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...