Hey all! Just thought I'd wish a late Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, first of all:
Mine went good; got some nice gifts, shared some smiles and laughs with family, the usual for each year...
Anyway, enjoy the latest in this adventure!
Chapter 74: Shippo vrs Souten - Thunderous Rivalry
It's a new day in Sengoku Edo, with sunny skies luring travelers to the red dirt road for promised adventure...One of those said wayfarers, was our little fox demon Shippo, who was enjoying some quiet time in a wide, flowery field with a lollipop in his mouth, lost in his own world:
They call me Shippo, the Fox Demon of Justice!
Followed by my vassals, Inuyasha and others, I roam the countryside, conquering evil demons.
Strong as I am, even I need to take a break time to time, to rest my weary body...
But not for long, 'cause trouble always beckons...
...Suddenly, dark, shadowy clouds roll over the blue skies, causing Shippo to pause his stroll and look up:
"Hm?"
(...Crack...crackle...BOOM)
"Waaah!"
A strike of lightning comes barreling down in Shippo's direction, and he runs around in a circle panicking...only to find that the attack wasn't so much an attack, but a message delivery, namely, an arrow with a scroll attached:
"A message..."
He picks himself up from the dirt, and moves to take the message off the arrow to read...
"What?! A challenge to a duel? (Flips paper) Thunder demon...Souten?"
I had been challenged to a duel to the death. Yes, it was just another day in my life as a brave warrior!
Scene Shift: Rocky Mountain Range
As Shippo contemplates over what was just sent to him, we turn to a landscape abundant in rock-littered ground and towering mountain peaks, with the sky casting ominous clouds that rang with constant lightning strikes and rumbling thunder...
Zooming up, we see a small cloud heading for the old, run-down residence of the deceased Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Monten...Inside, was a small silhouette of someone writing on another scroll with an ink brush...
"Souten." The figure pauses, and the entering cloud adds,
"I have delivered the letter. The time has come, the day for which I have waited for so long...Souten, I beg you to do your upmost as the sole survivor of the Thunder Demon Tribe."
A lighting flash displays the thunder pike that once belonged to Hiten...and the figure Souten grins.
Back to Shippo
He's now sitting in the middle of the green field, as he unfolds the message to find out what's going on:
"Hmm, let's see...'To Fox Demon Shippo: To uphold the Thunder Demon Tribe's honour, I challenge you to a duel to the death. I'll wait for you at Raimei Valley today at sundown. If you flee, your friends will pay with their lives'."
"A challenge to a duel?"
"Gah!"
Shippo jumps and whirls around to see that his friends (minus Freeman, who was preoccupied with something...) were reading over his shoulder. Miroku remarks after Coraline,
"You know, Raimei Valley isn't too far from here, Shippo." Sango asks,
"Isn't that the same place that the Thunder Brothers used to live?"
Coraline ponders the question:
"Sounds right...I've never considered that Hiten and Monten would have extended relatives, but there you are."
Inuyasha scoffs,
"Kuh, they've got guts sending a challenge like that..." Shippo then barks at everyone for their snooping:
"Hey: Who said you could read my letter, huh?!" Besa then wonders aloud,
"It's strange, though..."
"What is?"
"Well, if I remember right based off of what Cora regaled to Freeman and I the one day, it was Inuyasha who actually dealt the finishing blows, not you, Shippo. Wouldn't it make more sense to seek vengeance on him?"
Inuyasha agrees:
"Good point," but Shippo shrugs and argues nonchalantly,
"Inuyasha is a half-demon. They probably figure he's not good enough for them."
"What?!"
(BONK)
"Ow!"
Shippo cringes from the new bump on his head...before attention is momentarily drawn to the following sound:
(Fwwwooooeeeeeeee)
"Huh?"
The group looks up and behind them, and watch as Freeman blows into the black glass-stone whistle that was given to him a few days ago by Ginta.
"Yo, Freeman! What are ya doin'?"
He blows the whistle once more, and turns to call back to his brother,
"You'll see in a second!"
...A moment of silence passes, before another sound rings with similarities to that of a sparrow, but more projected with a slight rasp!
"What was that?!"
"...Look, up there!"
Everyone follows Sango's point, and coming from one of the dark clouds...was a large bird that had all the features of a common tree sparrow, with the rich chestnut crown and nape, a small black path on the pure white of its cheeks, a lead blue beak, and its upper feathers a mix of light brown with black outlines, tan-white on the underbelly, and the area leading from bill to throat a pure black. However, this bird was twice the size, had a red stripe on the upper beak matching its eyes, and carried a strange light black haze around its body!
"A demon!" Sango exclaims,
"That's no ordinary demon: It's a Yosuzume, a Sparrow demon. They're quite rare."
Inuyasha readies to unsheathe Tessaiga:
"Is it dangerous?"
"It depends on the region, but they can be either benevolent and malevolent...Though considering Freeman just summoned it, I doubt it has a mission to cause harm."
...The dog demon lets his sword hilt go, and everyone watches, as Freeman cautiously approaches the bird demon, holding out a small scroll in the process:
"...What's he doing now?"
"He must be sending a letter back to Ginta."
The group looks down at Shippo in mild surprise and curiousity:
"Ginta?"
"One of Kōga's friends?"
