Chapter 112: The Lingering Snow from Seven Years Past
A heavy wind of white blows over the snow-capped mountain ranges of the coldest altitudes for Sengoku Japan, and among those who were unfortunate enough to become caught within the frosty breath of Old Man Winter, was our familiar cursed monk, back when he was younger and first began his journey in search for the one who brought misfortune to his family bloodline.
He had only his signature purple robes and an additional brown cloth wrap to keep him warm, along with a green patterned scarf to use around his neck, his feet left bare. His breath came out in ragged puffs of exhaustion as he willed himself forward with the use of a wooden staff...But come several steps later, his body could no longer handle the pressures of his current surroundings, and he would fall unconscious into the cushion of white.
...Thankfully, he would not be the only soul in this area.
"...Poor thing. You got lost in the snow."
He mumbled for his deceased father in his sleep, before a feminine hand with the palest of skin reaches out to lightly touch the young monk's head, stirring him awake. The stranger, a woman, would help him up against her gray-white robes as she chides,
"You'll be fine now."
"...Who are you?"
"I go by the name, Koyuki...You called for your father. Did something happen to him?"
Burying his face towards the woman's clothed chest, the young boy mutters sadly,
"He died. That's why I'm on my own...You see, I have no other relatives..."
"If you have no relatives or nowhere to go, then come to my house."
Turning our view to match Miroku's vantage, we see that underneath the wicker cover his saviour was a remarkably beautiful woman, her countenance mirroring a Japanese version of Snow White: Hair as black as a raven's feathers, her skin a moonbeam's white, making her lips stand out as red as blood, while her eyes were a deep, onyx blue...
(Flash)
"She was a beautiful woman, with fair skin as white as the snow itself..."
Our present-day Miroku was re-accounting his tale to the demon slayer Sango, as they sat on a boulder by the riverside during a new day in this vast land of Japan's yester-years...
(Slap)
"Gah! What'd you do that for?"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sango cracks her hand across Miroku's cheek...But zooming in, we see that her reasoning was a bit more innocent this time, as a tiny bloodsucking insect takes flight...
"Sorry, I was just getting a mosquito. Do go on."
Rubbing his reddened skin while shooting a look of annoyance at the young woman beside him, the monk continues.
"The point I was trying to make was that I once trained here, (slight smile) so I know these parts really well."
"And what about that woman? What happened next?"
"Nothing happened. Seven years have passed since the day I met her...I was still so innocent back then, with rosy cheeks so round and, supple..."
And turning our view behind the two, we see Miroku's wandering hand was stroking Sango's rear...
(Slap)
Once more, her hand is brought across his face, making him glare at her, until she presents her palm with a half-sheepish smile.
"Look, I got it. See the blood?"
...After a while longer, the pair decided to wander down the shoreline that kissed the forest some more...which would lead them toward a new problem.
"Hm? What's going on?"
Up ahead next to one of the tall oaks, an elder man was shaking the shoulders of a younger male who was unconscious, and apparently had traces of snow on his body. A few other men were present as well, they all gathered around a tiny fire that they started recently in an attempt to warm up their chilled companion.
"Please open your eyes, come on, say something! Don't die on me!"
"Hang in there!"
Moving onto the path, Sango wonders aloud,
"Why would there be snow at this time of year?"
"Wake up!"
...And after another minute, the man awakes, and instantly shivers from the cold racking his being.
"He's come to! That's a good sign!"
"Wonderful! What a relief..."
Miroku decides then to cut into their circle to inquire what was going on:
"Excuse me."
"Hm?"
"Perhaps I could be of some assistance to you all. May I ask what happened to this poor man?"
The elder holding up the freezing man replies wholeheartedly,
"Monk, I'd be glad to tell you: A snow demon has been recently plaguing this land!"
One of the other men with him adds,
"Several men have been found like this, frozen stupor."
Nodding, Miroku turns his eyes to Sango and says,
"I think you'd better return to the hut and tell everyone what's going on."
"But what about you?"
"I'll go take care of the demon and put an end to these attacks. Don't worry: The evil presence doesn't seem to be very strong."
With that, the monk begins rushing up the path that was leading into a mountain forest, with the village men watching him go, wary expressions abound.
"I hope the monk can manage on his own. He appears to be quite young."
"Rumour has it that the demon presents itself as a bewitching woman, with skin as white as snow..."
Those words made Sango suck in a sharp breath, recalling such a description from Miroku's earlier tale...
"Most men are captivated by her beauty and follow her deep into the snowy passes..."
That next sentence was all the demon slayer needed to hear, before she darted off after the monk.
