RIGHT???
Regardless, Kagura confidently flies over the compound, surrounded by her army of dead youkai. They appear to be generally heading for the building housing the recently revived Goryoumaru, the children, and captive Kagome. Goryoumaru still has her in a soft headlock, commanding her not to move. She looks up at him with terror, stuttering in disbelief. You'd think she'd be used to this sort of thing by now.
The zombie youkai finally manage to batter the door in (where in the HELL are Miroku and Sango? You guys had one job!), and among them she spots Kagura, which also seems to shock the shit out of her. Kagura doesn't seem to notice HER, though, because she's too busy focusing on the youki crystal pinched in her fingers, reiterating in her head that this should indicate to her whether or not Shnooky is in this temple by the disappearance of the youki inside. She is struck with alarm when this is PRECISELY what happens.
But she probably should have had a BIT more situational awareness.
Kagome cranes her neck around to give Goryoumaru a gape, his arm smoking like the proverbial gun. Kagura teeters on her feather as Inuyasha at last jumps back over the wall surrounding the temple, and Miroku and Sango stare at the collapsing Youkai bodies falling around them, no longer animated.
With a pained expression, Kagura throws her head back and glares at the sky, resolving not to die here. Her feather shoots upward and disappears into the distance, apparently for the purposes of finding a better place for her to expire. Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango stare up at the spot where she'd vanished in silence for a moment, then inuyasha looks over to where Goryoumaru is STILL detaining Kagome, a little dazed over their host shooting Kagura with his youkai arm. Presumably too much is going on at the moment for him to question Goryoumaru has an arm around Kagome's neck.
And he doesn't allow any more time to pass in this compromising position. Goryoumaru lifts his hand and releases Kagome, who calls out to Inuyasha as she runs to him, asking him what happened to Kagura when she reaches him. They both turn to Goryoumaru when he says unequivocally that there's no youkai that could survive being pierced by his light attack. He's surrounded by the children, who fawn over him and his returned power. He tells them flatly that he's glad they're okay too. It's still not very convincing.
Kagome reflects on his actions in the past couple of minutes and wonders if he was PROTECTING her from Kagura's youkai, but something BOTHERS her about that possibility.
Goryoumaru announces that the night has passed and the youkai are gone, which means that his guests don't have any more business at the temple. Standing in the gate onto the grounds, he asks them as politely as his very prickly attitude will allow to please leave. Inuyasha frowns at him wordlessly, but Miroku suggests they take this excuse to withdraw.
As Inuyasha and company leave the temple behind them, Shippou wonders aloud from Kagome's shoulder if Kagura really did die. Kagome remains quiet on the question, and Sango cites the fact that Kagura got a shot straight through her chest, the implication being there isn't much reason to believe she's alright. Miroku muses on the still lingering question of whether Goryoumaru is associated with Naraku or not. Sango suggests there's no way he would have killed Kagura if so, and Miroku seems to agree. They haven't had much occasion to question how Kagura STANDS within Naraku's organization, to be fair.
Though Miroku DOES mention how Kagura's will to kill them just isn't there, despite how many encounters they've had as enemies. Another bead of sweat on her temple, Kagome says that Goryoumaru shot Kagura without the slightest hesitation. Surprisingly, Inuyasha speaks up about HIS suspicion that this might have been a bit of a deception, causing his friends to look back at him with surprise, Miroku calling his name doubtfully.
Inuyasha explains that Kagura's life isn't something that means much to Naraku, and he's only letting her live because she's useful. Shippou has switched to Inuyasha's shoulder and is asking him if Naraku is done with Kagura and that's why he's letting her perish. Inuyasha admits he doesn't know, but he is pretty sure that erasing Kagura to clear their doubts on Goryoumaru is ABSOLUTELY something Naraku would do. He's not wrong.
Elsewhere, a hazy shape travels through the sky over some river rapids.
Jaken identifies Kagura with some confusion, Rin craning her neck to get a better look and determining Kagura looks in a strange way. More like a BAD way. Turning to Sesshoumaru, Jaken asks what he thinks, and Sesshoumaru pauses in silent consideration for a moment before he turns and decisively declares they should leave her and go. I would NOT want him as a bystander if I were in any kind of emergency.
