Chapter 119: The Secret of the Pure Aura
A new night has come to darken the lands of these war-fueled yester-years of Japan, and we find ourselves viewing Kikyō, the priestess revived from her more than fifty year passing, as she stood in front of a lake rich with pond reeds and other freshwater greenery, awaiting her Shinidamachū to bring a few new souls to rejuvenate her strength...
To live, is to die...To die, is to live...
My name is Kikyō. I am a priestess who is unable to leave this world for the Sacred Place.
A bitter smile graces her lips, eyes remaining shut in concentration to connecting the spiritual energies of others to herself.
...No. That is not entirely the truth.
Once, I was a priestess. Now, I am nothing but a corpse with a cursed, false existence. No matter how much I desire to do good for others, the truth is I live off the Souls of the Dead.
Pure is Impure. Impure is Pure.
Good is Evil. Evil is Good...or is it?
Once the process was complete, the specter woman would find her eyes wandering down to the alabaster skin of her hand.
Even my own body, was redone by the works of a questionable source that knew no side...Yet, they acted on the wish, of a young woman who sees me as more than my own contradictions.
"...If only I could embrace her beliefs."
Kikyō's sad smile faded quicker than it came, before she turned to return through the forest back to the village she was currently taking refuge at, one that sat near the distant foot of Mount Hakurei, its air still prominent with the almost extremely high purification energies...
In the hearts of man, there lies both Good and Evil. The two coexist.
Some become good, and others become evil...It is the way of this world.
...However, I am most intrigued by that physician that calls himself Suikotsu. He is certainly among the dead, like myself, yet he looks after orphan children, and gives medical attention to the villagers with a single unselfishness.
It would seem that he hangs onto life through the singular Shikon-no-Tama shard within his neck, but surprisingly, I can detect no cloudiness in its glow.
Only the most goodhearted and pure of spirit could make it thus...Could there truly be such a person?
Narrowing her brown irises in thought, the undead priestess decides,
I think I shall stay and observe the situation a little while longer.
...Shifting a distance away from the areas near the village, we zoom in on an area near the riverside and under a maple tree, where our main group of travelers chose to rest at for the night about two days after the events taking place at the ruined Buddha temple. Right now, it was just Inuyasha sitting near the flickering campfire awake, while most of the others were asleep, including Sango who was laying on her side near the awake Kilala (she in her full form), the twins who were resting on their backs with their heads using their satchels as pillows, and Shippo lying on his stomach on top of both their torsos.
"...Inuyasha."
"Hm?"
He turns his head to meet Miroku's eyes, who was laying on his side a foot or two in front of the demon slayer.
"I'll take over the watch. Even you need a little rest too, you know."
The dog demon looks away and mutters with a grunt,
"I don't need to sleep."
"Come on, you can't stay awake forever. And besides, I don't think the Band of Seven is gonna attack anytime soon."
"...I sure hope you're right."
"According to Kōga, he defeated the one named Kyokotsu..."
The monk's indigo irises cast over to the form most distant from the campfire, watching as they drew their combat knife with only the deepest on concentration traced in their glowing ice blue eyes.
"Then...Coraline killed the Poison Master, Mukotsu. And you dealt with Ginkotsu, didn't you, Inuyasha?...So that would mean that three of the Seven have been taken care of already. The remaining four are bound to be alot more cautious now."
Inuyasha would find himself glancing over his intended mate as well, before replying,
"Yeah...and alot more dangerous. So before the remainder of the group attacks us, I plan to make the first move."
Miroku cuts from staring at Coraline's form to look at the dog demon's with a raised brow.
"The first move?"
"That's right. (Grips the sheathed Tessaiga) I'm gonna get them, before they get us."
The monk's mouth curves into a small smirk:
"I should've known you'd plan something like this."
"There are lots of ways to find them: They reek of dead bodies and graveyard soil, and those bastards possess Shikon-no-Tama shards. I won't rest until they're dead. Every, last, one of them."
"Hm, yes...and it's possible you're not the only one holding to such a vow."
Inuyasha turns around to look at Miroku in confusion:
"Whadda you mean?"
"Come now, my friend, surely you out of all of us has noticed a shift in Coraline's behaviour these short few days."
...Focus for both men fall back on the distant redhead, whom had channeled her Soul Energy into her short blade in such a way that it was completely bathed in a white-blue light, before hovering up from her palm and zipping through the air upon her directional command in a form of telekinesis!
"Hah!...Hah!...Hh!"
How, am I doing so far, Rosiagnes?
"Very good, chile. Not bad fer a beginner...Remember to keep yer concentration high, focuses being on flow, and delivery."
Got it...Is it possible to do this with ShatterSoul?
"Not fer a long time comin'. Tis better for ye to concentrate on such moves fer that short knife ye carry until ye are truly connected with ShatterSoul."
