Chapter 116: The Sengoku Era's Undead Cyborg
Continuing where we last left off in recent events, we check back briefly with Shichinintai brothers Renkotsu and Jakotsu, as the former gives the latter a new task to accomplish while a third of their group, called by the name Ginkotsu, picks up where their newly deceased brother, Mokotsu left behind after poisoning close to half of Inuyasha's group...
Of course, the feminine male would be less than pleased at being deterred from another possible clash with a certain dog demon and/or a black coarse-haired teen.
"It's not fair, Renkotsu! I told you before that Inuyasha and Freeman are mine!"
"That's enough, Jakotsu. Plans have changed somewhat: I have another mission prepared for you."
The latter could care less and continued to complain like a child being denied candy.
"It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair!"
"I said, that's enough, Jakotsu."
"But Renkotsu, Inuyasha and Freeman, they're-"
Renkotsu sternly cuts in before the conversation could keep circling:
"Quit whining, Jakotsu, and listen carefully to what I would have you do."
Jakotsu makes an indignant noise and pouts angrily, until his brother turns to him with a smirk and adds,
"Then, if you hurry right back, you may make it in time...for Inuyasha and this Freeman's deaths."
...Meanwhile, after deciding that they shouldn't stick around the waterfall area incase the Shichinintai make their next attack sooner than later, Inuyasha, with some help from the injured Freeman, would place the unconscious Sango and Miroku on Kilala's back, while Besa, who was still somehow remaining awake despite being weak from the blast of poison, insisted on trying to walk and save the cat demon of some weight, his twin acting as a crutch.
...As for Coraline, the dog demon would carry her on his back himself, but not before quickly changing her into a set of clothes that weren't soaked in crimson from the brutal killing of the poison-using zombie, an action that no one of this group believed to ever be executed by the redhead...She was now wearing a red t-shirt, grey-blue jeans, and still kept her black combat boots since they were easy to clean the blood off of.
Now, as he led along Kilala and the twins in a slow march past a crystalline lake, Inuyasha found himself glancing back at his intended with worried eyes when he picks up on the faint sound of a wince from the girl.
"Are you in pain, Coraline? Hang in there just a little longer..."
And as for, what happened before...we'll leave that conversation for after you're better.
Shippo, who was riding on Kilala's neck while holding Miroku's staff, looks back at the unconscious monk and Sango while telling them,
"Don't you worry; it's gonna be okay!"
He pivots his head left to address the twins, noticing that Besa's fatigue was growing.
"How are you holding up, Besa?"
"Hh, hh, not terribly, but, not sure how long I can keep, walking..."
Freeman shifts his grip on his cornrow-haired brother and tells him,
"Just let me know if we need to go fireman-style, bro."
"But, you're still hurt from your, fight with Jakotsu..."
"I can handle it; they're just some cuts on my limbs and my hip. Nothin' holdin' my shoulders back. (Grim smile) I'd have t' turn into a giant scab before anyone can stop me from helping my brother."
"Freeman..."
Having heard the conversation with his sharp demon hearing, Inuyasha felt a short-lived smile form on his lips from hearing the sibling care in his friends, before forming a serious frown when he reminds himself,
They're puttin' on a brave front, but even Besa won't stay conscious for long, and Freeman's gonna put himself at risk if he aggravates his injuries the wrong way tryin' to help me, Shippo and Kilala...
I gotta get everyone to a safe place, right away.
At the same time, we find that elder priest and student that we've seen a few times in recent days traveling past the higher part of waterfall our main group of heroes just left from only a while ago, after spending the night up in that hilltop shrine (which unknown to the pair, had experienced a takeover by evil hours after they left...).
"It's a very fine day today, wouldn't you agree, Master?"
"Yes, indeed it is. We need not fear demons nor specters in this weather."
"I-I'm not sure if I follow your reasoning, but I do not doubt your wisdom on the matter, Master."
"Now let us make haste. We would do well not to test these disputable truths."
"Right!"
...Unfortunately, such promise would not come to pass, when they reached the bridge crossing the waterfall, and discover a fushia pink glow emanating behind the clear blue waters.
