Chapter 108: Kilala, Come Home!
Come a handful of days after the attack of Saki Hikiji, whom would leave in defeat courtesy of Coraline, Freeman and Besa with a literal two-face thanks to the curse of the very blade he stole, and we would find our main Edo travelers spending the night on a clear patch in the forest heading due northeast once again.
A small campfire sitting in the middle of the semi-fertile dirt sends embers aglow in the air, dancing in the eyes of Shippo and the twins who haven't heeded the call of the Sandman quite yet, while everyone else was asleep in their own positions: Our favourite dog demon's slumbering body was sitting up against a fallen log with a clawed hand draped over the shoulder of his woman, who laid her head on his left leg while tucked under a fleece blue blanket. Miroku was mimicking Inuyasha's pose while propped against a live oak adjacent to the first two, while Sango slept near the monk's right and Kilala's left, lying down under an extra blanket and on top a travel mat brought by Coraline, and the cat demon had her body curled near her partner in full form.
"So, is Master Yoshi okay? You guys and Coraline went to see him a few days ago to return that gem, right?"
Freeman pivots his head from looking at Kilala to meet the fox demon's eyes, who was sitting on Besa's lap, and smiles with a nod.
"We did, and he's gonna be alright in another week or so. Thankfully, that jerkwad Saki didn't hurt 'im too horribly, other than a couple nasty lacerations from that scary-looking claw weapon..."
His brother adds,
"His colour definitely perked up when Cora returned the Gem of the Ancient One to him."
"Oh, that's good to hear...but, has he explained anything about why he has the gem of a deity in his possession?"
That question would replace the twin's smiles with matching thoughtful frowns:
"Well, we did try to ask...but that's where Master Yoshi got really quiet..."
"The conversation kind-a died after that, but he did promise that one day he would tell us the full story...His expression also seemed, heavy and distant like, there's a truth weighing him down. We of course know better than to badger him: Master will say what he needs to when the time is right."
"Hm...Yeah, I guess that makes sense. (Yawn) Okay, I can't stay up anymore; I'm going to sleep."
"Sure thing, little dude. See ya in the mornin'."
As the fox demon settles himself against Kiala's side under one of her tails, he glances at her face while thinking to himself,
Speaking of truths needing to be said...
Kilala: Despite how fierce she is in battle, it feels like her good nature is being exploited by people's stubborn ways.
...It might pay for her to teach them a lesson for it, even if it's just once in a while.
The twins would follow Shippo's example shortly after him, wrapping themselves in matching forest green fleece blankets to sleep lying down between the group's young couple and Kilala...A few hours pass, when suddenly, something comes to rustle the tall blades of green towards the resting group in a fast pace, which does not go unnoticed by our twin-tailed cat demon, whose ears twitch before blinking her salmon-red eyes awake to face the unknown force heading this way...
Time Skip
Come the next day approaching mid-morning, we find ourselves outside the forest by a riverside, as Coraline, dressed for the day in a white t-shirt with a gold yellow sundial design in the middle, soft blue jeans with fraying at the bottoms, and her brown hikers gathers up more fresh water into a few water bottles with Shippo.
"...Kilalaaa! Kilala!"
The content silence was then interrupted by Sango, who was calling for her twin-tailed companion, apparently out of her sights.
She walks over to the men to see if they had any insight, as they were preparing a fire to cook up some fish to eat.
"Hi. Have either of you seen Kilala around?"
Inuyasha, who was standing near the budding fire with twin bundles of wood, replies,
"No, not me."
Miroku, sitting near the campfire beside Freeman, who today wore an outfit of a black tank-top under a thin zipper jacket of cobalt blue, grey jeans and dark blue converse with white laces (contrasting Besa, opting for a dark green t-shirt with a grey-hooded vest, black jeans and full-black converse), parrots the dog demon's answer.
"No."
The twins simultaneously shake their heads, just as Coraline comes over with the filled water bottles to inquire the demon slayer about her worry.
"Kilala's not here?"
"I haven't seen her since I woke up; she was already gone."
Shippo moves on past them to the direction of the modern teen's satchels while voicing a suggestion.
"Maybe she went for a walk." Sango wasn't so sure:
"I dunno: She would never go off without telling me..."
"Is it possible she could've run away?" Besa disagrees with Miroku's question:
"I doubt it, considering how strong her and Sango's bond are. It's possible she's hunting and had to go a bit further out this time."
Inuyasha crouches to set down the firewood before wondering,
"Maybe she's just in heat." Freeman makes a face at the dog demon:
"Aw dude, really; can ya just not?"
"What?"
Shippo interrupts with an inquisitive scowl:
"Or she's at that rebellious stage."
Sango lets out a gasp of worry, which prompts Coraline to scold the others for their less-than-thoughtful comments.
"Guys, kindly use a bit more reassurance; you're gonna give Sango a heart attack."
The twins mutter a sorry with sheepish expressions before Miroku calmly remarks,
"Kilala seemed her usual self before we all went to bed last night."
Inuyasha follows a bit more roughly:
"She's only been gone for a while: That's no reason for everyone to start gettin' all panicky!"