Coraline's POV
It's been a few days since we left that illusionary forest set upon us by that freak Garamaru, and we're now in a piece of territory that according to Miroku was near a place he'd been to in his training days. So while he took Sango to walk across the shores, my brothers, Shippo, Lumos and Kilala would choose to hang back in the hut that's below the hill Inuyasha and I were currently standing on, after we decided to move away for our own 'couple's private time' as Besa joked as we walked out the door, earning a warning whap on the back of his head from my boyfriend.
I'm now kneeling on my jean-clothed legs (the rest of my outfit comprised of a red tank-top, my camo-print jacket and my combat boots) while rummaging through my satchel for something my other twin brother secretly gestured to slipping in just a couple minutes before Inuyasha and I left, cheeky grin plastered onto his face.
I come across the item, and shook my head with a half-exasperated but amused smile, making my long and loose red locks bounce slightly.
Oh geez, really, Freeman? Must've gotten 'em from Shuji again...
Inuyasha's voice snaps me out of my thoughts:
"No sign of Naraku here either...Uh, Coraline, what're you doing?"
Pulling out the mystery items, they being a few firecrackers, I look up to meet his amber with my blue as I quirk,
"Currently, I'm trying not to plot different ways to beat the crap out of Freeman for sticking these into my pack before we came here."
"Huh?"
"(Chuckle) These are fireworks, the less dangerous kind at that and most likely procured from Shuji sometime before we returned to Edo. He, my brother, likely brought 'em along to show you and the others but forgot until now..."
Sighing slightly, I open one of my satchel pouches and pull out my small packet of matches to light one of the sparklers since it was here.
"May as well and see if the fuse is faulty..."
...But to my mild surprise, it was still functional, and the sparkler began crackling tiny yellow embers, much to Inuyasha's excitement.
"Hey, how'd you make that happen?" Laughing slightly, I reply,
"It's not me. It's the special fuel that's wrapped into the sparkler."
I shift my place so I was sitting right beside him and holding out the sparkler a safe distance away from our bodies, both of us watching it burn down with smiles on our faces.
"...Pretty neat, isn't it?"
My boyfriend nods in agreement, his head brushing mine since we sat so close, making me giggle quietly from the sensation. I sense him smirk playfully...before he gently nips my ear.
"Oh! I-Inuyasha..."
"Coraline..."
The slight husk in his tone sent a shiver down my spine, but one of those good, anticipated kinds...Then just as he turns my face towards his to steal a kiss, we suddenly notice a very bizarre turn in today's weather, namely...snowflakes!
"Huh?"
"What the...snow? But, we're just cracking into summer..."
That's when we felt a cold, harsh wind blow, sending the bad kind of shiver running through my body.
"Brrrr...I-Inuyasha, got any clue what's goin on?"
"No idea...(narrows eyes) but I'm gettin' a bad vibe from this weird snowfall. We better get back to the hut before it really starts to freeze."
"G-Good c-call..."
I quickly doused the sparkler and tucked the other fireworks into my satchel, slinging it over my shoulder while rubbing my arms vigorously from the dropping temperature.
Damn it, I shouldn't be this bothered by cold weather. I grew up in Ireland, for gods sake!
...There's something unnatural about this.
"You alright?"
I jumped slightly from the address and hand on my shoulder, and turn to meet Inuyasha's eyes as he looked at me with mild concern. I flashed a smile and replied,
"Eh, kind-of...It's strange, though: Cold temperatures don't usually make me shake this much..."
He hms with a frown, before wrapping one of his arms tightly around my torso and guiding me in the direction of the hut, replying quietly,
"Then we really need to get you back inside where it'll be warmer..."
I blushed a little from the care laced in his words, and leaned into the warmth radiating off his body, while mentally crossing my fingers that a certain other pair was doing okay and would be back at the shelter as soon as we were...
Sango's POV
I had just began my run after the monk, moving through the shallow part of the river...when snow suddenly began to float gently down from the sky! I paused for a moment to stare in surprise at the white, fluffy flakes of frozen water.
More snow...But how?
...Damn, now I feel more unease than ever for that crazy monk.
Eventually, I reached the part of the path Miroku took that led into the forest and up the mountain, but would soon become caught within a snowstorm, the wind howling wild as I struggled to trudge through the white depths.
"Rgh...rgh...Ah!"
My body suddenly sank through a particularly deep bank, and as I try to will myself out, my eyes catch sight of a very familiar face sitting unconscious against a pile of snow on my left.
"Miroku?! Miroku, it's Sango! I'm right, here!"
Damn it, it's no good. The cold must be getting to him...
Hm?
That's when I sensed an approaching presence, and a woman glides out from the blustering white to stand in front of Miroku.
Is, that...
"Are you a traveler? You seem to be having trouble crossing in the snow...Is there anything I can do to assist you?"