"Huh?"
"What is that light?"
(...Shwooooom, slice-slice-slice, CRASH)
"Gah!" "Auh!"
Suddenly, several blades came shooting out to destroy the wooden bridge before the priest and his apprentice could step onto it, which were sent...by the zombie Ginkotsu! They do not hesitate whatsoever in bolting back in the other direction while crying out in terror, as the undead bulk watched them leave with a grunted chuckle under their breath...
...Speaking of risen bodies, we check in on Jakotsu now as he sits underneath a tree on a hill overlooking a new village, plucking away at the petals of a flower while contemplating the fate of two figures on his mind.
"They will die...They will not die...They will die...They will not die...They will die...Hah! They won't die!"
He gently tosses away the flower, somewhat satisfied with the answer, but still disappointed at the fifty-fifty chance he may not witness the prediction.
"Haoh well, just when things were getting interesting...Hoh, how can Renkotsu be so mean to me?"
Images of a superimposed Inuyasha and a determined Freeman flash before Jakotsu's imagination, making him mentally swoon over their names in a lovelorn manner...
"Haaaoh, oh well, I guess it can't be helped..."
He stands up and preps to move downward towards the populace in the distance.
"I better finish up my work here before brother Ginkotsu kills those two...I sure hope Inuyasha and Freeman stay alive until I get back...But, against Ginkotsu, I don't know, still..."
Inuyasha's POV
Man, this couldn't be a worse situation if it tried.
Three of my pack members are down with poison, one barely stayin' awake thanks to his crystal, while his brother is forced to trudge through injuries after playin' live bait to that freak Jakotsu, and my intended...
She might not be handicapped by the poison anymore, but I can tell she went through Hell and back again thanks to her powers.
...What the hell happened to you, Coraline? What did that bastard Mukotsu do to push you past sanity and, kill him in coldest blood?
I come out of my thoughts when the kid suddenly says to me as we kept moving along this lake,
"Hey, Inuyasha, I really don't it's wise to move them any further. It'll make the poison spread faster."
As much as I wanted to agree in full, I also knew that staying rooted to one spot right now wasn't a good idea either.
"Yeah, I know that. I also know that we can't stop now: The moment Freeman and I left to go chase after Jakotsu, the Band of Seven attacked Coraline, Miroku, Sango and Besa."
Shippo whimpers in worry, before I hear Freeman add in accordance to my reasoning,
"If wind catches that we're down four of our own, those undead creeps won't hesitate to make worse trouble for us."
"Yeah, but guys, if left untreated-"
Besa cuts into the kid's worries with a weakened tone,
"T-They, understand the risk, Shippo, but, they're right too: We can't, rest out in the open. We need to find, somewhere, s-secluded."
"Besa..."
I was about to turn my head and silently thank the man for stopping me from barking at the kid - for that wouldn't have helped the situation at all - when I suddenly sensed something off on the other side of the big stretch of water.
"Huh?"
I stop, prompting Shippo and Freeman to ask me,
"Hey Inuyasha, what's wrong?"
"Is something coming near us?"
...Next I knew, these weird and very dangerous-looking round blades starting speeding at us from across the blue!
"What the heck are those things?!"
I exclaim to the others,
"Shippo, Freeman, Kilala, get down!"
Luckily, we all managed to duck in time, leaving those strange blades to go whirling through some tree trunks behind us, before swerving around to fly back to where they were first launched from.
"Those looked like, giant buzz-saw blades..."
I turn to look at Freeman in confusion for his bated mutter:
"Buzz-saw?"
"Yeah, it's a type of round, jagged blade used for electrical hardware...which is odd since it won't be a few centuries until they're invented..."
Hm...it must be the Shichinintai...
But there's no way I can fight them now...
"Freeman, can you activate that speed boost with your crystal again?"
"I think so. Besa, hang on; we're goin' fireman from here."
"Al-right..."
(Sheen...)
Once they were ready, I direct,
"Alright: Freeman, Kilala, follow me."
