A unique challenge for mountaineers, no doubt. Sure, you could go for K2 or Mt. Everest if you're interested in conquering mere ALTITUDE, but people have already done that. What Mt. Hakurei lacks in height, it makes up for in spiritual judgment. Why endure freezing temperatures and treacherous crevasses when you could instead have a vaguely dickish evaluation of your purity of heart press in on you in a mist of pure spiritual elitism? Doesn't that sound like a new kind of RUSH?
Mt. Hakurei tourism board, call me for more promotional ideas.
You know, the big rocky thing sticking up from the ground over there? Surely Inuyasha couldn't miss a mountain, right?
Miroku mentions that he's heard of the holy mountain that cleanses evil being before, and Kikyou confirms that's the one. She says Suikotsu could stay in the area because he had a truly uncorrupted heart. How is this possible when it's irrefutable that he is indeed a member of a group of murderous mercenaries, you might ask? Well, Kagome seems to be coming to the conclusion that doctor!Suikotsu was fine and dandy, but murder!Suikotsu was the one who had to leave when he burst onto the scene. Her epiphany is a bit lackluster, though, due to her pouting.
Inuyasha suggests that all of those Shichinin-tai dudes left in a hurry because of the mountain.
There's a certain amount of purity we EXPECT from our mountains, but dammit, this is EXCESSIVE.
Sango asks Miroku what they should do, and he says they should investigate this anomaly that makes him a tad uneasy. He's the FIRST one the mountain is low-key judging up and down for his shitty behavior. Inuyasha starts to address a silent Kikyou, but trails off when he notices the presence of doctor!Suikotsu's adopted brood loitering behind him. They also address Kikyou, who says that she'll be sticking around for their sake for the time being. She also mentions that she couldn't go to check out the mountain even if she wanted to. Confused by this at first, Inuyasha says her name in question, and Kikyou reminds him that he saw how her Shinidamachuu were rejected by the energy in the area (or rather, disintegrated).
Though she states she can just about manage to stand, she remains seated against the tree for the moment, while Inuyasha just kind of stares at her in tender concern. He wonders if she's being affected this way because she's already dead. Kikyou just stares blankly back at him, her head cocked to the side and her hair rustling int he breeze.
Kagome stands with her back to them, Sango regarding her with pity from her periphery. Kagome sadly thinks that Inuyasha and Kikyou must really want to embrace. Or, they could just be tired from battle and awkward. That's a possibility.
She must really be upset if riding a massive flying cat isn't putting a smile on Kagome's face.
Inuyasha and Miroku (on whose shoulder Shippou is riding) are on the ground, running side by side. Apparently, Inuyasha didn't think to ask Kagome when they were on their way out, and is now wondering out loud to Miroku why Kagome has decided to ride on Kirara's back instead of his. Miroku answers plainly that it's probably because Kagome doesn't want to ride with him, to which Inuyasha responds with a sweatdrop and a defensive question of what he did. Miroku acknowledges that Inuyasha DID nothing, but criticizes the general MOOD between him and Kikyou. Meh, I've seen people issue cold shoulders for more absurd criteria than this. Miroku argues that girls have a sharp intuition, and Kagome is sensing Inuyasha's lingering feelings for Kikyou, hurt by them.
Thankfully, Miroku's next statement isn't COMPLETELY pulled from his ass, and suggests to Inuyasha that he leave Kagome alone for a little while, and not provoke her until she cools down in a little while. But he looks up to find that Inuyasha has run ahead to yell at Kagome. It's too late for him to be shouting at Inuyasha to wait, but he does so anyway, while Shippou comments that Inuyasha isn't listening. Don't know how we would know these things if you weren't telling us, Shippou. Keep up the good work.
Kagome has her face turned in the opposite direction of Inuyasha as he demands she answer him and to know why she's ignoring him, Sango closing her eyes and hanging her head in exasperation.
Funny how quickly Inuyasha didn't want Kagome's attention anymore. That expression is EFFECTIVE.
Later on, everyone's sitting on the grass, Miroku and Sango next to one another with Shippou and Kirara hanging out on either side of them in the background, and Kagome and Inuyasha with a gap between them in the foreground. Were they not going somewhere? Is this a legally mandated 15-minute break? Inuyasha tells Kagome to just say whatever she has to say, but Kagome icily states she has nothing in particular to talk about. He is refusing all of these hints.
Inuyasha tries to get her to admit that she's angry, but she denies it. Sweating, he insists that this is not the time to fight, asking if she understands. She doesn't respond at first, then says his name, and Inuyasha barks a derisive "what" at her, as if he wasn't JUST urging her to speak. Kagome reminds him that she's talked about this before, about what it means for them to be together. He must have forgotten, because he looks at her, dumbfounded, as she acknowledges that there's a bond between him and Kikyou, and she can't ask him to forget about her. She also acknowledges that being together with him was her decision, although by the look on her face, I'd say she's starting to wonder if the emotional irritation is worth it. Inuyasha's expression is much softer as he says her name now, while she looks up at the sky and explains that she was just trying not to mind seeing him and Kikyou together before. Inuyasha looks curious when she utters that all-important "but"... and then Kagome explodes on him, screaming that he's being belligerent, asking why he could just leave her alone, and yelling that she's been enduring this for so long.
Dude didn't catch her drift with the more subtle expression, so she had to bring out the BIG guns.
Inuyasha, missing the point entirely, stutters that this bitch really WAS angry the whole time, so Kagome tells him to sit. Multiple times, calling him an idiot over and over as he's driven farther into the dirt face first and somehow also gets out halting commands for her to stop. At their very short distance away, the rest of the group is awkwardly sitting and listening to this ruckus. As Kirara has an eye out over a shoulder at the drama, Shippou is leaning around Sango's neck, commenting that Inuyasha seems to have gotten smaller. An exasperated Miroku says this is exactly why he told him to leave Kagome alone.
