Update (January 2022): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 71: The Consequences of Avoiding Commitment
A couple days come and go after the final confrontation between our main group and Tsubaki the Dark Priestess. After resting for one night, our heroes and heroines would once again part ways from Kaede to start a new path in their grand mission to collect pieces of the broken Jewel of Four Souls, and track down Naraku before he can acquire more power.
The winding roads eventually take them to a large section of the grass plains, the skies above set in a dark overcast with the coming civil twilight...Of course, what started as a simple passage, turns into preparation for an unknown threat on a gradual approach.
The first to voice the shift in the air is Coraline, whom we see has her hair tied into two braids styled to frame the front of her face, and wearing an outfit comprised of a loose-fit white long-sleeve in the crew neck style, her camouflage jean jacket, true blue skinny jeans and her brown hiking shoes.
"Mph!...Yousuns feel that?"
Sango nods,
"A strong demonic aura."
Shippō and Kilala huddle together back-to-back, mimicking Freeman and Besa as they ready their war mallet and kama respectively. Zooming in on the latter pair, we see the first twin is wearing an indigo v-neck long-sleeve, and black pants matching his sneakers, while the other is dressed in a forest green button-up shirt, dark-wash jeans in the straight style, and dark grey sneakers.
"Where's it gonna come from?"
"Who knows..."
...A few seconds pass before the source of the aura comes barrelling through the underground on a straight course for our group of nine! The twin-tail cat growls and transforms into her full demon state in time with Lumos's warning glow as dirt suddenly billows over the blades of green. Miroku cautions,
"Be careful; the evil is drawing near!"
Inuyasha growls and mutters,
"Where are ya hidin'? Come out and show yourself!"
The demon slayer notices the disquiet in the landscape.
"It's underground...!"
Finally, the entity shows itself, bursting from the underground and revealing themselves as a giant, dark green and mahogany centipede demon! A chittery screech rings through the air, before the monstrous bug attempts to shoot a spout of its acid at the group, forcing them to dodge in every direction possible...
"Yuck! What is that junk?! It's melting the ground!"
"Shippō!"
Coraline hurries to scoop the little fox demon into her arms before he could get wasted by more acid. She then hops aboard Kilala to get further away from the line of fire, allowing Miroku a better chance to charge forward for a counterattack.
"I'll stop it!"
He jumps forward in a lunge against the centipede as Sango and Inuyasha prepare their weapons.
"Take this! Hiraikotsu!"
"Hrrraaaah!"
The young monk lands a hit on the creature's head with his shakujo, causing it to howl in pain and emit red fumes from its wound. The silverette half-demon readies himself for the finishing blow.
"It's, (swing) over!"
"Hold on!"
He freezes halfway at Coraline's shout, and calls back a bit irritably,
"What now?"
Sango also pauses, stumbling a bit from the weight of her boomerang at the same time Miroku lands on the ground. The redhead from beyond this era explains as she lands with Kilala and Shippō,
"(Point) Look: the demon can't go on."
Peering over to said monster, we watch as it collapses face-down after succumbing to death, much to Inuyasha's disappointment.
"Thanks for nothin'! I was just about to slice and dice that thing!"
Shippō comments,
"Well, it's no loss. It hardly put up a fight," and Freeman adds,
"Yeah, even Besa and I could've easily taken that thing down, given the chance."
Sango sighs out dejectedly,
"It's disappointing when a demon's appearance is so deceiving..."
Miroku chooses to look more positively at this monster's easy demise, and sends prayers while replying,
"All's well that ends well, and that's what really counts...Hm?"
He stops and turns his eyes towards a gentle incline when his ears pick up on the sound of cheering. The source is revealed to be a large group of villagers from an average-sized populace several yards down, their collective aura radiating relief in the centipede's defeat...Of course, Inuyasha wouldn't pick up on the fact right away.
"What's with those guys?"
He'd get his answer when one middle-aged fellow with a heavy build and dressed in dark brown, black and gray - more than likely the headman - steps forward to congratulate the Prussian blue-eyed young man on his deed.
"(Bow) Oh, we are forever indebted to you, itinerant monk. You see, that demon has been relentlessly tormenting our village."
Inuyasha half-scoffs more to himself,
"That demon has?"
Coraline elbows his arm with a half-smile to shush him, and the headman adds,
"Oh please, let us repay your kindness with a small banquet in your honour."
Miroku turns his gaze to the other villagers, seeing that the demographic consists mainly of men, 'not traditionally' pretty middle-aged women, an elderly woman and a few children...He makes a polite gesture to the headman as he replies,
"I was merely carrying out my duty. I'm afraid I must decline, sir."
"How disappointing; what a shame...How will I ever explain this to the beautiful young girls who eagerly await for you?"
For reasons we're all aware of by this point, this catches the young monk's attention...
"Oh well..."
He quickly rushes in front of the headman to retract his statement.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! A-Ah, (bow) then again, I wouldn't want to be punished by the gods for not accepting your kindness."
