Chapter 87: Vanishing Point - Naraku Disappears
We pick up on the action within Naraku's castle courtyard, just after Sesshomaru landed a very damaging attack to the half-demon's lower and more monstrous body...
But as we turn our eyes to the ground littered with pieces of bloodied flesh, we see that this was exactly what Naraku had planned, as each one starts to quiver and vibrate, forming back together, and aiming to ensnare the dog demon come Naraku's call.
The despicable demon smiles...but:
(Pulse)
He feels another familiar presence approaching the front entrance of the castle...
He's heading this way. Kagura must've failed.
"Naraku."
He turns his eyes back on Sesshomaru:
"You seem pretty preoccupied by what's happening outside these walls..."
"Lord Sesshomaru, I'm afraid that'll have to cut your visit short. I will have your power...Every last bit of your demonic power."
A spectral air billows Naraku's hair, as he sends his fallen demon parts to fly from the ground and envelop Sesshomaru!
"I shall have it all for myself."
Soon, Sesshomaru is almost completely ensnared by the newly reformed tentacles, save his head, preventing him from moving at all...Jaken watches from behind the wooden pillar, fearful for his lord's life:
L-Lord Sesshomaru!
"Daaah! Th-This is terrible!"
But his attention would then be preoccupied, when another stray tentacle part tries to get him:
"Guh! Staff of Two Heads!"
(Fwooom)
The old man head spews fire at the tentacle, but it only turns an angry red, before proceeding to chase the imp around the lookout tower:
"Oh no, it didn't work! Heeeelp!"
As this was going on, Kagura flies overhead Inuyasha on her feather, as he sprints towards the high stone walls of Naraku's castle, determined not to lose this opportunity to slay the evil inside...
Back inside the courtyard, the tentacle chasing Jaken gives up, while he hides behind a small rock embedded in the ground, casting his gaze towards the trapped Sesshomaru:
Can he save himself?
His question would receive an unpleasant answer, when the tentacle mound closes over Sesshomaru's head, enveloping him completely!
"Uh! I don't believe it! My lord has been engulfed!"
The tentacles then morph into a dark green fleshy mound, and Naraku starts to slowly move his fully attached tendrils towards the mass, intent on absorbing Sesshomaru into his body along with the latter's power!
"U-U-Uh, (Gulp) a death too cruel..."
Just as Jaken makes that worried observation, Inuyasha was closing in, running up the cobble-stone walls of the castle...Naraku by this time has thrust his tendrils into the flesh mound, and was now absorbing Sesshomaru's demonic energies:
"(Chuckle) At last, I have obtained the powers of a full demon."
"Naraku!"
He freezes, and turns to look up behind him, as Inuyasha comes leaping in:
"No wonder you've been hiding your true form!"
"Inuyasha!"
"You're dead! Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
Inuyasha thrusts his Tessaiga down, sending his clawed attack straight at Naraku! But the other wasn't worried:
"I think not!"
...But he would be.
Naraku does erect his demonic barrier around his body, but Inuyasha just kept up the pressure with his newly strengthened sword, and the clawed attack splits the ground, before forcing the barrier to dissipate, allowing Naraku to become vulnerable to the Wind Scar's damage!
To say that he was shocked that his barrier failed would be an understatement: As he watched his demon flash fly, Naraku thinks to himself in disbelief,
He...He's broken through my barrier!
Inuyasha lands on the ground with ease, his Tessaiga blade reverting back to its normal colour:
"I found you, Naraku, and today, I'm going to destroy you!"
Despite the damage taken to his body, Naraku still scoffed at Inuyasha's claim:
"Don't make me laugh! Do you really think you can slay me?"
...Kagura arrives overhead the courtyard on her feather, her mind wandering on the young half-demon and his power:
He can. Inuyasha's strong enough now...
Her eyes then turn to the flesh mound holding Sesshomaru, and she immediately became concerned:
I don't believe it! Naraku has already engulfed Sesshomaru's body!
...Then Naraku must be defeated, before he's had a chance to absorb Sesshomaru's demonic power.
The grounds fall silent, save the rumble of thunder in the dark skies overseeing the grounds, as Naraku thought over recent events:
...My mistake. I never expected Inuyasha to get this far.
Nevertheless, he laughs, and says to the other,
"Inuyasha. You've grown strong enough to break through my barrier."