What did we learn from this, children?
After a traditional narrow sky transition panel (TM), Inuyasha's group arrives near the base of the mountain Hakurei, mists skirting its edges. Miroku remarks on its similarity to Kikyou's description, Shippou clinging to his collar to peek up at the column of rock. Kagome watches a flock of birds fly up above the mist, the trees tiered along the mountain's steep side, and thinks this place really is quite serene. There's a thin line between serenity and eerie silence, if you ask me.
Kirara is in massive sabertooth form, but trembling something fierce, prompting Sango to ask what's wrong. She's alarmed when Kirara shrinks into miniature size, mewling, again addressing Kirara in question. Miroku does the same with Shippou, whose eyes have started swirling in disorientation and he appears to be sprawled over the shoulder, unresponsive. Sango approaches him, carrying a limp little Kirara in her arms, trailing in a statement of what this is. Miroku finishes for her, saying that they're being affected by the mountain, since they're full youkai. He mentions that Inuyasha, on the other hand, is hanyou, though.
That doesn't exactly look comfortable, but at least he's not passing out.
Inuyasha recoils a little, asking if this is a barrier. Miroku answers that it's likely, put up to protect the sacred precincts. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds super important. He says that this barrier is strong enough to purify youki and evil beings fairly fast, admitting that even a regular human like him is uncomfortable with this intense level of purity. Kagome and Sango make a noise of surprise, looking at one another and confirming that they're both feeling fine themselves. A judgy Inuyasha glares at him, accusing him of just being impure, but Miroku snaps that this isn't the time to be thinking about his alleged impurity. I don't know, bro, I think you're a bit overdue for a discussion of your behavior.
Miroku says he'd been thinking that it might be possible for Naraku to hide himself using the barrier to hide himself, but he expresses some uncertainty around the idea now. Inuyasha agrees, going even further to say it's impossible. He asserts that a lump of evil like Naraku couldn't so much as put a foot in the barrier without being purified in an instant. His fairly confident thought is that Naraku isn't here.
On the Ginkotsu tank still clawing its way over the landscape, Jakotsu whines at Renkotsu, asking where they're going. They're approaching Kohaku, who stands quietly by a skeletal tree and some tall grass, which Jakotsu notes as he squints at Kohaku from under his palm raised like a visor against his forehead. Ginkotsu responds with a gurgle, and Renkotsu says simply that they've arrived.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Before anyone comes at me for claiming Kagome's feelings are bullshit, let me clarify: I think her feelings over Inuyasha and Kikyou being close and her moodiness due to how she's interpreting the looks they gave each other in those moments are completely valid. Any interaction between a boyfriend and their ex is going to be awkward for a current partner to see, bringing out latent insecurities and worries. I remember shortly after my husband and I started dating, we went to a Halloween party hosted by his ex, and she was VERY handsy with him, which of course raised MY hackles and made me feel threatened.
The thing is, the ex didn't mean anything by it, and she was actually handsy with EVERYONE at the party, because that's just how she was as a person - very touch-oriented. I just didn't notice because I was hyperfocused on my then-boyfriend now-husband and his interaction with her. I've already pointed this out, but it bears repeating that Inuyasha DID NOT rush to Kikyou's side in the previous battle, even when she was knocked out. He stayed by Kagome's side until she urged him to help the children, and MIROKU was the one who got Kikyou out of the way of the rampaging Ginkotsu tank. Kagome didn't notice this, because she's young and insecure and is going to blow minor gestures (that SHE demanded, by the way) out of proportion. This is all understandable, but to paint it as some kind of intuition for the true feelings behind Inuyasha and Kikyou's contact, perceptions of underlying emotions and desires that she has no way of accurately judging, is downright absurd. She has no idea what's going on in Inuyasha or Kikyou's heads, and to claim that she's picking up on it with her girl antenna is taking the responsibility for her jealousy and insecurity and placing it squarely on Inuyasha's shoulders. At best, this is unfair, because he can't control how she feels about him and Kikyou. He really DIDN'T do anything, so he shouldn't be subject to scorn over something that he may or may NOT have been feeling because Kagome perceived it as suspicious or hurtful.
Thankfully, Miroku seems to be the only one handing out the bullshit here, because Kagome herself appears to understand this on some level. Though the cold shoulder was a bit immature, she's just trying to process how upset she got over seeing Inuyasha and Kikyou together again and wanted to be left alone to do that - they're HER feelings, after all, and she meant to put them aside so she can keep being with Inuyasha. The last time she saw him with Kikyou took some processing too, some time alone to evaluate where her priorities lie and whether the love outweighed the pain. I don't blame her for getting angry at Inuyasha toward the end there for interrupting that brooding ish, since she's already in a delicate state and she doesn't need him to be sticking his dirty little fingers in her wounds, so to speak.
All that touchy-feely shit aside, I've been waiting for the establishment of Mt. Hakurei's role in all this, and more specifically its barrier's, since the arc began. This chapter shows readers that its function is totally blind. Kirara and Shippou are human-allied, and the latter is a literal CHILD who is damn near harmless, but it puts his youki out of commission without any distinction between it and a youkai with a truly malevolent intent. No doubt it would totally kill him if he got too far in. It indicates that the definitions of "impurity" and "purity" are a little out of whack here, and there's little if any wiggle-room for the more fuzzy examples of youkai-kind. When the worst examples of humans in the story are just made to feel a little uncomfortable (not talking about Miroku here, since his discomfort can't be considered more than a joke), and the BEST examples of youkai would be purified straight out of existence, I'm going to go out on a limb and say your barrier isn't judging based on fair criteria, spiritual or no.
What criteria it IS judging by remains to be seen.
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