Chapter 122: Clash! Banryū versus The Wind Scar!
We return to the newly-ruined castle that now housed the deceased descendants of the clan responsible for the first ending of the Shichinintai, just as Inuyasha arrives on scene in a leap to save Kōga from getting struck down by Bankotsu's halberd sword. Shortly after the dog demon taunts the youthful undead mercenary, all souls on both sides fell into an intense staring contest, neither half of the playing field wanting to reflect a wavering in their strong front...
Well, except for the one member of the Shichinintai who wore his heart on his sleeve.
"Haaauh, Inuyasha!"
Said dog demon would of course shoot Jakotsu's excitement down flat.
"Shut up!"
The zombie who wielded the infamous (in these parts) Banryū would speak up next.
"Soo, you're Inuyasha. My my, aren't you a strong one."
"I suppose you're the last of the Band of Seven?"
"Yeah. I'm the leader, Bankotsu."
Inuyasha points his Tessaiga straight ahead in an accusing manner.
"So, what sorts of cowards would gang up on a pathetic little wolf like that?"
One can easily imagine how said wolf demon would react to the indirect insult.
"Hey, mutt!"
(Bonk)
"Ow!"
"Who are you calling pathetic?!"
Whirling around to Kōga, the dog demon barks back,
"Shut up! I'm not the idiot who almost got the jewel shards cut outta my legs, now am I?!"
"Hey! I was doin' fine 'by myself!"
"For gods sake, can't you two zip it until we're not busy with more important matters?"
The demons turn to see Coraline and everyone else of Inuyasha's group arrive into the courtyard from the front gates, she glancing between the two with a scolding expression...
"You guys are late." Freeman casually retorts to the dog demon,
"Not our fault: You chose to speed ahead."
"Sooo, you've all arrived? 'bout time."
Focus shifts back on Bankotsu, and another intense quiet blankets the atmosphere of the courtyard...before Inuyasha broke it with an aggravated air, his disdain towards the merciless Shichinintai reaching past the limit point.
"You bastards. You've been causin' trouble around here long enough. I'm gonna send each and every one of you back to your graves!"
The zombie with dark cerulean irises felt just as vengeful:
"Same here. I'm going to avenge our fallen brothers Mukotsu and Kyokotsu."
Looking at him, Miroku and Sango each comment,
"It seems that the one holding the huge halberd is the leader of the Shichinintai."
"Yes, though he also looks like the youngest."
Coraline meanwhile scrutinizes the black-braided male in suspicion...before she takes in a sharp breath as her eyes flash over ice blue from her Aura Power.
Damn...!
"What's up, sis?"
She indirectly answers Freeman when she takes a step closer towards the dog demon to warn while her hand inched for her own sword,
"Be on your guard, Inuyasha: He has three Shikon-no-Tama shards in his neck."
"What's that?"
Bankotsu chuckles slightly and says with a smirk,
"They belonged to Kyokotsu and Mukotsu...which you, woman, with that strange power the others told me about, should be well aware."
The redheaded young woman narrows her two-tone blue irises with a suppressed snarl, thinking to herself lowly,
Yeah. Those shards have tiny traces of dying Auras unrelated to that zombie, most likely from the truly-deceased Shichinintai members...
Kōga's voice cuts into her thoughts as he jeers,
"Puh, I kind-a wondered why you were so feisty. So that's what it was."
Shippo pieces together from atop Freeman's shoulder,
"Then that must mean Naraku gave Bankotsu the Shikon-no-Tama Shards!"
...Said zombie shoots an irritated glare towards him, causing the fox demon to duck behind Freeman's upper back.
"M-Maybe..."
The young man with dark skin and short, coarse black hair hovers a hand over the child's head protectively while glaring back at the zombie, while Inuyasha considers Shippo's theory.
"Reviving a bunch of no-good murderers like you? That sounds like Naraku."
Bankotsu replies while stepping forward,
"Yeah...and he told to use the power of the Shikon-no-Tama to kill every last one of you."
He finalizes his motives by pointing Banryū ahead at the dog demon threateningly, which of course doesn't scare the latter. If anything, he would be the most eager in getting the battle started.
"(Charge) I'm gonna tear you apart!"
"You think so? Just, (swing) try it!"
(...CLANG)
The giant dog fang and mass of steel meet in a clash, both men grinding their teeth and putting all their ferocity into their arms to try and throw the other off-balance...Miroku comments with some surprise,
"It's a deadlock!"
