Inuyasha Manga: 146 The Enigma of Kagura

Get used to being confused by that Kagura, my dear protagonists, because it will happen a LOT over the course of this manga. Consider yourselves lucky that you have little more to figure out than a mysterious beautiful woman. I'm jealous. My current definition of "enigma" consists of how people can ignore the marriage of what's happening right in front of them and the confirmation from expert analysis in favor of a bullshit narrative. Said narrative doesn't even seem to offer the basic comfort of a fairy story, so I'm not sure why so many cling to it like a baby blankie.

At least the literal fairy tale in which I lose myself isn't advertising itself as fact.

AND it has side-boob. Eat it, reality-deniers.

Anyway, as he and his friends stand in the hills of shattered rock and earth where Naraku's fake castle once stood, Miroku is stating the obvious; Kagura's aim was to make Inuyasha and Kouga fight until one of them died and she could take on the weakened survivor, since whomever it was wouldn't be uninjured. Her ultimate goal was undoubtedly to take the Shikon shards in each of Kouga's legs. You know, in case anyone hadn't figured THAT much out.

Speaking of Kouga, his whole arm is purple and pulsing with poison at this point, while he lays on his side in the crater he made whaling on Inuyasha. Shippou peers at him, noting that the color of Kouga's skin has changed, and that the poison has spread quite a bit. I see that it's "State the Obvious" time again in the Inuyasha manga. If I were Kouga, I would be rather upset that I had to endure watching others waste their breath like this in my final moments. Afford the guy some dignity and knock that shit off, will you?

Kagome is concerned that Kouga will die at this rate, but Inuyasha scoffs that it's better that way. He's all in favor of letting the guy die so he can't fuck with them anymore, and also so they can score a couple of Shikon fragments. Kagome asks if Inuyasha is suggesting they abandon Kouga, looking only slightly ruffled rather than offended, and Inuyasha says he means that they have no obligation to save Kouga. Clearly more distressed now, Kagome argues that Kouga was ALSO tricked by Naraku, and it's worth it to keep him alive, implying that it might stick in Naraku's craw that he didn't even get one of his targets.

At great effort, Inuyasha stands, and Kagome says his name with concern. He repeats her phrase "as long as he's alive" and says that there's a way to make that happen, while pulling Tessaiga, sheath and all, from his belt with his uninjured arm. He then holds the sheath between his teeth in order to draw the sword again. It's kind of cool.

I mean... yes, it's not ideal, but losing an arm isn't the worst that can happen to Kouga in this situation.

Kouga groans and looks out of his periphery at the looming Inuyasha, too weak to protest. Kagome's own protests are weak, because as Shippou states beside her, it's the only way. He reminds her that the miasma was too strong for even her abilities to aid her in pulling the shard out, and the word "miasma" gives her a bit of an epiphany. She shoots to her feet and shouts at Inuyasha to stop, reaching for an arrow from her quiver.

Shippou follows her into the crater where Inuyasha wears a look of consternation as he continues to hold Tessaiga over his head, steady, staring down at Kagome. She's got an arrow in her fist, pointing it down at Kouga's purple arm. She says that her arrows can erase Naraku's miasma, and sticks the point of the arrow into Kouga's wrist, trailing her new argument that surely it will do the same in this case.

The air around them crackles and Kouga groans.

Kouga blinks and lifts his head, suddenly all better. Kagome pulls back her arrow and recoils for some reason, Inuyasha stares down at Kouga with a mystified irritation, and Shippou just remarks that the fake shard is out of there. Well, I guess that's that.

Starting to push himself up, Kouga mockingly says too bad to Inuyasha for how he wasn't able to kill him. Inuyasha flatly says that SOMEONE is spirited all of a sudden, then lunges forward with sword raised shouting that he won't hold back if this is the case, determined to settle this feud once and for all. Kouga jumps back out of the crater and refuses to comply RIGHT now, claiming that it would be no fun to kill a dog who had only a few minutes ago nearly dropped dead. He, graciously, declares he's going to leave things here for today.

Inuyasha starts to complain that this should be HIS line, but Kouga is already kicking up a whirlwind in his retreat, leaving Inuyasha speechless in his wake. Speechless except in the case of a single swear, anyway. Miroku comments that, as usual, Kouga is fast when running away. As Kouga flees the area, he promises to waste those who killed his wolf brethren, Kagura and this mysterious Naraku.

Bringing us to a REAL castle of in some undisclosed location, where Naraku sits in a room listening to the buzz from his demon wasps and staring at a couple of jars set in a dark corner.

Really? I think she's looking a lot better than before, what with a replacement for her shredded clothes to cover that slash across her chest. Must have stopped by the store on the way back.

Kagura shouts at him not to joke around with her, demanding that he admit he was testing her out. Remembering Kaze no Kizu, Kagura accuses Naraku of withholding information about Inuyasha's sword and its capabilities. Naraku examines the palm of his right hand, firing back at Kagura that SHE ran off without even collecting Kouga's Shikon shards. Then THIS happens:

I've heard of the various places where you can feel your heart pounding, but this is ridiculous.

Naraku mumbles that Kagura is nothing but mouth, and proceeds to squeeze the heart in his hand. Kagura falls to a knee, clutching at the left side of her chest and letting out a pained grunt. She continues to sink lower as Naraku reminds her that her heart is always in his grasp. She's leaning on her hip, facing the jars in the corner when Naraku also lets her know that reducing her to the raw meat that she was born from would be no trouble at all either. A closeup beyond the lip of one of the jars reveals it's filled to the brim with pulsing flesh.

Metal.

Naraku glares at Kagura as he tells her that she was born from himself, and she's merely a part of his body. Kagura stutters a curse, and I am reminded that some people just shouldn't have babies.

Night has fallen, and find Inuyasha and company sheltered in a small, disused building that seems to be falling apart a little. Someone is surprised at the suggestion that Kagura might have been born from Naraku. Unsurprisingly, it's Miroku who responds that this is certainly one way of putting his hypothesis (confirmed by dramatic irony). Kagome, pausing in applying bandages to Inuyasha, stutters out an incomplete protest, and Shippou asks bluntly what she cannot; how can a man give birth? C-Section?

