miroku leaning against the remaining wall of the temple entrance, Shippō nestled between the twins on her other side, Sango just a foot or two behind her with Kilala, and Inuyasha propped on his side by the dying fire.
"...Hauh, thank kami, it w's just a dream."
She rubs her eyes and turns to look at the sky, noticing that the moon is almost invisible.
Hm...Looks like th' New Moon will be arrivin' soon...
The redhead then turns to her rucksack, and carefully pulls out a thick, peach-coloured cloth wrapped around something...
"Only one cryst'l so far..."
I haven't any hints from Cipher ye' abou' the next one's location, so it's still gonna be a long while...before...
She lets out a quiet sigh and shakes her head.
"No...No, tha's not how it'll end. I know it won't...The endin' will be happier than tha'...A' least that's wha' I'm gonna keep telling meself..."
She sets her secret item deep within her bag again, before turning to stare down at Inuyasha's form.
Bu' no matter wha' does happen in the end...I know it'll be worth it.
She smiles faintly, before deciding to join the dog demon by the fire...
One of his ear twitches, and he turns to see her approaching.
"Hm? Coraline?"
"Hai..."
"What're you doin' up?"
"Can't sleep...Jus' woke up from'a bad dream. Hope you don' mind a bit of company by the fire."
"...No, I don't mind."
Coraline settles herself on the ground near Inuyasha, and they sit in silence for a couple minutes...before the latter speaks up again.
"You've been doin' this alot lately..."
"Huh? What're on about?"
The silverette sits up and gazes at the redhead with a neutral expression, but with eyes that reflect concern.
"You've been wakin' up in the middle of the night more than usual, and, I've seen you tossing and turning a little a few nights...Is everything okay?"
Coraline widens her eyes a bit in surprise:
He's worried about me...
"(Small smile) I'll survive...I guess, I'm jus' goin' through a phase of nigh'mares again. It's happened before."
She looks towards the fire with a distant frown.
"I've had alot of, interestin' experiences, both good and bad, and it's hard to keep it all in sometimes...I suppose these nigh'mares are a way of, gettin' i' all ou', so I don't hafta talk about it half the time...There's a few stories that are still a bi' scary f'r me to tell aloud."
"I see..."
"...But it's been slowly gettin' easier for me t' face these uncomfortable memories..."
Coraline turns to smile at Inuyasha and add,
"Especially after meetin' you and everyone else. Before, I could barely get ou' a few words regardin', what happened to me father...Bu' now, I feel m' courage gettin' stronger day by day...Heh, I guess it's true wha' they say: good friends really do make i' all worthwhile."
The half-dog demon stares at the human girl her in surprise for a minute...before cracking a small smile in return.
"Yeah...It really does."
They let out their own calming breaths, and turn their gazes upwards to the stars in the sky, having no other words to say...
Time Skip
Come the next day, we find our heroes and heroines in the making traveling down yet another mountainous path, their direction nearing the Goshinboku Village...With that in mind, Coraline decides to make the following request, much to Inuyasha's annoyed disbelief.
"What?!...You're gonna go back home again?"
She holds her hands up defensively and replies,
"Take i' easy. It's no' what you think."
"Don't you realize what an important time this is, Coraline?"
"(Frown) I am well aware, thank yeu very much, bu' there's an opportunity fo' me to complete a big exam for one of me courses, and I'm not missin' this chance again."
"'Exam'? What does that mean?"
"In this context, it's anoth'r way of sayin' 'test'."
The silverette sets himself on the ground and grumbles,
"Feh, 'another way of saying test', she says..."
The redhead lets out a puff of air and states calmly,
"Don' be like that. I only need three days tops so I have time to study me notes...though if this test is on the subject 'm thinkin' of, I may come back earlier."
The others stop to watch the debate, and Miroku remarks,
"Things are so complicated for Coraline," with Shippō adding,
"Yeah, it'd be easy if she could stay with us all the time like you and your brother can, Freeman, since you two aren't in school."
Said twin shrugs and replies,
"It could be worse: at least sis is in a program that allows time flexibility with her schoolwork. She's actually better off than most girls would be in regular school."
"Really?"
"Yeah. (Smile) She's got a big brain like her dad did, so this kind-of stuff comes a bit easy for her."
"Huh..."
At the same time this side-conversation was being conducted, Sango found herself looking up at her weapon in thought with regards to Coraline's requested time slot.
"...Three days, huh?"