We're soon rushing through the denser part of the deep green, my red robes slow-blurring with Kilala's yellow fur and Freeman's dark skin shining a transparent rainbow, and I think aloud with a small smirk,
"Keh, I bet those flying 'buzz-saws' of theirs won't be much use in the forest..."
Freeman replies as he runs beside me carting his brother over his upper back and shoulders,
"We can only hope."
(Boom...)
"Huh? Now what?"
We stop when a large explosion echoed back from where we ran from, and looking up...I saw something I didn't think was possible: A singular bomb breaking apart to rain down hundreds of smaller ones!
"What the-?!"
Freeman would provide another one of those future technical terms:
"Aw crap, a shrapnel bomb...!"
Where the hell are these bastards getting such weapons?!...I'd almost wonder if Trinity's made a comeback and started giving those undead sacks of flesh pointers, but somehow I find that highly unlikely...
It wouldn't be long before most of the forest, including where we're standing, was up in flames...
"Dammit, is he gonna blow up the entire forest?"
"Oooh, we're done for!"
"Don't panic on me, Shippo. They don't know where we are; they're firing randomly."
First things first: I have to get these four to safety...
Freeman then points to a path that wasn't blocked by fire and exclaims over the boom of another one of those, what was it, 'shrap-nel bombs?',
"We better hurry before we get boxed in by the fire!"
"Good call!"
Heading that way and darting down a few other paths while doing our damnedest to block out the sound of those explosions, we all eventually make it out of the forest, and come across somewhere decent enough to duck into until we could come up with another plan.
"Look: A cave!"
Thank kami...
Once we were all inside, I carefully lift Coraline off of my back to lie her down on the cave floor next to Sango and Miroku, while Besa was sitting propped up against the wall in front of them, now really struggling to stay conscious.
"Hah...hah...G-Guys...I don't think, I can stay, awake anymore...The p-poison, i-is...uuuuhhhh..."
His head dips downward in a limp, and Freeman tries to call him back awake while shaking one of his shoulders.
"Besa?...Besa! Damn it, he's out cold...! Rgh!"
He whacks a fist against the cave wall in frustration, and I could smell that he was fighting hard not to tear up, making me feel bad for him.
Freeman...Guess he's not used to playing the bigger brother out of the two...
Damn. The poison is spreading fast...At this rate...
The kid mutters each of our down four's names with a wavering voice, before I decide to get up and make sure this doesn't get any worse than it has to.
"Shippo, Freeman. Stay here and watch over them, and don't you dare come out."
"What're you gonna do, Inuyasha?" I reply,
"Do? Kuh, isn't it obvious?"
As I start running out of the cave, I hear those two call back,
"Inuyasha...mph! Don't worry: We'll guard them with our lives, right, Freeman?"
"Yes! Send that bastard to Hell for us, man!"
Don't you worry about that, Freeman...
Before I leaped off to track down the source of those future-like weapons, I vow,
"I'll show these guys who they're dealing with!"
Myoga's POV
It had been sometime since I last saw Master Inuyasha and his friends, and I was going to drop by the area to trade words and find out about any further progress in their missions...only to discover their scents had parted for somewhere in the far Northeastern regions!
With annoyance boiling within me, I began my long journey to try and track them all down, currently flying aboard a crow.
"I can't believe it. I leave them for just one second and they all run off on me without a single parting word! What on earth are they doing so far north anyway?"
I think about some possible scenarios...and one stuck out stronger than the others.
"Hauh! Maybe they came...for the hot springs!"
I could see it now: Everyone having a grand old time in those soothing waters...
My eyes bawl and I whack my small fist down as I exclaim ruefully,
"Gaa-hahah, I can't believe they would leave me behind for such a pleasant, relaxing time!"
Moving to a stand, I shout to the winds,
"I know this was all your idea, Master Inuyasha! I will catch up to you!"
The crow began flying faster in accordance to my cries, making me wobble a little before saying,
"H-Hey, watch it, you stupid bird!"
...Though I would eventually learn that such presumptions were false, and the situation could not have been more dire.
