Hey everybody! Just wanna give a quick shout-out to my PM buddy WolfWitchHuntress1318 who once again helped me with some ideas for this chapter.
Also, word of warning, somewhere close to the end, there will be some graphic imagery, so if that's not your thing, just skip to the next POV change.
...That's it. Read on and prosper!
Chapter 115: The Stealthy Poison User, Mukotsu
Continuing where we last left off in our tale, we find Inuyasha and Freeman still facing off with Jakotsu, one of the six members of the Band of Seven still 'among the living' so to speak (rather, as alive as a reanimated body can be)...
Little did they and the rest of our group know, that another of the undead was observing the scene from above the tall hill on one side of the shallow valley gorge.
"Hehehe, so, he's at it again. That Jakotsu hasn't changed one bit..."
This zombie of cloaking white garment reaches behind him into the wicker basket on his back, to pull out a closed bamboo container painted black, and shifts the lid slightly to taste-test its contents...
He blows out a puff of coal black smoke, and says with a gleeful giggle,
"Sorry to spoil the mood," before opening the container completely to spill a torrent of fumes into the air!
...We cut downward back on the paused battle, as Inuyasha tries once more to get some sort of clue from the feminine man about where the jewel shard they possess came from.
"Jakotsu, I'll ask one more time: Was it Naraku who gave you the Shikon-no-Tama shard?"
We see a faint glow of fushia pink emanate under the skin of the zombie's neck (ghosting the physical memory of his previous demise) as he replies while hmming in thought,
"I'm not really sure. I've never met the man."
"That's it. I've had it with your stupid little jokes!"
"Uhm, I don't think he's jokin' around this time, dude..."
The dog demon sideglances Freeman in disbelief, who in turn was eyeing Jakotsu with a wary air.
"I don't mean to brag, but I'm a bit of a self-taught expert on body language and tonal readings (comes with dating experience...), so I'm usually eight-five percent sure when someone's lying or not. In this case, annoying he may be, Jakotsu's telling the truth."
"Are you serious?!"
"As a brick through a window. In fact...I'm almost willing to bet none of the Band of Seven have actually met Naraku at all, at least not directly."
It was Inuyasha's turn to narrow his eyes in suspicion:
"Huh? What do you mean, 'not directly'?"
"I mean that it's possible the creep somehow sent the jewel shards to these walkin' corpses from wherever he's currently hiding out...Which is fishy all in itself: Why is he bothering with revivin' these mercenaries? What point is he trying to make this time?"
Before anyone else could offer their own insight to the new questions, attention was then drawn to the wave of black fumes slowly descending down the slope to their proximity!
"Huh? Smoke?" "That don't look good..."
Jakotsu mutters a bit bitterly to himself,
"Just when it was getting fun...Damn you, Mukotsu! (Glance) Inuyasha, Freeman: You two better leave while you're still able to."
With that, the zombie turns to make a break from the area, leaving the dog demon to call back in confused aggravation,
"What the heck are you talkin' about?"
(Sizzz)
"Gah!"
The fumes make contact with the skin of his feet, causing him to wince from a burning sensation, before hoisting Freeman into one arm and leaping back to where the others were standing.
"What is that stuff?!"
Coraline looks over at the cloud with an inquisitive glare:
"Must be a poison gas, and one of acidic quality if it was able to burn your skin."
Freeman flinches with a stunned expression, as Besa comments,
"Which means it could've done worse to your skin if Inuyasha hadn't grabbed you, bro."
"Yeah, no kidding...Wait, where'd Jakotsu get to?"
Said zombie would call over with a chirpy tone as he dashed down the opposite direction into the black smoke,
"See you soon, Inuyasha, Freeman!" The dog demon mutters bitterly,
"Man, that bastard's annoying," while Miroku wonders,
"The question is, where is the poison coming from?"
And panning upward to the top of the sloped hill, we watch Mukotsu's figure turn to walk elsewhere...
"Mmm, that Naraku...! Just wait! I'll show him a thing or two, I can assure you, he-eh-hehe!"
We jump now to another path cut into the northeastern forests, where Sesshomaru, Jaken, Rin and A-Un were walking in their own journey to meet the similar goal of eradicating a common enemy, the imp boasting of his own plans to take down the accursed half-demon...
Suddenly, the dog demon pauses, his nose picking up a familiar scent.
Hm, I can smell him...
Naraku's servant...The boy...
It was then that Rin suddenly asks,
"So I was wondering, Lord Sesshomaru: Why do you seek Naraku?"
Jaken in turn would answer for his master:
"Don't you know anything?! It's because Naraku abducted you that Lord Sesshomaru's hellbent on vengeance!"
That thought brought a small smile to the young girl's lips.
"Huh? It's all because of me?"
Jaken shoots down any presumptions of Sesshomaru's reasons related to obtaining revenge for his wards.
"Don't get so conceited, you silly child; it's not about you. Lord Sesshomaru's honour has been insulted! Don't let his calm demeanor fool you: Underneath, he is a boiling, angry, seething mass of-Oof!"
The imp's characterization is cut off when he accidentally bumps into Sesshomaru's leg...
But that would be the least of the former's problems, when he looks up to meet the glaring eyes of the latter.
"Uh, oh..."
(...Whack)
A few seconds later, the dog demon lord was moving on his way again, while Rin was overseeing Jaken, who was on the ground with a big bump on his head.