"What's up with that?" Shippo holds his hands up in an 'I dunno' gesture:
"I'm not really sure, but Freeman told me that Ginta wanted to stay in touch with him, like, long-distance friends or something..."
...As the sparrow demon takes flight again (after calmly allowing Freeman to tie his letter around its leg), Coraline watches her brother's body language and facial expressions...before a knowing smile broke onto her own face:
Hm, something tells me there's more to this than simply becoming letter buddies...
Freeman lets out a breathy sigh, before making his way over to the others:
"I'm sure most of you are a bit confused by, what just happened. See, Ginta gave me this whistle (holds it out from his neck) that can summon a Sparrow Demon that used to be a part of this old letter delivery system the Wolf Demon Tribe once practiced, before it became outdated. He and I...well, we want to get to know eachother, and Ginta figured this could be a good way to keep tabs on what's going on with the jewel shards and any possible sightings of that bastard Naraku."
He looks to Inuyasha and adds quickly,
"Of course, he and I know you and Kōga might not be as thrilled by the idea..."
"Meh, whatever. As long as you're not giving that mangy wolf a head-start on the jewel or Naraku, do what you want."
"Got it."
Besa walks over to his brother with a teasing smile and asks,
"Why am I getting this feeling that there's more to this than companionship?"
"...I-I-I dunno what you're talkin' about."
"Oh? Why are you stuttering, then?"
"Uh-um, well..."
"...Nice answer, real intelligent." Freeman shouts with a bright blush,
"Shut up!"
Besa just chuckles at him, while Coraline shakes her head with her own smile:
Yep, thought so...Well, I dunno what sort of chance you guys have, but good luck to you both, bro.
She then goes to kneel down by Shippo, and gets back to the current issue:
"Anyway, getting back to you, Shippo: Will you accept the dueling challenge from Souten?"
Freeman forms a look of confusion, and Besa quickly catches him up with the other letter...
"Ooooh...Man, that's rough."
Shippo folds his arms smugly and replies,
"There's no choice: I avenged my father's death, so it's only a matter of time before someone comes after me. (Nods to himself) This is my destiny as a brave warrior."
"Kuh, listen to the big talker." Shippo counters Inuyasha's scoff:
"You're just jealous 'cause I'm waaay better than you are!"
Inuyasha gains a riled tick-mark and clenches his fist at Shippo's arrogance, while Coraline smiles worriedly at them:
"Easy, you two..."
Sango and Miroku then kneels down to ask the fox demon,
"Do you want us to help you out, Shippo? We can make it affordable for you."
"Just say the word and we'll be there. All I want is an introduction to a pretty girl."
Coraline just barely holds back her laughter as she chides,
"Good grief, you guys: You choose now to start charging?"
Inuyasha scoffs and turns his nose away:
"Kuh, I won't lift a finger even if you beg me."
"Don't worry."
Shippo turns to look out to the horizon with a confident smile:
"I can handle the Thunder Demon Tribe!"
(Crackle, boom)
...But another crash of thunder and lightning reveals that Shippo was more nervous than he was letting on.
Small Time Skip
(Crack, boom...)
Moving along, we find Inuyasha and the others standing on a cliff-side overlooking the rocky face of Raimei Valley, as lighting continues to attack the sky-touching mountain peaks in the distance...
"There's the valley where the Thunder Demons used to live..."
Miroku comments after Sango,
"That's one strong demonic Aura," with Inuyasha adding,
"Yeah, there's no shortage of lightning either."
Coraline shivers from the area's atmosphere:
Suddenly, I can feel myself on that little cloud again next to that creep Monten before Inuyasha and Shippo came to rescue me...
Speaking of Shippo...
She looks down to see the fox demon trembling a bit, despite trying to keep a straight face. Sighing quietly, Coraline squats down and chides gently,
"Shippo, it's okay to ask for help. Don't let your pride get in the way of your goals."
"I can't do that! If I did, my honour as the recipient of the challenge would be disgraced!"
Inuyasha suddenly comes over to 'test said fox demon's bravery':
"Boo!"
"Waaaagh!"
Shippo yelps in fright, and Inuyasha laughs as he straightens up while retorting,
"What honour? You're already scared outta your head!...Huh?"
Hearing no response, he looks down, and finds Shippo to have fainted from the sudden scare...Sango comments with worry,
"This isn't looking good," followed by Miroku:
"I agree," then Inuyasha:
"Me too."
Coraline just groans while the twins mutter,
"They're not really doin' Shippo any favours with their attitudes..."
"I know, right?"
Meanwhile, back at the Thunder Demon Residence...
As Souten continues to scribble away on the parchment, the cloud asks,
"Souten, what are you writing?"
We zoom out a bit, and notice that the thunder demon is actually a young girl (likely no older than Shippo), with black hair tied into two pigtails going out the back, peach skin, pointed ears, red eyes, wearing red bead earrings, and armour similar in style to the deceased Hiten...
"Koryu, stop floating around and come here."
"Okay!"
A red-skinned hand pops out of the cloud, and whacks itself lightly three times:
(Pop)
The cloud cover disappears, revealing a small red dragon with big eyes and tiny wings! He floats over to Souten who begins regaling the plan:
"This is our strategy for defeating Shippo. I want you to memorize it very well."
"Our strategy? Does that mean you're not gonna fight fair and square, Souten?"