Back over with said redhead, Inuyasha asks her in an incredulous manner,
"Do you like these 'tests' that much, Coraline?"
"No' all of them! (Murmur) Jap'nese, English and Soci'l Studies are th' most enjoyable compared to the rest...Hm?"
The teens would then be interrupted by the brunette demon slayer.
"This might not be the best time, but I would like to have three days so I can go back to my village."
"I can't believe this!"
"Your village?"
"Yes. I need time to get repairs done on my Hiraikotsu...I've used it in alot of battles lately..."
Inuyasha groans in irritation...but then replies reluctantly,
"Three days then, but that's all!"
Coraline is pleased to hear his compliance.
"So this means I c'n head back home for a while too! Nice!"
Sango says to the half-demon a bit apologetically,
"Sorry about this. I'll return to Kaede's village three days from now. (Turn) Come on, let's go, Kilala."
The twin-tail cat demon transforms into her full form, before both ladies take off for the sky...
Miroku then says while rubbing his shoulder,
"Well, now that she's away, we'll be able to take it easy for a little while."
Shippō and Freeman ask respectively,
"What does that mean? Are you saying you can't take it easy when Sango's around?"
"Yeah, Miroku. (Smirk) Is there somethin' you'd like to share?"
The monk quickly replies,
"No-uh, I mean, nothing of the sort!"
Freeman laughs at the monk's response, while Besa shakes his head and mentally quirks,
Now that definitely confirms something's goin' on inside Miroku's heart regarding Sango...
Meanwhile, Coraline thinks to herself while staring at Inuyasha in bewilderment,
He was rather lenien' with Sango, and yet was refusin' me...
Does 'e really get tha' antsy when I leave for my era?
The silverette feels her stare and turns to ask with a grunt,
"What're you lookin' at?"
"O-Oh, sorry! I didn' mean t' stare...By the way, you do realize tha' the more tests I complete, the less frequently I hafta head back to my era for schoolwork, righ'?"
"Huh?"
Coraline smirks and adds,
"Every time I comple' a test and get a good grade, the online program takes off some of th' homework, which means I have more free time, hence, I c'n stay here in this era for longer periods. Ge' me?"
She then turns to walk off with the others...Inuyasha breaks out of his stupor and scrambles to his feet to catch up while asking in a shout,
"W-Well why didn't say so before?!"
"Because ya didn't give me the chance to, dummy!...Y' know, for someone who's sharp durin' battle, it sure took a quare long time to notice this."
"Kh, that's 'cause I only keep up with what's interesting, and not stupid things like your 'schoolwork'."
"Psh, you only think it's stupid 'cause yu've never had schooling."
The others just quietly laugh to themselves, choosing to play it safe and not make their own smart comments...
Meanwhile, further up in the mountain ranges where the fog runs heavy, we find a man wearing disheveled clothing running away from wherever he came, unaware of the large figure who steps out onto his path several feet ahead...
"Hah, hah, I think I should be safe now..."
(Bump)
"Gh!"
The man runs into the figure...and looks up, only to yell at seeing the face of a large-bodied man with peachy skin and short mossy green hair covering his eyes.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah-aah, spare me, please!"
Stepping back and getting a better inspection, we see the latter is rather heavy-down in weight, dressed in a dark indigo kimono with lighter blue stripes and a fur hifu vest, and is carrying a wooden staff with vines growing out the top.
"I kindly took you in as my apprentice, and you have the gull to try and escape from your training? You were suffering from exposure and hunger. Then you were forced to fight in the war, but you didn't want to die a miserable death. I happen to know this, because you told me!"
The thinner man is shoved to the ground, and he pleads,
"Sage, I beg you to forgive me!"
"You were sick of the world...That's why I agreed to bring you here to Togenkyo to train you to become a sage..."
The sage growls, and his supposed apprentice cries out defensively,
"I don't want to become a sage anymore! I've had enough of this eerie place!"
The former chuckles, bringing out a gourd-shaped clay bottle.
"You, pitiful fool..."
He uncorks it with his sharp teeth...and releases a vacuum of spectral wind that sucks the other man into the bottle, his body gradually becoming smaller and smaller! With a final cry of fright, the man disappears into the gourd...The sage re-corks it with a cruel laugh, before turning to head back down the path to this place known as Togenkyo...
Time Skip
"See? Told you I'd be back soon, I did. (Murmur) Thank gods I'm a savan' with Hist'ry..."
