Update (January 2022): Chapter edited and lengthened!
Chapter 72: A Moonless Night of Broken Loyalty
Another few days come and go since the oddity incident involving Myōga and his strong-willed fiancée Shōga. The skies over Sengoku Japan are alight with glittering stars tonight, contrasting the pale brightness of the moon as it reaches the monthly phase known as the waning crescent...
Our gaze falls below to one of several dozens of forests that makes up the country's green during this time, and we find Sesshōmaru, Jaken, Rin and A-Un progressing through a quiet grass field in their own travels...The youngest of this quartet pauses her steps to turn her gaze to the beauty of the night sky.
"Ooh. The moon is about to disappear...Ah! A shooting star!"
The little blackette folds her hands over her torso and closes her big brown eyes as she makes her wish.
I wish I can stay with Lord Sesshōmaru forever and ever.
"...Rin."
"Uh?"
She looks up as her lord says to her,
"Don't fall behind."
"Oh, (nod) yes, my lord."
She hurries to fall into step with the others, and Sesshōmaru peers over the area as his senses a gradual rise of unease in the environment.
Hmm, something feels strange. (Glance) A-Un, why are you so restless?
...
...
Moving to another area hidden from the eyes of humans and demons alike, we find Kagura sitting atop one of several roofs that make up Naraku's castle. Her gaze dips up towards the skyward-bound sphere slowly falling under shadow.
Tomorrow is a new moon.
...Even the moon has time so it can hide in darkness.
She places a hand over where her heart would be and adds ruefully,
With Naraku holding onto my heart, there's nowhere for me to run.
"...Hm?...Uh! What?"
Suddenly, Kagura pays witness to a large horde of demonic spirits flying and disappearing into the cloud of miasma surrounding this area.
The demon spirits that Naraku kept around him...
Uh! They've gone through the barrier!
Time Skip
Daybreak cracks over the darkness several hours later, and the viewpoint shifts to a mountainous section of the expansive wild, tall peaks of rock as far as the eye could see. Lush green forests pocket the ground below, easily spotted by the eyes of a familiar wolf demon who stops atop a random cliff to survey the area.
...This scent...Naraku's scent. Have I finally caught up to that bastard?
"Wait, Kōga!"
"Kōga!"
He turns to the sound of his closest comrades Ginta and Hakkaku, as they and a few regular wolf companions finally catch up. Panting heavily, Ginta then suggests,
"Let's rest a bit. I just can't keep up with this pace!"
Hakkaku adds,
"Even the wolves are out of breath. Give us a rest, would ya, Kōga?"
Said demon feels his periwinkle blue irises narrow as he comments a bit bitterly,
"Damn you pathetic weaklings. If I had to wait for the both of you, we wouldn't reach Naraku's castle in a hundred years."
"Is that where we're going? You mean to tell us that we weren't just running around in circles?"
"No chance. (Looks overhead) I can smell his foul odour; Naraku is nearby...Aye, I'm sure of it."
This time, I will attack his castle...and kill him!
Kōga's mind reels over the memories regarding the terrible trickery of the despicable demon and his subordinate, Kagura...
I'll avenge my comrades who were deceived and slaughtered...without fail!
Meanwhile, in another part of this mountainous forest area, the Inuyasha gang exits a section of thick pines and enter a more open space of dry ground that has only little patches of grass, following the dog demon's attempts in honing in on Naraku's scent...
However, given the approaching new moon, the silverette's demonic abilities were slowly starting to weaken. Noticing that his friend seems to be struggling, Shippō asks from atop Freeman's shoulder,
"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Isn't this the right direction?"
"Shut up! Stop yakkin' and let me concentrate! (Looks up) And will you quit hoverin' over my head already? It's getting annoying."
Inuyasha's of course referring to Lumos, the Will O' Wisp having taken to floating above his person for the last several minutes...Sango and Miroku were standing behind him as the former asks,
"Sniffing around on all fours won't get us any closer to finding Naraku's castle, will it?"
The half-demon ignores her and keeps trying to use his nose...but curses when he can't get anything.
"Aw, damn it all..."
"Say, maybe your nose isn't working right now. Tonight is the first night, remember?"
