Chapter 104: The Shikon-no-Tama Maker, Part Two
Picking up where we last left the events in this latest adventure, we turn eyes to the pile of rubble created from the power of the ox demon, Gyu-Oh's club of imitation Shikon-no-Tamas...
Or rather, a giant crater of what used to be the pile of rubble, thanks to a second explosion of power following after, its rainbow-shining remnants still lingering on pieces of garnet rock from the valley's cliff side, courtesy of twins Freeman and Besa Brownlee releasing the energies of their Seven Light Crystal pieces...!
They were now laying on their backs against the dirt and powdered rock wall of the crater, catching their breath from the expel of power and gradually building back up their own life energy they had to sacrifice in order to blow the 'burial mound' apart to save their skins. Nearby on their right, was the rest of the group (minus Inuyasha, Coraline and Lumos), but with Miroku being the only other person conscious at the moment.
He glances over at the twin's exhausted forms, their chests rising and dipping with each slow gulp of air, before going back into thought over recent activities.
...Is it possible that a demon can replicate the Shikon-no-Tama?
It may be inferior to the real jewel, but it's still able to empower demons with more strength.
...It's probably the power of the Shikon-no-Tama.
He looks up from his pondering, as the rays of the sun come over the distant horizon, sending hues of pale yellow and pink to dust over the tips of the bountiful forest grounds.
"Hm. It's daybreak..."
After a couple more minutes, the fox demon would wake, followed by the slayer and her twin-tailed partner, the former being greeted by the monk with a small smile.
"Ah, you've come to."
Shippo rubs his right eye and asks a bit groggily,
"What, happened to me, anyway?"
Sango replies with just as gentle an expression,
"We were all buried in the soil. Freeman and Besa used a burst of power from their crystals to blast us free."
"And a good thing too, since we were a bit injured ourselves."
Shippo scampers over to where the twins were laying and asks with worry for their condition,
"Are you guys okay?"
They sit up one at a time and reply with tired smiles,
"Hah, yeah, we'll be fine, little dude."
"Just, phew, a little winded..."
The fox demon then takes note of the missing members of their group:
"What happened to Coraline, and Inuyasha? I don't see Lumos here either..."
Miroku deduces with a bitter air,
"Coraline must've been kidnapped by that bull demon while we were all still buried."
"What?! Coraline was kidnapped?!"
"Yes. Inuyasha has gone on ahead to try and see if he can find her."
Besa adds after Sango,
"And I remember seeing Lumos fly off with him, so he'll already have help."
Miroku then stands up, ready to move on to join in on the search:
"Well, my friends, we should be on our way."
Sango follows his example:
"Yes, let's hurry. Freeman, Besa, are you two able to get up now?"
They gesture a thumbs-up and push themselves off the ground, replying a bit less exhausted,
"Yep, we're good."
"Let's go find those demons, and pay 'em back double for what they've done!"
Meanwhile, far up ahead out of the valley and into the deeper parts of the mountain forest, Inuyasha was doing his damnedest to try and track down Coraline and her kidnapper, but was now running into difficulties narrowing in on the scent.
Damn! The bull's scent was so strong! Where'd it go?!
(Sniff, sniff) I don't smell Coraline either...All that's left is...
He looks up above at the Will O' Wisp who was floating between some gaps in the tree branches, trying to find the right route his own way.
"Lumos! Can you find their trail?"
The orb of light moans back in a discouraged tone, he also finding himself roadblocked...until he picked up on a different Aura, and starts blinking in and out red!
Uh! He's picked up on danger! Where?!
There then came a rustling from above, and Inuyasha jumps out of the way to dodge two demons, one a scorpion and the other a centipede with a skull head! He then turns to address the new arrivals with a growl:
"Who the hell are you?!" The scorpion speaks first:
"(Laugh) If we kill you, Orochidayu will give us more Shikon-no-Tamas!"
The centipede demon then jeers,
"So you must die, half-demon!"
It then charges at Inuyasha, but he easily kills it with a swipe of his claws from one end to the other!
"Die, filthy worms!"
He lands a second slash across the scorpion demon, forcing it to crash to the ground...
But neither attacking party was dead, thanks to the fake Shikon-no-Tamas they already possessed. Their bodies are enveloped in a fushia pink/red mixed glow, before rising up once more with intact bodies, much to Inuyasha's surprise.
"Don't underestimate us!"
"I warn you: We possess Shikon-no-Tamas!"
That caused no worry for the dog demon, who flexes his claws and retorts with a smirk,
"Kuh, don't say? Then I'll just destroy you along with your 'Shikon-no-Tamas'!"