Miroku explains that originally, Naraku is a conglomerate of many different youkai, so it might be better to think of Kagura as a detachment instead. Inuyasha side-eyes him, but Kagome seems to be getting the hang of what Miroku's proposing, because Kagura couldn't be Naraku shapeshifted himself, given she had no knowledge of them. Also, Miroku is pretty adamant that he would never want to ask a transformed Naraku to bear his child, no matter how pretty a girl he deigned to be. Inuyasha and Sango look irritated as Kagome informs him that she's sure Naraku wasn't into him that way either.

Now that we've determined how NOT GAY Miroku's attraction to Kagura is, Inuyasha wants to discuss something weird. Kagura was awfully strong for a woman, and he's worried about Naraku being able to produce opponents like her. Sango agrees, wondering out loud why he hasn't done this sort of thing before. Miroku suggests that it stands to reason Naraku has only come into this power recently. Sango looks on with worry, as Kagome contemplates the meaning of Naraku gaining a new ability, and why this could be.

Back at the castle, Kagura is back on her feet and looking down at Naraku still sitting next to the window. He paints her experience with Inuyasha and Tessaiga as having seen everything there is to see about this sword. No more surprises. He orders to go again.

I wouldn't have pegged this baby child as an ELDER sister to Kagura, but then again, I'm not over here looking my own age either, so...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was a tad fast for Miroku to come to the right conclusion about Kagura, even with the comedic explanation being that he was just really uncomfortable with the idea that he could be attracted to Naraku himself. It smacks too much of characters reading the script, and no the other way around, which always throws me out of the story a little. I think RT could have waited a bit to reveal that relationship between Kagura and Naraku, considering this next part is the precursor to a revelation on that front, which I think would have been a far better clue as to the nature of where Kagura came from. Also, I just like more mystery in my horror, thanks.

In addition, call me cruel, but I kind of wish Kouga had lost that arm. Mutilation isn't a happy ending, but that's kind of the point. Saving his life would have had a bit more weight in sense that Naraku's control over the situation was so tight that the parties involved couldn't get away without some serious sacrifice. It would have made Naraku a more formidable villain, because someone we're familiar with, not just all his nameless buddies, had their life brutally altered by this event. It would have packed a much more emotional punch, and we couldn't sigh with relief at the end. Torture your darlings, and all that, RT.

Besides, that solution of Kagome's only seems clever if you don't think about it. Her arrow OBLITERATED Naraku the last time she got a shot in, and he's only half a youkai. Kouga is the whole thing, and it should have done some serious damage to him as well as dispersing Naraku's miasma. Even if the greater part of Kagome's arrow's power comes from the projectile part of the process, there's still a big youkai-opposing magic in there. Although, to be fair, none of the different classifications of powers, like youkai and spiritual, have really been defined very well, and the differences are only going to get murkier as the series continues.

And we already have one guy whose lost an arm, so I guess RT thought he was enough.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 204 The Thing in the Dark

That sounds ominous. I'm a little past the mood to read creepy pasta, having scratched that itch during last month's festivities, but I can dig a little more spooky content. Hopefully it doesn't cross a line, though, because asshole!Bakura has been known to do some murder from time to time. Sure, he's only gone so far with an older side character who had a Millennium Item, but he could easily get a bit antsy and go after his fellow mains, or any of the few adults on board their isolated blimp.

Look, just be careful, okay Moar Cards Guy? I've grown awfully attached.

Stop drawing attention to yourself! What did I tell you?

Yami glares at asshole!Bakura with his arms crossed, wondering what his strategy is. Asshole!Bakura is just standing over there with his back turned, giggling like an idiot, so Yami is forced to dwell on the momentary look he got of the vicious expression asshole!Bakura wore. Yami only now seems to realize that the true Bakura might have been taken over by his darker personality from the Millennium Ring, gaping at the potential horror. Boy, did it take HIM a long time to pick up the obvious...

Moar Cards Guy disrupts all the speculation to shout some more, pointing up at the ceiling as he announces this and all subsequent duels will be held on the Aerial Dueling Platform, the special ring ON Battle Ship. ON. Jonouchi, as always, has to ask for clarification, but his curiosity isn't satisfied this time. Moar Cards Guy just says that the two active opponents are meant to take the "spiral escalator" up to the duel field, whatever that means. He offers to lead the rest of the crowd who would like to act as spectators by a different route, and Jonouchi accepts this with excitement, for Honda and Ryuji as well.

Indeed, the escalator that Yami stands on a little later is in a spiral, for no conceivable reason. He's looking up at Bakura, who still has his back turned and his face shadowed as he hunches over his stolen Duel Disk. Yami thinks the duel could be dangerous if Bakura is actually the asshole version of himself. The outside of the blimp is shown, with the top of it standing out against the dark sky for a reason.

Others not mentioned - wind resistance and turbulence. Given how pleased Kaiba looks, I'd bet a pretty penny this is HIS idea, and aside from this meaning that he isn't as disconnected from the planning of the finals as he wanted everyone to believe, this is the WORST idea he's ever had. Great job making murder that much easier for the murderous fuckwads you invited on board, idiot, as well as greatly increasing the odds of genuine accidental deaths.

Perhaps just to run contrary to Kaiba's sadistic expectations, Yami's friends stop complaining, starting with Anzu flippantly dismissing the weather she's wearing a t-shirt and shorts in. Whether this is Marik's influence or not isn't implied. Regardless, Jonouchi joins in, straight-up LYING that it isn't so cold after all. Anzu suggests that they warm themselves up by cheering for Yami and Honda agrees, despite the fact that Yami is facing ANOTHER of their friends, and they should maybe be a bit more conflicted by this match than they seem? Geez guys, you really don't give two shits about Bakura, do you?

I'm beginning to get Bakura's lack of care about bringing the Millennium Ring everywhere with him...

The asshole version and Yami face each other on the raised platform, at first silently, until asshole!Bakura states through a grin that it's been a while. Yami says that he knew it, and that things were going a little TOO well, asking asshole!Bakura how long the asshole has been in control. Anzu, Jonouchi and Honda are all flabbergasted and in disbelief that Bakura has been taken over again, which makes their lack of support for him even MORE egregious. Honda calls Bakura an idiot for wearing the Millennium Ring again. At least SOMEONE agrees with me.

"Namu" starts asking questions about what "Millennium Ring" and "dark mind" mean, and why Bakura's expression has changed so suddenly. This dude is laying it on real think, but Jonouchi doesn't appear to notice, because he must feel pretty important to be asked to explain anything. He tries to make the long story short, but ends up going over how the Millennium Items are ancient Egyptian things, the "rumors" that those who have them develop split personalities, Yami and Yuugi being somewhat nice companion personalities from the Millennium Puzzle, but other items like the Millennium Ring contain EVIL personalities instead. This takes a lot of dialogue in two panels to cover. So much for making a long story short.