"I gotta learn to keep my mouth shut..."
"I see what you mean."
...Shifting back to our main travel group, they have since left the valley gorge into the cover of the nearby forest to get at a safe distance from the lingering black fumes and discuss where to go about next in light of this new development. First things first, however, Coraline sought to further treat Sango for the wound she received from Jakotsu's blade earlier, applying some salve before wrapping the area with a gauze.
"How's that feel; better?"
The slayer nods reassuringly at the redhead:
"I think it's okay."
Inuyasha was a bit pressed to head after the undead warrior:
"I don't think Jakotsu has gotten very far yet."
"You'll follow?" He replies incredulously to Miroku,
"Whadda you think? I still haven't managed to get any information out of him about Naraku."
"Yes, but, Inuyasha...aren't you worried about that poisonous gas?"
"Whadda ya mean?"
"Well, Jakotsu seemed to know about it..."
That thought made the dog demon hm questionably:
"...You're right. Maybe it's another one of the Band of Seven."
Besa comments,
"That's reasonable: If Jakotsu was revived, it's fair to say all of the Shichinintai have been brought back to the realm of the living to reek havoc."
"But Jakotsu seemed to be in danger too."
Freeman argues back to Sango causally,
"Tch, more like he was annoyed that the fight got interrupted. I caught him scowling a little before he told me and Inuyasha to split."
The dark-skinned boy then steps to Inuyasha and says to him with a bit more serious air,
"Count me in on tailing that creep."
"You sure?"
"Positive. I owe Jakotsu another swing from my hammer for wussin' out on us, and for trying to kill Sango for no real rhyme or reason."
Said demon slayer stared at Freeman with awe, as did the others, before the dog demon nods in a go-ahead manner.
"Alright, but don't lag behind. (Turns to the others) Miroku, Besa, you two stay here and help protect Sango and Coraline."
"Got it."
"Done and done. You two watch yourselves out there."
And as soon as Freeman activated his physical power boost from his Seven Light shard, he and Inuyasha would take off in the direction that Jakotsu supposingly was...
Speaking of the undead man who reflected femininity, we catch up with him just as he appears behind Mukotsu in a far-back clearing of the forest grounds, who was humming away while creating some new poison mixtures.
"...Hm? Why Jakotsu! It's been a long time."
The other zombie wasn't feeling as particularly chummy, as evident by the foot pressed onto Mukotsu's skull.
"Hello yourself."
Removing the appendage, Jakotsu then squats by the shorter zombie to put a hand on their head instead.
"So, Mukotsu, you tried to do me in with your poison too, huh?"
He shoves Mukotsu a bit roughly, who in turn lets out a hearty chuckle and replies,
"Now, don't be angry: I knew you could handle yourself."
"Hmph."
"So, tell me about the others."
Fiddling with the loose piece of a tree branch, Jakotsu reports somewhat dully,
"Well, brother Renkotsu is busy taking care of Ginkotsu."
"What happened to Ginkotsu?"
"He's, you know...He needs all these new guns and gunpowder."
"Heehehe, and I suppose he needs to oil them well, correct?"
...Both members of the Shichinintai suddenly look up, and spot a single Insect of Hell hovering above them. Jakotsu asks,
"Hey, what's all this about?"
The killer demon wasp 'says' their peace, before turning to buzz away, leaving the feminine zombie to gasp excitedly.
"I see: Inuyasha and Freeman are both coming after me!"
Mukotsu lets out another guffaw and muses,
"So, that means the others are all by themselves...and this Coraline girl possesses Shikon-no-Tama shards."
Jakotsu chides,
"They're all yours, Mukotsu."
"Huh? Well then, I'll take the Shikon-no-Tama shards."
"And I'll keep Inuyasha and that sweet little Freeman all for myself."
"They are of no concern to me...What about Coraline?"
Jakotsu calls over his shoulder as he begins to wander out of the clearing,
"All yours. Enjoy~."
A darker chuckle bubbles from the posion-user's throat as he pours his new mixture into the bamboo container.
"Oh, I will."
...And while this was going on, another male figure was just reaching the top of a set of stone steps leading to a large Buddha Temple atop a hill. He wore the garments of a samurai warrior, a long light blue scarf around his bald head, and had purple lines that ran from the top over his eyelids to the underside of his chin. He had arrived just as the monks were doing their daily sweep of the grounds, and the eldest would spot the warrior before walking over to meet with them.
"You have business at this shrine, young man?"
"Yes...This will do rather nicely."
"What?"
"This shrine will do nicely for the Band of Seven."
The elder monk was taken completely off-guard by the nonchalant tone of the revealed zombie.
"Are you saying that, you're one of the Shichinintai?!"
"That outfit of yours will do quite nicely as well."
The zombie finishes his comment with a grin, and the monk turns to try and run away, but would not be fast enough to escape his death by the undead...
Coraline's POV
As soon as Inuyasha and Freeman took off to chase after Jakotsu, the rest of us decide to hang back for a bit, before I notice our group's water supply was getting low and volunteered to search for a fresh source. Accompanying me was Shippo and Lumos, as I jogged along the path ahead, keeping my eyes open and my head shut from any bad thoughts about what my boyfriend and brother could run into...
"Hey, Coraline, look: It's a well!"
"Great. We really need to refill on water...Hm?"
Something's laying near the well...No, someone!
