Hey all, still conscious to the world of the living!
As always, I ask you to pardon the delay. My university semester had only ended just a few days ago with a final exam, and since then, I've been coming down from it all by relaxing as much as I can (at least until my next work shift, lol).
But now that I have a little more open winter break, attention can be better focused onto my tales :)
So without further adieu, curtain up!
Chapter 130: The Abyssal Journey to Sainthood
Bright light gives way to yet more of that ominous milky mist covering the exterior of Mount Hakurei, as Miroku and Sango make their way out the inner sanctum on the run from the horde of demons that were attacking them under Kagura's charge, further confirming that the malicious half-demon Naraku was somewhere within this rocky peak...
The monk and demon slayer would quickly discover, however, that their feet were no longer padding across hard stone, rather, the wooden walkway of the shrine housed on the side of this supposed holy mountain.
"Who'd've thought it'd lead to a place like this?"
"And it, looks like a mountain temple..."
Miroku adds to himself,
The level of purity must mean we're at the center of the sacred grounds...
They continue to rush down the path until their bodies were within a couple feet of Saint Hakushin's altar, the mummy itself still positioned dead center in the prayer position. One can only imagine how surprised our unofficial couple would be to find the deceased monk in plain sight.
"A living Buddha...!"
"Is it Saint Hakushin...?"
...But perhaps 'deceased' is not the proper term to use...especially when the eye sockets of Hakushin's dried-up shell suddenly gain irises of coal black over pale yolk yellow sclem! Miroku and Sango gasp, and the voice of a gravely-toned male echoes from the depths of what used to be this man's voice-box, the severely shriveled lips moving as if nothing was wrong.
"...Who are you?"
Though understandably spooked, the young monk with deep blue irises manages to dislodge his own voice.
"Saint, Hakushin is still alive?"
"Who are you?...Why do you violate my sacred territory?"
The young woman with long brunette hair was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of a mummified corpse having the capability of speech.
"How can a mummy be alive?!"
Miroku manages to center his own disbelief and calmly began conversing with the 'living Buddha'.
"You're the monk that went by Saint Hakushin, aren't you?"
"Correct...My name is Hakushin."
Sango manages to calm herself down into a suspecting glare when she wonders,
"Has Naraku somehow brought him back to life?"
Her companion was having similar inquiries, and did not skip a beat with the following interrogative question.
"Tell me this, Saint Hakushin: word has it that during your lifetime, you were a man of high morals and worked hard to save many people. How is it that you now assist Naraku?!"
Miroku recalls the instances where he and several of his friends (demon, human and inbetween) had experienced a form of resistance by the energies of the Sacred Barrier that encased this mountain, making his blood boil a little in anger from the harsh hostility they had to endure thus far...
"Your powers are undeniable. You have the ability to lay down this strong and pure barrier. It's unthinkable that you're assisting Naraku because you're unable to see through his evil nature."
...The saint's reply would be a shocker.
"I know what he is...but whether he's a demon of great wickedness or not, is not my concern. I am merely carrying out, my own desires."
...
Back down at the base of Mount Hakurei, as the night came to cast over the lands, our group of three wolf demons, one twin-tailed cat demon, one fox demon, one Will O' Wisp and three humans were still waiting on the return of Inuyasha, after he left for the mountain to find out what happened to Sango and Miroku.
Coraline was becoming especially worried, feeling like she was on pins and needles as she tries to hold her patience.
...Inuyasha...
"R-Rhh..."
"Hm?"
Pivoting her head over her shoulder to the sound of a weak groan, the redhead with two-tone blue irises softly gasps as she saw Shippo fight for consciousness within Freeman's arms.
"Shippo...?"
Rubbing a bit of exhaustion from one of his green irises, the fox demon weakly turns his head to where he could sense the twin-tailed cat demon, she being held atop Besa's left shoulder.
"Kilala...is the barrier hard on you too?"
She mews quietly with a slight nod in response, rubbing her head into the expresso-coloured neck of the young male she was currently resting on, he reaching his opposite hand out to gently pet her head with a sad smile.