Sango mutters Inuyasha's name in concern, while Renkotsu readies to make his move from atop his cyborg-zombie brother.
"Well, don't just sit there, Ginkotsu!"
He pulls a cord and activates the cannon to blast against the rest of the opposing group, with Sango and Miroku rolling out of the way on opposite sides to dodge the explosion, while Kilala took Shippo on her back in the confusion...
...But there was no sign of the rest!
"Coraline!" "Freeman! Besa?!"
Inuyasha's main concern was for the redhead who had hold over his heart, pivoting his head to cry out,
"Coraline?! Coraline!"
"A word of advice, Inuyasha: You should really be looking after yourself!"
Shoving the other sword back, Bankotsu then leaps up to swing his halberd down against Inuyasha, who blocks by using his Tessaiga with his right hand gripping the hilt and his left palm holding up the middle of his blade, struggling to keep Banryū at bay...
...Fortunately, as the smoke cloud dissipates, we see that those who didn't speed out of the line of fire from Ginkotsu's cannons, were alive and safe, courtesy of Freeman and Besa who enacted their energy shield ability from their Seven Light Crystals, protecting themselves, Coraline and Kōga, while Lumos circled above them in an excitable manner. The second of the two twins asks the others,
"You guys okay?" The wolf demon replies,
"Yeah, thanks to you two," and Inuyasha calls out with an appreciative tone,
"Hey, guys: Thanks for protecting Coraline!" They call back with smiles,
"No probs," and Coraline compliments,
"Your shields have really gotten stronger."
"Thanks for noticing...Now then."
Freeman focuses ahead as he and his brother cancel the shield, and readies his long hammer.
"Hope you're all ready for a fight, 'cause here it comes!"
His point is made evident by the approaching forms of Ginkotsu and Renkotsu, who stop just before passing Sango and Miroku and near the rest...Coraline's gaze locks onto the fire-using zombie's form:
Renkotsu...He stole my jewel shards, and I can see them hidden in his armour.
Looking down where the young woman was staring, Renkotsu realizes,
I understand now: That girl can see the Shikon-no-Tama Shards...
If Bankotsu finds out that I didn't tell him about the jewel shards, they'll be hell to pay.
He quickly figures out what he needs to do:
"Ginkotsu: Aim for that girl!"
"Geeesh..."
Miroku exclaims,
"What? Coraline!"
"Don't worry, Miroku!"
"Hm?"
The young redhead pulls out both of her blades, a determined expression on her face.
"I want them to come for me."
"What?!"
"So I can come for him in turn!"
She then starts sprinting ahead towards the zombies, much to the dismay of her friends and brothers.
"Coraline!" "Cora!"
"Wait, Coraline!" "What the heck are you-!"
Renkotsu sneers at the young woman charging towards him and Ginkotsu and comments,
"What a fool! Hurry and kill her, Ginkotsu!"
"Don't get cocky! Lumos, assist!"
Said Will O' Wisp heeds Coraline's command and zips downward to her side before settling on the upper center of her chest, before billowing out his power to the waiting body.
(Pulse, pulse, pulse...Vwoom)
Next thing our spectators would know, the redhead's body seemingly vanishes in a flash of ice blue light!
"Huh?! What the-"
"Renkotsu!"
(Vwooom)
She would then reappear seconds afterward in another flash right above the fire-user, and dives downward with ShatterSoul poised to impale!
"Haaaaah-ah!"
Renkotsu would be forced to jump down off of Ginkotsu to dodge Coraline's attack, and spun around to sputter with rage-laced surprise,
"H-How did you-?!"
"I've gotten much stronger since our last encounter, Renkotsu...Now, (lunge) return what belongs to me this instant!"
The zombie scrambles back to avoid getting sliced down, and as he and the Aura Reader began their own fight, Miroku comments while shaking off his stupor from what he witnessed,
"Good. He's away from the cannon...But how, did Coraline do that, and why is she targeting him?"
Besa replies,
"Must be more of that special training she's been undergoing with her ancestor...As for the second question, wasn't it Renkotsu who stole her jewel shards a while back?"
"Uh! That's right!"
Freeman encourages,
"You guys should go and help sis get the shards back!"
"What about you, brother?"
"Me?"
