Sango remembers Naraku's command to steal Tessaiga if she wanted her brother back, and haltingly tell Inuyasha that nothing happened. Besides, she reminds him that she already said her brother wasn't capable of the cruel slaughter they had seen the aftermath of earlier, so whoever that was, it was no longer Kohaku. She glares at her lap while she makes this assertion, so Inuyasha retorts with a question as to whether she really thinks it's that simple. Sango's glare turns back on him while she sweats, and Kagome's seemingly sleeping form is a bit TOO quiet for the panel not to take note of it.
Inuyasha asserts that no matter how much Kohaku may have changed, he's still Sango's brother, even if it means that Sango answers with more glare than ever. He's looking at his lap now when he says that Kohaku shouldn't be able to forget or hate Sango so easily. Kagome is awake after all, opening her eyes a crack so she can look out of her periphery in Inuyasha's direction. Sango asks Inuyasha sharply what the hell he would know about it, but Inuyasha remains speechless, looking a little sad this time around. Kagome is only too aware to whom Inuyasha is referring: that undead priestess who shares her likeness.
Suddenly, Miroku says Inuyasha's name, opening his eyes a bit to warn him not to be careless, since they're surrounded and all. Were ALL of these fuckers awake this whole time??? Sango AND Inuyasha seem surprised by the fact that they're surrounded, despite the fact that Inuyasha's nose should have been on top of that shit. I guess part of his weakness as a hanyou is that his dog-nose only works when it's convenient to the plot. Whatever.
Kohaku is standing stiffly a few yards from the entrance to the hut.
You're bad.
Of course, once the youkai behind Kohaku see the main group poke their heads out of the hut, they immediately rush for the door. Inuyasha and Miroku steel themselves for a fight, while Sango gets all shocked all over again by the appearance of Kohaku. The youkai shout for Inuyasha and company to be murdered, but Inuyasha whips out Tessaiga with a curse, bringing it down on a head or two as he tells those wimps to get lost.
Kohaku swings his sickle down on Inuyasha's blade with what looks like all his effort from the look of those gritted teeth. Inuyasha scoffs at the level of strength in it, however, and grabs hold of the chain to snap like a whip, sending Kohaku flying backwards. He advises Kohaku not to challenge him with that weak shit. He does NOT play.
Sango and Kagome gape, the former looking somewhat more appalled and the latter telling Inuyasha not to go killing Kohaku. Inuyasha yells back that he knows, MOM, and as Kohaku lands catlike on the balls of his feet, vows to grab him and wake him up instead. Inuyasha's habit of thinking that all problems can be solved with a good beating aside, this is not looking like it would go well if it were to actually happen. Kohaku is looking WAAAAY too defiant for that.
Sango shouts Kohaku's name in question while Kagome recoils and the Shippou perched on her shoulder gasps that Kohaku injured himself. Wonderful observation, Shippou. You are an invaluable member of this team.
Because Kohaku is clearly the kind of dude who likes to gross people out, he sticks his undoubtedly dirty finger into the wound he just created. The sound effects are even specifying how the digits are sinking in, and I'm a little queasy at the moment. Kagome's constitution is a bit more sound, though, and she lets everyone know in a panic what she can see are Kohaku's true intentions: he's reaching for the Shikon shard in his back so he can pull it out. Sango freezes in horror and alarm, her mind immediately jumping to what Naraku told her about how Kohaku's life is tied to that fragment in his body and how he'll die if it's removed.
Hiraikotsu goes spiraling into the scene, but doesn't go for an enemy. Instead, it knocks Tessaiga out of Inuyasha's hand, startling him. He glares back and shouts Sango's name, as Tessaiga is caught up in the boomerang's momentum and carried toward her, its transformation melting away. Its point sticks in the ground just a short distance in front of her while she catches Hiraikotsu. Kagome and Miroku call to Sango but make no moves to head over to her, only staring. For a moment, Kohaku just stares as well, a pained snarl still lingering on his sweating face.
He stands in a swift movement, one of his accompanying flying snake youkai slipping under him to carry him off. Kohaku stares down at Sango as he flies away, wordless. Sango stares back, wondering if this is a test to see if she takes Tessaiga herself. When she looks back at her eye level, she and Inuyasha face one another, and Tessaiga stands in the dirt between them. Instead of his usual cocky self, Inuyasha is wide-eyed and sweaty, leaving a sentence to Sango trailing and unfinished. She glowers at him, calls to Kirara, and grabs hold of Tessaiga, all while her new friends stare in utter disbelief.
Inuyasha is back to his old glare-y self when he jumps to follow Sango, asking what she's doing. All she can hear are her thoughts asking if this is the only way. Miroku prompts Kagome to join him in running after their rogue friend as well, and she stutters in agreement. All the while, Sango is determined to restore her brother to normal, no matter what it takes. That much is already clear, sweetie.
A whoosh of air later...
It only takes Sango a moment or two to realize that this castle is the place where her father and the rest of their exterminating team were killed. Time to torch that place with your magical fire cat! Actually, not quite. Sango lands first and yells at Naraku to show himself. Of course, she needn't have been so loud about it.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Let me just address the elephant in the room first and admit that YES, I deliberately left out the images of Kohaku digging his fingers into his wound and all that. I almost left out the image of him hurting himself at all because there's something about it that struck me more than most other images I've shown here. Usually, when someone gets hurt, it's not a deliberate action that they themselves take. Even if it is, it's for reasons other than forcing another character to do something they wouldn't normally do, or establishing a sick power-dynamic. The fact that Kohaku is a child and has been brainwashed into self-harm just compounds the immediate disgust I feel.
Which is, ultimately, what those images are supposed to accomplish. I want there to be no mistake here; I think the chapter is important and powerful. As awful as it is to see what will become one of my favorite characters self-mutilate as a warning to his sister, it's happening for a reason. It's not shock-value and it's not gritty realism in a vain attempt to be edgy. It's depicting an impossible and terrible situation in which each character (the conscious ones, anyway) has to evaluate and second-guess every single step they take.
Sango's struggle is the easiest to identify, as she can't know one way or another if stealing Tessaiga and giving into Naraku's demands is going to pay off. The only thing she knows is that Naraku has made Kohaku's life such an unsure matter that she can't be sure in NOT delivering on Naraku's terms.
Inuyasha's struggle has been somewhat understated, though. He knows very well what Sango is going through, even if Sango hasn't been around long enough to have picked up on the details. He's seen someone he loves brought back to life at the behest of someone who wanted to use that person for their own selfish ends. At the beginning of the chapter, he seems a bit eager to talk to Sango about this similarity, and the clear empathy he's expressing by holding back in being his regular violent self. He even looks especially hurt for a panel or two by how quickly Sango ran over his comradery in order to steal his sword.
I don't want to say for SURE that it's because he's desperate to talk to someone who is going through the same crap as him and needs Sango's shoulder as much as he believes she needs his, but... I'm leaning in that direction.
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