...And as that went on, we move further up the mountain to a large, hidden-away mansion, where inside, laid our heroine redhead, who was just arousing from her forced sleep after being taken away from the group by Gyu-Oh.
"Mm-mm...(Blinks eyes open) Uh!"
She darts up to a sitting position, and peers around the empty room in wary confusion:
Oh no...now where am I?
Coraline stands up, and feels a familiar weight on her back and on her left thigh, belonging to noneother than her weapons!
Uh! I'm still armed!
...But how? Unless...is it possible that ShatterSoul protected itself, like how Tessaiga does for Inuyasha?
"(Shakes head) Better leave that mystery for another day. I need to figure out where I am first."
She exits the room, and follows a random path down the corridors to the outside courtyard that was surrounded by rocky mountain walls, trying to recall details of what happened before she fell unconscious.
The last thing I remember was trying to take down that bull demon, Gyu-Oh, with everyone else, but nothing we did worked...
I don't sense the others are here, so I must've been the only one taken.
"...Hm?"
The redhead then spots a cave entrance to her left, and felt the need to investigate...What she would find, was the embryo-imprisoned villagers, whom were being watched over (or fawned over, depending on how you look at it) by the toad demon, Gamajiro.
He lets out a laugh while embracing one embryo containing a young woman:
"Simply delectable! They look so delicious!"
Coraline glared at the demon from around the corner of the cave entrance:
Oh great, another one of those toad demons...Crap, and I see he's got Shousuke too.
...I'd go down there and gut the bastard with my knife, but there's no telling for sure if he has back-up nearby.
Gamajiro glances up at the entrance to his hideaway, sensing a presence, but Coraline had already dashed out of sight. She's now standing by a corner of the mansion, catching her breath while deciding,
It's better to stay low for now and get an idea of what I'm up against. Plus, I need to find Izumo...
But it would be him who found the redhead, and sensing someone behind her, Coraline whirls around while pulling out her combat knife on the defense.
"Who're y-Izumo!"
"Ah, Coraline. Are you, by yourself?" She lowers her knife and replies more calmly,
"Looks that way. Are you alright? How did you avoid Shousuke's fate?"
"The demons have demanded my assistance. They want to use my knowledge to create a real Shikon-no-Tama for themselves, and not merely a replica."
"Lemme guess: They want somethin' more on the lines of the real deal."
Izumo nods, and shifts his footing to stare off in thought:
"It would appear that the demons have also been studying up on the Shikon-no-Tama."
That's when Coraline remembered:
"Oh, shoot! The jewel shards!"
She reaches into her jeans pocket, and pulls out the tiny glass container that still held the three pieces of the original jewel, much to her relief.
"Phew, still safe...(Grumbles) But maybe not for much longer if we stay here..."
"You are probably thinking that there is little ways of escaping from here."
Izumo then points out in front of him:
"Both their workplace and their residence are just up ahead. Make sure you get some rest."
Coraline frowns at such a suggestion:
"Hmph. I already had enough of a rest while I was unconscious. Besides which, there's a toad demon here who's holding the villagers captive, including Shousuke. I dunno if he plans to actually eat them, but they need to be rescued."
"But are your weapons strong enough to combat the demon?"
"Probably, but what concerns me is the unknown number of other demons that could be lurking by..."
Coraline then gets an idea:
"Ah! I got it: We just need a heat source!"
Izumo begins walking off to another part of the mansion, and Coraline follows while thinking,
If I can create a fire big enough, I'll not only scare the toad demon into submission, but it'll hopefully keep any possible back-up distracted long enough for me to free the villagers and lead them outta here with Izumo!
...And if that doesn't work...I'll just have to fight as long as I can 'til everyone arrives.
Unbeknownst to Coraline, everyone was already hard at work to find her, with the bulk of the group currently fighting off some demons. Miroku sends a sacred sutra at one fiend carrying a curve-bladed spear, the spiritual power zapping them to the ground. Shippo was busy dodging the arms of a mantis demon, until Besa dive-rolled to scoop him up and out of the beast's path.
"I've gotcha, Shippo!"
That gives Sango the lead-way to whirl her Hiraikotsu at the giant mantis, who dodges the first swing, and leaps up to attack her and Kilala, only to get sliced in two come the returned trajectory of the boomerang!
The slayer and cat demon land on the ground, the former panting in frustration,
"There's so many of them!"
Freeman comments just as agitated as he swings his hammer down on the head of a flying snake demon,
"No kidding! They're worse than cockroaches: Take one down, another two replace it!"