I'm not now?
"Haha, ye still have many a years to go, young one. Ye have formed a strong bond, of course, but until ye become one with the blade, there will still be many techniques that will elude ye...Do not think too much on the matter, though: Time is still with ye."
As she moved in an intricate fashion with the flying weapon, using it to practice offense and defense, the young redhead replies to her ancestor with a weary sort of frown,
I wish I could agree with you...but I feel like Time has become neither friend nor foe, switching sides too many times in this ongoing war.
"Aye, I understand...but as I said, best not to let such grim thought overrun ye. Balance must be met."
Right, right, of course...and, I really want to work hard, to find my balance again.
On that determined thought, Coraline suddenly reaches behind her to unsheathe her sword, before commanding in a rookie's haste for the combat knife to come right at her...
(CLANG)
She uses ShatterSoul to block the incoming short blade, and it goes flying through the air before landing in the ground just a foot away from her left toes, making her wince.
Ooo...Okay, that was a bit too close.
"Oh really, ye think? Haaah, now I know how the village elders felt during me own training...Less hastiness, chile, more discipline. Focus on one blade at a time for now."
Sighing to herself with a head shake at her ancestor's sarcasm-laced grumbling, Coraline reaches down to pick up her combat knife after sheathing her sword again...
Not aware of the disembodied teacher who was guiding her, Inuyasha and Miroku just assumed the young woman had discovered a new way to train herself by her own merits...What concerned them, however, was the level of push she had forced onto herself in just a short amount of time after their last battle.
"We had only just recovered ourselves from the fight at the temple, and suddenly, Coraline is working herself harder than ever...She also hasn't spoken a word about, what happened to her regarding Mukotsu."
"Your point being, monk?"
"That something about that hour has clearly rattled the girl, to the point where it seems she may be falling into a muscle-stressing training regime, to prevent herself from falling that deep again...She's afraid, and angry at something about herself all at the same time. You can't tell me you haven't noticed similarly."
Inuyasha grunts...but then nods the slightest bit, his amber irises narrowing in thought over the redhead's panting form as she went back into her earlier weapon practice.
It's much more than Mukotsu: Something inside her snapped under pressure...
What's got you so antsy this time, Coraline...and when will you tell me?
Time Skip
We jump now to early morn as the stars begin to fade back, making room for the brightest of them all to rise and slowly start to cast its golden rays across the grounds of the village sitting near Mount Hakurei. Inside of the home belonging to the physician, Suikotsu, we see he and other orphan children he took in still sound asleep...However, his sleep was not of the restful kind.
"Hh...h-hh..."
(Flash)
We see Suikotsu's form kneeling over the small body of a child amongst a devastating backdrop, suggesting a destructive raid of kinds had come to pass in this unknown area...
"I can save her. I know I can save her!"
"Get up! It's too late for her! Leave her and let's just get outta here!"
"Don't be ridiculous! There's still hope!"
"But the samurai are heading this way! They'll kill us!"
"Flee if you want, but I am going to save this child!"
(...SWIPE)
Blood spatters before the physician's eyes thanks to the sudden attack from something with claws, and as he backs away with shock, the grounds around him change to be replaced with with a blustery snowstorm...
A figure with bloodstained, blade-like claws fades into view behind Suikotsu.
"What're you doing, foolish man?"
Shuddering slightly from their dark tone, the doctor asks the figure,
"...Who are you?"
The figure offers no identity, but rather a statement that questioned morality.
"Why don't you do us both a favour and stop acting like a saint? The real you couldn't care less about saving people. Deep inside, you want to hurt people, to kill them! Isn't that so?"
"What're you saying? That's not true! I-"
"Hey."
"Uh!"
Suikotsu pivots his head around to see six of the Band of Seven standing a couple feet away from him...
"We've come for you."
"Man, quit being so difficult, will ya?"
Frightened by the sight of their lethal figures, the physician scrambles to his feet and tries to bolt from the area, much to the clawed figure's amusement.
"Idiot! Where do you think you can go?"
And the last thing he hears before waking, is the sound of the Shichinintai's evil laughter...
(Jolt)
"A-Aaah!"
Taking a couple deep breaths in and out, sweat dripping from his face, Suikotsu calms down when he realizes,
"...It was a dream."
He looks over to see that the children had not awaken to the sound of his outcry, and he lets out a great sigh of relief while placing a palm over his face.
"What a horrible dream...Was it all-"
"You're awake already, Doctor Suikotsu?"
"Huh?"
He gets up and slides open the door to see who called from outside, and would find Kikyō standing near the porch of the hut.
"Oh. (Bow) Good morning to you, Lady Kikyō."
"(Bow) Good morning."
Suikotsu looks up at the brightening sky with a calmer smile on his face, feeling the effects of his nightmare beginning to fade away.