Said dog demon lifts his Tessaiga at the ready:
"Naraku, you bastard, you won't escape this time. Prepare to die!"
He sprints forward, intent on beheading if not obliterating the demon before him. Naraku scoffs and replies in kind,
"You may have grown more powerful, but you are certainly no match for me. Now perish!"
He then sends his tentacles at Inuyasha, who runs from side to side to dodge, not once slowing his speed, before leaping up to cut the appendages away:
"Not this time!"
(Slash)
The pieces rain on the ground, and Inuyasha lands before continuing his sprint to Naraku, who sends more tentacles to attack:
"I'm not done with you yet!"
Inuyasha leaps up to dodge, the tentacles splitting the dirt upon impact, before he cuts them away again:
"Oh yeah?!"
(Slash)
"Naraku! Rrraah!"
(SLASH)
He then sends a Wind Scar at the bulk of the appendages, destroying them just as Sesshomaru did with Tokijin...But this was what Naraku had wanted to happen, before he would invoke the same strategy he used only moments ago:
The fallen pieces of flesh reform detached from Naraku, before ensnaring Inuyasha from the torso down!
"What?! What's happening?!"
As Inuyasha struggles to break free, Naraku chuckles darkly before replying,
"I'll engulf you body and soul, just as I did with Sesshomaru."
"What?! Sesshomaru?!"
Inuyasha then sees the pulsing flesh mound behind Naraku, and became all the more determined to escape the tentacles...Kagura watches from the skies, and became doubtful of the situation:
I was wrong. Naraku's still too strong for him...
"You're too late, Inuyasha. I have already consumed Sesshomaru. I don't know that your half-demon power will do me any good...but still I'll absorb your body into my flesh!"
Inuyasha calls back with some strain in his voice,
"Don't assume, I'm as weak, as Sesshomaru!"
He then puts all his muscle power into the arm that held Tessaiga...before finally slashing the tentacles away, much to Naraku's shock! Inuyasha sprints forward:
"This is the end, Naraku! You're going down this time! Now, DIE!"
(SLASH)
Naraku would not escape the Wind Scar this time, and he is hit full-blast, parts flying, and the flesh mound holding Sesshomaru is also hit!
Thinking his lord has perished, Jaken breaks down into tears:
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
...But then, the partially damaged flesh mound, is cut away by a blue demonic aura, courtesy of Sesshomaru's Tokijin, he still alive and standing!
"Sesshomaru!"
"Huh? (Ecstatic smile) My lord, you're alive!"
Sesshomaru steps away from where he was trapped, his foot crushing a piece of Naraku's tentacle. He scoffs with a taunting smile, addressing the demon, who was still alive, but has taken more extensive damage, both his arms gone:
"Naraku. Ironic, isn't it, that the flesh you used to bound me would be your shield against Inuyasha's Wind Scar?"
Inuyasha rushes over near Sesshomaru and says to him,
"Move it! I'm taking Naraku down!"
"No. Naraku belongs to me."
"Not likely! This time, you won't interfere!"
Suddenly, Naraku rises off the ground, a mass amount of tentacles making him appear taller and more menacing:
"I should absorb both of you while you bicker!"
"What's that?!"
"(Laugh) Die!"
Naraku then shoots down several sharp-pointed tentacles at Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, to which both would leap away from, the appendages splitting the dirt ground below. But Naraku wasn't going to give an inch:
"You cannot escape my attacks forever!"
Inuyasha circles around while dodging some more of the tentacles, before using Tessaiga to hack them away:
"Just die, will ya?!"
Sesshomaru follows through similarly, using the Aura of Tokijin to blast the appendages to pieces...This strategy goes on for a while, before Inuyasha finds an opening to use his Wind Scar at the main mass:
"This should finish you off once and for all!"
(SLASH)
Naraku was frozen with shock that the attack made contact:
"What's happening?!"
The tentacle mass breaks and falls apart, and Naraku, now reduced to his torso and head, falls onto the pile of flesh, completely defenseless!
"One more should do it!"
Sesshomaru dashes up beside Inuyasha, not wanting his brother to be the last-attacker:
"I told you you let me take him."
"Back, down!"