...Out of the shadows of the trees, appeared the primate demon from before, casually tossing a fake jewel up and down in his palm, before catching it swiftly as he glances at the demon horde behind him.
"Go after them! Only then do you get your reward!"
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was experiencing similar problems:
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
He takes down a few more demons with his claws, but we see upon landing back on the mossy grass that he was starting to lose breath, for even a half-demon like he can only fight for so long...
"(Ghostly moan)"
Luckily, Inuyasha would get a helping hand from Lumos, as the Will O' Wisp quickly moves to hover over the dog demon's head before releasing a small burst of rejuvenating energy.
(Twinkle...)
"Hah, hah...thanks. That helps, Lumos...hm?"
He then notices multiple sets of red gleaming eyes skulking in the shadows of the tree cover in front of him, and curses before drawing out his Tessaiga at the ready. Standing on a branch up above, was Orochidayu, who says to the new army,
"Those who distinguish themselves will be rewarded with a real Shikon-no-Tama!"
With that kind of motivation, the demons waste no time in charging full-throttle at Inuyasha, while the humanoid serpent demon chuckles with an evil grin...
Coraline's POV
It's been about roughly an hour since I woke up in that mountain mansion, and Izumo led me to another smaller residence that sat on a cliff overlooking the lands below. It's certainly a much more cozy-looking place with a good view of nature's beauty, from the surrounding oaks and beeches behind the fences to the beautiful field of purple iris flowers making up most of the garden.
If I wasn't so edged thanks to current events, I probably would be basking in the tranquility of this place...
I kneel down by Izumo as he plucks up a few of those flowers and tells me about where we are.
"I was told to live in this house."
Hm, looks like a nice place to lose yourself in...But nevermind that: We need to finalize a plan of action.
We walk inside a simple kitchen that had many herbs already prepped on one table, as I ask with a raised brow,
"You're not seriously going to follow the words of those demons, are you?"
"If that is the only way to stay alive, then it is my only choice..."
I glare at him for his ease at losing hope in escaping, because I knew in my gut we weren't done for yet. At that, I try to perk up his spirit:
"Come on, don't wallow down yet. I'm more than positive that Inuyasha and everyone else are coming for us."
Izumo then asks me one question that kind-a threw me off:
"Have you no interest in the jewel at all, Coraline?"
"Huh? I don't understand your question."
"You must have at least one wish you want the Shikon-no-Tama to grant."
I hm in thought for a moment...before frowning bitterly and proclaiming,
"The only wish I could possibly have at this point is for that blasted rock to vanish off the face of the earth."
Izumo gasps a bit at my cold tone, but I wasn't done:
"It's become the symbol of the Grim Reaper for all I give a damn, especially now that Naraku has a good number of the shards...Once it's all been gathered up and returned to its 'former glory', (grits teeth) I want it to suffer destruction for all the pain its brought since day one."
...Huh. Well that was rather dark of me...Still, I meant every last word.
I want that sparkly little marble to go, be smashed to pieces, until it's nothing but powder, and never return.
"...We should check inside the mansion. Would you help me?"
I snap out of my semi-violent imagery to Izumo's call, and move to follow him with a surge more optimism.
"Of course! We should focus on finding a flame source and something to fuel it ten-fold."
At this point, I'm ready to burn the entire mansion down if that's what it takes...
Oh god, I've really become violent. Haaah, I really need to detox from this fighting drama once this is all over...
Time Skip, Inuyasha's POV
It's already reaching a new sunset for the day's end, and I've barely made any progress through the mountain forest to find the place where my intended had been taken to. I'm now catching my breath against a boulder after fighting yet another horde of demons, my lungs burning for air, the blade of my Tessaiga leaning on the ground. Lumos comes to rest himself on my shoulder, the little orb finally beginning to feel tired, and I curse in my mind,
Damn, there's no end to this, and even Lumos is starting to get exhausted!
...Coraline...where are you? Why must you be hidden from me?
"Found him!"
"Hn?"
I glance behind me and see even more demons leering at me from the shadows, and I turn to face them with my sword at ready, ignoring my fatigue.
"...Kuh, bring it on!"
I hope the others are doin' a bit better than I am...and Coraline, wherever you are, stay safe until I find you!
Miroku's POV
Ugh, what a turn. If only there wasn't so many of them...
After several hours of back-to-back battles, we all decided to hide out in a pit shadowed under a few fallen logs so we could catch our breath and try to elude the demons for a little while...
Eventually, I couldn't see any floating overhead, so I quietly conclude aloud,
"I think they've gone."