"Tch, whatever."
Cutting back to our titular group - save Sango and Kilala - about a day and a half later, we find them traveling back into the mountainside after the modern-born teenagers return from their short trip to their era, after learning from a villager about a strange goings-on up the river for the past several days.
Today, Coraline dons a cropped light milk chocolate brown tee with slits in the shoulders and a boat neckline, dark blue straight-cut jeans and her black combat boots, her long auburn red hair tied back into a braid. She shakes her head at Inuyasha's disgruntled attitude, knowing full-well he's actually more pleased than he sounded over the fact she had come back to him earlier than expected...Her mind then drifts back to when she and the twins spoke with their martial arts teacher the other day...
(Flash)
It would be after an afternoon class she and her brothers were fortunate enough to attend when the trio in question would be able to speak with their teacher privately...
"Master Yoshi?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, how can I help you, Croft-san and Brownlee-sans?"
"We were hopin' to ask for a favour..."
"Yes?"
Taking in a deep breath, Coraline then asks the question.
"Would i' be possible, for you t' help us with some special training?"
"...I'm assuming this has to do with those, items you three brought today?"
"Auy."
She and her brothers then move to one of the dojo walls to grab their respected weapons - aka Coraline's sword and combat knife, Besa's kama and Freeman's ōtsuchi - to show their instructor.
"We have been sparrin' with eachother, but we're concerned our growin' experience may no' be enough to properly perfect our skills."
Besa adds after his sister,
"You've told stories to the class about the different martial arts you've learned in your travels, including those with unique weaponry. We hoped that with your advanced experience, you might be able to teach us techniques to better wield our weapons and maybe even some next level hand-to-hand combat."
The teens hold out the deadly objects for their sensei to examine.
"Hmm...These are certainly interesting choices for each of you...and I see you've already been using them in battle. I imagine the beasts in Edo are quite fierce?"
They nod, for at one point before now, Master Yoshi had somehow figured out what had been causing his students' frequent absences and pulled them aside for a private chat. Oddly enough, their story did not surprise him too strongly, for he too was a person who has encountered the strange and unexplained in this world (but that's another story)...
Anyway, he finishes examining the weapons, and looks up to see the determination in their eyes.
"...You three are quite serious about this. I can see the fire that burns within your beings."
"So...does this mean..."
"(Smile) Show me what exactly you three can do with your weapons."
The three teens nod eagerly, and the quartet soon change their location to a clear and quiet area within the abandoned factory district so their fellow civilians of Tokyo were none the wiser. The girl and twin boys then each took turns displaying their self-taught skills, using the rubble of the old buildings as targets while Master Yoshi observed...
Once Coraline finishes showing off with her sword, she walks back over to the others with a pant in her breath from a combination of exhaustion and anticipation.
"Hah, hah...well?"
"Hmm...The three of you displayed some impressive skills despite being self-taught...but there is room for improvement."
"That's why we came to you for advice."
Besa and Freeman nod in agreement with Coraline, and Master Yoshi folds his arms in thought...before smiling and saying,
"Alright. I shall take you three under my wing for special training."
"Really?!"
"Yes. I also understand that given your mission in Edo, scheduling will be difficult, but we shall do our best to meet often, correct?"
"Yes."
"Of course!"
"The second we come back again, we'll try to get down to the dojo."
"Good...Now seeing as we're here already, (rolls up his sleeves) we may as well get started. We'll begin with hand-to-hand combat for now, but come next time you return to this era, weapons training will begin. I must warn you, however, that the training you will undergo from here onward will be more rigorous and demanding than the classes you've been taking previously."
"We understand, sensei. We're not afraid of a little hard work."
"Heheh, oh hai, that I know too well...So then, if the three of you would follow me, we will begin with a revision of what you've learned so far."
"Hai, Sensei!"
(Flash)
Coraline snaps out of her thoughts when she hears Freeman grimace and roll his shoulder. Zooming in on said young man, we see he's wearing a simple white wife beater under a black leather vest, light brown skinny jeans and onyx hiking boots, contrasting his twin who's wearing a lime green tee, dark grey relaxed-fit jeans and black hiking boots.
"...You gonna be alrigh' there, bro?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. My muscles are just a bit sore from yesterday's training with Master Yoshi."
Miroku turns and asks,
"Is that what you three were up to when you were in your era? I thought it was just mainly for Coraline to take that examination."
"It was...but we've had this idea runnin' through our heads for a while to ask our sensei if he could do private classes with us to better our combat skills."
