Chapter 124: Good is the New Evil?
Returning to the scene at hand, we find ourselves overlooking Inuyasha and Bankotsu as they prep themselves for the next heat of the fight, their individual strengths flowing back now that the sacred barrier around Hijiri Island has been dispatched by the combined holy powers of Miroku and Shintarou...
But while the zombie male wielding the massive halberd was feeling confident in getting the victory, the dog demon was feeling the weight of his injuries beginning to sink in, his frustrations mixing with worry...
On another note, it seems that our young fox demon Shippo was starting to feel better now that the pure energies from that barrier weren't antagonizing his being anymore, no longer looking half as sick as he did earlier, but was still rather exhausted out from fighting against the island's atmosphere. With that in mind, Freeman took it upon himself to lift the kit into his arms with a gentle smile cast to the little redhead.
"You did real good for Miroku, kiddo. Just take a few deep breaths and the nausea should be gone."
Sango and Besa (he having Kilala on his left shoulder) move to stand on either side the dark-skinned male, the former commenting,
"At least Inuyasha's demonic powers are back."
Miroku, whom had moved away from the crater containing the mysterious shrine item with Coraline and Shintarou, replies to the demon slayer,
"Although he is still at a disadvantage: His left arm is badly damaged."
The redheaded woman with two-tone blue orbs looks over at her lover with a concern that wasn't fully assured by the soothing moans of her Will O' Wisp partner.
Please be careful, Inuyasha. Not just for your arm, but of Bankotsu's halberd too, since it still holds those jewel shards taken from me...
Said fragments would glow from within the zombie's steel as he taunts with a smirk,
"Let's see you do it right this time. Show me this Wind Scar of yours."
"Thanks for the invite!"
The dog fang blade of Tessaiga throbs as it gathers power, a vortex of wind gushing 'round...
"You're dead! (Thrust) Wind Scar!"
This time, we would witness a true release of the dog fang sword's power, the three-tine claw slash traveling fast towards its target...Bankotsu, however, stood unafraid staring at the approaching attack for a quick moment, before leaping into the air to counterattack.
"Dragon Hammer!"
(Ka-BANG)
The blade shoots out its aura, wrapped in a familiar shade of pink light to go colliding with the energies of the Wind Scar, stopping it right in its tracks, much to the shock of the witnesses!
"He...He stopped the Wind Scar!"
"His Aura stopped the attack!"
"No way!" "Oh hell no!"
Though given some real thought, this wasn't the first time Inuyasha met with an opponent that could fight their way past his signature attack, which gave him another reason to add onto his unworried smirk.
Keh, I just gotta look for the whirlpool of demonic energy, then I can use my Backlash Wave.
Yet as Bankotsu lunges towards the dog demon, the latter would quickly find such a strategy would not be possible.
What?! I don't see the demonic aura around Bankotsu! So, I can't use my Backlash Wave?!
"Kah, don't stand there in a daze!"
The swing of Banryū following their wielder's exclaim would snap Inuyasha out of his shock, who then scrambles to avoid getting his body hacked to pieces, leaping into the air and leaving the attacking blade to go crashing into the dirt, sending a large cloud of brown-black smoke into the air...
At the same time Coraline cries out for her lover, Shippo's green irises would blink back awake.
Stretching his arms while still sitting in Freeman's arms, he yawns,
"I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders..."
The young man with short, coarse black hair smiles a bit and replies,
"We~ll, look who's back."
"The only thing I can clearly remember is feeling really sick."
"Yeah, I was feelin' a bit nauseous too. Probably was the island's barrier giving us a hard time, though in your case, it may have been purifyin' your demonic powers."
Shippo hms with a nod:
"That explains it, and I guess that barrier didn't like your uh-heh, affiliations with Ginta anymore the mountain's did...Uhwah! Inuyasha!"
Looking ahead to the dissipating smoke, Sango answers the next question that was burning in the fox demon's expression.
"He's still fighting with Bankotsu." Besa adds,
"And due to certain circumstances, neither of the Tessaiga's special techniques seem to work on the latter..."
Zooming into the battle area, we see Inuyasha use his sword to help lift himself to his feet while cursing his failed efforts, to which the zombie would mock him for.
"He-ha, it seems you had something in store for me. Too bad it was all in vain!"
"Damn...!"
Shippo calls from the sidelines with raw determination,
"Inuyasha, I know you can do better than that!" Sango informs him,
"Bankotsu took a good shot at his arm."
"Mph! Is it bad?"
...Suddenly, Kilala leaped off from Besa's shoulder with a hissed growl and rushes forward to the dog demon's side, before transforming in a wave of fire and a strong roar! Feeling inspired by his friend's bravery, the young male with black cornrowed hair then dashes forward to hop aboard the twin-tailed cat demon's back, much to everyone else's surprise.