Souten puffs her cheeks out and shakes her head violently before slapping her hands on top of some drawings she's already done:
"Do you honestly think that a little child like me stands a chance against those ruffians?!"
"(Sweatdrop) Good point."
Souten starts by pointing to an ink drawing of a vicious-looking Miroku as he activates his Wind Tunnel:
"This monk, named Miroku, has a Wind Tunnel that sucks up everything in its path."
Next, was an ink drawing depicting a vicious Sango aboard a fierce Kilala with her Hiraikotsu at ready:
"Sango, is an expert demon slayer, and she has a demon feline named Kilala."
"I knooow; I'm the one that did all the research."
Ignoring Koryu's comment, Souten then points to an ink image of the twins (also drawn exaggeratedly vicious) holding their weapons out:
"Next, is these two strange-skinned human twins, Freeman and Besa, who may not fight as much as the others, but are troublesome enough."
The final image would be of a vicious Inuyasha piggybacking a crazed-expressioned Coraline, as she holds her bow and arrow at the ready, with her sword handle peeking from behind her hair:
"And on top of that, Inuyasha and Coraline are even worse! How many demons do you think have fallen at their feet?!"
Koryu makes a noise that suggests no interest in the subject, and Souten folds her arms as she declares,
"I couldn't possibly survive a fight if I fought fair, and that would mean the absolute extinction of the Thunder Demon Tribe!"
"If you feel that way, shouldn't you just forget the duel and live in peace?"
Souten stomps on an ink drawing of Shippo and shouts,
"No chance! They're my sworn enemies! I must get Shippo, at the very least!"
"(Sigh) Oh boy..."
Souten then points at Koryu and orders fiercely,
"Stop your complaining and out this plan into action, because they're already closing in on us!"
"Gaah, alriiiight!"
(Zip)
Coraline's POV
A couple of minutes have passed, but not alot of distance has been covered...as Shippo has decided to delay his duel by walking as slowly as possible...But judging from the annoyed look on Inuyasha's face, Shippo's worries should be directed at him and not this Souten character:
"Grr, Shippo...speed it up...! Just quit stallin', would ya?!"
While my brothers, Sango, Kilala and Miroku sat on the side of the mountain path waiting for our group to move along quicker, I was trying to keep the atmosphere from getting more tense then it was:
"(Holds out hands) Calm down, Inuyasha. (Looks down) He has a point, Shippo: Slowing your steps isn't gonna help things. Besides, didn't the letter say you're supposed to meet Souten by sundown?"
"That's right: The letter!"
Shippo takes it out of his robes...and peers it over for a few seconds before asking,
"Say, uh, Coraline...?"
"What's up?"
He points to where his name is and asks,
"Are you sure this says 'Shippo'?"
"...Quite sure. I mean, admittingly, sometimes I need to go over my Kanji studies when I read and write English of Gaelic for longer periods so I remember what's what...Why do you ask?"
"U-Uh, look again, it's pretty squiggly. Uh, it doesn't say, 'Inuyasha'?"
I sweatdrop and reply,
"...Not unless Souten wrote the wrong symbols, but I seriously doubt it."
Hoh boy, he's really trying everything under the sun to get out this...
Inuyasha asks him with an incredulous expression,
"Are you saying you can't even read your own name?"
"Of course I can! I was just double-checking, okay?! (Tears up) It's me they want! They're challenging me!"
Shippo begins to try moving again, but slows his trek further by lifting a foot...and putting it back again:
"J-Just, wait, Souten. I-I'm, coming...!"
I sigh as Freeman says to him with a sweatdrop smile,
"Shippo, quit actin' like you're on a treadmill..."
I hear Inuyasha growl, and turn around to see him pull out his sword still in its sheath:
"I can't stand it!"
"W-Wait, Inuyasha...!"
...Thankfully, Inuyasha's plan to get Shippo moving wasn't as bad as I thought it would be: He's now using the sheath to shove Shippo along the mountain path, while we walked alongside and behind...As he kept trying to dig his heels into the ground, Shippo shouts,
"Alright, everyone: I don't need anyone's help this time, so lay off!"
Inuyasha replies, still pushing him along with no effort,
"Keh, except to get there. Now keep it movin', would ya?"
I chide to the aggravated dog demon,
"Take it easy: Shippo's having enough of a hard time psyching himself up..."
Shippo then says to me nervously,
"Coraline, you better take cover somewhere. I-I'll be battling someone from the dreaded Thunder Demon Tribe."
"(Small smirk) Tch, like those losers scare me...(Gentle smile) But if that's your wish..."
He then looks to Sango and Miroku with shiny eyes and says,
"Same goes for you too."
...I hear Sango whisper to Miroku,
"He's practically begging us for help, Miroku."
"Yeah, that's obvious..."
Finally, he asks my brothers,
"You guys better keep away too, and focus on protecting Coraline with Inuyasha, okay?"
"Alright..." "If you're sure..."
I slap my hand onto my face while groaning internally,
Damn it: Shippo really needs to stop looking at Inuyasha's lone wolf strategies when it comes to battle...
Not that Inuyasha's been using such lately, but still...
"Okay, not that this isn't getting us anywhere, but even this is too slow!"
"Huh?"