The monk stirs awake, and weakly replies,
"Yes, there is...I was wondering...could you somehow find it in your heart to bear my child?"
Ugh, really, Miroku, of all times?
I groaned slightly in annoyance from that old question, but was relieved to see he was alive...The woman then removes her straw cover, revealing the face of Koyuki, the very person Miroku had described to me a few hours ago!
"Have you forgotten? (Smile) I have already birthed your child."
...What?!
Miroku was just as shocked as I was, if not more so, the difference being that I felt heat creep onto my face while he was stupefied stiff...Koyuki then gently lifts him to a stand and chides,
"Come with me and hold your baby," before guiding him away, much to my dismay:
"Miroku, where are you going?...Miroku?! Miroku!"
They either ignore me or couldn't hear me at all, and disappear into the white, leaving me to shiver as the storm strengthened...
Besa's POV
It's been a few hours since both couples of our group (well, one official and the other yet-to-be) decided to check out different parts of the new area we're in, and since then, Freeman, Shippo, Kilala and I scoured the riverside near this hut for some carp to catch and fry up. Lumos ended up being a tremendous help by tracking the movements of the tailed creatures and alerting where their swimming patterns would end. Overall, we caught seven fish as well as two pheasants that our twin-tail friend was lucky to spot and hunt down.
Now we're all sitting inside the hut in front of a new fire we got going, watching as three of the carp and one bird get licked by the flames after we stuck some bamboo skewers through them (thank god I remembered to pack the tall ones)...Kilala emits a small growl of anticipation, and Shippo says to her,
"Don't worry. We're all splitting this, (glance) right, guys?"
I nod with my brother, making the cat demon mewl with thanks, and the young fox demon smile a bit smugly.
"You know what they say? No work, no food. Why should we have to share with the others?"
Freeman gives him a warning smile and chides,
"Easy now, little dude. We were lucky to catch a good supply; it wouldn't be fair to be greedy."
I was about to agree with him, but was interrupted by a new shiver passing through my spine, making me shudder and my brother ask me with a brow raised,
"You okay, Besa? That's the third cold chill you've felt."
Hugging my black sweater jacket closer to myself (covering a grey t-shirt that was a few shades lighter than my jeans, my shoes being my monochrome hightops, mirroring Freeman with the exception of his dark red tank-top and leather jacket), I reply in a mutter,
"I think so...but I also think something strange is going on. We haven't even entered Fall yet and suddenly the temperature's dropped close to winter levels..."
(Flap)
"Hm?"
That was when Inuyasha and Cora returned, she hugged under his arm and both with...snow dusting their shoulders.
"Just in time for food!"
"Hey, guys."
Shippo, somehow missing the white on their bodies, frowns a bit at Inuyasha and replies,
"Perfect timing as usual. I bet you smelled the fish and bird and that's what you came back for."
"Hardly. It's snowing out there."
So that's it!
"Huh? (Shiver) Now wonder it's so cold..."
Freeman glances at me and quirks after Shippo's surprised reply to Inuyasha,
"Guess that explains the cold chills and why Lumos was fluttering a bit antsy-like before heading inside earlier."
I nod in agreement, before turning eyes to my sister as she sits down in front of the fire while rubbing her arms vigorously and shaking a little more than I have for the last hour.
"...You alright, Cora?"
"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine, but this weather's nippin' at me like mad...Say, have Sango and Miroku come back yet?"
"Not yet..."
Inuyasha moves to sit beside Coraline and remarks casually,
"Eh, well, they'll get hungry soon," before grabbing one of the cooked fish, much to Shippo's protest.
"Hey! That fish belongs to Kilala, me and the twins!"
I pat his head and chide calmly,
"Take it easy, Shippo. Like Freeman said, we've caught more than that, and this round is covered by the first pheasant."
He pouts but sits down, while Inuyasha adds between bites,
"Yeah, don't be so stingy."
Then using his claws, he slices off a fair piece of the grilled fish to present to Coraline.
"Here, have some. It's good and should warm you up."
"(Small smile) 'kay. Thank you."
The gesture made me smile a little...but was quickly interrupted out of it when I hear our Will O' Wisp friend moaning at the entrance, bopping up and down excitedly.
"Hm? What's up, Lumos; sense something?"
Or maybe it's Sango and Miroku...
I get up and walk over to pull back the door flap, and spot a pair of figures approaching from the path down here...
"Sango? Miroku? Is that you?"
When they arrive in full-view however, I would end up meeting the equally surprised eyes of a hunter and whom I'm assuming is his wife!
...Once the initial shock wore off, the others and I would end up sharing the fire and the one pheasant that we still had, plus some meat from what the hunter told me was boar, as an apology for intruding into what we learned is their home.
"Sorry 'bout the home invasion. We didn't know this place was actually occupied."