"Huh?!" "Besa?!" "Whoa, bro, what're you-!"
He just sends the rest a smile of assurance, before glancing down at Kilala to say,
"Hope you don't mind me tagging along, Kilala. Let's do what we can to help Inuyasha."
The twin-tailed cat demon rumbles a growl of agreement, and Besa pulls out his demon bone sickles at ready while thinking to himself,
I better make my next moves count, for the sake of my friends and family if not myself.
Inuyasha stares over at the two that stepped closer to his side for a moment, before focusing back on his opponent's form while delving into his own train of thought.
Bankotsu is a specter, but he was once human...
Judging by the scope of his strength, he must be using some kind of demonic aura.
Miroku thinks aloud about the ultimate attack of Tessaiga to synthesize what went wrong.
"The Backlash Wave Technique surrounds and reverses the natural flow of an opponent's demonic aura. Since Bankotsu was once human, he doesn't produce any such aura."
Bankotsu raises his halberd upward with a single hand, grinning as he taunts to Inuyasha,
"The sacred shards of the Shikon-no-Tama want me to bring you down..."
...That's when Coraline saw it:
(Sheen)
The Darkness of the shards is overcoming the Light...Uh! That's it!
"Inuyasha: Focus on the dark aura produced by Banryū's borrowed power from the jewel shards!"
The dog demon's lips form into a fanged smirk:
Perfect. Now that I know that, I can use my Backlash Wave!
Seeing the winds forming a vortex around his opponent's sword again, Bankotsu frowns.
He's thought of something...
He points his halberd forward and states outright,
"I won't fall for that again! Do ya only have one battle move?! Nrrrrrrah!"
The zombie plants the sharp end of Banryū into the ground, and flips himself upside-down mid-air! Spinning back upright, Bankotsu forms a deadly smile, pointing his sword into the air as dark, thunderous clouds began forming in a whirlpool in the skies, acting as a beacon to the shots of lightning that come flashing.
"He's summoned a thunderstorm!" Cursing, Inuyasha wonders after Miroku,
"What's he up to now?"
The undead mercenary with cobalt irises cold as steel belts out a battle cry before calling out his latest move.
"Dragon Thunder!"
A large bolt of electricity goes shooting back into the clouds from the tip of the halberd...
"Even I can't predict where it will strike!"
Above the storm, the lightning gathers into a massive orb...before it explodes into several bolts to come crashing all over the island! Inuyasha and Miroku exclaim,
"Guh! Look at all those lightning bolts!"
"He can't use the Backlash Wave!"
The dog demon is the first to suffer from the unpredictable lightning strikes, one bolt hitting the ground in front of him and sending his body flying backwards with the upturned ground.
"Aaaaaaaagh...!"
Shintarou cowers with his hands over his head before rushing to try and escape the area...Noticing his retreating form, Coraline forgoes her own safety and runs after him just as the young monk forms a barrier around their standing point.
"Shintarou, wait!"
"Coraline, come back; don't leave the barrier!"
She reaches the young boy and grabs his wrist to pull him to her body, shielding him before crying out for assistance.
"Lumos!"
The Will O' Wisp barely speeds over to the young woman in time to release a burst of his power to mix with hers, just as a bolt of lightning comes crashing down near the three beings.
(...BANG/SHEEN)
"Grrraaaaaaaaah!"
Coraline's yell was all Miroku could hear over the commotion, her more prominently lapis blue Aura energies shining through the cloud of dirt and electricity.
"Coraline!"
The monk is then blown back by another lightning strike...Sensing similar fates were in store for the rest, Freeman quickly acts to protect those who were near him.
"Sango! Shippo!"
(Sheen...)
He activates the power of his Seven Light Crystal shard, creating a barrier that glistened a transparent rainbow shine to deflect the next probable strike from the air...But it only works so much to prevent the worst possible outcome, and would not be enough to stop the three from getting thrown back to the ground by another stormy blast from the skies!
(BANG)
"Aaaaaaaah!" "Whaaaaaah!"
"Auuuuuh!"
The last to fall prey to the multi-strike attack unleashed from Banryū would be Kilala and Besa, who dart their heads up with alert expressions to the tune of these electrical bolts, before one hits the ground too fast for them to even think of dodging!
(BANG)
"(Rowl)" "Guuuuaaaaah!"
...A few more blasts from the sky come and pass, before the Dragon Thunder Technique finally ran its course, leaving the battleground littered with smoking craters and multiple fires burning about...
...
...Inuyasha would once again be first in line to snap back to reality, rising slowly and painfully from unconsciousness with a few roughened groans. Upon getting to his hands and knees, his throat pushes out a cough, causing some crimson to go splashing onto the stony dirt...Once he fully comes out of his haziness, the dog demon casts his amber irises to his surroundings, spotting the unconscious forms of the fox demon, twin-tailed cat demon, the demon slayer and the coco-skinned twin brothers.
