Chapter 76: Onigumo's Memory Restored
We continue where we last left off in our tale, as the Naraku incarnation, Muso, now holds Coraline hostage in his whip-like arm:
"(Laugh) It was you that I had desired, woman!"
He then begins retracting Coraline to him, despite her heavy protests and struggling:
"Let, go of me! Inuyasha, help!"
Said dog demon starts charging to them while shouting,
"Hands off!"
(Slash)
Using his Tessaiga, Inuyasha cuts Coraline free from Muso!
...But as the arm disintegrates, we see more Insects of Hell approaching...Inuyasha turns to Coraline and says urgently,
"Get out of here, Coraline!"
"Rgh, right!"
She scrambles to a stand, and rushes out of the area, picking up her weapons along the way, while the poison wasps form a new arm for Muso...He then scoffs at Inuyasha and says,
"That's the last time you'll interfere!"
He tries to attack the other with his whip, but Inuyasha easily cuts it away:
(Slash)
Yet Muso's priorities were more fixed on Coraline, and he began to try and chase after her:
"Hold it!"
Inuyasha blocks his way, and points his Tessaiga threateningly at the incarnation before demanding,
"What do you want with Coraline?"
"Coraline? (Frown) You're mistaken: That woman is mine."
(Slam)
"Guh!"
Muso then swipes Inuyasha back with his whips, before directing them to form a cage around Coraline:
"She belongs to me!"
"Agh!"
She struggles against the whips, before pulling up her combat knife:
"Get, off me!"
(Stab, hack)
Coraline successfully cuts back two of the whips, and begins pulling herself away! However, two other whips wrap around her left wrist (that held her sword) and ankle, forcing her to stay on one place:
"No! Agh!"
Inuyasha growls before charging with his Tessaiga again:
"Why, you...!"
(Whoosh...)
A wind vortex begins forming around the blade, before he leaps up and strikes the arm:
"You're going down!"
(SLASH)
Inuyasha unleashes the Wind Scar, freeing Coraline again! The attack continues to travel up the appendage, and hits Muso full-blast!
...And yet, he sends the following message to the redhead:
"Woman!"
"Huh?!"
"...You belong to me! You're mine!"
He is then swallowed by the power, and disintegrates...Everyone stared at the area that now holds the three-clawed cut mark in the ground, as Shippo wonders aloud,
"...Why do you think he wanted to capture Coraline?" Miroku replies,
"Well, Shippo, one thing that we know for sure is that he was one of Naraku's incarnations. The spider mark on his back proves it."
Coraline pushes herself to a stand, and moves to examine the cut mark in the dirt while noting uncertainly,
"...There's no way he could've survived a direct blow from the Wind Scar...And yet, I feel something in my gut that's telling me this isn't over..."
Inuyasha agrees:
"Yeah...He went down too easy."
"...Inuyasha!"
"Hm?"
Their attention is then cast down the hill, as Kaede comes walking towards the group from the village. Coraline calls back to her:
"Kaede!"
"What was all that commotion about?" Inuyasha replies bluntly,
"You're too late to be of any help."
"Uh? What happened?"
"Nothing. Just forget it...It's all over for now...(Looks down) At least I think it is..."
Scene shift: Campsite
We now look in on the wandering priestess Kikyō, as she tends to a camp of injured soldiers in an area of dry dirt surrounded by grass. She walks up to one older gentleman with a wooden container of water and asks,
"Do you feel any better yet?"
"(Smile) Yes, thanks to your care."
"I'll change your poultice later on."
Suddenly, another solider rushes up to her with an urgent expression:
"Lady Kikyō!"
"Hm?"
Once he explains his news, she has the soldier lead her to an old shack, where the student monk from before now sat, burying his face into his knees and crying in grief and fright...Kikyō gently asks,
"Yes, what is it, monk?" He hesitantly looks up, his fear evident...
"There is no need to be afraid any longer."
"...M-My mentor, Master Muso was killed and his face was stolen. Stolen!"
"That's terrible...! Who did it?"
"It was a man that had no face at all! And on his back, I saw the mark of a spider!"
Kikyō's eyes narrow, recognizing such a description:
"...A spider?"