My first sign, was when I suddenly met with that strange creature that acted as Coraline's spirit partner, Lumos.
"(Ghostly moan)"
I did not know from where exactly he came, but his fast approach certainly startled me and the crow.
"(Caw, caw)"
"Whoa, whoa!...Lumos! What on earth are you doing out here all by yourself?"
Though I could not understand his strange language of bell-like spirit calls, based on the way he was pacing them out and how frantically he was circling around, it seemed like he was fighting to go into a panic attack.
"Hey, hey, calm down, my friend! What's wrong?"
Unless...could something have happened to Coraline and everyone else?
"...Lumos, take me to where you came from!"
That seemed to halt his anxiety somewhat, and he stops dizzying himself in circles, before beginning a fast backtrack to wherever point he came, myself prompting the crow to follow.
"Follow that orb!"
"(Caw, caw)"
No POV
Moving away from the flea demon, we catch up with Inuyasha deep within the forests near the cave where he left the rest of his group to hide out, sprinting and weaving past blurred trunks of deep brown to try and track down the member of the Band of Seven responsible for the release of weapons beyond the imaginations of the minds living in this era of time.
"Where the heck is this guy?"
Pausing a moment, he darts his head around noting,
The smell of gunpowder's all over this place...How am I gonna find him?
"...Huh?"
His sharp amber irises then catch sight of something shining in the distance.
"I gotcha!"
...What he wasn't aware of, however, was that the giant zombie made from flesh and metal was closing in with heavy steps towards the cave. Hearing the trudging steps, Shippo, Kilala and Freeman poke their heads to the entrance to see what the noise was, only to bulge their eyes at the sight of Ginkotsu.
"Y-Y-Yikes! What is that thing?!"
"Trouble, little dude, that's what!...Shit, and he's seriously armed; we gotta fall back and shield everyone, now!"
At the same time those three dart back into the safety of the dark rocky walls, Inuyasha had reached the source of the shine...revealed to be noneother than a dud bomb!
"Damn! It was a trap to lure me away! (Whirls around) No, Coraline!"
(BANG, boom...BANG, boom...)
By that point, Ginkotsu had begun his assault on the handicapped members of the dog demon's group, firing giant bullets from a cannon-version of the matchlock barrel attached to his shoulder at the entrance to the cave, while inside, the ceiling began to rain loose stones on the victims of this assault!
Shippo exclaims in a panic,
"This is bad, really bad; we'll all be buried alive!"
Freeman calls back while holding his body over his brother's and Miroku's upper bodies,
"Don't lose your head, man! Better yet, come and help me protect the others from the falling debris!"
I'd say we should run, but right now's a no-go with that...mecha-menace firing from that cannon!
We'd be blown to pieces before we could get two steps away...
The third of the conscious trio, Kilala, found herself staring outward to where the zombie was...before she suddenly broke into a charge, ignoring the sounds of her comrades calling for her. She moves to stand outside the entrance, growling fiercely at Ginkotsu, before launching herself into a pounce to fight with him.
He in turn would fire a sharp-looking metal clamp back at the twin-tail cat demon, who dodges to the side, only to become caught in the mechanism's grip when it swerves around and opens to seize her from behind!
She lets out a pained howl, before Ginkotsu tosses her harshly against the rock wall above the cave entrance, leaving poor Shippo to gaze in fear at her collapsing body...
(Clank, clank)
The zombie prepares to launch his buzz-saws once again as he remarks in a deep, somewhat robotic voice like a distorted call through a speaker,
"Geeesssh...I'll turn you all into mincemeat!"
He releases all five jagged round blades at once, making the fox demon duck and cover with a small scream...before the prodigal dog demon comes leaping in from the forest cover!
"Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
The energy of his dog fang blade throws the buzz-saws off-balance, forcing them to fall to the ground without causing bodily harm...
"...Inuyasha..."
He pivots his head over his shoulder to ask the shaken fox demon child,
"Are you two alright?"
"(Nod) Mhm, we're both okay."
"So are the others!"