I rush my steps towards the source of water, finding a village woman sprawled on the ground unconscious.
"There's someone on the ground!"
"I see, Shippo. (Kneels by woman) Hey, can you hear me?"
But when my fingertips touched the area where her pulse would read...
"Shit...she's gone."
And thinking about it...there's something oddly heavy about this air.
"(Ghostly moan)"
"Hm? What is it, Lumos?"
My Will O' Wisp friend floats a few feet over from the well, and squint my eyes, I pick up on the sight of...more dead villagers, along with a few birds suddenly dropping down from the sky!
"What the hell...?"
"Are they all dead? Coraline, I think we better get away from here."
"Don't have to tell me twice."
Shoving away the water bottle back into my satchel, I prepare to back out and run away from this new ghost town...only to be greeted by the sudden spurt of that earlier black smog!
"Agh!"
"Poisonous gas!"
I move to cover my nose and mouth, just as a short, pudgy figure cloaked in white approaches, calling ominously,
"You cannot escape from Mukotsu's poison..."
Mu-kot-su?...Uh! He must be with the Shichinintai!
...Rgh!
Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough in meeting my conclusion, and became weakened considerably by this poison, forcing me on my knees and Shippo to hop onto the ground before he tumbled.
"Coraline, please hang in there!"
Fuck, this is bad...!
"Heheheh, so, Coraline: You're the one who has the Shikon-no-Tama shards, correct?"
Mrh, always, always the damn jewel shards...!
"Coraline, Coraline!"
With a shaky hand, I barely manage to will my right hand to reach into my jeans pocket where the bottle of jewel shards were, before thrusting it into my little fox demon friend's robes.
"Gh! Coraline..."
"Sh-Shippo, go. Run, and take, the shards with you..."
"No way! I won't!"
I give him a stern but well-meaning glare, just as my ears pick up on Mukotsu's footsteps coming closer.
"Don't be afraid. I don't plan to kill you. No, my pretty: This is a special toxin to paralyze your body, but your mind will remain quite alert. It has no effect on demons, though."
Hearing Lumos chirp in worry for me and anger towards this zombie, I think to myself with a rueful smirk,
Nor, does it affect spirit creatures, you bastard...
"You leave Coraline alone! Fox Magic: Smashing Top!"
The toy enlarges in accordance to Shippo's illusionary powers and pelts down on Mukotsu's head.
"Agh!"
"How'd you like that?"
Unfortunately, it does not slow the zombie down much, and he lifts the veil over his mouth to spew some green-black gas at my fox demon friend!
"Sh-Shippo!"
Mukotsu laughs at the other's sputtering before kicking them away, then turns to advance towards me, ignoring the stronger cries of warning to 'stay away' from my Will O' Wisp partner...
(...Spin, SMASH)
That was when Hiraikotsu comes flying in, and destroys the bamboo container in the poison-user's hands!
Sango!
I glance over to see her, Miroku, Besa and Kilala (she in full form) standing a distance away, as the former catches her weapon on the rebound, filter mask on.
"Miroku, Besa, stay back!"
Both men cover their mouths to avoid breathing in too much of the smog.
"It's poison: So he's the one behind the gas!"
"Cora, are you alright?!"
I struggle to give them a warning expression to deter them from coming any closer than they are.
Everyone, stay away...! Don't, risk your lives!
That's when Shippo gets an idea:
"I know! I'll get Inuyasha, and Freeman!"
With that, I watch as he runs out of the area, with Lumos tagging along with him...Miroku then addresses Mukotsu:
"So you must be one of the Band of Seven."
"(Laugh) That's right: I'm Mukotsu, Poison Master!"
Besa then asks in a stern manner similar to the other male,
"Were you and the others of your band resurrected by the hands of Naraku?! Tell us!"
The zombie only laughed more and replied,
"Couldn't tell you. You'll have to ask the captain...should you survive, that is."
Ooh I don't like the sound of that...
Everyone, get outta here!
(Shoooooom...)
Another shot of those black fumes is spurted out of Mukotsu's bamboo container, to which my brother would respond with by using his Seven Light Crystal shard alongside Sango using her weapon as a shield!
"B-Besa...Sango...Miroku, K-Kilala..."
With all the strength I could muster, I flash my eyes ice blue to check for the auras of my friends and family...and found their beats of energy through the steaming ground.
Oh thank god, they're still alive...
But any relief would be shot to hell, when Mukotsu suddenly jeers,
"Now then, Coraline, the intruders are gone. It's just you and me now..."
FML and then some...!
No POV
"Inuyasha, Freeman! Where'd you guys go?!"
Thankfully, Shippo was able to escape out of the area Mukotsu took over with his miasmic fumes, and invoked his fox demon magic to board his flying toy horse for the skies, combing for any signs of the two young men who left elsewhere.
"Lumos, you got any ideas to where they went?"
The Will O' Wisp, who left with the fox demon to help, pauses in thought...before shivering when he feels the presence of said objects of search, along with a darker energy belonging to another being nearby. Moaning in anticipation, Lumos begins darting off ahead of Shippo, he urging his toy horse along to meet close with the orbed creature's speed.
"Whoa, guess I'll take that as a yes!"
Meanwhile, we catch up with Inuyasha and Freeman as they sprinted along through another part of the forest, tracking the feminine-male zombie with their own heightened senses.
Jakotsu's scent...I'm getting closer.
