Relatable. I'm indecisive about damn near everything these days, from what I should do about the giant non-native (though pretty) bushes in my yard, to what I should do for dinner on any given night. I'm not a natural planner, and that's a problem when any kind of issue comes up that I haven't bothered to think about too hard before the moment. I should know by now that these things DON'T just work themselves out, and need someone to push them toward a solution, but I keep failing to learn that lesson, so they just keep sneaking up on me until I can't ignore them anymore. You'd think my more rational mind would have figured out a way to kick the lazy one into shape by now, considering how little of a fight the latter puts up about ANYTHING.
Speaking of planning, this very clunky depiction of multiple personalities probably could have used a bit more of that, huh?
From behind the flames, Sango gapes at Suikotsu, muttering about him. Kagome asks in panic what's happening, and Sango just vagues that Suikotsu seems completely different from before. Miroku suggests that he has two minds in one body (said the title!), and Kagome agrees. She says she's heard of people with multiple personalities, but doesn't offer any helpful information regarding this phenomenon, probably because she doesn't have her copy of the latest DSM on her. Tsk, tsk. She does offer a rather obvious statement that another personality has come out after being concealed from them until now. Her turn to play the Captain, it seems.
Inuyasha admits to Suikotsu that he has NO idea what's going on, but he asks the only question he gives a shit about the answer to: whether or not Suikotsu is a member of the Shichinin-tai. In the interim, Renkotsu calls to Suikotsu, tossing him a pair of fingerless gloves with MASSIVE CLAW-LIKE BLADES attached to the knuckles. He catches the sailing accidents waiting to happen by the wrist, because this scene's tone might have swung in an entirely different direction if he the blades came at him first.
I mean, what the hell else were you going to do with your Saturday night, really?
Inuyasha cracks the knuckles on his ACTUAL claws and scoffs that it's interesting Suikotsu thinks he can defeat him with the fake ones. Suikotsu yells at the brat to watch his mouth before lunging at him, scraping up the ground as Inuyasha leaps sanguinely into the air to avoid the blow. Inuyasha darts down with his own Sankon Tessou extended toward Suikotsu, who also dodges, to the side onto a hand. Inuyasha has hardly stood back up from clawing at the ground when he hears a rumbling a short distance away. He turns to look and is horrified by what he sees.
Girl NO, you gotta quit doing this! Kagome can't even climb down to get you this time!!!
Inuyasha yells out Kikyou's name in panic, while Suikotsu is charging at him again, asking what he's looking away for. Inuyasha leaps upward again, but not fast enough to avoid the weird Wolverine claws, a splatter of blood trailing in the wake of the attack. Miroku runs straight into the wall of flame around them, calling back to Sango that she needs to stay with Kagome, sporting zero visible burns when he busts through and runs to kneel beside the unconscious Kikyou. He manages to lift her just out of the way of the tank as it barrels over where she was laying a moment ago.
Relatively? Man, I don't know, I don't think anyone is safe at the moment.
Suikotsu lunges for Inuyasha again, giggling that he's going to kill him, and Inuyasha complains that this is HIS line. Oh, he read the script, fantastic. Suddenly, doctor!Suikotsu's gaggle of adopted babies yell for all this to stop, running straight for the battle and asking what happened, demanding Suikotsu return to normal. Gracious, did your new dad not teach you guys a SMIDGE of survival instincts since he's been responsible for you?? Inuyasha warns them to stay away, but his bewilderment comes out upon seeing Suikotsu's face as he stands frozen. The kids continue to call his name like an incantation, and... it seems to be doing SOMETHING if not working.
Is he HOLDING BACK a mantrum? That's not like the Shichinin-tai at all.
Renkotsu tells Suikotsu that's enough and to come to the tank. It seems like they're getting ready to hit the road. Without doing much more than mildly scorching their marks. But Renkotsu seems pretty comfy with failing in their objectives yet again. Even when Inuyasha rushes after them, yelling that they're not getting away, he blandly says this is it for today, and Ginkotsu gurgles in agreement, firing a blast from his cannon. Inuyasha leaps away from the shattering ground in front of him, raising an arm to guard against the flying rocks. The settling dust only reveals their collective lumpy shadow receding into the distance at first, much to Inuyasha's irritation, but Jakotsu waves goodbye emphatically to him from Ginkotsu's caboose and suggests they meet again sometime. A farewell that Inuyasha probably appreciates even LESS than the sudden retreat of his enemy, but there is ONE sentiment that I'm sure he would agree with; beside Jakotsu, Suikotsu sweats and grinds his teeth, muttering and cursing about how frustrating that was.
Back on the ground, Inuyasha looks around at the mention of Kikyou's name. Miroku and a couple of Suikotsu's kids surround her, one of the children begging her to wake up.
"How long has she been out? That's so BAD for you." - Sterling Archer. Probably.
Inuyasha kneels down beside Kikyou as well, wondering if the dead souls she's normally full of left her body. I'm sorry, dear readers, that is undoubtedly the WORST way I could have put Kikyou's state of being. But I'm also not sorry. Anyway, the fire seems to have died out with Renkotsu's interest in the fight, because Sango and Kagome are no longer surrounded by flames. Kagome looks on at Kikyou's unconscious form ringed by concerned onlookers, while Sango kind of eyes her out of her periphery.