The hunter smiles reassuringly at Freeman's sheepish smile and replies,
"Don't worry. I would've done the same in a blizzard like this."
The wife adds,
"Help yourself to some boar meat. It'll be ready soon, along with the pheasant you caught."
Inuyasha was already munching away at one stick of the boar meat:
"It's good!"
"But, it's still almost raw!"
Shippo comments with a frown,
"Like he cares; he's such an animal."
Kilala mews in agreement, while Coraline says to the wife with a sweatdrop smile,
"Uh-heh, what Shippo means to say is that Inuyasha's used to an array of cuisine, ma'am."
"Oh, I see...Well, in any case, I think you'd better stay with us until the Snow Maiden passes through."
"Snow maiden, you say?"
"Ooh yes. If a young man walks alone on a snowy day like this, a young woman stops him. And if he follows her, he's sealed his fate. The next day, he's found pitiably frozen."
Freeman and I found ourselves shuddering and muttering simultaneously,
"Glad we're not out there."
The hunter then adds in his own thoughts:
"They say that the woman is a sight to behold and has a face not soon forgotten, with skin as white as the snow itself."
His wife side-glares at his less cautious description, kind-of reminding me of how the monk of our group does that when in the same proximity of the demon slayer.
And I think I know what's gonna happen next...
"I'd like to see her just once, even if it meant my own freezing-Dgh! Oww, ouch!"
His mouth was immediately shut closed thanks to the woman, uh, pinching his behind harshly, and I facepalm while groaning mentally,
Yep. Called it...and I think I just got a glimpse into Sango and Miroku's future...
Coraline meanwhile focused on the details with a more concerned air:
"Miroku's in danger!"
Inuyasha causally counters,
"Maybe not. (Munch) Isn't Sango with 'im?"
"...That is true...but on the other hand..." Freeman catches onto her next wary thought:
"Yeah, that doesn't guarantee much, does it? Given Miroku's track record, he'll be shot before he leaves a distressed and pretty woman by herself..."
Shippo folds his arms and ponders,
"The real question is how will Sango react?...(Forms a freaked expression) Gives me the shivers just thinking about it."
"What're ya talkin' about?"
Coraline turns her eyes to Inuyasha and replies,
"Do we really need to go over this topic again? Sango has feelings for-"
Shippo interrupts her with a blunt air:
"Don't bother. We've talked about this over a hundred times and he's barely got it even after you two became a couple."
"...Hah, fair point. (Chagrin) Least he's fully in tune with our relationship..."
Inuyasha then cuts in with his own conclusions:
"Still, (stand) if this is another demon causing trouble 'cause Naraku isn't around anymore, then we can't just sit around and ignore it."
He turns and begins heading out the door while adding,
"I'm goin' after them!"
The rest of us would quickly follow step:
"Hang on, Inuyasha!"
"We're goin' with you!" "Not so fast, dude!"
"Wait!"
The hunter then holds out a bottled gourd to us:
"Take this with you. It's a special restorative."
I take the bottle into my hand and nod with an appreciative smile:
"Thank you, sir...Alright, guys, let's get a move on."
Small Time Skip, No POV
"Miroku!"
"Saaangooo!"
"Where are you guys?!"
"If you can hear us, give us a shout!"
Soon enough, the four teens, young fox demon, twin-tailed cat demon and Will O' Wisp were combing through a snowbank up the mountainside for their two missing group members, but have so far seen nothing...
That is, until Kilala (in full form) picks up on a familiar scent from one pile of snow and begins digging, much to Shippo's confusion.
"What is it, Kilala?"
Once a good layer of white is removed, he'd see why she was so frantic...
"Uh! (Calls over his shoulder) C'mere!"
The others turn around and rushes over to see the cat demon pulling out an unconscious Sango from the snowy deep!
"Sango!"
"Shoot, how long has she been under there?!"
"Sis, give her this. I'm gonna work on pulling her weapon out."
Coraline nods and takes the gourd from Besa before kneeling down on one side of the demon slayer while Inuyasha holds their chilled body up.
"Sango, here, drink this medicine. It's suppose to work well for hypothermia."
Sango takes in a few gulps...and blinks awake, much to Shippo and Freeman's relief.
"Wow, it really does work!"
"Phew, that was close..."
Re-corking the gourd bottle, Coraline thinks to herself while looking at the recovering slayer with a wry smile,
I, think I'll skip telling her the ingredients for this stuff and not risk her getting sick...
(Frown) Hang on, if she's here, then where's-
Besa would beat her to the punch with the question as he drags over Hiraikotsu after struggling to get it unburied.
"Hah, hah...Sango, where's Miroku? Is he nearby somewhere in this snow too?"