But Sesshomaru does not heed Inuyasha's warning, and thrusts Tokijin's Aura right at Naraku, who cringes in pain from the impact, before growling in anger...He then releases a black-purple miasma, cloaking he and the rest of his body, prompting Inuyasha and Sesshomaru to leap back and avoid getting engulfed by the toxic fumes!
Inuyasha covers his nose with his sleeve and mutters,
"...A miasma...!"
The cloud of poison then spins into a massive sphere vortex, before morphing into a skinny tornado, with the Saimyōshō buzzing around it as it takes to the skies...Naraku's voice then comes booming through the atmosphere:
"Lord Sesshomaru...I shall withdraw for now..."
Inuyasha growls at the escaping vortex of misama...before sensing something rising in Sesshomaru, and turns to see his body engulfed in a demonic red aura, his facial features showing signs (purple stripes and crimson eyes) of readying to shift into his full demon form!
"Fool! Don't think you could ever escape my grasp!"
"(Laugh) Lord Sesshomaru. Rather than transforming and hunting me down, shouldn't you be rushing to the side of that young, mortal girl?"
That caught the dog demon's attention, and he forces his demonic energies down, his concealed concern beginning to show itself...
Graveyard Hill
At this time, inside the hut guarded by demons, Rin kneels by the wall near the doorway, watching Kohaku's form carefully, noticing he had fallen silent shortly after his headache episode:
"...Kohaku? What's the matter?"
He does not answer, his eyes dilating out of focus...as the jewel shard embedded in his back glows.
The Castle Courtyard
Inuyasha looks back at his brother with a confused eye, wondering what Naraku meant in his words:
What mortal girl? Who's he talking about?
"Your companion, Rin, is with the boy, Kohaku..."
That caught the younger brother's attention:
Kohaku?!
"Inuyasha, even you should know the implications..."
With that, the miasma could dissipates, Naraku's laughter booming over the castle while Inuyasha grinds his teeth with a growl, knowing that the evil demon was about to order something terrible with the zombified young slayer.
Back to the Hut
Rin becomes frightened by the silence, and tries to get Kohaku's attention again:
"...Kohaku?"
He turns to the young girl, eyes completely glazed over, indicating his inner control was gone...
Inuyasha's POV
I continue to stare up at the sky where the cloud of miasma disappeared from, still confused by what was going on between Naraku and Sesshomaru...The bastard's voice then booms over the courtyard again:
"I was so close to gaining control of Sesshomaru's demonic power...and I would've succeeded, if I had not miscalculated Inuyasha's power."
I then watch as Kagura flies overhead on her feather, following the Insects of Hell...My ears catch her muttering to herself,
"Naraku has vanished...and so has my chance at freedom."
Huh...so she really has lost her loyalty to Naraku. Guess that explains why she was fighting so weakly earlier...
But that's not my main priority right now, is it?
I sheath Tessaiga, before saying aloud to myself,
"He's gone...His scent and every trace of his whereabouts. He was badly injured too. Where could he be?"
I then turn to Sesshomaru, wanting answers about this, Rin person:
"Hey, Sesshomaru. Did Naraku take somebody as a hostage? A friend of yours named Rin?"
...He doesn't answer me, but I swore I saw something in his eyes that reflected...concern. Next thing I knew, he starts to float away:
"Huh? Wait! Where are you going?!"
But he just takes off out of the castle, not saying a word:
What the hell's gotten into him now?
I then pick up on the familiar squawk of that annoying imp, Jaken:
"Lord Sesshomaru! Please don't leave me behind!"
He'll know.
I stop the imp in his tracks by pinning him with my foot, and then lifted him up to my eye-level by his robes:
"Huaaah! What do you want with me?!"
"I want some answers, what else? What is going on between Naraku and Sesshomaru?"
"I'm under no obligation to speak to a half-demon like you?"
Oooh, he wants to play that game, huh?
(...Bonk, bonk, BONK)
After leaving a few good bumps and bruises on his head, Jaken complies more pleasantly:
"I meant it's a terribly long story..."
"Then make it short."
Graveyard Hill, Coraline's POV
Just as we make it to the area where the jewel shard was, which would be inside the hut up ahead, the demons guarding it begin to ready their charge against us. But we weren't afraid:
"Here come the demons..."
I ready my combat knife, while Miroku readies his staff, my brothers their sickles and long hammer respectively, while Sango leaps forward with her Hiraikotsu:
"Hiraikotsu! Gyah!"