"You're doing good, Ki, just save your energy..."
Smiling slightly at the gesture, Coraline would flip that upturn of lip as soon as her focus went back on Hakurei.
You better not push past what you can handle, Inuyasha, or purification's gonna be the least of your problems when I'm done...
Moving to stand so that they were on either free side of the Brownlee twins, Hakkaku and Ginta wonder aloud in their own concerns,
"What's happening to Inuyasha? He's taking so long to get back here."
Wrapping an arm over Freeman's shoulders, the latter wolf demon replies to the former,
"Well even a half-demon would find it hard on sacred grounds..."
"Doesn't mean we should start assumin' the worst."
Ginta's sliver-blue irises meet Freeman's jade green with an expression of confusion, and the latter goes on by saying with a positive smile,
"If Naraku's miasma can't stop Inuyasha, who the hell says a sacred barrier can? He's been contradicting scores of expectations since day one, and he don't plan on slowing down anytime soon...so we as his friends and allies, shouldn't stop believin' in him."
"He's right."
Eyes fall on Kōga, who then states with his arms folded and eyes shut,
"The mutt's got a stubborn streak in not dyin' that's still climbing, so there's no way he's gonna kick the dust now...And if god forbid he does, he'll have my fist to answer to."
Coraline's eyes widen with awe at the wolf demon's words, forming a small smile gratitude for not being callous.
Wolf-boy's really grown this last while, heh, even if holding to his pride...
He, and Inuyasha...they're actually starting to see eachother as mutual friends. I can sense it...which is just another reason I'm praying my man hurries back down here as soon as he can.
It would be a shame for their growth to be all for nought.
Inuyasha's POV
Rgh, leave it to this godforsaken mountain to provide one annoying challenge after another...!
Now that I'm stuck in my human form, I am at a huge disadvantage against that damned Jakotsu and his speedy sword of many blades. The fact that we were hashing it out inside a cave of many winding paths leading deeper into this giant hunk of rock just made things even more dangerous...
I dodge two more strikes from the snake-like sword after catching my breath, before using my own blade's sheath to whack the other back.
"Rrrrrh-dammit!"
It worked...but only to a point, before the sword's tip would come crashing into the ground in front of me, the impact sending me flying against the divider of another set of paths. Growling, I raise myself up onto my feet again, Jakotsu chuckling at my stubborn efforts to stay alive.
"That's the way, keep running. I want to have my fill of fun...I can't even tell how often I dreamt of cutting you up..."
Ugh, what a sadist.
"You were adorable when you had those dog ears, but your human form is so luscious, it makes me wanna take you in my arms."
A perverted sadist!
Holding down a shiver, I bite back,
"Tch, you're disgusting. Every word you say makes me wanna puke."
Not to mention that I don't swing that way, at all, especially not with an enemy...
I got no issues with the sexual preference, of course...but my heart's for Coraline only.
I snap out of my thoughts just as Jakotsu throws his sword blades at me again, so I counter with my sheath once more...What I didn't account for was them twisting around and slashing across my right arm! Gritting my teeth as I feel the sting of my new injury and blood beginning to seep into my clothes, I mutter,
"This isn't good. Even this Robe of the Fire Rat must've lost its power in here. (Glances at his upper arm) It's not serving as armour anymore..."
If Jakotsu wasn't being vile before, he would be now as his tongue licked up a bit of my blood coating his sword.
"I'll slice you up, piece by little piece. Once I get going, even smart-mouths like you can become submissive. And in the end, you'll be on your knees crying and begging me. You'll cry, 'Jakotsu, please, just hold me in your arms for a little while, please!'."
Tuh, does he really believe me to become so weak? Not, a chance, in hell.
I make that point clear aloud:
"Kuh, I'd stop with the ridiculous stories if I were you, (Charges forward) or I'll crack your head open!"
"Oh yeah, that's the spirit! I can't wait to see you cry!"
The same thing that happened earlier occurs, only this time I get cut twice. Hurrying back, I think frantically to myself,
I gotta block his attacks right or I won't be able to counter his moves, and then I'll be in big trouble!