Coraline shoots him a light glare while muttering his name, and he grabs a fish that was done cooking while adding a tad defensively,
"I'm just sayin', you can't go worryin' about every little thing that goes wrong. Give her some space; she'll come back before you know it."
Sango softly replies with downcast eyes,
"I sure hope you're right about that..."
The dog demon pauses his eating to pivot his eyes towards the demon slayer:
"Come on, stop worrying. Kilala can take care of herself, (grumbles with a sideglance) unlike a certain little kid I know, and I don't have to name names."
Said subject of discussion replies wholeheartedly while taking a swig of water,
"Oh I hear you big time," until he reads between Inuyasha's lines:
"(Spits out water) What, 'certain other kid'?!"
The H2O wound up being splashed onto the dog demon, who springs up and barks back at the fuming fox demon,
"A short carrot-top who's always gettin' in my face, and he's about to have a little 'accident'!"
At that note, Shippo and Inuyasha break into another one of their almost routine speed runs to burn off their tempers (hopefully)...Freeman sighs and mumbles with an exasperated smile,
"And the ultimate race is on again, folks. I better go make sure they don't kill eachother."
He pushes himself to a stand and starts jogging after the demons, while Miroku turns his eyes to Coraline and Sango's direction with a calm expression.
"Why don't you come and join us, ladies? The fish is grilled to perfection."
Besa rolls his eyes with amusement at how the monk was able to brush off the spat while the redhead's eyeroll was leaning more to annoyance.
"Good grief, I dunno who provokes the other more: My boyfriend or Shippo..."
"(Ghostly moan)"
"Hm?"
She pivots her head to see Lumos floating near her, making a sound to get her attention.
"What's up, bud?"
The Will O' Wisp moves a bit backwards, prompting Coraline to turn around and see Sango walking off from the area, making the other teenage girl frown with concern.
"Hm...Lumos. Could you please go with her to help?"
Lumos bops up and down in a 'nod', and starts to steadily fly after the demon slayer, making the redhead smile a bit.
"Thanks!"
At least this way, she won't be by herself for a while...
Time Skip
The day comes and goes, and as we edge into evening, Shippo finds himself glaring up a tree with folded arms to address a certain someone with a habit of resting on high branches.
"Who said Kilala would be right back?"
Down with him was Coraline, Besa and Miroku, the third sitting on a boulder while the other two glance up at Inuyasha, whose face was contorting into a grimace in regret of his choice of words from before. He pivots over his shoulder to look down where the river sat, spotting Sango's forlorn form further up and Freeman putting a gentle arm around her shoulders while Lumos floated along the water...
"She's been missing a whole day now!" Inuyasha barks back down at Shippo,
"Get off my back! You're acting like it's my fault!"
"It is your fault: If it weren't for you, we would've been searching for her now, doofus!"
Fed up with the finger-pointing, the dog demon jumps down from the tree to try and swipe at the fox demon, who hops up in a dodge before biting onto the former's arm!
"Wha'd you say, ya little creep?! (Gritting tone) Get, off, of, me!"
By this time, Sango was finished with the aimless waiting, and pushes Freeman's reassuring arm off.
"Huh? Sango?"
"That's it: I'm gonna try and find Kilala."
She proceeds into a run for the treeline of the nearby woods...but stops come Inuyasha's address.
"Wait. You're never gonna find her without some kind of a lead."
"Now Inuyasha decides to come to the rescue..."
Said dog demon looks to Miroku in confusion for his statement, but Coraline quickly catches onto the monk's meaning.
"Aaah, right!"
She walks over to grab a small cat dish she brought along in her travels to Edo a long while back, and quickly darts back to Inuyasha's proximity.
"Will you be needing a refresher of Kilala's scent, (holds up dish) 'cause this should still be plenty coated in it."
"Kuh, nah, I'm good: I've got her scent memorized to a T...Alright, let's get this done!"
Soon, the whole group was standing on the path dividing a section of the forest grounds with tan dirt, and the dog demon was down on all fours to begin his search for the twin-tail cat demon's specific scent.
"You got this, Inuyasha!"
...But despite the encouragement from his intended, the sweatdrop forming on the side of Inuyasha's head spoke of a different outcome.
Inching towards him as a mass, Freeman and Besa speak up for the rest in a hopeful manner:
"Well?" "Got anything?" He turns around with a half-guilty expression:
"Not really. The scent ends right here."
Coraline curses and mutters,
"So she must've took to the air from that spot...but to where?"
Another hour later, night blankets the land completely, highlighting the glow of a new campfire that was occupied by the sitting bodies of the twins, who were hunched over in discouragement.
"Well that was a bust..."
"No kidding..."
Miroku suggests from his stand near them,
"I think we better split up and keep searching."
Inuyasha calls from atop the tree he was lounging in earlier,
"It's a waste of time: Her scent ended so she must've taken off somewhere. Besides, not only am I not pickin' up her scent around here..."
He gestures his thumb at the Will O' Wisp who was floating near his proximity:
"But even Lumos can't get a beat on her energy."
Lumos lets out a sighed chirp, but Coraline wouldn't let the mood of the search drop.
"So we're at a slight disadvantage, big deal. We can't just call it quits so fast and leave Kilala to our dust; only god knows how long it may take before she catches up again if we decide to shove on."