The young man's gaze turns to the distant Jakotsu, and glares hard before muttering between his teeth,
"I've got a score to settle with him..."
Though a bit wary of his tone, Besa and Miroku heed Freeman's urging.
"We're on it." "Be careful, Freeman."
They then began rushing over to where Renkotsu and Coraline were currently clashing, until Suikotsu suddenly leaps into their path!
"Gah!" "Guh!"
"I won't let you go any further!"
Miroku uses his staff to block the incoming claws while exclaiming the zombie's name, who retracts a few feet back before stating,
"I've decided that you two are gonna fight me. To be honest, I can't stand healers or monks!"
He lunges at them again, and this time Besa would take a turn blocking with his bone sickles as Miroku and he retort back,
"But you yourself are a doctor!"
"Oi, don't typecast me!"
And while that trio began their two-on-one squabble, Jakotsu complains to himself,
"Ugh, great, left out again. Everyone here is just so selfish," before fixating on Sango.
"...So is this all that's left for me?"
"Not quite."
"Hm?"
He and the demon slayer turn their heads to his back left, and saw Freeman slowly approach while tapping his hammer's handle near the large base against his free hand with an intimidating glare.
"I've got a bone to pick with you from our last encounter."
Jakotsu widens his eyes slightly with surprise, before forming a smirk and retorts,
"Ha! Is that so?"
"You better friggin' believe it!"
Freeman quickly glances over at Sango and calls,
"Sango: Go and help Kilala with Ginkotsu! I've got this creep!"
"Uh! You sure?"
"Positive."
Though hesitant, Sango nods before beginning her run over to her twin-tailed companion, who was already sizing up the cyborg-zombie in her full form...
"Hope you talked to someone about forgin' a new grave maker."
Freeman began his charge against Jakotsu with his hammer held high, adding,
"'Cause I'm ready to bury you deep!"
"Good luck with that, (thrust) stud!"
The blade of many blades shoots forth, and its target manages to swing in a downward cut with the base of his weapon to knock them aside, much to the zombie's shock!
"Uh!"
"Kuh, won't be fallin' prey to that sword this time!"
...Jakotsu's expression forms into an excited grin:
"Oh-hoh, this just got interesting! (Lunge) Haaaah!"
Shifting viewpoints, we turn back to Inuyasha and Bankotsu as they continue to shove their blades against eachother...
"I suppose being a half-demon, you should be stronger than a human. But what I don't understand is why Naraku couldn't beat you."
"What's that mean?"
"You don't seem all that tough to me!"
Their clash breaks before it forms again, and Inuyasha exclaims,
"Damn it, if you know where Naraku is, you better tell me!"
"I really don't like to be, (thrust) questioned!"
The dog demon jumps back a couple feet to dodge the halberd, before Bankotsu taunts,
"If you really wanna know Naraku's whereabouts...ask my blade!"
...Meanwhile, away from the crater of action and back at the base of the supposingly holy Mount Hakurei, we find young Rin staring upward at the majesty that was this great rock range with wonder.
"Wow...It's such a large mountain, isn't it, Master Jaken?"
The imp's response would be one of a groan as he laid sprawled on his stomach with a partially queasy expression.
"Uuugh, I feel awful. Why did I have to come to such a wretched place like this?"
"What's the matter, Master Jaken?"
He calls back to the young girl irritably,
"I'm in pain!"
"How come?"
Rising to his feet to approach the equally discontent A-Un, Jaken explains,
"Don't you get it? Mount Hakurei is sacred. Demons like me have a hard time even approaching it. You probably don't feel anything, Rin, because you're an innocent human girl, while I fell as if I'm being drag-Gu-huh?! Hey!"
Rin had grabbed onto the back of the imp's clothes and began to gently pull him along further towards the mountain with an oblivious smile.
"Come on. Let's look just a little further, Master Jaken."
Jaken thinks to himself as his perspiration doubled,
This girl hasn't listened to a word I said...!
Eventually, with a stuttered outcry of,
"I gotta go baaaaack," the imp was able to break free and rush back over to A-Un, much to Rin's confusion.
"Huh?"
With a few staggered breaths, Jaken mutters to himself while resting against the two-headed dragon demon's side,
"There's no way a mass of evil like Naraku could exist here...So then why would Lord Sesshomaru want to..."
...And deep into the fog closer to the mountain valley entrance, we find said dog demon calmly walking towards the mysterious territory ahead...only to be stopped by the static energies that restricted another's entry not too long ago.