Shippo sighs in relief and releases his fearful grip on Freeman, but Sango fairly interjects,
"But we can't stay hiding here like this forever."
"I'm worried about Coraline."
Besa adds after Shippo in his own concern,
"And only god knows how Inuyasha's doing right now. Probably in a similar fix we are..."
I take a sip from my bamboo water container and pass it to Sango so she could gulp down some water, as Freeman chides to his brother,
"He should be okay as long as Lumos is still with him to lend a hand."
I nod with a smile at his judgement, and reach out to pat Shippo's head in comfort.
"Freeman's right, and I am also concerned about Coraline's well-being, Shippo. But we need to rest for a little while or we'll all collapse."
Another minute passes...until we heard a growl, and look up to see that fiend of a monkey demon from before! He hops back and calls,
"I found 'em!"
Damn! Guess our break's up...
Shippo utters my name in worry, and I call to the others softly,
"Let's go, Sango, guys."
"Right." "Got it." "Time for the next round."
Coraline's POV
"Ugh, this is getting ridiculous! There's gotta be a fire-starter here somewhere!"
I've been perusing the corridors of the mansion for a while now, looking in a room here and there to try and find anything that could help me make a fire for my plan to scare the toad demon. But much to my frustrations, there's nothing here remotely useful in that department...I slide open a new door while grumbling bitterly,
"Some demon mansion this is. I might as well switch to Plan B and take my chances in gutting the amphibian with my knife...Hm?"
Much to my surprise, this next room, while rather barren, wasn't unoccupied...
"...Izumo?"
What's he doin' sitting in here?
"The Shikon-no-Tama, was born from the immense spiritual powers, of a priestess named Midoriko."
"Uh, yeah, I already heard about that piece of the story..."
Why's he bringing it up now of all times?
Despite my slowly-rising suspicions, I continued to listen to the scholar:
"It was created during a battle, between Midoriko and the demons. Midoriko tried to destroy the demons, and they in turn, tried to destroy her. The Souls of the two sides, were captured, and became one."
"Yes, and the war continued on inside the jewel itself..."
"The Pure Soul of the priestess, Midoriko, and the Evil Souls of The Demons intermingled in the Shikon-no-Tama. The imitation Shikon-no-Tamas also have both human and demon souls sealed within them..."
He continued to go on and on with the information already mentioned yesterday regarding those Four Souls, which had me believing Izumo had become more obsessed with the jewel's history than he's let on. I was only half-listening by then, for my attention was caught by, something else, regarding his being.
Wait...his body...It's not rising or dipping with movement of breath.
...Like he isn't breathing at all. Something's not right.
As he kept talking, I used my Aura Sight to peer inside Izumo's Aura, only to widen my eyes when I see,
...No Aura. But, how?
"...Izumo?"
I walked over to snap him back to reality by tapping him on the shoulder, only to discover to my shock, that who I was speaking to, was a mummified body dressed in a scholar's uniform!
"Uh!"
Holy-!?
...Well, I guess this explains why there was no trace of life in him.
Still...how did I hear Izumo's voice project from this, mummy?
"What's the matter, Coraline?"
"Hn?!"
I whirl around back to the entrance, but see no one...My left hand clenches into a fist, with any nerves I had switching to anger for this trick.
Okay, enough is enough. Clearly, Izumo knows more about this whole thing than he's letting on.
Time to get some answers!
I rush out of the mini mansion, and found him facing the sunset next to an oak on the path we came here on.
His hand was outstretched for a single Rosefinch to rest on his fingers, only to fly off a few seconds later...
"The birds have all gone..."
There's another thing that's odd: His fascination with birds...
(Shakes head) No, Cora, now's not the time. Stay focused.
Glare set, I call out in a strong, firm voice,
"Izumo, we have to talk: What's going on here? What is your true role here in this demon stronghold? Are you...really who you say you are?"
He ignores my questions and mutters,
"The birds have no fear of the dark. It's me: I am the one who fears it, and in turn, those birds fear me."
...Hang on...
He fears the dark, and claims creatures like birds to be afraid of him...
(Gasp) Is it, possible...that Izumo's-
"...Who are you, truly, Izumo?"
The skies grow dark for the cover of night as he finally answers me:
"Izumo was the name given to my deceased father. He was a scholar, excelling in poetry. The flowers and birds were his passion...Izumo was my father."
The mummified body in the room...!
"Then...what is your true name?"
"The name my mother gave me, is, Gyu-Oh!"
"Uh! The ox demon!"
Oh dear lord...!
The man turns to me, and his body throbs in and out in a similar manner to Inuyasha's during the Night of the New Moon, as he adds with a deepening voice,
"That is how I appear during the day..."