"My crystal's allowin' me to sense a dead beat with a sick grey ring. It's gotta be him...Uh! There!"
Freeman darts his head up sharply as he and the dog demon reach a new clearing, and they halt into a stop when they spot their inquiry standing atop a fallen log, shaking out his clothes.
"Ah, Inuyasha, Freeman!"
"What the heck are you doin'?!"
Jakotsu replies casually to Inuyasha,
"It's my scent that you're tracking, is it not? Well I thought I'd just make it a little...easier for you. (Looks at Freeman) Ooo, and I love that pretty rainbow glow on your dark skin, stud; makes you look even more appetizing."
Freeman shivers with a mix of disgust and awkwardness:
"Oh dude, you're so lucky my mate Ginta ain't here to listen on that...Plus murderous zombies aren't my type."
His dog demon friend shoots him a raised brow expression that said 'So not the time for that, man', before pulling out his Tessaiga at ready, prompting the dark-sinned male to ready his long hammer.
"Say goodbye!"
"And give our regards to Satan!"
...Cutting away from the budding battle, we now zoom in on a large hut in another clearing of the surrounding pine and beech that was enveloped in poisonous fumes to keep interlopers away...And inside, was our unfortunate redhead Coraline, her body immobile thanks to the earlier blast of paralyzing toxic gas, and at the mercy of the perilous self-proclaimed 'Poison Master', Mukotsu. He lets out a chuckle as he reaches to grab a piece of long white cloth from his wicker basket, before moving to squat in front of Coraline.
"We're surrounded by a barrier of poisonous gas. No one can disturb us...My, what a rare beauty..."
The short-stature zombie reaches to take the girl's chin between his fingers.
"I'm so fortunate to getting married to such a pretty girl..."
If she had the ability to do so, Coraline's stormy blue irises would've bulged with a new rise of fear and rejection (directed at the other being in the room, of course).
What did he just say?! Marry?!
Mukotsu unbuttons his veil, revealing his face in full, which wasn't among the most handsome, but couldn't truly be classified as ugly: It mirrored the likeness of a toad, wide mouth with gaped teeth, large round eyes, pudgy nose, and red markings surrounding the outward part of his eyes and creating two lines going down from his chin to his chest.
"You see, believe it or not, there are some who find me unattractive. (Chuckle) First, the bridal preparations, then we'll have the ceremony..."
The zombie's gleeful anticipation only fueled Coraline's rising anxiety, her heartbeat suddenly jumping faster like the speeding engine of a train, her irises darting back and forth in a panic.
No...No, no! I'm too young, too young to be married, and to a dead man no less?!
Never...Never! Inuyasha! Inuyasha's the only man for me!
Help! Inuyasha, help me!
And as the white cloth is held at ready to be placed on the poor victim...Mukotsu misses the sparking flash of ice blue in the girl's irises, indicating a new problem was on the rise...
Inuyasha's POV
Dammit, if there's one kind of weapon I hate most, it's the speedy type!
A minute after finding the undead bastard, Freeman and I would soon be engaging him in battle.
Unfortunately, for the most part, we weren't so much struggling to land a hit, but more working to avoid getting hit.
"Are you running away?!"
Ignoring the maniac's taunt, I blocked another thrust from that snake-like sword before getting Tessaiga ready to unleash one of my own attacks.
"I've had enough of this."
"Oooh, Inuyasha! I love it when you're angry!"
Jakotsu thrusts his strange blade at me again, forcing me to use my own to block, which in turn would make the gathering breeze disappear!
His sword...It's somehow able to disrupt the Tessaiga's Wind Scar!
"Don'tcha dare forget about me, Jakotsu!"
(Swing, WHAM, rumble...)
Freeman then tries to throw the creep off-balance with one of his underground eruption shots with his hammer, but the latter manages to somersault to the side in time while calling in a coo,
"Oh I won't dare forget you, little boy! The fun's just beginning!"
Jakotsu takes a try at cutting my friend down, who thank god was able to barely dodge thanks to his heightened abilities from his Seven Light shard...Though I did notice as he stopped that his arm was bleeding, so he must've gotten grazed. Nevertheless, the scent of his blood was enough to make me somersault-jump over to him in concern.
"Freeman! You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine; just a scratch...Heh, that's what I get for being careless in not remembering I don't have demon-level speed even with this power boost."
Freeman...
"Alright, just don't push yourself too hard. Leave the heavyweight to me."
"Ten-four...If only there was some way to stop that stupid blade from moving, we could get the jump on Jakotsu."
Hearing us, the bastard jeers,
"Ha. Do you two really believe you can stop the great sword, JakotsutÅ?"
We turn to glare at the dead man determinedly with our weapons at ready before retorting together,
"You bet we do!" "We're sure of it!"
"Inuyasha, Freeman!"
Hmming in confusion, I turn around to see Shippo up in the air on his toy horse with Lumos hovering beside him, his expression urgent.
"Another one of the Band of Seven has Coraline! She needs your help right now!"
...I felt my heart skip a beat at the kid's message, and the demon part of me growling in anger and concern for my intended's safety.
Someone dares to kidnap my girl...my mate-to-be?!
(Growl) They won't live! I'll kill them!
"Inuyasha!"
(CLANG, slash)
"Rgh!"