A Sacred Barrier...I can go no further.
He looks up at the higher mountain range in thought:
I came here following the scent of Naraku's servant, Kohaku.
...But all of a sudden, the scent stopped, like it was, cut off.
Deciding there was nothing for him to find in this area, at least for the time being, Sesshomaru turns around and makes his way back to where he left his vassals...
Speaking of, Rin had settled to sitting against a small rock protrusion from the ground-up, wondering what was keeping the dog demon.
"...Lord Sesshomaru. Where are you?"
Meanwhile, Jaken was feeling more and more ill the longer he stayed in this area.
I gotta get away...
The young girl was of course, oblivious to his mental plight:
"I wonder where he could've gone."
Help, me...!
"...Hm?"
That's when Rin spotted someone heading towards the valley of Mount Hakurei...but it wasn't Sesshomaru.
Kohaku?...There's no mistake: It's Kohaku!
Curious, she rises to her feet and began to rush after the young demon slayer's form, snapping Jaken out of his daze and forcing him to try and chase after her.
"Huh? Hey, wait, Rin! Don't run off on your own! Lord Sesshomaru will have my hide if he finds out I let you-"
(Bzzzt)
"Gaaah!"
He's then stopped by the power of the sacred barrier surrounding the mountain, and falls back to avoid getting more singed than the sleeve of his robes...
"I was so dangerously close to being purified...!...Guh! (Looks ahead) Oh great, she's gone!"
The imp would then let out a 'dauh', before collapsing on his front...
Moving into the foggy valley, we would find Kohaku overlooking from a rock ledge down toward a large cave mouth, before jumping down to enter inside. We see the make to be fairly typical for a seldom-used mountain cave, there being many protruding stalagmites and stalactites, some of the latter dripping with water from the inner chambers of Hakurei. The demon slayer would travel several feet deeper inside...before another young voice calls to him.
"Kohaku...Kohaku!"
He whirls around with a defensive grunt and readies to pull out his katana, before relaxing with surprise when he sees Rin!
"It's you!"
"Hah, hah, I'm so glad. I get to see you again."
"Rin, what are you doing here?"
The young girl with long, bushy black hair that bunched in a tiny side-tail replies with an innocent smile,
"We didn't part on good terms last time, and it kind-a bothered me."
"Go back! This is no place for someone like you."
And why would Kohaku make such a characterization?...Well, let's just say those two humans weren't alone in the cave...
"Ssh!"
"What is it?"
"Be quiet, Rin."
Somewhere in the deeper shadows, we see several dozen gleaming eyes belonging to some rather, demonic shapes!
Rin whimpers a little in fear from behind Kohaku, who whispers calmly to her,
"Go back slowly, before they notice that you're here."
"Kohaku..."
"Hurry up and leave! If they see you, they'll kill you."
Though reluctant, the young girl heeds the equally young demon slayer's word.
"Yes, okay. But what will happen to you?"
"Don't worry, they won't attack me. Now go."
With his name dancing worriedly throughout the walls of her mind, Rin began to silently rush out of the cave, glancing back behind her once more to see the many red irises glaring at Kohaku's form...
By this time, Sesshomaru had returned to where he left Jaken, A-Un and Rin to wait for him while he investigated another part of Mount Hakurei, only to discover the latter had disappeared, leaving behind the imp to apologize for her recklessness.
"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru! Rin ran off before I could stop her!"
"Where is she? (Looks ahead) Inside the barrier?"
The dog demon seemingly prepares to enter the valley, only to have Jaken block his way in worry for his master's life.
"You mustn't go, master! If you enter sacred grounds, even you will be purified!"
"Be quiet, and look behind you."
"Huh?"
The latter does so, and widens his eyes when he sees a familiar young form rushing out from the fog.
"Guh! Is that, Rin?!"
Her innocent smile grows a touch when she sees the dog demon's form.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
But it would immediately switch to shock upon the following question asked of her by said demon.
"Kohaku was there, wasn't he?"
"Uh...!"
Jaken stares between the two for a moment, before sternly telling the younger,
"Now be honest, Rin. You can't deceive master's keen nose."
She thinks to herself with worry,
Does Lord Sesshomaru actually intend to kill Kohaku?
Even so, Rin knew better than to fib:
"Uh, the truth is, Kohaku helped me escape. There were lots and lots of demons in the cave."
