Update (December 2021): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 69: Witless Mikos, Momiji and Botan
It's been several hours since sunset came and gone during our witness of Inuyasha and company's latest battle. While our heroes and heroines are safely settling into Kaede's home within the Goshinboku Village for the night...their defeated opponent, Tsubaki has been wandering in a daze down a dirt path cutting deep in the forests of Edo.
Focusing within the dark priestess's mind, one could hear the disbelief and denial clouding her perception of the results produced from her efforts.
...Why was I defeated?
The 'young' woman with glossy gray hair feels her memories of Kikyo and Coraline defeating her shikigami and bouncing her curse back at her flash and meld until they were barely distinct from one another. Even the dual bow and sword seemed one in the same.
...Did I make a mistake somewhere?
Eventually, Tsubaki reaches a destination to act as the end to her confusion, namely, the grand gate of a large shinto shrine. If one we're to look up, they would see the iconic yin and yang symbol printed center-top...
...No. I've made no such errors.
She glances down at the nearly-complete Shikon-no-Tama in her possession.
As long as I have the Shikon-no-Tama, I can start over.
"...Who's there?!"
"Hm?"
Tsubaki looks up, and sees two young ladies standing in the entrance way.
The first has dark maroon red hair styled into a bob, coffee brown irises, a fair beige complexion, and wears a non-traditional priestess uniform consisting of a white kusode and hakama, what appears to be a red jinabori, matching in colour to the string woven into the kusode sleeves, a tea rose obi sash, white tabi socks and wooden geta sandals. Around her neck is a large set of jade green beads with a sun-shaped centerpiece, and in her hair is a golden headband.
The second girl in contrast has mid-back long indigo hair, dark brown irises, and wears a miko uniform very similar to her friend, but with sky blue and steel blue dominating the more colourful pieces. Around her own neck is a set of jade green beads, but with a set of crescent moons facing away from one another as the centerpiece, and in her hair on either side of her head is a pair of golden hairpins.
"How dare you trespass here!"
"If you are human, begone! And if you're a demon, we will slay you!"
Tsubaki calls back,
"Stand down," then pulls out a slip of parchment with the Yin and Yang symbol printed on it.
"I am Priestess Tsubaki. I trained at this shrine."
The two young priestesses glance at one another...before deciding to grant the older woman entrance...
Once she was inside the front courtyard, Tsubaki softly comments as she glances around,
"Oh, how nostalgic...Not much has changed since I was last here..."
She then turns to the other two priestesses, who kneel as they introduce themselves, starting with the redhead.
"My name is Momiji,"
"And I am Botan."
"Only you two protect this shrine now?"
"Yes. You see, the two of us were the master's last disciples."
"I see..."
Momiji then boldly but politely asks,
"Excuse me, Priestess Tsubaki, but were you one of the master's last disciples as well? Pardon my rudeness, but would you mind me asking what your age is?"
Botan is just as curious:
"Yes, it's true; you look very young."
Nearly smirking, the gray-haired miko decides to humor the girls with a vague answer.
"I am much older than the both of you, of course. My youthfulness is the result of my training."
"So there is a skill to keep one young?"
"Of sorts, and you two might reap such benefits if you continue your training."
Both girls look to one another in surprise, and Tsubaki adds with a somewhat grim smile,
"It's not very easy, though..."
Momiji then asks,
"Priestess Tsubaki...why did you return to the shrine?"
"...It is because I am being hunted down by a demon."
Both young mikos gasp,
"A demon?!"
Tsubaki in contrast calmly contemplates her odds in keeping this pair of souls from getting in the way of her next vengeance plot.
What should I do with these two? Shall I kill them here and now?
"We will assist you, Priestess Tsubaki."
She focuses back on the girls, and Botan adds after Momiji with an eager smile matching the latter,
"Because you are our sister disciple."
"(Light smirk) Oh?"
...
...
Morning light soon streams across these greener lands, and our viewpoint shifts to that of the hut belonging to the living sister of our wandering undead priestess...Coraline is the first to stir awake after a relatively decent sleep, quietly sitting up and looking around at the forms of her sleeping friends as she thought back to the events from yesterday.
...Damn tha' Tsubaki and h'r curse.
Not only did her power cause me to fall into a false reality...but th' stress caused me control over my aura power to slip, twice.
She watches her Will O' Wisp partner lazily drift around the area of the right wall where her sword and Inuyasha's rest.
...I w's barely able to get it together the second time, thanks to ShatterSoul.
Now I have a new technique under m' belt...a dangerous one a' that.
The redhead smiles grimly and rubs the muscles in her left shoulder while adding to herself,
Now I know how Inuyasha must'a felt during his struggle with his soul 'nd blade...
"...Hey."
"Mm?"
She looks up and over near the entrance, seeing Inuyasha staring at her from the corner.
"Are you, feelin' alright?"
"Haah, I will be, (half-smirk) righ' after I go mediev'l on Tsubaki and Naraku's arses."
The silverette chuckles a bit from the redhead's response, just as Shippō stirs awake.
"Mm? Coraline."
Next would be Miroku, followed by Sango and Kaede:
"You're awake, Coraline."
"Feeling better?"
"Coraline..."