"Run, my pretty! There's nothing more exciting than fleeing prey!"
Feeling, is not, mutual!
I struggle to keep ahead of that accursed snake-like blade, but another swing would meet its mark on my body, specifically, my stomach.
"Aaagh!"
Thankfully, it was a bit more shallow than the last few cuts were...but that don't mean it doesn't hurt worse than the sting of a paper cut. I found myself kneeling down to try and swallow in as much energy as I could, keeping sharp and angry eyes on my opponent.
"Grh...damn it..."
Another smug expel of laughter and lick of his lips only made my unease grow.
Kami, if this keeps up...I may not reach Miroku and Sango before they'll have to reach me.
Mount Hakurei's Temple, Miroku's POV
To hear such a disregard towards an evil that threatens all lives alike...Though I tried to remind myself that not all across these lands are overly concerned with Naraku's schemes (especially those with their own nefarious agendas), it was almost appalling to hear someone of great virtue ignore the appending crisis...
"The barrier that you created with your own powers is hiding and protecting the evil Naraku. You know that and yet you don't stop!"
Saint Hakushin does not deny my words...yet glides over my anger as he goes into a tale of what brought him to where he is now.
"Long ago...when I was alive, I never hesitated to do what I could to help the people...I entered Nirvana after several years of a great famine. Disease was rampid, and corpses laid strewn on the ground. Thus, was the era we lived in..."
Hm, a harsh time indeed.
It made my heart ache to listen to his account and try to imagine what life must have been like in those days. The suffering, the desperation...and it would seem the grim atmosphere eventually took its toll on Hakushin himself.
"The day came when I personally became ill, and collapsed while attending the sick. The people gathered around, lamenting my poor health...I had to give them an answer. 'You should not fear, my good people...for I will become a living Buddha, and look after the people of this land for all eternity'."
Sounds faintly similar to what Lady Kaede had told us regarding Kikyō's passing. That, sense of duty...
"I fulfilled my promise, and I was buried alive in front of all those villagers."
Sango remarks from behind me,
"That's how you were able to become a living Buddha."
"My only connection to the outside world was a short piece of bamboo for breathing...In the pit, I continuously rang a small bell. When the bell fell silent, it would tell those outside, that I was dead...Outside, everyone prayed for my unhindered and magnificent entry into Nirvana."
In other words...
"They were wishing for my death...For the first time in my life, I was overcome with regret. I had an attachment to life, and a fear of the great darkness...And so, I died...My remains were sanctified as a living Buddha, but my soul was left behind in the darkness, for a very long time, with no hope for salvation. And then...came his voice."
Naraku...Now this is starting to make more sense.
He must have taken advantage of Saint Hakushin's sorrowful existence, and offered a way out of eternal suffering...
If only the man could understand just who he made a deal with.
"He spoke of things I dared not to admit, even to myself...Do you blame me? Can you hate me for my choice?"
My answer was serious and honest, drawn from my own experiences and those of whom I formed connections with.
"I am no saint myself. I have no intention of judging you...On the other hand, I cannot allow a barrier to stand and protect the likes of Naraku!"
With that, I raise my staff and prepare myself to attack, if not for all, then for those I hold most dear to my own life...However, I knew Saint Hakushin would not make the task so easy.
"My barrier is impenetrable."
He sends out a layer of purifying energy to surround him just as I swing downward in a leap, blocking my attack before sending me backwards to the hardwood floor.
"Miroku!" I reassure Sango,
"I'm alright," but the new battle had only just begun, as evident by the glowing blue eyes of the saint.
Uh...! Almost reminds me of Coraline's Aura Reader powers...but she and Hakushin couldn't be anymore different.
He seeks to shut all out for the sake of his own existence. That much is clear to me now...
As for my friend down below this mountain...she would give her life, if it meant the lives of her loved ones would go on.
Freeman's POV
It's starting to grow dark again after these last couple hours of sitting on our butts, and we still haven't seen any signs of Inuyasha coming out of that soupy fog with a safe and intact monk and slayer behind him.