"Sango...! Shippo!...Kilala!...Freeman! Besa...!"
He wasn't able to spot Miroku's form...nor that of the one person in his group who meant more to his heart than anyone.
"Uh! Coraline!...Coraline?!"
He darts his head back and forth to find his girl...
"Mrh-hh, I-nu-yasha..."
And upon picking up the quiet mutter with his sensitive ears, the dog demon whirls his body around behind him, spotting the redheaded woman a distance away, weak but somehow still conscious, unlike Shintarou whose blacked-out form was laying face-up just a foot or two beside her.
"Coraline...!"
Lifting her head up with a few pants, she smiles to her man through the dull pain felt in her partially battered form.
"Inu-yasha..."
Glad, to know I'm not, the only one, still awake...
Lumos was also still among the conscious, but had resided to resting on the young headman's chest, trying to gather his own strength back.
"(Ghostly moan...)"
Nodding slightly at her creature partner, Coraline resolves to try and move on her own two feet...but only got a couple steps in before the stress in her nerves robbed her legs of their mobility.
"Agh!"
Inuyasha drew a quick breath in as he watched his lover fall down to her knees again, and tries to get up himself to help her.
"Cor-aline...! Grh!"
But he was having his own issues in staying upright, and fell on his front again, keeping his blurred vision on the redhead's form.
"Coraline...How, dare you, hurt, my intended...!"
...Bankotsu's foot came in the way of the dog demon's amber irises.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. I was telling the truth when I said I couldn't predict where my Dragon Thunder would fall."
Glancing behind him for a moment at Coraline, he comments,
"I admit, I'm surprised the woman's still conscious...but her struggles will soon be put to an end, after yours."
He turns back to sneer at Inuyasha's form:
"So just lie there, little worm, and I'll hack you and your sword to pieces!"
On that note, the undead mercenary twirled his Banryū in the air, gathering another concentration of electrical power from the thunder storm he created...
Little did he know, his battle cry would not be the only one that rang through the atmosphere, as he brought his halberd down in what may have been the deciding attack...all thanks to the enraging soul of another.
Two Minutes Earlier, Coraline's POV
Inuyasha...Inuyasha...
My eyes stayed locked on his form despite my fumble to the ground, desperateness and stubbornness to be by his side the only things driving me to stay conscious. It hurt my heart bad to see him suffering in his struggled attempts to reach me, watching him collapsing on his front.
I've got, to help, him...!
It only got worse when Bankotsu stepped between our distant form, his back blocking my vision from seeing my lover.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. I was telling the truth when I said I couldn't predict where my Dragon Thunder would fall."
He pivots his head behind him to glance at my panting form:
"I admit, I'm surprised the woman's still conscious...but her struggles will soon be put to an end, after yours."
I just sent him a dirty look:
Damn you...
(Pulse...)
Thankfully, for the sake of my spiritual health, I managed to keep most of my anger in check to prevent any possible ruptures in my Soul...Still, that didn't stop me from becoming enraged by the following threat that slid from that bastard's mouth.
"So just lie there, little worm, and I'll hack you and your sword to pieces!"
(...Sheen)
Not while I'm alive, you heathen!
With Protectiveness and my undying Love for the man with silver hair and amber irises jump-starting my abilities, I bolted to my feet with slitting irises clouded over by a bright dark blue (I've come to suspect that since my training after my last loss of control, my Soul has, changed, matured even...), drew ShatterSoul and sprinted like a madwoman straight for the target, my outcry melding with the zombie's.
"Hrrrraaaaaaaaaaah!" "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
(BANG/CLANG)
...The collision of weaponry had a real chaotic feel, and I don't mean just from my sword and Bankotsu's. Somewhere about a split second before his halberd and my long blade would meet in a downward strike and sideways uppercut respectively, Inuyasha had sped back onto his feet and rushed to meet the former in a clash, his Tessaiga landing in an area just a few centimeters above my ShatterSoul!
The feel of energy was a little terrifying, yet at the same time...exhilarating. Having the privilege to fight alongside my lover only fueled my desire to claim victory...I could tell he felt the same from one side glance to his face, he locking his amber with my currently-glowing blue.
Inuyasha...Let's take him down, together.
My silent message must have gotten through, for he bobbed his head ever so slightly with that serious firmness, before turning to snarl at Bankotsu for releasing that earlier attack that caused a great deal of pain for those we cared about.
"Damn you! This is between us!...Why couldn't you keep my friends and lover out of it?!"
I add just as angry,
"You're only giving us more reasons to do more than simply lop your head off!"