She smiles at their faces, before feeling a hand on either shoulder, and turns to see her brothers were up as well.
"Morning, stranger."
"Dude...you look like hell."
Coraline sighs and says to everyone,
"I'm alrigh', you guys, really...well, physically, at least. But after this latest battle...I think I wanna try drownin' my grimness with somethin' strong."
She looks to Freeman and asks,
"Bro, can you reach into whichever bag it's in and pull ou', the bottle?"
"The sake?"
"Nah...I mean the other bottle."
The wielder of the war hammer forms a confused expression..before he clues in.
"Ooooh...You sure about that?"
"Auy. I don't really give a damn if it's morning, and, please don' forget the shot glass."
"Mhm."
As the twin with the natural-cut coarse black hair moves to get out the requested items, Inuyasha asks,
"What're you two talkin' about? What bottle?"
"Well, I may or may not've brought a drink stronger than sake here in me pack...I kept havin' this, feeling at some point in our adventures, I'd end up bringin' something for us to, 'take the edge off' so to speak."
"...You drink?"
"No' overly. I've only had the occasional shot glass since I turned thirteen, and always when Akari-sama or Grandfather w's in the same room."
Coraline pauses when her brother hands her the bottle and glass.
"Thanks."
"No prob. Just remember the rule we discussed."
"Yeah yeah, one glass only per day, and if I'm to try for anoth'a, you all forbid me by any means necessary...except breakin' the bottle. This kind-of import don't come cheap."
Everyone nods, and the young fox demon walks over to his fellow redhead's side to get a closer look at the bottle.
"...That's not kanji, is it?"
"Nope. English...This is known as Locke's Moor Whiskey, an import straigh' from Ireland. Grandfather bought this in secret for my fifteenth birthday a couple months back, and he 'n I snuck a shot glass each the night before while Akari-sama and Sōta slept...Little taste of me home country."
"Aaah..."
Coraline pours the drink to about halfway up in the shot glass, before raising it up to herself while muttering,
"Here's to livin' another day," before downing it all in one go.
(Gulp)
Her face scrunches up a bit from the smoky bitterness:
"Hoh! Ahh...That's good quality..."
"Huh. You definitely drank that with no hesitation."
She looks to Inuyasha and replies dryly,
"That's how ya gotta down it: straight up with no pause."
Besa smiles a bit nervously and comments,
"Just don't become an alcoholic, okay? I don't think any of us here wanna find out what happens when you get majorly drunk."
"Ha-ha, very funny...Hauh, bu' let's be serious: whiskey, like all alcohol, is but a fair-weather friend. I' only sticks aroun' long enough 'til they're sure you're not gonna go cowpin' into a ditch before movin' onto the next s'rry soul."
Everyone chuckles slightly in agreement, even with some light confusion from the splash of Irish dialect...A little time passes, and we find everyone gathered around the center hearth as they discuss Tsubaki over some stew prepared by Kaede.
"Was the dark priestess who placed the curse named Tsubaki? Fifty years ago, there was a priestess by that name who was equal in status to Kikyō."
Sango asks as she takes her offered bowl,
"Why did she turn into an evil priestess?"
"That I do not know. Perhaps she merely shared the same name with one..."
Besa puts a finger under his chin in thought:
"I don't think so...I remember Tsubaki looking really bitter whenever Kikyō's name came to her tongue, like she was spitting tar...I'm almost wondering if she might have a grudge against Kikyō for a past wrong."
"A past wrong?"
"Well, wrong in Tsubaki's eyes...It's also fair to say it has something to do with the jewel."
Freeman scoffs,
"When doesn't the jewel get involved? That's what I'd like to know..."
His sister hums...before tensing up from a familiar shiver of power.
"Gh!"
Inuyasha asks her,
"What's wrong?"
"(Sheen) The Shikon-no-Tama is near."
Miroku asks for the sake of confirmation,
"Are you sure about that, Coraline?"
The girl with glowing ice blue eyes nods,
"Yes. No mistaking it."
Shippō comments,
"It's a huge shard, that's why."
"It's not just that...Thanks to the expel of power from my soul trying to overwhelm Tsubaki's curse, the jewel now has a tiny bit of my residual energy surroundin' it in a ring, making the trackin' job a bi' easier. I'm no' sure if it'll be permanent, bu', we have'a new advantage for'a time."
Everyone looks at Coraline in surprise, and Inuyasha stands up while voicing the question on all minds present.
"Which way is it?"
They all head for the outdoors, remembering to grab the essential items - aka, weapons - as they went...
"(Point) The jewel is somewhere down tha' way."
"We'll have to go after it."
"Correct."
The younger folk turn to see the aging miko approaching with a horse in hand and her bow/quiver set over her shoulder.
"We mustn't pass up this chance to get a shard of the Shikon-no-Tama back."
Inuyasha asks in an incredulous fashion,
"What are you doing, Kaede? Don't tell me you're coming with us!"
"She is a dark priestess, after all, so I thought I as a priestess should accompany you."
"Tch. Doesn't 'priestess' bring someone young to mind?"
"Coraline..."
Said redhead glares mildly at the half-demon before obliging the silent order.
"Sit, boy."
(Gleam, wham)
"Gauh!"