Shippō comments from atop Kilala with an unimpressed expression,
"Funny how the mention of young girls can change his mind..."
Sango adds a bit more bitterly,
"He's such a lecherous monk," and Coraline wraps an arm around the other woman's shoulders sympathetically.
Hauh, if only Miroku was'n distracted by passin' eye candy and could jus' focus on the woman he travels with...
Coraline's POV
We're all lead back by the headman to his home, where several tables are laid for us, him and basically the entire village to sit and eat together. Even Kilala got her own bowl of food and was happily gobbling it down like the rest of us...
"Mm, these beans'r cooked so well, they are. (Looks up, giggle) And i' seems Lumos is havin' a blast checkin' out the new faces."
I watch my Will O' Wisp partner glide around the room, causing a few faces to look up with curiousity, the children especially.
"Wow!"
"Look at the orb!"
"So pretty...!"
Shippō is eating his own meal with gusto, commenting,
"It's so yummy! These are great!"
Freeman smiles down at him in amusement and chides,
"Watch that you don't eat too fast, little dude, or you'll get the hiccups."
"(Gulp, sheepish smile) Sorry, but I can't help it. It's been a while since we had great food!"
...I then hear him hum in concern, and turn to see him ask,
"What's wrong, Sango? You haven't touched your food..."
I focus on her when she doesn't reply, seeing that her attention is on Miroku as he reads the palm of a young lady wearing a pink kimono and headscarf. I sigh a bit with a disappointed frown, and Besa asks me,
"What's up?"
"I feel bad for Sango, havin' to witness tha' malarkey..."
He turns his gaze to where I was looking, and sucks in a quick breath before replying,
"Oh yeah. That's gotta sting..."
I listen as Miroku says to the girl,
"Your palm says you will be blessed with many offspring. (Takes her hand into both of his) My dear, would you consider bearing my children?"
I see a light blush come to dust her cheeks...before a much older woman with wrinkled skin cuts in and actually accepts his proposal!
"Yes."
I nearly choke on my food, and I hear Besa do a spit-take while Miroku's face turns blue with mortification...
"I'll have as many as you want. Fifteen or sixteen; you choose the number. Let's get to it~."
She starts pulling the poor monk away, and he tries to plead for assistance...Problem was that he asked the wrong people.
"H-Help, Sango! Don't just sit there and watch, do something! Freeman?!"
My other twin brother just smirks evilly and replies,
"If you're lookin' for a way out of trouble, you're lookin' in the wroooong place, my friend."
He then bursts into laughter after Sango turns away with a pout and replies coldly,
"You finally found somebody willing and able. You have my blessings."
I wince and comment in a low volume with a nervous smile,
"And tha', mo chairde is why womanizing needs to die."
Inuyasha just keeps eating, choosing not to comment as the elderly woman continues dragging Miroku across the room between the other villagers.
"Right this way."
One of the men calls out jokingly,
"After the young men again, are ya, granny?"
"Oh I may be old, but I ain't rusty, hehahehehe!"
Everyone else chortles with them at the situation and for the sake of the warm atmosphere...I found myself smiling at the sentimentality, reminding me of the Higurashis and some of the few better times of my childhood.
"Heh, I s'ppose family reunions would have'a history as well..."
Inuyasha asks me,
"What's a family reunion?"
"It's a traditional event in which yeu and yur relatives from all circles come together to reconnect 'nd share in eachother's company. Much like this banqu't, it's usually done over a meal."
I watch as he goes into thought for a moment...before his face sets into a grimace.
"Grh!...Thanks, but no thanks."
I raise a confused brow...before realizing,
Oh! Oh geez...I guess that's not really a possibility for Inuyasha and his living family member.
I watch as he flops backwards while letting out an exasperated sigh, and I lean down to pat his shoulder with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry if I gave yeu a scary image...though I recommend straigh'ning up again. It's not polite to lay back after a meal, even if yeu are a guest."
"Yeah, says who?"
(...Slurp)
"Huh?"
(Slap)
Inuyasha then smacks his face, and sits up while holding something in his palm.
Shippō, Besa and I huddle around in curiousity, and I see a familiar flea demon un-flatten himself.
"Myōga!"
He takes in a breath while folding his arms before greeting us, more specifically Inuyasha.
"I was a bit concerned about you, Master Inuyasha, so I sought you out, only to find you battling a ferocious centipede. I'm glad you're safe."
"Hmm, (narrows eyes) funny how you're never found while we're in battle, but you never skip a beat when there's food and women around. You little schemer..."
"Now now, let's not be cruel!"
"Where have ya been this whole time, anyway, Myōga?"
A near-sheepish chuckle escapes the tiny old man before he says almost cryptically,
"Even an old pest like me has some bedfellows they'd prefer to keep secret, you know."
...Ach. Amn't gonna forge' that anytime soon.