The student monk cringes and shakily utters,
"It was horrible! Horrible!"
With that, he began sobbing again, and Kikyō asks the soldier,
"Take him inside to rest."
"(Nod) 'course."
While the soldier tended to the fearful student, the priestess finds herself wandering the nearby woods as she thought about what she was just told:
A spider on his back? It must have been one of Naraku's incarnations.
...That demon. Now what is he up to?
Unbeknownst to her, Kikyō was being watched by Naraku, courtesy of his Insects of Hell and Kanna's Mirror...
...Kikyō.
(Flash)
"Naraku...You have good reason to be concerned about me. Do you know why? Beside inside you, the heart of Onigumo beats strong."
(Flash)
...Naraku mentally shakes the words of the wandering priestess away, before rising to a stand and leaving the room...We then shift to the basement of the demon's hidden castle, and find Kagura chained to a wall by ember-glowing shackles, her body showing signs of severe fatigue:
Damn, that Naraku.
How long does he intend to keep me imprisoned like this?!
Curse him!
Just as she finished her bitter thoughts, Naraku appears out of the darkness to address the wind sorceress:
"...Kagura."
"Naraku!"
"...Do you wish to be freed?"
"(Bitter smile) I promise you: I won't try to run away again."
"Follow the one who calls himself Muso."
"Muso?"
"Yes, he is your younger brother."
Naraku raises one of his hands...and cancels the power of the chains, releasing Kagura:
(Clink)
"Ugh!"
She falls to the floor and thinks to herself,
Muso...another of Naraku's incarnations...
Naraku adds as Kagura picks herself off the ground,
"Inform Inuyasha and his clan of Muso's whereabouts."
Kagura was obviously taken aback:
"Do what?!" Naraku chuckles, and says,
"There's only one possible place that Muso could be heading for..."
...Back on the field where Inuyasha and company fought Muso...we see the flesh of said incarnation begin to reform into a mass, then his arm...before reforming his entire body!
"...Damn. How dare he do this to me!...Who is this man, Inuyasha?"
He then gasps, feeling something stir in the back of his head:
"Inuyasha!...I think I know him...from somewhere..."
The spider burn reforms on Muso's back, as he asks himself,
"...Who am I, I wonder?"
Time Skip, Goshinboku Village
Come the next morning, out of concern that Coraline may not be safe with the uncertain outcome of Muso being gone or not, everyone would be recommending that she return to her era for the time being. However, our redhead would be less than pleased with such a suggestion:
"What?! (Glare) No way!"
"Don't be so stubborn, now get movin' back to the well!"
"If you think for a second I'm gonna let some damn incarnation intimidate me, you got another thing coming!"
Miroku cuts in between Inuyasha and Coraline's arguing to try and calmly talk some sense into the heated redhead:
"Coraline, I think it would be wise for you to lie low for a little while, at least until we know for sure what Naraku is up to."
Sango and Shippo agree:
"He's right."
"You're safer on the other side."
But their tones did nothing to cool her temper; if anything, it added fuel to the fire:
"...What's wrong with you all? You've never let any of the other subordinates of that demon bastard get to you before. I'm certainly not running for the hills."
"That's not what we're trying to tell you, sis." Coraline barks at Freeman,
"Then what the hell are you trying to tell me?! If it's to start playing the D.I.D. card, then forget it: I'm not some helpless woman that can't fight her own battles!"
Shippo makes a face before asking in a whisper,
"What does D.I.D. mean, Besa?"
"Damsel In Distress."
"Oooohhh..."
Besa nods, before focusing on Coraline with a concerned and serious expression:
"Come on, Cora, that's not what any of us are suggesting. There's just something, off about this particular incarnation, and we only want what's in your best interest, that's all."
Coraline scoffs bitterly and retorts,
"...'My best interest'? Tch, more like you all want to control my path and steer me from danger."
"Auh! No, Coraline, that's-"
"Don't even bother denying it: I know that has to be the truth, or part of it. But let me tell you people something: I've accepted that safety for me is impossible a long time ago, and I'm not about to use my friends as human shields when I know I'm more than capable of taking on any challenge that comes my way...I'm just sorry that you guys can't seem to grasp that this time."