She cuts down a good number of the demons, while Miroku knocks down more with his staff, and my brother Freeman jumps up to swing his hammer down on a particularly large snake demon's head:
"Take, this!"
(Whack)
The demon howls, before their skull breaks apart, leaving just the body behind...Miroku then notes what the demons seem to be up to:
"Oh, now I understand: They don't want us to get near that house."
Besa adds while decapitating another demon with his sickles,
"That has to be where the jewel shard is! Wait...over there, on the left side!"
I look in the direction, and see Kohaku and the little girl from before beginning to ride away on another serpent-like demon:
(Gasp) So that was Kohaku's shard I sensed!
And that young lass...She was the one who saved Jaken before...
Why is she with him?
I snap out of my thoughts when I hear Sango yell her younger brother's name, and turn to watch as she rides after him aboard Kilala, but was having trouble due to the demons blocking their way:
"Damn you! Out of my way!"
Kilala tries to help by using her jaws to rip some of the demons apart, but the pressure was still too great...So while Besa rushes over to Sango's proximity to help her, and Freeman to Miroku's, I form a determined frown, before shifting Shippo to rest on my shoulder, stand up from the grass, knife in my hand:
"Come on, Shippo: We're going after them!"
"Coraline, look up!"
I do as he advised, and see two demons, one with tan scales and more dragon-like, the other blue and with the likeness of a water serpent, dashing towards me!
"Grrr, bring it on!"
I take my knife, and lunge forward, stabbing the dragon serpent demon right into it's brain, but was whacked by the water serpent demon's tail:
"Aaaah!" "Owaah!"
Shippo falls off my shoulder and rolls to the ground a couple feet away, and I fall on my side, hitting my elbow real hard:
"Grgh..."
I push myself up, just as the serpent charges right at my head:
Oh shit! I can't dodge it!
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
Thankfully, Inuyasha comes just in time, cutting the demon to pieces! As the flesh falls to the ground around us, I rise to my feet, my eyes on my saviour:
"...Inuyasha."
"Coraline. Kohaku was here, wasn't he?"
"Yes. He can't be too far ahead, for I can still sense his jewel shard around just outside this area."
Lumos then comes flying to my side, moaning at me in concern:
"(Slight smile) I'm okay, my friend, don't worry. For now, stay with Shippo and help him and everyone else out."
The Will O' Wisp 'nods', and I sheath my knife, before moving to climb onto Inuyasha's back, just as Sango called him from over with the demons:
"Inuyasha!"
Besa slashes another demon away with his sickles, and calls to me,
"Coraline! You and Inuyasha headin' after the kid?"
"Yes!"
Inuyasha lifts himself with me, and calls to Sango,
"We're going ahead! We don't have any time to lose!"
(Leap)
...We're soon off and into the forest cover, and we catch eachother up with recent events:
"So Kohaku is still under Naraku's control..."
"Yeah, and he's probably planted a suggestion in his head, to kill the hostage...Naraku had the girl abducted so he could by some time to escape from Sesshomaru."
"Damn...So then the young girl and Sesshomaru must be traveling together...How odd, considering his attitude towards the human race..."
Inuyasha was as surprised as I was:
"I know. To Sesshomaru, humans are no better than insects. I can't believe he'd have a mortal as a companion. One thing I do know is that he won't let Kohaku live, not after what Naraku did. Sesshomaru will kill the kid for sure."
I feel a shiver run down my spine:
"Such a cruel twist to this whole gambit. This isn't even Kohaku's fault: His Soul is being suppressed and manipulated by the jewel shard."
"It's gonna be a lousy finish, no matter how this ends."
I nod, and my grip on his shoulders tightens a bit:
"We must reach Kohaku before Sesshomaru."
"Yeah."
Inuyasha may be the only one to stop his half-brother...but at the very least, I have to get the little girl out of the line of fire.
She may be a stranger...but she doesn't deserve to be caught in the thicket of this fight.
No POV
Meanwhile, in a deeper part of the forest where the beech trees grow thick with the oaks, Kohaku walks silently while holding Rin's hand, she becoming increasingly scared by this new turn:
"Kohaku, why did we leave the house? I saw some people outside before we left...Please tell me where we're going now."
He does not say anything in reply, and as they reach the edge of the woods, Rin calls,
"Kohaku, say something!"