"Namu" acts surprised, asking if Jonouchi is saying that Bakura is possessed, and Anzu tells him of the time asshole!Bakura lured their group into a tabletop RPG, almost killing them. Expression becoming somewhat blank, "Namu" claims disbelief, while Jonouchi mutters a curse and says he has a bad feeling about this duel. Internally, Marik makes one TINY correction to Jonouchi's explanation, that it's not just one mind controlling Bakura right now.

Are you sure it's not the double vision from whatever drug's giving you that perpetually high look?

Moar Cards Guy commands that Yami and asshole!Bakura cut and shuffle each others' decks, and they comply, glaring at one another. Yami's glower is standard, but asshole!Bakura's is accented with a creepy grin. Appropriate. As he shuffles, Yami admits he never thought he'd face asshole!Bakura, of all people, at cards. Asshole!Bakura responds with a chuckle and says he had an awful lot of fun playing that tabletop RPG a while back, even if he DID lose.

Yami is determined to ask once and ONLY once whether or not asshole!Bakura is after the Millennium Puzzle again, but asshole!Bakura doesn't want to give a straight answer. It's cryptic and not at all helpful, just like his thoughts, which insist that Yami has to stay alive in order to open the "Dark Door", because Yami's the one to possess the puzzle, which is apparently the final piece in the bigger quest for asshole!Bakura's power. He wants Yami to keep it safe for him until he actually needs it. It's all very opaque.

But even this vague bullshit does not come out. Instead he tells Yami that he entered the tournament for one reason and one reason only; he wants Yami's god card. Yami doesn't seem to buy it, wondering what asshole!Bakura could possibly want with his god card. As if reading his mind, asshole!Bakura explains that in order to dominate the gaming world one needs to become the Duel King, and to do that, he has to win this tournament. Yami silently stares, and asshole!Bakura chuckles, recalling the agreement he made with Marik as he puts his deck in his Duel Disk. Apparently, upon winning Slifer, his plan is to exchange it for the Millennium Rod.

While Anzu and Jonouchi gape on either side of him, Marik just gives the scene a menacing stare. He grins and closes his eyes, thinking that if worst comes to worst, he can always take direct control of Bakura and use him to defeat Yami himself. Asshole!Bakura hears this inside his own head, it seems, and tells Marik to back the fuck off, because Yami is his to defeat. He conspicuously leaves out the far more relevant fact that Marik's remote control strategy has yet to actually result in victory. Why?

Because Marik sucks at this. There. I said it. Fight me.

Moar Cards Guy slices down through the air with his hand and declares the start of the duel.

Not that Anzu actually gives much of a shit about Ryo, as has been demonstrated.

Oh, and shut up, Kaiba.

Asshole!Bakura announces that it's his turn first, and Yami seems to go with the flow, even giving asshole!Bakura a little smile as he anticipates a demonstration of his skills as a duelist. At least he can't cheat at cards by jiggling the table with his knee. Asshole!Bakura is pretty confident, though, stating that he's going to do MORE than show Yami all his skills. Somehow. He plays a card called "The Portrait's Secret" in attack, a big framed picture of a distinguished-looking man with a demon thing emerging from it. Standard horror fare, followed by asshole!Bakura ending his turn.

Yami is suspicious of this move, because the portrait only has 1200 attack points, and it smacks of a trap. Jonouchi is less worried, shouting that asshole!Bakura doesn't have any face down cards, so he's defenseless by his perspective. He encourages Yami to slay the monster.

Bluff called. Asshole!Bakura growls about his reduction in points, as Yami puts a face down card on his Duel Disk and ends his turn. Looking a bit miffed, asshole!Bakura shouts that it's his turn again. He summons the "Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams", a ghoul-looking dealie holding up a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, promptly ending his turn. This one is also in attack position, which baffles Yami with its mere 1300 attack points. Marik just looks pissed, mentally side-eyeing asshole!Bakura as he wonders if this dope has any kind of strategy at all.

He's not the only one who sees the ineptitude here. Anzu says it's almost as though asshole!Bakura doesn't even understand the basics of the game, even though she thought he might have been better at this. He made it into the FINALS of a city-wide tournament, after all. But Jonouchi doesn't seem to take this into account, calling asshole!Bakura a super amateur and nothing to be afraid of, confident that Yami will wipe the floor with him.

Yami draws a card and declares his turn, slapping another card onto his Duel Disk to attack anew with.

My bullshit alarm is blaring too loud to STAND right now.

Asshole!Bakura uses his turn to play a new card, "Headless Knight" (just what it says on the tin), in ATTACK again. He urges Yami to take his turn now, and silently to destroy his monster. Yami is wigged out, wondering desperately what asshole!Bakura is up to. Still, he attacks with Magnet Warrior to kill Headless Knight and reminds Baphomet to do another direct attack on asshole!Bakura. Now the guy is down to 750 life points, with one arm up swung up in front of his head protectively, expression unreadable in the wake of the attack. Yami marvels at the fact that asshole!Bakura has lost three monsters in three turns, never putting up any resistance the whole time. Anzu is recoiled a bit, describing all this as a little creepy, as Jonouchi starts to wonder if asshole!Bakura is REALLY just weak. He's pretty sure Yami will win on the next turn, though, the way things are going.

And yet, when asshole!Bakura looks up, he's wearing a psychotic grin, chuckle turning into maniacal laughter. Yami's heart hammers while asshole!Bakura thanks him through his laughter for falling for the trap. This of course has Yami shocked and in disbelief, which in itself is a little on the unbelievable side. I thought you were savvier than this, Yami. It's a little more acceptable that Jonouchi is also having trouble understanding that Yami has fallen for a trap, preferring the narrative that Yami has been dominating the duel instead. Anzu takes stock of the field, Yami's two monsters and asshole!Bakura's zero, and states that the numbers just don't add up.

Asshole!Bakura claims that he has in his deck one of the most terrifying cards in the whole of the game, but this card requires a special sort of summon. It appears that Yami is familiar with a special summon, and he better damn well be, given how much he knows about Duel Monsters otherwise. Still, his eyes are still wide in alarm as asshole!Bakura begins to pick a particular card from his hand. He explains that three monsters must be in his graveyard before his special card will appear on the field, destroyed in attack position within the first five turns of a match.