I snap out of my thoughts, and turn to Freeman, who now holds a sneaky smile:
"...Bro, what are you thinking?"
"Don't worry: I got a faster way of moving Shippo along, and it's painless...Besa?"
"Right."
Besa forms a smile with a mix of worry and play, before rushing up to snatch Shippo into his arms:
"Waah! Besa?!"
"Nothin' personal, my friend."
Freeman then runs forward ahead all of us...before:
(Toss)
"Waaaah!"
Besa throws Shippo up in the air, before the latter is caught by Freeman!
"G-Guys! What-Why-?!"
"Relax, we won't drop ya!"
They continue with this strategy, and I gape in shock...I hear Miroku comment,
"Well that's one way to do it, I suppose," and I snap out of it before running to catch up with them while shouting,
"Guys, knock it off! Shippo's a fox demon, not a football!"
No POV
...Unbeknownst to the group, up ahead and upward on a cliff, was Koryu, as he struggles to push a large boulder in place for the first part of Souten's plan:
(Flash)
"First, we're gonna separate Shippo from the others with a large boulder."
(Flash)
He grits and grunts more, before finally succeeding in shoving the boulder down! By this time, everyone catches up to one another, and Coraline scolds her brothers for their actions and convinces them to put Shippo down...
"Honestly, what were you two thinking?"
"That Shippo's not gonna feel better about this until he gets there and gets this challenge over with?"
Coraline sighs dramatically while looking at the sky at the simple answer, and Inuyasha comments with a smirk,
"Keh, I didn't think they were doin' anythin' wrong: That was way faster than my plan."
Before the conversation could go any further:
(...Rumble)
"Huh?"
They all look up...and see the boulder barreling right for them! Coraline gasps, and Inuyasha quickly gathers her into his arms before leaping onto a rock ledge away from the boulder's path:
"Coraline!"
Sango and Miroku fly up on Kilala, while Freeman and Besa scramble to climb up near Inuyasha and Coraline:
"(Pant, pant) Wait...we're short one."
"Shippo!"
Inuyasha watches as the fox demon runs around in a circle while panicking:
"What's that idiot doing?!"
(Crash)
"Aaaaahhh!"
The boulder crashes onto the ground near Shippo, and the impact throws him off the cliff! It continues to chase Shippo in its trajectory down the rock face:
"Waaaah!"
Koryu chuckles from the air:
"Excellent! Things are going just as planned..."
It would be another thirty seconds of trying to escape on foot, when Shippo remembers,
"...Wait, what am I thinking?! (Pulls out a leaf) Transform!"
(Pop)
He shifts into his pink balloon form, sighing in relief as he escapes from the boulder...only to be snared in a net just seconds after!
"Whuh?!"
The source is revealed as Koryu, who begins carting Shippo away to the Thunder Demon Tribe residence, as the latter cries out,
"Somebody help meeee!"
Everyone watches from the ground below:
"Shippo!"
"Dang it, it was a ploy!"
Inuyasha and Miroku comment after Coraline and Freeman,
"Ugh, that klutz!"
"He's done for..."
The twins slide down back on the path as Besa calls,
"Come on: We better hurry before they get too far!"
Everyone nods, and Kilala steps down briefly to have Besa climb aboard before taking off for the skies, while Inuyasha mutters,
"Damn, Shippo's hopeless," before leaping down to grab Freeman and leaping off to find the fox demon...
Small Time Skip, Shippo's POV
As soon as I was taken back to the old, disheveled home where Hiten and Monten used to live, I was tossed in a cage by that little dragon...Shaking off my fears, I then begin shouting for whoever was in charge:
"Hey, lemme out of here!"
I then hear a laugh coming from my left, and turn to see a kid about my age:
"Welcome, Shippo!"
...No way. That can't possibly be...Souten...could it?
I turn away and reply dryly,
"I'm not wasting my breath on small-fry like you. Who's the leader around here? Get the leader of the Thunder Demon Tribe right now."
"That's me."
"Wha-?!"
I gape in shock, and turn to the kid to exclaim,
"You must be kidding!"
"I'm obviously the leader! Can't you tell?"
Uh, no: That's why I asked in the first place...
I shrug my shoulders and comment,
"This is so stupid: I don't have time to waste on a little kid like you."
"Shut up! Don't you treat me like a child!"
I reply in a teasing tone,
"Oh yeah~?"
I then pull out one of my toys and start playing with it, bouncing the red ball on a string back and forth on the ends of the mallet...
"Wow, that's a very nice plaything you have there...Can I play with it?"
"See?! I knew you were a kid!" Souten stomps in place childishly and replies heatedly,
"Aaah, I am not a kid! And besides, you're one to talk!"
"What?! I'm a full-fledged demon!"
"So am I, now give that to me!"
"No way!"
"Give it to meee!"
"No way!"
I suddenly hear that small dragon mutter,
"They're both childish, if you ask me," and Souten throws a scroll at him:
(Whack)
"Gah!"
"Move, Koryu! Don't you have some things to do?!"
"Yes, I've got things to do."
No POV
While Shippo was stuck dealing with the child Thunder Demon, Souten, we check back with Sango, Miroku and Besa, as they comb the skies aboard Kilala to find any trace of where the fox demon was taken to...
As they pass over a dense forest, they notice a small trail of smoke streaming from the trees up ahead:
"Hm?"