Inuyasha hops down with the Will O' Wisp darting after him, replying to the redhead with a bit of attitude,
"Yeah, I figured as much..."
Placing an endearing hand on his arm, Coraline replies with a soft smile,
"Then you should have at least one next step ready."
The dog demon nods, before curving an arm around the redhead's waist while turning his head to Sango who was sitting on the grass closest to the river.
"Yo, Sango, are you sure there isn't somethin' you're not tellin' us?"
The slayer pivots her head behind her with a perplexed expression as Inuyasha approaches with Coraline tucked at his side, casually adding a possible scenario the former may not recall.
"Like, maybe you and her had a fight, so she took off to stay with a friend for a while...Come on, there must be something."
"I know what you're getting at, but..."
Besa, who was listening with Freeman by their place near the campfire, calls,
"Has Kilala's behaviour changed in any weird ways? Like loss of appetite or moodiness?"
The other brother suggests with a slight laugh,
"It's also possible she might've found a silver vine patch and got distracted in more ways than one..."
A ghost of a smile appears on Sango's lips for a moment, before she forms a sad frown and replies,
"No no, but...maybe it's my fault."
She focuses her vision down at the cat dish in her hands:
"It's just that, every time that I go into battle, I drag her along with me. Whenever we need to travel long distance, we take her for granted and ride on her back. I make her go on errands and don't even think to reward her. She loves fish and I almost never treat her to some..."
"Sango, don't pin the blame on yourself."
Coraline agrees with Miroku, matching his reassuring smile:
"Kilala wouldn't take off for something so trivial; she's better than that."
"I got it!"
Everyone turns their eyes to Shippo, and Inuyasha asks him,
"Got what? What're you talkin' about?"
"I think I know why Kilala disappeared."
That just served to deepen the confused expressions, joined by the twins as they walk over. Shippo continues:
"It came to me right after Inuyasha gave me a noogie: I gave it some serious thought and the answer came to me."
Freeman urges with a hopeful smile,
"And? What'd ya come up with, kiddo?"
"It's obvious..."
The fox demon shifts his tone to a more dramatic air as he concludes,
"You people drove poor Kilala away!"
(Bonk)
"Ow!"
Inuyasha whaps Shippo's noggin with the sheath of his sword and deadpans,
"Stop beatin' around the bush and tell us your little theory."
Coraline meanwhile raises a brow in time with Besa at such an accusation:
"I don't understand, Shippo..."
"Yeah, are you implying we all somehow did something to disgruntle Kilala enough that she'd take off?"
Sango thinks aloud to herself,
"I haven't been too bad..."
Ignoring the throbbing of the new bump on his head, Shippo whirls around with a serious glare, not wanting to be lenient to even his friends.
"Are you positive about that?"
"(Collective) Huh?"
"Put your hand on your heart, and take a good look deep into your Souls: Can any of you honestly say that you haven't done anything mean to Kilala?"
Excluding Inuyasha, everyone does as the fox demon child advises, taking a moment of silence to think deeply about any possible misgivings they might have dealt without realizing...Obviously, the dog demon would the first to reply:
"Yeah, I ain't done nothin'!" Miroku follows just as sure:
"I can't think of anything I've done to possibly hurt her..."
The twins whisper to themselves,
"Nothin' heinous is reachin' my mind. Yours?"
"Nope. I mean, maybe there was a few times we could've annoyed her, but not so bad that she'd hold a grudge..."
Shippo hms with a grim smile, before stating,
"I was afraid it'd come to this: I'll have to remind you of each random act of cruelty, (frown) which ultimately led her to run away! First, you, Inuyasha!"
Said dog demon forms a look of shock, as the child points an accusing finger before relaying the 'charge'.
"You used to secretly practice the Wind Scar on Kilala when you were trying to master the Backlash Wave Technique!"
"I practiced the Wind Scar on Kilala...? Hmm..."
(Flash)
Back in the days before Inuyasha would master the Tessaiga's powers, he and Kilala acted as training partners so that the dog demon could learn to read the demonic energies of an opponent with a strong aura within the fissure of the surrounding air...
Usually, these sessions involved both parties meeting at night in a secluded area far enough away from any possible high populations that could accidentally get caught in the crossfire. As soon as they were positioned a few yards from one another, Inuyasha would draw his sword at the ready, waiting for it and Kilala's auras to collide in a duo-sourced vortex of power, before slicing through the sliver in the winds.
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
Unfortunately, while he does maintain a good level of control on the releasing power, the attack was still strong enough to throw the twin-tail cat demon backwards!
"Oh no!"
Thankfully, the saying 'cats always land on their feet' remains true, as Kilala somersaults herself to a steady land...But it's clear that this round did do a bit more damage, as a spark of power statics across her body before she collapses to the grass on her front with a whimper. Inuyasha quickly rushes to her aid:
"Kilala, are you alright?!"
He examines his training partner over for any signs of injury...only to discover,
"Guh! Oh no, your fur...!"
The Wind Scar had apparently been strong enough to cause some, 'rapid shedding', leaving three small bald spots on Kilala's head! Inuyasha darts his head back and forth to check if anyone else was watching, before rising to his feet with the cat demon and assuring,
"Don't worry: It'll grow back."
