Breathed my fair share of that, for sure. Part of my beef with living in the city, and even the suburbs, was the SMELL - there was always some asshole revving his diesel engine, fumigating next door, burning something funky in a plant nearby. Despite how much less convenient it can be living in a woodsy area, I longed for my childhood out in the middle of nowhere most of the time I spent in the hazy B.O. of the city, because I could rarely enjoy my time outdoors without getting a whiff of something sour and nasty.
A far cry of a complaint from the contents of this chapter, but just as malicious in a lot of cases.
Huh, I didn't think Jakotsu really gave his name to them yet. I mean, he did introduce his sword, so I guess Inuyasha probably picked up on THAT bit...
Jakotsu basically gives Inuyasha a verbal shrug, saying he never met who gave him the shard. It's no surprise that Inuyasha finds this a little unbelievable, considering at this juncture one would have to wonder how you could just NOT meet someone who brought you back to life, so Inuyasha begins a threat under the condition that Jakotsu is lying. A rustle grabs Kagome's attention off to the side, she and the guys in the grill-session up front noting a fine smoke traveling down the short cliff-side next to them. As the stuff rolls over the soldier bodies lying around the perimeter, Inuyasha is alarmed to see their skin start to fizz and bubble, MELTING. Miroku exclaims in disbelief that the flesh of the HUMANS are dissolving, and Sango identifies the substance as poisonous smoke. No suggestions on what will neutralize it, though, so a fat lot of good this official identification does them here.
Jakotsu adopts an annoyed attitude now, thinking about that jerk Mukotsu getting in his fucking way. He's not wasting much time on mentally cursing the guy, though. He's about to BOUNCE.
Boy isn't THAT dedicated to slicing up his crush.
Inuyasha yells him to wait up, but the smoke approaches him rapidly, and he's singed as he jumps out of the dense mist. Jakotsu calls over his shoulder to Inuyasha that he'd like to meet again, waving over his head at him. An "r/letsnotmeet" moment for Kagome to write about later for SURE. Inuyasha kneels on the ground next to the concerned Miroku and Kagome, groaning, the legs of his trousers mottled with damage from the smoke.
NARROW SKY TRANSITION PANEL!
In the midst of a hilly forest, Jaken calls out to Sesshoumaru to wait as he leads the two-headed dragon upon which Rin is perched. He already seems to be waiting as much as he can possibly be, though, paused as he considers something he can smell. A smelly smell that smells... smelly.
No son, you back up off my boy Kohaku. He's squishy.
From the dragon's back, Rin asks Jaken what Sesshoumaru is looking for. Jaken says it's Naraku most likely, which indicates that he doesn't KNOW? They could be heading for fucking JAMBA JUICE and he wouldn't have thought to ask, I guess. Jaken looks over his shoulder at Rin and explains that Sesshoumaru got pretty angry when she was kidnapped. Rin is all kinds of flattered that Sesshoumaru was angry over her kidnapping, but Jaken snaps at her not to get conceited. He says that while Sesshoumaru appears calm, he's a proud person, and he's likely furious after that little incident. He gets pissy when his childcare abilities are brought into question, apparently.
Jaken is suddenly aware of how Sesshoumaru has paused, turned around and looking down at him speechlessly. In the next panel, Sesshoumaru is walking away again while Jaken is splayed out on the ground, head filled with lumps. Rin leans over him, asking if he's okay, while Jaken thinks that he must have hit the nail on the head with his analysis. I'd say that's a fair conclusion to draw, considering this guy can't be bothered to communicate through anything other than between-panel punches.
Yet another inexplicably empty building for our heroes to chill inside for the time being, I see. Kagome is tending Sango's cut from earlier with the first aid kit, asking if it hurts, and Sango stutters that she's fine. It looks like Inuyasha has already gotten patched up, an adhesive bandage on his face as he declares that the Jakotsu bastard couldn't have gone far. Miroku asks if Inuyasha is going after him while Kagome leans back to look out the open doorway at him. Inuyasha confirms that he's leaving to chase Jakotsu, because they haven't gotten a single clue yet from him. As he begins to leave, he tells them to stay here, a statement Kagome begins to protest.
Miroku agrees, though, citing Sango's injury, but he does want Inuyasha's opinion on that poisonous smoke before they part. He says it seems like Jakotsu knew something about it, and Inuyasha agrees, mumbling that it might be another Shichinin-tai. Concerned, Sango asks if he means another zombie has come out, holding her newly bandaged arm to her chest. Inuyasha lets the obvious go unsaid, thankfully, starting to go again as he tells Miroku to stay behind and protect the girls, Miroku giving him an affirmative.
We get a transition panel with some rustling trees this time, where the short little masked chap is sitting on the ground fussing with a mortar and pestle, pouring ingredients in there left and right. He chuckles about how convenient it is that his targets have split into two groups. Don't know how he managed to get that information without being close enough for Inuyasha to smell, but it might just be equally convenient for RT that Inuyasha's nose doesn't work as well as it should randomly.
Jakotsu looms up behind the guy, who twists to greet him with a comment about how long it's been. Jakotsu steps right on his head and calls him a bastard. Calls him one AGAIN when he squats and grabs him by the collar and asks if he meant to melt HIM with the poisonous smoke too; but he manages to name him Mukotsu in the process, though. Mukotsu chuckles that it's just his greeting for their reunion, bidding Jakotsu not to be so mad about it.
There's also a guy and a young kiddo there too, in case you want to prepare for resistance from them too, I don't know.