Inuyasha goes down, and Kaede comments,
"Such an impudent fellow," before saddling up on the steed and urging it into a steady gallop.
"Onward we go!"
"...Kilala!"
The twin-tail transforms into her true form come Sango's command, and she and Miroku ride after the priestess as Coraline calls her own little partner.
"Lumos!"
The Will O' Wisp comes flying out of the hut, settling into a hover near the left side of her head as she kneels down to help Inuyasha off the ground with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry 'bout that, but I can't object my elders."
The latter grumbles but allows the girl to set herself on his back as per their usual fast travel routine.
Coraline then pivots her head to ask her twin brothers,
"Yousuns okay on foot?"
"Yeah, go ahead, sis."
...Once Inuyasha heads off, it's revealed that poor Shippō got flattened by the former thanks to the 'Sit' command!
"Urrh...Uh? Hey, wait up!"
Freeman grabs and sets the fox demon on his free right shoulder, his left occupied by the base of his war hammer.
"Don't worry, kiddo, we'll catch up easy. (Turn) Ready, Besa?"
The twin with cornrow hair finishes securing his kama and nods,
"Let's motor."
With that, our last three members rush down the path, just as determined to find Tsubaki and the jewel fragment she holds.
Tsubaki's POV
After gaining entrance into this old place and securing the trust of those two naive young mikos, I found myself wandering further within the grounds of this shrine as my mind reels with memories of the days of my youth...
(Flash)
Patience and diligence is taught early in the art of priest and priestesshood. I remember as a young girl of barely eleven summers praying with my master in front of the old altar...
"You learn quickly, Tsubaki."
"Do you mean that, master?"
"Yes."
...I felt so proud from his praise...Heh, the stories I could tell this other me now...
(Flash)
I'm in front of that old altar now, and not much has changed other than time.
"Hmph. Sixty years have passed...It's no surprise that my master has died."
Even if he was miraculously still among the living, I shan't allow anyone to stop me from achieving my current goals.
...And there's one thing here amongst the dust of the past that can help me do just that.
"Priestess Tsubaki."
"Hm?"
I turn to the call from Momiji, and see her and Botan kneeling in front of me once more.
They understand respect, I'll give them that...
"Special charms that are unique to this shrine can keep demons from entering. Where could they be located?"
"Let us take care of the demon, Priestess Tsubaki."
Botan adds with a determined smile,
"Even if we cannot slay it, we can at least slow it down."
"Are you certain? The enemy is a terrible, evil demon."
"But we have trained long and hard as well,"
"And therefore it is our duty to fight evil demons."
(...Smirk) Why not? At the very least, they'll provide a good enough diversion for those wretches.
"Then you are to keep those demons at bay for as long as you're able."
"Of course!"
No POV
After proclaiming their dedication to protect a fellow miko and ward off threats to peace, Momiji and Botan would head for a storehouse to gather as many supplies as they would need for the upcoming battle. Such items include small boxes of what is more than likely powder and incense, charms, scrolls and even a gold dragon statue...Looking down at their choices, the young miko with indigo hair asks,
"Are you sure these are going to be enough, Momiji?"
"I think all of these will work just fine, Botan."
"(Nervous frown) It's our very first time, though..."
The girl with the bob of dark maroon red hair remains determined.
"And that's all the more reason for doing it!"
"(Smile) You're right. It's all part of training and experience!"
They slide the door open in a slam with the treasures over their shoulders in twin bundles.
"Onward!"
"To slay the demon!"
The pair march out of the courtyard with a new air of confidence, and Tsubaki watches them go with a smile of amusement...before forming a frown of intent and turning to walk off to another area of the shrine...Her walk ends in front of a large pagoda behind the main shrine in a clearing near the thicker green, and she stops at the foot of the stairs as her memory stimulates regarding its significance.
(Flash)
A young Tsubaki and her master stare up at the pagoda as he informs her of what it's used for.
"You must never open these doors. This is the Forbidden Pagoda of Many Treasures."
The young girl stares back up at the structure in awe...
(Flash)
"...Forbidden, is it?"
Suddenly, the wind shifts, and a whirlwind manifests a couple feet to the dark priestess's right, before dissipating to reveal Kagura!
"It's you!"
"Naraku sent me to get the Shikon-no-Tama back."
"This jewel belongs to me!"
"I could be wrong, but didn't he promise to give it to you, if you fulfilled his wish?"
"And I will fulfill his wish! I'll kill both Coraline and Inuyasha, but to do so, I require the Shikon-no-Tama."
"How will you kill them? They defeated you once already."
Tsubaki looks to the pagoda and replies,
"A great power lies within. (Looks at the shard) A power I plan to use with the Shikon-no-Tama shard."
"It doesn't sound very hopeful to me at all. Shall I tell you something interesting?"
"(Looks up) What is it?"
"(Sly smile) Do you want to know the ultimate way to use the Shikon-no-Tama?"
Coraline's POV
Soon enough, we'd all reach this section of the greater grass plains near where the giant jewel fragment would be hiding...
"It's not too much further! Keep true!"
"I gotcha!"
I hear Kilala growl from above, and Sango asks,
"What's the matter, Kilala?"
Miroku then calls,
"Over there!"
