Guys, does anyone even REMEMBER what we did with all that drama we hoarded? Did we spend it like currency to other teens who were willing to give us props in return? Did it just evaporate like water, and that's why there was never enough? Or is it still sitting around somewhere?
These are the big questions, folks.
Shippou asks Miroku if a monster bear has been eating people, and Miroku says that this is what the villagers told them. Evidently, Shippou tuned in and out of that conference, though I don't know how. I wouldn't be able to pay ENOUGH attention to a meeting about a murder bear. The village men they were talking to were even bandaged up and standing in front of the wreckage of homes when they spoke about it being a normal bear at first that attacked the fields. Then they say it transformed suddenly over the image of a giant creature holding a body by the middle in its jaws. The men say they haven't done a head count, so they don't know how many villagers had been devoured.
Miroku looks over at Inuyasha, who is surly as usual, and somehow determines he appears dissatisfied. He's become rather good at telling the difference between those subtle forms of irritability Inuyasha constantly wears. Inuyasha confirms that he's dissatisfied, wanting to waste Kouga first, whom he knows has shards for sure. Shippou mutters a question about whether that's because Kouga's Inuyasha's rival in love, and sports a nice lump on the top of his head in the next panel. Miroku asks if Shippou got it wrong, but Inuyasha refuses to answer, just telling them both to shut up. In the foreground, Kagome walks along with her eyes closed, looking like she's counting to ten.
She and Sango stop suddenly in surprise when two guys in ratty armor appear in front of them, claiming they'll be carrying them away from their dude companions with menacing chuckles. Shippou loses it, claiming he sees the monster bear, but Miroku assures them that these guys are just regular old
But Inuyasha isn't much interested in that. He says he has nothing against these bastards, so they'd better get lost. Easily offended as they are, they call him a brat and begin to charge in order to waste him, but a series of snaps and crashes in the underbrush behind them give them pause. One of them looks over his shoulder to see...
Kagome recognizes the shine in the exposed brain of the bear and warns Inuyasha that the Shikon fragment is in its forehead. Inuyasha confirms he understands, draws Tessaiga, and jumps to slash at the bear. A stream of blood explodes from the long cut across its CHEST. Inuyasha, I thought you said you had this! What didn't you GET about "it's in its forehead"?? Now the skinless bear is running away, and Sango hops upon a transformed Kirara with Hiraikotsu at the ready, shouting that the bear is running. Yeah, and it WOULDN'T be if Inuyasha could just hit what the fuck he's aiming for, the clod! He yells at the bastard bear to wait up, because if he can't carve that shard out of the bear's forehead by force, I guess he can try just asking for it.
Miroku urges Kagome to catch up to their group with him, and she agrees, both of them leaving the cowering bandits in their dust. The bandits wonder aloud just what the hell those people were, but they're not keen enough to follow and find out. To be fair, I probably wouldn't be that curious either.
Inuyasha is still running deeper into the forest, cursing about how the bear is a pretty quick runner. Over the trees, a buzzing cloud advances on the area too, Sango starting to identify them, and Inuyasha finishing for her when he too sees the giant wasps floating on the air: Saimyoushou.
One wasp pulls the Shikon shard out of the bear's brain, with Inuyasha and Kagome looking on with shock and slack jaws. The swarm of Saimyoushou start flying off into the sky, and Sango shouts that they're headed to take the shard back to Naraku. Miroku (Shippou still hitching a ride on his shoulder) and Inuyasha lurch forward at Miroku's prompt to pursue them, with the possibility of finding Naraku's castle this time. The wasps swish as they trace an arc through the sky.
Meanwhile, behind a familiar waterfall, someone is regaling an audience of lounging wolves with the promise of a Shikon shard in some lord's castle somewhere. This guy, hair swept back and black markings beneath his eyes, sits in front of Kouga resting against a rock, proposing that him and his from the North Cave and Kouga's pack from the East Cave could raid the castle together for that Shikon fragment. He promises that they'll split any shards they find, even though he's been talking about only ONE shard thus far. What happens when there's nothing to split? Oh well, we'll fight that bridge when we get there.