"Where's that smoke coming from?"
"Dunno...maybe its a traveler's campfire?"
Peering below, we see Koryu was the cause, as he waves a fan to blow up the smoke from a burning leaf pile...
(Flash)
"Next, we take that feline, Kilala: Big or small, she's still a cat, so she should still get intoxicated by this silver vine."
(Flash)
"It's hard work being the bad guy all the time..."
Just as Koryu makes that comment, Kilala flies over the smoke...and growls in bliss, her face and fur flushing a bit...
"What's the matter, Kilala?"
"Do you smell that?"
"...Oh crap, it's silver vine! Cats get hooked on this stuff faster than they do on catnip!"
"You're not seri-u-uh!"
Before Sango could finish her sentence, Kilala suddenly dives downward to the source of the smoke, as her three passengers cry out in surprise!
...Once they were ground-level, Kilala quickly shifts to her dormant form, and nestles onto the leaf pile without a care:
"(Mewl...)"
"(Sigh) Looks like we've fallen into another trap..."
"We'll just have to walk from here..."
Besa kneels down near Kilala and scratches behind her ears with a mildly exasperated smile:
"You just couldn't resist, couldn't ya, girl?"
"(Mew)"
"(Sigh) This is why I'll never understand cats..."
Suddenly, there came the sound of a woman sobbing, and the three teens turn to see a woman with long black hair in a light-gray headscarf, wearing a blue/green striped kimono with a light-cream skirt wrap, back turned to them...Miroku of course would be the first to speak to the woman:
"What seems to be the trouble, miss?"
Sango sweatdrops, and we see that Koryu was hiding in a thick bush nearby, imitating the voice of a lady in distress (indicating that the woman was a dummy of sorts):
"Please, find it in your heart to help me..."
Sango calls to the monk,
"You better be careful, Miroku: This is probably another trap!" He replies in a serious tone,
"Now Sango, you know I live my life according to the sacred teachings, and I will never turn my back on anyone in need. If this is indeed a trap, I will gladly fall into it."
Sango tilts her head down in exasperation:
"How incredibly selfless of you, Miroku," while Besa eyes the 'woman' in suspicion:
Something about this seems too coincidental...
As Koryu continues his imitation, he remembers what Sotuen said in their plan to take down Miroku and Sango:
(Flash)
"Miroku's weakness is women, and because of that, Sango can't leave him alone. This is how we'll kill two birds with one stone."
(Flash)
"Oh please...won't you come a little closer?"
"Yes, of course, it would my-"
(Clap)
"Hold on a second."
"Huh?"
Miroku turns to see Besa by his side, who then moves ahead of the former towards the 'woman':
"I'll lend her a hand. Stay here."
"Besa?"
"Be careful, Besa."
He continues his steps, and kneels down to lightly clap the 'woman' on the shoulder:
"Tell me what's goin' on, ma'-"
(Rumble, crash)
"Whaaah!"
The ground suddenly gives way, leaving behind a large pit, to which Besa would fall into along with the dummy!
"Besa!"
"Oh no!"
As Sango and Miroku rush to the edge of the pit to look down below, Koryu quietly curses:
"Shoot! Wrong human!...Oh well, at least they're distracted..."
As he silently makes himself scarce, Sango calls down below,
"Besa, are you alright?!"
He shakes his head of any dizziness, and shouts from the pit bottom,
"...Been worse! At least you guys didn't fall with me, thank god!"
He then looks to see the head of the fake woman break off:
"Hm...Guess my instincts were right: This lady was a dud. (Looks up and hollers) The ventriloquist must be nearby, and of someone's setting traps, then we can't be too far from where Shippo is!"
Miroku calls back,
"Good point, but we should focus on getting you out there first!"
Shippo's POV
Once that dragon was gone, I try to demand my release:
"Let me out! I thought you said you wanted to duel with me!"
"(Smug smile) Don't even bother trying to waste my time, Shippo." I frown at Souten's expression:
Tch, that smile reminds me too much of Hiten's...Wait, what?!
"What's that?! (Pulls out the message) Wasn't it you that sent me this letter?"
"You fool: That was just a trap to lure you here!"
"A trap? (Glares suspiciously) So what are you planning to do with me?"
"(Sniggers) I'm gonna kill you nice and slow."
"What?!"
"(Laugh) Go ahead and scream! The louder the better!"
I grit my teeth at the cruelness in Souten's words:
The creep...Hang on a second...
"...Oh, I get it: You're weak." That shuts him up, and I add,
"That's why you don't wanna fight."
Sotuen's eyebrow twitches in annoyance, before he reluctantly replies,
"Hmph, I'll have to admit, you're pretty shrewd..."
He then gestures to a bunch of papers ranging from lists to profile pictures sprawled across the floor, boasting smugly,
"But I'm a genius: I've come up with dozens of strategies to compensate for my diminutive size!"
"That's playing dirty, you coward!" Souten counters,
"You're the coward, looking to your friends for help instead of standing up for yourself!"
"I did not ask for their help: They just came along!"
Besides...what's wrong with having friends who will always have your back?
"Save your breath on your excuses, weakling!"
"I am not a weakling!"
We then hold out drawings of eachother wailing like babies, Souten's being ink and mine crayon:
"Weakling, weakling, weakling, weakling!"