He pats her side, accidentally causing some more fur to fall out, but he brushes it off with an uncomfortable laugh, while she remains rather calm about the situation (you never know; this could've already been an occasional problem for her).
"Ah-heh, that'll all grow back too! Uh, let's see how dinner's comin' along..."
With that, the pair walk out of the field to where the latest campsite for the main group was...
Unbeknownst to either, someone did witness the events, they being Shippo who was peering from behind a tree.
"I saw you, Inuyasha."
(Flash)
The dog demon was currently growling with a glare at the fox demon for blabbing about the incident, just as Coraline asks,
"Is that what happened, Inuyasha? You and Kilala had been sparring for a few sessions and her fur was...oh dear..."
Sango mutters to herself in thought,
"Come to think of it, she did have some bald spots...quite a few." Freeman adds,
"I remember them too, but I just assumed she might'a caught a bad rash..."
Shippo says to Inuyasha in an interrogative manner,
"You thought no one was watching, but I witnessed the whole thing! You know why Kilala ran away?"
A sweatdrop develops on the back of the head of the accused, as the younger demon finishes,
"'Cause of you, Inuyasha: You are to blame!"
Inuyasha quickly forms a nervous expression from such a conclusion, as Miroku and Sango each give him an inquisitive evil eye.
"Well, I had no idea..."
"So, Inuyasha was responsible for the bald spots...and that's why she ran away."
Besa wasn't so sure, and calls the monk and slayer out on their quick judgement:
"Come on, don't you guys think you're being a little unfair? From the sounds of things, those incidents happened long enough back that Kilala would've forgiven Inuyasha by now. Plus it was obviously an unintentional problem."
Said dog demon hops onto his feet to continue his own defense:
"Thank you, Besa! Glad someone's not so judgemental! He's right: You can't just make it sound like I drove her away because some fur went flying! She's likely forgotten all about it by now!"
"So you think she left for another reason?"
Miroku's question would have Inuyasha pause to ponder possibilities, until Shippo spoke up again.
"Maybe I can help ya there." He directs his glaring green eyes on the monk:
"Miroku, don't tell me you've forgotten..."
Eyes fall on the next accused in surprise, while he starts to scour his mind for any incidences he might've let slip...
(Flash)
In this case, the monk's infraction would involve (to no one's surprise) a small group of young and beautiful village girls, who were doing their laundry by the side of a river while also taking some time to relax and play in the crystalline waters...
"Ooo~, what luck: Pretty village girls..."
The passing Miroku looks at Kilala, who was sitting on his shoulder in her dormant form, and smiles while stating,
"I think it's time for you to help me out, Kilala."
She's then bounding down the incline to the shore grounds, but pauses to look up at the monk a bit apprehensively for acting as his wingman-er, cat, while also recalling her battle partner's hidden feelings for the man in question...
"Kilala, go to them."
Nevertheless, Kilala obeys the urge (likely concluding karma will teach Miroku a lesson later) and heads over to greet the village girls, who are immediately in rapture by how cute she was.
"Ooh!"
"What an adorable little cat this is!"
"Why hello~."
Come Miroku's entrance, the cat demon hops out of the one girl's arms to jump into his waiting arm as he says to the group kindly,
"Her name is Kilala, and she makes a fine travel companion, wouldn't you say?"
The girls crowd around him as one gushes,
"She's so cute!"
"Cute, but she's no comparison to you ladies."
They all blush and giggle from Miroku's flirtatious compliment:
"You flatter us, monk."
He just flashes a smile with a glint in his pearly teeth, proud of himself for his successful plan...
"And that's only the beginning..."
By that, the fox demon was referring to other times when Miroku wasn't being so much the flirt but rather, the object to flaunt over, usually done by, um, more maturely-aged and not necessarily 'traditional pretty' women.
"My, such a manly monk is rare around these parts."
"You must spend the night in our village, dear boy!"
"Come to my place."
"No, mine!"
The sight of so many would be enough to have Miroku squealing for assistance from the twin-tail cat demon.
"O-Only Kilala can get me out of this one! Kilala!"
With a scratch to her ear, she would transform into her true form and belt out a roar loud enough that the middle-aged and elderly women would immediately run off scared. The monk follows the move with a sutra while calling out,
"Evil Spirit, Begone!"
What neither party knew was that during one such time, Shippo was near while disguised as a jizo statue, left to sweatdrop from the monk's antics.
"I saw the whole thing, Miroku."
(Flash)
...Let's all take a guess at how appalled/furious the listening ears to this regale would be, shall we?
"Dude!" "Seriously, Miroku?!"
"Not that I blame you for the elder scare-off, but that's still wrong!"
"Miroku, you're even worse than I am!"
Said accused scratches the back of his head with a nervous smile and tries to talk down the incidents in question.
"Ah-heheh, i-i-it wasn't as bad as it sounded..." Coraline disagreed:
"Whether it does or doesn't, there's no excuse for your acts. Nevermind the innocent parties you played for a second: You shouldn't be taking advantage of Kilala's good nature."
"Huh. Those in glass huts shouldn't cast stones, Coraline."
She becomes taken aback by Shippo's counter, and Freeman asks the fox demon,
"Whoa now, you're not saying that Coraline has, are you?"