Sesshomaru showed a slight visible sign of being surprised by such information.
"What's that?"
...Demons?
"Kohaku protected me from the demons...So, uh..."
The dog demon turned suspicious eyes towards the fog-cloaked valley again.
Demons behind the sacred barrier...
He ignores Rin's confused call of his title, concluding,
Now I understand, Naraku's little trick.
Coraline's POV
Wow, this new ability's incredible! I feel about as fast as a demon now!
Though as far as everyone else is concerned, they think I'm teleporting...
It's been a little while since I began my assault on Renkotsu, using my sword and my knife against the zombie to either cut away his attacks or try to land a hit in return. So far, I've only been successful in landing a shallow slash on one of his arms, but fatal blows weren't my main priority. My real target was the armour on his chest where my jewel shards were.
If I can just strike there hard enough, my glass bottle should just hop out, and then I'll swipe them up before concentrating on taking him down...
Somewhere about halfway through my fight, Kōga joined in on the action and began to try landing a few blows against Renkotsu himself with his bare fists. Some would be a little peeved by the interference; I just shrugged it off and welcomed a little extra help. Besides, we wouldn't be the only ones teaming up on one member of the Shichinintai. Miroku and Besa had their hands full with Suikotsu and his claws, using their staff and bone sickles respectively to take turns blocking each swipe.
"Die, monk and healer!"
"Not if I can help it!" "Shut your mouth!"
Also, there was Sango and Kilala, who teamed up to take on Ginkotsu, flying through the air to dodge his cannon fire before the former got a good enough opening to swing her weapon down at him.
"Hiraikotsu!"
(Toss, spin...)
Unfortunately, due to his tough metal armour, not much of a dent is made in the cyborg zombie, so the giant boomerang would embed in the ground below, forcing Sango to quickly board off Kilala to retrieve her weapon before taking to the skies again, barely dodging another cannon blast in the process...
Meanwhile, Freeman was one of two members of our group engaging in a one-on-one match, namely, against Jakotsu atop one of the castle rooftops.
"Hah!"
(Swing, clang)
For the most part, the both of them were slapping eachother's weapons against the other, meeting in clashes that lasted only a few seconds, before the zombie would try a distant shot from his connected blades.
"Let's see you dodge, this!"
(Thrust)
The blades go charging through the hardwood, but my brother was more than prepared with a counter.
"Hrrrr-gah!"
(Swing, crash)
The waving power from his demon bone-infused long hammer shoots through the roof similarly to Jakotsu's sword, before both attacks meet in an explosive clash, sending wood and debris all over the place...I had little time to worry about my brother's condition, when Renkotsu tries attacking me and Kōga with his flaming threads.
"I'll roast you both alive with the fires of Hell itself!"
We of course, manage to easily dodge to the sides from the respected attacks.
"That kind-a stuff won't work on me!"
"Nor, me!"
I get in close and spin-kicked the zombie in his torso, he getting the wind knocked out of him before sliding to the dirt, and I take the opportunity to pin him down with my body, my combat knife held at his throat!
"Gh!"
"Now, you gonna be nice and relinquish my shards?"
(...Buzzzzz...)
"Hm?"
That's when my ears picked up on the sound of a very familiar horde of insects, and I looked up to see coming from above,
Uh! The Saimyōshō!
(WHACK)
"Gruh!"
Though I shouldn't have gotten too distracted by the entrance of those creepy wasps, for that gave Renkotsu the opening to slam one of his palms against my chest, knocking me off of him and landing on my own back to slide in the dirt. Kōga quickly came to my side and helped me up:
"You okay?"
"Y-Yeah, partly my fault for letting my guard down..."
Shippo, who was standing closer to the entrance and out of the lines of battle, calls out on the insects next.
"Naraku's poisonous bugs!"
More eyes would focus on their arrival, and I wonder to myself,
Where did they come from?...Does this mean Naraku is nearby?
The Shichinintai didn't seem pleased by the Saimyōshō's appearance, Renkotsu and Jakotsu making the first comments.
"Not retreat!"
"What? Has something happened?"
Bankotsu glared up at the wasps before calling to them,
"Don't disturb me. I wanna destroy Inuyasha first. (Turns to the dog demon) 'parrently, I need to wrap things up quickly, so say your prayers, Inuyasha!"