Anyone who dares to harm my loved ones...will feel my wrath!
Pushing the bastard back at the same time, Inuyasha and I began taking turns in a series of fast-paced strikes with our swords against Bankotsu's. Somehow, his luck holds out and he's able to block each of our blows.
"Both of you, quit acting so naive; it doesn't suit either of you!"
I retort with a growl,
"Who's naive, you brute?!"
We then go into our own mini sparring match after he drives Inuyasha back, and while I was able to near-match the zombie's strength, he'd still prevail since he wasn't the one moving on pure adrenaline, swiping ShatterSoul upward before seizing me by my neck!
"Ag-guh!"
While I was stuck trying to squirm my dangling form out of the bastard's grip, Inuyasha had gained another motivation to become even more pissed.
"Coraline! Grrrh, let her go, now!"
Bankotsu only chuckled and jeered,
"And why should I? She's the one who chose to get herself into this fix...Now then."
His fingers squeeze harder around my throat, making me choke for air as he asks aloud in a sadistic tone,
"Do I kill you first, or only wound you enough that you'll be forced to watch helplessly as I slaughter your so-called lover?"
Fighting for breath, I wheeze out with a weak smirk,
"N-Neither, you fool."
"Huh?"
(Sheen...JAB)
"Gaurh!"
Using a smaller concentration of power, I summoned my combat knife out of its sheath to my right hand before bringing it down into the mock flesh of the hand that held me off the ground, forcing him to release me. I dropped to the ground hard, but managed to recover and dart backwards away from him to the safer proximity of my lover. He quickly gathered me into his good arm:
"Coraline!...Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, (cough) I'll survive...And you?"
"Fine..."
We pull back so he could give me a once-over, and immediately growled at the sight of what I'm assuming must've been freshly-blooming bruises on my neck.
"That bastard's dead. No one hurts you and gets away with it alive."
"Inuyasha..."
"Grrrr, curse, you, woman...!"
We darted our heads back over to where Bankotsu stood, he glaring down at his left appendage, the back of his palm now sporting a reasonable stab wound that was bleeding profoundly. His irises then shoot upward, most of the rage directed at me:
"You're gonna regret that move, I promise you that!"
I grit my teeth on the defense, and Inuyasha tucked my form behind his in a shielding manner...
"You're both dead!"
Our enemy raises his halberd into the air, it wrapping itself in another radiant glow courtesy of those damn jewel shards.
Oh crap, here we go again!
"Stay calm, chile, and use yer Aura against the jewel's alongside the dog boy's!"
Okay!
I prep myself to unleash hell from my sword, as does Inuyasha who calls,
"How 'bout some variety?! This is getting old!"
We then both swing our swords down in synchronization, Tessaiga and ShatterSoul's dual powers shooting across the landscape in their bright yellow and lapis blue shines respectively, twirling in an intertwine halfway, before meeting Banryū's challenge at the middle point, creating a mass orb collision to blow up on the battlefield...!
Once it died down, Inuyasha and I would take the opportunity to charge through.
"Come on, how many dirty little tricks are ya gonna pull on us?!"
"Just give up already!"
Bankotsu would retort in return while sending another wave of energy for us to block,
"What are you, stupid?! In a fight to the death, there's no such thing as fair or foul!"
By this point, I could feel my stamina start to drop, and I would have fallen on my back after blocking with ShatterSoul, if my man hadn't held me steady with an arm around my waist.
"Ah! Mm...Thank you."
"Don't mention it...Can you still go on?"
I managed a half-smirk and retort lightly,
"Need you ask?"
He smirked a little at me in return, pulling me up straight before stealing a quick peck from my lips, quickly shifting to a serious expression as we faced up front towards the mercenary again.
"We'll take him down even if it kills us."
I only nod firmly, and we release our respected Auras against Bankotsu's once more, creating yet another orb collision between us that was stronger than the first, so much so that the zombie was struggling to hold his ground.
We've got 'im this time, no doubt!
Inuyasha seemed to think so too, and took the initiative in leaping up high to strike down on Bankotsu.
"You're mine now!"
...
...That's when it happened: That vajra Miroku, Shintarou, Lumos and I discovered not too far from the ruined shrine, suddenly acted on its own accord, shooting out from the crater on a straight course for the Tessaiga, stopping it right in its tracks!
What?!
Stranger still...it began emitting an ethereal glow that spreads across the island, the kind that was peaceful...healing...It would certainly be enough to stir the others of our group awake, as evident by the rise of brightness and beats in their Auras.
Oh good, everyone's okay...
...And yet, I feel more uneasy than before.
I placed my fingertips to my neck, and felt no sore impressions.
My bruises...gone before they can form...
Where is that power coming from? Surely the vajra isn't the beacon.