That's... weirdly specific.

Does anyone else get the feeling that KT watched Hellraiser before he got started designing the Bakura-squared deck? It's like we solved the box and this is our punishment.

Yami repeats the name like a question, because its evil mommy face is both confusing and creepy while it stares across the field. It is Yami's humble conclusion that he's underestimated asshole!Bakura's ability to summon first-class monsters using bizarre methods. Asshole!Bakura chuckles and mentions that Necrofear's special ability is super duper, and Yami expresses even more shock. I wonder what the threshold for him to be totally unsurprised is at this point.

Asshole!Bakura promises to teach Yami to fear the occult, but he should be careful with that. There's a certain Uncle Frank, Julia, and Kirsty who could attest to how personal a risk it is to summon up Cenobites. Tread with care.

Or don't. Asshole.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Asshole!Bakura's play at incompetence shouldn't have been so effective. Everyone, especially Yami, should have been more than aware that he was up to something, even if they weren't quite sure what it was. Yes, even Jonouchi, despite his general thickness, shouldn't have been surprised. If he was wise enough to be on the verge of suspicion of "Namu" in the last couple of chapters, he's wise enough to recognize a ploy when he sees it.

The only reason that everyone was caught so unaware (weak and half-formed wonderings of side-characters aside), that I can think of anyway, is so that asshole!Bakura wasn't stopped in such a complicated and crappy strategy too soon. The card he's using had to be designed with a surprise entrance in mind, and it wouldn't be enough to make the special summon require just one or two monsters in the graveyard. The graveyard requirement couldn't be combined with regular sacrifices, because that wouldn't bring him close enough to a strangely easy loss - it's a classic feint, diving too close to the ground just to pull back on the yoke. It seems really exciting if you don't look too closely at how oddly specific the card requirements are, and how early asshole!Bakura would have to draw and hold that card in order for it to win him EVERY SINGLE DUEL up until the finals.

He'd better be cheating again.

Also, I can't quite figure out what the point of this outside platform on the blimp is. I mean, I get that it's supposed to be some sort of gladiatorial trial for the duelists, despite the fact that this is a card game, and success in a card tournament by no means corresponds with the training it would take to be able to withstand such conditions. On a level, I understand Kaiba's need to make the finals of his tournament as grueling as humanly possible. It's another manifestation of his view of winning's opposite being death.

But, story-wise, what does this accomplish? Whiplash? Just in the previous chapter, we had a drab little BINGO MACHINE determining the dueling pairs, and now, we have hardcore death platform. The former suggests what Kaiba assured everyone of in the beginning, that he purposefully excluded himself from planning and knowledge of the finals to make everything more fair. The latter suggests that he was intimately involved in planning this to a scary degree and with little to no oversight. Which is it? Because it can't be both ways. Not unless someone else at Kaiba Corp is just as twisted and weird as Kaiba is -

Oh. Oh no, Mokuba the murder child has returned...

Inuyasha Manga: 145 The Spider on the Back

There's a WHAT WHERE? Well get the damn thing off! I generally don't mind spiders if they keep to themselves. I even like them when they're eating pesky flies and other pests on my herbs and plants. But when they're on my back, all bets are OFF. They are not allowed there, and they need to go find some place to live that isn't ANYWHERE on my body. Not the back, chest, arms, legs, you name it. Just because it's better than the things building webs in orifices doesn't mean it's okay. NO SPIDERS ANYWHERE ON THE BODY. EVER.

Okay, now that I've laid down the rules, we can proceed.

Kagome wonders what Inuyasha is thinking, since he wouldn't be in great shape if hit with her arrow. But he needs you to shoot that spider on his back! Do it! No force is too great against a spider on the back!!

Kagura scoffs and says it's about time they finished this nonsense, a new loop of wind swirling around her. She casually states her attack like a badass, sending several pointed wind funnels toward Inuyasha again. He looks over at Kagome and shouts her name expectantly. She's nocked an arrow and is drawing back the bow, having decided she just has to trust the guy. She releases it and Inuyasha runs out of the way of the tornadoes scouring the ground where he had been standing, straight for Kagome's incoming arrow. As he does so, his brain is busy thinking about how Kagura is most definitely allied with Naraku, giving off the same smell and miasma as the guy in any case.

Meanwhile, Kagura is watching the arrow that is purifying her youki with a disdainful disbelief. The arrow just barely sails past Inuyasha's head and shoulder, but he doesn't so much as blink, noting that he's right about it severing Kagura's control of the wind, just as he thought. Kagura realizes that he was trying to get rid of her wind, calling him a fool because the air will just flow back anyway. What she DOESN'T understand is that this was his aim the whole time. Even now, he's sensing the place where the cut-off youki collides with the stuff that's coming in, making Tessaiga's ultimate move possible. He announces he can do the Kaze no Kizu now as he swings the sword laterally through the air.

Kagura gapes as the blow collides with her chest, cutting into her clothes and blowing her hair out of its neat-ish updo. Kagome and Shippou watch open-mouthed from the crater, the latter daring to ask if Kagura's been had. Kid, do you remember what happened LAST TIME that left your jinxed little maw??

Inside the castle, down that empty, creepy hallway, Naraku's new puppet has been reduced to a pile of dirt, a primate pelt, and a small wooden doll. We missed that useless fight, something I'm eternally grateful for. Miroku tells Sango that they should return to the others, since they've been held up in there long enough, and Sango agrees. They burst from the castle calling to Kagome, asking if Inuyasha is okay, even as the dust is settling on Inuyasha's last move. His sword is still raised in the aftermath, and Kagura's chest and shoulders are bare through her shredded clothing.

Hey, I've seen enemies fairly DISINTEGRATED by that move, you came out the other side of that one EASY, girl.

This is something that the gaping Kagome and Shippou notice too, Shippou stuttering out that she's still standing. Inuyasha groans, thinking that his inability to use his broken dominant arm was what halved the power of his attack. Kagura is also groaning, turning to run with the shameful thought that she lost to someone else's wind despite being a wind-user. Inuyasha and Miroku lunge toward her, Inuyasha demanding she wait, but she quickly pulls a feather from her hair and produces a gust of wind to blast in both of her would-be pursuer's faces.