Cross. I mean cross.
Kouga, displaying his wounded arm plainly propped on his knee and cuddled by his wolves around him, glares at the question of whether or not he's in on this heist. He apologizes, stating that the prospect doesn't interest him. North Cave guys ask him why not, and Kouga cryptically says with an inclined head that there's another matter he has to take care of first. Turns out Kouga is also thinking about Dog-Turd Inuyasha, unable to be satisfied until he wastes him himself. North Cave guys are cool with the rejection, saying that no one is forcing Kouga, and noticing the injury as well.
His fellow humanoids surround him once the North Cave guys leave, asking if he's sure about refusing the offer, worried about the Shikon fragment being taken by that pack instead of theirs. Kouga mumbles that they should just leave it alone, but a couple of them aren't interested in leaving it alone, stating that they're going with the North Cave guys. Rolling his head to the side, away from his critics, Kouga tells them to do whatever they want.
They climb over the outer wall, backlit and monstrous, but soon they're looking around in confusing, wondering where the watchmen are when they're supposed to be in the empty watchtowers. In fact, the only person that seems to be there at all, is walking down the front steps a ways ahead.
Said female person smiles at them, complaining that they're nothing but small fry. Clearly, she is not impressed by the rag-tag team of wolves. And why should she be? It looks like she's dressed for a good time, and these guys didn't even put on a damn tie.
Back at the waterfall, Two-Tone and Mohawk run up to Kouga's sick nest, the former announcing that there's bad news, and the latter trailing off in an account of what happened to the guys who went to the castle. A man with a scar across his left eye staggers toward Kouga with a permanent look of shock on his face, and Kouga jumps up, asking what happened. The man presents a Shikon fragment to Kouga, saying it's the only thing he could bring back. Then he collapses forward into Kouga's arms, begging Kouga to use the shard, despite how unnerved Kouga seems. He insists that Kouga head to the castle, or else everyone will be killed. Kouga stares, teeth clenched.
Next we see of him, he's speeding along through the forest, taking the man's advice by slapping the Shikon fragment into his arm, ready to make use of it. We return to the waterfall cave once more to see Two-Tone expressing some disbelief that the man managed to make it back with injuries so serious. The man takes this opportunity to fall apart. Literally. A diagonal slash straight across his torso separates his bust from his lower half, the wound bubbling strangely. Two-Tone and Mohawk are flabbergasted and agape with horror, unable to form complete questions.
As Kouga continues to run along the base of a short cliff, a familiar primate-fur-clad figure follows his progress from the top, chuckling darkly. Naraku recognizes that Kouga is using the fragment his dead agent gave to him, and seems awfully pleased about it. What exactly did you put in that
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I am SO pumped right now! Our minor monster at the beginning of the chapter is just the kind of horror I love from RT, just wrong ENOUGH to give you chills and imagine what it would be like to meet something like that yourself. It's just a bear, but taking its skin and the top of its skull off really gave it that freaky quality that makes my skin crawl. Just what I needed for the beginning of my All-Hallows-Month.
But the creepy tricks of this chapter aren't done yet, with the introduction of a woman who faces off against a whole army of wolf youkai with a smirk. Keep in mind that, again, these guys were YOUKAI. They ARE the monsters, planning on taking out regular humans at the castle, and for them to be the victims here, one of their corpses even made to walk back to Kouga in order to play messenger, is quite a horrible concept. Just how much more of a monster must this woman be if she did this to other literal fucking monsters? As Kouga all but admitted earlier by saying that he couldn't go out with his mangled arm like that, he doesn't stand a chance.
And to top it off, Miss Fan over here is one of my favorite characters in this manga. I love her so much, and it is a JOY seeing her every time she shows up. It only gets better while she grows as a character and her arc develops, so get ready for an emotional ride.
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