Coraline raises a brow at Shippō's words...before realizing,
"Oh, shoot. Th' new moon's approachin', i'tis."
Sango and Miroku feel their eyes widen simultaneously, recalling when they first witnessed their silver-haired friend's transformation at one time ago.
"New moon?"
"That's right: the night of the new moon is when Inuyasha loses his powers and becomes a mere mortal."
Besa - who was standing by his sister - lightly argues with a slight smile,
"Well I dunno if 'mere' is the right term. He's still a force to be reckoned with even in human form. He just has to work harder for victory."
The redhead with two-tone blue irises frowns slightly as she thinks about the bigger picture, more specifically, the enemy she and her loved ones were tracking down.
"Still, with th' appendin' threat of Naraku...Inuyasha, i' may be wise to lay low f'r a short time. Even if we do find the sleeven bastard's castle, you won' be able to figh' the way you want to without yur demon strength."
"We've made it this far. I ain't holdin' back now."
"Tha's my point."
Inuyasha looks up at Coraline in confusion as she adds matter-of-factually,
"Why throw away all we've worked f'r in one reckl'ss charge tha' could blow up on us if we aren't a' our peak?"
Before a respond could be made, there suddenly came the sound of rushing wind, the source being a skinny tornado whirling up from behind the group!
"Look, a cyclone!"
"And it's coming this way!"
The vocal observers - Miroku and Sango - hurry themselves away from the path of the cyclone, which would then pass over the none-too-quick Inuyasha, sending him into a hard dive for the hard-packed dirt road...The whirling air finally dissipates once it reaches Coraline's proximity, revealing Kōga!
"Yo, Coraline."
"...Kōga."
While those two greeted eachother (the latter moreso than the former), Freeman wanders over to help his friend with long silver hair up.
"Dude, you alright?"
"Rrrh..."
Sango comments,
"Well, that's what you get for sniffing around on the ground..."
The taller redhead of our main group flashes a worried smile at the dog demon, before Kōga addresses him.
"Hey, mutt. You followed the scent around here too, did ya?"
"Huh, you mangy wolf..."
With irritation running fast through his veins, Inuyasha pulls out Tessaiga and prepares to attack.
"I'll kill you!"
"Nope!"
(Clang)
Knowing that no good would come from senseless violence of this degree, Coraline acts fast and draws her own blade to block her friend's. Everyone surrounding them was quite dazzled by her speed and strength.
"...Wow..."
"That was quick."
"Nice reflexes, sis!"
A part of the half-demon would've been openly impressed himself if not for his pride and aggravation. Instead, he grinds his teeth slightly at the girl in warning for interfering...before ultimately complying with her stern expression that said 'stand down'.
"(Sheathes Tessaiga) Why'd ya do that, Coraline?!"
"(Sheathes ShatterSoul) Because there's only one person yeu shou' be concentrating yur blade on, and it's not Kōga!"
The silverette in red huffs and forms a minor scowl while folding his arms like a surly kid, causing the redhead to sigh heavily to herself,
Mo dhia, it's terribly easy for him to become so carnaptious...
Luckily, I just figured ou' a way t' pacify h's anger.
"Hm? Whaddya smilin' for?"
Coraline wanders closer to her friend and gently guides his head down so she could whisper the reason in his right ear.
"Listen, here's a compromise: if wolf-boy scunners-tha' is, annoys me t' no end with any flirtin', yeu have my consen' ta sucker-punch h'm in the gut."
Inuyasha feels his hazel-gold irises widen at such a proposal...before grinning slightly and whispering back,
"Deal."
May not be as satisfying as ridding the wolf in one shot with my sword, but I'll take it.
His closest friend giggles slightly at how excited he sounded, and she shifts her hand down so she's lightly holding his right arm. Focus then turns to Miroku as he asks the wolf demon,
"Kōga, did you come to find Naraku's castle as well?"
"Yeah. I dunno why, but I'm picking strong hints of his foul scent. It's never happened before."
Sango comes up beside the monk as she wonders with an urgent beat in her tone,
"That must mean...!"
"The barrier around Naraku's castle has weakened."