Besa adds,
"Back in the day, he did some cross-country traveling, learning as many different forms of the martial arts as he was able, from empty-handed combat to ones that include weapons training. We figured he would be the best person to turn to for advice regarding our, situations."
"Interesting...Does this mean he knows about...?"
"Our travels to Edo? Yeah, but he's sworn into secrecy. (Smile) Plus believe it or not, he's had a couple encounters with the unexplained, including a ghost of a lost samurai general."
"Incredible...!"
"Haha, yeah, although the rest of our class think he's just telling stories..."
Inuyasha turns to Coraline in his own curiousity.
"So next time you go back to your era, you'll be doin' special training with this Yoshi character?"
"Uh-huh. It's not that I dou' my current skills, but considerin' the battles ahead, it wouldn't hur' ta get some professional help. (Frown) It would kill me if I couldn' pr'tect any of yous because me combat skills are only hittin' the average mark."
"Uh..."
The half-dog demon couldn't find a response for that, and decides to look ahead with an unreadable expression...About ten minutes pass, and the gang finds themselves at an area that had a thick fog cover...
"You sure this is the righ' place, Besa?"
He nods at his sister,
"According to the man I spoke with, this is where he said he saw a strange fruit and where an old friend of his went missing from a couple days ago...This fog cover's a bit weird, though..."
Freeman agrees:
"Yeah, it's so thick, I can barely see the trees on the other side of the river..."
Miroku adds as he feels the hairs on his skin prick from a faint buzz of power in the air,
"It's not just fog...Hm?"
The monk's attention then focuses on Shippō as the latter approaches the water, spotting something floating downstream.
"What is this?"
The fox demon picks the item up...revealing it as a fruit of sorts that's almost as big as the child's head and sporting a wrinkled face!
"This is the creepiest-looking fruit I've ever seen!"
Miroku comes over for a closer look:
"Uh, look at that: a Human Fruit!"
Inuyasha asks,
"Human Fruit," and Coraline notes the anxiety etching into the monk's expression.
"(Narrows eyes) It's bad, isn't it?"
"Ninmenka, a demon tree uses humans as nourishment so its fruits resembles human faces."
The silverette asks for the sake of clarification,
"So that thing's the fruit of a demon tree?"
"Yes, and considering how many of them are floating downstream, the demonic tree has to be extremely large."
"...There's alot of unrest. With all the battles going on, there's no shortage of bodies to be had for fertilizer."
"Possibly...but there isn't that much fighting deep in the mountains..."
Besa reminds the two,
"Then there's the one man who went missing from the village, and he had just gotten back from the war..."
"...Alright. That's all I need t' hear."
They turn to Coraline, who had a determined look on her face.
"We mus' investigate this strange activity righ' away."
She begins walking along the path upstream of the river, and Inuyasha comments,
"You seem more serious than usual. What's up with that?"
"Well, I don' have much to preoccupy me mind now tha' I'm back again...And somethin' abou' this fruit is makin' me wanna boak..."
Everyone else follows after the girl, with Shippō remarking as he hops onto Besa's shoulder,
"Well that was a short break..."
"Only a matter of time before we get a longer one..."
Inuyasha barks at the retreating forms,
"You forgetting someone?! Don't just ignore me!"
Coraline groans and circles back to yank him along the path.
"Come on, complainer. Less talkin', more walkin'."
Miroku adds,
"Let's hurry and get this over with."
Inuyasha mumbles to himself as the female redhead half-drags him by the wrist,
"Tch, some friends..."
...
...
It would be close to sunset before they all reach the area where the fruit had been coming from, namely, a tall cliff heading into the higher mountain range. They all look upwards as Miroku notes,
"The Demon Tree of the Human-Faced Fruits must be high above."
"At the top of this cliff?"
...Freeman then spots the large peach tree growing on the peak of the cliff.
"I see it; good god, it's huge!"
The monk is also taken aback by the plant's size.
"Incredible. I've never seen such a colossal Human-Faced Fruit Tree...And this ominous demon aura..."
Shippō finishes,
"Which means it must've consumed alot of humans already."
...Besa's eyes suddenly lock onto an object near the water, and wanders over to pick up a spear that had some considerable wear, along with a piece of armor that fastens around the shoulder.
"Hey...samurai items...It looks like the gear the man I spoke with described his friend wearing. (Looks up) Which means he might be up there somewhere. Whether dead or alive is hard to say..."