She mutters the monk's name in a short intake of breath...but then recalls the event before she was buried alive in the cold, and clenches an angered fist as she slowly rose to her feet.
"I can picture it...He's enjoying his happy new family of three!"
That made everyone form a collective expression of befuddlement, while Sango continued to stare down at the snow with a hateful and disheartened look...
...At the same time this was happening, our dear monk had been led by Koyuki into a part of the forest that grew thick stalks of bamboo, his mind caught in a somewhat transfixed daze. He does manage to take note of a power blocking other lost eyes away from the area they were heading to.
A barrier...
They would soon come towards a large mansion, to which Koyuki would confirm as hers, or rather, theirs.
"Right this way, my dear husband. We've arrived at our home."
Miroku thinks to himself,
This woman is not of this world...Why would she be harming humans?
...Does she kill men in order to feed on their life spirit?
As soon as they approach close enough to the entrance door of the mansion...the monk would be shocked to find a large group of toddlers rushing to greet him with smiles and cries of joy!
"Daddy!" "Daddy!"
"Daddy!"
One can only imagine how stunned Miroku was by the address, as he rushed to catch one of the young boys in his arms.
"Guh! Daddy?! Y-You mean...they're all mine?"
Koyuki says to him with a smile,
"Dear, keep them company for a few minutes, won't you? I'll prepare some rice gruel for our meal."
With that, she moves out to another part of the mansion, leaving Miroku to mutter uncertainly,
"Right. Rice gruel," before his face is hit with a, um, 'yellow stream'...
"You'll find the diapers in a pile by the babies."
"Ueh, thanks."
Moving into said room where several infants were swaddled in their own blankets and baskets, while a few toddlers laid about napping or merely sat while eying Miroku with interest, he grabs one of the cloth diapers to clean his face before noting the abundance of children in this place.
"...There's so many of them. They're everywhere...hah..."
"Don't do it."
"Rh!"
Koyuki looms in behind him and asks,
"Don't tell me you've forgotten about them, Miroku. They are your children; you can be sure of that."
Miroku sweatdrops as he mutters within his head with worry,
They're mine...all of them?
...At the same time, the rest of the gang was running through the bamboo complex of the forest (save Shippo who was riding on Kilala) to track down their missing friend. However, Sango's bristled anger over what she had to witness had yet to quell.
"I heard it with my own ears! She said the child was his!"
"Heh, come to think of it, maybe it's time for him to settle down. Hey, this could be the perfect opportunity!"
The demon slayer would not appreciate such a comment, glaring heatedly at the dog demon, while Shippo mutters,
"What a doofus," before Coraline and Besa scold,
"Come on, you guys: It's so obvious that the she-demon lied to lure Miroku in!"
"Yeah, besides, wasn't their last meeting more than seven years ago? That would've made Miroku roughly eleven, which is waaaay too young to be thinkin' about kids, even for this time period. You can't honestly say that his preteen self was so lecherous, can you?"
The second voice of reason would cause Sango's anger to falter some, her face briefly forming an expression of guilt for her jump to negativity, just as they come across the area where the barrier laid, notified by a sound ring billowing over transparency like rippling water. Lumos began hovering in circles around the front center point, which Freeman notes as,
"Yep. Definite sign that a demon's behind this..."
Inuyasha prepares to draw Tessaiga:
"Yeah. I'll tear the thing wide open."
"Wait."
"Huh?"
But he would pause come Coraline's request, as she approaches the invisible barrier while unsheathing her combat knife.
"If it's alright...I'd like to take a crack at it with my knife, since it too has the power to break barriers. I haven't had an opportunity to test its strength yet and this seems like the right time."
"Hm...Alright, knock yourself out. Might help to jump and hack down."
The twins look at one another with knowing smiles, before moving to position themselves in kneels facing one another horizontally and holding their palms together.
"We got your back, sis."
"We can help with altitude."
She nods at all three with a small smile, before stepping back a couple feet, then draws a deep breath while poising her weapon at ready.
Okay, focus...
(...Sheen)
The blade wraps itself in a thin ribbon of her icy blue Aura, but shining the same red as Tessaiga when it tackles a strong shield of energy, making the spectators draw awed breaths before the wielder rushes forward with a warcry and step-jumps on her brother's hands, whom propel her several feet upward and watch as she thrusts her knife in to the shield and drags it down with her to rip the energy open!
She lands with a soft thwump onto the snow, teetering sideways from the somewhat clumsy drop until Inuyasha steadies her.
"Keh, easy there, rookie...That wasn't too bad for your first try." She smiles and replies,
"Hah, hah, thanks...Alright, let's head in."
Everyone nods, before rushing into Koyuki's territory...