Kōga adds,
"In any case, if I follow his scent, I'll find his castle."
"...I'm no' sure if I c'n agree with such'n easy assessment."
"Hm?"
He and everyone else turn to Coraline as she folds her arms in thought.
"Perhaps th' barrier has weak'ned, bu' there's also a chance Naraku could be attempting to trick us all somehow by coverin' th's path with his scent."
Her brother with cornrowed hums while tickling a finger under his chin,
"Fair point. A strategy like that would definitely be up his ally...Hang on: Coraline, do you think you can try using that ability to seek his castle again like that time before?"
"Seek'a Aurora? Hm...I dunno. Last time I did tha', I got bombarded by bursts of Naraku's lingering aura...But then again..."
Invoking her power, the Aura Reader's glowing icy blues peer over the path ahead and behind her.
"These puddles of dark energy aren' very strong, so they're too rec'nt to cause any real damage...Maybe...Maybe I can-"
"No way."
"Huh?"
She turns regular blue irises to Inuyasha, he giving her a stern frown.
"I'm not riskin' you getting hurt again by that bastard's energy, so you can toss that plan to the fire."
"(Glares) Oh yeah, 'n who says yeu'll stop me, huh?"
"I do, duh!"
"Hai, I'm an independent woman; I can do wha' I damn please, I can!"
The half-dog demon and human practically growl at eachother in irritation at the other's lack of cooperation...However, the argument is cut short by Kōga when he suddenly steps closer to them with prying and confused look.
"Hm?...What's going on? Somethin's different about you. (Sniff, sniff...) You don't smell like a mutt. Did you take a soak in the river or what?"
The duo on the receiving end - one more so than the other - widen their eyes as the girl grabs onto the boy's side protectively.
Ó diabhal, can he sense Inuyasha's-
Her worries would immediately be interrupted when the wolf demon completely changes the subject as he fixates on how close Coraline and Inuyasha were.
"Huh?...Oi! Since when did you two hook up?! Damn you, mutt, swoopin' in after I got my heart stomped!"
"Huh?!"
"Wha-?!"
They pivot their heads to look one another in the eye...before blushing madly and jumping backwards like the other was on fire.
"W-We're not a couple!"
"Where the hell'd you get that idea, ya fleabag?!"
"Tch, could've fooled me..."
Kōga turns his head away with a slight pout, and Besa watches him with an astonished expression.
Wow...I guess that last confrontation really did knock some sense into him.
"Hey, Kōga, wait uuuup!"
"Huh?"
Focus turns the opposite direction, and we see Ginta, Hakkaku and the small wolf pack come barreling down the path.
"We finally caught up with you!"
Kōga sees them coming, and decides to leave his suspicions regarding the relationship between his former love interest and his rival for another.
"Oh, right; I don't have time for this. (Turns with a wave) Later, Coraline!"
With that, he hurries away in another whirl of wind and leaves, despite Inuyasha's protest.
"Are you runnin' away again?!"
"Naraku's head is mine!"
Ginta attempts to call his comrade back, but to no avail.
"Come on, Kōga, slow down! Wait for us!...Hm?"
His attention is then distracted when his eyes fixate on a certain young man in the Inuyasha group.
Uh-h! Freeman's here!
...Okay, I better give it to him now while I have this chance.
So while Hakkaku continues on after the whirling wolf demon, shooting a hello to Coraline along his way (she smiling and waving back), Ginta stops in front of Freeman with a pant and a smile.
"Hah, hi...Freeman, right?"
"U-Um, yeah. Hey, Ginta. What's up?"
The wolf demon with Everly-style pompadour of smoky gray and navy looks down with a slight blush...before reaching into his fur-lined armour for something.
"...Here."
The human with dark espresso skin takes the item, and looks down to see a scroll and a small, strange-looking instrument shaped like the head of a sparrow, made from shiny black glass-stone.
What's this? Looks like...a bird whistle?
"Read the scroll and you'll understand."
"Hm?"
He looks back up at Ginta and his sheepish smile:
"Wish I could stay, but I better hurry to catch Hakkaku so we can catch Kōga. (Runs off) See ya around!"