Having heard all he had to, Inuyasha starts leaping up towards the tree, much to Coraline and Miroku's surprise.
"Inuyasha?!"
"What are you going to do?!"
He pauses on the cliff face and calls back,
"What else? I'm gonna go up there and chop down that demon tree!"
"We'll go with you!"
"Hang on a sec!"
"I ain't wastin' the whole day luggin' each of ya up this cliff!"
With that, Inuyasha continues his fast-paced trek up towards the tree...Coraline wonders to herself,
"What in th' world got into him?...And he said I was actin' more serious than usual...?"
"Inuyasha wants to get this over with before the sun goes down."
"Huh?"
Everyone else looks at Shippō in confusion...until he says,
"The lunar month starts tonight."
Lunar Month?
"...Oh crap; the New Moon! Once nightfall hits, Inuyasha will lose his demonic abilities! (Looks back up) Damn, I can't blame h'm for rushin'..."
Devil to me, how could I 'ave f'rgotten already?
...Inuyasha...
As Coraline's worries for the dog demon begin accumulating, we turn to the top of the cliff as the sky fades from a brilliant sky blue to a mix of byzantine purple and cardinal red. Our focus is on a large shrine house sitting near the large peach tree, and we watch the strange sage from earlier approach the large plant and pour a wine purple liquid into the soil surrounding the roots...
Damn...No Fruit of Longevity yet.
He plucks a perfectly ripened Ninmenka Peach from the tree and eats it, grumbling mentally,
Auh, how I tire of eating these all the time!
By this time, Inuyasha reaches the top of the cliff, and leaps to stand in front of the tree while asking the other soul nearby,
"Are you the one who's feeding this demon tree?!"
"Huh? (Turns) Who wants to know?"
The silverette glares at the large man and notes,
I don't pick up any demon scent from him, but he reeks of dead men.
Spitting out the stone of the fruit he consumed, the sage asks gruffly,
"What do you want from me?"
"I ain't gonna waste my time talkin' to you, but I am gonna chop down that damn tree!"
The half-demon grips the hilt of his sword, warning,
"Stay away, or else!"
The nameless man before him is unfazed, perhaps even amused by the threat.
"Oooh? Or else what?"
"(Unsheathes his blade) I'll hack you down as well!"
Inuyasha charges at the sage, and tries to cut him down with Tessaiga...However-
(BOING)
The blade bounces off the sage's stomach, sending their wielder backwards!
That flabby creep! The Tessaiga didn't work on him!
This calls for something more serious! (Leap) My Wind Scar!
He wastes no time in unleashing the sword technique against the enemy...but the latter uses his staff to release a wave of flowers...which somehow dissipate the wind vortex!
"Even that didn't work...!"
"Oh, a demon, are you?...And a fool. I don't know where you come from, but did you think you could defeat a sage?"
"You're a sage?!"
"Correct. I am the Sage of Togenkyo, Tōkajin!"
He uncorks his gourd bottle, releasing a portion of whatever power lays dormant...
"The gourd is getting bigger!"
"Wrong! It's not growing bigger; you're shrinking!"
Inuyasha looks down...and we see that his body has been reduced to a height no bigger than an apple, while his Tessaiga is left abandoned in its regular size!
"Uh! My Tessaiga! Damn, it's no illusion...Are you telling me you really are a sage?!"
"Stop making me repeat myself!"
"If you're a sage, why would you stoop to this?!"
"Wanna go inside to find out?"
Tōkajin moves his thumb off the gourd's entry point...and a spectral vacuum begins sucking the shrunken half-dog demon inside!...The cork caps the bottle automatically, and the sage laughs while swishing its contents.
"This demon will make for excellent fertilizer."
Coraline's POV
We barely wait for more than five minutes before deciding to make haste up the cliff to find Inuyasha. The only problem that stands in our way was getting to the top in a reasonable amount of time...Thankfully, Shippō volunteered to carry us all up in his balloon form.
A brave lad, he is. I can only imagine how much strain ou' collective weight is bringin'...
As he struggles to keep shape, I say to him encouragingly,
"You can do i', Shippō! It's only a couple more fee' up!"
Miroku comments,
"Shippō, I'm quite impressed. You turn out to be strong after all."
As we close in on the clifftop, I note the disappearing sun.
Shoo', no' alo' of time now...Inuyasha will soon have only h's human strength to rely on...
