Imagine being able to entrust a projectile to someone. Couldn't be me. I can't even trust my cat not to make a mess of my holiday decorations. This year, instead of having a tree for the little creature to chew on, and play around in the water if it's a live specimen, we had to put some lights on a tree outside. I still wanted to put out my ornaments, and since they wouldn't survive the elements, I bought a couple of tension rods and hung them on that in the window, in addition to some indoor lights, tinsel, garland, and beads. The result is a little ugly, and strange in isolation from an actual tree, but at least Grimalkin can't chomp on everything, tracking water all over the house afterwards.
Yeah, I think this needs a a bit of an explanation. Otherwise I might be forced to conclude you're being oddly petty, my girl.Kikyou says that Naraku releasing the barrier around the nest means that he must be luring Inuyasha and company into a trap. OR it could be an attempt to get his enemies to attack his liability Abi, but it seems like Kikyou isn't being framed in an "incorrect" light here. Inuyasha repeats the word "trap" as a question, and Kikyou explains that Naraku's aim is still Kagome's eyes. Oh yeah, remember when Shnooky tried to turn Kagome evil through her jealousy or something? Good times.
Inuyasha connects Naraku's coveting of Kagome's eyes with her ability to see Shikon shards with some little effort, and Kikyou suggests that Naraku's plan is likely to lure Inuyasha's group into the boundary between worlds, and then have Kagome locate the Shikon fragment there for him. I always feel a little bad for Inuyasha - his character has devolved into such a simpleton that he has to be told the most obvious conclusion in the world like this.
The shikigami have reappeared right behind Inuyasha, who looks somewhat unsettled by their popping back up, one carrying a bow twice her size and the other carrying a quiver of arrows. The one with the bow goes over to Kikyou to hand it over, and Kikyou uses it as a kind of crutch to push herself to her feet, as Inuyasha asks after her and she declares that she's going now. But her first step turns into a stumble.
Inuyasha kneels next to her, kind of accusatory when he asks her to be honest about if she isn't completely healed yet, then starts to argue that whatever she's up to is impossible in her condition. Sweating, Kikyou assures him that it'll be fine, that her spiritual powers haven't declined any. You were still dependent enough on your body that you needed Kagome to help get that up and running again, though.
In exasperation, Inuyasha asks if she's kidding, and tells her she'll be easy prey for Naraku, who he reminds her is aiming for her life, if she still understands that. In a softer tone, he refers back to that time at Mt. Hakurei.
And it wasn't for lack of desire either.Inuyasha says he doesn't want to go through thinking that their hated enemy had taken Kikyou's life for a second time ever again. Way to make this about you, kid, lol! Kikyou gives him a bitter smile, and interprets this as her being a burden to him, but she doesn't seem to realize that the burden isn't stemming from her weakness of body she's struggling with. It's all the unnecessary DRAMA she's causing.
Inuyasha begs her to stay here, and when she doesn't respond, he says her name with clear concern. At last, she calls for an arrow, and the other little shikigami steps forward to present the quiver of arrows. Kikyou chooses one and holds it out to Inuyasha, bidding him to take it.
Why is EVERY reference to Kagome you make some kind of backhanded bullshit???
The transition panel shows a misty tree-dappled hillside, where Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara sit looking at the sky. Sango asks if the atmosphere doesn't seem a little strange, and Miroku agrees, encouraging her to look closer. Just barely visible through the clouds and mist, there are a couple of youkai snaking through the sky. Sango acknowledges Naraku's youkai, and Miroku says it seems like they're headed somewhere. Probably on the same mission they've been on this whole time, if I had to guess.
Shippou wonders aloud where that Inuyasha has gone at a time like this. Sango mumbles about the shikigami Inuyasha followed, looking to Miroku for confirmation, who says that yes, they were probz Kikyou's. No points for THAT obvious deduction. Miroku sighs that Inuyasha has some BRILLIANT timing while Sango thinks that Kagome is coming off as a little scary, sitting some distance down the hill from where everyone else is, sulking about how Inuyasha must have wanted to be alone with Kikyou.