He wrings his hands while continuing his weird chuckling, causing me to cringe while Inuyasha's eyebrows twitch in disgust.
"Rgh, definitely a creepy crawler..."
He tosses Myōga towards a candle, and the flea demon proceeds to run around the rim in a frantic to avoid the heat.
"Hot-hot, hotter than hot!"
Hoh great, naow we've go' two cods of men t' deal with...
I'd say three, bu' Freeman's smooth-talk is reserved for men, and he hasn' shown interest for the ones aroun' here.
Night soon falls, and as further thanks for putting the threat of the centipede demon to rest, the headman offers us rooms in his residence for the night. We all take the offer without hesitation, and wound up having individual rooms with the exception of my brothers and Shippō who decided to share one altogether...Walking down the open corridor now with Lumos floating nearby, I remember something I meant to speak with Sango about, something...personal.
I suppose now's a good enough nigh' as any.
"...U-Um, Sango?"
She pauses in heading into her own room with Kilala and turns my way.
"Hm? What is it, Coraline?"
"...Before we sleep, there's, somethin' I wan'ta talk to you 'bout, girl-to-girl."
"Oh?"
I felt myself blush in embarrassment, and step in close to her to whisper,
"It's, about Inuyasha; something I did a while back."
"...Alright."
We enter her temporary space, and I use my powers to make sure we didn't have any prying ears...before I told her about my gesture in the aftermath of that adventure in Togenkyo...
"You did what?!"
I frantically whisper back,
"Shhhh, keep i' down, for feck's sake! If the guys wake up and remember tha' day again, I'll never hear the end of it!"
She slaps her hands over her mouth, before removing them and asking a touch more calmly and quietly,
"Okay...just to clarify, you only kissed his cheek?"
"Yes! Mo dhia, Sango, what kind-a woman do you think I am? I may be bold, but amn't that bold!"
Especially since I've never though' about kissin' a guy on the lips until recently.
...Ach! Devil to teenage hormones!
An awkward silence falls between us...before Sango asks me,
"Do you want to kiss him like that, though?"
"H-Huh?!"
"Inuyasha."
"I-I don't know!...I...I do bu', I don't b-because...Hauh."
I get a grip over my stuttering before it becomes unintelligible, and sigh as I prepare to let out my little secret.
"Okay, what I'm about to tell ye is somethin' you can't, tell, anybody, especially him."
She nods, and I lean in to whisper,
"I've fallen hard f'r tha' wonderfully-stubborn dog demon. There, I said it!"
She jumps back with honest surprise and whisper-shouts,
"You have?!"
I nod with a meek smile, and her mouth curves into a grin as she chides,
"Coraline, that's...Wow...I'm so happy for you."
"...I wish I was too...but th' truth is...I'm, scared."
"Huh? Scared of what?"
"Well it's been a quare long while since Togenkyo, and...Inuyasha hasn' said one word about the kiss I gave him."
I felt an insecure frown come to my lips as I confess,
"I'm, worried tha' he might be, disgusted or weirded out by it. I mean...given the last time he's gott'n close to a woman in tha' regard..."
"(Frown) Hm, I see what you're saying..."
"Plus he's m' best friend, 'nd I don't wanna ruin our friendship with, whatever these deeper feelings may be...I don' wanna drive'm away. (Looks down) A part'a me does want'a eventually tell 'm how I feel...but I'm afraid of someth'n goin' arseways, if ye catch me drift."
...I feel a hand lightly clap my shoulder, and look up to see Sango smiling sympathetically at me.
"It's okay to be scared, Coraline. It's something all women fear when it comes to love...As for Inuyasha's thoughts, you know he's the kind of guy who needs to, process longer than most. I seriously doubt he was disgusted by the kiss; he was probably just majorly surprised."
"...Yeu think so?"
"Mhm...I also think his feelings for you may be close to how you're feeling towards him."
"Uh! S-Seriously?"
"Mm, can't say for sure...but I do know this: if he does reject you, I'll be there to kick his ass before coming back to your side as your crying shoulder."
We both laugh a little, and I hug Sango while replying,
"Thanks. Tha' really helps, i' does."
"Of course...Don't give up yet, Coraline."
"I won't...and, Sango?"
"Yes?"
"...Don't you give up eith'a."
"Huh?"
She pulls back with a confused frown, and I giggle a bit before chiding,
"C'mon, don't pretend in front of me. I know you're developin' feelings for Miroku."
...She turns from my gaze with a light blush of denial.
"Am not."
"You say that, an' yet your eyes say differently, as does yur aura durin' certain times."
"...W-Well it's not like the monk will ever notice me like that, not while he continues to wear his heart on his sleeve."
I move to get up and head for my room with my creature partner, and pause at the doorway to reply,
"Mm, I both agree 'n disagree...The problem is tha' he's so desperate for a woman's affections, he doesn' feel inclined t' slow down a moment to see the one woman who actu'lly gives a damn."