His skin turns a dark green, and black hair grows longer and shaggier, with two horns protruding out of his head, before he shucks off his scholar robes, to reveal his true identity as Gyu-Oh the ox demon, or should I say, half-demon!
"This is how I look at night!"
Despite my shock, I managed to keep my voice calm and even as I remark,
"So then...you're half-demon, who shifts forms come each end of half a day."
"Very clever of you, Coraline."
That wasn't what my brain was thinking:
Ugh, stupid me! I should've checked into his Aura sooner! I would've likely seen his structure to be similar as Inuyasha's!
"Get off me! Stay away from me!"
"Huh?"
I look up from my mental self-scolding to see Gyu-Oh shooing away two carrion crow demons, before he says to me,
"By day, I am thus, a man like my father. But at night, become a demon like my mother. I will create a real Shikon-no-Tama, to free myself from this half-demon fate!"
"So then all of this was your doing, (Glare) you conniving liar!"
He does not deny my words, but merely proves my earlier guess of obsession with the following statement.
"I traveled to many countries to learn about the Shikon-no-Tama, and that's how I found out about you...With your Souls, I can create a Shikon-no-Tama!"
"What?! Our Souls?!"
He can't be seriously thinking-?!
And yet, he was:
"Warrior who denies the role of Priestess: Your spirits and the jewel shards will form a foundation for the new Shikon-no-Tama, however, that's not enough. Shikon-no-Tamas require Souls, hence I must collect more spirits."
More? Uh! Shousuke and the Villagers!
"The Spirit of Courage will come from that half-demon."
Inuyasha...
"The Spirit of Knowledge can either come from the monk, or the dark-skinned human who wields sickles."
Miroku...Besa...
"The Spirit of Love also has two possibles: The slayer, or the second dark-skinned human who wields a long hammer."
Sango...Freeman...
"And the Spirit of Friendship will come from that little fox demon!"
Shippo...
"The Four Spirits will come to the divine good, and I shall create the Shikon-no-Tama!"
I didn't know what pissed me off more through that whole plan reveal: That Gyu-Oh sees us as ingredients for a marble rock...or that he sees me as a 'divine good', for in my conscious, I felt no such right to a title like that.
If he only knew what I've done in the past to reach where I am today...I'm not even close to being some divine entity.
But I wouldn't mull about back when, my focus being on chewing this guy out for his crazed ideals.
"That's a load of crap that'll never come to vision! Nothing even remotely pure could possibly come out of using the living as materials!"
"Yes, warrior. Fight, resist, and make your Soul grow even stronger! Only vultures will come to this abominable body. Birds take flight at the sight of me; flowers wilt at my breath! I'm sick of it!"
He stamps one of his hooves on the ground for emphasis of his frustrations, making me pull out my combat knife on the defense...
"With the power of the Shikon-no-Tama, I will possess everything that is beautiful in this world!"
...I think I know what his wish is.
"(Narrows eyes) You want to use the jewel to become fully human, don't you?"
"Yes. Then I will be able to abandon this Soul."
Then he's setting himself up for failure. I get the why, but even so, it's a selfish wish, and the jewel's been as cruel as a genie with wishes like that.
...No. He can't succeed. I have to get out of this place and find the others!
No POV
As Coraline uncovers the truth behind Izumo's identity and true motives regarding the Shikon-no-Tama, everyone was closing in on the demon mansion where she was being held. Inuyasha was currently charging with his Tessaiga in the air through another horde of demons trying to slow him down.
"Outta the way!"
(Slash)
"Move it!"
As multiple carcasses laid scattered around the dog demon, he growls before shouting to the sky,
"Coraline! Where are you...?!"
"(...Ghostly moan)"
"Huh?"
His attention is then drawn back to ground-level, when Lumos starts bopping up and down in excitement while moving towards a gap between some bushes and tree trunks...
"Uh! Can you finally sense her?"
The Will O' Wisp 'nods' and darts back to Inuyasha to fly around him in a fast circle, and back to the new spot, as his way of saying 'This way!'.
"Keh, alright, lead the way!"
(Leap)
By this time, the redhead whom everyone else was looking for had started her escape from Gyu-Oh, running from the area where the small cliffside residence was, and made it back into the courtyard of the much larger structure. She pauses to catch her breath, feeling her muscles starting to seize a bit from the short puffs of air they were barely receiving.
"Hah...hah...okay. Before, I leave here, I should use my plan B on that toad demon, to rescue Shousuke and those others...Rh!"