"Coward, coward, coward, coward, coward!"
No POV
We finally zoom in on Inuyasha, Coraline and Freeman, who are now traveling along a path cut deep into grainy dirt void of trees and other plant path, with the former asking aloud annoyed,
"What are Miroku, Sango and Besa doing?" Coraline comments with a worried frown,
"They were behind us not too long ago," with Freeman adding,
"I just hope they didn't get slowed down by a trap like that boulder..."
Up ahead, Koryu peers from behind a small rock:
"Alright, here they come..."
(Flash)
"Inuyasha is helpless against Coraline. We'll get him to 'Sit'!"
(Flash)
...It was then the third plan was put to action, namely, a dummy version of Coraline popping out to face our three teens:
"Inuaysha! Sit!"
...And of course, nothing happens, other than Inuyasha, Coraline and Freeman gaping in dumbfoundment at the sight:
"...Uh..."
"Whaa..."
"The heck?" Koryu tries again, controlling the dummy:
"Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit!" Shaking out of his stupor, Inuyasha calls out,
"Hey!"
The dragon pops out from the fake Coraline's hair and exclaims in frustration,
"Oh come on: Why doesn't Coraline's 'Sit' work?!"
Freeman snorts in amusement and quirks,
"That's suppose to be my sister? Tch, baaaad impression, dude..."
"She's identical."
Coraline raises a brow and comments,
"On what planet is that dummy a copy of me? Besides, the S-Word only works for my voice, not anyone who tries and fails to pretend to be me."
Inuyasha flexes his claws at Koryu threateningly and says in a low tone,
"I hope you're prepared to meet your maker..."
"Uuuhhh...Well, I should probably getting back now."
But before Koryu could make his getaway:
(Grab)
"Stop! You're staying." Koryu replies nervously,
"I'd love to, but..."
Shippo's POV
After drawing for a while in a feverish pace, both Souten and I were exhausted, leaving our pictures scattered across the floor. As we catch our breath, Souten asks,
"Well, do you give up?"
"Hardly! You're the one who's gonna have to surrender here!"
Souten looks at one of my drawings and comments,
"I have to say, you sure brought along some strange writing tools..."
I hold up a few of my crayons and reply,
"These? Coraline gave me these things: They're called crayons."
"Wooow, I love 'em. Give them to me, would ya?" I turn my nose from him:
"No way, not a chance!"
"Give 'em to me, stingy!"
"Let's see...If you let me out of this place, I might reconsider."
Souten was taken aback, and seeing that, I smirk to myself, before quickly whipping up a rainbow on a fresh sheet of paper:
"See~? Isn't this beautiful?"
He then starts rolling around on the floor in a fit, wailing,
"I want 'em, I want 'em, I want 'em...!"
"Then all you have to do is let me out."
Souten calms down and sits up before responding,
"You don't think I'm gonna fall for that old trick, do ya? I'm just gonna kill you nice and slow."
I hold out my purple crayon and counter,
"Then how about we duel, and the winner can have the crayons!"
"...Oh yeah! That's a great idea!"
As Souten begins unlocking the cage, I turn my back to snigger smugly to myself:
Heheheh, this Souten might be a real dufus...
No POV
As Inuyasha takes Koryu into custody, Coraline looks the latter over and comments in curiousity,
"Huh...Never thought I'd live to see a dragon this small." He shouts back a bit insulted,
"Hey, watch it!"
"Don't flatter yourself."
(Punch)
Inuyasha bonks him on the head, before asking,
"You're the Thunder Demon familiar, aren't you?"
"I belong to the honourable Dragon Clan!"
(Bonk)
"Quit talkin' so big, you slimy worm."
Despite the pain, Koryu was holding out for his activation of power:
Just one more time...
"Hey! What do ya think my head is made of, anyway?!"
"Shut up!"
As Inuyasha raises his fist to punch Koryu's head again, the latter thinks in anticipation,
Excellent: Now I'll make my escape...
But then Freeman grabs Inuyasha's wrist lightly as he and Coraline chide,
"Come on, man: It's not worth the effort."
"Freeman's right, Inuyasha: Save your energy for finding Shippo and that Souten character, not beating the crud out of little dragons."
Inuyasha scoffs at them, but lowers his fist anyway after Freeman lets go. Koryu eyes both human teens in annoyance:
Stay out of it, Coraline and Freeman!
"I don't need your stinkin' pity: I belong to the Dragon Tribe, so go ahead and hit me all you want!"
Inuyasha looks to Koryu with a jeering smirk:
"You know, you're pretty brave for a little dragon..."
Koryu sweatdrops nervously:
Oops, I should've said I was a snake...
Freeman looks at Koryu seriously and says,
"Look, why don't you just tell us where Shippo and Souten are, and we can all walk away without giving eachother migraines?"
"Oh yeah, like I'd tell you people!"
Koryu then bites Inuyasha's hand, who winces before growling,
"Why you...!"
(Bonk)
And Koryu receives a third punch from Inuyasha, but that was exactly what he was waiting for:
"(Mutters) That's it."
(Pop)
"Wha-?!"
"What happened?!"
"Did he just turn into smoke?!"
Koryu, back in his cloud form, laughs from up above and jeers,
"Shocked? When my head is struck three times, I transform into a lightning cloud!"