"'Fraid so, and you and Besa are included with her."
"What?!"
But Besa wonders aloud,
"Hang on...Could he be talking about..."
(Flash)
This time, the clock is turned back to a more recent date, specifically, a day or two after Saki Hikiji's entrance in and out of Edo, when Inuyasha and company stop at a cheap-enough Inn for the night. They feasted on freshly-caught and cooked crabs for dinner, but it would be the three teens from the modern era who had little appetites, mostly thanks to a certain gem they procured...
Noticing their expressions, Inuyasha asks,
"What's with you three? Is something the matter?" Coraline mutters in absentminded worry,
"What to do, what to do..."
"Don't tell me, another test?"
"Hm? Oh, no, nothing like that...I just, can't get Master Yoshi out of my head...then there's another thing that's come up today..."
Damn, what a double dilemma...
That's when Freeman snaps his finger to the tune of an idea springing in his head:
"I got it!"
A little later, we catch up with Shippo as he sighs in bliss while relaxing in a newly-heated tub of water.
"Aaah, this feels great..."
"Kilala, could you please help us?"
He snaps out of his daze when he hears whispers coming from outside, and peeks out the window to see Coraline and the twins speaking with the cat demon near the treeline.
"We realize this is an inconvenient time, but we can't ignore our worry for Master Yoshi anymore. We need to return to our era and make sure he's okay, or at least ask Grandfather if he's heard anything since they're good colleagues."
"We swear we'll owe you big time for this!"
"So, what do you say?"
...Kilala tilts her head and blinks with a mew, which translates as a green light to the teens, who smile gratefully and chime,
"Thank you so much!"
But despite the slight downgrade of selfishness, Shippo would take in the context of the scene in a less positive manner.
I saw that, you guys.
(Flash)
"Mind explaining why you three had to go home that time besides confirming Master Yoshi's condition?"
Taking a deep breath, Coraline replies with a fairly calm air,
"Okay, before anyone jumps the gun too quick again, while we did bargain a ride back to the well, we didn't force Kilala to stay afterwards."
Besa adds,
"We had a plan set before we took off..."
(Flash)
Continuing the memory, we cut to when Kilala lands at the lip of the Bone Eater's Well with her three passengers, who hop off and position at ready to jump down, but not without giving the cat demon the following instructions.
"Alright, Kilala: We're not entirely sure how long we may be, so don't feel you're obligated to just wait here...However..."
Lumos pops out of Coraline's satchel briefly as she adds,
"When we do return, I'll send Lumos to track you down, and that will be the hint we've returned. Okay?"
That plan seemed satisfactory enough to Kilala, who nods in confirmation...
"(Smile) Okay then. We'll see you soon."
"Again, feel free to take off if we're too long for your liking."
"Yeah, you got your own life too, (laugh)! See ya 'round, Ki!"
With that, the three teens hop over the side of the well to travel back to modern Tokyo, watched from up top by the cat demon, before she hums a growl and turns to walk off elsewhere...
Shifting scenes, we turn heads to the inside of the Higurashi residence, specifically, the living room, which had a birthday cake set on the coffee table decorated with vanilla icing, strawberries and an edible sign that read 'Happy Birthday, Grandpa!'. The kneeling bodies surrounding it were Akari, Souta and the man of the hour, he currently distracted by a framed photograph in his hands, depicting himself and Yoshi sitting under a cherry tree in that secluded area outside the city, drinking tea while looking over some old artifacts.
His smile appears a bit distantly but fondly:
I'm glad that my young friend will not be joining the spirits above us anytime soon...
It's a shame though he won't be able to get out of the hospital for a while and join me on this little occasion.
(Sigh) But I suppose my earlier visit at the hospital is good enough.
Akari would then take a turn at sighing before saying with a smile,
"I suppose we should start without her and the boys." Grandfather agrees:
"No sense in waiting any longer..."
But it would be then the three teens make it inside the house, and the door to the hallway slides open to reveal their beaming faces.
"Hey, Grandfather! Happy Birthday!"
"(Both twins) Happy Birthday, Mister Higurashi!"
"Coraline, boys, you're home!"
"I was hoping you would make it back in time..." Souta then notes after the adults,
"Inuyasha didn't come back with you guys this time, huh?"
"Nope. This was a last-minute travel...Oh, here, Grandfather: This is from all three of us!"
Coraline then pulls out a piece of a large tentacle fragment from a member of the octopus species wrapped in a neat blue bow, and hands it to the elder, who became excited by the gift.
"Well, isn't this magnificent...!"
"It came off a giant octopus demon we all fought a few days ago."
Freeman jokes with a laugh,
"Mind you, the others thought we were crazy for taking it along..." Akari then asks,
"Are you three able to stay for a few days this time?"
"Uhm..." "Well..." "You see..."
"It is a special occasion, so at least stay and have dinner with us."
Souta agrees with Grandfather:
"I'm with that!"
Coraline thinks for a moment...then replies with a small smile,
"Well, we weren't planning on staying very long, but...I guess we can get away with tonight and part of the next morning."
Thank goodness we told Kilala not to bother with waiting...