Hearing a swishing noise, Kagome turns to look in its direction, to find that Kikyou's soul-collecting youkai are attempting to bring her new souls, per their job description. They keep dissolving before they can get to her, though, dissipating into the misty air. Inuyasha and Miroku have also noticed this, the former remarking upon their disappearance, and the latter wondering out loud what's going on. The shinidamachuu swim through the air just out of range, and an initially confused Kagome starts to work out that they can't get close.
After another look at Kikyou lying unresponsive, Kagome suggests Inuyasha take her over to where the soul-collectors are. Inuyasha stares at her speechlessly, while she states stiffly that Kikyou probably won't wake up if he doesn't. Sango says Kagome's name softly, as if in pity, even though SHE'S not the one knocked out without a replenished stream of energy. She's already powered through HER near-death experience, now it's Kikyou's turn to try not to take a dirt nap. Again.
Miroku asks Inuyasha what he'll do, and after Inuyasha responds with a light confusion, Miroku suggests HE could carry Kikyou off to the shinidamachuu. Kagome interrupts to assert that it should be Inuyasha who does it, looking forlorn as all hell. Behind her, Shippou asks Sango from her shoulder if she also thinks it's gotten tense up in here, and she assures him that it's NOT his imagination.
Then... why did you demand Inuyasha be the one to do this? Was that really necessary?
Behind Kagome, Sango mutters to Miroku, asking if Inuyasha is still in love with Kikyou. Miroku just responds with exasperation that he's in awe at how kind Kagome is. Kagome turns to ask, seething, if they have to talk about this at the moment. They all freeze in their tracks, at alarmed attention as they apologize and disown the topic vehemently. Shippou even cowers and calls her scary, but Kagome seems to be confused about why everyone's acting so uptight.
Hey, don't knock THEM when you started being weird first, kid.
Seemingly the moment Inuyasha lays Kikyou at the base of a tree where the soul collectors are hanging out, his group trailing behind, the shinidamachuu dive toward their mistress to deposit a cloud of dead souls on her. She opens her eyes silently, and Inuyasha says her name tentatively, stopping short of asking if she's alright. She looks up and acknowledges him with his name alone as well, Kagome remaining speechless as she watches from around Miroku's shoulder.
Kikyou asks where this is, and Inuyasha tells her it's the edge of the village, and he doesn't need to explain further. She says she had thought the shinidamachuu wouldn't be able to get close to the village, making it seem like a hypothesis that she hadn't had time to test, despite the few days she spent with Suikotsu at his medical hut. Inuyasha dumbly agrees, because how do you respond to that when you don't have your own hypotheses to share? Kikyou asks what happened to the people with the polluted Shikon shards, and Inuyasha has something concrete to contribute to the conversation now, informing her that they all retreated, including Suikotsu. Kikyou replies with disbelief and a sharp look at Kagome, whom she addresses next. Kagome acknowledges Kikyou with a bit of discomfort in her expression, and Kikyou tells her she should have been able to see the Shikon fragment in Suikotsu's neck. Eyes downcast, Kagome repeats her observation that the clear light in Suikotsu's shard had become corrupted, like she's offering the right answer to a quiz question in class.
She's trying to say Kagome's getting a passing grade.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The retreat of the villains wasn't awful overall. One of them is shown to be severely compromised, and it seems that at least Kikyou has an inkling that the environment in particular is what's causing such internal discord in Suikotsu. It does seem like Renkotsu's whole purpose in showing up in the first place was to grab Suikotsu and beat it, probably at least partly because of the disadvantage the area's special effects. It can be inferred from there that they didn't really prepare to have a full-out brawl with the protags at this time, and they were looking to make a quick exit.
And yet, it still seems a TAD too convenient for Inuyasha and company, because the mercenaries seemed to have the upper hand in the fight, even with Suikotsu being wishy-washy as he was at the end. Ginkotsu is an ACTUAL tank right now! I'm not sure I fully buy that the undead contract killers wouldn't want to hold out just a bit longer until it was clear they wouldn't be able to win at the moment. On the other hand, Renkotsu seemed to be the one in charge of this expedition, and he has just let Inuyasha run off without much fuss before.
I also don't HATE Kagome's bout of antisocial moping in this chapter. I remember fifteen years old. I was stupid too. I've expressed my awe at how authentic RT's depictions of various age groups is, and it's at times like these that those depictions really shine, because Kagome's warped perception still manages to make you feel sorry for her. It's clear she's not being malicious or enraged out of nowhere, and her insecurity here is EXTREMELY relatable. Anyone who has ever felt like they just were just sharing someone's affections with another who is a little intimidating can empathize with Kagome's moodiness.
But Kikyou is such an interesting character, and these situations that highlight Kagome's insecurities tend to overshadow what Kikyou could be conveying in the story. Kikyou herself attempts to include Kagome in the conversation, but the point of this is still railroaded by Kagome's mopey attitude. Not much, but enough to make me a little frustrated.
Oh well, drama (especially the romantic kind) is always going to take center-stage in stories. Don't know why I expect any different.
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