"Looks like today's going to be a fine day, don't you think?"
The undead priestess nods slightly, but her thoughts were far off from the conditions of the weather.
I do not understand. I have been watching this man very closely...yet I have not felt the slightest presence of evil from him.
All I see is the base of a goodhearted doctor...so why has such a man grounded his spirit to this world?
At the same time Kikyō pondered her suspicions, we turn back to Inuyasha and company as they come along in a run on a path in the grass to where that village was. Coraline rode on the dog demon's back with Lumos flying alongside them, while Sango, Miroku and Shippo rode Kilala, and the twins ran between both parties.
"It's up ahead a distance; that's where I sense the jewel shard!"
Freeman comments after his sister between puffs of air,
"Well that, didn't take long, did it?" Besa replies back,
"No, it did not."
Inuyasha felt his anticipation grow in paying back his enemies for what they had done recently.
"Alright. We've got you now, you bastard!"
Myoga, who was riding in the dog demon's silver hair, asks nervously,
"Master Inuyasha, w-what is this, Band of Seven?"
A short explanation is given, and upon recalling what he saw back in that valley regarding the rise of Ginkotsu, the flea demon exclaims,
"And you're saying that there's more of them?!"
"Yeah. What about it?"
Myoga quickly gathers his things and slaps on his hat:
"I, see. How brave of you...Crow!"
Said black-feathered bird comes swooping by, allowing the flea demon to hop aboard and bail out of the area while calling down,
"Master Inuyasha, I just remembered some very important business I must attend to! Now if you'll excuse me!"
"Hey! Hold on!"
"Ho-ho-ho, give 'em hell!"
Watching as the crow carting the flea demon get smaller and smaller, Inuyasha grumbles,
"What kind of business does a flea have?"
Coraline replies with a smile,
"Eh, I say let him play chicken, Inuyasha. He's already done his tour of duty for us, anyhow: Without Myoga's help, four of us wouldn't be alive right now."
Miroku, Sango and Besa agree with similar upturns in their mouths:
"You're right, Coraline."
"Just let him go."
"He did his work, so let's just continue with ours."
Inuyasha just scoffs, while Coraline rests her head down to lay on his shoulder and thought gratefully,
Thank you, Myoga...
...Hm?
She darts her head back up again with a confused expression, as she got a better read of the distant jewel shard's energies.
That's, odd.
"Okay, this is different..."
Inuyasha asks her,
"What?"
"Well, until now, the shards the Shichinintai possessed were all laced with darkness...but this one's as pure as pure can get."
"What, so, it doesn't belong to the Band of Seven?"
Coraline frowns in thought and mutters,
"That, I can't say for sure..."
By this time, Suikotsu had left his home with Chiyo and another young child to go and gather more ingredients for his medicines in a small field up the hill from his home, leaving Kikyō temporarily in charge of his duties until he returned...
"Doctor Suikotsu, I found some!"
He looks to see what Chiyo had procured:
"Ah, Green Bell Flower, good for a weak stomach..."
The physician kneels by the boy and says with a smile,
"We'll pick these, then go home, alright?"
"Uh-huh."
...But it was then that the one man and two children look to see Inuyasha's group standing before them, the dog demon staring at Suikotsu with a particularly suspicious expression.
"Well well well, I finally found you."
"Huh?"
At the same time, the village elder had arrived at Suikotsu's home seeking the physician's aid...
"Hm? Is Doctor Suikotsu away?"
Kikyō nods in confirmation to the visiting man:
"Yes, he went to pick herbs."
"Oh, I see..."
"If you'd like, I can help you instead."
"O-Oh really? Thank you so much."
He was soon sitting on the specter priestess's right as she addresses his slowly-healing arm with a new set of bandages, he also shedding some more light on Suikotsu's background in connection to some other recent activity in these Northeastern areas...
"Yes, of course I remember: Doctor Suikotsu came to our village shortly after the Tomb of the Shichinintai was broken."
Kikyō pauses in her treatment:
"Did you say, Shichinintai, as in the Band of Seven?"
"Yes. By coincidence, Doctor Suikotsu has the same name as one of those accursed beings, so there was a scare among the villagers that he had escaped as a specter from the tomb."
"Doctor Suikotsu is a member of the Shichinintai?"
The village elder dismisses the priestess's growing concern:
"Of course not! Even if the names are the same, they have opposite personalities...I witnessed the execution of those heinous seven with my very own eyes. It was a long time ago, but I can remember it clearly. It was fifteen years ago, to be precise: Seven mercenaries who called themselves the Shichinintai escaped here to these lands northeast. They committed countless atrocities, leaving death and suffering in their wake...but they were soon trapped by the Lord of the region and then executed by the Lord's men. Suikotsu, one of the mercenaries, was a terrifying creature, who resembled more demon than human. A truly evil being..."