"Uh...Coraline..."
"(Smile) Goodnight, Sango."
I leave her and Kilala, sliding the door close before making my way to my room while silently musing,
It seems she and I have the unfortunate luck of fallin' for a cod...
Hauh, bu' cods or no', a' least they have some good qualities.
No POV
A couple hours of the night pass, and by this time everyone in our main group has fallen asleep atop their provided futons in their respected rooms. As Coraline mentioned in her own thoughts previously, the Brownlee twins and Shippō had decided to bunk together to avoid taking up too many guest quarters. Zooming in on the trio, we see that the little fox demon is comfortably tucked between the arms of the older teens, mumbling in his sleep.
"Mm-m...couldn' eat 'nother bite..."
...Of course, while they and the others are in deep slumber, one soul remains wide awake, their minuscule frame hopping along the wood panels of the outer corridor. They pause in front of one door, their air suggesting a careful cheer.
"Silently, stealthily, sneaks through the night..."
Myōga slips between the framing, leaving the mystery of 'what on earth he was up to' open to interpretation...
Another hour passes, and we follow the small steps of an unnamed individual larger than the flea demon as they stop in front of Miroku's room...As soon as they slide the door open, the monk's eyes snap open, his back cleverly turned from the intruder.
A ghost!...I've heard of spirits of children who linger on in mansions after their passing...
This must be one such phantom.
He waits a few more seconds, before turning to attempt a counter before he could be surprise-attacked.
"Yaaah-!...Huh?"
But Miroku is forced to halt his actions when he sees that the 'spirit', is actually the headman's son!
"Wh-Wha-Who're you?!"
The young boy gives no direct answer, instead mumbling tiredly,
"...Wee, wee."
The practitioner of Buddhism immediately catches the meaning in the fatigue, and drops his staff before springing to action.
"No, not here!"
"G'tta, go..."
He snatches the child up to cart him outside so he could-ahem, 'do his business'.
"Just wait! This isn't the toilet!"
...
...
Once that minor issue is taken care of, Miroku would return to his room with a sigh of exasperation.
"If I'm going to be awakened at this hour, I can think of other things I'd rather be doing..."
...
...
Unfortunately for the monk, he'd be awoken again about two hours later for a second unscheduled visit, much to his annoyance. Thinking it's the headman's son again, he chides,
"You have to pee again, I suppose? Be a good boy and go by yourself this time, okay?"
The figure does not move, so Miroku rises to a sitting position with a sigh, only to turn around and discover his second visitor is...
"Sango!? (Looks back and forth) Do you know what time it is?"
He then smiles as he takes a guess to why she's here.
"What luck; she's finally come sneaking into my bed! (Pats his futon) Lie down...Come join me."
...No vocal reply is given by the demon slayer, and getting a closer look, we see that her expression is somewhat vacant if not fatigued. Could she be sleepwalking?...Or perhaps...
"Gh!"
(Crash)
Sleep-fighting! Yes: without any rhyme nor reason, Sango suddenly attempts to bring her signature weapon down against Miroku! Thankfully, his fast reflexes allow him to scramble away, tumbling through the screen doors in the process and landing in the garden...
"S-Sango?!"
The demon slayer easily trails after her target, despite any probable exhaustion. As he dodges each swing, even going as far as using a well as a substitute for his own body, Miroku tries to quell the rage in his attacker.
"Aw, come on, you can't still be angry about earlier! Gh!...Th-The old woman was just joking!...Auh!"
It wouldn't be until after two more failed attacks before everyone else in our main group wakes up to peek out their rooms to see what was going on. The first is Inuyasha, whom upon closer inspection is still wearing his hakama and kimono rather than dressing down to his nagajuban (or perhaps hadagi?), like Sango and Miroku had done.
"Huuuah, aw man. What's with all this ruckus out here?"
Next is Coraline, she wearing a simple cotton red tank top and black sweatpants, a lounge outfit common for teenagers in her era.
"Aawh, wha' the hell's happenin'?"
That would leave Freeman, Besa and Shippō as the last to emerge, the former two wearing matching black cotton shorts and crew-neck short sleeves, and the latter sitting sleepily atop the left shoulder of the twin with cornrowed hair.
"Duuude..."
"What's all the noise about?"
"Hauh, it's not morning yet, is it...?"
They all watch as the monk tries once again to reason with the attacking demon slayer.
"Sango, you don't have to be so angry! Gh-come on, I'm telling the truth!"
She ignores Miroku and continues her streak of violence with Hiraikotsu, before the latter is backed into a wall!...Luckily, there would be a delay in which Sango would stop to catch her breath, and that's when the young man notices something unusual.
"Uh! She's attacking me, in her sleep!"
Another yawn escapes the little fox demon as he mutters,
"Can't you two keep your little squabbles a bit quieter?"
Freeman adds,
"Yeah, no kidding. Mine and Besa's neighbourhood nightlife is more muffled than this."