(Nods firmly) But he won' be alone. I'll make sure of tha'.
"C-Cor-aline!"
"Huh?"
We all look down at Shippō, who mutters in a strain,
"S-Sorry!"
Next thing we knew, we start descending downwards real fast!
"Aaaah!"
I feel Miroku and Besa wrap their arms around me:
"Hang on!"
"Freeman, grab onto my other side!"
"Right!"
Catching their implication, we all jump down off the lad in unison and land atop a leaf-covered ledge...
"Phew, that was close."
Just as Freeman said that, Shippō pops back into his original form and lands besides us, causing the weight of the leaves to give out.
"Whoa!"
"Gah!" "Damn!"
"What the hell?!"
"Whah!"
Falling through the foliage, we land harshly atop a set of worn stairs carved into the rock...I stand up while rubbing my side from the slam, and look forward to see a room up not far ahead, with a box in the middle and several large pieces of pottery up against the walls...
"What, the, heck...?"
Miroku remarks as we wander inside,
"It looks like we've stumbled across somebody's hidden mansion..."
Besa then points to the apparatus in the middle:
"What's that?"
I step forward to get a closer look at the setup:
"...Looks like a mini box garden of some kind...Hm?"
I spot something moving, and squint my eyes...only to gasp when I see a very small man walking towards a hut!
"There's a fella in here!"
Shippō hops beside me and adds,
"There are others too!"
Besa scans the area and notes,
"I don't see the friend of my tip..."
"Wha' sorcery is this...?!"
Miroku and Freeman reply,
"I dunno..."
"This is real freaky! Don't tell me they live here...!"
Shippō says to the latter,
"Your guess is as good as mine..."
...I then felt a shift in my jeans pocket, and see the bottle of shards float out, steadily getting larger and larger!
"Now wha's going on?! The shards are ge'in' bigger!"
"Uuh, that miniature village is getting larger too!"
Miroku corrects both our observations:
"No, the village isn't getting bigger; we're shrinking!"
A gravitational pull then forces us all into the air, before we all go tumbling into the garden, the shards left behind...
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
(WHAM...)
"Urgh..."
Luckily, it wasn't too hard a landing that we would get hurt...Still, as I sit up and peer over my surroundings, I could already feel the anxiety of a new problem rising.
"...Auh, dammi'. Wha' cat-melodeon place did we cowp into?"
A man with a listless expression walks out of the hut in front of us, and Shippō quietly states,
"Those are the tiny men we saw walking around."
"Auy...which means..."
Miroku nods,
"That we're inside the miniature village as well."
"Whaaaaat?! What'll we do?! Will we live here for the rest of our lives?!"
Freeman picks up the smallest of our group and holds him close to calm him down.
"Chill out, little dude. We won't be here forever."
"Really?"
"Really. We just have to look around for a way out, is all. Can't be that hard, right?"
I stand up and nod firmly:
"You're righ', bro, and we hafta find the exit pos'-haste. Inuyasha migh' be in dang'a, and the jewel shards are now vulnerable."
Shippō settles himself onto my brother's shoulder and asks insistently,
"But how?"
"First, we must find out what's going on. Let's go talk to the men over there and see what they have to say about this."
Besa adds after Miroku,
"And maybe one of them is or knows what happened to the soldier that went missing from Kaede's Village."
With our plan set, we all walk over to a collection of the men meditating under a tree...
"Excuse me, sirs, bu' could one of you please tell us wha's going on here?"
"This world isn't real. Do you realize that?"
...Neither mine nor Miroku's questions caused a response, and Freeman asks with an annoyed glare,
"Oi! Are you all deaf? We'd like some answers here!"
One man finally speaks up:
"Please stop disturbing us. We're in the midst of training."
"Huh? Training?"
"Yes, we are all in the process of training to become sages."
Miroku asks the second man,
"What do you mean, 'training to become sages'?"
A third answers,
"When we become as strong as sages, we shall be released, and Master Tōkajin will bestow on us the Fruit of Longevity."
"Tōkajin?"
Besa asks with a frown,
"Is that the name of the man who trapped you here?"
"Master Tōkajin is our savior because he saved us from hunger and war. Do not speak ill of him!"
We all gasp a bit from the tone in his response, and I think to myself,
They're all as blind as cult members...Damn, gettin' outta here might be harder than I thought.
No POV
The sun has almost disappeared over the horizon, and zooming out from the enchanted box garden and into another dingier room, we find Tōkajin holding up the Tessaiga while a monkey and two weasels serve him...