He then adds in stern assurance,
"But our Suikotsu is totally different. (Smile) Why that man is almost a saint."
"I see...There you go."
The elder tests out the muscles of his newly-bandaged arm:
"Ah, oh. That feels so much better now. The pain has almost gone away."
Kikyō smiles a little and replies,
"There are plenty of medicinal herbs growing in this region that I was able to use."
"Thank you very much, young lady. Please give my regards to Doctor Suikotsu."
...The priestess's smile is then replaced with a wary frown, as she turns her vision to behind her, causing the elder man to ask,
"Is there something the matter?"
"I sense a jewel shard."
"Hm?"
Kikyō thinks to herself,
It's approaching...Two. Ah! And that familiar beat of spiritual energy...
Coraline's POV
...Hm?
We had just reached the source of where I had sensed an oddly pure shard of the Shikon-no-Tama, when I suddenly picked up on a familiar wave of spiritual energy that ringed with life yet no life...I turned my eyes past the man and the two children he was with, towards a distant village where they must've came from.
That, Aura...Could it be...my Soul Sister?
Did she arrive here before we did? And why?
I focus back on our group's current subject of interest, narrowing my eyes slightly in thought.
Could it have something to do with this dead man before us?
Hm...He has the jewel shard in his neck like the others of the Shichinintai...and, yet...
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Inuyasha wasn't about to be fooled by a possible feign of ignorance:
"Drop the act; I know you're one of the Band of Seven!"
On the other hand, the man was doing almost too good a job in playing innocent.
"Hold on, there must be some sort of mistake. I'm a physician. I'm not a warrior of any kind."
"Don't play dumb: Your body reeks of dead men and graveyard soil, just like the rest of your twisted band!"
Hearing how edged my boyfriend's tone was made me shiver the slightest, for I knew that he was holding onto alot of fierce anger towards the band of undead mercenaries since their most recent attack at that temple. I didn't blame him in the slightest...otherwise I'd be considered a hypocrite.
Even though Rosiagnes has begun teaching me to hone in on myself...I can still feel the ravaging of my own emotions.
"What's that? Smell of death?"
"I'll make you show your true colours!"
Inuyasha began charging forward with a clawed hand raised to attack, while the man, much to my surprise, was more concerned for the well-being of the young lad and lass with him, shoving them to the sides!
"Run, children!"
Miroku and Besa call out,
"Inuyasha, wait a second!"
"Watch you don't hurt the kids!" My boyfriend retorts,
"I'm not stupid, ya know!"
(Slash)
His attack sent the self-proclaiming physician flying backwards from the impact to slide down the slope, prompting the two children to look down with worry shining in their eyes.
"Doctor Suikotsu!"
The young boy acted the braver and turned to kick Inuyasha's shin while angrily shouting,
"Mrh, why you-What have you done?!"
What pressed me was the lack of defense the man, Suikotsu, put up.
Strange...If he is a member of the Shichinintai, I would've expected him to have lifted the mask long enough to save his own skin.
...But he didn't. He took the hit just like any other man with no previous experience to battling.
"Something's wrong here..."
That's when I sensed it: It was faint...but there was a slight wobble in the purity's radiance, and it was traced with...a very dark insanity.
Uh! What...What was, that?
Meanwhile, the young lass and lad rush down the slope to help the man:
"Doctor Suikotsu, are you alright?!"
"Are you hurt?!"
"Don't worry about me, you two. Now hurry and run away from here."
"No! We're not going anywhere!"
"Yuuta's right: We're not just going to leave you behind!"
The girl, Yuuta, then takes a turn at glaring at Inuyasha, who flinches back slightly in surprise from the hostility, just as Miroku comes to his side.
"To those two, you're the bad guy attacking a good guy for no reason. I hate to say it, but I think we may have been wrong about him."
"Whadda ya mean?"
"He's nothing at all like the members of the Band of Seven that we've encounter so far."
"Which may make him more dangerous than what we're seeing at present."
"Hm?"
The two men turn to me on my approach, as I used my Aura Sight to peer deeper into Suikotsu's revived Soul (which also prompted the young girl Yuuta to wince back with a somewhat scared expression), not liking what I saw.
"...Damn. I was afraid that was the case."
"What do you see, Coraline?"
"I'm not entirely sure what's causing it...but this man seems to be suffering a spiritual conflict similar to Kohaku's problem."
I feel Sango stiffen some at the mention of her younger sibling, but I remain focused on explaining my diagnostic.
"The shard in his neck...It's pure like his Soul, but almost too pure. I can barely detect the presence of darkness...but it's faintly throbbing with an unstable wobble, like it's fighting to come out. (Shudder) And this darkness is traced with an unimaginable insanity that shows no mercy to life. Even Naraku's darkness would pale in comparison."