So with that, she and her brothers spend the night with the Higurashis and celebrate the elder man's birthday, before readying to leave come the early morning...but not without paying a visit to Tokyo Hospital, where their martial arts master was currently residing.
(...Knock, knock)
"Master Yoshi?"
He looks up from the book he was reading while sitting up in his designated bed, dressed in a simple white shirt and pants, and smiles when he sees the young faces in the doorway of his room.
"Aah, Croft-san, Brownlee-sans. I was expecting to see you three soon enough..."
They move to stand by his left side with relieved but anxious smiles, and Besa asks,
"How are you feeling, Master? He didn't hurt you badly, right?"
"I will be fine in several more days. Thankfully, they were but flesh wounds and did not damage any of the inner organs of this body."
Letting out a breath of relief, Coraline then reaches into her jeans pocket to pull out a certain gem to hand back to its owner.
"I, believe this is yours, Master. I also took the liberty of tying on a stronger leather string..."
Yoshi lets out a soundless gasp, before gently taking the Gem of the Ancient One into his hands like it was made from the thinnest of glass...He stares at it for a long moment in deep, distant thought, before looking up at the youths, noting the curiousity in their eyes...
Come around mid-morning, we cut back to Edo just as the three teens return through the Bone Eater's Well. As soon as they were standing upright on the grass, Coraline calls out her Will O' Wisp companion to attention.
"...Lumos?"
He wastes no time and darts out of her satchel in a random direction to seek out Kilala...who would emerge with the Will O' Wisp about forty minutes later in her full form. The teens smile at her, and give her some well-deserved scratches and pets before they set off for the others.
(Flash)
"We won't deny that we had crossed a bit of the line in bargaining a ride from Kilala, but we wouldn't dare make her stick around waiting like a lapdog. That's just plain rude and cruel."
Freeman adds with a head-scratch after Coraline's statement,
"Although, it would've been a good idea to bring back something for her as compensation like fish..."
Shippo's stare softens up a touch from the explanation, but it doesn't do much to deter Sango's disappointment.
"...Still, even you three?"
With that, she begins walking off, much to Freeman's defense:
"Aw come on, Sango, don't take the context so negatively!"
The fox demon then says to the rest in a stern manner,
"Well, I hope you've all learned your lesson today and promise to never be mean to an innocent demon again. Especially you, Inuyasha!"
"Huh?"
"(Hops once) If you give me one more noogie, (twice) no more Coraline's snacks, (and one more time) not for a whole week!"
Not appreciating the 'dog trainer' tone, Inuyasha quickly snatches Shippo up by his tail and counters with a frown,
"Since when are you callin' the shots?"
Meanwhile, Coraline, Freeman, Besa and Miroku move after the demon slayer a bit further down the river, wanting to apologize for their misdeeds.
"Sango, hang on a minute."
She turns to them as Miroku says after the redhead,
"Sango, we did do those things, but not maliciously..."
The twins bow their heads and chime simultaneously,
"Nevertheless, we're really sorry." Even Inuyasha was feeling apologetic:
"We didn't mean to hurt Kilala's feelings..."
"I know that...I'm in no position to criticize." Coraline asks,
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm no different: I turn over and almost smother her in my sleep, and when I'm in a bad mood, I wake her up at night so I can think."
"...So?"
Sango looks up at Freeman with surprise at such a casual question, but he just smiles while wrapping an arm around Besa's shoulders while commenting,
"I do the same thing to my brother and he hasn't gone running for the hills...well, not yet, anyway."
The twins laugh before Besa chides gently,
"What he means is that if Kilala had truly developed a grudge for all those incidences, she likely would've made her frustrations clear from the get-go. Plus, we're only human, Sango: We can't keep track of every cause and effect for our actions...unless you have an eidetic memory, but that's besides the point."
Coraline then shrugs and chimes,
"Hell, I'm surprised Buyo hasn't moved out of the house thanks to Souta's antics. Don't get me wrong, he's a good kid, but when he was a toddler approaching kindergarten, he had absolutely no clue how to treat a cat right. He used to tug Buyo's tail and ears constantly, feed him too much cat food at once (which I suspect may be part of the reason why the cat's so, rounded in body these days...) and even purposely did jump-scares to see how high Buyo could hop into the air."
Everyone's eyes bulge out in shock from such a description...and Inuyasha mutters,
"Wow...Put it that way, and what we did to Kilala was tame in comparison."
Shippo mutters in an agreeing tone,
"He was evil..."
...Suddenly:
(Boom, rumble...)
The sound of crashing and timbering objects came ringing through the air, shaking the forest floor and the standing bodies of the group!
Further into the woods, we find a lone villager with an herb basket running quite fast down a path with a frightened expression, indicating that he's being chased by an otherwise unpleasant source. Something then strikes into the ground behind him, upturning the dirt and sending him flying to slide on his front near a tree.
"Aagh!"
Just as the man starts to get up and continue on, a large shadow comes creeping behind him, belonging to a ten-foot ape demon with one eye and green fur! The villager lets out a cry, and the demon laughs before jeering,
"Such a foolish human. How could you even think you could escape my territory?"
"Please! Have mercy on me!"
"This forest has little food. I won't let a meal slip away."