Miroku's POV
I'm now inside the laundry room of the mansion washing some linen, while also chiding calmly to the three young ones I have with me who are fussing, one of which was on my back.
"There there, it's alright, don't cry."
"A-choo!"
"Stop that! Don't blow your runny nose on my kimono!"
Note to self: Add that to washing list...
I then spot two more toddler boys using my staff like a witch's broom, and call in a scold,
"Put that down; my staff is not a plaything!"
"Miroku?"
I turn to meet Koyuki's eyes, she kneeling with some other children on a mat:
"Yes?"
"Yosaku needs to be fed. Sutematsu really needs to be changed, and I need you to sing a lullaby to Otora and put her down for a nap, alright?"
"Y-Yes, right away."
Goodness, these tasks keep coming and coming...
Once I got through that small agenda (while also redirecting another young boy from peeing somewhere he shouldn't...), I take a small breather and sat on the porch while holding a small sleeping child in my lap. Koyuki then comes to my side with a cloth to wipe the perspiration from my forehead.
"That's very kind of you...Have you, honestly been taking care of all these children on your own?"
"Of course. That's what a mother does: Look after her children."
"Hm...Tell me...are they honestly all mine?"
For I find it extremely hard to believe she gave birth so many times, even in small portions from the main mass...
"They were children whose villages were burned down in the war, and children whose mothers passed soon after the birth, leaving them alone in the world...I began taking them in and soon I has this many."
Ah, now that makes more sense...Still...
"That's a huge burden you've taken on."
"Indeed it is...but they deserve a chance at happiness..."
I notice how saddened she sounded on that particular note, and began to wonder what else this woman I met long ago has yet to reveal...
Small Time Skip, No POV
A short while later, Inuyasha and company had arrived in the bamboo expanse of this vast, frozen forest, inching all the more closer to the grand mansion where their monk had been lured to...
"Be careful. We're gettin' close..."
...Just as the dog demon warns his companions to be on guard, they all pick up on the soft distant sound of Miroku crooning a lullaby to one of the children.
"Huh?"
"Is that...?"
"Yeah, that sounds like Miroku..."
"Huh. Didn't picture him as a singer..."
Freeman then shrugs,
"Well, if there is a kid mixed into this, they can't be Miroku's. Like Besa said, he would've been too young to uh, 'get busy'...But I can't help but wonder: Maybe this woman, who or whatever she is, either had a child with another unknown guy, or had taken an orphan in."
Sango hums with a lessening glare but somewhat skeptical tone,
"I, suppose that's possible..."
Shippo then points ahead from atop of Kilala's shoulders:
"Look!"
And through the tall stalks of frosty green, the group spots the mansion!
"There it is!"
"Keh, we found it."
As they all began entering the courtyard, inside, Miroku smiles down at a sleeping baby in his arms with a chuckle in his breath.
"She's fast asleep, my little pumpkin. That's my good girl. (Turns around) There there..."
The five teens, one child fox demon, one cat demon and Will O' Wisp reach the entrance door of the mansion, which getting a closer look, was rather worn-down and seemed the type that wasn't lived in for many years, peeping through a few holes in the cracked wood to stare at the monk's form.
"Such a sweet little girl. You're going to be a heart-breaker."
Sango begins grinding her teeth in a newly rising anger, until she feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to see Besa giving her a stern expression.
"Don't believe everything you see."
"Huh?"
Freeman, who was kneeling to look through a lower hole, then points to the object of the group's spying and whispers,
"He's right, look!"
The slayer turns to look back, and widens her eyes when she sees that the bundle in Miroku's hands...was actually a tiny snow figure! Of course, based on the dazed expression on his face, the monk was obviously not in tune with the reality of his situation.
"There there. Close those peepers..."
Sango draws back a bit and says to the others in a low voice,
"Did you see that?" Coraline replies just as soft,
"Clear as day. (Narrows eyes) The woman likely put Miroku under a hypnotic spell."
Scoffing, Inuyasha suddenly leaps up onto the top of the wall going around the mansion and calls down,
"Come on, snap out of it, Miroku!"
But his voice does not reach the monk, who continued to coo at the snowballs he believed were alive...
"Miroku!"
The dog demon then tries to jump down to confront the dazed Miroku, but was stopped by a whirlwind of icy snow forming midair, which threw him backwards into a snowbank outside the mansion!
"Inuyasha!"
Everyone else rushes to his side, just as the small tornado of white settles down a couple feet away from them, revealing noneother than Koyuki!
"You there. Turn back; leave us."
She then focuses her eyes on Coraline's form, who tenses into a defensive stand, and spots a pink fushia glow from her left jeans pocket...
"(Smirk) Ah, I see. Shikon-no-Tama Shards...(Serious frown) Snow Beast, I summon you!"