That caused a definite widening of pupils from my friends, family and lover, and I cancel out my second vision while muttering grimly,
"What's worse is that I don't think the man himself is even aware of what is being suppressed within his Soul. You all saw the fear and inexperience in his eyes when Inuyasha attacked: He's green. (Shakes head) No. There's definitely something seriously wrong with this so-proclaimed physician Suikotsu, more so than the previous members of the Shichinintai."
Freeman gulps and says,
"So...if we go on the offensive and trigger the guy the wrong way..."
I nod and reply,
"Yeah...There's a chance he could end up being the human definition of a nuclear bomb."
Still...even though Inuyasha took my deductions in with careful attention like the others, he was hell-bent on making sure no other Shichinintai got us before we got them.
"Tuh, well even if you're right...there's no way I'm gonna be fooled a second time like with Renkotsu! (Glares down the slope) Now show your true self, you maggot!"
(...BOOM...)
"Uh!"
Our attention would then be drawn by the sound of a huge explosion coming from the village yonder. Yuuta exclaims,
"The village...! It's burning!"
No normal gun could've cocked that level of power...
(Sheen)
Uh! The dead man's beat mixed with the jewel...The Shichinintai!
"Oh no! The villagers!"
Suikotsu immediately began running down to aid the endangered, despite Inuyasha's aggravated calls.
"Wait, where do you think you're going?! I'm not finished with you yet!"
I tug on the sleeve of his haori to get his attention, a serious look abound my glow-fading eyes.
"We have a more pressing problem to address than that contradiction of morality."
"What?"
"I can sense them. (Narrows eyes) Those other walking sacks of murderous dead flesh are closing in on the village below."
"Uh! (Growl) You mean the rest of that bastard band is here?!"
I nod solemnly, and cast my eyes below while adding to myself with some concern,
She'll be down there too...Kikyō, if you can hear me, please be cautious.
Kikyō's POV
It happened in an instant as soon as the elder left Doctor Suikotsu's hut: A strange, behemoth machine of sorts began raging cataclysmic gunfire upon the entire village, leaving disaster, devastation and the sound of roaring flames and frightened villagers in its wake! Once I was assured that the orphans living with the physician were at a safe enough distance from the danger, I rushed down immediately with my bow and arrows to assess the situation and assist any stragglers in getting out of the area.
"Get away, quickly!"
One man calls as he ran past me,
"Please come with us; don't stay here!"
"Don't worry, I'll be alright!"
Another explosion or two sounds, and I cringe from the wave of dust and smoke blown towards me...before peering ahead towards a most troublesome sight. Two men standing atop a third that was half mortal, half mechanical (the other half I could not find the proper words to describe), and all three were from the realm of the dead like I, each having a single jewel shard in their necks to sustain their presence among the living.
My eyes narrow a little into a glare as I deduced,
"These men are three members of the Band of Seven..."
"Lady Kikyō!"
"Hm?"
Doctor Suikotsu?
The physician had finally returned to the village and found me, only to stare ahead with awe and fear at the sight of these three undead.
"What in the world is this?!"
...What would surprise us both (him more so than I), is that the attackers knew Suikotsu as if they were allies.
"So this is where you've been."
"Hey, Suikotsu."
"Geeesh..."
The first one that spoke (the male standing atop the half-mortal, half-machine's right) then says with an air of annoyance,
"Geez, you sure made it difficult for us to find you..."
Said addressed was very taken aback, while I gazed at him with confusion.
They know him...yet he knows not of them. Can this man truly be that Suikotsu...?
"Come on, Suikotsu: We came all this way to get you, ya know? You should be grateful."
The other two mercenaries nod in agreement with the one on the upper left, while Suikotsu...shook his head of something that seemed to greatly disturb him before asking in disbelief,
"Who are you...and what are you, and what could you possibly want with me?!"
He really isn't lying...Then what is going on?
(Pulse)
Uh! That was...the beat of Coraline's Aura...My Soul Sister is approaching.
No POV
It wouldn't be long before everyone of Inuyasha's group had scrambled down to the village following Suikotsu's path...only to find themselves standing in the equivalent of a dead field blitzed by meteors, thanks to the new weaponry of Ginkotsu.
"This is terrible...!" Shippo exclaims after Miroku,
"Holes everywhere!"
Sango and Freeman then each comment,
"I've never seen battlefields that looked like this before..."
"Yeah, we shouldn't be seeing this kind of destruction until WWI...but even No Man's Land would look more alive than this..."
Coraline mutters bitterly,
"It's definitely the Shichinintai. I can sense two...no, three darkened Shikon-no-Tama shards near Suikotsu's."
(Flash)
Echos of a handgun's bang-bang bounce faintly against the flickering backdrop of another village set in lands foreign to Japan, with several muffled outcries of men falling dead...
(Flash)
"Mph...!"