With that, Coraline lets out a huff, and starts jogging off to the riverside out of the village...Once she was out of sight, Freeman groans with a facepalm and mutters,
"Oh boy. Leave it to Cor to know how to blow up faster than a raging volcano..."
Shippo asks timidly,
"Should, one of us try to go and talk to her?"
"Nah. Knowing sis like the back of my own hand, talkin' to her now isn't a good idea: She needs some time to cool off."
Sango looks to the direction where Coraline ran off with a worried frown:
"Still, leaving her by herself may not be wise..."
"(Ghostly moan)"
"Huh?"
It was then that Lumos came flying out of Kaede's hut, and he bops in front of the group with intent, having overheard the entire conversation.
"...You wanna go after her, Lumos?"
He 'nods', before floating off to find Coraline...Besa comments,
"Well, at least Cora won't be off someone's radar..."
...At the same time, just outside the village, a warrior carrying a spear was patrolling down a path, when Muso suddenly pops out of a bush:
"Greetings."
"Hey, what the hell do you want?"
"Hmm...That's some fine armour you're sporting."
"Hn?! What?!"
Moments later, we find Muso walking across a tall grass field, now wearing the armour of the unfortunate warrior, before coming across the Cave of Onigumo...
"What is it about this place?...It looks so familiar..."
Coraline's POV
I'm standing on the shoreline while skipping/throwing some stones across the water, trying to blow off some steam from my earlier build-up of anger...but with little success:
"Ugh, this sucks! Everyone's so antsy about this Muso character, that they seem to forget that I'm not scared...Rgh!"
I toss another rock into the river in a spat of frustration:
(Splash)
"(...Ghostly moan)"
"Hm?"
I turn behind me, and see Lumos coming my way...
"Oh, hey, Lumos. (Small smile) I'm actually glad to see you and not the others right now."
My Will O' Wisp friend comes to float by me, and we stare out to the other side of the river for a bit...before I quietly ask,
"...You don't think I'm incapable of fighting my own battles, do you, Lumos?"
He chirps softly and bops 'no', and I sigh before plopping down to sit on the rocky shore while replying,
"Thanks. At least someone doesn't...But then again, the others likely don't either."
They know that I've become strong...They're just, worried about me like any other friends would be.
I let out another breath, and stand up again to pace up and down while thinking over what's going on currently (with Lumos floating in similar fashion):
"But back to now: Inuyasha's being particularly cautious this time...That's not like him. He's fought a number of Naraku's incarnations already, and not a one's left him worried, save perhaps Goshinki who bit his Tessaiga in two..."
What makes Muso different?
(Pulse)
"Huh?"
I pause in my pacing, when I felt something...off:
"What, the..."
Lumos must've sensed it too, for he began bobbing up and down in excitement. I turn to the right, where some trees were growing on top an old mound, narrowing my eyes in suspicion:
"...There's someone, or something, there over the next hill."
Feeling like doing something other than brood and think, I began jogging to the mound, with Lumos following...Once we got through the trees growing over it, I look down from the edge of the mound, to a field of tall grass...where I saw,
"(Quiet gasp) Muso!"
So he's alive after all...
...He looks up briefly in my direction, and I duck behind a tree trunk to escape his view...After a minute of nothing, I peer back, and see his focus was actually on the mound:
"Hm..."
I move to crawl to the edge again, this time keeping as low to the ground as possible and using the tree roots as camouflage, and strain my ears to hear the incarnation say,
"Hm? Something's up ahead...A cavern."
Cavern?
Curious, I quietly move from my spot, and speed down the mound to circle to where Muso walked. I peer around the corner, and watch, as he walks inside the cavern and stops over at an area that was barren of plant life, before laying down, remarking,
"I've been here...I'm certain." I furrow my eyebrows in confusion:
What's going on? Is Muso's memory starting to return?
...And why, do sense something off, yet strangely familiar about this area?
Inuyasha's POV
With the twins volunteering to stay with Kaede and keeping an eye on Coraline, I lead everyone else away and down a path to find Naraku...I narrow my eyes in frustration at the thought of Coraline's earlier attitude:
Damn girl, she had to choose now of all times to act stubborn...
