Inuyasha Manga: 177 The Castle's Remains

We wander around the grounds of once sprawling estates for vacations and honeymoons, oohing and ahhing at the distant past's architecture, style. We imagine what it might have been like to live in such a place, constructing grand scenarios in our heads about existing as a privileged royal or even a downtrodden servant, assisted by signs and plaques set about the remaining bricks. There's a false nostalgia about peeking into an historical site, or the narrative that is built around it at least. It's like stepping into a storybook where anything could have happened.

But I doubt many of us considered the wild idea that the remains of such places were the result of a single night of hasty demonic packing. Now that RT has introduced it to me, I won't ever look at an archaeological site the same way again, which is weird for someone with archaeological training.

Before we get to my area of expertise (rooting around in the garbage of peoples long gone), we have to acknowledge the emotional bog we had to wade through in the last few chapters. And in order to do THAT, Shippou has to grouse at Inuyasha about how he hopes Kagome has gotten the proper apologies. Kagome holds her nose in the air, and whether this is a response to Shippou's obvious antagonism toward Inuyasha, or Inuyasha's demand that Shippou shut it, I'm not sure.

Sango leans around Miroku's shoulder, wondering out loud how Inuyasha and Kagome worked things out. Miroku speculates that it was simply that Kagome caved, the implication that Kagome just FORGAVE Inuyasha for his unfaithfulness being rather shocking to Sango. I seem to recall SOMEONE considering the whole situation a lot more nuanced a couple of chapters ago, Sango. What happened?

She doesn't say, just saying with exasperation that Kagome can put up with a lot of unbelievable shit. Miroku says something about Inuyasha brooding a lot, as befitting a young shonen hero, and the two cast furtive glances behind them as Miroku supposes Kagome thought it would be bad to pressure Inuyasha. Sango agrees that he's normally hot-headed enough, which is a fair assessment. It's at this moment that Inuyasha notices the pair staring, and does that weird floating inflated head thing, asking what the hell it is they're looking at. Miroku and Sango resume facing forward, pretending innocence while keeping their gaze in their peripheries, and the former admits to himself that they WERE being a little underhanded.

Enough of this gossipy teenage bullshit. Time for archaeology!

Miroku acting as a sort of Geiger counter for youki gives me life.

No matter what traces Miroku detects, though, Inuyasha can't help but notice how the whole castle is really just gone. As he kicks some loose rocks idly, he seems to doubt that it was here at all, and calls the whole thing rather strange. Miroku agrees, inviting them to think about all those times in the past when they were lured out to a FAKE castle. Who can blame them for questioning if an actual PHYSICAL building stood here, when there's so little evidence left.

Except of course for the gigantic rock retaining wall and foundation. I guess it's the only thing that Naraku could fit in his suitcase.

Kagome realizes that Sango has knelt a ways away, and calls to her in question. Sango turns and informs them that it's no mistake of any kind - the castle really was here. Inuyasha turns to make a curious noise at Sango, and Kagome is already focused on something that Sango is holding in her hands.

... This dig took a turn for the morbid. The good news is that, while gravesite disturbance can be a bit problematic for an archaeological team several generations removed from the deceased in the modern day, Sango doesn't have to worry about all that nasty red tape.

She just has to deal with stumbling across the abandoned grave of an immediate family member and loved one, which is probably a million times worse, but you know. Silver linings and all that.

The memory of the terrible night she and the other exterminators were called out here arises unbidden, as well as the grisly murders committed upon them at the time, carried out by her little glassy-eyed little brother Kohaku while his mind was being manipulated by Naraku. Move over, dudebro at the party who HAS to tell you about that one (thousandth) time he was SO wasted; has Sango got a tale to top that.

As her friends gather behind her, she explains that the bodies from that night were buried in a corner of the castle's garden, and trails off in her assertion that this is why she's so sure this was once the site of Naraku's castle. Kagome lifts a hand to her mouth, saying Sango's name in undisguised pity. It's super rough, that's for sure.

Sango regards Miroku, hugging the piece of her father's armor to her chest while Miroku starts scooping the remains onto his outstretched robe. He promises they'll take them to a more appropriate resting place and give them a proper burial, asking if that's okay with Sango. I mean, dude, you're already doing it, so a bit late to ask. Regardless, it's a powerful gesture, and Sango gives her approval, thanking him.

Miroku can manage to be considerate sometimes. Go figure.

Meanwhile, Kagome's mind wonders to the people IN the former castle, under Naraku's control, like the very brother who was manipulated into killing Sango's exterminator brethren, as well as trying to murder all of them. She wonders if Kohaku was taken along with the castle. The next panels featuring a log tossed up and sliced in half midair by a familiar sickle-and-chain weapon gives the privileged audience an immediate answer.