Easy, Coraline, easy...You're far from India...
Dislocate the rage...the fear...Focus on objective, and place distraught emotion to the back of your skull.
You'll have time to release after the battle's over.
Just as the girl reaches a calmer place within her heart and mind, Inuyasha notes the presence of the accursed dead men with his own sensory.
"Ooh yeah. I know their disgusting scent of theirs anywhere...Wait, did you say three?"
She nods to Inuyasha and replies,
"And one of them has mass traits of metal mixed with flesh...I think we might be seeing Ginkotsu's ugly mug again."
The dog demon curses, before he and the redhead begin the charge to the center of the ravaged village, with everyone else following close behind...Once they cleared through the mist of black, they would spot the newly remastered Ginkotsu (whose shape know resembled a tank with two huge buzz-saw wheels and spider-like metallic legs to help haul the front), with Jakotsu and Renkotsu standing atop of him, facing off with Kikyō and Suikotsu.
Both Inuyasha and Coraline would softly mutter the priestess's name, and Lumos would float fast ahead to circle around the latter in excitement before returning to his partner's side. Kikyō's smile was quick as a hummingbird's wing beat, before she addresses the young couple seriously in accordance to current affairs.
"Inuyasha, Coraline. I see you've come to the Northeastern lands as well."
The others had caught up by this time, just as surprised to see the specter priestess.
"Lady Kikyō!"
"What's going on here?"
"Kikyō?"
"Must've gotten here before we did..."
"Wonder why...?"
Once some of his shock died down, Inuyasha would be the one to personally ask the priestess what her intentions in being in the area were.
"Kikyō...what the heck are you doing here?"
Coraline then asks cryptically in her own curiousity,
"...Did you detect the same as I?"
Catching the girl's meaning, Kikyō nods to her, before saying to the dog demon,
"Now is not the time."
Sensing the silent and mutual exchange between the women, Inuyasha decides to heed their unspoken words and just focus on the real problem.
"Uh, right. Of course..."
Meanwhile, the three members of the Shichinintai were eyeing the arriving group in their own versions of surprise.
"You're all still alive. I must say, I'm quite impressed."
"Geeeesh..."
"Heeey, Inuyasha, Freeman!"
The young man with short black coarse hair shivers uncomfortably from the happy address of Jakotsu before settling into a glare to match everyone else, Inuyasha's being the strongest as he held up his claws threateningly.
"This works for me perfectly: I can deal with you all at once!"
Renkotsu jeers,
"To think you went to such great pains to stay alive...Too bad it was all for nothing."
Sango retorts while gripping the strap of her Hiraikotsu tight,
"Well we'll just have to see about that, now won't we?"
Miroku mutters just as bitterly,
"If only they didn't possess shards of the Shikon-no-Tama. I would suck them into my Wind Tunnel in an instant."
Besa hmphs and grips the handles of his sickles while replying to the monk,
"That would just mean a quick death for these cretins...I say we give them the same level of Hell they did us."
Freeman nods in agreement, readying his long hammer with a serious glare.
I definitely won't complain about whacking Jakotsu to kingdom-come...
Though feeling proud of the lack of weakness in the voices of his group, Inuyasha also felt wary about having them fight while they were technically still in recovery.
"Everyone, just stay back. You're not fully recovered so you can't handle 'em. (Cracks knuckles) Leave these lowlifes to me!"
Renkotsu turns his eyes to one of his fellow mercenaries to give the following objective.
"Alright, Jakotsu: I want you to deal with Suikotsu."
Obviously, this order would not sit well with the feminine male, once again being roadblocked from fighting one or both men of his obsession.
"What's thaaaat?! Why me?"
"Because I asked you to, that's why."
Renkotsu briefly glances down at said physician, who draws a winced breath when he concludes in his own thoughts,
They intend to kill me...!
"I'll deal with Inuyasha and his little friends."
"Aw come on, Renkotsu, why are you being so unfair to me?! You always keep me away from my Inuyasha! Well I'm beginning to think that you've taken a liking to Inuyasha too."
Freeman, who could hear the conversation from his stand, almost lets out a snort of amusement despite his mixed hate and creeped-out emotions.
Awoh geez...!
Renkotsu, on the other hand, wasn't feeling humorous to his brother's jealous whining.
"If you keep talking such nonsense, I'll pull that tongue out of your head."
Having heard all he could take of the distracting banter, Inuyasha calls over to the Shichinintai,
"Quit your babbling, you fools! (Draws Tessaiga) I'll take you all on right now!"
The fire-user chuckles and retorts,
"Don't make me laugh," before chugging down some of the substance from that gourd as the dog demon made his lunge.
"Oh yeah?!"
(Fwoooooooommmmmmm...)
He's then stopped by a torrent of fire spewed upon him from the former, yet it did little to deter his own burning spirit.