Miroku would be the next to comment on this new source of interference.
"Saint Hakushin's vajra...! I knew it!"
Next thing I knew, the ornament forces the Tessaiga to revert back into its dormant form!
Uh! The demonic aura's been purified!
Inuyasha was understandably edgy about this new turn:
"What's the meaning of this?!"
Miroku calls over to explain:
"Wait, Inuyasha! That vajra was at the core of the barrier that surrounded this island!...It seems that Saint Hakushin is an ally of Bankotsu!"
Though Shintarou shook his head and voiced his disbelief, I was easily siding with the monk's train of thought.
That would definitely fit the tone of these parts: Pure air with a paranoid skeptic's guard...
Clearly not of their right mind, and unaware of who is truly friend or foe.
Bankotsu scoffs and remarks,
"I take it he wants me to finish you off quickly. I admit it, it bothers me that he doesn't have faith in my ability..."
He twirls his halberd into the air, before making his move to charge against Inuyasha.
"It's too bad it has to end so soon for you all!"
"Right back, (CLANG) at you!"
I rose to the occasion and met the zombie mercenary in a clash of blades...Inuyasha cried out my name in both a proud surprise and worry for my safety, while Bankotsu grinds his teeth at me.
"You're really getting on my last nerve, girl!" I retort back,
"Feeling's mutual!"
(...Sheen, siiiiiizzzzzz)
I suppose my Aura must've been particularly self-righteous this round, when suddenly, some of the sparking dark arctic energies emitting from my blade shoot like tiny lightning bolts to hack at Bankotsu's offensive arm, burning his flesh so much that it disintegrated to the bone!
Whoa...Didn't see that coming.
A flash of fear rose in his cobalt eyes, and he darts back away from me to stare down at his skeletal arm in disbelief, giving me a chance to catch my breath while also trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
"Hah, hah, hah...Where'd that come from...?"
I, wasn't losing control...was I?
My ancestor quickly jumps to quell my insecurities:
"Nay, far from it: Yer fighting spirit is merely more prominent than that of the heathen's, so much so that his necromancy body cannot handle the liveliness."
...Sooo, this is simply a case of 'I'm stronger, you're not'.
"Mm, suppose that be another way of putting it..."
Huh...Who would've thought?
(Bu-bump...bu-bump...)
"Hm?"
My focus would then turn head to the vajra, it now throbbing a glow similar to the one that was cast over the whole of this island...Only this time, the goal was fixated on our group's current enemy, he now fading right on the spot before our eyes! He wasn't any less shocked than we were:
"What...?!"
Sango and Shippo mutter with wide eyes,
"Bankotsu is..."
"Disappearing...!"
Inuyasha tries to stop the zombie from escaping the area:
"Bankotsu, damn you...! Don't you dare!"
(...Bzzzzzt)
But he became stuck mid-jump courtesy of another barrier, likely set up by the shrine ornament!
Crap!
"Sis!"
I dart my head to the far right behind me, and saw my twin brothers fast-approaching me with their weapons raised.
"Let's all three of us hit the barrier at once!"
Couldn't hurt to try.
I nod quick and firm, turning around just as they caught up, before we gang up together in one full swing of my sword, Freeman's hammer and Besa's sickles!
"Haaaa-aah!" "Yrraaaah!" "Caaaaah!"
(Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzt...)
Unfortunately, we weren't anymore successful than my lover, our weapons getting stuck between the purifying energies of the barrier being projected. Freeman curses loudly, Besa grits his teeth, while I focused glaring irises at Bankotsu's form, he fading away completely...but not before sending a faint smirk of satisfaction my way, making me growl in both frustration and defeat.
Curse you, Bankotsuuuu!
No POV
Once the undead mercenary was gone, so too would be the vajra and the barrier it created, leaving Inuyasha to fall down to the ground a bit harshly, while Coraline and the twins toppled slightly from the dragging weight drop of their weapons.
"Gah!" "Whoah!"
"Grh!...Damn bastard's vanished..."
The dog demon's brooding thoughts were none too far behind his love interest, glare fixed on his face as he lifted himself up again.
Damn...he's gone.
"...Inuyasha?"
He looks up to meet his amber irises with Coraline's blue, she slowly walking over to kneel down by his form with concern now fading into view on her face.
"You okay?"
Nodding, Inuyasha places a clawed hand over the young woman's arm before replying verbally,
"I should be askin' you that...Still, (looks ahead of them) now what?"
"Bankotsu isn't our only problem."
Attention turns to Miroku, he assisting Besa off the ground after doing the same for Freeman.
"The vajra has disappeared as well."
The young man with cornrow black hair asks the monk,
"You believe it helped the mercenary escape, right?"
"Yes, probably."
...Shintarou assesses the damage done to the holy shrine, his young eyes dancing with sadness and confusion.