He and the demon slayer duo land not too far ahead of us, and when we all catch up, my focus turns to a strange structure going around in front of the next treeline, made with poles holding up stringed charms...
"What is that?"
Kaede explains for the confused Inuyasha as she steps down from her mare,
"A barrier. We priestesses put up such paper talismans to keep demons from entering."
Miroku wonders aloud,
"Do you think this is Tsubaki's doing?"
Besa speculates,
"Possibly, but, this is a bit tame from what we've seen regarding her abilities."
Hm, good point, bro...Still, we need t' find a way through.
I point forward and say to everyone,
"I can feel the jewel shard's energy past th's barrier."
Inuyasha starts marching forward regardless of the-erm, roadblock.
"Damn. I'm gonna tear this stupid barrier apart!"
...But before he could wander even a few steps forward, Lumos suddenly darts off from my side and stops in front of Inuyasha to bounce up and down in the air in a 'Don't do it!' sort of way.
"Huh? What's up with you?"
I watch the Will O' Wisp slowly float downward towards a stick with a charm stuck on it, circling it with intent...
"What is that?"
Shippō comes over to look with Inuyasha, and starts inching a finger towards the object...before Lumos stops him with louder outcries.
"Huh? What's wrong, Lumos?"
"He has the right of it."
"Hm?"
Miroku walks over and picks up the charm while commenting,
"This is part of the barrier to ward off demons. If either of you were to touch this, you would've been shocked and possibly rendered paralyzed."
Both demon-blooded boys wince, before turning to my Will O' Wisp to say together,
"Thanks for the warning."
Lumos chirps in appreciation, while Miroku looks towards the larger string of charms.
"You should all stand back and let Kaede and I dismantle it."
"...You've arrived, demon!"
"We've been waiting!"
"Huh?"
But before any such actions could be taken, a pair of young women around my age suddenly appear from behind two large rocks protruding from the ground. They're wearing the garments of priestesses, but one has red over the white while the other is blue, and similar can be said about their hair...
"Are you Inuyasha, the demon who seeks to destroy Priestess Tsubaki?"
He asks the girl with short dark red hair,
"What? You're both on Tsubaki's side?"
"Priestess Tsubaki is our sister disciple!"
The bluenette nods,
"Of course we're her allies!"
"So you're dark priestesses then? (Knuckle crack) I won't spare either of you then."
I come to his side and whisper,
"Um, Inuyasha, I don' think these two are fully aware of whom they've sided with."
Their auras cert'nly don't beat with the righ' energy to be on the side of evil...
Confirming my thoughts, the redhead scoffs,
"Dark priestess?!"
The bluenette adds just as infuriated,
"How dare you insult us!"
"You're not dark priestesses?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I am Momiji!"
"And I am Botan!"
"We are priestesses who have trained hard in the Art of Slaying Demons!"
"Don't even mention us in the same breath as a dark priestess!"
...Well, there yeu go.
I hum and say to everyone,
"They seem t' be tellin' it like it is, plus I don't sense anything tha' suggests they're anything like Tsubaki."
Sango asks,
"So they're not Tsubaki's helpers?"
Freeman suggests,
"Mm, more like Tsubaki 'forgot' to mention her dark intentions to these two."
Miroku then steps forward to try and kindly appeal to their good sides.
"Slow down and hold on a minute, you two."
But Momiji remains firm:
"Silence! (Point) Your appearance tells me that you're a monk! (Point) And you a demon slayer! (Point) And as for you..."
She pauses at me, before hunching with her companion Botan to whisper in conversation. I raise an eyebrow at their action, but remind myself that I am technically a foreigner to the people of this era...They then stand back up and point at me, concluding,
"You're a priestess!"
...Not even close.
That description didn't sit very well with me, obviously, but I don't hold it against them.
"Uerm, tha's not exactly my repertoire, (polite smile) but I do dabble with spiritual power, so yur guess isn' too far off."
The girls smile at eachother, somewhat pleased with their half-right description. Besa and Freeman then call over,
"Yeah, a warrior may be a better occupation for sis!"
"She's got the blade for it, that's for sure!"
They turn to look at my brothers in thought...before pointing at them and asking,
"Are you two demons or foreigners?"
"Your skin pigment is not typical!"
They both sigh exasperatingly and reply at the same time,
"The second one..."
Hmph. Clearly, they're no' well-versed if they can't detect that much from th' get-go.
Momiji and Botan nod firmly before the former asks,
"Why do you three collaborate with demons such as these?"
Their points are directed to Inuyasha, Shippō, Kilala...and Kaede.
"So I get included with the demons?"
Like I said, no' well-versed.
Shippō isn't anymore pleased than our resident priestess was.
"We haven't done any harm to you, or anyone else!"
A gasp escapes Momiji while Botan murmurs something, and they huddle back down again to whisper with one another...They glance back at Shippō and Kilala, before turning to one another with conflicted expressions. I felt bad for them, while also a little amused since they obviously think our resident fox demon and cat demon are cute.
"What should we do, yeu guys? I don't think these two would make for f'rmidable opponents. I'm not even sure if they have enough field experience with fighting demons..."
Inuyasha scoffs indifferently, while Freeman agrees with my thoughts.