On that note, the ape demon starts to reach one of its hands to the cowering man...only to stop, when Inuyasha calls out mockingly,
"Aw, damn it, I was hoping I'd find Kilala, but it's only some one-eyed baboon wanna-be and a mortal."
The ape demon quickly narrows down the location of the dog demon, and whirls around to try and strike the latter who was poised atop a tree branch. But, Inuyasha dodges the offensive arm and lands in front of the terrified villager.
"Hey, mister. You might wanna get outta here."
"U-Uh-aaaaah, another demon!"
The man turns and sprints for his life while flailing his arms in a panic, and the dog demon mutters while watching the former go,
"...Ingrate."
"How dare you free my prey!"
His attention then shifts back to the ape demon, who tries to slam its hand down on him, but misses again...
"Inuyasha!"
By this time, everyone else catches up to him, and Miroku and Freeman note the new enemy upon visual.
"A demon!"
"Aw man, what's with all these giant primates comin' out?"
Sango was more pressed with the missing twin-tail cat demon problem:
"Where's Kilala?" Inuyasha replies,
"She's not here, but she can't be far because I can smell her."
The ape demon catches the snippet of the conversation and asks,
"Who are you, and why are you in my forest?"
...That's when Shippo spots something on the ground, specifically, a red kerchief scarf scuffled with dirt.
"Uh, hey, look at that!" Besa recognizes the make of the material:
"That's...the scarf I gave Kilala a while back...!"
The ape demon stomps forward with a laugh, stepping on the scarf, but that wasn't the fox demon's major concern.
"That's not all, either! Look behind him: There's bones and skulls all over the place!"
Zooming out and behind the giant, we see that there was an abundant number of skeletons (most incomplete) littering the forest floor, some humanoid and others more beast-like!...And though there isn't conclusive evidence that any were related to the feline species...our group nonetheless came to a rather grimly-suspected conclusion, as indicated firstly by Sango's hitched draw of breath.
"...Oh no...!"
Inuyasha growls angrily at the ape demon, and Shippo demands with tears in his eyes,
"Where is she?! Did you eat Kilala?!"
"(Chuckle) You fools: As if I'd remember the name of every single thing I've eaten."
Inuyasha asks a similar question with a growl in his voice:
"Did you eat our demon-cat friend?"
"Now now, you'll be meeting your friend again soon enough...in my belly!"
The ape demon's fur then stands on end, before they release a torrent of dagger-sharp rays of light to assault the group, who rush to the sides to dodge. As soon as the dirt cloud clears, Inuyasha rushes in with his counterattack.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
Unfortunately, the ape demon was faster than they looked, and easily jumped out of the way to speed into the trees!
"You're on my land: Everything in my forest acts as my ally!"
He unleashes another set of light rays straight at Sango, who was standing still in a daze of shock from her worst fears coming true, before Miroku tackles her out of the way.
"Watch out!"
Coraline tries to narrow down the location of the demon using her Aura Sight, but was having trouble keeping up with their speed.
"(Frustrated groan) It's no good: The ape's movin' too fast to aim!"
"He's using the tree branches to propel himself and increase his speed, and he attacks from a high altitude for advantage..."
Besa concludes for Miroku,
"Then they weren't kidding around by saying they got a friend in the forest...Damn."
Shippo mutters sadly,
"If only Kilala were here now to help us," and Freeman adds,
"Yeah, or I'd even take Kōga's demon speed if it'll get the job done...Hm?"
He then spots the red scarf flutter down to meet the ground in front of Sango, and cringes when he sees her eyes welling up with despair.
Oh Sango...
Sango's POV
...No. This, can't be happening. I've already lost Father, then Kohaku...and, now this?
As I stared aimlessly at the red scarf that Besa got for her...I found my mind wander back to when I was young, and Father first gave me Kilala to care for. I had been no older than my little brother is now, and was immediately smitten with my new friend. The first time she transformed into her full form, was an amazing sight for the eyes, as was when I flew on her back shortly afterward...Kilala and I, had connected like true friends, like it was meant to be...
Kilala...Kilala...
"Kilala..."
I stood up just as Inuyasha draws out his Tessaiga:
"So, it seems you're more than an ugly demon who's light on his feet. I could use a good fight..."
But my presence stepping forth would stop him, for I needed this fight more than he did...
"I want revenge...(Glare) Nobody messes with Kilala!"
I launch Hiraikotsu forward to cut down a number of the trees to flush the ape demon out, just as they try to continue their speeding around the area. They fall to the ground as their next trajectory fails them, and they move to get up as I step forward.
"Don't think you can defeat me just 'cause you took down a few tree branches!"
...What they didn't know, however, is that their next leaping lunge would be their last, thanks to the rebound swing of my weapon.
(WHAM)
"Aaaaaaa-ggggaahhhh!"
Hiraikotsu grinds into their torso, before the body completely disintegrates, leaving my weapon to strike into the dirt...
Their defeat did little to sedate my depression, and I simply walked away.
Time Skip, No POV
The next day would begin on a more mournful note, for after yesterday, everyone was convinced that Kilala was not coming back, whether she truly was consumed by the ape demon or not...
Sango was currently sitting by a tree and holding the cat demon's food dish in her lap, her tears decorating the surface as she sobbed for the loss of her partner. Freeman was sitting beside her, holding a comforting arm around her shoulders and choosing to remain silent, his face contorted in sadness and sympathy.