What the hell's she even thinking anyway? Of course I don't think she's helpless!
...But at the same time, I just...I don't want her to get hurt.
Why can't she see that?
I would snap out of my thoughts when Shippo asks,
"Hey, Inuyasha..."
"Yeah?"
"...Where are we going?" I reply in an obvious tone,
"Naraku's castle."
"Sooo you know where it is now?"
"Of course I don't, idiot!"
"Then we're just walking around in circles?" I shout back irritably,
"Stop asking dumb questions! We are backtracking the path that Muso took here!"
I hear Sango ask,
"Should we stop in on all the villages he raided?" Miroku replies,
"Yes, we should, as well as the sight where the bandits were all slaughtered."
But just as we come to forming a plan of action, I see a figure blocking our way...
"Kagura."
"(Stands up) Yo."
Great, another incarnation to deal with...
I ready to pull out Tessaiga and ask,
"You witch! What're you doin' here?" What she said next, I did not see coming:
"I haven't come to fight. I simply came to tell you where Muso is."
Sango and Miroku ask,
"Muso?"
"You mean that demon is still alive?" I keep a straight glare to mask my surprise and mutter,
"Yeah, something told me we weren't through with him yet...How come you're so helpful all of a sudden?"
"You're familiar with the cave where Kikyō and Onigumo stayed? Well that's where Muso is heading."
This time, I couldn't contain my shock:
"What?!" Miroku was just as taken aback:
"Muso's gone to that cave?"
"Well, I told you all. (Folds out her fan) Farewell." Miroku calls her to a stop:
"Wait! Did Naraku send you here to tell us?" She replies a bit bitterly,
"What do you think?"
"Does he know about Inuyasha's secret?" I turn to bark at the monk:
"Shut up, Miroku! What are you thinking?!"
...Although I'm a bit curious myself...
"Secret? What secret? I dunno anything about it."
With that, Kagura takes her leave aboard her feather...
"And there she goes. What was that little visit all about?!" Miroku replies,
"Last time we saw her, she was betraying Naraku to steal the jewel shards..." Sango comments,
"It didn't seem like she was helping us to get back at Naraku."
"I wonder if she told Naraku about what she saw that night, about how Inuyasha becomes mortal during the New Moon?"
I narrow my eyes in thought:
...No. There wasn't anything in her expression that said she was lying.
"Either way, she's still not our ally."
Shippo then asks,
"What are we gonna do now?"
"You mean about Muso? Maybe we should take Kagura's word for it and believe her..."
I hear Sango and Miroku make sounds of surprise, while Shippo folds his arms and comments,
"Well, there's a change: Most of the time, you would just jump and take off at the chance to fight..."
I bend down and bark,
"Save it, would ya?!"
"Aaaawuuuh! I only meant that I, uh..."
Miroku cuts in and asks,
"Inuyasha, what are you so on edge about?"
I stand up to face him and reply testily,
"I'm not upset, alright?!"
He and Sango scrutinize me...and I growl before reluctantly adding,
"...This Muso guy is really starting to get to me!...What's his deal, anyway?!"
Kagura's POV
I'm flying off back to Naraku's castle after saying what I had to say to Inuyasha's crew...with my thoughts clouded by that demon's latest plan:
I can't understand Naraku...
(Flash)
"Go to Inuyasha and tell him where to find Muso, then stay near and keep watch over him."
(Flash)
...It's like he's curious of Muso's actions...
That's when it hits me:
"(Gasp)"
Does that mean that unlike me, Muso isn't under Naraku's control?
Kaede's POV
Feeling that this whole situation has something to do with the place where Naraku was first created, I decided to leave to the cavern where the thief Onigumo once laid, with the young twin men accompanying me...
"So this cave that we're heading to...It once held this, Onigumo character that sold his soul to demons and became the Naraku we all know now, right?"
I reply patiently to Freeman,
"Yes, that is correct."
"...Yikes."
As we continue our trek through the tall grass, Besa suddenly pauses:
"Hm?"
"What is it, bro?"
"(Narrows eyes) I see someone standing by the entrance...Uh! I think it's Coraline!"
"What?"
We turn to his direction of sight, and see a familiar figure with long red hair walking to stand in the entrance...