"No kidding. Neither girl looks battle-worn enough. Heh, and judgin' from the way they're glancing at Shippō and Kilala, I don't think they'd have the heart to slay either. (Murmurs) Really pays to be cute sometimes..."
Miroku then decides on a course of action:
"We're just gonna have to win them over, that's all. (Smile) Hello there, ladies!"
"I get it!"
I look back to the girls in confusion, as they turn to point accusingly at Shippō.
"You demon: you've disguised your appearance!"
...He looks behind him, then tries to move out the line of the point, but neither girl wavers...
"By changing your disgusting looks, you may have deceived some poor souls, but you're not going to deceive us!"
"Your appearance cannot trick us!"
Hoh dear...
Poor Shippō becomes awfully upset by their accusations:
"Auuuh! Who, me?! I'm innocent!"
"Stop actin' so scared, Shippō."
He turns to look at Inuyasha, and the latter adds,
"If they insist on interfering, we'll just have to use force!"
I see him preparing to bring out Tessaiga, so I step closer to him while placing a hand on his arm to try and coax him to stay defensive.
"Hang on; don't just jump to brute force."
Sango agrees, adding,
"I'm sure we can talk this thing out..."
Momiji then clasps her hands and says to the staff-wielding Botan,
"Time to take action!"
"I agree with you completely!"
"Now now, ladies..."
The girls gasp from Miroku's sudden appearance right behind them, and I mutter,
"Oh geez, what're ye doing now, ya eejit...?"
Momiji and Botan were definitely taken-aback:
"When did you...?!"
"How did you...?!"
"If you'll allow me, I can explain exactly what we're doing with that demon over there. (Serious look) You see, it all originated with the Shikon-no-Tama. The demons coveted it with power from hell..."
Contrary to his serious tone, however, the fool monk was being really unprofessional by groping both the girl's butts!
Urrrgh, why mus' this man always go the arseway before the right?!
Both girls shudder and let out matching shrieks of discomfort...before the inevitable happens.
(SLAP-SLAP)
"Why you little pervert!"
"You've gone and sold your soul to the demon, haven't you?!"
Miroku is now sitting on the grass with two hand-prints on his cheeks, and he holds out his cursed hand as he calls shamefully yet insistently,
"It's the hand! It's possessed by a demon!"
Inuyasha counters with an annoyed frown,
"You're possessed by somethin', but it ain't a demon."
I then feel an aura rise in anger, and turn to see Sango close her eyes and bow her head a bit with a disgruntled expression.
"...Sango?"
(Yank)
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"
I turn back and watch as Freeman hauls Miroku up by his ear, dragging him back over to us while commenting,
"Dude, you need some serious counseling on how to properly approach girls..."
I look back and see Sango trying to fight back an amused smile, and failing.
Heh, just keep hangin' in there, Sango. Miroku will grow a pair and focus on yeu someday, I'm sure.
I jump out of my thoughts to the shout of Inuyasha calling over to the young priestesses,
"Is Tsubaki over there?!"
Momiji replies,
"We will not let you pass!"
No POV
The young mikos in training would then go on the offense, shooting forth several dozens of paper sutras.
"Go!"
The pieces of parchment then morph into humanoid shapes, continuing their trajectory towards the group, who ready themselves for the attack...
Though upon zooming out, we see that the little paper army is, in fact...little, so small that they only came up to Coraline's boot head in length! Said redhead lightly kicks one doll come its approach, causing it to fall back with a mini shriek.
"...Uh, okaaaay..."
Kaede explains what exactly these creatures are:
"Shikigami. These paper spirits have been given souls which they then control."
Despite knowing this would be overkill, Inuyasha pulls out his Tessaiga and takes down a good portion of the army, while Shippō uses his Fox Fire. The latter lightly comments,
"Look how weak they are..."
Miroku waves his staff lightly at the dolls, feeling just as dejected.
"We can't really take these things seriously..."
Sango replies while kicking another doll with her foot,
"That's for sure."
Even Kilala wasn't having trouble in her dormant form, using her paws to attack them like they're cat toys. Inuyasha wipes out the rest with no real effort required...
"That was impressive work, you demons."
We then see that two of the dolls survived, which return to the girls with a thread each. Momiji then says with a confident smile,
"That was all a part of our trick," holding out a silver hair, and Botan adds,
"In order to get these strands of hair from you," she holding a strand of red hair...
"Uh-h! Now I understand..."
Besa asks,
"I'm assuming this is a bad thing, Kaede?"
"Aye. They intend to transpose us into those Shikigami."
The bluenette priestess-in-training calls,
"Very clever, old demon!"
"I am a priestess!"
Freeman glares mildly at Botan and calls,
"Oi! Show some respect for your elders, and she tells the truth! Can't either of ya sense her spiritual power?"
The girls ignore him and fold those strands of hairs into their own pieces of paper twice, before shooting them out with a spin of glowing power...
Besa asks Kaede while shielding his vision from the ethereal shine,
"Whose bodies will they come out as?!"
"I don't know...!"
Inuyasha says determinedly,
"I'll smash them apart no matter who they are!"
...The papers quickly reform into more humanoid shapes over twenty feet tall, shapes that our elder miko, young monk and demon slayer would recognize almost instantly.
"What is that?...!"
"It can't be...!"