(...Pulse)
The young slayer feels the jewel shard vibrate in his back, and he stops...before hearing the voice of the despicable Naraku ring in his mind:
"Kill her."
Kohaku takes in a sharp breath, and his grip on Rin's hand tightens...before he pulls her to him, raising his other hand that carries his kusarigama!
Naraku's image flashes in his mind once again, while Rin sees the glaze in Koahku's eyes, and becomes very concerned...
(...Slash)
A cut is heard through the long grass, scaring off a flock of small birds and we see Rin has fallen back onto the ground, staring at the young slayer who tried to attack her in shock:
"...What're you doing, Kohaku?"
He does not answer verbally...instead bringing his sickle down in another swing! Rin shrieks, and ducks down just in time, before turning to run as far as she could from the other:
"Why're you doing this to me, Kohaku?!"
Her ankles are then ensnared by the chain of the kusarigama, and she falls forward with a yelp, the impact knocking the wind out of her...Kohaku then walks forward to the young girl's side, and kneels down to turn her body facing up, before raising the sickle blade at the ready!
...But...he pauses, as his gaze falls on Rin's face...Naraku's image fades into his mind, and the demon's voice urges him to continue with the act:
"Kill her."
...Kohaku's eyes would then look sideways, to see Sesshomaru, whom was standing almost directly behind him...The area is filled with an intense quiet, the only sound being the gentle rustling of the grass in the breeze...
The jewel shard in Kohaku's back then softly glows, before he turns to look at the dog demon with a blank expression...then rise to his feet, turning to him with the stance of someone ready to fight.
"Oh? (Raises claws) You turn your blade toward me?"
Kohaku says nothing, raising his kusarigama higher...
"Kohaku!"
(Punch)
"Uh!"
Inuyasha then leaps on scene, suckerpunching the demon slayer in his cheek, knocking him off his feet!
"What're you doing, you fool?!"
Sesshomaru would then turn to see Coraline rushing over to Rin's side, holding the younger girl up in her arms, fingertips feeling for a pulse:
"(...Relieved sigh) She'll be fine. She should wake up momentarily."
Inuyasha nods at her:
Hm...We made it in time.
He then turns to face his older half-brother:
"You heard her: The girl's alright, so let the boy go free!"
Sesshomaru's answer?
"...Stay out of this, Inuyasha. It's useless to try and interfere. This boy seems compelled beyond reason to die before my hands."
Inuyasha turns his gaze to Kohaku's form, noting the intent in his stance despite the blankness of his expression:
(Growl) This must be another of Naraku's suggestions: To attack Sesshomaru, and have Kohaku die in the process!
Just as he comes to that conclusion, Kohaku sprints forward at Sesshomaru, before thrusting his kusarigama at him!
But Inuyasha uses his Tessaiga to knock it away, before Sesshomaru uses his demon speed and charges at the young slayer, grasping him by his throat, and raising him high in the air, just as the chained sickle drops to the ground with a rattle...
"Hmph. How generous of you, disarming the boy for me. I had no idea that you held such strong feelings for me, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha barks back while pointing his blade at Sesshomaru,
"Let's get one thing straight, Sesshomaru: I'll kill you if you don't let him go!"
Sesshomaru's grip on Kohaku's neck tightens, and Coraline calls from the grass as she held Rin,
"Don't do it! Can't you see he's not of his right mind?!"
Inuaysha furthers his own demands:
"Set the boy down!"
Sesshomaru ignores them, his eyes on Kohaku, noticing the glaze and numbness in his irises:
...This boy...He shows no signs of suffering...He shows no fear...
I despise the look in his eyes.
After another minute of intense silence...Sesshomaru releases Kohaku, the boy dropping on his behind. Inuyasha and Coraline stare at the dog demon in astonishment at the act...before the latter turns her attention to the sound of a soft groan, and looks to see Rin waking up while rubbing her eyes:
"Hm? Oh. (Slight smile) Welcome back to the real world, lass."
Rin then sees the elder dog demon, and was ecstatic for his arrival:
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
She then turns her eyes to Kohaku, and frowns sadly and confusingly:
"...What happened, Kohaku?"
He does not answer, instead picking up his kusarigama, and taking off from the area, heading for the trees...Sesshomaru does not leave his spot, prompting Inuyasha to ask,
"...Aren't you going after him?"
