Inuyasha Manga: 068 Torn Barrier

Oh boy, does THAT sound like a terrible description of a woman losing her virginity in a fanfiction. I had only just started reading and writing the stuff very recently, and it has already put me off of it forever for a whole host of reasons. But here I am, weeks after swearing it off for my own sanity, cursing myself for ever poking my curious nose into that cesspit. Wretched Writch's mind is forever stained and she's gagging at a perfectly non-sexual title because someone's sex-ed classes were either inadequate or didn't penetrate their thick skull.

I've no one to blame but myself.

"I am far too cool for your mansplaining bullshit, Miroku."

The pack of ravenous, three-eyed wolves starts as an amorphous shadow in the sky, but their slobbering mugs quickly come into view. Kaede tenses up, saying that if they get any closer, they'll fall. They don't just fall, but smash headlong against an invisible barrier in front of her which crackles at their contact with it.

That seed isn't the only thing that grew; Rouyakan is SO much bigger than he was before. Must be that Shikon steroid power.

Within the hut, plastered with charms to prevent Inuyasha from getting out, Shippou looks out the window, alerting the other occupant that that guy Rouyakan from the other day has arrived. Inuyasha kneels shirtless, clutching Tessaiga like a crutch as he asks for confirmation that he was the flat-faced wolf youkai. Shippou informs Inuyasha that Miroku and Kaede have put up a barrier to hold him off for a time, but Inuyasha is grabbing his fire-rat robe with his free hand.

Outside, Rouyakan demands to know where Inuyasha has gone. Sweating, Kaede silently confirms that her and Miroku's barrier is shielding the hut and Inuyasha from any youkai eyes. Miroku is wondering what the hell happened to Rouyakan, because he's completely different from before. While Rouyakan continues to bump against the hissing barrier, Miroku wonders if he's borrowing the power of a Shikon shard.

Naraku characterizes this barrier as quite shrewd as he crouches behind a nearby tree to watch the whole spectacle. Regardless, Naraku can still see through it to the hut as he peers beyond the staggering Rouyakan, even if it is a misty imperfect image. A spear flies toward Kaede from Naraku's hiding place and Miroku jumps up to protect her. She shouts that he mustn't move, for the sake of the barrier, but how she thinks that her dying isn't going to fuck up the barrier just as much as Miroku moving to save her, I can't say. She's having an uncharacteristically stupid moment, clearly.

Yeah, that was ALL you, buddy. *psst* Don't tell him that it was actually Naraku, guys.

Rouyakan wastes no time shoving his fists through the roof of the hut, crumbling it between them. Miroku and Kaede shout Inuyasha's name in concern before a flash accompanies a vertical slash up Rouyakan's snout. Blood spurts from the wound as Rouyakan screams, and Inuyasha lands crouched before him, holding Tessaiga up above his head with an arm blocking his face.

I'm actually beginning to think Kagome was right about that persecution complex she mentioned a few chapters ago...

Rouyakan charges Inuyasha, yelling at him to give up and die. Inuyasha leaps up and swings Tessaiga down on Rouyakan, whom he tells to shut up. One of Rouyakan's hands slap onto the flat of the blade, astonishing a groaning Inuyasha before he's flung back by the force. Kaede looks downright panicked that Inuyasha has been sent flying, but Miroku's expression is more on the disgusted side when he says that Inuyasha is all talk and his strength hasn't returned yet.

Inuyasha crashes into the ground, shoulder first. The Shikon fragment that he took from Kagome goes flying, and he gasps at it as it lands out of his reach. Rouyakan sees it too, observing that it's a big chunk of the jewel, lunging for it.

I can't decide whether Shippou is brave or stupid. Rouyakan shouts at Shippou that he won't get away, vomiting a fresh wave of three-eyed wolves at him. Shippou freaks out and screams, eyes bulging and welling with tears while he flees all the faster. Miroku rips the beads from his right hand, warning Shippou to take cover so he can use the Kazaana. A buzzing sound behind him stays his hand as he glances into his periphery fearfully.

Those things are going to be the biggest pain in the ass...

Miroku wraps his beads around his right hand again and scoffs, knowing that if he sucks them in, he'll be poisoned. He holds his staff out in front of him defensively against the pack of demon wolves, telling Inuyasha this doesn't look good, which Inuyasha knows, facing off against Rouyakan. Jeez, Miroku, what IS it with you and stating things everybody already knows today?

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Kagome says she's on her way out to her mother and brother. Her mother asks her to tell Houjou "hi" for her, and Souta seems a little surprised that Kagome has a date while he wears Buyo as a hat. 

Child, what even ARE you?

On her way past the well-shrine, she pauses and gripes silently about how Inuyasha hasn't come to pick her up yet. She goes in and jumps down into the well that will no longer transport her through time, saying that she's going on a date, asking the ground beneath her sarcastically if that's okay. Silence. Melancholy as ever, Kagome gazes up at the ceiling and supposes she'd better get going.

Here's your cue, Miroku! Pop in and tell Shippou that he's doomed!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Inuyasha and friends are pretty straightforwardly fucked. Naraku has managed to ruin the entire setup of protection around Inuyasha with one spear, because it makes sense that a spiritual barrier wouldn't help much against a non-spiritual weapon. The fact that the spear was slow enough to allow Kaede and Miroku to exchange as many words as they did was a little pacing error that hit me hard within a chapter that was so well-paced throughout the rest of it, so that was a little jarring. Otherwise, there's not much to say about how Naraku managed to box in the protagonists, because it was all explained very well within the chapter.

I do have ONE question, though: why didn't Miroku immediately investigate where the spear came from? If it were me, I would have been all over that clue to Naraku's presence. And if he's there to initiate the raid, but having Rouyakan do all the heavy-lifting, it should be obvious that Naraku isn't prepared for a face-to-face confrontation. He would have been at the very least SEVERELY injured under a full strength Miroku.

But I guess Miroku just had to waste his time stating the obvious during this chapter. Dumbass.