Jakotsu appears confused at first, but is immediately elated when he figures out what this means: Inuyasha set out after him on his own. Mukotsu chuckles again while he grinds away on the mortar and pestle, then explains that three humans and a weak fox child are being left behind, and ONE of those humans is carrying Shikon fragments, namely Kagome. Jakotsu begins to saunter away, promising to leave all of them to Mukotsu. It's now his turn to be a little confused, asking if this means he can have the Shikon shard. Jakotsu wasn't about to walk away after all, it seems; he squats next to Mukotsu to assures him that he can take the fragment, because he gets Inuyasha in return. Mukotsu returns to his mortar and pestle, agreeing because Inuyasha isn't any use to him.
We get a brief look at a couple of village men leading a cow through town, one of them suggesting that they get back where they belong before sunset, the other recalling that there's tell of a frightening zombie wandering about. Wouldn't want to get caught without a thin, flimsy screen separating the insides of their houses from said frightening zombie. Or some sort of weird projectile fired into the sky that they and the rest of the villagers watch explode in the air above them. A strange mist settles over them as they gaze puzzled at the clouds.
Those folks in Chernobyl weren't in a hurry to flee the strange substance falling from the sky, either. It's probably fine.
Later, Kagome is riding her bike with Shippou perched on her shoulder, and he points out a well in front of them. She thanks goodness and suggests they draw a bit of water, smiling all the way. An innocent cinnamon roll headed for the oven.
STRAIGHT for the oven.
Kagome drops to her knees beside the woman lying next to the well and asks if she's okay, coming to the conclusion much like she did with the Oni Head template princess that she's dead. Shippou is anxious for them to get the hell out of there, trembling as he stares off in the opposite direction, where there are several other people and animals collapsed dead where they stood recently.
A sudden whoosh accompanies a new flood of smoke, rapidly making its way to the terrified Kagome and Shippou hugging each other at the well. Carrying Shippou with one arm and using her other hand to cover her nose and mouth, Kagome starts running, thinking it might be the poisonous smoke from before. A squat figure approaches them through the smoke.
These zombies think REAL highly of themselves, don't they? Tacking honorifics onto their names and shit.
Kagome collapses to her hands and knees, shuddering while Shippou shouts her name in alarm. She haltingly tells him to run away, a request he refuses. At first. Mukotsu continues to slowly approach through his manufactured fog, identifying Kagome as the one who has the Shikon shards with a chuckle. Kagome struggles to twist to look at him from where she lays on the ground, Shippou peeking over Kagome's shoulder in horror, as Mukotsu tells her not to worry about dying right away. He says this poison keeps you conscious and immobile until the very end, and that this method of torturing/killing women like her is his hobby.
Good GRACIOUS man, just learn to make sourdough bread like everybody else.
Calling out her signature boomerang's name, Sango slices straight through the bamboo flask of poison in his hand, effectively knocking both pieces straight out of his hand. SHIT, that's some mega-precision. Inuyasha could learn a thing or two from Sango about aim, methinks. As she catches Hiraikotsu again plumes of smoke come with it, but she's got her gas-mask on, Miroku hanging back with transformed Kirara, his sleeve over his nose and mouth.
Kagome is not comforted by their presence; she pleads with her eyes for them to run away, as it seems she can no longer speak. Shippou realizes that this poison doesn't work on youkai, since he can move around just fine, so he turns to flee, begging Kagome to hang in there while he runs to get Inuyasha. Sango yells at Miroku to stay back from the poison in the air, and he mutters about this guy being Jakotsu's ally.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? So far, the village dude who first told Inuyasha and company the story of the Shichinin-tai has been right; these guys just get ALL their jollies torturing and murdering. But Jakotsu and Mukotsu seem to have slightly different M.O.s. Jakotsu has so far only really gotten into fights with folks that are at least armed, and his preferred victim is someone he expects to fight back, engage him a little. Mukotsu on the other hand has only gone for quarry that he doesn't expect to put up much of a fuss, or at the very least incapacitates them before his real "fun" begins. I think, even though we're not meant to identify with either of these villains, the former is clearly meant to be seen as a little more honorable in that respect, while the latter is more underhanded or despicable.
But a turd that stinks slightly less is still a turd, of course.
The entry of Sesshoumaru into the main conflict of the story is SLIGHTLY underbaked. Jaken's explanation that the kidnapping of his ward from under his nose might have left him a little sore in the sense that it denotes a level of incompetence on Sesshoumaru's part is understandable, but him going out of his way to sniff out Kohaku/Naraku over it? I don't know, seems a little on the more desperate side for Sesshoumaru, a guy who has been thus far the one OTHERS prove themselves to, and not the other way around. This is a guy who has just WANDERED OFF from fights with Inuyasha over Tessaiga, something he REALLY wanted. Naraku doesn't have anything Sesshoumaru covets or obsesses over, he's just a guy who pissed him off a little a couple of times. His ego is such that he wouldn't need to recover by showing off how tough he is, hunting down and killing Naraku. Getting into tiffs over losing and having to show the scoundrel what he can really do is Inuyasha's game; Sesshoumaru has before this moment been more the type to just wave it off as a waste of time. That he's meant to be so angry over this slight is frankly a little silly, given how he's been characterized so far.
If he'd just kinda been wandering around the area and picked up the scent, that would be different, but it still wouldn't have given him the level of motivation needed to intervene in the upcoming situation, so I can see RT's dilemma here. At the same time, it's too clunky for me not to mention, especially considering how deeply entangled Sesshoumaru gets in this beef with Naraku. There's so little foundation for his involvement that, in retrospect, it's really funny how big a role he ends up having in the end.
That's a ways down the line yet, though.
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