"You're such a pathetic fool, Renkotsu! These flames aren't even hot!"
"Maybe for you!"
Renkotsu then sends out several shots of thread, which cross over in a grid pattern overtop the entire group, before setting them to flame!
"It's a net of fire!"
"Aw, that's just playing dirty!"
Inuyasha quickly got to work on trying to dispel the flames shortly after Shippo and Freeman's exclaims, but couldn't even sever one of them...
"Hehahaha, would you like me to tell you what your weakness is, Inuyasha? Your need to protect these poor, pitiful friends of yours!"
"Go to Hell!"
"You first!"
Some of the threads are tangled around Tessaiga, which leave the dog demon to struggle in maintaining his hold on his weapon...Meanwhile, Jakotsu began his approach to Suikotsu with sighed breath and his snake-like sword held loosely above his shoulder.
"Now, don't try to resist, Suikotsu."
"I don't know who your friends are, but you've come after me for some unfathomable reason...So then kill me and leave everyone else alone! Why attack the whole village?!"
"Haaaah, how long are you going to keep this up, Suikotsu? (Glare) Oh hurry up and snap out of it, okay?...Otherwise I'll kill you for real!"
Jakotsu then unleashes his sword's power against the deeply confused physician and Kikyō, the latter rushing in front of the second former while readying her bow and arrow upon the first former's weapon return.
"Get back!"
(Twok, shooooom)
"Aaaawah!"
The feminine male zombie barely dodges the Sacred Arrow in time, nearly falling over backwards in the process while looking at the priestess with wide eyes...It was around here that Ginkotsu finished fixing his position to aim straight at the struggling Inuyasha. Renkotsu would give the order but a second after:
"Fire, Ginkotsu."
(BOOM)
"Gaaaaaaah-houhhhh!"
The cannon's blasting impact sent the dog demon back several yards to skid into the upturned dirt, while his sword lands in the ground a distance away from him, reverting back into its dormant state. He curses to himself, while the fire-user calls his swordsman brother out on the lack of effort in bringing down his opponents.
"Jakotsu, shame on you."
Ginkotsu laughs slightly, before turning his mechanized body around in that direction...
"Shoot them, Ginkotsu."
(...BOOM-BOOM)
"Aaaaaaagh!"
Kikyō and Suikotsu are thrown back hard by the impact, causing Inuyasha to call out the former's name in concern, while Coraline looked over with worry shining in her blue irises between the flamed webbing.
Soul Sister!
"Inuyasha."
"Grh!"
Renkotsu pulls at his flaming snares with a cruel smile and jeers to the aggravated dog demon,
"If don't pay closer attention, your friends will die!"
"...Not today, you fiend."
"Hm?"
(...Sheen, SLASH)
Next thing we know, the next of fire suddenly disperses from the harsh impact of a blinding ice-blue energy, its power sending a wobbling wave to shake the grounds slightly and force onlookers to shield their eyes...!
...Once the light died down, we would see the glowing figure of Coraline with her family's ancestral blade held up straight to the sky, sending a piercing gaze to the man standing atop his cyborg brother, while her friends gazed at her in shock from the sudden release of strength.
"Whoa..." "Coraline...!"
"Cor..." "That was..."
"Amazing...!"
Inuyasha felt his voice get caught in his throat, and could only stare at his intended with wide amber eyes...
But Coraline was far from done in laying her point across.
"You, Renkotsu, will be the first to die if you insist on such despicable attacks."
She lowers her sword and quickly shifts it into her recessive hand before drawing her combat knife out...then sending it flying straight at the zombie of address with her Aura wrapped around it! Renkotsu merely shifts his head to one side to dodge while scoffing,
"Ha! Is that your best aim, wom-"
(Slash)
"Rgh!"
His retort was quickly silenced when the short blade came slicing across his right cheek, leaving a reasonably-deep cut! Glaring forward with disbelief, he watches as Coraline redirected her combat knife back to her, catching it smoothly before countering with no emotion other than seriousness in her voice,
"No...but that was."
"Gr-gh! How?!"
Sango was just as curious as the dead man, hers being more bated and honest rather than rage-fueled.
"She, used her knife like it was my own weapon...only she somehow, channeled it to return to her with a mere flick of her wrist..."
"What concerns me is her current expression."
The slayer and company turn their eyes to Besa, who notes while looking over at his sister with light worry,
"It's almost completely void of emotion, like she's forced them away with a gulp down her throat..."
Miroku hms and adds,
"Yes, it's certainly more prominent today...like it has been since we all barely recovered from the last attack by the Band of Seven. She's also been pushing herself past her recovering state, working hard to sharpen her skills...but in such a serious way, it's almost unnatural for her."
Watching as the girl calmly sheathed her knife, Inuyasha was beginning to think similarly to the rest of the growing unease in the group.