Well HE seems a lot happier than when we last saw him. He's performing this show for an elderly couple crouching on the ground and clapping, praising him for his skill. Later, when they're sitting in a little old hut having a meal, one of them asks him if he's remembered anything yet, and Kohaku admits he doesn't. That explains his good cheer.

The old man asks if Kohaku has even an inkling where he came from or his own name, and the old lady suggests that perhaps he lived near that castle. You know the one. Kohaku doesn't though, asks about it,  and is informed that the Hitomi castle disappeared about ten days before in a very mysterious sort of way. I wonder, is there a way for a castle to disappear in a single day that isn't mysterious?

I'd ask for examples, but our current topic is mysterious occurrences, such as the coincidence that the old couple found Kohaku lying unconscious in the road the very next day after the castle vanished. The old woman says that perhaps something very "unfortunate" happened (read: traumatic) and that's why this nameless little boy in front of her can't remember anything. Kohaku stares.

And I feel like I lived a past life as an English queen, but feelings are generally not enough in these cases.

Which is why Kohaku almost immediately gets something of a sign in the form of a cloud of tiny shadows flying across the moon. He gives this a quizzical look, as the shadows grow and get closer, revealed as a swarm of buzzing insects. Why the saimyoushou took a good TEN DAYS to mosey over and grab the lost boy, I'm not sure. Maybe Naraku lost a whole lot of other stuff that were higher priority?

Kohaku is disturbed by the insects' approach, and jumps to his feet in a defensive stance. He runs into the old couple's hut, interrupting their rope-crafting to say in a hurry that he's leaving. The old woman begins to ask where he's going TO, but Kohaku swings back around for the door and states that he can't stay. He issues a final warning that it's dangerous to go outside, and a hurried thank you for all that they've done for him. Of all the things he's forgotten, his manners he has NOT. The couple ignore his warning to step out and watch him leave with a bemused noise.

As Kohaku runs at top speed through the forest, he remembers that he ran away from the castle to here on the night the castle disappeared. He recalls a towering, faceless Naraku telling him that there's no longer any use to him being alive, and bidding him to join his father and comrades he killed. He still doesn't quite remember his name, and has to repeat it in his head from the memory, questioning if it's really his.

Nearby, Inuyasha carries Kagome and Shippou on his back and Kirara does the same with Sango and Miroku, the group streaking through the trees. Inuyasha asks if this is the right way, and Kagome confirms that this is the direction in which she feels a Shikon fragment moving. On their way, Miroku and Sango look up to see the saimyoushou and the latter shouts a warning about their presence. Inuyasha suggests that their target is the Shikon shard as well.

Kohaku is up ahead, dodging out of the way of a blow, but failing to stay out of the way of another from a giant spiny insect leg that catches him in the arm.

Ugh, sympathy to anyone who's been cornered by some wannabe monster wanting to do horrible things to you. Been there.

This particular, LITERAL monster is demanding that Kohaku quietly hand over the Shikon shard in his body. You know, the one that keeps him alive so his limbs work and he can hand things over in the first place. Clearly this thing doesn't operate on logic. Kohaku internally questions the term referencing the fragment of jewel currently glowing in his back. Someone needs to explain to the bug-man-thing that the kid can't see what's behind him, apparently.

Rescue is at hand! And possibly a WEIRD discussion.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was semi-solid, nicely sliding out of the drama of the last arc into the drama of this one. I like that there wasn't a lot more time devoted to wrapping up Kagome and Inuyasha's reconciliation in the last chapter. It emphasized that their little talk was between them, and none of the other characters are meant to know just what was said, no matter how nosy they get. It's private, and there are some things that even our closest friends are just not going to understand about the communications we have with our significant others.

I'm also enthusiastic about Kohaku's return here, because this is where he starts to get interesting. Amnesia is an overused plot device in general, but here it does make some sense based on what Naraku has said in the past - blocking out Kohaku's memory was necessary to make him FUNCTIONAL. The trauma of being made to kill his father and the other exterminators would definitely not have given him the drive to do much more than commit suicide. I imagine his current amnesia is an extension of whatever will/feeling-obliterating anti-dpressant that Naraku fed him, but without someone directly living in his brain telling him what to do anymore.

My only real criticism of this chapter is that Kagome didn't detect the Shikon shard sooner, or Inuyasha didn't smell Kohaku sooner. They were hanging out at the castle's former site during the day and Kohaku was near enough to be detected the whole time. These powers are becoming spottier and spottier for our characters the more the plot requires them to in order to create more alarm for the main characters, which can be a bit of a problem for consistency.

I would say the same about what I mentioned about the saimyoushou showing up so late too, except I'm PREEEEETTY sure that was by Naraku's design. More on that in the coming chapters.