That added call came from Freeman as he comes rushing out of the cave with a slight limp thanks to the wrapped gashes on his legs to kneel by Kilala, brushing his hand over her head while informing her softly,
"Hang on, girl: I'll have you healed up some in a sec."
She in turn whimpers a growl in gratitude, while Inuyasha focuses in front of him to address the menace responsible for the group's current predicament.
"Hey, you freak: How dare you trick me like that!"
Once the dust cloud settles, one could get a better full-view of the force known as Ginkotsu: He was a tall bulk of a man, with short, shaggy bright-red hair, a metal plate covering his right eye, the left surrounded with blue outlining, yellow cornucopias replacing his ears, a large, bulldozer-shaped metal jaw, and even a thin mechanical arm possessing a grappling claw and steel feet! Any parts of his body that were still organic were covered for the most part by his samurai armour, also customized to meet lethal mechanical standards, such as three spikes on each of his shoulder plates, several weapons with elements from past and future inventions attached to his back, and finally, he had a short uchigatana sword strapped to his left flank.
"Geeeesh..."
Steam spews from the zombie's hips as he pulls back the buzz-saws to their holster again, using a break to slow them to a stop from spinning...
"Inuyasha..."
"Keh, you don't look human, so what are you?"
"I am called Ginkotsu."
The dog demon replies in a sarcastic manner,
"Gee, I'd love to sit down and hear your life story, but time's a bit short right now. (Lunge) So I'm gonna put an end to this!"
Ginkotsu doesn't even flinch:
"So thoughtless of you to leave your friends to suffer the effects of Mukotsu's poison, 'cause at this rate, they won't live past sundown."
That caused a bit of falter in the charging Inuyasha's determined leap forward.
"Sundown? Are you serious?"
"But don't worry. I'll make you're there to greet them on the Other Side!"
Ginkotsu then launches the buzz-saw blades again to target the dog demon, who blocks two with his sword, jumps out of the way of another pair, before blocking away the last one. He then turns to call over his shoulder,
"Kilala, Freeman, Shippo: Get the others away from here right now!"
Those three nod before rushing back into the cave to gather everyone who was incapacitated...Raising his clamp metal arm, Ginkotsu prepares to snare them back, only to be met in a clash with Inuyasha's Tessaiga!
"No you don't! I'm the one you're gonna fight!"
A moment or two later, we see Kilala carrying Miroku, Sango and Coraline on her back, while Freeman held onto his twin brother aboard Shippo who shifted into his balloon form, using his tail like a motorboat propeller to speed away, calling to the dog demon with his deepened voice.
...Inuyasha glances up at his retreating friends while mentally calling back,
Shippo, Freeman, I'm countin' on you two.
Shippo's POV
Because there were so many of us needing to escape the area through the air, I decided to step up and shift into my balloon form so I could carry Freeman, who in turn held onto Miroku's staff and his unconscious brother, while Kilala took the other three who were still passed out from the poison of that creep Mukotsu and Sango's Hiraikotsu.
Oooh, we need to find another place to rest, fast! I dunno how long Inuyasha will be able to keep that, Ginkotsu busy...
Also, much as I've been gettin' stronger, I'm not sure how long I can hold this form.
"We need to hurry, Kilala, Freeman, and get everyone to safety!"
Freeman calls back from atop of me,
"I know, kiddo! We should focus on an area high enough from ground-level that it'll take at least a long while before our enemies somehow track us down again..."
Ah! That's a good idea...But where on earth can we go that's safe enough in the tall hills and mountains?
Kilala would provide an answer when she spots a location none too far ahead, namely,
"Uh! A temple! Good find, Kilala; we'll land down there. Hit the speed, Shippo!"
"You got it!"
Once we land in the courtyard of the temple, Freeman hops off me with Besa and Miroku's staff in his arms to allow me to shift back to normal.
(Pop)
"Ah! That's better...Hm..."
Is anyone here?
I pick up the staff to hold so my friend could focus on carrying his brother, while darting my head around to search for any signs of a caretaker...Surprisingly, they would be the ones to approach us from behind, in the form of a young bald man wearing a monk's uniform. Feeling brave, I step forward to ask politely,
"...Um, excuse me," which Freeman would follow with,
"Is there any chance you could help us, preferably in terms of medical?"