Except she's too far away for Inuyasha to slap the spider away. The feather has grown big enough for her to sit on the rib in the center, and she's rising up on a self-created gust. Kagura leans over the side to suggest they consider themselves equally injured for today, accusing him of being barely able to stand. Inuyasha doesn't retort or try to follow, he and Miroku staring up at her in alarm until the feather recedes into the sky.

As the castle around them starts to dissolve into the air around them, as if the only thing holding it together was Kagura's presence. Shippou exclaims that the castle is disappearing, to which Kagome replies without surprise that it was a fake one. Why build a set when you can project a hologram? Inuyasha falls to one knee, using the reverted Tessaiga as a crutch to prop the side of him that still wants to stand. Kagome runs to his side out of concern, but rather than discuss his condition, he instead opts to point out the scar on Kagura's back.

Well if that's not proof of some relation, I don't know what is.

Kagome is speechless a moment, examining Inuyasha closely, then recalls that he said earlier the two villains also had the same smell. Miroku makes a confused noise while looking at Inuyasha critically as well, while Sango asks outright what that's supposed to mean. Miroku wonders out loud if Kagura was Naraku transformed, but Kagome doesn't buy it. She says it was as if Naraku was fighting them for the first time, if that was the case. Kagura didn't seem to know much about how they function, that's for sure.

Inuyasha remains silent on the speculations.

One thing is clear: she is a fucking QUEEN.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was a whirl. This wrap-up was at a lightning pace, and I was a little surprised at how fast it took me to cover the thing and how few key panels I could include in the recap. At the same time, it was a smooth one as well. I could barely see any hiccups or weird pacing issues; everything flowed really naturally from the hectic finale to the battle. The only issue I had was a slight one in the moments of Kagome's hesitation to shoot at Inuyasha. I think the amount of time she took was quick enough to communicate her trust in Inuyasha's judgment at this point, but slow enough that it could have affected the pacing badly if it hadn't been cut down as much as possible. It walked a fine line there, and nearly fell over the edge. Not quite, but nearly.

Still, I was impressed with the attention to detail and dedication to the fact that Inuyasha's right arm was injured and he wasn't using it. I think it would have been really easy to mess up and draw him holding Tessaiga in the wrong hand. It probably helped that it was a major point to weaken Inuyasha to the point where he couldn't manage to kill Kagura, though. It was a nice touch, because being able to dispatch someone so obviously connected to Naraku would come off as too easy at this point, and it also helps to build up the mystery that is currently puzzling our heroes.

A mystery I am always delighted to see them work out, because if it isn't the weirdest thing...

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 203 First Round Opponents!!

Hope everyone's ready to compete, because I sure as hell am NOT. I started showing a cold yesterday, and today I am utterly miserable, with a dwindling box of tissues and a glass of orange juice or mug of hot tea at my side at all times. I'm envious of these characters for their ability to face fierce competition under normal circumstances, but in being completely housebound and having a streaming nose, I'm not just green from illness. Damn cartoons and their inability to get sick. Why do I have to suffer a three-week East Coast US cold when these little bastards get to just play cards all the time?

And they get to fly in blimps to boot. What a bunch of bull...

As the blimp drifts away from the stadium across the city, the passengers are all fired up about it, gushing about how amazing this is and how they're really flying in the sky. Have none of them ever been in an airplane before? I know for a fact that a good number of them have been in a HELICOPTER, at least, even if it has been a crowded one on occasion. As they stand at the windows, Jonouchi enthuses for the whole night-view of Domino he's seeing. I guess that makes all the difference. Shizuka says that she can see her house, even while Jonouchi is asking her if she can see the streetlights, to which she responds with an affirmative. I think their excitement is making them talk right past each other.

Jonouchi is momentarily humbled by the fact that this is the first time he's seen such a beautiful view. I say "momentarily" because he shortly starts laughing, hands on hips, announcing that only the really strong duelists can fly in the sky. So much for humility. Of course, Kaiba has to knock him down from his high, mocking his happiness and calling him ignorant while walking past. Jonouchi grinds his teeth at Kaiba, stuttering back the insult indignantly. Kaiba smirks at him, predicting that Jonouchi will be frozen with fear the moment he faces a real battle, but invites him to enjoy the beautiful aura of the view below. You're so generous, Kaiba. Jonouchi keeps grinding his teeth and expresses the deep NEED to defeat Kaiba in the finals.

Or, you know, you could just punch him when this whole business is over. I would.

As Kaiba passes Yuugi, his expression turns serious and he wants to offer some advice. Yuugi gives Kaiba a somewhat meek look, but Yami's specter appears behind him, glaring intently at Kaiba from the corner of his eye. Kaiba starts with what he has observed in the preliminaries of Battle City; Yami/Yuugi never once put his god card in his deck, something Kaiba had the opportunity to see from their double duel to this moment. Yami keeps a steady glare on Kaiba as Kaiba shouts at he and Yuugi that THEIR battle can't end this way. He insists that Yuugi/Yami has to understand they've already entered some sort of "god zone" in the finals, and the three god cards will choose the real strongest duelist among them. He declares the beginning of the "battle legend" right now, while Yami remains stoic in his listening, though he has turned his spectral form to face Kaiba full on instead of from the side. Kaiba promises to defeat him and Marik, earning the "King of Duelists" title for sure.

Did anyone actually read any ADVICE in there? I suppose you could say it was implied that Kaiba was trying to encourage Yami to put Slipher in his deck, but it still seems like a rather opaque statement...

There goes Felicia again.

And just when Moar Cards Guy announces that eight individual rooms in the blimp have been prepared for each duelist, and they can access them with the permit card he gave them on the ground. Well SOMEONE didn't need instructions. Makes me think that Kaiba isn't as in the dark about these finals as he's led everyone to believe. At least not regarding the layout of the blimp and where he can get to the best room anyway.

Moar Cards Guy tells them them that the finals will begin in an hour's time, at which point the opponent pairing will be determined. So, Jonouchi is shown in the next panel inserting his permit card into a reader on a room door, listening to it beep and unlock. Before he gets much of a chance to explore, his room is flooded with his friends expressing amazement at how nice the room is. Jonouchi demands to know why they're all THERE, answered with a "Duh, they didn't prepare rooms for non-dueling cheerleaders, bro". Jonouchi attempts to order them all out, except Shizuka. While Anzu stretches out on the couch, enthusing about room service, Honda kneels beside a mini fridge which he says is full of food and drink, and Ryuji responds to this with a complaint that he's hungry, Shizuka pleads with her brother to let them stay, all of this being so much happier with everyone together.