"Uh, y-yeah, same!"
Watching the wolf crowd run far down the path for another moment, Freeman would then look back down at the items in his hand, and shrugs before unrolling the scroll...When he finishes reading it, a small rosy blush would fade onto his face.
O-Oh my gosh...
As that young man ponders over these new feelings fluttering in his heart, his friend with canine ears grumbles over the fact that his rival turn tailed and ran off again.
"Damn that fleabag Kōga..."
Sango asks Miroku,
"Do you think we should go after him?"
"No, I think it's better not to do anything tonight."
For obvious reasons, Inuyasha would protest against the proposal.
"What?! Are you crazy?! He's gonna show us up!"
"Calm down yourself down, Inuyasha, or would you rather have Naraku see you in your human form as well? If he learns that you lose your powers some nights, your life will be in danger. You'll have to be extra careful around Naraku."
"Grrrh!...Mmh."
Damn. What lousy timing, and just when Naraku's scent is all over the place...!
...
...
Speaking of the reprehensible topic of conversation, or rather, his hidden-away locale, our viewpoint shifts to the interior of Naraku's castle as Kagura wanders the darkened corridors. She passes several rooms with their white rice paper-thin doors, and several human skeletons laying about on the wood floor...
"Ugh, the air in this castle is so stifling...All the vassals of this castle were exposed to Naraku's toxic miasma and died."
She then stops, sensing someone near, and turns to see her 'sister' standing behind her, expressionless as ever.
"Why are you sneaking up from behind like that, Kanna?"
...The small girl in white does not reply verbally, instead holding her mirror up to the other to show an image of Kōga.
Him again? Kōga, leader of the Wolf Demon Tribe...
Is he near this castle? Is it a coincidence, or perhaps...?
"Kanna, tell me: does Naraku know about this?"
"...He doesn't. He's gone."
That's right: Naraku disappears once in a while...
"...Kagura?"
The wind sorceress rises to her feet and says to Kanna,
"I'll go and kill him. There's no need to wait for Naraku's orders."
"You better not, Kagura."
"Hmph. I despise Naraku's method of resorting to trickery. I'll kill for jewel shards; I need no schemes."
Kanna replies cryptically,
"It's in Naraku's hands...Both life, and death. We are all merely Naraku's tools."
"...I could care less. He's not here now."
With that, Kagura heads off to find Kōga, leaving her sister to watch over things in the castle...
Time Skip
Night falls once again, and we catch up with Kōga's group as they look around in an open grass field, the air quiet but restless...Ginta and Hakkaku notice that the grounds were starting to cloud.
"This is a strange fog..."
"I can't see a thing!"
Kōga curses,
"Damn! The scent is strongest right here. Naraku's castle must be close by..."
...Suddenly, a loud collection of moans and groans comes ringing in from the sky. Hakkaku points upward and calls,
"Hey, Kōga, look there!"
The source of the sounds emerges from a massive black cloud...revealing themselves as a huge progression of skeletons clad in samurai armour and armed for a fight!
"Skeletons with swords?...Gh!"
Kōga then hops out of the path of an air blade, and the Wind Sorceress Kagura lands a few feet away seconds afterward.
"Hello. It's been too long, Kōga."
"Not you again..."
The skeletal warriors land on ground-level shortly after, and Ginta mutters apprehensively,
"W-What's with those skeletons...?!"
The incarnation explains,
"They're the guards of the castle, and countless in numbers."
Kōga sends a seething glare at the woman responsible for taking out a good number of his pack-mates.
"Wind Sorceress Kagura. I haven't forgotten your despicable face, not for even a minute! Hell, how could I? You're the one who killed my comrades! Prepare to die! (Lunge) It's payback time for all you did!"
"I missed you too. I was so close to getting your jewel shards, and now I'll get them this time for sure!"
Hm...It'll be easy to slow him down. I'll make him dance for me.
"Dance of the Dead!"
She sends the skeletal warriors against the young demon leader, who counters by knocking them down one by one.
"More tricks! (Punch) Hrah! (Kick) Grah!"
"Dance of Blades!"
(Swipe)
"Not this time!"