The monk gives us a smile, before gesturing us to follow him as a way of saying 'of course'...
...What we'd learn later, though, is that we came to a place that would offer anything but help.
Inuyasha's POV
With my pack having successfully gotten out of the area and away from this freak's line of fire, I could focus better on fighting to take down this new zombie from the Shichinintai.
Only problem was that as unstable as he may have looked, Ginkotsu was no pushover when it came to battle, using those strange 'buzz-saw' blades to try and slice me to pieces. For the most part, my demon speed was capable of topping that of the weapons, leaving the tree trunks and even a boulder to get cut down instead of my flesh...Unfortunately, I knew this strategy was only gonna work for so long, given that the blades kept coming at me faster and faster after each return.
"Damn it!"
"Geeeesh, quit jumping around so much. You don't want your friends to die alone, do you?"
I'm not gonna let them die at all, you bastard! If anyone's meeting the afterlife, it's you!
With that promise, I decide to try a different strategy: Standing still, I strained my ears to listen for the vibrating movements of those blades...before using Tessaiga to block each one coming to embed in me! It almost worked one-hundred percent, but one buzz-saw got lucky and sliced my left shoulder.
"Grh!"
C-Could've, been worse; might've impaled into me...
"Geeesh, oops. Does it hurt?"
I turn to glare at Ginkotsu before retorting,
"I'll show you what hurt means, Ginkotsu! (Raises Tessaiga) Wind-"
(Clang)
"Huh?"
But just as I was about to unleash hell on this undead freak, my sword suddenly got stuck within...strands of metal that webbed around me!
Damn! What are these metal threads?
That hulk of flesh and rusted junk laughed and remarks,
"I was warned to be careful of that sword of yours..."
These threads...they're all over the place...
Uh! Of course: He must've shot them out with those buzz-saws!
...Rgh, this fight just had to get harder, didn't it?
Coraline's POV
Black...
All I can see, is black...
Somehow, this seems familiar, a scene from so long ago...
...No. It's not all dark: I am there, the light among the dark.
...But, not in a good way.
Red...I'm drenched in red, my, combat knife, my sword, limp in my hands, also spattered in red.
"Hh...hah...hh..."
Where did this red come from?...Oh, yes, now I remember: I...I killed-no...I slaughtered Mukotsu.
...But why? What made me lose so much of my emotional, spiritual control?
"...Chile...Chile of Croft..."
H-Huh?...I'm, not alone here?
...I hear footsteps approaching me, from the direction distant front.
...A face blurs into view...A, woman. Her face...it, looks so much like my own, but older...wiser...sadder?
Why does she look so sad?
(Sheen)
Uh! Her eyes...She's an Aura Reader?
...No...No, is she-
"-oraline...Coraline..."
(Blink)
"Mm...rh..."
Before I could make heads or tails of the images within my head, my body forces itself awake, to meet the concerned yet relieved face of Shippo.
"Sh...Shi-ppo...Where, are we?"
"A temple. They've given us shelter..."
He looks over his shoulder and mentions,
"Miroku, Besa and Sango are still unconscious, and Freeman fell asleep while tending to his brother just a few minutes ago. (Sad smile) He really pushed himself to help me and Kilala..."
Oh Freeman, my brother...
"Um, something else you should know: Before we arrived, Freeman and I noticed that Lumos had taken off in another direction. We would've called him back, but-"
I faintly shake my head with a weak smile of reassurance:
"It's, f-fine. I know, he'll return, eventually..."
Most likely went to get help...I just pray my dear Will O' Wisp friend comes back safely...
Wait. Inuyasha...Is he not with us, or, maybe that's where Lumos went?
"You're awake."
"Uh?"
I'm steered away from my groggy pondering, when a new face greets me at the entrance to this room. He was a young man who looked roughly a couple years older than Miroku, with mildly-tanned skin, bald, and wore a somewhat dressier monk's uniform of tan/pale gold with purple sashes.