They and the third party of their room turn to head back to bed, as do everyone else...
"Wait! Sango is possessed by something!"
They turn back in confusion, and Coraline watches more carefully...before her special sixth sense goes off.
"Uh?"
A muffled presence...! They're manipulating Sango!
"Sango, wait!"
Thankfully, Inuyasha catches onto the more odd aggression displayed by his comrade, and runs over to grab the woman so she can't swing her boomerang again.
"Stop it, Sango!"
...She then collapses without warning, and Miroku would catch her while his half-demon companion took her weapon.
"Sango!"
His wandering hand of course, finds its way to her rear as he chidingly asks,
"Are you alright?"
(...SLAP)
The monk pays for the opportune touching with a good smack to the face, and Sango growls in her sleep...before waking up.
"R-Rhuh?...What's going on? What am I doing here?"
Her eyes quickly fixate on her companion's new-heh, beauty mark.
"Hm? What happened to you, Miroku?"
Shippō comments in mild surprise,
"Wow, she even slaps him in her sleep...!"
With the air clear of danger, everyone would discuss what exactly transpired while standing in the courtyard garden...
"Someone bewitched Sango right under our noses."
"U-Uh, I don't remember a thing."
Besa puts a finger under his chin in thought:
"Only questions are who done it, and why?"
Inuyasha replies,
"I don't have any idea, but I don't sense any evil in this place," and Coraline adds,
"Auy, me neith'r, and Lumos h's been as quie' as the glen durin' twilight."
...Suddenly, a certain little flea demon pops up from Miroku's robes.
"A-Are you certain?"
Our silverette in red is the first to address him:
"Myōga! When did you jump on Miroku?!"
He ignores the question, his mind too focused on something else as he peers about his surroundings.
"A-Are you sure you don't sense anything suspicious?"
"(Narrows eyes) Are you hiding something from us?"
"(Panicky) I-uh-er, not especially, no..."
Before an interrogation could start, Sango remembers something.
"Wait a minute: a long time ago, my father told me about demons who only realize their true power after death."
Freeman mutters with a raised brow,
"After death?"
Miroku hums,
"The most recent demon we've destroyed was...Ah!"
Everyone else clues in on his train of thought, with Inuyasha voicing it.
"You mean that giant centipede that was so weak possessed Sango?"
The young Croft concludes,
"If tha's the case, we better make doubly sure its buried carcass no longer has power."
Everyone agrees to the plan, though zooming downward, we see a certain flea demon dart his head around cautiously before hopping onto Kilala, an act Shippō notices.
"Hey, what's the matter with you, Myōga?"
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all."
Coraline's POV
With the possibility that this unknown presence - I say unknown because I'm not sure if the centipede truly is responsible - could try and possess us again, we decide to shrug off anymore sleep and wander out to the billowed grass plains where the large burial mound for the demon would be. Inuyasha and Miroku would then move aside the two boulders placed atop the mound, before my brothers take two shovels and begin unearthing the body...
I watch my brothers examine the body for a second once it's visible, before Freeman calls down,
"Nothin' suggesting this thing's breathing!...It's just a carcass."
Inuyasha wanders closer to examine for himself.
"Well, nothing suspicious about it..."
Besa mutters while rubbing the side of his head in confusion,
"I don't understand what's going on..."
Miroku chooses to be cautious despite the quiet air.
"I think I better seal it with another sutra, just to be on the safe side."
Hm...Perhaps i' migh' not be the centipede then.
Leaving that thought alone for a moment, I focus back down at my open hand as Myōga finishes his palm-reading.
"Hmm...Coraline, you don't have any luck with men."
"Oh? How so?"
"You won't find peace or happiness until you leave your current man."
His words make me feel uneasy:
Current?...Could tha' be hintin' at Inuyasha?
I give myself a mental head-shake, and briefly glance at the area where my...covenant mark lays in disguise.
No. I won' believe that...I can't. Not after what I've sacrificed, and wha' I'll soon be sacrificing.
I then watch Myōga hop onto Sango's open palm to give her a reading.
"What about you, Sango? Let's see...hmm...Your luck with men is no better! You'd best forget about him; he's too much of a womanizer."
"Your Palm-Reading is right on the mark, Myōga."
I frown a bit at her expression and judgment.
Oh Sango, yeu don' really believe that, do ye?
"What? Are you finished burying the demon already?"
Following Shippō's gaze, I look up where the men are as Inuyasha and my brothers call back,
"No, we're not finished yet!"
"Miroku, come back and lend a hand!"
"Don't be a slacker!"
...That's when Kilala suddenly growls apprehensively, and turns to look more closely at Miroku's face.
Huh? What's wrong with, (looks)...Wait. (Sheen) Uh! Oh no!
"(Fierce) I won't forgive you for this!"
(Swing, CLANG)
Next thing I know, I'm using my sword to block Miroku's staff when he tries to attack my fellow ginger and I without warning!