Kōga speedily dodges each wind blade, and leaps in Kagura's direction, fist raised.
"Surprise!"
(Crash...)
"Got her...Huh?"
But Kagura eludes the wolf demon, jeering from up high,
"Fool! I'll cripple you! Dance of the Dragon!"
She uses her power to gather the wind currents, picking up the scattered skulls from the ground, and ultimately creating a tornado of bones around her victim! Hakkaku and Ginta exclaim from afar,
"Now what?!"
"A whirlwind of bones, that's what!"
The wind sorceress laughs as she lands swiftly on the grass again, while Kōga tries desperately to fight off the projectiles and search for a way out...
"You can choose your own fate, Kōga. You can let the skeletons or the whirlwind slice you to pieces, or you can leap out and be slain by me. Either way suits me fine."
The other two wolf demons and true canines accompanying their leader duck behind some tall boulders to avoid becoming secondary targets. Hakkaku says to Ginta,
"Kōga's strong, but he doesn't stand a chance against that thing. What are we gonna do now?"
"Well it's not like we're strong enough to help..."
Echoes of the wolf demon's struggles echo out of the tornado, and Kagura chuckles at the sight, causing the pair to shiver.
"Look at that wench; I think she's actually enjoying this!"
"...If we can get that powerful fan of hers, we might have a chance at rescuing Kōga."
"Yeah, you're right. Get up close and snatch it from her."
"Huh? Who?!"
"You, of course!"
Hakkaku gapes at his comrade before retorting,
"Are you kidding me?! She'd notice me before I could even get close and hack me to bits!"
Ginta looks back to the battle in thought:
"Then how are we gonna fight Kagura and that wind?...Mm? Wait, the wind...Yes, that's it! That's the way!"
He then takes off from the area, forcing the wolf demon with the white-blond mohawk to speed after him with the small group of wolves.
"Ginta, stop acting foolish!"
...
...
...
Meanwhile, in a secluded section of the distant stalks of bark and green, we find an old wilderness hut that everyone in our main group decided to camp in for the night. Coraline chose to sit outside with Inuyasha - whom by this time has shifted into his human form - atop a fallen log in front of a fire built on the drier barren patch of ground. Everyone else would be inside the temporary structure, discussing their current situation...
"Kōga's actions are proof that Naraku's barrier has become weaker."
Freeman replies to Miroku,
"True enough, but like Besa and Cor pointed out earlier, this could also be another trap of sorts. Lowering his guard so that we lower ours, and he gets the jump on us all in an instant."
Sango nods,
"We should at least verify the exact location of the castle."
Shippō reminds her,
"Only one problem: we can't take Inuyasha in the state he's in."
"We won't, 'cause Miroku and I can go alone."
The Brownlee with cornrowed hair hums,
"That's not a bad plan. After all, the less people, the less chance all of us will fall prey to a possible ambush."
The monk adds,
"And if Inuyasha objects to us leaving him behind, we'll have Coraline make him 'Sit'. Then we can simply knock him out."
The fox demon sighs,
"Ooh, not that method again..."
...Speaking of the taller ginger, we head back outside just as she adds another branch of bark to the fire, and thinks aloud about her latest encounter with the wolf demon leader.
"Hm...Seems m' last tongue-lashin' finally broke through Kōga's thick skull. He didn't try flirting with me this time a'tall. I did ge' nervous when he w's suspecting something in your scent, but, (blush) th-thank dhia he was distract'd by, other things..."
"Kuh, yeah well, as long as he's done with those sweet words, that's all that matters to me...What the hell's he playin' at, anyway? Thinkin' we're a couple..."
"Heh, yeah...Wha' indeed..."
Inuyasha picked up on the drop of volume in Coraline's voice, and turns to see her gazing into the fire with a smile he couldn't place a clear emotion to.
"...Is somethin' wrong?"
"Huh? N-No, nothing's wrong...I jus'...well..."
"What?"
Before the conversation could go further, Ginta's call came ringing from the treeline.
"Inuyashaaa!"
"Hm?"
"I know that voice..."
Then came Hakkaku:
"Coraliiine!"