He then starts shooting multiple bolts of lightning shaped like arrows at the teens:
"Take this, you fools!"
"Agh!" "Whah!"
(Boom-boom-boom-boom...)
"And this and this and this!"
Luckily, Inuyasha acts fast, and places his fire rat robe over Coraline, who pulls Freeman under it with her, before the former leaps up to face Koryu with his Tessaiga:
"Kuh, why didn't you come at us from the start? Hrraaaahhh!"
(Slice)
He successfully cuts the cloud in two...however:
"(Laugh) It's useless, it's useless!"
Koryu rejoins his cloud form back into one, much to Inuyasha's surprise:
"Huh?!"
"Damn: The Tessaiga isn't gonna cut it this time!"
"Not good..."
Koryu cackles again before jeering,
"Farewell, Inuyasha! Your time is up!"
...At the same time, Shippo and Souten were getting ready to face eachother in the courtyard of the ruined residence, glaring and growling at the other:
"This is the end for you, Shippo!"
"That's what I was gonna tell you!"
(Leap)
"En guard!"
Freeman's POV
With no other choices open, we all began running from Koryu, as he kept up his dang lightning arrow attacks:
"Take that and that and that and that!"
(Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom...)
"Damn! What now?!" I reply to Inuyasha frantically,
"I dunno, but we better come with somethin' fast!" Coraline comments,
"I doubt the Wind Scar's gonna work on a cloud..."
(Slip)
"Oh shit!"
Coraline suddenly trips on a loose rock, and because we were sharing the fire rat robe, I got pulled down with her:
"Gyah!"
Inuyasha stops and turns to us with worry:
"Coraline! Freeman!"
I prop up on my knees and call back,
"We're okay!"
I then hear Koryu laughing, and turn to see him getting ready for another onslaught:
"I'll take care of those humans first!"
Two bolt arrows come shooting out, the one for my sister moving way too fast for me to shove her away from:
"Agh!" "Aaah!"
"Coraline!"
(TOK)
"Aaauh!"
...I barely scramble out of the way from the arrow aimed for me...while Inuyasha employs the human shield tactic for Coraline!
"...Inuyasha!"
"Inuyasha, no!"
Damn!
Shippo's POV
"Take this! Fox Fire!"
(Fwoom)
"Lightning attack!"
(Bzzt)
(Boom)
Both of our latest attacks meet in a clash, and after landing on the ground, I say to Souten impressed,
"Wow, you're an awful lot stronger than I would've figured!"
"(Proud smile) Of course, I mean, who did you think you were dealing with here?"
I rise to my feet with a determined smile and call,
"Alright, I'm gonna have to get serious!"
"So am I!"
Heh, this isn't so bad: This might turn out to be more fun than I thought...
No POV
Koryu cackles proudly at his efforts:
"Even Inuyasha is helpless against my arrows!"
Coraline and Freeman scramble to their feet as the lightning arrow disintegrates, and move to check up on Inuyasha:
"Inuyasha, are you okay?!"
"Just say the word, man, and I'll use my crystal!"
...But much to theirs and Inuyasha's surprise, he sits up with no issues...
"Inuyasha?" "...You're okay?"
"Sure, I'm okay: Those arrows are ridiculous, they didn't even hurt."
"What?!" "No way!"
Koryu was also in shock:
"What?! That's ubsurd! Take that!"
(Shoom, grab)
Inuyasha easily catches the arrow, before gesturing it to the other two teens:
"Here: Just give yourselves a little poke in the hand..."
Coraline and Freeman hesitantly do as Inuyasha tells them...and feel no pain. The human teens laugh a bit and say as the arrow dissipates,
"You're right: That feels good."
"Yeah, better than acupuncture."
Koryu becomes angered by this turn in events:
"I'm not gonna stay here and be insulted!"
"Ooh no, you're not goin' anywhere."
(Leap)
Inuyasha then hops up in front of Koryu, who yelps, before the former asks with a threatening smile,
"You change back if you're hit three times, right?" Koryu tries to feign ignorance:
"U-Uh, I dunno..."
"Don't play dumb!"
(Bonk, bonk, BONK)
(Pop)
"(Groan) How cruel-hearted..."
After falling to the ground, Koryu is then snatched up by his tail by Inuyasha, who demands,
"Now, ya little worm, you're gonna take us to this Souten person."
Thunder Demon Residence
The fight between Shippo and Souten continues, with the demons colliding with one another, before landing on opposite sides of the courtyard, each carrying a toy in one hand...
A bit of Shippo's sleeve rips, as he compliments,
"You're good."
A piece of Souten's armour breaks as she calls back,
"So are you."
They then each employ more of their demon magic:
"Fox magic: Smashing top!"
"Thunder magic: Falling Daruma!"
The darumas and tops collide and cancel eachother out, turning back into regular toys...But neither party was done:
"Just try and stave of my wailing mushrooms!"
"You just try and fight off my laughing acorns!"
Each child throws their mushrooms and acorns at one another until there are twin towering piles...before collapsing on their backs in exhaustion...
"(Pant) Hey, Souten, isn't it about time you gave up?"
"(Pant, pant) You're one to talk! Which means more to you: Your life or your crayons?"
...Suddenly:
"Shippooo!"