"I'm so glad. Now just relax and recuperate."
...Something, doesn't feel right.
...Auh, there, his neck!
With all the experience I've attained to this point, it's become child's play to immediately detect the tell-tale glow of the accursed Shikon-no-Tama. But that wasn't what concerned me:
A shard of the jewel in the neck...like, Jakotsu...
This monk. He's no monk; he's another member of the Shichinintai!
...But it seems neither Shippo nor Kilala can smell the scent of the dead on him. He must be disguising it somehow.
With that in mind, I try to will my muscles to move or at the very least whisper a warning to the fox demon beside me...Only problem was, earlier events had left me more physically weak than I thought.
Aw fu-My body feels like lead!...And I must've just used up all the strength my voice-box had.
...Curse that Mukotsu, his poison and his face for triggering...whatever happened to me.
"What a pity. I understand you inhaled poison, though, oddly not as much as your three other companions...Still, you really shouldn't have been moved so soon after."
And you know why, don't you...you wolf in sheep's clothing.
"All four of them are very weak. They won't be able to get up for some time yet. (Glances forward) Similar can be said for the other boy mirroring the image of his poisoned brother. He has greatly exhausted himself trying to ignore the pain in those injuries of his."
I dart my eyes over to Shippo's form, but could see his attention was too deep into mine and everyone else's conditions.
Shoot. He can't see through this man's tricks; he's too muddled in worry...
The zombie disguised as a monk then moves to kneel in front of my free side, carrying something in one of his hands, a, flask of sorts...The other appendage reaches to me, and I glare slightly at it as he brushes his digits against my hair.
...What are you trying to pull?
He merely smiles at me in a way that may have looked sympathetic on the surface, but I was no fool: I could sense that hidden killer's smirk behind it.
"You, should rest a little more."
Next thing I knew, he places and releases the contents of the flask, they being a strong incense.
Uh! I know this smell: It's the same stuff that Grandfather sometimes uses when he has trouble falling asle-
...Oh shit.
Just as I realize what this zombie's intent was, I feel Shippo lightly flop onto my right shoulder/chest area, passing out peacefully into dreamland.
No...I, can't-
As I felt the effects of the incense begin to stuff my head with cotton, somehow, I found my voice again, despite some raspy catches, and hiss to the zombie in the doorway,
"D-Damn...y-you...Sh-Sh-Shichinintai," to which he in turn would mutter back as I fell into the dark again,
"I could say the same...to the woman who murdered one of my brothers."
(Whoooooosh...)
...I would soon awake back in that black space again, only this time, I wasn't dripping in...blood. I was but my regular self, if a little agitated and crawling with goosebumps to being in my mindscape rather than the real world where I was greatly needed.
Damn that zombie's trickery...!
"Calm yourself, chile. The last thing ye need be doing is become agitated to the brink as ye did against that other evil."
Uh! That voice, again...
"...Who's there?"
"Look in front of ye."
Casting my vision to said direction, I would be met with silence for several minutes...before someone began approaching me from the dark again. Once they were in focus...I would be struck with awe at their image:
Those Celtic garments of a checkered fall red, forest green and midnight blue dress (the top left plain with the second dominant colour), leather belt with a sword sheath (it empty), and the brown leather shoes...
Her dark, shining red tousles of waterfall curls reaching to the end of her back, skin the same subtle light tan to the fair, like mine...
Her face...reflecting every feature of my own almost to a T, right down to the two-tone eyes of a lapis/sapphire storm, only older by several years, roughly her mid-twenties.
...I knew in an instant who this woman coming face-to-face with me was.
"You're...you're her. The last wielder of ShatterSoul...You're my ancestor."
"Correct, chile...I had hoped our eventual meet would be under less perilous circumstances...but I suppose Fate cannot help itself in weaving its webs."
She steps closer to me until we're standing only a foot from one another, practically within arms-length...I found my voice caught in my throat once again, eyes wide with wonder as I drank her appearance in. She smiles slightly at me, before introducing herself:
"I, am Rosiagnes, last wielder of ShatterSoul, and second-in-command of the Croft Clan."