Said redhead springs to her feet when she realizes,
"Crap! If tha' is Ginta and Hakkaku...Inuyasha, head f'r the house!"
"Huh?...Ah! H-Hey!"
She grabs the silverette's arm and practically drags him to the wilderness hut, sliding open the door in a haste and causing its current occupants to look up in confusion.
"What's the matter?"
"What's up?"
Coraline lightly shoves Inuyasha inside, handing him his Tessaiga before informing the others,
"It's Kōga's buddies; they've come back. No' sure why, but they can't see Inuyasha."
Sango widens her eyes and nods in agreement.
"Yes. They can't know of his current appearance."
As the two wolf demons close in, Ginta calls out frantically,
"Coraline, Coraline! Quickly, we need your help!"
Once they caught their breath, Ginta and Hakkaku sit down with the girl, Miroku and Freeman by the fire so they could explain the current situation their comrade is facing...
"What?! Kōga and Kagura are battlin'?!"
The wolf demon with the Everly-like pompadour replies worriedly,
"Yes, and things don't look too good for Kōga right now," and Freeman comments,
"Damn, I was hoping it'd be a while longer before we saw that wind witch again..."
The rest of our group listens to the conversation through a small, barred window, with Shippō clinging onto one of Inuyasha's arms just incase the dog demon made any movement for the outdoors.
"Inuyasha, you mustn't show yourself."
"Keh, you don't need to worry about that. There's no way I'm gonna help Kōga."
If Kagura's shown up, then that means Naraku's castle is nearby...
Still, Naraku had set up a barrier to prevent us from getting close...I don't like the looks of this.
Sango then rises to a stand, clad in her Yōkai Taijiya uniform.
"I guess we have to go and check it out."
"Sango?"
"Inuyasha, you're going to stay here with Coraline and her brothers, okay? You wanna keep your mortal state a secret, don't you?"
Besa nods and adds,
"There's no need for all of us to rush at once, plus even if Kagura's out and about, who says that he is?"
"Kuh, you gotta be kidding!"
Inuyasha darts to his feet and kicks the doors open, revealing himself to the souls outside.
Ginta and Hakkaku gape at the half-dog demon's current physical state with wide eyes...
(Bonk, whap, WHACK)
Only to get clonked on their noggins hard by the latter!
The trio inside the house call their friend out on his actions.
"What are you doing?!"
"What an idiot!"
"Inuyasha, was that really necessary?"
He ignores them and says to the beaten wolf demons with a threatening tone,
"Listen up, you two: if you tell a soul about this, I'll kill you both!"
"Guh!"
"Got it; we won't!"
Coraline groans at his rashness:
"Mo dhia..."
And while Freeman checks up on Ginta and Hakkaku, Miroku comments nonplussed,
"Well, he shut them up real good. So, shall we go?"
...
...
...
Returning to the battle, the whirlpool of skulls continues its pressure against the victim trapped within the eye of the storm, as noted by its creator Kagura.
"Mm, I can smell blood in the air. (Spins her fan) Go, twist and turn harder!"
The wind does her bidding, and she calls out to the fighting wolf demon in a jeer,
"What's the matter, Kōga? Too scared to come out, or...are you already dead?"
Zooming within the swirling winds, Kōga struggles to fight off the incoming bones while cursing the incarnation.
"Damn that witch!"
His skin is sliced by the sharper fragments as he thinks to himself in frustration,
It's useless. No matter how many bones I destroy, there's countless more!
My strength won't hold out forever...What'll I do?
He looks up to the top of the whirlpool in thought, and back outside the winds, Kagura closes her fan with a sadistic smile and decides,
"Maybe I'll let him out. If I slash him into too many pieces, I'll have a hard time finding the jewel shards."
"...No need to worry about that!"
Summoning up all his strength, Kōga then leaps out through the top of the whirlpool!
"Uh! He's up there!"
"Damn wench!"
"Well, you're pretty persistent, aren't you? But not for much longer..."
"You're dead, Kagura!"
...But before he could land a swift kick against his enemy, a horde of skeletons is summoned right behind Kōga, with several jaws of teeth biting into him!
"Aaaaargh! I-I, can't, move!"