It is her!
...What could have possessed her to come here?
Coraline's POV
I have since moved from my spot around the corner, and was now watching from the mouth of the cave, as Muso goes into deep thought, his hand reaching beside him...
Wait a second...This cave...
Uh, of course: This is where that thief, Onigumo once laid fifty years ago!
God, how did I not see that sooner?
...But then...why is Muso here?
...Unless...could, this incarnation...represent-
Before I could finish my thought, Muso suddenly sits up, causing me to flinch back in surprise:
"Uh!"
(Slip)
I stumble and almost trip on myself, but steady my balance at the last second...Unfortunately, that action alone would stir enough noise for Muso to know he wasn't alone here:
"Hm? Who's there?"
Shoot!
It was too late to try and run, before he and I met eye-to-eye:
"...You again!"
He rises to a stand and remarks,
"The woman; the one I had desired, even if it meant having to sell my Soul to demons!"
Sell his...
"(Gasp) My suspicions were right: (Glare) You're him! Onigumo!"
He seemed taken aback by my characterization, but shakes it off and began running towards me! I try to step back, but he was too fast, and stops right in front of me, grabbing my wrist:
"Uh!"
Lumos starts floating around us in a panic, as Onigumo chides,
"I finally remembered what pained me: It was Kikyō I had longed for! And it, it has to be you!"
I could see a hidden desperation in his eyes, and I try to reason with the demon:
"Wait, Muso-er, Onigumo, you've got it all wrong: I'm not her! Kikyō is-"
"...Sis!" "Coraline!"
"Huh?"
I turn around, and see my brothers and Kaede rush up a couple feet from where Onigumo and I stood! Kaede widens her eye at him, and draws an arrow at the ready:
"You again! I know you!"
"Uh! Kaede!"
I try to rush down, but Onigumo pulls me to his torso, wrapping an arm around my waist to keep me still:
"Don't, move."
"(Squirm) Rgh, let go!"
Freeman then asks,
"Wait...Kaede, is this man-"
"I once knew this demon, but his name wasn't Muso! Why would he show himself here after all these years that passed?!"
Knowing what she was going to do, I nod at her, before moving to elbow the demon hard in his stomach:
"Agh!"
(Twok)
I duck down just as the arrow releases, but Onigumo manages to slap it away like it was nothing! But at least it was enough of a distraction for me to break free from his grasp...
"Stay out of my way, old maid! I have come seeking that woman! The woman who's heart beats like Kikyō's!"
I was taken aback by his description, and he turns to see my expression:
"Yes. I know you do not look like her...but there's no mistaking the Aura I sense. You beat with her energy, so you must be her in a new form!"
...I suppose that's one way to describe mine and Kikyō's connection. He's sharper than I gave him credit for.
No kidding.
Uh! Cipher!
Right as rain, Little Doll! Look to your right...
I do as he says...and watch, as he appears in some sort-of cave-drawing form on the rock! I gasp, but then hear his voice ring with laughter in my head:
Don't worry; only you can see me.
...Why are you here, Cipher?
He doesn't answer verbally, instead pointing to the entrance of the cave with one of his thumbs...
What? What about the ca-
Hang on...No...Don't tell me that the second crystal's-
Bingo!
I turn to look down on the ground with a silent groan:
...Oh hell. What a time to know that info.
Couldn't you have told me soo-
But when I turned to mentally bark at the dream demon...
Aaaand he's gone again...Dammit.
(...Sigh) I'll just have to backtrack here later. Right now, I have this incarnation to deal with.
Kaede's voice snaps me back to reality:
"I knew it: You are the fugitive, Onigumo!"
"Out of my way!"
Just as he prepares to attack Kaede again:
"Stop!"
(Shing, slash)
I pull out ShatterSoul and cut the whip vine away! He's visibly stunned by my move, and I shout at him with a determined glare,
"Leave her be! I'm your target, aren't I?"
I then slide down to the tall grass and started jogging from the cave entrance while adding,
"I you want me so bad, then come and get me! Freeman, Besa: Protect Kaede!"
"Sis!" "Are you nuts?!"
Mus-I mean, Onigumo tries to slow me down with his vine arm again:
"Stop!"