"Keh, you're the one who better start praying! Taste my Wind Scar!"
Ginkotsu tried to stop my boyfriend's fatal-blow attack with several wires to tie the other down, but missed.
"Bye bye, Bankotsu."
Though the attack did connect...I saw the zombie raise his halberd to use as a shield, and it looked like it was, holding some of the energy at bay!
Oh, that, could be a problem...
Jakotsu cried out for his mercenary brother in worry, while Shippo was confident Bankotsu's life would be forfeit.
"He did it!"
...Once the Wind Scar died down, we would all see the zombie's blade embedded in the ground, but no zombie.
"Ha, well he sure had it comin'!"
...But just as my nerves correctly predicted, we would find that Bankotsu had somehow survived, and was now examining his blade with an offended and angry expression.
"Damn! You put a scar on my Banryū..."
He darts his head to the cyborg-zombie and says to him,
"Good job, Ginkotsu. You saved me."
Hm? Oooh, some of those wires must've grabbed Bankotsu to pull him out of the direct line of fire.
The Saimyōshō buzz close to the zombie's side and seemingly urge him to do what I'm guessing to be a tactical retreat, irritating him enough to follow the order.
"Alright, alright already!"
He pulls his halberd out of the dirt and points it at Inuyasha while saying to him,
"Inuyasha, that's all I have time for today."
"You have got to be kidding me!"
Kōga was feeling just as annoyed by the pause in action, and calls out Renkotsu.
"Okay, break time's over!"
But he's then forced to jump out of the way of a shot of fire spewed from the zombie's mouth, while I rolled away in a dodge before rushing at him with ShatterSoul.
"No you don't, fiend! Spirit Slash!"
My Aura-charged cut goes flying at the zombie, and he leaps up to dodge according to my plan.
He took the feint.
(Vwoom...Vwoom, SWIPE)
"Gaaaarh!"
Using my new agility enhancement, I willed myself behind Renkotsu before bringing my blade down across his back, cutting into his more vulnerable upper back! His blood spills, and I dive down to tackle him to the ground, getting to work on trying to find the shards on his person.
Come on, come on...
(Rumble...cri-CRACK)
But then the dirt we were on top of suddenly gives way and caves in, and I'm forced to roll off of the zombie to scramble away unless I wanted to fall in, while he was saved by one of Ginkotsu's wires!
The rest of the Shichinintai would follow shortly, all boarding the cyborg-zombie before crashing through one of the castle walls to roll out.
"See ya!"
"Why you-! I'm not letting you get away!"
But before Inuyasha and the rest of us could chase after them, we're blocked off by a rock formation suddenly shooting out from the ground, it crumbling away to reveal...noneother than Naraku!
"Inuyasha...it's been a while."
"Gh! It's, Naraku!"
He...He's here?! But how?!
"Heheheh, well I must give you credit for coming this far."
My boyfriend tucked me somewhat behind him protectively while growling at Naraku's baboon-cloaked form.
"Why you-!"
"Inuyasha, I don't think it's actually him."
Kōga agreed with Miroku:
"Yeah, it's probably one of his demon puppets."
"Buying time for the Band of Seven to escape, are you?"
The fiend only laughed in response to Inuyasha's accusation...while I continued to stare at the former's form with a growing scrutiny.
Hm...There's something fishy going on here...
The material structure looks about the same as every other demon puppet we've encountered...
And yet, the power used in it...It doesn't feel like the underlying evil that is fashioned within.
No one else seemed to sense the off-put feeling I was, wolf-boy being the most impatient.
"Puh, I haven't got time for fakes!"
He charges forward to attack, much to my boyfriend's dismay:
"What're you doing, Kōga?!"
By no surprise to me, the Naraku Demon Puppet counters with its tree root tendrils, forcing Kōga to slow down and swerve his torso to dodge, before the former stretches out even more root tendrils and rises in size to block out exit!
"Hehahahaha, I won't let you pass!"
Shippo exclaims from atop Freeman's shoulder,
"Whoaah, he's gigantic!"
Sango moved so she was standing closer to me with her right hand gripping Hiraikotsu at ready.
"Stand back." I pull ShatterSoul back out and mutter,
"What a time for demon sorcery..."
Miroku and Besa try to stave off some of the root tendrils with their respected weapons, before Inuyasha leaps in front of us all with his Tessaiga.
"Keh, time to use my, Wind Scar!"