Mind you, I should've paid attention to the battle I was already in, otherwise Freeman wouldn't have had to jump in front of me and use his hammer to block the incoming connected blades of Jakotsu's sword, resulting in another injury for him, this time in the form of a gash above his left hip!
"Gh! Freeman...!" The dead-man chides in a deadly manner,
"Now now, don't forget about me, unless you want stud here to get hurt..."
Thrusting the sword back, Freeman barks back,
"Shut your hole! You wanna fight? I can deliver! (Looks backwards) Inuyasha, go find sis and leave this freakazoid to me!"
"Uh! But Freeman-"
"Just go, now!"
...I stared at the young man before me for a moment in awe for his willingness to act as bait for the zombie, before nodding with a serious look.
"Okay, show's on you. But be careful and don't hesitate if you gotta run. (Turns around) Let's go, Shippo!"
I leap up towards the kid just as my ears catch the sound of Jakotsu retracting his sword while calling,
"Oh I don't think so!"
"Giddy up!"
Shippo jumps off his horse and hops onto my shoulder, and we make our getaway just as the toy connects with the dead man's chest to create a smoke cloud to cloak his view on us. I glance down at Freeman once more time, who nods up at me with a grim smirk, before I focus forward to begin my search for Coraline.
I swear I'll owe you big time for this, Freeman...
Now, to find my intended and slaughter the bastard who dared to snatch her away.
Freeman's POV
Good luck, you two. I'll do my best to keep Jakotsu's eyes on me and give you time to find everyone...
"(Ghostly moan)"
Just as I finish sending that mental message, Lumos comes barreling down from the air to stop beside me.
"Oh, hey!...You stayin' to help?"
He 'nods', making me mirror the action with an appreciative smile, before I focus up front to the tune of Shippo's wailing mushrooms that were emitting a taunting 'negh-negh' noise, much to Jakotsu's incredulous surprise.
"W-What is this?! Heeeeey! Inuyasha, come back!"
The sight was enough to make me laugh while holding my side with one arm, before I ask in a jeer,
"Aw, what's wrong, Jakotsu? Scared of a few fungi?"
He in turn glares at me and shouts in an infuriated manner,
"Shut up! I don't fight alot of demons with this power!"
"Yeah, that's obvious...Now then."
I shift into a fighter stance, my face emitting all serious while my humour dropped to hide behind a big wall.
"You still got an opponent, so quit your bellyachin' and let's get it on...unless you wanna skip the pointless bloodshed and come clean about what you know regarding Naraku and that jewel shard in your neck."
Jakotsu looks at me with brief shock over my bravery...before breaking into a grin and lifts himself off the ground, shaking the wailing mushrooms off his person which poof away in a cloud of smoke seconds after.
"Mm, that sounds boring. I'd rather work a sweat with you, even if you won't be as challenging as Inuyasha."
"Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm human: I've got the kind of strength that's taken on all kinds of demons, and I'm ready to add a zombie under my list of victims!"
Well, maybe that's a slight stretch, but I have gotten alot stronger...
The zombie lets out a giggle-like chuckle and replies,
"That's great! I like my men strong! (Smirk) Very well, little Freeman: Let's fight...but to make it interesting, let's drag it over to where your allies are and see who's still alive by the time we reach them!"
He then rushes towards me before jumping into the air over my body into the tree cover...
"Hey!"
(...SHOOM)
"Whoa!"
Next thing I knew, I was barely somersaulting out of the way of an incoming thrust from that damn snake blade, before catching quick on that freak's idea and start dashing my way into the forest in the direction my two friends rushed to a couple minutes ago.
Guess this'll be one of those chase-fights...Okay, game on, zombie-man!
Coraline's POV
If I wasn't paralyzed by this freak's poisonous fumes, I would've thrown up with disgust from his touch and his sickening idea to marry me to him. Unfortunately, I was helpless to stop him, as he placed that white cloth over my head like a veil.
"I have my faults, but I'll be a good husband to you. Now, Coraline, it's time for the ritual marriage dance. Try to keep up."
Ulgh, this is all kinds of wrong...!
He then proceeds to make me move in an awkward kneeling dance, singing a song that reigned all crazy and possessive. My mind of course, fazed out the words and opt to panicking over my new predicament.
Those clammy hands...This touch...I can't stand it!
Make it stop, please! Someone please make it stop!
(Pulse...)
For the second time, I then felt a beat of my Soul Energy ring through my veins...but it felt, strange.
Wh-What is this?...Is it my Soul?
I faintly pick up on the jewel shard embedded in this gruesome man's neck, and I think to myself in a manner of desperation,
If only I could rip that wretched shard from his neck...
My thoughts would be briefly distracted when I'm laid on my front by Mukotsu, who comments in that horridly lustful tone,
"Such a fine bride. Such a fine bride, indeed. Now, how about some rice wine?"
Hell no! I refuse to accept anything from this freak!
Come on, body, please move!
(Pulse, pulse, pulse)
The beating of my Soul became more persistent the higher my anxiety, my hatred, my, resistance towards this fate rose. I don't know how this zombie fool could've been so blind...but I could feel the energy of my very being beginning to take over, as evident by the pulsating ice blue ring around my body.
Th-The energy...Something, rising, taking, over...!
(CRASH)
That was when some of my friends came to try and rescue me, in the forms of Sango, Miroku, Besa and Kilala.
"Coraline!" "Cora!"
"Coraline!"