But I spin and hack the vines away with my sword, before continuing my run. He then demands,
"Who are you, woman? Who are you, and why does your heart beat with Kikyō's?!"
...Oh if only you knew the truth.
"Coraline!" "Sis, watch out!"
I stop and turn to face the whips again, this time channeling my Soul energy into my blade:
(Sheen)
"This time, I got him..."
But before I could unleash my attack:
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
...A familiar dog demon beats me to the punch!
"Inuyasha!"
He lands on the ground swiftly and asks in a shout,
"What are you doing, are you crazy?! Why didn't you go home?!"
I glare back and retort,
"Oh please, like you didn't see this coming?"
He just growls at my stubbornness, before we're both interrupted by Onigumo:
"Hah! Inuyasha, always interfering!"
"What did you say?!"
I widen my eyes when I realize,
He addressed Inuyasha like he knew him...His memory really has returned!
"Coraline!"
"Huh?"
I turn to Shippo's shout, and saw he, Sango and Miroku coming down aboard Kilala. Said demon slayer looks at me a bit disapprovingly and calls down,
"You were suppose to go home!"
Tch, there's those words: Suppose to...
I glare icily at her and turn with a huff, catching her off-guard:
"...Coraline?"
I then hear Miroku say,
"Sango, look down there: It's Muso!" The incarnation then says,
"My memories have returned. I was a bandit, long ago when Kikyō and I stayed here in this cave."
Inuyasha rushes a bit forward and barks,
"Kikyō?! What're you talkin' about?!" Kaede whispers,
"Inuyasha: Muso is Onigumo."
"Onigumo?! The bastard who sold his Soul to demons and became Naraku's very core?"
Onigumo smiles bitterly and replies,
"Hmph. You flatter me, Inuyasha."
I turn to Miroku's direction (he and the others having gathered into one group) as he remarks,
"I see: Onigumo's entire body was badly burned. Even his face was scorched off. And that is why he kept stealing the faces of his victims."
Inuyasha finishes putting the pieces altogether:
"Onigumo's heart must've burst from Naraku!"
"I've remembered everything, including how Kikyō died back then."
"(Growl) Damn it! You're the one who injured her, you bastard!"
Though he does not deny the claim, Onigumo saw differently:
"That's ridiculous! Why do you think I fed my very Soul to the demons I summoned? I wanted possession of the Shikon-no-Tama and a healthy body, so I could steal Kikyō away and leave this cave. But when I got my new body, nothing went as I had planned."
Because Naraku was in control by then...Onigumo no longer had control over his destiny.
"The first thing that I had done, was cut down the very woman I had sold my body and Soul for."
I frown in thought:
"I see: So you, Onigumo, were stuck in a backseat role as soon as Naraku was born from your devoured Soul."
Kaede comes to my side and adds on,
"Yes. Naraku was created from hundreds of demons...and those demons had but one desire: The death of my sister, the priestess."
Onigumo frowns a bit sadly as he continues his lament:
"Kikyō followed him...that half-demon, Inuyasha, straight into her very demise...Kikyō perished, and the Shikon-no-Tama was burned along with her corpse. At that very same time...someone purged me into a deep, dark, place..."
Inuyasha remarks,
"That must've been Naraku."
Onigumo hops down from the mouth of the cave and slowly moved to stand a couple feet from Inuyasha while replying,
"I don't know how many years exactly I laid dormant for, but when I awoke, I had been hurled into the outside world again."
It sounds like he doesn't remember every last detail, or at least not the parts about Naraku...
I wasn't the only one who thought similarly, for Miroku suddenly moved forward to ask Onigumo in a stern tone,
"Have you not received orders from Naraku?" The incarnation scoffs and replies,
"I take orders from no one. I slaughter everyone I hate, and burn them to the ground! (Focuses on Inuyasha) Now then, Inuyasha...you're first."
(Glow...)
A red light suddenly manifests around Onigumo's body, and I hear Lumos chirp urgently by my side:
"Yeah, I know, Lumos: His darkness is rising with the fuel of Anger and Hate."
"Why do you still live? Kikyō is dead!"
Spikes then pop out of his arms, tearing off the sleeves of his kimono!
Uh oh...