Another snowy whirlwind blows, before dying away to reveal a large demon with the features of a saber-tooth tiger, but with icicle white fur that stood out wildly and frozen blue armoured patches on its hind legs, upper front legs and part of its forehead. Kilala, whom was standing nearby the wall, hisses at the snow beast, who hisses back just as fiercely, sending a shiver of fright through the former's body. Shippo notes why:
"She's not strong enough to take on that demon! It's too cold for her!"
Koyuki then orders,
"Defeat them and take possession of their Shikon-no-Tama Shards!"
The snow beast begins its lunge towards the object of their battle, to which Inuyasha would counter in his own charge, sword poised at ready.
"Think again, 'cause I'm gonna kill ya! (Leap, swing) Rrrrraaaaaaah!"
(Slash)
His Tessaiga cuts the demon down in two equal halves, and he lands on the ground while commenting smugly,
"Keh, so much for him. Too bad; I was expecting more of a challenge..."
...What he wasn't aware of, however, was that this demon had the power to regenerate, and its two halves of body rejoin to one another before charging at the oblivious dog demon again! Sango and Shippo gasp, just as Freeman decides to take the initiative by running straight in Inuyasha's direction, long hammer raised.
"Watch it, dude!"
"Guh! Hey!"
Thankfully, he ducks in time just as the other male swings hard at the lunging snow beast, smacking the base of the hammer right into its jaw to break one of its longer fangs! The fearsome tiger-like demon yowls back in anger and pain just as Freeman grabs the sleeve of Inuyasha's red haori and pulls him backwards out of the way of an incoming paw, both latter sliding in the snow and panting slightly with their racing hearts.
"Hah...You good?"
"Yeah, hah...Nice cover."
"Thanks."
Meanwhile, inside one of the rooms of the mansion, Miroku was putting another one of the 'babies' to sleep.
"Sleep tight, little blossom..."
He looks up and spots the fair-skinned female gliding past the entrance to the room:
"Oh, Koyuki."
"Yes?"
"I heard some kind of disturbance from outside. Is everything okay?"
Koyuki smiles and replies calmly,
"Some stray dogs broke into the garden, that's all."
"Oh..."
"There's nothing to worry about. I'll chase them out shortly."
Back out in the cold, Inuyasha makes his next move against the snow beast:
"Come on!"
But the dog demon was thrown back by the latter's strength, so much so that he crashed through the roof and into the room where the monk was!
"The children!"
The new hole in the tiling gave way for some rays from the sun to shine in, causing Miroku to flinch from the brightness...but then lose his spellbound daze.
"...Huh?"
His attention then falls on Inuyasha, who gets up off the ground while eyeing the monk with an annoyed glare.
"Rgh, Miroku!"
"Inuyasha?"
"Come to your senses!"
"I never lost my senses!...Uh?"
That's when Miroku takes a better look around the room and in his arms, finally seeing through Koyuki's trickery.
"...Snow?"
The woman behind the sorcery then appears, and releases a torrent of ice from her mouth at the two males, who jump out of the way in the nick of time...
"You won't get away from me." Miroku turns to address Koyuki:
"You resemble someone...a woman I once knew. Very much so...(Frown) I didn't want to be rough on you. I'm sorry."
With that, the monk throws one of his sacred sutras at the woman before him, who shrieks with pain as the spiritual power sparks and attacks her body...which shifts to foreshadow her true form as the blue-skinned snow demon!
...Meanwhile, everyone else of our group was struggling to stay out of the line of the snow beast's claws, the current targets being Shippo and Besa, the former being carried by the latter.
"Don't eat me; I don't taste good!"
The dark-skinned boy then trips in the snowbank with a grunt, as Sango tries to land a hit with her own weapon.
"Hiraikotsu!"
(Toss, spin...)
Unfortunately, the giant boomerang would only connect with white powder as the snow beast zips out of the way...
"It's fast..."
Coraline then takes a crack at attacking the snow beast just as Inuyasha comes leaping over the barrier wall of the mansion to help.
"Spirit Slash!"
(Slash, boom...)
"Damn it, missed! Huah!"
She somersaults out of the way in time from the demon's paw as it lunges to swipe at her, and Inuyasha rushes to her side to haul her up before readying his Tessaiga.
"I'll get it! Wind Scar!"
(SLASH...)
But the snow beast merely rolled around in the air out of the way of the incoming three-tine claw mark...
"(Growl) It just won't die!"
Miroku's POV
With the woman's guise gone, I could see her for whom she has become: A bitter she-demon with sadness corroding her heart.
"...I despise it...despise it...!"
Maintaining my stance to hold the power of my sutra, I ask her,
"Why would one as gentle and kindhearted as you intentionally deceive men and do them harm?"
"I despise them...I hate this world!"