"I think, perhaps it can...!"
Zooming out for a better visual, we see one of the shikigami has taken the guise of a cartoonish, pudgy version of Inuyasha, complete with a spiteful frown.
"That's Inuyasha!"
He of course denies the little fox demon's claim.
"It ain't nothin' like me!"
Coraline wonders as she turns focus to the second giant doll,
"If tha's suppose to be an imitation of Inuyasha, is th' other one...?"
Miroku replies,
"I'm afraid so," followed by Sango muttering worriedly,
"Me too," and Shippō adding,
"Me three...It's not exactly like her, though..."
Looking at the second shikigami on the right, we soak in the visage another large, cartoony character, this one resembling Coraline, right down to her white crop-tank, a smoky blue/black/cream white flannel shirt, olive green jeans and her brown hiker shoes...Though this giant copy of our redhead is sporting an uncharacteristically dimwitted expression on her face.
Both dolls hold their fists out in sluggish excitement, and Coraline exclaims with a tone just as insulted,
"The only way those things could ev'a be me or Inuyasha is if we were lookin' in carnival mirrors!"
...
...
At the same time this was occurring, back on the far side of the Ying and Yang Shrine, we find Tsubaki kneeling in front of a ceremonial fire and display as she begins the first round of prayers required in unsealing the grand pagoda before her...
"This ceremony of yours is quite elaborate. Is the seal really that strong?"
"This particular ceremony is merely to open the door. There are even stronger seals further in."
The dark priestess goes back to praying, and Kagura hums in half-interest and half-boredom as she continues to observe from her lean against an oak tree...
Heading back to the area beyond that of the shrine grounds, as our group of heroes and heroines continue to gawk at the shikigami creations, Momiji and Botan clasp eachother's hands proudly at their efforts.
"Haha, I think we've outdone ourselves!"
"They're adorable!"
The girls then focus back on their opponents:
"Are you surprised, demons?"
"These shikigami don't just merely look like you: your power has been transferred intact!"
Inuyasha and Coraline shout defensively,
"Looks nothin' like me!"
"They're terrible imitations of us, they are!"
Momiji and Botan then command the balloon-like dolls to begin attacking, and the latter pair charge forward slowly, their movements causing the ground to shake...
"This is gettin' stupid! (Leap) Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
Inuyasha's shikigami double would invoke the same move, though in their case, they just punch the real deal to the ground! The paper spirit impersonating Coraline then pulls out a childish imitation of the ShatterSoul sword, and charges up its power before swinging out a blast of aura energy at the true dog demon! Luckily, he leaps out of the way in time, and as the dolls wave their fists in victory, the former exclaims,
"Stay out of my way, Coraline!"
She returns with the following retort:
"Ay, I'm righ' here, and not the one attacking yeu! Use another term for 'it'!"
Ignoring her, Inuyasha charges at his shikigami double again...
If that blimp is suppose ta be Inuyasha...does that mean I migh' be able to-
"(Shakes head furiously) No, bad idea. Even if i' did work, I'd end up 'S-wording' him too..."
The redhead turns a glare on the giant doll resembling her visage.
Besides, I should focus on takin' that faker down.
She pulls out ShatterSoul and dashes towards the shikigami, much to everyone else's surprise.
"Huh?"
"Sis?"
"What're you doing?"
"Takin' this blimp down a peg! (Swash) Claw Spiorad!"
Unfortunately, her own clone made from parchment and sorcery would end up copying her movements, and both cuts of spirit power meet in a clash halfway, causing Coraline to get thrown backwards by the force of the collision.
"Aaaa-aaaaaaah!"
(Dash, grab)
"Ih! Huh?"
Luckily for her, Inuyasha acts quickly and catches the girl before her body would slam into the grass...Of course, heroic efforts hardly stop the half-demon from scolding the human for her slightly botched attack.
"Dammit woman, can you try and not get in the line of fire for two seconds?"
She blushes lightly in embarrassment and mutters an apology, causing him to shake his head with a light sigh before turning attention back on his shikigami double.
"You got the right idea, though: these fakers need to be taken out, no mercy."
Inuyasha would then brandish Tessaiga out...prompting his balloony clone to pull out a sword akin to a child's toy.
"...Pfha! What's with that sword?! You're finished!"
But upon charging forward, the silverette accidentally trips on one of the sutra charms, triggering it like a low-grade land mine!
(Bzzzzt)
"Gaaaa-aaaauh!"
The shikigami impersonating Coraline takes the opportunity to swing out another spiritually-charged attack his way, and he barely blocks it with Tessaiga. Nearly trembling with frustration, he turns to shout at the real redhead,
"Coraline, do something about 'that' Coraline!"
"Easier said than done: tha' doll's packin' as much power as I am! An' anyway, I expected you would'a gotten a leg over yur double by now!"
"That thing ain't me!"
They continue to argue while the balloony Croft dances in victory, and Miroku comments,
"They seem to be missing the point..."
Sango nods with a frown just as exasperated,
"We better take care of this."
"Just what I was going to suggest..."
Nodding to eachother, the Brownlee twins step forward to offer their assistance.
"We'll help too."
"You guys can take one doll, and we'll get the other."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
With that decided, the opponents are shuffled so Sango and Miroku prepare to take on the Inuyasha shikigami, while Freeman and Besa stand brave against the Coraline shikigami...