"You fool! You can run and jump, but you can never escape my wind! Dance of Blades!"
(Swipe, SLICE)
Blood spills from Kōga's legs as the air blades cut into him...along with his two jewel fragments!
(Ping...)
My Shikon-no-Tama shards!
The wolf demon falls to the ground hard, while his jewel shards land a distance away from his grievously-injured body, leaving them free for Kagura to grab for herself...
"Now then, I have the two jewel shards from your legs. You're just an ordinary demon now...It's time to finish you off."
"Damn, y-you...!"
The wind sorceress chuckles smugly while readying her fan...
"Kagura!"
(Toss, za-za-za-za-za-za-za)
But then, Hiraikotsu comes barreling through the air her direction, forcing Kagura to call upon some skeletons to block it! Sango catches her weapon on the rebound while aboard Kilala with Miroku...Eyeing the new arrivals for a moment, the incarnation then takes a feather from her hair.
"Your life has been spared, Kōga."
The wolf demon growls at her, but can only watch helplessly as his enemy escapes...
"She got away..."
"Miroku, look at Kōga!"
"Hm?"
As slayer and monk fix their eyes on the wolf demon, his closest comrades come running to his aid.
"Kōga!"
"Ah, look at your legs!"
"She took the Shikon-no-Tama shards from both of your legs!"
Coraline and the twins are right behind them, and the Aura Reader winces when she gets a closer look at the deep cuts.
"Damn, I don' think there's much I c'n do for injuries like that. (Turn) Freeman, Besa, can yeu see if yur crystals can heal 'im?"
"(Nod) Yeah."
"We'll give it a shot."
Inuyasha - having followed their path - steps over and says bluntly,
"Why bother? He's gonna die anyway."
Kōga turns to retort,
"You mutt...Huh?"
But his tone drops completely when he sees the half-dog demon's new appearance.
"Inuyasha...?"
"Huh, you know, you're pathetic, Kōga, gettin' all cut up like that by Kagura."
Shaking off his surprise, the wolf demon retorts,
"Look who's talkin': you're nothin' but a weak mortal."
Inuyasha just scoffs and looks away, while Ginta and Hakkaku huddle together on the side in thought.
"You see? I told you he was just a half-demon, Hakkaku."
"You were right..."
Their leader then says,
"I've heard that-gh, tha' half-demons fear for their lives...I also heard than when they're in their mortal state, they never appear before an enemy. You're pretty gutsy, y'know, darin' to come around me lookin' like that, Inuyasha."
"Hmph, (smirk) yeah, you're right. So now that you know my secret, Kōga..."
Inuyasha clicks out his Tessaiga, and Kōga springs to his feet despite his injuries.
"You wanna fight?!"
"I'm gonna have to finish you off right here and now!"
Just as Coraline makes a move to protest, Kōga winces as a pulse of pain echoes through his body, forcing him to drop back to a kneel. Freeman and Besa would then step up to rebuff the latter on his actions, and to another extent Inuyasha.
"Dude, don't go fightin' a battle neither of you will win, especially with your injuries."
"He's right. This isn't gonna prove anything other than the two of you are brawny ignoramuses that Naraku won't see as real opponents. Now sit down and let us heal your cuts."
...Kōga reluctantly sits back on the ground, and the twins hold out their Seven Light shards out towards the wolf demon.
(...Sheen)
"Uh!"
A thin layer of rainbow light surrounds Kōga, and slowly, his cuts and bruises begin to fade down to a more tolerable level, including a first-level scarring for the deepest cuts in his legs!
"...How did you...?"
The twins laugh a bit at his expression and reply,
"Trade secret, man."
"Now gather up whatever strength you have and save it for Kagura, alright?"
The wolf demon just nods blankly, while Coraline comes to Inuyasha's side and lightly grasps his arm that held Tessaiga with a calm smile.
"Now with that taken cared of, shall we move on and find Naraku?"
"Uh...yeah. Hey wait a second, (turns with a glare) who are you two callin' an ignoramus?!"
Kōga also circles back on that comment.
"Yeah, what he said!"
Freeman and Besa smile and laugh nervously, while Coraline rolls her eyes with a more worried upturn of mouth.