"I don't understand...What happened to Saint Hakushin? He's gone. Where do you think he could've disappeared to?"
Speaking for the rest of the group who occupied sympathetic frowns, Freeman mutters while placing a gentle hand on the young headman's shoulder,
"I wish we could give you a good answer...but let's face it: There haven't been alot of opportunities for that lately...and I honestly don't see one on the horizon anytime soon."
...
...
So then where did Bankotsu get to?
...Well...
"(...Cough, cough) Damn it...I feel terrible..."
Our scene shifts to the outside boardwalk of another shrine of these parts set in the heart of Mount Hakurei's misty landscape, where the zombie male with cobalt irises stirs from unconsciousness. Needless to say, his mood would not be positive when as he clues into his current surroundings.
"I don't get it. What the hell happened to me, anyway? (Looks around) Where am I?"
...The sound of footfalls catches his attention, and Bankotsu pivots his head left, spotting the approaching forms of Kanna and Kohaku.
"Bankotsu, sir."
"Kohaku, Kanna...Where are we? I-It feels awful in here..."
"I would imagine so, sir. This isn't a place for men with evil hearts."
"It doesn't seem to bother you much...Figures with you being a ninja."
The zombified young demon slayer mentally sighs while muttering aloud,
"You're mistaken. I am not a ninja."
Bankotsu's eyes then fall on the void demon as she walks over and kneels by him to take hold of the golden vajra.
...Now I remember: The light of the vajra enveloped me.
He follows Kanna as she walks from that point A to point B, they being a large altar with a mummified figure sitting dead center.
"...Who is that...?"
Looking more closely as the stark white young lady sets the ornament down, we see that this dried carcass was sitting in a prayer position with the body dressed in an immaculate purple monk uniform with gold trim...The gears in Bankotsu's brain started to click along as he puts two and two together.
"I see: Inuyasha and his woman kept saying something or other about a Saint...This must be Saint Hakushin's body...He's responsible for creating the barriers around Mount Hakurei and Hijiri Island..."
And yet, these answers seemed to only raise more questions about the motives of the edgy spirit nestled deep within the mummy...
Small Time Skip
It would be sometime around mid-afternoon by the time Inuyasha's group and Shintarou cross the lake back to the latter's village, the young boy carrying a bundle in his arms containing the remains of his father...
His three older sisters would quickly meet with the whole near the middle point between the shore and their home, only to learn of the tragic fate of their parental figure...
"Father's, gone?"
"He died protecting the temple...?"
Shintarou nodded solemnly to Yuki and Hana:
"...Saint Hakushin disappeared from the island, because of a demon known as Naraku. I believe father died in a battle against this demon."
"Poor father..."
"At least he died honourably..."
The young boy presents the bundle for his sister in the pink/blue kimono.
"Our father's bones are in here."
"...Oh, father..."
Miroku speaks up in a respectable air:
"We give him a proper burial and lay his bones to rest."
...Meanwhile, elsewhere towards the so-called holy mountain, we catch up with noneother than Ginta and Hakkaku, the pair and their fellow wolves arriving at the foot of a waterfall that camouflaged a cave entrance, trying to track down their leader once again.
"Ugh, he's not here."
"Well, where is he?"
"...Hey!"
Their heads dart over towards the cave, and spot Kōga standing atop the boulder next to the rushing tide of water.
"What took ya so long? I've been waitin' for ya!"
"Ah, hey there, Kōga!" Ginta's lips quirk upward in a relieved manner:
"Great, we finally caught up to him."
Hurrying to stand with their friend again, all three wolf demons then walk inside the cave...
"I chased the thing all over the place until it finally ran in here..."
And by 'it', Kōga was referring to the large boar he had recently killed for his pack, much to Hakkaku and Ginta's delight.
"Meat, meat, meat!"
"It's huge!"
...They would all (including the regular wolves) soon be sitting around a campfire, gorging away on the lean swine meat and feeling their hunger finally being sedated. Looking around their current setting, Ginta comments with a half-sad smile,
"Y'know, this place kind-a reminds me of home..."
Hakkaku nods in agreement, though shivering slightly from an eeriness running down his spine.
"Yeah, but it's kind-a creepy..."
"...It's because of the barrier."
The two wolf demons look to their leader in confusion as he stood up while explaining further.
"The barrier protects the mountain so demons like us can't get near it, and it's so strong, it permeates this cave."
Air is sucked between the teeth of the wolf demon with Mohawk hair.
"Wooow, that's taking caution overboard..."
"We'll leave after we eat."
Ginta and Hakkaku each make noises of surprise, and Kōga states determinedly,
"I'm positive that the Band of Seven is hiding out somewhere in this barrier...I'll find some way to pass through it."