Jonouchi attempts to explain to Shizuka, with a harried expression, how a duelist needs that "excited feeling" before a battle, but she doesn't seem to understand too well. I'm not sure I do, either, because "excited" doesn't seem to exclude a small party with friends in my mind, but maybe Jonouchi is just not articulating this well. A couple of minutes later, Shizuka is laughing with someone else a ways away, while Jonouchi sits irritated in an armchair with a drink. Honda leans on the fridge nearby, telling him not to mind it all. After all, there's not much time for ANY of them to be alone with Shizuka.

At first, Jonouchi is rightly ruffled about the implication about Honda wanting to have some time with Shizuka by himself, but he lets it go fairly quickly. He asks why, if Honda isn't going to get to do that, he's not going to someone else's room. Yuugi's for example. Honda calls him an idiot for forgetting that Yuugi is busy preparing for his upcoming duel, and insisting that none of them can disturb him. As he's taking a haughty drink of his soda, Jonouchi snaps that HE'S supposed to be preparing too, but Honda reprimands him. Honda adopts a serious expression when he says that this is VERY important to Yuugi, and at first, Jonouchi appears to grudgingly agree with his arms crossed. He launches himself onto Honda's neck, growling that this is important to HIM also. After he's released Honda and resettled into his seat, he scoffs, but gives Honda belated thanks for bringing Shizuka along. Honda calls him an idiot once more, but says he's welcome as he takes another drink. Then he tells Jonouchi he has to win. Jonouchi smiles and nods.

I guess Yuugi drew the same conclusions I did earlier, that Kaiba had meant to advise him to put Slifer in his deck. Also, it's probably just a good idea on an basic level. He's got a leg up on all but two of his opponents with it, so...

Yuugi addresses Yami, repeating what everyone else has been saying for the past couple of chapters: this is a fated battle, and it's about to begin. I would think out of all people, Yami would not need to be reminded of this. Regardless, Yami agrees mildly, his worries lying with whether or not he can really regain his memories if he wins this fight. Yuugi is convinced there biggest issue is the one who controls the god card Ra, as well as a Millennium item, Marik. Both he and Yami picture Rishid, unknowingly.

Then, Yuugi lists Kaiba as their next obstacle, with Obelisk. It's THIS god card that Yami pictures in opposition to his Slifer, Ra kind of hanging in the shadows behind the two of them, when he imagines the three gods facing off against each other. He knows he has to be the victorious one. Yet Yuugi has one more deep worry beyond the obvious holders of god cards; the eighth duelist. No one has seen this person before, so Yuugi doesn't know what to expect. Yami also wonders who it actually is.

Your mom. No, seriously, wouldn't that be a fucking trip? Eighth duelist turns out to be Yuugi's mom? I would lose it. Too bad it was painfully obvious who it actually is from the last chapter's final page. She's not quite so unexpected.

As the blimp floats along its merry way above the Domino city lights, we switch to Marik casting a glare out his bedroom window. as he reclines on his bed.

I've heard that our best qualities are on our backs, but those qualities showing up on the backs of others? Yami never does ANYTHING in the normal way, does he?

Marik is determined to bury Yami in the eternal darkness with shadow games before he EVER gets a hold of these memories, though. This may be the only time when "over my dead body" is a LITERAL requirement.

A couple of panels show Kaiba sitting in an arm chair in his own room, in a rare moment of semi-relaxation. He's removed his giant starched coat, anyway, and is rearranging his cards, mentally giggling. Weirdo. The next two panels show Mai drinking a glass of wine in her room, gazing out the window and wondering where this blimp is heading anyway. Where no one can hear you scream? I don't know. Bakura spends two panels cutting into a steak and nomming it, juices dribbling down his chin while his expression is vacantly pleasant with a slight touch of creep. Rishid is sitting in the dark on a floor, eyes closed. He appears to be meditating?

Moar Cards Guy has appeared on a television screen in Jonouchi's room, and presumably everyone else's too, to instruct every duelist participating in the finals to gather in the central area. Jonouchi proudly displays his Duel Disk as he says it's finally starting, prompting everyone else partying in his room to come with him out the door. He has to pause on his way out when he sees Kaiba walking past, back in jacket and eyes focused forward. Jonouchi mumbles with irritation that he HAS to beat Kaiba, with Marik giving him a look as he follows Kaiba's path.

He changes that expression really fast when coming up to Jonouchi, though, asking him to go easy if they're facing one another in the first round. Jonouchi makes a confused noise at first, before telling "Namu" that he's not the type to go easy on someone, even if that person is his friend. Instead of dropping a cryptic statement about understanding that first hand already, "Namu" plays the perfect dunce, promising to fight with all he has. Jonouchi happily gives an affirmative, but he's a bit more serious when he thinks that he needs to win no matter who the opponent is, even if it's Yuugi.

At least you guys won't be hooked up to the simplest of death machines this time. Should be easier that way.

Yuugi appears to still be in his room, picking up his deck and putting it in his Duel Disk. His eyes are closed while he listens to Yami's proposition to get this thing started. He agrees.

No trace of a murder grin. I will always miss it.

Moar Cards Guy is standing next to what looks to be a statue of a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon bathed in a spotlight in the middle of the common area once everyone has gathered. He announces that the duel pairs of the first round will be randomly chosen, which Jonouchi seems surprised by. Moar Cards Guy goes on to explain that the winners of each first round game will be randomly paired up again, making it so that no one will know who they face before their duels. Apparently, each duelist has been assigned a number, one to eight, I'm guessing by which order they arrived and got their permit cards, if nothing else. There are balls bouncing around in the dome over the Blue Eyes Ultimate statue also numbered one to eight and it is at this point Moar Cards Guy says this is not a STATUE, but a MACHINE.

A BINGO MACHINE.

I'M DYING.

Jonouchi looks a bit put out and maybe a little ill when he sweatdrops and mumbles about how old-fashioned this system is, which seems to be the LEAST of how ridiculous it comes across. Like, whose idea was this?? Moar Cards Guy is not paying any attention to Jonouchi, demanding the start of the random pick. The balls pop and bounce around, and we see each duelist numbered as I had assumed, by their arrival time, with "Namu" labeled as 1, all the way to our "mystery" eighth duelist at the obvious number.

One ball clatters into the mouth of the center head of the Blue Eyes extending up through the dome, and is spit out into a cup at the open mouth of one of the heads lowered outside of it. It is a 7.