Mukotsu was obviously displeased that his plans were being disrupted:
"How dare you interrupt my ceremony!"
As much as I willed my throat to cry out a warning, I couldn't stop the creep from unleashing a torrent of his poisonous fumes. Sango of course felt confident in taking him on:
"Leave this to me!"
However...it seemed this particular brand of miasma was stronger than what her filter mask can handle, the signs being her gasp and Mukotsu's mocking chuckle.
"That little mask of yours won't work: This poison enters through your eyes and skin!"
On that note, my poor slayer friend collapses on her front to the ground, overcome by the power.
Sango!
The two men cry out her name as well, before they too succumb to a faint from the poison...
No! Miroku! Besa!
That left Kilala to try and lunge at Mukotsu, before she was blasted by those same fumes that got Shippo earlier before he escaped to find the others, finding herself writhing while shifting back into her dormant form...
Kilala!
"(Laugh) That's everyone. I of course am unaffected...Nothing can harm me."
...Hearing that smug tone of his, that laugh again...
I had reached my wit's end.
This, bastard...He wishes to make his victims feel helpless, helpless...Just like-
(Flash)
Those men, women and children senselessly killed by Trinity in India, their outcries ringing in truest horror with the flames...
(Flash)
Those poor women who were victimized by Gatenmaru the moth demon, who sucked them dry of their life...
(Flash)
...I refuse. I refuse to be tied helpless to this beast!
This bastard beast who would dare try to make me vulnerable and take me away from the man I love!
I, WON'T, BE, HELPLESS!
(Gleam)
My vision clouded over with a black-washed ice blue, the energy rising in my blood and eliminating the paralyzing numbness in my body, my mind sinking deep into emotions so mixed I couldn't make heads or tails of anything...except the feeling of pure, undeniable, white-hot Rage.
"Now then, my dear sweet Coraline. Shall we pick up where we left off?"
...My hand finds the handle of my combat knife.
"Die."
"Huh?"
No one, not even myself, would see my next move coming: I propelled myself to my feet again, and whirled around while belting out a Banshee-like screech before lunging at Mukotsu, knocking him down onto his back before bringing my knife down on him over and over and over!
His screams rang through this shack alongside my beast-like roars, his blood protruding from the multiple stab wounds I drove into his skin, my powers sparking on my blade and creating excruciating shock currents to shake with agonizing torture throughout his body! Only one thought echoed through my head:
KILL HIM, KILL HIM, KILL HIM...!
I faintly recall feeling a twinge of rising anxieties from my friends and brother, but that was the least of my priorities during this psychotic...yet sickeningly satisfying episode.
I'm not sure how long I had kept this going along, but somehow, Mukotsu, despite being severely injured even for a zombie, managed to slip himself backwards from me and tried to drag himself out of the hut to escape...But I wouldn't let him slide out of his unavoidable fate.
With the calm air of an assassin, and the raw power of my Aura radiating off my body, glowing hauntingly with utterly wild hatred and rage burning in my irises, I proceeded out the doorway in a steady pace, easily keeping up with the pitiful excuse of revived life, who was now looking at me with a new air of petrifying fear.
"Please, C-Coraline, please-(cough, hack) wait...! Don't, k-kill me! Don't take, my life!"
There was no room for sympathy within this new me in control of this freaked situation. I merely glowered in a seething manner down at Mukotsu, whispering in a deadly tone while reaching my free hand to grab my sword,
"Pathetic beggar...Go back to hell where you belong, you disgusting, pigheaded, undead BEAST!"
(Shing)
"DIE!"
(SLASH)
The energy from ShatterSoul emanated a different light this time: Coal black with a dark electric blue, acting like tiny blades that shredded the zombie into thousands of fleshed pieces, before that in turn disintegrated to leave behind no more than the skeletal framework inside the white robes of that pathetic excuse of life...
...
...The area falls still to the tense winds that blew, my breathing ragged and carrying the heavy weight of my overpowering emotions and Aura. The feeling of this bastard's blood on my skin...it was disgusting, yet, disturbingly, in a good way.
"...My. So this is how far your limits will extend to allow you to continue life."
I slowly looked up, my Aura Power continuing to block my normal eyesight from getting a clear view of the new figure standing near one side of the hut...But there was no mistaking that particular demonic aura I was sensing, or that deep toned voice that I was hearing either.
Se-ssho-maru...
"This demonstration is merely more proof of how well you and that half-breed little brother of mine truly match."
I ask in a haggard whisper,
"W-Wha-t, do you, m-mean?"
"You both carry a barely controllable beast within your beings, and have an annoying habit of surviving near-death."
"...I-Is that, so?"
Does this mean...I've, awoken my own version, of a demon ego?
"...Coraline!"
Uh! Inuyasha!
The pitter-patter of fast footfalls approaches, and I pivot my head just a few centimeters to see through my still overly-powered Aura Vision the demonic (one with their half-human core) structures that represented my boyfriend and Shippo arriving to this area.
"Gh! Sesshomaru...?"
Amber irises shift focus to my heavy-breathed, raw Aura-radiating, black-washed ice blue-eyed and bloodied form, my hands limply holding up my weapons stained crimson from the blows I dealt to the now skeletal body of the zombie poison user. Needless to say, Inuyasha was stunned beyond comprehension.
"C...Coraline...?"
"Hh...Hh...Inu-yasha..."