...At the same time the young wolf demon leader vows to hunt down the remaining zombie mercenaries currently beyond his reach, Coraline would be calling the first farewell for the group as they take their leave of Shintarou and his siblings.
"Goodbye, Shintarou, Hana, Yuki, Getsu! May the four of you take care of one another as time goes!"
The young boy calls back,
"I'll pray for your good journey!"
Miroku then calls with a wave,
"If you ever feel lonely, please don't hesitate to call upon me! I'll come to your aid anytime, day or night, especially night-Gaa-ow-ho-ow!"
Sango jerks him along by the ear to stop any hidden implications.
"That's enough out of you, Miroku."
"That's attached, ya know!" Freeman replies with a smart-alack smirk,
"Which is more than you can say about your brain, idiot."
Getsu voices the final farewell, which would be returned with a gentle smile by Besa.
"Take care, all of you!"
"We will, and you as well!"
...And in another part of the vast lands that swept within this unearthly pure air, we find Sesshomaru and his small group overlooking from a cliff standing tall against the landscape towards the distant Mount Hakurei. Though the dog demon held a slight glare of indifference with the desire of vengeance burning in the back of his molten amber irises, young Rin's brown eyes contained only an innocent curiousity.
"Wow. Look at the size of this valley, Master Jaken..."
The imp was having a hard time staying upright, having to use his Staff of Skulls to keep his swaying, sweating body steady.
"I still feel terrible, even though we've come a long distance away from Mount Hakurei..."
Sesshomaru's thoughts were fixated on what was likely hidden within the seemingly non-accessible barrier.
The purifying aura that keeps out anything demonic extends all the way here...
Naraku's schemes are in their final stages.
(Leap)
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
...Surprisingly enough, the dog demon only received minor friction from the outer energies of the massive barrier, and was able to continue diving smoothly into the foggy valley below.
"How phenomenal...Guh! Lord Sesshomaru!"
"After him, A-Un."
The two-headed dragon demon heeds the young human's command and takes off for the air, much to the imp's dismay.
"Hold on, Rin, don't leave me behind!"
Thankfully, A-Un pauses a moment to let him jump on their tail, before continuing on after their main master...
"Slow this thing down, would ya?! I don't wanna fall!"
The imp then begins feeling the sparking pain of the barrier, causing him to almost lose grip on A-Un's tail and for him to yelp even louder, prompting Rin to scold his behaviour.
"Stop making such a fuss, Master Jaken!"
"I can't help it!"
"You're so annoying!"
"I can't take thiiiis!"
Kikyō's POV
Feeling the shift of strength in Mount Hakurei's barrier, I decided that now was the best time to leave this village and prepare for what lies ahead...
"Lady Kikyō, do you really have to leave us?"
It hurts my heart to have to leave these innocent ones behind, but I knew that my life and theirs would be placed into jeopardy if I lingered here for too long...I smile sadly and reply to Yuuta,
"I'm sorry. I had wanted to stay longer..."
"First Doctor Suikotsu, and now you..."
Ah yes...the 'good' doctor...
"And now you're going to leave...Lady Kikyō, we were hoping you were going to say with us for a while, at least until the doctor returns."
My smile turns into a frown mixed with light surprise in hearing Chiyo's words.
"You're still waiting for him, even after all that has happened to you?" Yuuta replies,
"Yes. Doctor Suikotsu suffered in pain sometimes, but he was very kind to us."
The virtuous side of Suikotsu did protect these children...yet...
I turned my eyes to the ground, feeling their hope was for naught considering how far Suikotsu had fallen back into his much older and more dangerous persona...
"Uh, if you happen to run into Doctor Suikotsu, could you give him a message? Please tell him that we're waiting for him."
"Chiyo..."
Smiling a little at his innocence, I nodded and reply softly,
"I'll pass that along if I see him."
...Eventually, I would find myself traveling solo along a mountain path running near these purified lands, thinking of what has come to pass thus far and what these events unveiled.
Suikotsu disappeared in Mount Hakurei's barrier...
...Yuuta...Chiyo...the Suikotsu you knew no longer exists.
I pause my steps to look back at the mountain in the distance...
The barrier has become stronger. I can't take it for much longer either.
With that in mind, I continue on my way, knowing my role to play would have to wait...until some certain allies of mine open the pathway to reach it.
Inuyasha's POV
My pack and I had returned to the foot of that damned mountain again, since we really had nowhere else to head to at the moment other than there. Problem was, that stupid pure energy emanating from the grounds was rising, making any chances of me entering there next to impossible.
The power of the barrier is becoming stronger...
I wasn't the only one either, of course: Shippo and Kilala were having it worse than I was given they're full-blooded demons, once again becoming weak and dizzy from the atmosphere. Freeman was hanging onto the kid while looking at him with a concerned frown:
"Mmh, poor Shippo: He looks ready to throw up again..."