Coraline...what's going on with you?
Checking back with Kikyō, she barely manages to stay semiconscious from the impact of Ginkotsu's cannon attack...However, her life force had certainly been shaken badly, as evident by the orbs of light exiting from her flesh.
...The Souls, are leaving me.
Sensing the change of strength, Coraline turns her vision in the priestess's direction, before wincing and silently gesturing her creature partner to rush to the latter's aid...
"Auh...uh..."
It would be around then that Suikotsu arouses from unconsciousness, only to lock his vision on the injured specter woman's form.
"Lady Kikyō!"
He pushes himself up and gingerly moves to hold her up by her shoulders:
"Lady Kikyō, hold on...!"
"(Ghostly moan)"
"Hm?"
Suikotsu looks up just as Lumos arrives to their proximity, startling him a bit...until he watches the little orb of light release that rejuvenating light.
(Twinkle...)
"Ah..."
What, on earth is this creature?...Do they mean to help?
"Help us!" "Doctor Suikotsu, please!"
His attention is then drawn behind him, by the calls of noneother than Chiyo and Yuuta!
"Uh! Listen to me, children: Stay away!"
They either couldn't hear him from that distance or are too worried about the doctor to heed his warning.
"Doctor Suikotsu!" "We, need help!"
"Stay back! Stay away from here!"
...Unfortunately, all attempts to steer the young ones from danger would be in vain, as soon as Jakotsu spotted them.
(...Thrust)
"Ah!" "Uh!"
"Please, nooooooo!"
(SLASH)
...With that, Suikotsu makes the last-minute decision to become the snake sword's object of impact, his crimson blood spilling from a deep wound reaching from right shoulder to part of his upper back!
...He drops to his knees with pained, bated breath, just as the two children rush to him.
"Doctor Suikotsu!"
Inuyasha was confused by the physician's selfless act:
"What the hell is going on?"
Coraline wasn't too far behind him, wondering to herself,
His Aura...it's still radiating a bright light...But how long can he hold out for?
"...Doctor Suikotsu."
The man smiles weakly at the teary Yuuta and Chiyo:
"I-I...I'm, alright...Are either, of you hurt?"
"N-No..."
"We're okay..."
Suikotsu releases a small sigh of relief...but, then...
(Pulse...)
"Rgh! Rgh..."
He feels a throb within his spirit, and his mind echoes with an almost eerie song sung by the voices of youth, as the jewel shard within his neck glows a bright fushia pink light...
"Pu~re has become impure,
I~mpure has now become pure..."
His imagination is then invaded by the demonic figure from his nightmares...
"What are you doing, you fool? Quit acting like a saint! Your heart craves to murder and kill! You know it to be true..."
Suikotsu lets out a shuttered breath, just as the jewel shard's colour and viscosity shifts to a much murkier, shadow black...!
Coraline curses, sensing the dramatic change:
"The jewel shard...it's being overrun by his darkness..."
She wasn't the only one who could feel the shift: As the priestess laid silently on the ground with the Will O' Wisp hovering near her side, she thinks to herself grimly,
Pure, is Impure...Impure, is Pure...Good, is Evil...Evil, is Good...
Yuuta, who had no idea she and Chiyo were too close to a newly-awakening evil (yet), tries to get the physician's attention.
"...Doctor Suikotsu?"
No verbal response is given back, before the ribbon of the man's hair tie snaps away, as his short black locks suddenly stands up on end! He then snatches and lifts Chiyo by his neck in a choke hold, much to the young girl's horror:
"What're you doing, Doctor Suikotsu?!"
Everyone of Inuyasha's group was shocked to say the least by the shift of behaviour, while Jakotsu was nonchalant.
"Good, he's awake."
Ginkotsu and Renkotsu nod in agreement, the latter letting out a laugh at the sight of his awakened brother holding up the young boy with a means to kill, much to Yuuta's dismay.
"No, stop, what are you doing?!" Inuyasha growls,
"So I was right," just as Coraline moves to his side to inform him urgently,
"Inuyasha, Suikotsu's Aura has become dangerously unstable! Please, get the children away from him!"
"Alright!"
Leaping away from the area where the net of fire previously stood, the dog demon brandishes his claws before unleashing them on the mentally-risen Shichinintai brother.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!"
(Slash)
Suikotsu drops Chiyo with a winced hiss, leaving Inuyasha to scoop the young boy up in time before they fell...
Both zombie and demon land smoothly on the ground, before the latter asks,
"...Just what are you?"
Chuckling, the undead physican lifts his head, revealing a new appearance of a tanned complexion and green striped tattoos that ran on his cheekbones and forehead, his pupils mere dots and slightly bloodshot, reflecting a murderous insanity that matched his sneering grin.
"Who, me? I'm Suikotsu of the Band of Seven!"