"Yo, little dude, you up here?!"
Shippo bolts to a sitting position as the acorns disappear and exclaims,
"Oh, Inuyasha, Freeman: You guys are alive!"
Souten looks over as she sits up (the mushrooms also disappearing), becoming shocked when she sees Inuyasha, Coraline and Freeman at the gateway:
"(Gasp) Inuyasha! And those two!"
She then sees Koryu in Inuyasha's hand:
"Koryu, did you fail in your mission?!"
"Please find some way to forgive me, Souten..." Inuyasha points a finger at Souten in disbelief and asks,
"Hey, wait...! Don't tell me this is...!" Shippo replies,
"Yeah! This is Souten, the one who sent me the challenge!"
Coraline looks over the thunder demon child in mild surprise:
"...You sent Shippo the challenge, huh?"
She then walks over and kneels in front of Souten, clapping a hand on her shoulder:
"U-Uh, hey, wha-"
"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything...(Slight smile) You share alot of physical resemblance to Hiten."
"Grh, don't talk about him so causally! After all, you have a part to play in his demise!"
"(Frown) Maybe so, but if you know what he and his brother did while they lived, you can understand why my feelings are bitter regarding my recollection...(Smile) But I won't hold it against, you, of course. After all, you're your own person."
Souten could only stare at Coraline with confusion, as Inuyasha mumbles,
"You mean to tell me we've been runnin' around in a panic because of some little kid?"
Shippo scoffs and folds his arms before saying,
"I told you guys I didn't need any help!"
Coraline then asks Souten,
"So tell me, young lady, how old are you?"
Shippo gapes and freezes (for he thought Souten was a boy), as Souten scoffs a bit and replies a tad reluctantly,
"...In human years, about seven. Dunno why I should have to tell you, anyway."
"Hm, so you're about a year younger than my kid brother, Souta...Look, Souten, I dunno what side of the story you've been told, but I highly recommend giving up your conquest in vengeance."
"Huh?"
"(Bitter smile) Take it from one girl to another: Even if you achieve that goal, you won't feel anymore different than you do now...other than a bittersweet memory that'll come and bite you in the ass later on."
"Uh..."
As Souten contemplates Coraline's words, Shippo slowly thaws out of his freeze in finding out Souten's gender:
"A girl?! That's a girl?! No way!"
Freeman kneels down by him with an amused smile and says,
"Don't worry, Shippo: You're not the first to make that mistake. (Laugh) Just be glad you don't live in my era, otherwise you'll get majorly confused on the subject..."
Shippo sighs disinterestedly and stands up while commenting,
"This is stupid...I'm going home..."
Souten sees the fox demon walking away, and calls,
"Hey, wait, Shippo: Are you running away from me?!"
He just keeps walking and does not reply, and Coraline looks to Freeman with a raised brow, who shrugs in return...
"If you're leaving, you're admitting defeat!"
...He stops:
"Oh, that's right." Shippo then takes out the box of crayons and tosses them to Souten:
"Here. You can have these."
Souten catches them, and looks back up at Shippo, only to blush a bit when she sees his facial features reflecting a more mature persona:
"Be a good kid and behave yourself, okay? And don't you even think about vengeance anymore."
With that, he continues his exit, as Coraline and Souten look on, before the older teen turns to share a look with her brother...both forming a proud smile at Shippo's act:
He's growing up.
Shippo narrates to himself as he leaves the courtyard,
And so, my battle had ended. I had succeeded in overcoming a vendetta, and that evil, conniving duo Souten and Koryu learned their lesson, and never challenged me to a duel again.
Eventually, the teens and fox child would find Miroku, Sango, Kilala and Besa, as the first two pull the fourth out of the pit with a vine rope:
"Phew, finally, I'm out...Oh, hey guys!"
"There you all are!" Coraline then notices someone missing:
"...Um, where's Kilala?" Sango replies,
"(Sigh) She's still lounging on the sliver vine pile."
"(Slight laugh) Silver vine?"
Sango nods with an exasperated smile, and everyone laughs a little when they see the cat demon still in her blissful daze...
Time Skip
A day or two passes, and we find Souten humming to herself as she colours with the crayons she won from Shippo...When she finished her latest masterpiece, she holds it to her eyes with a giggle and blush, and we see it to be a mature version of the fox demon in question...
Speaking of which, we find Shippo once again lost in his thoughts while standing in a field with the wind blowing lightly against his hair, his gaze holding determination and anticipation for the adventures ahead:
With this experience, I have grown even more mature.
Many enemies still lay ahead, waiting to test my strength. I could not stand idle, or look back.
Yes. This was the path of a warrior like myself, whose destiny, was to fight.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha would cut into Shippo's tranquility with the following:
"Quit puttin' on the act!"
(Bonk)
Holding his pained noggin, Shippo wails childishly,
"Coraliiine, Inuyasha's picking on meee!"
"...Inuyasha!"
"No, wait, Coraline...!"
...But instead of the 'Sit' command like he was anticipating, Coraline just lightly whacks the back of Inuyasha's head while scolding,
"Just let him have his moment, okay? And Shippo...take this opportunity to be the bigger man."
She then walks back to the others, and both boys watch her go with dumbfounded expressions:
"...That wasn't what I expected at all."
"Me neither..."