She whirls around upon sensing someone coming from the courtyard exit, and turns to see the ox demon approaching, with two carrion crow demons on his shoulders.
"Aw hell!"
"There is no escape from me, Coraline."
"...Coraline!"
"Huh?"
She turns around to the call of a familiar young voice, and sees Kilala in her full form flying down with Shippo, Sango and Miroku on her back, while the twins jump-scale the mountain walls none too far behind thanks to their Seven Light shards heightening their abilities for a short time!
"Coraline!"
"Coraline, are you okay?"
"Sis!" "Thank god!"
They all land on the ground safe, but Coraline warns them,
"Wait, don't! You guys gotta get outta here!"
"We came to rescue you, Coraline!"
"You don't understand, Shippo: It's a trap!"
Suddenly, the toad demon, Gamijiro crawls out from under the porch walk where another entrance to that cavern laid, before blowing out a giant bubble to send at Miroku! He tries to break it with his staff, but winds up encapsulated, and fell to his knees from a wave of immobilizing power, before the bubble floats up high off the ground!
"Miroku!"
"He's trapped!"
Gyuoh then rushes at Sango and Shippo with his club in the air, and knocks it against the slayer, who tries to block with her Hiraikotsu, but trips backwards before becoming encased in her own bubble!
Freeman then spots a long red tongue heading for the fox demon:
"Oh, crap: Shippo, look out!"
Coraline tries to rescue him, but wasn't fast enough, and Shippo would be tossed into his own bubble!
"No!"
Gamijiro laughs tauntingly at her, while Besa grumbles,
"This isn't looking good. We need to get off the ground. (Turns) Kilala!"
The twin-tailed cat demon roars in recognition to the call, and runs to each of the three modern teens so they could jump aboard, with Besa up front, Freeman in the middle, and Coraline bringing up the rear. They take to the skies and thank Kilala for the help, just as Gyu-Oh orders the two carrion crow demons after them.
"Get those three!"
They take flight, and their bodies enlarge to a more monstrous size, revealing that like the other demons fought, they also had fake Shikon-no-Tamas!
But that did not deter Coraline: She draws out the ShatterSoul sword, before sending two Spirit Slashes at each one, destroying each one in an explosion of flesh and jewel fragments, with a pink fushia light dancing in the skies!
...Just down below in the forest, Orochidayu was facing off against Inuyasha, using a three-tine spear as a weapon.
"Diiiie!"
The dog demon uses his sword to block the spear, forcing the humanoid serpent demon to hop backwards onto a tree branch...They then catch the light of the two shattered fake jewels mixing with sheens of blue, and Inuyasha immediately knew who caused that.
"Uh! That's Coraline!"
Speaking of, she and her brothers high-five one another from the destruction of the carrion crows.
"Yes!" "Alright!"
"Now...we just gotta take down that toad, and I'm sure we'll free every-Oh crap!"
It was then the primate demon comes leaping in from a rooftop and kicks Kilala in her side, forcing her to crash to the ground while throwing the three teens off!
"Rgh!" "Auh!" "Shit..."
"...Coraline!"
"Uh!"
They shake off their stupors, and look up to see Inuyasha had finally made it, as he tried to swing his blade at the primate, who dodges in a backflip at the last minute. The dog demon focuses on getting to the sides of the teens and Kilala, muttering,
"So this is where the demons have been hiding..."
Lumos darts past him to meet at Coraline's side while blinking his warning colours of red and blue, making her look up with her brothers to see what the trouble was...
"Uh! Inuyasha!" "Watch it, man!" "That snake's comin' up behind you!"
He turns to their call, and watches as Orochidayu morphs into his true demon guise, that being a giant snake with brown scales, a tan underbelly and yellow cat-shaped eyes!
It springs in their direction, but Coraline quickly rose to a stand and sends an Aura-charged attack from her own sword at the area where she saw the fake jewel. The demon's neck spouts blood and a fushia pink light, while he growls and becomes stunned, leaving him wide-open to getting slit down the middle from head to tail by Inuyasha!
...With that demon eliminated, he turns to the horde of demons on the sidelines, led by Gyu-Oh, Gamijiro and the primate demon, and asks in a low tone,
"Who's gonna take me on next?"
The toad demon opens its mouth to blow a new bubble towards Inuyasha, but instead of getting trapped like the others, he merely popped it with one wave of his Tessaiga! Gamijiro was shocked, but Gyu-Oh merely orders,
"Don't just stand there: Break down his defenses!" One random demon asks,
"But, Gyu-Oh: What about Orochidayu?"
"Orochidayu is dead. Now you must obey me!"