I've since moved to actually resting on the ground beside Ginta, he and I hugging eachother close with single arms around the other, while Shippo snoozed away in my lap upon my gentle suggestion so he wasn't pushing himself harder than his young body can handle against this crazy pure air. My bro and Hakkaku were sitting opposite facing us, Kilala also fast asleep in the former's lap so she could build up some strength...
As for Cora, she just kept standing stock-still, worried eyes fixed onto the mountain before us, with only Lumos hovering near her and sounding just as concerned based on his despondent moans.
Man, bummer mood all around...
Then we had Kōga who chose to vent his worries through impatient frustration as he sat atop a boulder near Ginta and me.
"Curse that mutt, causing Coraline all this worry...What's takin' him so long?"
Tugging my boyfriend (or mate, if you prefer) a bit closer to me, I reply back in a near-obvious tone,
"Well wha'd ya expect, man? We're all pretty much in the home stretch for the big battle coming up, and I ain't talking about what may be left of the Band of Seven...It's fair to say our friend's gonna meet some heavy resistance inside the barrier, and that kind-a thing takes time."
"Tuh, well I say it's taken enough of our time."
The short-tempered wolf demon then stands to his feet, drawing my attention as well as the three sitting down with me.
"Hm?" "Kōga?"
"Uh, what're ya doin'?"
"That mutt's takin' way too long in there. I'm gonna go after 'im and see what's happenin'."
We all drew in breaths of surprise before Ginta and my brother exclaim respectively,
"Kōga, are you crazy?!"
"It'll be a suicide mission with that barrier still in place!"
"You think I don't know that?!"
Thankfully, my sister cuts in before a major argument could start.
"If you do, then don't."
Kōga turns to meet her eyes as she steps near us and says in a neutral tone that was likely covering her anxiety,
"More people inside the valleys of Hakurei means more danger of being detected by our biggest enemy who's more than likely hiding within the mountain walls...We need to hold ourselves together and trust that Inuyasha will return with Sango and Miroku."
"Coraline..."
She looks back at the place itself and mutters,
"On the other hand, now would be a reasonable time to send in some form of assistance...Lumos."
Our Will O' Wisp buddy floats up to attention, and Cora orders,
"Now's the time to do what we talked about before...Find him, and help him in every way you can."
Lumos 'nods' vigorously, before zipping away with a louder, more motivated moan for the foggy valleys of the mountain, leaving the rest of us to watch the little orb of light get dimmer and dimmer as he got farther out of our sight.
Careful in there, little dude.
No POV
So while the Will O' Wisp barreled into the thick fog clouding over Mount Hakurei in a desperate search and rescue act for his partner's lover, Inuyasha himself was teetering towards the losing end of his battle against Jakotsu, his red robes now stained with multiple dark splotches of his own blood seeping from the lacerations dealt by the latter...
As the dog demon who was currently human panted for breath, the undead swordsman readies another attack, jeering,
"Too bad you're body's not cooperating. (Swing) Hrrraah!"
"Hrr-gyaaaah!"
Despite his waning strength, Inuyasha manages to block another swipe from the Jakosutō with the sheath of his Tessaiga...Unfortunately, the connected blades twist around him and slice across his back!
"Gaah-gyuh!"
"This isn't very fun. How 'bout some more screaming and crying from you!"
Inuyasha makes no reply, focusing on blocking another attack...
Jakotsu chuckles as his ears pick up on the deepening struggles for breath from his opponent.
"Well, at least I've got you panting good and hard..."
...Unbeknownst to either, Renkotsu was watching the battle from behind a corner of this convoluted cave.
Wretched Inuyasha...I'd hoped he'd at least be able to wound Jakotsu.
Hearing the tired curse, the fire-using zombie adds,
He can hardly move...Jakotsu's going to torture him to death.
"Come. It's almost time for our embrace...our embrace made slick with your blood..."
The feminine male starts his slow approach, and Inuyasha attempts his own retreat further into the cave.
Damn...my vision's goin' on me...
"It's time to give it up, Inuyasha."
The dog demon pauses to slump a little against a wall, as Jakotsu chides,
"Don't worry, I won't kill you right away...I wanna spend some time with you first."