Way to set the tone, there, kiddo.

Jonouchi hunches in the foreground, what little we get to see of his face a bit flushed as he expresses disbelief that Bakura is first up. He wonders who Bakura's opponent will be, and is quick to decide he doesn't want to be the one facing Bakura's mystery strategy deck. Meanwhile, Honda and Anzu are calling for Bakura to do his best, as Bakura himself scratches the back of his head in embarrassment, because being first makes him feel nervous.

Moar Cards Guy is ready to call out Bakura's opponent, once the bingo ball gets belched out of Blue Eyes Ultimate. A guy in a control room viewing footage of what's going on in the common area on a series of screens turns to round goateed man to go check on the eighth duelist, who failed to show up for the random drawing. Goatee agrees, arriving outside the eighth duelist's door in the next panel. He's asked to come in and on the other side of the door he apologizes for the disturbance, but informs the guest that they must head to the common area immediately.

The eighth duelist gives Goatee a glare over the veil covering their nose and mouth, before telling him that the dueling order is already known to them. Goatee expresses confusion, so the eighth duelist says they will be fourth, explaining a fact that they know he probably won't believe, having the ability to see the near future. As expected, Goatee just gives them a confused and weirded-out look. No matter, the eighth duelist isn't paying attention anyway. They contemplate the one with the evil consciousness in the first battle, and something about sudden attacks, though I can't make it out. The grammar isn't really clear here.

Back at the common area, Moar Cards Guy is announcing Bakura's opponent.

Geez Yami, you could put on a LITTLE of a friendlier face for regular Bakura. Even though he is irresponsible. At least he's not the out-and-out asshole.

Kaiba examines Bakura, wondering how powerful he is. Jonouchi's expression is a bit less contemplative, sweatdropping a bit as repeats the duel pair. Honda mumbles out loud what both he and Jonouchi seem to be thinking; it looks like the match may already have been determined. No word from Bakura, whose back is turned, but he is still close enough to hear this, jackasses. Keep your opinions to yourself.

Marik, looking high as a kite, is marveling at how just the first match is going to be a battle between Millennium Items. The eighth duelist makes a vague statement of how this first duel will be the first test for one person, despite the fact that we're all too aware of who that person is. Bakura still has his back turned for Yami to glare at as he hides the giggle in his asshole form.

Not that he's hiding it very well, obviously.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's no Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale parallel like Duelist Kingdom was, but the beginning of these finals are giving me a similar eerie feeling. Perhaps it's because there's a kid in charge of the whole outfit, all of the adults on board the blimp beholden to him. Perhaps it's because their exit from the society below (and the police force, ineffective as it is) is more blatant this time around. Perhaps it's because there are a lot of warranted questions about WHERE this blimp is headed, with no answer. Regardless of the reason, in the midst of the awestruck mood of a lot of the characters at their elevation above the city, my skin is crawling thinking about what Marik and asshole!Bakura can get up to at this altitude without being held the slightest bit accountable. Things could devolve into madness just as easily as in Duelist Kingdom, and I'm curious to see what KT is going to do with the possibilities.

I hope it's more creative than the damn BINGO MACHINE. I understand Kaiba wasn't in charge of this part of planning his tournament, in the interest of fairness, but I can't imagine his staff couldn't come up with something a bit more high tech. It's not like they're going for aesthetics over tech in this case, either. The machine isn't exactly the prettiest thing in existence. Wouldn't it be a hoot to think of Kaiba having a very firm word with whomever was in charge of the randomization of the duel opponents? Blue-Eyes-shaped or not, it doesn't exactly speak to the capabilities of Kaiba Corp.

Also, I do NOT envy poor Anzu and Shizuka. Sleep will not be easy for them tonight, what with a distinct lack of proper beds and the ability to groom in the morning. At least Anzu's been through this nonsense before, but Shizuka may still find it a little uncomfortable. I'm sure Mai will put them up, though, so that might help.

Inuyasha Manga: 144 Wind User

So, Inuyasha isn't the only one cutting wind all over the place, huh? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This party hasn't exactly been a classy affair, not that I really expected one to a begin with. I mean, how classy can a zombie crawl event get, with people all bloodied and grabby on the living? But when the dudebros started beating the shit out of one another, it was only a matter of time before it started to get SMELLY too.

Prepare for more fart jokes ahead. I had to.

Kagura starts out the chapter with a slash downward with her closed fan, and a lone crescent of air hacks through the middle of a dead wolf. Kouga stares in shock.

Yikes, is that the actual color of the page? Not the translator goofing off? Either way, that is a PAINFUL shade of yellow, and it was a bad idea.

The incoming whoosh, of course, is an arrow Kagome fired. It zooms just past Kagura's face, singing her hair on the way. Still standing with her bow raised, stutters at Kagura not to move, promising that the next arrow will hit her through two garishly red-colored speech bubbles. Who keeps making these horrible color decisions??

Kouga haltingly considers Kagome, but Kagura is much more dismissive. She questions if the FIRST arrow wasn't supposed to hit her, with a rather unimpressed glare. Kagome gulps in response. Smiling, Kagura flips open her fan once more and encourages Kagome to shoot again, taking good aim this time. Kouga stammers at her to run, but Kagura is already waving her fan and declaring her "Dance of the Wind Blades" attack in deadpan. The crescent blades approaching Kagome are no less threatening for it, though, and she cringes as they get closer.

Before they reach their destination, they're dispersed with a couple of whacks. Kagura, Kouga and Kagome all look at the source of this dispersal with varying degrees and flavors of surprise. The former of a more unhappy kind, and the latter more relieved. Kouga seems to be somewhere in the middle here.

Well, they are made of WIND.

Kagura talks about Inuyasha being alive like she's just engaging in casual conversation, and turns to "Mister Wolf" Kouga to inform him that he has failed to finish Inuyasha off. Inuyasha scoffs at the notion that he would drop dead from the wimpy Kouga's "tap". Well, you can't really blame them for thinking so, when you were showing serious signs of internal hemorrhaging and fatal injury. Don't be mad, bro.