But the primate demon wasn't so keen on the change in command:
"Not on your life, half-demon!"
Inuyasha raises a brow from the bitter address:
Half-demon?
"You're just a half-demon, yet you dare order us around?! Now that Orochidayu is gone, I refuse to be-"
(Whack)
"Gaaah!"
Gyu-Oh thumps the primate on its head hard with his club, before turning to order Gamijiro,
"Gami: Take his Soul and preserve it at once."
The toad demon gapes at the ox, but the latter barks,
"Do it!"
Gamijiro complies in a panic, using a bubble to encase the primate...Inuyasha then says to Gyu-Oh,
"Damn bull, so you're the one behind all this! (Readies Tessaiga) And you're a half-demon as well. (Smirk) Not that it really matters; now why don't you come for me?"
"Bring him to his knees, and receive a Shikon-no-Tama!"
The demon horde charges past Gyuoh to do as he commands, as Inuyasha counters with a release of power from his blade in return.
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
In one quick, three-clawed swipe, all the beasts are eliminated, including Gamijiro, shocking the ox demon...
"That's enough! Release everyone now!"
"Uh?"
He turns to see Coraline pointing her sword at him with a fixed glare, with her brothers readying their weapons on each of her sides.
"No! I need their souls to carry out my plans, and yours as well!"
"And just who's soul am I addressing: Izumo, or Gyu-Oh?"
"My own soul is now in a state of utter confusion. That's why with the Shikon-no-Tama, I will obtain a Human Soul!"
Freeman asks with some sarcasm,
"Uh, and how exactly do you figure that?" Besa says firmly,
"If that's truly where your mind is, then any chances for you becoming human are shot to Hell!"
"Uh! And why is that?!" Coraline replies harshly,
"Well doigt, 'cause the jewel will become dark-ridden by your greed like the true one has been and currently is by Naraku!"
"Silence! How dare you compare me to that demon!"
Gyu-Oh then swings down his club, and releases a fushia pink Aura that engulfs the courtyard and upturns bits of the ground under! The teens cringe back from the power, as the ox demon proclaims,
"With the Shikon-no-Tama, I can become an undefiled human being!"
Coraline calls over the rush of energy in a strain,
"Rgh, Izumo, Gyu-Oh, whoever, you must stop this! You're still you, no matter what form you are, but you'll only destroy yourself if you continue this insanity! The jewel has no sympathy for selfish hearts!"
"En-ooough!"
The ox demon releases a second wave of power on top the first one, throwing the three teens off their feet to hit the dirt in a hard slide.
"Uh!" "Urgh!" "Rg-gh!"
...The redhead struggles to her feet just as Lumos comes floating by her with concern, but she smiles bitterly at him and whispers,
"I'm, alright, bud..."
She turns her eyes back on Gyu-Oh with a worn-down glare:
"Don't, do this!"
"I will, abandon this body..."
The twins move up to a stand beside their sister and mutter,
"He's really lost it, hasn't he?"
"Yep. Went to Loony-ville..."
Inuyasha meanwhile takes out two demons in his path, before leaping down in front of Coraline. She smiles at him and whispers his name, and he flashes a concerned look at her, before growling at Gyu-Oh.
"Enough already!"
"Inuyasha, your Courage is necessary. I need you in order to succeed. And in order to get you, I will do anything!"
He lifts his club into the air, and all of the fake jewels embedded inside fall out to be swallowed up by the ox demon, causing a red glow to envelop his body...
"He swallowed all of them!"
"Oooh, this is bad...!"
"Crap!" "Damn!"
Gyuoh's body enlarges to twice his size, and his skin shifts to a dark red, as he snorts out a puff of black fumes before shouting,
"I will create an authentic Shikon-no-Tama!"
"You are one stubborn bastard!"
While Inuyasha tries to land a hit against the newly-empowered ox demon, Coraline and her brothers use this distraction to rush to each of their trapped friends so they could free them, starting with the monk.
"Hang on, Miroku!"
As the redhead starts cutting into the embryo sac with her combat knife, Besa says to her,
"Sis, you get him out, and we'll go free Sango and Shippo. Here, Freeman, use one of my sickles."
"Thanks. Let's get 'em out!"
Back in the middle of the courtyard, Gyu-Oh and Inuyasha continue to whack club against sword...
"Inuyasha!"
(Swing, clang)
"You must share my feelings: Don't you detest your half-demon existence? Don't deny it!"
"Half-demon, half-demon, I've heard ENOUGH!"
Inuyasha lands a swift side-kick to Gyu-Oh's jaw before adding fiercely,
"I'm me, I'm strong! Who cares what I look like?!"