(SLASH)
The three-clawed attack travels up the roots to fully obliterate the demon puppet in no time flat...
But while I should've felt excited by its destruction, there was something that caught my eyes as the tendrils fell apart.
Huh? Those look like...flower petals?
The puppet's remains gather into a pile on the ground, just as Kōga readies to bolt out on his own. Inuyasha calls after him,
"You tryin' to get ahead of us, Kōga?"
"Shut up, mutt! An incompetent halfbreed like yourself would only let the Band of Seven get away!"
Rolling my eyes at the testosterone flare-up, I sheath ShatterSoul and walk over to kneel in front of the remains of the demon puppet to further examine, Lumos joining me...
Gh! Impossible...and yet, here it is...
"Wait a second!"
"Don't bother with him, Inuyasha. We have a more pressing problem to deal with."
He turns to me in surprise and walks back over here just as Miroku asks me,
"So you saw it too, Coraline?"
"What's going on?"
I nod and reply to both,
"There's something overly suspicious about this demon puppet. I can't sense any underlying darkness within it. (Glance) And Lumos would've been jittering like mad if there was any dangerous energy, but, he's as quiet as a mouse."
"So then what does this mean?"
"It means that it's full of light...That, suffocating type that I could sense from the barrier on Mount Hakurei."
"Mount Hakurei?"
Shippo leans his face a bit close and sniffs the remains, muttering in his own surprise,
"Hey. It smells...it smells nice." Sango's nose could smell it too:
"It smells of water, and flowers."
Miroku was near flabbergasted by such a characterization:
"Water and flowers?"
My brothers weren't too far behind, Besa picking up one of the flower petals that fell out from the inside to see for himself.
"This looks like a petal from the Indian Lotus, or sometimes known as...the Sacred Lotus."
"Whoa, seriously? They were trading this flower even back here in the Sengoku Era?!"
"It's actually native to a number of places in East Asia, Japan included, and has a very long cultivation history. Culturally, it holds a very special significance in Buddhism, that being purity of the mind, body and speech."
I was a bit surprised that Besa knew that much about the flower, and seeing my expression along with everyone else's, he smiles sheepishly and adds,
"I-uh, may have done a bit of reading here and there on the religion and the different meanings of the Lotus. (Looks at Miroku) I didn't screw up on that description, right?"
"Uh, no, not at all. You're correct...and I must say, I'm quite impressed."
My brother just shrugs it off modestly, before Inuyasha cuts in with his own frown of suspicion.
"But why would Naraku's puppet smell like something that symbolizes purity?"
I answer just as seriously,
"That, is a very good question...but I think this pretty much proves that Mount Hakurei, may not be as holy as it wants everyone to believe..."
Small Time Skip, No POV
It wouldn't take long for the young wolf demon leader to follow the scent trail of the Shichinintai, ending at the foot of the very mountain that's constantly being pulled into topic...
"Where are you?! Where did you go?!"
...But just like every other soul with demon blood in their veins that dared try to approach Hakurei, Kōga would be stopped by the purifying energies of the sacred barrier that guards the mountain grounds.
"What, the hell is this?!...It's, some kind of barrier..."
In contrast, the undead mercenary band would have no real trouble entering the valley of Mount Hakurei, which Jakotsu would comment on as he walked near the young leader with everyone else trailing behind.
"I can see it now, Bankotsu: Mount Hakurei...Geez, what's with the air? Made me sick the last time we came here too."
"It seems to extend now."
Bankotsu replies after Renkotsu's observation,
"I suspect that the scared barrier has been strengthened. This way, neither Inuyasha nor Kōga can come after us."
Jakotsu mutters in accordance to the bitter irony,
"But it'll be tough for us too, even though we are human..."
"Wait."
Halting, the Shichinintai peer into the near distance...and spot Kanna's white-washed form emerge from the fog!
"It seems we won't have to go all the way to the base of the mountain."
Kohaku would walk to meet the void demon's side shortly after.
"Bankotsu sir."
Said mercenary leader walks over to meet the odd pair:
"Hi, Kohaku. So, who's this albino child?"
"She is Kanna."
Bankotsu nods, then turns curious eyes to the mirror that Kanna carried, joined by the more curious Jakotsu.
"What's this?"
The image that reflected...was Sesshomaru and Rin!
"Huh? Hey! Him again?"
"What? Do you know him?"