"Uh-hrh! M-Miroku, wha' the devil are ya doin'?!"
Just like earlia'...!
He shoves me back and charges at Sango, trying to whack her as she exclaims,
"What're you doing?! Is this a sort of payback?!"
I hear Inuyasha and the twins rush down from the mound as the former shouts,
"You've finally revealed your true self, you lecherous monk!"
No! That's not it! Tha' strange presence is back!
I run forward and block the next attack, and Sango shouts,
"I didn't really think you were that type of man, Miroku! I was wrong about you!"
Inuyasha adds,
"And I was right all along!"
As I stave off Miroku, I reply back,
"Hang on; this isn't what either of yeu think! (Sheen) I can sense demonic power throbbin' into Miroku's head! He mus'be possessed by the same force tha' got Sango!"
"That's impossible! It would take alot of power to possess Miroku, and I don't sense it!"
"Tha's precisely me point! The energy is too low t' be considered truly threatening!...I think there's someth'n else goin' on that the centipede has no role in."
Shoving the monk away, I then call my brothers to action.
"Guys, knock him down, quickly!"
"Right!"
"Got it!"
They rush forward, and Besa uses his kama to hook around the staff and yank it out of Miroku's hands, before ducking and rolling out of the way for Freeman to whack the monk in the stomach with the base of his war mallet.
"Sorry 'bout this, dude! Hah!"
(WHACK)
"GH!"
No POV
Our resident monk flies backwards from the impact of his friend's ōtsuchi, landing on the ground with a hard roll before stopping on his side. The twins high-five at their efforts, and Miroku rises up into a sitting position while muttering in a...strangely more feminine tone,
"This body is inadequate if even those young men can disarm me..."
Inuyasha calls over with a confused expression,
"What happened to your voice; why are ya talkin' like that?"
Coraline folds her arms with a closed-eyed frown and states,
"See? Told yae. It's not the centipede, but he's definitely possessed by some oth'r force..."
...Suddenly, a tiny figure jumps out of Miroku and flees, allowing the young man to blink his Prussian blue irises back into focus as his mind is released from the spell.
"Mm-m...Huh? What on earth happened to me?...Nnh, (grabs torso) and why do I feel a bruise forming on my stomach?"
"Uuh, that would be my fault. Sorry, dude, but it was for your own good."
He looks over at the apologetically-smiling Freeman as Coraline kneels down to check on the monk.
"How are ya feelin' now? No longer possessed, I hope?"
"I, don't know what you're talking about..."
Despite his somewhat muddled mind, however, the young monk in purple doesn't miss this opportunity to reach over and-ahem, caress the side of the redhead's rear.
"Ga-ah! (Jumps up) Okay, tha' definitely confirms i'! Mo dhia, Miroku; I thought I was off yur radar!"
He grins sheepishly at the blushing girl, before turning a nervous eye over his shoulder when he feels the looming stare of Inuyasha. Freeman comments from a few feet away with a wry smile,
"Guess the saying 'old habits die hard' remains true, eh?"
His brother just facepalms while the silverette huffs in agreement,
"That's for sure...Hm? (Turns) Hold on: there's something evil coming this way."
Everyone tenses up...and a large entity shakes the ground underneath the land near their proximity...before bursting through the dirt and green behind Sango, revealing themselves as another giant centipede demon! The main difference between this one and the one before is that most of their exterior appearance is mahogany rather than dark green.
"Ah-hh!"
Miroku exclaims,
"What is that?!"
Coraline guesses,
"It migh' be the mate of tha' centipede we killed the other day!"
The brunette slayer wonders,
"Could it be that this is the one that possessed us?"
No one would have time to postulate, when the demon begins their assault, starting with an attempt on Sango's life with acid. She dodges, joining the others in scrambling every which way to avoid the creature as they lunge with a screech to kill their enemies...
"Be careful! This stuff is acid!"
Freeman retorts to Miroku,
"We kind-of knew that from yesterday, but whatever!"
Inuyasha takes the initiative in getting his closest friend to safety, and sets Coraline on the ground in a shallow ditch a small distance away.
"Stay here."
"Righ'. Good luck."
He then whirls around and runs at the centipede with his Tessaiga.
"Take this!...Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
The giant insect howls as it's hacked in two by the dog fang's energy, and falls to the ground just as the sun began rising for early daybreak...Inuyasha sheathes his blade as Sango comments,
"That's the end of another troublesome centipede..."
Miroku pulls a sutra out at the ready:
"Looks like I better seal up its powers..."
(...Hop, hop)
He misses something tiny jumping off the carcass, signalling that trouble was far from over...Miroku places the sutra on the centipede's body, and does the necessary prayer.
"This puts an end to this affair..."
We then hear a low growl emit from Inuyasha, and watch as he lowers his fists while his eyes briefly flash a rosy yellow-pink!...He then proceeds to laugh hysterically, causing everyone to look at him funny.
"...What's with him?"