Besides...I have a woman in my life who loves me inside and out, and that's worth everything and more.
"What?! You wretch!"
"Who are you callin' a wretch?! Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
Despite the wave of power thrown at Gyu-Oh, he manages to push through to charge at Inuyasha thanks to the extra power from those fake jewels he consumed, becoming increasingly desperate to reach his goal.
"The Shikon-no-Tama; I need the jewel!"
"Kuh, yeah..."
"I must have the jewel, before day breaks!"
By this time, Sango, Shippo and Miroku were free from their bubbles, thankfully only unconscious. Kilala licks the slayer's cheek to try and wake her up, while Freeman lightly taps Shippo's face, and the other two teens shake Miroku's shoulders.
"Shippo? Can you hear me? Wake up, little dude!"
"Miroku?" "Come on, man, wake up!"
The monk slowly stirs with a wince, just as Coraline's ears pick up on the sound of Inuyasha crying out in a struggle!
"Uh! Inuyasha!"
"Go to him. We've got it from here."
"Okay. (Glances up) Lumos, if you're not too winded, please assist in waking these three up."
The Will O' Wisp nods, and the redhead turns to rush over to the middle of the courtyard, where Inuyasha was being held by his head by Gyu-Oh!
"Let, go of him!"
(Slash)
The ox demon hisses in pain when Coraline's combat knife cuts across his wrist, forcing him to let go of the dog demon. She quickly kneels by her lover's side and asks,
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine, but you should get back."
"No way."
"The sun is rising!"
The two look up in confusion from Gyu-Oh's exclaim, as his focus turns to the sun rays appearing over the horizon, brightening the sky...
"Not yet! It's too early! Hear me, Sun: I will change my destiny! Rejected by humans, even demons wouldn't accept me, all because I was a half-demon!"
"So what? Couldn't you handle it?"
The ox demon looks back at Inuyasha, who's now on his feet with Coraline beside him, as he adds bluntly,
"Quit complaining, and make something of yourself!"
He then grasps Gyu-Oh's arm, and flings him over his shoulder, forcing the ox demon to crash to the ground several feet away while losing grip of his club!
"Agh! Damn, you!"
Gyu-Oh lets out a roar, just as the sun rose higher, casting a long-tailed shadow from the ox demon's weapon...
That's when his skin began shifting back to green, much to his plight:
"O' Sun, please, not yet! Just, grant me a few, more moments...! R-ra-GYAAAAH! Please, Sun!"
(Sizzle...)
His skin begins to burn away, as he growled and writhed in pain, his transformations coming back to hit him hard...Inuyasha turns to Coraline and asks,
"What just happened?"
"The fake jewels, are killing him..."
Looking back at the demon, we see that his top half of body has reverted back to his human form, though while maintaining the wilder hair!
"I, regret it..."
"It's him!" Coraline explains in a solemn tone,
"Izumo and Gyu-Oh are one in the same. An ox demon by night, human by day. And now that it's daybreak, the imitation jewels he swallowed are too toxic for his body to handle..."
The half-demon Izumo/Gyu-Oh feels said jewels shatter inside him, and seizes up with a sharper pain than before, the toxins seeping into his bloodstream and nerve system...With tears streaming from his closed eyes, he asks wistfully,
"Coraline...am I, going to die, as a, human...?"
With a final pained breath drawn, he succumbs to death, collapsing on his front, his body reverted to a half-human, half-ox form...Everyone stares at the body in silence, the monk gesturing a hand in prayer, while Coraline sadly whispers,
"...Oh Gyu-Oh..."
Time Skip
Soon, everyone of Shousuke's village was freed and led back to their homes safely, these terrible events now just a memory to look back on...
Come a day after Izumo/Gyu-Oh's demise, the people would all wave the group off, with Shousuke calling happily,
"Thank you! Thank you all!"
A little while later, down a new path traced in the forest of oak and beech, Coraline's eyes spot two Rosefinches perched on the branch of a tall, proud trunk...Thinking about the mixed reactions the desperate oxen half-demon got from these creatures, she stops for a moment, and decides to try her hand out at inviting the aviaries to sit on her palm.
...One stays on the branch, but the other hops gently onto her hand, making the redhead smile a bit...
"Hey. Whatcha up to now, Coraline?" She softly calls back to Inuyasha,
"Nothin' important. Just, trying something."
The birds then take flight to the air, with Lumos floating along with them for a bit in a playful manner before moving back to the main group, while the finches kept their path towards the direction of the large, yellow star in the sky...