That distinct power of selective hearing that children seem to exercise most often activated, Rin starts wading into the rapids, tying the hem of her yukata up around her thighs, despite Jaken yelling at her. Rin's stated worry is that Kagura will be swept away, and she does her best to tug Kagura to shore by yanking on the woman's ankle. Of course, her best is TOTALLY ineffective, and she ends up slipping and falling into the water with a scream, unable to regain her footing. Sweatdropping, Jaken wades into the rapids next, bidding the idiot Rin to grab hold of his Nintoujou staff, which he holds out for her from what he THINKS is a safe distance. He's wrong. Rin does grip the staff, but he also slips and falls, and now BOTH of them are struggling in the river, screaming, coughing, and spluttering.
Sesshoumaru looks over shoulder at this scene with a blank stare, fully embodying the abstracted parent that is regretting ever even having the IDEA of going to the park and letting the kids wear themselves out. It's GLORIOUS.
Sesshoumaru sits on a rick some distance away, gazing off into another direction altogether - he's clearly a little peeved by this shit and will have no part in it. More evidence of this is the lump Jaken has on his head. He and Rin are crouched by Kagura's side, still soaked from their adventure in the river. Jaken grumbles that Kagura is definitely a goner now, and little Rin asks if she's dead. Despite this woman being a former kidnapper, Rin does not appear to be HAPPY about her demise. In fact she's pouting about it.
Their speculation is contradicted by the hole through Kagura starting to knit itself closed, and at speed. Jaken and Rin stare in alarm, haltingly commenting upon the wound healing as it disappears before their eyes, the spider scar mark of Naraku reforming in its place. Kagura groans and her eyes flutter open. She pushes herself up on her forearms, placing a hand over her restored chest as if feeling for the hole. Slowly, she realizes she's NOT dead, and scoffs internally, calling it tough luck for those suckers who tried to do her in. She thinks it ironic that it's the very fact that Naraku holds her heart in his palm that she survived her little escapade. Maybe she should start considering whether that's actually a BAD sign.
Kagura looks around at a question of whether she's okay, addressing Rin and Jaken casually by her side, and then seeing Sesshoumaru sitting on his rock a ways away.
Kagura drawls over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru about the confirmation that he has a merciful side after all. He just kind of ignores her, but Jaken has to act offended on his master's behalf of course, and curses her while criticizing her inability to utter a single word of thanks to the guy who rescued her from the river. Sesshoumaru stands abruptly and bids his little companions to follow, Jaken hopping to obey the order.
But Kagura demands he wait a minute, incensed that he isn't going to even ask what happened to her. Sesshoumaru says he has no interest in whatever sob story she's going to tell him, though he does pause when she asks if that resolve will hold through her telling him she knows where Naraku's heart is. He looks directly at her for the first time with a glower.
Cut to the precarious structure built out of the mountainside that is Hakudoushi's hideout. Naraku himself is sitting inside, looking down at his open palm. Hakudoushi is asking him if he hasn't noticed that Kagura is a traitor and why he's even letting her live. Nosey little fuck.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Kagura is playing with fire and it's clear she's not taking the precautions she should be. She's no spy; not only did she fail to do any kind of reconnaissance on the temple or even the youkai hanging out around it, but she rushed into attacking it without any plan on how to extricate herself from the situation if it turned out she was in over her head. Given how her recklessness has come to a head in this chapter, it's a little funny that Hakudoushi would even have to ASK if Naraku has noticed Kagura is a traitor. She may as well be wearing a neon sign around her neck saying as much.
Much as it still kind of bugs me that Sesshoumaru is hanging around the periphery of this story, not really having a solid reason to do so, I have to admit that he and his group are providing a little levity to the situation. That expression on his face when everyone's in danger of drowning and it's obvious that he's going to have to go and rescue them was PRICELESS. Classic "I'm surrounded by idiots" face. Part of the comedy gold that is inherent to Sesshoumaru is that he tries to be so serious, but no one around him will let him truly embody that ideal.
It's very gratifying to see Inuyasha and company really start to question whether Naraku is manipulating their perception of what's happening around them. Frankly, it's about time that they are more critical of how things SEEM regarding anything surrounding Naraku, because he's been trying to manipulate their views and emotions this entire time. I suppose it helps this particular time that Goryoumaru is not much of an actor, and continues to act weird as all hell. There's ANOTHER character that might as well have a neon sign around their neck, but considering how credulous Inuyasha's crew has been up until this point (when they're not coming to the right conclusions with zero information, mind you), I suppose I can hand it to them this time.