Inuyasha retorts,
"You're one to talk! What are you doin', comin' back to life like this?"
"I'm gonna kill you first, and then I'll deal with that woman!"
I didn't expect that change:
"Auh, as if, you brute!"
I grip ShatterSoul at the ready, while Inuyasha dashes to stand protectively in front of me:
"You're not laying a hand on Coraline! You've gotta get through me first!"
"Fine! Then let's get on with it, shall we?"
(Buzzzz...)
I then look up to see more of the Insects of Hell:
Oh great...
Sango and Freeman call out,
"Poison Insects!"
Miroku turns to mine and Kaede's direction and says,
"Kaede and Coraline: Get back and out of danger!"
I was reluctant at first, but my brothers come to my side and gently steer me back with their hands on my shoulders:
"Come on, sis."
"Yeah, better to not be in the line of fire right now."
"...Fine."
I let them lead me out of the main area, as Inuyasha says,
"Kuh, I dunno why Naraku let you out, (grasps Tessaiga's hilt) but you'll get the exact same treatment I give him!"
(Shing, charge)
"Here's payback for Kikyō!"
"Try it!"
Onigumo stretches one of his whip-like arms at Inuyasha, who uses Tessaiga to cut it in half...However, instead of destroying it, the wound in the arm closes around Inuyasha, before the entire arm lifts him into the air!
"His scar closed in on the sword!" Miroku remarks after Shippo,
"I see, it all makes sense now: Muso has the power to regenerate his body!"
I suddenly feel my legs run forward, and I charge at the arm while replying back to Miroku,
"Yeah, and what of it?!"
I then jump up, and bring ShatterSoul down on the arm:
(Slash)
I cut Inuyasha free, and he lands on the ground safely, though obviously a bit surprised by my move:
"...Coraline, why'd you-"
"To help. Duh!"
He looks at me with an unreadable expression...but then shakes his head with a sigh:
"You're just liable to make trouble, aren't you, woman?"
"(Wry smile) Whatever to keep you men attentive."
Onigumo then cuts in:
"It seems that your strange swords are not useful against me. How very unfortunate."
"Damn you...!"
"Who asked for your opinion?!"
No POV
As Inuyasha and Coraline stand against Onigumo, Miroku says to himself while gripping his cursed hand,
"I knew I should've sucked him up with my Wind Tunnel while I had the chance."
Besa replies back,
"Even if you did, the poison insects from before would've gotten you...Still, I can't help but wonder: Is Naraku protecting Mus-or should I say, Onigumo?"
"It's lookin' that way. He must've sent the poison insects to prevent me from using my Wind Tunnel."
Sango then asks aloud,
"Then why does Muso insist that he takes orders from no one?"
"I don't understand what his motivation is..."
Freeman hms in thought:
Hang on...If Muso's more independent than the rest of Naraku's incarnations...
Is it, possible that Naraku might have...
If he did, then why?
As everyone goes into thought, Inuyasha and Coraline prepare to charge Onigumo from two directions to catch him off guard:
"Hraaaahhhhhh!"
"Yaaaaahhhhhh!"
Scene Shift: Injured Soldier Campsite
As the wounded warriors rested, we find Kikyō wandering back from a walk in the forest nearby...only to stop, when she sees a few of the Insects of Hell buzz by:
The insects again...
"...Naraku!"
And low and behold, said demon makes a personal appearance from behind a tree:
"I wanted to see you in person."
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to test my new power."
"I told you before: A half-demon who harbours Onigumo's heart has absolutely no power to kill me."
Naraku's dark smile does not waver:
"You speak the truth, Kikyō...Indeed, if I still had Onigumo's heart, I wouldn't be able to lay a hand on you, now would I?"
He steps in close to the priestess, adding while reaching a hand out,
"Even though your body is mere artifice." Kikyō's eyes narrow in anger from the insult:
"You wretch!"
"I knew you weren't real, and yet I was still unable to reach out and strike you..."
(Grasp)
"Uh!"
"You, a woman made up of nothing but clay and bones."
Kikyō breaks free from his grip on her neck, but he just laughs mockingly at her. She grits her teeth hatefully at Naraku, before drawing an arrow to fire...