"Yeah. He's that cold-faced demon that appeared shortly after that bitch Coraline went crazy and murdered Mukotsu."
Kohaku puts a face to the name:
"It's Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshomaru."
"Aah, so he was Inuyasha's older brother." Bankotsu adds after Jakotsu,
"Yes, I see...So what?" Kohaku replies,
"You are to find him and kill him too."
"Hey!"
Bankotsu didn't appreciate being ordering around, and hoisted the young demon slayer up by his collar to say angrily,
"You better not have dragged us all the way out here just to tell us that! We were in the middle of destroying Inuyasha."
"If you had continued fighting, you would have been killed."
Cobalt irises shift to meet the abyssal black ones belonging to Kanna.
"What? What're you talkin' about, kid?"
"Your halberd cannot defeat Inuyasha's Tessaiga."
Bankotsu didn't like the sound of that...and thrusts his Banryū forward to hold inches from the void demon's face, who doesn't even flinch.
"What? You mean because of this measly scratch on Banryū? It doesn't even-huh?"
Kanna gently runs one of her alabaster hands over the area where the sword was damaged.
"It can become much stronger..."
She then looks in Renkotsu's direction, making him tense the slightest...Bankotsu quickly catches her meaning:
"Aaah, now I get it. (Turns around with a frown) Hey, Renkotsu: Time to hand them over, right now."
"What do you mean?"
(Swing)
"Gh!"
The tip of the halberd is pointed near the fire-user's neck...
"I knew it all along, that you took those Shikon-no-Tama shards from that girl Coraline, and hid them. (Gritty smirk) If you prefer, I could cut them out of your neck and finish what the woman started...It's your choice..."
...Renkotsu gently pushes the sword away from his person and replies,
"Please don't be angry, big brother. I've been meaning to give them to you all along."
Reluctantly, he then pulls out the tiny glass bottle, and tosses it for his leader to catch, turning away with a miffed expression...
"Aah, that's a wise decision, Renkotsu. You are smart after all it seems...However..."
(Crick)
Bankotsu smashes the bottle in his hand, adding ominously,
"Don't make anymore mistakes."
"...Understood."
"Alright then, Suikotsu."
"Yeah?"
"And Jakotsu. I want you to go and take care of this Sesshomaru."
The feminine male zombie wasn't overly excited for such a mission, his growl of frustration making his point clear...
"What'sa matter? Sesshomaru not your type?" He angrily replies,
"I keep telling you: Inuyasha's the one I want!"
Bankotsu quirks with a wry smile,
"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't think the feeling's mutual. I'll take care of Inuyasha."
Jakotsu sighs to himself disappointingly, but made no further complaints...
"Now then."
The wielder of Banryū then melds the two Shikon-no-Tama shards from the newly-broken bottle with the blade, making it throb with a vein-like red glow...
"Yeeeah, this is great."
Kohaku then informs the zombie,
"I know which direction Inuyasha is coming from."
"Ninjas sure are clever, aren't they?"
"Haaaah, I am not a ninja."
With that, he and Kanna exit from the area in a leap and a spirited fashion respectively, leaving Bankotsu to grin down at his once again pristine blade.
Damn half-demon. Get ready to meet your doom.
...Our view shifts to a cliff ledge overlooking the landscape of these lands away from the ruined castle the Shichinintai destroyed, where Inuyasha and company evaluate their next move...
"Look for water?"
"As in bodies of water like lakes, rivers and marshes?"
Inuyasha turns his head to nod at Sango and Coraline:
"Yep. We keep lookin' until we find the same kind of water, and the same scent of that Sacred Lotus."
Shippo says aloud while resting on top Besa's left shoulder,
"It was the first time I smelt a flower quite like that," making the latter wonder,
"It's also possible we might be looking at a rare, undiscovered subspecies to the original..."
Miroku and Freeman were a bit more pressed with the group's current enemies.
"What about the Band of Seven, Inuyasha?"
"Yeah, I'm not sayin' this new development isn't disturbing, but, does this mean we're not chasing those bastards anymore?"
He answers both men by reasoning,
"If we keep following Naraku, they're bound to show up eventually."
That brought a collective nod of agreement from the rest (or rather, a mewl and moaned chirp in Kilala and Lumo's cases), and as he wrapped a protective arm around Coraline's shoulders, the dog demon vows,
Naraku...we will find you.