Oh boy...
Kagura's POV
It took a while, but I managed to fly far enough away that those fools would not be able to follow me.
Hmph, serves him right!
...Still, how is it that both Kōga and Inuyasha got so close to the castle?
It must mean that Naraku's barrier has weakened.
That's right...Naraku isn't here...! He's gone...
...I change my flight pattern, and head for an open grass field to lay on while thinking about my newly-found movement.
"Haah, what a relief...Indeed."
I look at the jewel shards I stole from the wolf and ask myself,
"Why should I hand them over to Naraku?"
Now is the time to escape, while Naraku's barrier is weak!
But...Naraku...
I recall that he continues to hold my very heart in the balance of Life and Death, much like, Kanna had hinted at earlier today...I shake my head ruefully at my predicament.
It's no use!
I fall back with another sigh over being metaphorically and literally being caught between a rock and a hard place.
I can't escape from his grasp.
My gaze turns to the sky, and I watch one star take flight through the distant air.
"Hm? A shooting star."
...That's when the image of a certain sword comes to mind...and I sit up in revelation.
"There is someone who can help!"
...Sesshōmaru...
"Yes! (Tosses up the jewel shards) He can help me!"
I catch the shards as I think to myself with a newly determined smile,
He has the power to sever the bond between Naraku and I!
...If only I had known, just how deep that bond laid.
No POV
At the same time Kagura made that risky decision to avoid returning to the illusionary castle belonging to her master, somewhere deep within a dingy, dark basement, where water leaks into small, dirty puddles...we see the despicable half-demon Naraku resting among a number of demon carcasses in his guise of Kagewaki.
...Kagura...you have escaped.
His eyes snap open, glowing a lethal white!
...
...
...
Returning to the grassy field and shifting to another section with higher hills, we find Sesshōmaru and his charges continuing their gentle trek through these lands. After another minute or so, Jaken points out a particularly bright dot of light in the night sky.
"It sparkled! Heeheehee, a star just sparkled! Eh-Did you see, Lord Sesshōmaru?...Uh, hello?"
The dog demon does not respond, and the imp thinks to himself a bit sullenly,
Hah, lately, Lord Sesshōmaru has been doing things that not even I, his vassal, cannot fathom.
(Bows his head) I'm so lonely.
He glances over at Rin, who was asleep atop A-Un.
Meanwhile, that child is ignorant of my woes, and does nothing but sleep the days away...
Before he could continue his laments, Jaken forces himself to stop from bumping into Sesshōmaru, who had stopped suddenly.
"O-Oh, Lord Sesshōmaru!"
As they overlook the small cliff-side they've come to, the dog demon finally vocalizes a response to his vassal.
"...His scent, is in the air."
"Huh? (Sniff...) You're right! It's the scent of that Naraku fellow who was so rude to you, Lord Sesshōmaru! Is he, nearby?"
(...Whoooosh)
"Wh-What's going on?!"
This new and strong gust of wind is so strong that the sleeping Rin is pushed off of A-Un, and Jaken is rolled back next to her...before Kagura makes her appearance.
"...Yo."
"Y-Yo yourself."
Ignoring the imp, Kagura turns her focus to the dog demon.
"Sesshōmaru. I assume you came here following Naraku's scent as well?"
The imp runs to his lord's side - with a sleepy Rin crawling near - and exclaims,
"Lord Sesshōmaru, this wench is Naraku's incarnation!"
Said dog demon addresses the woman:
"Wind Sorceress Kagura, if I recall."
"So, you remember me. I am very flattered."
Sesshōmaru readies to pull out Tokijin, until Kagura says to him calmly,
"Take your hand from your sword. I didn't come here to fight you, Sesshōmaru...I have a proposition you might be interested in."
"Proposition?"
She then holds out the jewel shards she recently stole from Kōga.
"You know what these are, Sesshōmaru. I'll give you these Shikon-no-Tama shards...In return...I want you to, kill Naraku."
Jaken yells,
"Whaaaat?!"
But Sesshōmaru's ears fixate on Kagura alone as she makes her plea.
"...Free me. Release me from his grasp."