He shifts his grip temporarily so he had a free hand to rub his temples with a slight grimace.
"Mind you, I don't feel any better; got an uber headache starting to knock at the walls of my skull..."
Coraline was having similar problems, leaning between my right arm and chest with an unsettled expression while muttering through her teeth,
"Damn prejudiced barrier..."
I pulled her close while softly rubbing my knuckles against her back in a soothing manner, trying to make her discomfort disappear.
Damn prejudiced barrier indeed: Seems like anyone and anything's capable of prying into manners best left alone these days...
Turning my head behind me, I call to the monk,
"Hey, Miroku: Are you absolutely sure that Naraku is hiding in Mount Hakurei?"
He replies while approaching with Sango and Besa (she carrying Kilala),
"I'm not fully certain, but I'm positive that Saint Hakushin is the one creating this barrier."
"Well, it does make sense because the barrier protected Bankotsu, one of Naraku's men."
Besa wonders aloud after Sango's reasoning,
"Yet this begs the differ the question of if the saint on Naraku's side, or is he being forced?...Or maybe he isn't on anyone's side and is just becoming paranoid with the shifting times."
I hm in accordance with both of their pondering, and look back up at the tall hunk of rock that's been causing us hell.
"I would've thought that a massive evil like Naraku wouldn't be able to enter a sacred place like that..."
Coraline replies in a mix of bitterness and sadness while shifting even closer to me,
"This is unfortunately a living example of something my father taught me when I was little: Not all is as it seems. Good can be deceitful, and Bad usually ends up being the best conveyor of the truth. If you're blinded by the popular beliefs and misconceptions...you miss what's really in front of you."
Hmph...ain't that the truth.
Pecking her head with a soft kiss, I chide back,
"Kuh, your old man had a wise mind, then...which explains where your smarts came from."
I felt her smile slightly and her unease quell a little, which made my own tensity drop a bit...Miroku would then get us back on track:
"Once inside, though, there's no better place to hide. Think of those who hunt him: The Wolf Demon, Kōga...Sesshomaru...You, Inuyasha, and Kikyō, are all unable to go to Mount Hakurei."
Yeah, and even my intended and Freeman are experiencing some friction from the barrier 'cause of their deep affiliations with those harboring demonic auras...
Sango spoke up just as my added thought finishes:
"Let's not waste anymore time, Miroku."
"Right."
She then steps over to Besa to present him the weakened Kilala as I asked,
"What're you guys doing?" Miroku replies,
"We've decided that Sango and I will go survey Mount Hakurei."
What? By yourselves?
"Inuyasha, Coraline, guys, you should stay here."
Coraline asks Sango with anxiousness rising in her tone,
"Are you two, sure about this? Not that I doubt your capabilities or anything, but..."
The other young woman smiled slightly and nodded, before focusing back on the boy with cornrow hair.
"Watch over Kilala? I can't take her."
He nodded with a soft but firm expression, taking the cat demon into his arms.
"Of course."
"Don't you worry about a thing, Coraline..."
I turn my focus back on Miroku, and had to fight the urge to groan with an eyeroll at seeing where his cursed hand was wandering.
"From this point on, I won't have a spare moment to caress Sango's enticing body."
Kami, he really hasn't learned much about self-control, has he?
Thankfully, Sango puts an end to the stupidity by whacking her weapon against the monk's head.
"I'll show you enticing!"
Coraline shook her head a little and replies,
"That's not what's concerning me. It's the possible danger factors that the both of you could face by entering into unfamiliar territory."
Freeman nodded in agreement:
"Yeah, 'specially since there's a real high chance that demon bastard's camouflaging in there somewhere, and if not him, maybe a few of his followers, including the remaining Shichinintai..."
Sango argues back,
"Inuyasha can't go inside past the barrier, remember? And even you and Coraline are having increasing difficulties in this atmosphere...It has to be the two of us, (looks to Besa) unless, you also wish to follow."
"Hm..."
"Sango, Miroku."
The two turn to face me, and I tell them seriously,
"Just check around, and don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?"
They smile and nod in a reassuring way.
"Rest assured, that's what we intend to do."
"We're off...Besa?"
He shakes his head in a declining manner:
"I think my place is better suited back here with everyone else. Less people scoping about means less risk of detection...Plus, I've got Kilala to look after."
"Alright then."
So on that note, Sango and Miroku start making their way to the mountain valley...The rest of us watch them leave, and Coraline leans her head on my chest while wondering aloud,
"They're going to be alright...right?"
Hugging her close, I reply simply,
"We don't really have much choice, 'cept to have faith in them."
And once we figure out how to pass this barrier...that's when the battle will really begin.