He does not answer, watching as Kagura appears from nowhere, and takes the amnesiac slayer away on her feather, they flying off to who knows.
"Huh? Kagura..."
Coraline then moves to stand up, leaving Rin to kneel on her own, and says to Sesshomaru with a serious gaze,
"...Thank you...for allowing Kohaku to live." He replies back simply,
"The boy was trying to die at my hands..."
Inuyasha asks with surprise,
"You mean...you knew that?" Sesshomaru looks to his half-brother and says bluntly,
"It was Naraku's doing, and I refuse to play by his rules."
With that, he begins to walk off from the area, and Rin quickly gets up to follow him, but not without slowing a moment to smile back at Coraline:
"Goodbye!"
She focuses back up front, and Inuyasha and Coraline watch the pair leave with shocked expressions, the redhead muttering,
"...I suppose there's more to him than meets the eye...I just hope the lass knows what she's getting into."
Time Skip
As the sun rises over the grass field, we turn to the middle of the greenery, where everyone of our group has gathered with one another after the big battle the other night. By this time, everyone has caught eachother up with the details of what had happened at the graveyard hill, and within Naraku's castle walls, before finally ending here...
"Oh, so Kohaku ran off again..."
Coraline nods, and Inuyasha says to Sango in a soft tone,
"I'm sorry...If I had killed Naraku, Kohaku might have been freed."
"It was lucky enough that Sesshomaru refrained from killing him, but still..."
Sango shakes her head at Coraline and says to both her and Inuyasha,
"Don't apologize," before she and everyone look towards the horizon, she adding mentally,
I'm just glad he's alive...
Inuyasha's thoughts, were on the demon responsible for this mess:
Where could Naraku have disappeared to?
A wound that serious, he wouldn't be able to put up a strong barrier...
Where could he be?
...We cut briefly to said demon's castle, and standing alone among the battle-damaged courtyard, was our wandering priestess, Kikyō, she too wondering where Naraku had vanished to:
...Did Naraku lift his barrier, leaving his castle visible?
In that case, he must've abandoned it and is hiding somewhere new.
Strange: Until now, I've been able to sense his barrier...
...But this time, it's as if he's vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace behind.
She stands in the middle of the courtyard for a while longer...before deciding to leave, concluding,
I don't like the looks of this.
Coraline's POV
With the fight against Naraku done for this round...and for god who knows how long after, we all decide to make our way back to Goshinboku Village to rest up...
But just as I make my move to follow beside Inuyasha to leave this field, I suddenly feel a burning sensation on my left wrist, and wince from pain:
"Mph!"
I look down, and watch with wide eyes, as my Egyptian-eyed covenant mark begins to fade into view!
...Oh god...!
"Cor? You alright?" "What's wrong, Coraline?"
I snap back to reality, and look up to see everyone staring at me with concern, and I force a small smile onto my face, softly replying,
"I'm, okay. I think I might've just pulled a muscle in my wrist when I killed that demon last night..."
They seemed to buy it, and Besa walks over to check it to be sure:
"Hm...Well, I don't feel any high aggravation, but it might be a good idea to have Kaede look at it when we get back, just incase."
I nod, keeping the soft smile up, but as we begin walking away as a group, inside, I was becoming scared...really scared:
It's a good thing no one can see the mark but me...but why?
Why is Bill making it show now?
...Unless...of course. I have both crystals now, which means we can finalize our deal.
Which also means...he'll soon show himself outside the mindscape.
Unknown Location, No POV
Unbeknownst to Coraline...the sanity-questioning dream demon was already making his entrance to the real world...
We turn our eyes to a oak and pine forest clearing, where a deep crater stood, boulders scattered randomly around the edges, the area in the middle flat with deep red-brown dirt...
Suddenly, there is a stirring in the quiet, as an energy causes the ground to rumble, tiny stones quivering and shaking, before a large yellow orb manifests...A booming, nasally and slightly high-pitched laugh runs its course, before the orb morphs into the one-eyed triangle being himself!
"Oh man, finally, that stupid Spider hightailed it! I was gettin' real bored of just waiting around!"
...His eye then forms a 'smirk' of anticipation, as he thinks about the deal he made with a certain redhead:
"Now then...Time, to collect."