Everyone else was standing nearby, their own expressions looking no better.
Miroku mutters the demon slayer's name with pity, and Coraline looks down while noting in guilt,
"We all should've appreciated Kilala's companionship better than we did..."
Shippo begins blubbering,
"Kilala, was..."
But he couldn't finish his sentence, choosing instead to start his own crying, while Besa holds a gentle hand on the younger's head.
"Strong heart, Shippo. Whatever happened, Kilala wouldn't want us to grieve..."
Inuyasha then turns to walk off, but freezes with a stunned expression when he spots a familiar face up ahead the path.
"Uh...It's you!"
Everyone looks to see who he was addressing, and would become equally shocked when they see,
"...Kilala!"
Yes: Our favourite twin-tailed cat demon was here, in full form and with no signs of injury! Sango and Freeman gasp, as they hear the exclaim followed by,
"You're okay, after all!"
"Thank god!"
Turning around while standing up, they look towards Kilala as he comments with a relieved smile,
"I thought those bones didn't look cat-related...Anyway, looks like she's okay, eh, Sango?"
She nods with a smile, muttering the cat demon's name before rushing to greet the other with a few stray tears flying from her eyes. Sango hugs Kilala affectionately, but the latter breaks off with a small growl shortly after, taking aback the former...until she licks their cheek with a happy whimper.
Everyone else watches with their own smiles as Inuyasha comments,
"Crazy cat, she had us worried for a while." Coraline then hms,
"Well then...the only question now is where the heck did Kilala go?"
"Master Inuyasha..."
(Slurp...slap)
The answer would come in the form of Myoga the Flea, who appears onto Inuyasha's palm shortly after the latter hits the former for snacking on his blood, again.
"It's been, quite a while, milord."
"Myoga, it's you."
Miroku and Freeman ask,
"What brings you around these parts?"
"Yeah, didn't we see you just over a week or two ago with Tōtōsai during that fiasco with the Sword of Tengu?"
Myoga replies,
"Funny you should say his name, for he sent me to deliver a whetstone for Inuyasha's Tessaiga."
"A whetstone? What's that?"
The flea demon points due left, and we see a large, rectangle cut of novaculite sitting on the side of the path. Miroku asks with a touch of disbelief in his tone,
"How on earth did you carry such a heavy stone?"
"Well, that was the easy part: I asked Kilala to give me some help."
"(Collective) Huh?!"
"I came all this way to get her, then rode back to Tōtōsai's to get the stone, I must say."
(Flash)
We go back to two nights ago before this whole event began, and we find out that the unknown force that came to our sleeping camp was in fact Myoga!
"Kilala, it's been a long while, my friend! I need you to do me a small favour..."
Also, Shippo had been awake...well, half-awake, anyway:
"It's the middle of the night, you know. What're you doin' here?"
"Shippo, tell Inuyasha and the others that'll be taking Kilala with me for a bit. Tell them that we'll be back in a day or so, you got that?"
Shippo mumbles tiredly,
"Whatever," and falls back asleep.
(Flash)
"But what about her scarf? How'd it get out this way into the forest?"
"Oh that? That's simple..."
(Flash)
Shortly after Kilala and Myoga had left the camp to make for Tōtōsai's, it would seem that the red scarf's knot wasn't tied tight enough, and the winds caught it before blowing it away. She did try to go after it, but was stopped when the flea demon asks,
"What are you doing, Kilala? Pick it up later; we don't have any time to waste!"
Reluctant, the cat demon heeds Myoga's words, and continues on her way, leaving the accessory to sit on the ground near the bones of the ape demon's past victims...
(Flash)
"And that's it."
By the time the tale of the real events was finished, a certain fox demon was already trying to slink quietly away to avoid scrutiny for his absentmindedness...But would only get a couple feet away before Besa and Coraline's stern gazes catch him:
"Ahem!"
"Freeze, Shippo."
He does as he's told, and turns to the others with an uncomfortable smile and laugh.
"Ah-heheheh, uuh, was that what happened?...I must've been half-asleep...It's Myoga's fault: He should've known better..."
That wasn't a good enough excuse for Inuyasha, who steps up to the fox demon with a growl and a crack of his knuckles.
"Well well, half-asleep, were you? Well, I hope you're good and ready for this, Shippo!"
"Aaaaah, Coraline, guys, help me!"
"Inuyasha..."
Both demons look back in said redhead's direction, and there's a pause...before she smile-smirks and adds,
"Don't give 'im hell, but just enough."
Inuyasha grins at the directions and whirls back to Shippo while quirking to him,
"You hear that?"
And with that, we were off to the races, the fox demon in lead running for his life from the dog demon who was gaining!
"Nooo! Miroku, Sangooo! Come on, Freeman, Besa, won't either of you help me out?!"
Both twins shake their heads with amused smiles and salute,
"You're on your own, man," while Coraline says to Miroku as they gaze at the happy Sango and Kilala,
"Glad it all worked out well, even with the hitches," to which he'd nod at in agreement...
"Come back here, ya little wimp!"
"It was an honest mistake! Let's start over!"
"Not on your life!"