Her eyes brim with tears as she collapses to her knees, overcome by her depression and grief.
"I hate that I was born into a world like this...I hate it...!"
You poor soul...You can't handle the harshness of these times.
"I only want you to find peace."
I raise my staff into the air...before telling her,
"Forgive me," and swung down hard to destroy her snowy shell...
And in doing so, I released her soul, along with several others that were more than likely from departed children. I rush outside just as the lights enter what appeared to be a snow leopard (or tiger) demon.
"I don't like the looks of this..."
I agreed with Inuyasha, just as the demon's body throbs and grows slightly. My friend then wonders in frustration,
"How are we gonna kill that thing for good?" I move near his side and reply,
"Heat. That demon's weakness is heat and fire."
Shippo was immediate to follow through with his abilities:
"Alright! I'll use my Fox Fire! (Leap) Take that, and that!"
The blue flames do connect with the snow demon's head...but were not strong enough to combat, dissipating and leaving behind a very angry predator to chase our young fox demon.
"So much for that brilliant idea!" I then hear Coraline mutter,
"Wait...I've got it! The restorative potion!"
Potion?
She then rushes to board Kilala, before taking off to the air and jeers to the snow demon,
"Yo, beast of burden! Catch me if you can!"
Inuyasha calls out her name with worry, as she and Kilala flew higher and higher with the snow demon on their tails...That was when she made her move, tossing the gourd downward and cries out,
"Now, Sango!"
"Hiraikotsu!"
(Toss, spin...CRACK)
The weapon smashes the bottle open, spilling the substance onto the demon's back, just as Coraline draws her sword and releases one of her energy attacks, the difference this time being that it sparked more, leaving the snow demon vulnerable to catch flame! Inuyasha wastes no time:
"Now's my chance! Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
One attack was all it took before the beast was destroyed, leaving behind thousands of tiny ice crystals...which form into an image of the woman from my past.
Koyuki...
"Is that a snow demon too?" Inuyasha replies tactlessly to Shippo,
"Who cares; it's going down!" I call for him to stop:
"Wait!"
He glances behind himself with confusion at me, and I add,
"That's enough; we've done our job here. Her spirit has been freed from the snow maiden."
The icy image then dips her head to me...before fading away before my very eyes, leaving me to sigh with relief for her departure to a less hostile existence...
Small Time Skip, No POV
Moving outside the mansion's area, we find everyone standing near the riverside that was thawing with the rest of the snow-dusted lands, in front of a new gravesite with offerings placed, as Miroku prays to the departed and reveals the identity of the snow maiden's victim.
"It was the soul of a woman who lost her life because of the war...After her death, she took in the souls of children and babies whom had also lost their lives in the war, and devoted herself to taking care of them. (Sad frown) Then at some point, a snow demon had found her and taken possession of her spirit."
Sango notes in a dismal tone,
"It's tragic," and the twins nod in agreement with their own serious frowns:
"What a drag..."
"Depressing way to go..."
Coraline leans her head onto Inuyasha's shoulder and muses in a saddened whisper,
"The Sengoku Era is unkind to all, and women are no exception."
The dog demon places his arm over her shoulders and hugs her to his side, before asking the monk,
"Miroku, got a question for ya: How come you followed her when she told you about the kids? You must've remembered her."
Sango sucks in a deep breath to stop herself from growling in frustration, as Coraline gives Inuyasha a pointed look.
"Really?"
"What?" Shippo sighs and mutters to himself,
"He really is a fool," just as Miroku rose and readies to answer:
"I'll tell you..."
...But Sango would beat him to the punch:
"Miroku purposely fell under her spell in order to save the woman the demon inhabited."
Inuyasha forms a surprised expression, while the three modern teens secretly smiled at one another in a knowing fashion...
"That's it. That's exactly right."
"Miroku would never father scores of illicit children...riiiight?"
(Slap)
"Guh!"
"Hm, another mosquito."
...There's a somewhat awkward pause, before Inuyasha breaks it with a causal,
"Well, I'm ready to go," and leads Coraline away as she chimes,
"Same here."
Shippo, Freeman and Besa follow quick with their own responses:
"Me too."
"Second."
"Third."
Sango would silently move with them...while Miroku lingered at the gravesite a little longer in thought.
She honestly resembled Koyuki...the beautiful woman who saved me when I was very young.
(Opens his eyes) She's still happy and alive somewhere...I wanna believe that.
"(Ghostly moan)"
"Hm?"
His attention then turns to Lumos, who was gently hovering in a circle around a descending snowflake...He walks over and watches the tiny ice crystal fall to the ground...
One last snowflake.
He then smiles slightly, and moves forward with the guiding Will O' Wisp, leaving behind the white-dusted tomb...