"No matter how I look at it, it's just a rusty old sword. But I'm certain that it transformed when that young demon wielded it...Oh well."
He gets up and begins making his way down the stairs...
Inside the sage's gourd, Inuyasha regains consciousness with a start.
"Gah!"
He subconsciously reaches for his sword, before remembering what happened.
That's right: I dropped the Tessaiga!
(Looks at his claws) I must be getting weaker already, seeing as I didn't transform into a demon...
Still, fine place I've gotten myself trapped in.
He growls in frustration over his predicament, then looks around the area...before noticing something off about his robes.
My coat is starting to dissolve...
I can't waste time in here! I guess I'll just have to claw my way out.
"(Leap) Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
Unfortunately, while the hit was true, it didn't do much damage to the inner layer of the gourd...
Huh? Impossible! I merely scratched it!
He tries a few continuous attacks, with similar results...
If only I had the Tessaiga! This would be a piece of cake!
Cutting briefly to the outside, we see that Inuyasha's situation is about to get even worse as the sun vanishes completely from the sky...
"Damn, him! I'll, teach him, when I, get outta here!"
(...Ba-bump)
"Guh!"
The silverette freezes...and we witness his hair shift to a glossy black, his eyes change from hazel-gold to amber-gray, and his claws shrink into normal fingernails!
My claws...Oh no! My power's disappearing!
Back outside the gourd, Tōkajin walks into the room with the miniature box garden, placing the Tessaiga against a wall beside numerous other weapons...Just as he turns to exit, he spots the bottle of jewel shards on the ground.
"Huh? What's that? (Picks them up) Shikon-no-Tama shards! Two of them!"
He opens his robes...revealing a shard he has embedded in his stomach.
"One shard was all I required to deflect a demon sword..."
He puts the other two in with the first one:
"With this many, my body will be a plate of armour!"
As Tōkajin laughs excitedly, Inuyasha cringes away from the purple acidic liquid that was slowly building.
Damn, the liquid is rising...I better come up with something fast or I'll be melted! Think, think!
Meanwhile, inside the enchanted space of the box garden, the men previously meditating around that one tree start a run across the bridge shortly after Coraline and company pry out a few basic answers regarding their current affairs...She asks Miroku,
"Is their training really going t' help th'm become sages, or is this blind faith?"
"I'm not sure. It's my understanding that reaching sage-like enlightenment does require physical strength...but it's spiritual prowess that's a crucial attribute."
"...You there."
They turn to see a singular man dressed in worn armour and carrying a bō staff sitting against a large rock protruding from the ground.
"The five of you don't seem to be from around these parts."
"A samurai...?"
"You don't seem like the others either..."
Besa leans down and asks,
"Are you the man who went missing from Lady Kaede's village, or did you know him?"
"Hm? Lady Kaede? (Shakes his head) No, I'm not from her village, but I did know the man who was with me in our company who fared from there...Our fellow soldiers were vanquished in a war not long ago, while we escaped into the valley, only to be captured by Tōkajin."
I walk over and ask,
"I'm assumin' yeu and he weren' in line t' train as sages?"
"Correct, for once you master even a tiny bit of spiritual power...you become fodder for the Ninmenka, the Demon Tree."
We all widens our eyes, and the samurai adds,
"He and I saw it with our own eyes: Tōkajin was talking to Ninmenka."
The samurai goes on to explain what he and the other warrior overheard, and from the sounds of it, the tree had been trying to influence this Tōkajin character, but it was he who silenced the tree after removing the shard of the Shikon-no-Tama embedded in the bark...
Besa then inquires,
"So what's happened to the other warrior?...Is he..."
With a regretful nod, the samurai confirms my brother's suspicions.
"During our attempt to escape this wretched place, Tōkajin grabbed me and my companion tried to save me...only for his spear to bounce off the monster's stomach...The impact sent him right off the cliff."
We all gasp, and the warrior adds with a grim smile,
"But I suppose his spirit is in better hands where he is now then it would be within these walls...I do feel sorry for his family and a dear friend he spoke of, for they likely don't know he's dead."
...Damn.
Miroku remarks,
"It was probably a Shikon-no-Tama shard that you saw," and I nod,
"Auy...It's fain', bu' there's a third shard here along with the two we possess."
Shippō states angrily,
"What a horribly wicked sage he is!"