Now!
(SLASH)
Inuyasha then springs up and unsheathes his sword to try and slice down Jakotsu from the neck...but the latter manages to jump back in time...!
"That was close..."
That little punk was aiming for my jewel shard...!
"Grrh, I don't have time to spend playing with you all day!"
"Ha! You're threatening me with that dull old sword?"
(JAB)
"You don't scare me!"
Inuyasha goes down hard from being socked in the stomach by the handle of Jakosutō...before he's yanked back up by his hair.
"Drh!"
"Inuyasha...don't pass out. I wanna hear lots of screaming from you."
As the tip of the Jakotsu's blade rose to hover near the dog demon's head, he thinks to himself,
I'm in trouble now...I've lost too much blood...
I was hoping I could catch him off-guard...
"Come on, cry for me. (Wild smirk) Where's the fun if ya don't start whimpering?"
"Gr-hh, if ya, think you can kill me, hurry up and get on with it..."
"Heheh, what's the rush? We've got time."
(Whooooooommmm...)
That's when Inuyasha felt a disturbance in the mountain's atmosphere...and he immediately knew who was responsible.
It's them...!
"M-Miroku...Sango..."
...
Back down at the foot of Hakurei, the rest of our ragtag group would watch with surprise and confusion, as the mist suddenly starts to slowly dissipate!
"Whoa..." "What, the...?"
Using her other sight, Coraline stares up at the mountain with glowing, dark arctic blue eyes to get a better sense of this new development.
Hm...This had better be a good sign...
And just how was this coming to pass?
The answer lies within the walls of the inner mountain temple, by the actions of one slayer and monk duo just moments ago...
"Taaake, this!"
It started shortly after Miroku's failed attempt to strike Saint Hakushin thanks to his incredibly strong barrier, when Sango takes a try using her Hiraikotsu, only for the barrier to repel the boomerang back at her to catch.
"It's useless."
The unofficial couple then try a combination of their individual strengths.
"Place some of your sutras on my Hiraikotsu."
"Right."
Once the paper talismans were blessed, the young male wearing purple garments plasters them on the offensive side of the demon slaying weapon, before the brunette wearing her bodysuit armour executes round two.
"Alright...Here, goes!"
(Spin...TOK)
This time, the tip of Hiraikotsu was able to penetrate into the barrier...before statics of its power billow over the weapon and destroy the sutras, and Hakushin forces the object back harshly, forcing the opposing pair of fighters to duck to the sides to dodge!
"Gh!"
"Grh! It's not working!"
"It's useless. The powers of a novice monk like yourself cannot possibly break my powerful barrier."
Seeing no other options, Miroku decides to employ his cursed ability.
"So it seems...Please forgive me, but you must be vanquished!"
(Whoooooooooossssssshhhhhhhh...)
One would think even a living Buddha would have a hard time resisting the Wind Tunnel...and yet, Hakushin was able to increase his barrier's power to stay rooted to the altar, much to Miroku's surprise.
"He's resisting my Wind Tunnel...?"
...
Thankfully, even a saint has an Achilles's heel. While Hakushin himself wasn't moving an inch, the prayer beads he held sure were...And after another moment of struggle on both sides...the beads would give out, overcome by the task of keeping the barrier up!
Miroku and Sango would watch with widened irises of deep blue and brown, as the beads shot against the barrier...making its structure ripple...
(SHATTER)
And sooner than it formed, the barrier explodes to pieces!
"The barrier is broken!"
With the dome-shape shield gone, the structure of the temple and its altar became that much more vulnerable to the strength of Miroku's Wind Tunnel, including Saint Hakushin!...That is, until a swarm of the Saimyōshō show up. Seeing their approach, the young monk was forced to close off his cursed power with his prayer beads, allowing the living Buddha to fade away into the mist...
...
As the situation within Mount Hakurei became more intensified, we briefly turn attention to an old oak sitting in an area near but not too close by that our tragically undead priestess Kikyō was resting under, she turning her vision towards the mountain when she senses the change, watching as the misty fog surrounding began to dissolve.