"Did his screw come loose?"
"Yo, Inuyasha, you okay?"
"Inuyasha...?"
He does not answer, and stops laughing abruptly to cast an expressionless gaze at Kilala and Shippō. The twin tail's fur bristles defensively, and Inuyasha lets out another growl before taking off after Kilala on all fours.
"Come back here! You'll never escape me!"
Coraline winces and woes,
"Oh great. Him too?"
Sango takes notice in the odd mode of motion the half-dog demon is employing.
"Watch how he's running: he, kind-of looks like a flea."
"A flea?"
Inuyasha calls after the retreating nekomata and kitsune,
"I'll get you!"
Shippō questions aloud in a near-panic,
"What's going on?! Now Inuyasha's gone crazy!"
"I'm coming, Myōga~!"
He turns his attention on the flea demon riding in his hair.
"Inuyasha's calling you!"
Said flea demon pops out and replies,
"That's not Master Inuyasha!"
"Whuh?!"
"You'll never get away from me!"
The possessed silverette then leaps up high and lands a distance away to block Kilala's path, forcing her to screech into a halt. The impact would propel Shippō forward with a yell, and he lands on the ground in a slide right at the dog demon's feet...He looks up at the latter with an uncertain expression.
"...Is that you, Inuyasha?"
The answer...is one that nobody would be prepared to hear.
"(Shy, feminine tone) Don't think that you can escape from me, you naughty little rascal~. (Exposes right shoulder) I'm all yours for the taking, my sweet foxy darling~."
Shippō waves his hands in front of himself frantically.
"Inuyasha, snap out of it!"
"We're meant for eachother~..."
A squeak of mortification and horror escapes the poor fox child, but he just couldn't get away from his possessed companion...
"What about my dreams of falling in love with a woman, not a possessed male half-demon?!"
Just as Inuyasha reaches out to Shippō's hair...
"Inuyasha, sit!"
(Gleam, wham)
"Guh!"
Coraline decides to employ a last resort by calling on the magic of the subjugation beads to stop him...He raises himself from the ground a bit a few seconds afterward to call the girl out for her actions, his voice and mannerism back to normal.
"What'd you do that for, Coraline?!"
She smiles nervously and replies,
"T' save you from what could'a been the most disturbin' experience for you...and for Shippō..."
"Huh?...Did I do something wrong?"
Freeman mutters,
"Nothing a couple rounds of therapy can't fix," and Besa elbows his ribs...
"Would you get off me, you rabid dog?!"
Inuyasha squints down at the heated fox demon, before shoving the other into the dirt.
That's when Miroku notices something, and leans down to ask,
"Inuyasha, what do you have there in your hand?"
"Hm?"
The half-dog demon sits up and opens his palm, revealing Myōga! He squeezes the flea demon between his fingers to stop him from leaving, despite the other's protests.
"Release me, please!"
"It's Myōga!"
"Let me go, Master Inuyasha! I beg you!"
At the same time, Shippō stops squirming after deciding his efforts were fruitless, and as he lifts his head up, he sees another tiny body leap out of Inuyasha's clothes.
"Coraline, it's a flea! An unfamiliar flea!"
"...Ah! I see them!"
"It came out from Inuyasha's body!"
Besa looks more closely at the new face and replies,
"...Actually, I believe they're a she."
Zooming to the unnamed entity's height, we see that they're indeed a female flea demon. Besides sharing a few basic physical traits with Myōga (i.e. tan ivory skin, four arms, a proboscis for a mouth and big eyes with dotting black pupils), this woman bears long gray hair cut into a hime-like hairstyle, and is dressed in a muted dark blue kimono with pastel blue diamonds decorating, and a cherry blossom pink skirt wrap.
She wanders up Inuyasha's hand to stop in front of the other flea demon, the latter continuing his desperate pleas for freedom.
"I'll never ask for another favour; just let me go!"
"Myōga! This is the end of the line for you!"
The female flea grabs the male by his robes while adding fiercely,
"I'm telling you, you cannot get away this time!"
"...Um, pardon, bu' who exactly are yeu, ma'am?"
Looking up at Coraline's call to attention, the demoness clues into the multiple eyes on her person. Jumping in her skin, she quickly pulls out a comb and makes herself a bit more presentable.
"Oh dear, how rude of me! (Kowtows, smile) My name is Shōga, and according to our parent's wishes, Myōga and I are betrothed to be wed."
"Not true, not true, not true...!"
Shoga sends a stern glare towards the protesting male flea.
"Yoooou be quiet!"
"Yes'm!"
Inuyasha hums in partial curiousity,
"Old lady Shōga...?"
Coraline lightly slaps his shoulder and scolds,
"Hai! There's no need t' call her a carlin' ou'right."
Thankfully, Shōga didn't seem overly offended.
"Oh, it's all taken. When a flea reaches my age, she wants to settle down and have a family. (Turns with a sad expression) But you know my Myōga here..."