"I have heard that unless a man renounces the world and becomes a hermit, it is not possible to reach the enlightenment of a sage."
The samurai adds after Miroku,
"And that is precisely why these men cannot become sages."
I look over at the running progression with a grim frown.
"Those poor eejits...They have no idea they're preparin' themselves for death."
"Those men turn deaf ears to me."
Shippō suggests,
"Maybe we can try talking to them," but Freeman scoffs,
"After the way they blew us off earlier? I doubt a second round will knock any sense into them."
The samurai agrees:
"No. It'll serve no purpose. There's no way out. It's useless."
I bark,
"That's no' what m' brother means! Obviously, there's another way outta here; we jus' hafta find it!"
Inuyasha...I don't know where you are, bu' please be safe.
No POV
Checking back with the half-dog demon on the redhead's mind, we see him switch up his tactics by using his sheath to beat on the wall of the gourd.
(Tok, tok, tok...)
He slips a little, and his foot dips into the acidic liquid.
"Yow! Damn, that hurts!"
I can really feel pain now...
This is why I hate being mortal!
(Looks up) How can I get out of here?
(...Ba-bump...)
"Huh?"
...My sheath is calling the Tessaiga!
(Grins) That means my sword is close by! Alright! I might get out of here yet!
He points the opening of the object towards the wall and cries out,
"Come here, Tessaiga!"
...
...
Outside the gourd, the said blade rattles and lifts itself into the air before lunging at the unsuspecting Tokajin's waist...
"I suppose I'll head back..."
The gourd pulsates in time with the sheath...and the sword tip thrusts within!
"Uh? That rusty old sword again!"
As Tōkajin moves to try and dislodge the Tessaiga, Inuyasha grins in anticipation inside the gourd.
"That's the way, big guy. Get me out. Keep it comin'..."
(...Shoom)
The blade is pulled out, leaving a hole in the gourd large enough for the currently human half-demon to escape through!
"Time to blow this gourd!"
He wastes no more seconds and leaps out, returning to his normal size once he touches the floor, much to the surprise of the sage.
"It's you!"
"Yeah, genius. Hope ya got your will signed!"
"You're that demon kid I captured earlier!"
"Who were you expecting?! It's payback time!"
(PUNCH)
"UGH! Oww, that hurt..."
The shards embedded in Tōkajin's stomach begin glowing, an action unmissed by Inuyasha.
"Uh! You've got a jewel shard!"
"Why, you...! You won't get away!"
"Where'd you get that jewel shard?! (Widens eyes) Don't tell me...!"
"Be prepared, for you are the one who's about to perish!"
Tokajin's body suddenly shifts to become hard as rock, before he leaps into the air to sumo-slam against the enemy, who stands fearlessly.
"Try me!"
(CRASH)
...The outcome would unfortunately be in the inhuman sage's favour, his attack causing significant damage and leaving the Inuyasha barely alive inside a crater...
"Hehahaha, the jewel shards hold tremendous power. (Pats his stomach) I am invincible!"
...
...
Back in the miniature garden, the powerless and injured half-demon's companions start combing the perimeter for any way of getting out, but with no success.
...Damn. There's gotta be a way out o' here.
Inuyasha's in trouble...I can feel i'!
Shippō comes bounding over from another section, calling to his fellow ginger,
"No luck, Coraline! There's no way out of here!"
Miroku and the twins join them, also unsuccessful in finding an exit.
"Nothing but walls all the way around."
Coraline curses loudly, and Freeman exclaims,
"Man, this blows! Can't we just hop on eachother's shoulders and pyramid-climb out?"
His twin replies,
"The walls are way too high, Freeman. Even if we formed a human ladder, we'd be a few feet short."
"So? We'll force the other men here to join us, (knuckle-crack) and I mean force."
"Physical force won't cut it. They're lost causes; they've been here too long."
"Your brother is right, young man."
The samurai limps over using his bō staff as a crutch and adds dejectedly,
"It's useless! Either we become sages and get fed to the Ninmenka or we stay here and perish. Those are our only choices!"
Despite some truth laced in his words, Coraline's determination would not be dissuaded.
"(Glare) No...No, you're wrong!"
"I wish I was wrong. There's no escaping this Hell."
Everyone looks at the samurai's grim expression with worry, and the girl thinks to herself frantically,
Mac soith...Cipher, if this is one of yur illusions, make it stop!
"(Punches wall) Ow...Damn, this is real...This is real!...Dammi' all to heeeellllll!"