Shippou hops over to Kagome, who deduces that he was the one who retrieved Tessaiga and got it to Inuyasha. He doesn't need to confirm this outright, choosing instead to inform Kagome of an unfortunate thing he noticed - Kouga broke Inuyasha's right arm. Indeed, Inuyasha's bruised right hand hangs limply by his side, but he's still facing Kagura with Tessaiga's blunt side resting on his left shoulder. Kagura asks him if he REALLY thinks he can fight her properly in that condition. He responds with the one thing he's willing to say for sure; he's not going to show her mercy. He says he doesn't like how he was framed for killing all the youkai wolves and having Kouga set on him as a result. Kouga himself glares over at Inuyasha, still leaning injured on the ground without the ability to stand. HE won't be of any help, it seems.

Most of all, Inuyasha cites the scent coming from her body as a primary part of his grudge. She just smiles at him lazily when he leaps at her, shouting that she smells the same as Naraku, his sword raised above his head. Kagome makes a confused noise, and Kouga tries out the villain's name in his head, pissed but having gained the wisdom to question these things.

Kagura maintains amiability, congratulating Inuyasha for his good nose.

Man... she is so fucking cool. I know I shouldn't admire her, what with her being a bad guy and all, but I kind of want her autograph.

When their matched force pushes them apart, Kagura scoffs at Inuyasha like it was no big thing. Resting Tessaiga on his shoulder again, his assessment of the previous blow isn't favorable. Apparently she can knock back the sword with the slightest of wind pressure. Not surprising, honestly. Women generally have to have a lot more control over their "wind" in polite society and parties such as this. We have to go the "silent but deadly" route.

... What?

Wind resulting from the attack blowing his bangs back, Shippou frets that Inuyasha can't even use HALF his normal strength in his condition. I wonder how he came up with this calculation. Scouter? Kagome adds that this all seems to be going according to Kagura's plan too. But, silently, Kagome can't help but wonder what it means that Kagura has the same smell as Naraku. Well, children's flatulence DOES tend to smell similar to their parents', so you may draw your own conclusions from that.

... What?

Kagura raises her fan above her head, scoffing that she's a wind-user, and that she's in control of all the wind around the castle. She said the title! And just when you thought she couldn't get any smoother. She draws a wide circle in front of her with the half-closed fan, calling the resulting start to a swirling whirlwind "Dance of the Dragon-Snakes". Inuyasha only has a moment to gape in shock.

Kagome runs from the crater she and Shippou had been sheltering themselves in, Shippou shouting her name to call her back. She ignores him, grabbing the half-incapacitated Kouga by the elbow to try and drag him out of the line of battle. Inuyasha casts a sharp look over at her for her actions, clearly perturbed by how worried she seems to be over this guy who was instrumental in his current disadvantage. I see another petty argument ahead...

Kagome doesn't notice, pulling Kouga down the slope back into the crater with her and Shippou. Kouga asks her if she's sure about this. After all, he tried to murder Inuyasha not a few minutes ago. She snaps that he shouldn't take her for a fool, because she knows Inuyasha was aware of Kouga's deceived state at the time, and couldn't fight him seriously because of it. She also asserts that Inuyasha isn't the small-minded type who would get mad at her for saving someone who can't move. At the same time, Inuyasha stands fuming and flushed at the statement. He may not be able to reconcile Kagome's confident assessment of his character with his exact OPPOSITE reaction before. Especially when she responds to Shippou's timid question of whether she really means that with such an emphatic positive.

Kagura attracts his attention once more when she says what a waste of time Kagome's actions are, because she sees him as beyond help now. The fake Shikon fragment is still embedded in his arm, and its poison is being spread through his body from that shining point. Kagura says that when the miasma reaches his heart, it'll be all over. Kouga is already sweating, unfocused gazed set on the arm laid out in front of his grounded chin, which has a dark stain spreading from the scar where he placed the shard.

Kagome settles next to him and bids him to wait just a little longer, promising to pluck it out of his arm right now. When her fingers get too close, though, they burn, and the tips sizzle. She yanks her hand back and cradles it against her chest, thinking that the miasma is too strong and it's no good.

Call me crazy, but I think only ONE of you is having any kind of fun here. Reminds me of the times my cousin would sit on me and fart when we were kids.

That's not just a fart joke, by the way, it genuinely does.

Kagome and Shippou watch Inuyasha dodge and weave in disbelief, Shippou wondering out loud if Inuyasha is EVER going to use the Kaze no Kizu. Inuyasha himself views Kagura through a whirlwind and groans. Where the air normally collides with the youki and creates the "scar" between them, allowing Tessaiga to cut through and deliver its premier attack, isn't showing up here. As he examines Kagura and the area around her, he can't find it at all.

She launches another volley of crescent wind blades at him again, threatening to cut him up, but he keeps avoiding them with another groan. At the same time, he considers her claim that all the wind in the castle is under her control. If that's true, Inuyasha reasons that this means they are all encompassed in Kagura's formation of youki.

Gee, Inuyasha, I know the situation seems hopeless, but do you really want to go the Kevorkian route? I don't know if it's QUITE time to put you out of your misery.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The introduction of Kagura's identical smell to Naraku is a really good way of introducing her origins, though we're not going to be fully aware of them for another few chapters. It's a great way to drop the hint, because it's using Inuyasha's dog-like qualities in a detective-like way. As I said above, children have a similar smell to their biological parents, so it's only a small step from there to conclude what is going on, even if the question of "how" is still a bit on the shady side. I don't think I was alone in realizing at this moment that Naraku had reproduced, but the fact that this still had me scratching my head when I first reading, having even more questions with my conclusions, was something of an ingenious move.

And I am delighted at how Inuyasha's clever side has returned. How battle-savvy he is and cool, analytical, he is in a fight is not only reflective of his lineage (Sesshoumaru being a closer model to how their father operated in this state, though), but also of his personal experience. He would simply be dead by now if he didn't have a good head on his shoulders and a fair amount of cunning at his disposal, given how little he's tolerated by either humans or youkai. His hypothesis here is a reasonable one, and it makes sense with how the wind would ACT as Kagura's youki, not actually being the proper air it would collide with.

However, it still seemed a little too easy for him to reach this explanation on reason alone. Inuyasha is, after all, not so much ABOVE the gritty emotions of fighting as his brother. Inuyasha isn't Sesshoumaru, and this seemed like a more SESSHOUMARU type of deduction. Here's where Kagome's arrow in the beginning of the chapter might have been a good setup; it might have helped Inuyasha to visualize why Kaze no Kizu wasn't materializing after the fact. If he had sensed it before, but then it stubbornly refused to show up later, it might have been a catalyst for the realization that he was INSIDE Kagura's youki the whole time.

But since he was passed out at the time...