(Flash)
We see Myōga hopping from pretty girl to pretty girl in one village...as Shōga watches from an alleyway afar atop a cat.
(Flash)
"For years, he's been such a womanizer! Whenever there's a handsome woman around, he steals up to flirt with her without a word of apology to me! He leaves very little a clue to track him down, and I'm left helpless to wait for his return! (Glares at Myōga) This time I hunted him down, swearing to lug him back home even if I had to use a little bit of force!"
She seizes said male flea demon's robes again, causing him to panic more as Miroku and Sango to exclaim,
"Scary!"
"Myōga, are you prepared?!"
"No! Heeeelp! Release me, Master Inuyasha!"
His response?
"...Nope. No can do."
"Why, tell me why!"
Inuyasha raises the jittery flea demon to meet eye-level with his glare and states,
"You knew that Old Lady Shōga was the one who bewitched us all along, Myōga."
Miroku and Sango gasp before reflecting expressions similar to the silverette, and Freeman mutters disapprovingly,
"Not, cool, Myōga."
"Please! Surely you wouldn't rob an innocent fellow of his precious youth, will you?!"
Shōga's bristles like a cat as she yells,
"Precious youth, my feet! I should strap you to my back if that's what it takes to get you home!"
Inuyasha nods,
"Good plan," but then the monk counters,
"Now now, Lady Shōga. I think you should forgive him."
Coraline easily catches onto the mischief hidden within Miroku's Prussian blue irises, her lips curving into a smirk that hid nothing.
'bout time we ge' Myōga back f'r his coward'ce.
"He's righ'. Why physic'lly take his freedom, when you c'n do a better job romantic'lly by getting married?"
The two fleas blankly stare at the girl for a second or two...before a large blush blooms onto Shōga's face, while Myōga starts to sweat profoundly.
"Get married?!"
Shippō joins in on the fun by climbing onto Inuyasha's hands, and adding with a coy smile,
"And then you can start a home together!"
"Oh dear..."
Shōga shyly draws some circles on the skin of the half-demon's hand, trying not to meet anyone's gaze...
"Hehe, she's embarrassed!"
Sango comments with a smile,
"A female's still a female, even if she is a flea," and Besa adds,
"I'm sure if we ask the headman back in the village, he could act as the efficient."
Myōga desperately tries to stop his master and company from enacting such a plan.
"There's no need for the headman! Please, please!"
Inuyasha squints his eyes at him and muses in mock surprise,
"Myōga doesn't seem very pleased about this..."
Miroku and Sango reply with rather vengeful smirks,
"He'll just have to reside himself."
"You will make a fine couple of fleas."
With no back-up to claim, the cowardly flea demon could only cry a river of tears, while his fiancée remains blushing and bashful...
So once everyone returns to the village, they seek out the headman to act as a marriage go-between, to which he would happily oblige...
He's soon sitting in his home next to Miroku dressed in finer clothing, a tea set placed in front of them while the others sit across from the two in a formal manner...Kilala would then enter the room with the soon-to-be new husband and wife. Shōga is dressed in a pure white shiromuku kimono with a matching katsura headpiece common for a Shinto wedding ceremony, while Myōga wears a formal black kimono with a peaked cap known as a tate-eboshi hung low over his face.
As their small audience claps, Shōga blissfully says to the other,
"Myōga. At last, we are flea and wife! (...Nudge) Don't be so shy, dearest, hehehee. (Nudge) You could at least say you love me..."
...No response is given, causing the bride to turn to her groom in suspicion.
"Hm? Myōga?...Hh! Aaaaah!"
Everyone rushes over to see what's the matter.
"Hey, what's wrong?!"
"Lady Shōga?"
"Shōga?"
"What's the matter?"
"Did Myōga faint or something?"
"...Ooooh, no..."
The last voice would be Freeman's, when he sees to Shōga's dismay,
"This isn't Myōga! (Sniff) He switched places with some strange flea!"
Said creature hops away, and Inuyasha darts up to his feet while exclaiming,
"That Myōga; he ran away!"
...Panning just outside the room, we see a random cat jump onto the roof of another home and stretch their limbs, unaware that they were about to receive a passenger.
"Run, run! Run to the ends of the earth, please!"
(Slurp...)
The cat tenses up, before complying to Myōga's wish, revealing that he also has the ability to possess on occasion...What he didn't know, however, was that Shōga caught onto his escape plan pretty quickly.
"Why that old geezer! Rrrh! (Hop) Get back here!"
Everyone watches as the tiny demoness bounds out the headman's home and in the same direction the cat darted off to...
"You won't get away with this!"
"Run, run for my life!"
"Come back heeere!"
As the group watches them go, Shippō comments,
"When it comes to fleeing, Myōga is definitely the best."
His friends only let out a collective breath of exasperation at the flea's antics, and the day ends with the following shouts from our most indecisive couple.
"Stop, Myōgaaaa!"
"No waaaay!"