Mount Hakurei...The power of the sacred ground is weakening...
Just as she moves to stand up...her nut brown irises spot a large, glowing orb of ethereal light floating out of the inner rock.
"...Something is escaping the mountain."
...
And back within that cave made of winding tunnels, Jakotsu prepares to end Inuyasha's life once and for all.
"I'll finish you off, if that's what you want. At least give me one little scream of agony."
Renkotsu continues to observe from behind the corner, his feelings in conflict over the appending outcome...
"(Ghostly moan)"
(Snarl, roar)
"Huh?"
His attention is then drawn behind him, to the sound of Lumos the Will O' Wisp flying in after finally tracking his ally down, though with an army of demons free from the constrictions of the sacred barrier chasing him.
Now what? The demons are stirred up all of a sudden...!
...And that little orb...It's that pesky creature that follows Coraline. Did she send him here to find Inuyasha...?
Zipping past Renkotsu, Lumos speeds to a screeching halt near the fighting pair just as more demons begin pooling in from other paths within these rocky walls!
"What? You?! Rgh, (focuses behind him) and the demons! They're not suppose be able to pass beyond the barrier!"
Some of the more bold, devilish souls try to lunge for the undead swordsman, who starts hacking them away with his sword.
"Come and get it!"
...But he would soon realize that this massive horde was alot like cockroaches: you kill one, another two will replace it.
"Damn...There's too many of 'em!"
(Bzzzzt)
"Ouch!"
He's then attacked by energies released by Lumos, specifically, the hand holding up Inuyasha by his hair, forcing the former to drop the latter.
"Why, you-!"
But Jakotsu would have little time to worry over getting payback against the Will O' Wisp for interfering, when he's forced to run out of the cave to escape being trampled by the demons scrambling to get out of the mountain and head for the night sky.
"Mph...It feels like the barrier is dissipating..."
Back inside, Lumos lightly bounces his body against Inuyasha's head to try and stir the latter awake, crying out those ghostly moans in worry...
And just as Jakotsu returns inside...
(...Pulse)
"Uh...!"
The down dog demon's body throbs...and his fingernails grow back into his more familiar claws! With a grunt of pain, he struggles onto his knees, muttering as his appearance shifts all the way back to the normal half-demon he truly was,
"Miro-ku, Sango...I take it you're safe? (Smirk) You must've succeeded in taking down the barrier..."
(Twinkle...)
Happy to see Inuyasha was going to be okay, Lumos then releases some energy that held healing properties rather than aggressive means to fall over the former, giving them some much-needed strength.
"Keh, thanks...Man, how much more ironic can ya get? I came here to save my friends, and they wound up saving me."
The dog demon adds to himself as he invokes Tessaiga's transformation,
And Coraline...I know it was you who sent Lumos...so thank you too.
"So~, you've got your demonic powers back."
Forming a frown at the zombie male, Inuyasha then says,
"You're stupider than I thought, Jakotsu. You didn't kill me when you could, and now it's gonna cost ya your life."
"I couldn't help myself. I only get excited when I cut my victims up nice and slow. Besides, I've died once already. I was unexpectedly brought back to life and able to meet a sweet thing like you...not to mention that little dark-skinned beauty, Freeman. Talk about a bonus."
"Spare me the details. I can tell we're never gonna have a normal conversation."
Ignoring the deadpanned scowl, Jakotsu peeks up and notices the growing crowd of demons.
"Well, things are heating up around here, so I guess the fun's over..."
Smirking, he then focuses back on his target of inquiry and exclaims with a swing of his blade,
"I'll take those dog ears as a souvenir, though!"
"Yeah right!"
Inuyasha manages to block with his own sword...but would not escape becoming bound within the Jakostuō's many blades like a large rat within the coils of a sharp-tongued cobra! Forced to his knees, he growls up at the chuckling zombie as they jeer,
"Once I pull on this sword, you'll be sliced into pieces."
"Grrrrr...!"
"Bye-bye, Inuyasha...Of all the men who've died by my sword, I have to say I like you the best."