But then she lowers it, when she sees the veins in Naraku's right hand beginning to throb:
(Bu-Bump, Bu-Bump...)
Naraku examines his hand with a look of confusion turned disappointment, when the hand suddenly shifts into something more, demonic...
He quickly reverts his hand back to normal, before turning to walk away...
"What's wrong, Naraku? Weren't you here to kill me?"
He stops and turns to reply to the mocking priestess,
"Don't sound so self-assured. It was not out of fear that I decided to spare you. Consider yourself lucky."
He turns back to his front and continues to walk away, adding,
"I will not kill you...I will break you."
Naraku glances down at his hand, remarking in his mind,
Onigumo's not yet completely severed from me...
Back to the Cave of Onigumo
Inuyasha and Coraline were continuing in their battle with Onigumo, having a bit of difficulty in keeping up with the pace of the whip vines:
(Slash, slash)
"Rgh!"
(Slam)
"Gah!"
"Inuyasha!"
(Block, slam)
"Aaaaah!"
Both dog demon and redhead are knocked to the ground, before scrambling to run and dodge multiple attacks from Onigumo:
"(Laugh) What's the matter?"
The teens duck and roll to eachother's side, and Inuyasha whispers,
"Stay low for a second, okay? I'm gonna try the Wind Scar."
Coraline nods, and Inuyasha leaps out of the tall grass, taking Onigumo by surprise:
"Die!"
"Uh!"
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
Onigumo is hit full-blast by the attack, and Kaede asks aloud from the sidelines,
"Is he dead?"
Miroku replies,
"We can't be sure. Not with his ability to regenerate."
As the smoke clears, Coraline sensed something traveling across the ground:
(Sheen)
Uh! One of his tentacles!
She quickly runs to Inuyasha:
"Look out!"
(Shove)
"Guh!"
Coraline pushes him to the ground just in time to dodge the whip tentacles, while Sango cuts at it with Hiraikotsu:
"Hrrrah!"
(Toss, spin...TOK)
Inuyasha and Coraline lift themselves up, and he says to her,
"...Thanks."
"No problem."
They then focus up front, as Onigumo lifts himself to a stand in one piece:
"Your efforts are futile."
Coraline grits her teeth and takes a step forward with her blade at ready:
"Try me then! Spirit Slash!"
(Slash)
The ice blue slash mark hits Onigumo from behind, and destroys his limbs!
"...Hopefully that did something." Inuyasha replies to her,
"There are only so many times he can keep regenerating."
"Just was I was thinking...Let's cross our fingers that we're both right."
...Unbeknownst to our fighters, Kagura was watching from up on a cliff:
Muso said that he doesn't take orders from Naraku...
So he's not under Naraku's control?
How can he be a part of Naraku, yet free from him?
"Fools! You still don't understand that it's impossible to destroy me!"
Miroku looks on at the risen Onigumo in some shock:
"He's regenerated again!"
Inuyasha holds his Tessaiga out by Coraline's ShatterSoul at ready, cursing,
"Damn it all..." Coraline mutters just as frustrated,
"For god sakes, there has to be a way to end him...but what?"
...Just when things weren't bad enough, a tail suddenly springs out from Onigumo's body, to which Shippo would point out fearfully:
"He's transforming into something else!"
Besa calls out,
"Cora, Inuyasha, be careful!"
The sword-wielding teens watch with wide eyes, as Onigumo's body shifts into that of a scorpion, save his torso up:
"Impossible!"
"He's a shape-shifter!"
"It appears that I'm getting accustomed to this body of mine."
Onigumo then stretches a clawed hand towards the two, and Inuyasha wraps an arm around Coraline before leaping into the air to dodge:
"Hrh!"
(Boom)
"Gh! Inuyasha, above us!"
"Huh?"
The demon's tail suddenly appears behind the two, and before either could dodge fast enough:
(TOK) (SLICE)
"GUH!" "AGH!"
"Inuyasha!" "Coraline!"
The dog demon was pierced by the scorpion tail, while Coraline was badly cut on her side from the scales!
Both teens shudder from their own forms of pain, as Coraline thinks to herself while holding on tight to Inuyasha,
O-Oh, damn! What, now?!