Shippo's jaw was slack, his green eyes shining with awe and horror, before he turns attention to the others inside.
"Uh! Oh no!"
His little body dashes inside the demolished hut, and I hear his voice cry out,
"They all look like they're dead...!"
Inuyasha's breath catches, before he turns to growl at the one he thought was responsible, somehow fazing out my disheveled and haunting appearance.
"What did you do, Sesshomaru?!"
I struggle out in a hoarse voice just barely above a mutter,
"N-No! He, h-had only arrived...after I, k-killed, M-Mukot-su..."
"Killed? Hn, that's putting it rather lightly: Looked more like you slaughtered the dead man."
Our eyes focus on the older dog demon, who adds neutrally,
"But it was more than likely he wouldn't have answered my questions, so you did both of us a favor by getting rid of him. Simple as that."
Through my fragile state of sanity, I was a bit surprised by that almost-compliment from him, while Inuyasha was more curious about what his half-brother was seeking answers to.
"What questions?"
"I caught the boy Kohaku's scent...Does that mean Naraku is near?"
(Rustle...)
"Hm?"
We then hear the sound of rattling leaves from the treeline...before we're suddenly greeted by my other twin brother, Freeman!
"Freeman!" "F-Freeman..."
What I didn't expect, was how beaten and worn-down he looked, his body sporting several bruises and shallow cuts alongside a rather deep-looking incision on his hip...It would be Inuyasha who asked,
"What the heck happened to you?"
"Hah, hah, had a bit of trouble gettin' down here thanks to Jakotsu. Hah, I, lost 'im down a small sinkhole that his blade stirred up under my feet. Nearly got buried alive."
What?!
I felt that dulling rage begin to rise anew, providing clarity for my voice and temporarily erasing my weariness and stutters.
"Where is he?! I'll cut him down and make him regret coming back from the dea-UH!"
(PULSE)
...But that was when my adrenaline finally sunk to the bottom despite my still overpowered Aura, and the last thing I remember, was Freeman rushing to me and Inuyasha's expression of fear and worry, before it all went black.
No POV
The black-washed blue energy that ringed around Coraline's body billowed away as she fell unconscious face-down, her Aura Power pushed too far past its limits for her to remain awake...
"Cora!"
Freeman quickly ran over to kneel down in front of his sister, holding her up in his arms while also taking note of the splashes of red on her person.
What the...Where'd all this blood come from?
Unless...
He looks over at the skeleton of the newly-dead Mukotsu, before putting two and two together with bugling eyes.
Uh! She...Oh, Coraline, what the hell'd you have to do?
Unbeknownst to him and the other two men, the zombie he was previously fighting had caught up to them, and was now watching their forms from behind a tree.
Damn that Inuyasha, ignoring me for that psychotic redhead...
(Shudder) Somehow, that bitch was able to kill brother Mukotsu without any mercy.
...Who is this Coraline, truly?
Also...who is that other self-important demon? I've never heard tale of him before.
But his air speaks of a power that can best an opponent as easily as swatting a fly.
Jakotsu spots an Insect of Hell leaving from the skeletal corpse to elsewhere, with the jewel shard that throbbed life in the former poison-user...
Hmm, I better not stick around...
His lips curve into a small smile as he adds in an afterthought while darting out of the area the other way,
But, at least I had a good chase with the stud, 'til he fell down that hole. Poor boy; a miracle he managed to get here.
...I'll look forward to when we'll meet again for another round, Freeman.
We focus back on the dog demons, as Sesshomaru asks again,
"Answer me, Inuyasha: Where is Naraku?"
Snapping out of his state of shock and worry cast to his woman, Inuyasha mutters,
"We haven't been able to find him either. But now, we've got these phantoms possessing Shikon-no-Tama shards coming after us...I'm sure Naraku's close by."
"...That's all I need to know."
With that, Sesshomaru turns to walk out of the area, despite his younger half-brother calling after him.
Meanwhile, Shippo was more pressed with trying to wake up the fallen slayer, monk and twin-tail cat demon.
"Please, say something, Sango! Miroku! Miroku, wake up!"
"I-It's, no use, Shi-ppo..."
The fox demon turns spins around to see Besa struggling to push himself off the floor on his elbows, his skin beading with sweat.
"Auh! Besa! But how?!"
"I, activated, my crystal at the, l-last second...But even it's power isn't gonna hold for long. This poison is, t-too strong. Urgh!"
Shippo rushes to try and help push the dark-skinned boy upward, while Inuyasha darted over to where Freeman was to gently take Coraline into his arms.
"Coraline...! Coraline! Rgh, damn it, I knew it; I should've stayed with her!"
Freeman places a hand on the dog demon's shoulder and chides seriously,
"Beating yourself up over this ain't gonna help jack, man. We should focus on giving everyone an antidote before the poison really attacks their systems."
Small Time Skip, Rin's POV
It's been quite a while since milord left to find a possible lead in his search for that evil Naraku, and Jaken and I have settled on a fallen log on the edge of a clearing while A-Un sat on the grass in front of us. I've been getting better at trying to remain patient during these times, but it's not easy for a young soul like me...
"Lord Sesshomaru is sure late...Now I wish I had gone with him."
Jaken would dismiss my wishes by reminding me,
"Nonsense. There was definitely signs of poison where Lord Sesshomaru was going. If you had gone with him, you'd be pushing up daisies for sure."
Oh yes, that's right: The poison.