"Well, this is awkward..."
The twin with plainly cropped coarse hair shrugs to his twin sporting cornrows,
"Yeah, well, what can you do? (Looks behind him) I hope you don't take any offense to this, sis, considering what this doll resembles...?"
"I don' give a damnaigh; just take tha' thing ou'!"
The brothers give their sister a thumbs-up, and Miroku says to Sango,
"I'm glad they're taking on-erm, 'Coraline' while we take on 'Inuyasha'."
"That thing's not me!"
Ignoring the real half-demon's shout, Sango replies,
"Yeah, I could take on 'Inuyasha' without any second thoughts."
"Ye~p..."
"Hey! Whaddo you two mean by that?!"
Both the slayer and monk smile nervously as the latter calls back,
"It's not personal..."
Having grown tired of this squabble even before it truly began, Inuyasha rushes forward with his blade at ready.
"Outta my way! I'm gonna finish both of them off using my Wind Scar!"
They and the twins would immediately take the hint, and the latter pair comments to one another,
"Hoo-kay, think 'yash has reached volcano overload...!"
"Really? Never would've guessed!"
...A familiar vortex of spectral wind begins to surround the Tessaiga's great blade...
"You're going down!"
...
But just before he could swing, Momiji and Botan suddenly brandish more sutras, holding one each while making an upward gesture as they enact a new spell!
"Hah!"
(...Fzzzzt)
"Uh! I-I can't, move!"
"Exactly, demon: we'll render you all paralyzed!"
They focus their concentration further, and the power spreads to Shippō and Kilala, causing them to collapse into the grass.
"Aa-hh!"
"(Mewl)"
The priestesses-in-training gasp, and Botan says to Momiji uncertainly,
"But that cute little one is in pain too..."
"He must be stopped. He's a demon too."
Kaede then calls out to them,
"That's enough, you two!"
"Oh no! That demon is still moving!"
"Rgh, go!"
The dolls reply with robotic tones,
"We're going," and begin stepping forward...but are stopped by Miroku, Sango and the twins...
"If you get in our way, we will slay you as well!"
Coraline glares at the girls responsible for these paper creations and shouts,
"Hai! Would yeu two knock it off?! We haven' done yae harm nor anything tha' suggests we're evil, so qui' bein' so carnaptious!"
Becoming quite as irritated as the redheaded woman, Kaede steps to Miroku's side and says to him,
"Miroku, we must subdue those two priestesses first."
"Yes, I suppose you're right."
Freeman then shouts,
"Watch it," warning all three of them of the incoming swing from the fake Inuyasha's 'blade', barely ducking back in time...
"Don't you dare interfere with us."
"Why, you...!"
Botan's focus turns with her sister disciple Momiji to the true silverette, he gathering enough strength struggling to push himself up off the ground using Tessaiga!
"Enough, already!"
The girls attempt to increase the spell's spell, but Inuyasha only falters some before continuing his own pushback.
"If you don't, cut it out...!"
Unfortunately, this leaves him wide-open for the shikigami Coraline to release another plainly curved blade of energy his way...
"Inuyasha!"
(Swash, shing-pow)
"Gaaaauuh!"
But, the real Coraline wouldn't allow her friend to become that vulnerable. In which case, she jumps in and blocks the imitation attack with her true ShatterSoul, but is thrown back by the force of power again, crashing a few feet beside the half-demon!
"C-Coraline!"
"Rgh, I'm alright...Hh, look out!"
He focuses back up front, and barely manages to block the shikigami Inuyasha's toy sword with his own blade.
(Clang)
"Hrgh..."
(...Shing)
"Ggh-gyh!"
The budding swordswoman would then scramble up to her own feet and use her blade to help further push back the giant toy weapon!
"Huh?! Coraline, what're you-?!"
"Duh, h-helpin' yeu ou'! Drh, (smile) naow how 'bout we show these girls wha' happens when you mess with two swordspeople!"
Inuyasha gapes...but then smirks and replies with a short laugh,
"Why not? Let's do it!"
As those two join forces to add pressure against the shikigami, Botan mutters,
"Stubborn demon...and that girl warrior's assisting him..."
Momiji replies determinedly,
"We won't be defeated!"
"You there!"
"Hm?"
The girls glance to their right, and see Sango readying to swing Hiraikotsu!
"Comin' in!"
(Toss, za-za-za-za-za-za-za...)
The young priestesses shriek and are forced to duck and cover, their concentration on the demon binding spell broken, as made plain by a happy Shippō.
"Hey, you guys; I can move again!"
This meant that the young man in the red kimono could move more freely as well. Grinning slightly, he turns to his fellow sword wielder and asks,
"You ready?"
"Yep!"
They focus back on the imitation Inuyasha, and use all the strength they could muster to push them back while shouting,
"You're, through!"
The shikigami falls flat on his back, upturning some dust and dirt...
When the cloud clears, one could see 'Coraline' coming over to check on 'Inuyasha'...
The real dog demon wastes no time, and neither does the true redhead.
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
"Scriosadh Spiorad!"