...Rosiagnes...
Renkotsu's POV
The demon fox child passed out quickly enough from the incense...but the girl, Coraline, held out for a bit longer, and was able to regain a wisp of her voice to hiss at me,
"D-Damn...y-you...Sh-Sh-Shichinintai," which I would respond to coolly with a subtle sneer,
"...I could say the same...to the woman who murdered one of my brothers."
She was soon out cold like the rest, and while a part of me was tempted to avenge Mukotsu...I knew there was a better way to make his killer suffer.
Do not worry...I will not let you die right away.
After all, if Inuyasha arrives to find you all dead, (smirk) he might be less interested to hear what I have to say to him.
No POV
At the same time the redheaded swordswoman and company's situation becomes all the more dire thanks to Renkotsu, Inuyasha's battle against Ginkotsu had taken another difficult turn thanks to the steel wires the latter released. Now the dog demon was forced to shift from side to side to dodge the incoming jagged blades being launched to spin on the wires, becoming either more cut up or more entangled in the steel strands.
Thrown down backwards from one blitz attack, Inuyasha struggles to move back up into a crouched position, panting and glaring over at the chuckling zombie while thinking to himself,
Damn...what'll I do? I know I can't use the Wind Scar...so what can I...
A new plan suddenly rose in his skull after overlooking the wires:
Uh! (Smirk) Keh, I got an idea...
His first step was to cancel the powers of his sword, allowing it to transform back into its dormant form to sheath.
"Geeesh. Finally giving up, Inuyasha?"
"You shut up! I'm about to cut you up into little bits, so prepare to die!"
The dog demon then sprints into a charge straight for Ginkotsu, hopping and weaving through the steel wires just as the latter preps his cannon.
"You should've stayed down!"
(Pow, ka-BOOM)
Thankfully, Inuyasha was faster than the exploding ammunition, so Ginkotsu would go back to his buzz-saws again, also swiftly dodged by the former save a cut on his right cheek...
"It's useless!"
The metal clamp is launched, but the dog demon uses it to launch himself upward, forcing the zombie to respond by unsheathing his uchigatana to try and thrust at his attacker...However, steel would not connect with flesh.
"Gruh?"
"Up here, creep!"
Looking up, we see the dog demon poised at ready with his full-transformed Tessaiga!
"Now I've got lots of room to give you a taste of my Wind Scar! It's been nice knowin' ya!"
"Grh!"
"WIND, SCAR!"
(SLASH)
The force of power released from the thrust was so great, that not only would Ginkotsu receive grievous injury from the three-clawed energies, but the very ground beneath his feet would give way, causing him to fall with a screech into a gigantic crevice before being buried un-alive...!
...Inuyasha found himself staring down at the rubble for a few moments...before he clues into the fast-approaching sunset.
With his mind clear of perilous distraction, the dog demon would begin a new sprint through the overgrowth to find his group, more specifically, one member in particular who held a place deep within his heart.
I've gotta hurry to Coraline and the others...!
...Coraline...!
What he didn't know, was that the three severely-poisoned, two greatly-fatigued (one more so spiritually than physically) and two able-bodied were caught in yet another sinister plan concocted by one of the members of the Band of Seven, deep in slumber thanks to the incense released by Renkotsu, who bides his time by burying the last of the monks he eliminated...
...In other news, Jakotsu was reaching closer to his next destination, his mood beginning to drift towards a more enticed rather than bored outlook.
As soon as I'm done this new favour for brother Renkotsu, I'll rush back and await your beautiful ends, Inuyasha...Freeman...
Also, after discovering a new course in the path back to his partner, Lumos the Will O' Wisp began making headway in similar direction to that of the dog demon in red, with Myoga tailing the former aboard the crow, feeling a new unease rising within.
This doesn't feel good, not at all...
Neither the flea demon/Will O' Wisp duo nor zombie would be nearly as desperate in spirit as Inuyasha, his being nearly screaming in worry for his intended.
Coraline...Coraline, I'm coming! Wait for me!