"Haaah, I guess you're right...Hm?"
That's when I hear the sound of soft footsteps from behind me in the trees, and I turn around to see a familiar figure walking to...well, I'm not sure where.
Uh! Kohaku...?
I then watch as one of those scary insects comes hovering to his hand to present a piece of that jewel I've heard spoken about a couple times...
What are you doing here?
"...What is it, Rin?"
"Mm?"
I snapped out of my thoughts to Jaken's voice, and turn to quickly reply,
"Oh, it's nothing..."
If I were to tell him about Kohaku, he may report to Lord Sesshomaru...
The imp stares at me for a moment, before turning his back to me once again, while I look to see...that Kohaku was gone.
Recalling what I had been through with that boy, the good, and the bad, I felt the feeling of worry rise.
Lord Sesshomaru...If you see him again, will you kill Kohaku?
Buddha Temple, No POV
At the same time the youngest ward of Sesshomaru's group spots the mentally-enslaved demon slayer nearby the areas of these recent events, we check back to the temple another unnamed member of the Band of Seven had claimed for his fellow men, having since eradicated the rest of the monks after killing the elder, their charred bodies littering the holy grounds...
He's now speaking with Jakotsu inside one of the temple's rooms, the former having since redressed himself in the robes of the dead monk.
"I see...First Kyokotsu, and now Mukotsu."
"Yep."
"So, what can you tell me about Mukotsu's killer?"
The feminine man scowls as he went into his description of Coraline:
"Ugh, as much as I hate thinking about women...there was definitely something strange going on with that redhead. Her body was glowing a dark icy colour, and her voice, (shudder) sounded like a monster rising from Hell. I'm not even sure she was fully aware of what she was doing, like, she was losing control over her being...Still, if that woman had remained that way, I'm almost certain that she wouldn't have rested until all of us were dead, again..."
"Hm, interesting..."
"Mind you, the demon that showed shortly after the bitch murdered our brother had a similar if less aggravated air. He had cold, expressionless eyes...quite manly, I suppose you could say...But I guess if it came down to it, I'd still have to choose Inuyasha."
Sensing Jakotsu's mind drifting, the warrior-zombie moves to get him back on topic.
"I believe we're losing focus, Jakotsu..."
"But Renkotsu...there still seems to be many things we haven't been told."
"Hm?"
"Take for instance this Naraku person who revived the seven of us...Who is he, exactly?"
The other zombie, identified as Renkotsu, shuts his eyes in thought.
"Hmm, Naraku..."
"Brother...have you ever met him?"
"...No, only big brother has met Naraku. Naraku handed him the shards of the Shikon-no-Tama, including ones for us...Naraku told him that if we got rid of anyone who sought Naraku, the shards would become ours."
Jakotsu seemed to take this information in with a calm air, if a little suspicious.
"What an agreement. Two of the Band of Seven are already dead...So from the seven, that leaves only four."
"Seven minus two is five."
"Huh? (Counts his fingers) Wait..."
Renkotsu then inquires with a small smirk forming,
"But Jakotsu...you said that Inuyasha's friends were exposed to Mukotsu's poison."
"Yes, excluding that cutie Freeman who I fought down to where our newly dead brother was hiding out...I did notice his twin had a faint rainbow glow to his skin like he had, so they must be trying something to stay conscious...but, Mukotsu's poison is very persistent, and the stud can only fight the pain of his injuries for so long."
Looking to the outside, Jakotsu adds,
"By nightfall, they'll probably all be dead."
...Speaking of Inuyasha and company, we turn our eyes towards an area in the forest with a deep-pooled waterfall, our poisoned slayer, monk and swordswoman laying on their backs unconscious atop a large boulder. Freeman, who now had a few bandages wrapped around his limbs and his waist, was kneeling on the rock while having his brother Besa lean against him, the latter fighting to stay conscious with the power of his Seven Light shard, its rainbow energies glowing faintly in his veins while his body perspired profoundly.
Inuyasha, Shippo and Kilala, the only three who didn't have any severe handicaps, gazed at everyone with worry, more so the ones not awake, as the fox demon comments while holding a cup,
"Well, we gave them the antidote, but now they need rest, and lots of it."
He locks eyes with Besa and asks,
"Is it helping your crystal at all with healing you?"
"Hah...Hah, kind-of. It's getting, harder to stay awake...I'm more, concerned for sis, though: I dunno, what happened to her, but something in her p-powers must've snapped."
Freeman nods in agreement:
"Yeah...I could feel it too. Somehow, that power burst had eliminated most of the poison in her system, but it's left her extremely weak, more than Sango and Miroku..."
Inuyasha clenches his teeth slightly, and reaches to brush some of Coraline's hair from her face, muttering,
"You're right, all of you...We should really find a safer place for them, (glances at the twins) and you two since one of you's close to passin' out and the other's sporting injuries thanks to Jakotsu."
...At the same time the able-bodied began formulating a plan of action to transport the sick and injured, Renkotsu moved to stand in the doorway of the room he was speaking with his brother in, chuckling as he muses aloud,
"This gets even more interesting...As it turns out, our brother Ginkotsu is heading their way as we speak...Ginkotsu: More than a match for any demon."
...
...
And somewhere deep within the trees nearing the waterfall area...another dead man whose body consisted of flesh, and metal, was slowly making their trek to find and eliminate the enemy.