(SLASH)
Both attacks stream across the grass...before merging together, creating something akin to a claw mark with an X cutting through, the colour a mix of bright sunrise yellow and icy sky blue!
Neither shikigami double would escape the power, and disintegrate instantly upon impact, while Momiji and Botan were thrown back by the power wave.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
They fall hard on the ground, losing consciousness...
Inuyasha and Coraline allow their blades to touch the ground as they breathe heavy from the power release, and the former comments,
"So much for them," while the latter mutters aloud in a slight daze,
"Did, yeu see wha' happened after we unleashed our attacks?"
"Huh?...Oh yeah; they, combined! How did that happen?!"
"I don' rightly know..."
As the two teens ponder over the phenomenon, Miroku rushes to check on the fallen mikos-in-training.
"...They've just fainted. Fear not, their lives are not in danger. And they don't, seem to be hurt..."
Zooming out, we see his hands were once again on the girl's rear ends...until Sango pulls him up by his ear.
"Gaa-hah!"
Freeman laughs at the gesture as he and Besa walk over:
"Looks like that might become a regular technique to use on him."
"Oh geez..."
They stop on Botan's left as Coraline comes over to kneel by Momiji's right.
"...What in th' world are we gonna do with 'em?"
Shippō nervously wonders aloud,
"Do think they'll attack us again if they come to?"
"Not if they're smart..."
The young monk concludes,
"I believe yours and Freeman's observations from before are correct: Tsubaki must've either sweet-talked them or deceived them. In any case, I think they'd understand if we explain ourselves to them."
Inuyasha scoffs,
"Right, and who's gonna take on such a silly task?"
"Naturally, I will handle this."
"Huh?"
"I will take them both into custody and stay with them until everything is in the open."
"In that case, we better stick back too."
"Hm?"
Miroku turns to meet eyes with the twins, and Freeman smirks while adding,
"Knowing your track record with women, it'd be smarter if there were a few sensible minds present. (Turn) Shippō, you wanna hang back with me and Besa?"
"Sure!"
The monk with the rat-tail hairstyle can only laugh nervously, and Besa chimes,
"Plus, the girls would believe us more if multiple parties convey the same tale."
"I, suppose you make a good point..."
Coraline smiles down at the fox demon and says kindly,
"I'm sure if you hang back here, it'll be less of a hassle to convince Momiji and Botan that you're a good demon."
"I'll have to be on my toes!"
Sango then says to her creature partner,
"Kilala, you stay too."
The cat demon mews with a nod, and Inuyasha says,
"You do what you want. I'm going after Tsubaki!"
Kaede tries to call him back at the same time Lumos makes his warning calls.
"Wait, Inuyasha!"
...Unfortunately, he hears neither, and runs straight into the barrier.
(Bzzzzt)
"Gaaaaaaah!"
Inuyasha falls backwards with a stunned expression, and the middle-aged miko walks past him with the Will O' Wisp floating near her side.
"Wait until I bring down the barrier."
Coraline jogs over to the fallen dog demon, and starts to pull him to his feet while sighing his name sympathetically.
He really needs ta remember to think before 'e acts.
Tsubaki's POV
As I continue the ritual to unseal the pagoda, I feel a shift of power, and snap my eyes open.
"It will be open soon."
Kagura asks me,
"What's inside that tower, anyway?"
"...A demon."
(Flash)
I think back to when my master explained it to me in my younger days...
"One hundred years ago, the head priest lost many of his men, and it was all he could do to seal this fearsome demon in this pagoda."
"You mean...a terrible demon is inside?"
"Yes, and each generation made sure that the door remains sealed...Tsubaki, in time, this duty will be yours."
"I understand, master."
"...You must never open the door of the Forbidden Pagoda, Tsubaki."
(Flash)
The fire goes out in time my memory comes to a close, signalling that the ritual is complete.
(...Crrrreeeeak...)
The doors of the pagoda open slowly, and I rise to my feet, adding to Kagura,
"The demon sealed inside has enormous powers."
She steps closer to me and concludes,
"You intend to use the Shikon-no-Tama to make him obey you."
"Yes, I will indeed."
As I begin entering the pagoda, I add to myself,
I refuse to give in yet.
No POV
By the time the dark priestess finished opening the doors to the tower, Inuyasha, Coraline, Sango and Kaede will have closed in on the front gates to the whole shrine...
"Hey! I see something up ahead!"
Coraline replies to Inuyasha,
"It mus' be the shrine Momiji and Botan reside, and I sense th' jewel and Tsubaki are inside!"
Sango comments as she peers up at red and white-blue blinking Lumos,
"Seems that way based on your partner's current state!"
The half-demon kehs before rushing forward to the gate opening...only to get stuck in yet another barrier.
"Guh! Wh-What, is this?!"
Coraline calls out his name in worry while Kaede comments,
"Even the gate to the shrine has a barrier!"
Becoming fed-up with slowdowns, Inuyasha puts all his strength in his muscles...before shoving his way through the barrier, cancelling the charm out!
"He broke through that barrier?!"
Everyone enters the gate and into the courtyard, and the silverette cries out,
"Show yourself, Tsubaki!"
They all look around...until their gazes lock onto the sight of a foreboding red glow coming from the treeline outside the shrine, where the Pagoda of Forbidden Treasures laid.