I mean, to be fair, this doesn't NOT look like an illicit affair.
Just as Kagome if internally complaining that it's like Inuyasha is trying to sneakily HIDE it, and wondering what's with that, a familiar bare foot with a ballooned hakama pant leg appears in the next panel in front of her. Inuyasha greets Kagome cautiously, and the group farther up the hill stare down at them in anticipation.
So much for him trying to hide it, haha.Kagome is struck dumb by the blatant admission, and behind her, Sango is in some disbelief that Inuyasha isn't trying to hide his actions at all. Miroku gives a verbal shrug, stating that the game was up anyway. Only if he knows that you saw him leave with the shikigami, of course, but even so, coming up with some story as to where he was all morning would have come with a greater risk. Best to just make a clean breast of the facts.
Sweatdropping, Kagome hesitantly asks him to go on, and he holds the arrow Kikyou gave to him out to her now, saying it's for her. Kagome gives the arrow a confused look, identifying it as Kikyou's, so Inuyasha elaborates that it has the soil from Onigumo's cave spread on it, and Kikyou said it should be effective against Naraku. Hopefully. It's not entirely clear yet what's effective now that Naraku has come so close to severing Onigumo's feelings for Kikyou, to the point where he came awfully close to killing her again.
But instead of a discussion about whether Kikyou's old strategy is still the best method for hurting Naraku, Kagome is more anxious to learn more about what happened NEXT in this meeting between Inuyasha and Kikyou. Inuyasha is also sweatdropping now, repeating her question back to her, so Miroku steps up to them and elaborates that Kagome wants to know what happened between him and Kikyou, advising Inuyasha not to try to hide it. Inuyasha says he's not hiding a thing, that meeting up with her is all that happened in the most literal sense, and he really just wanted to see for himself that Kikyou was safe.
Kagome wonders if this is really all, her brows knitted in consternation. Now Sango has joined Miroku, whose expression has turned to crestfallen disappointment, with her thoughts that Inuyasha is shameless. After looking up at Sango askance, he fixes his crestfallen gaze back on Kagome and asks if she's angry. She has her head tilted away from him and her eyes closed when she says that she's not really angry, and that she believes him. She can't help but voice that this is a bald-faced lie, though, when she demands that Inuyasha tell them what really happened. Frowning, Inuyasha knows now that not only is she angry, but she just doesn't believe him.
Ugh, I kind of wish that RT would retire this needless drama already...
Oh yeah, Sesshoumaru exists. I forgot.Sesshoumaru is thinking that he can smell faint traces of Naraku's aura mixed among the "birds" at the nest. Literally, that's it. His entire presence in this chapter is just down to one page of him and Jaken noticing that Naraku is probably somewhere in the vicinity. Maybe. Why is this dude still HERE? XD
Kagome can't be TOO cross with Inuyasha, considering she's riding on his back. She's been known to pass on the piggyback ride when she's really pissed.
Inuyasha recalls in this moment what Kikyou told him about Naraku's aim still being Kagome's eyes, so he calls out to Kagome. She leans over to ask what's up, and he warns her that things might get a little dangerous when they get to that border between the two worlds, and as he's about to carry on with a contrary point, Kagome tells him it's a little late for him to be saying this. Kagome points out that they need her to go to search for that Shikon fragment. Or limit the time they spend combing the border for the tiny thing, anyway.
Again, Inuyasha is thinking of what Kikyou said about Naraku setting a trap for them by taking away his barrier concealing the nest, but Inuyasha vows silently that he's not going to let the potential trap go how Naraku wants. He then assures Kagome that he'll be there for her, asserting that he'll definitely protect her.
Oh NOW you believe him! XD
Inuyasha suddenly picks up Naraku's smell, and nearby as well. He places the bastard right at the bird nest that they're headed toward right now. Let's hope he ACTUALLY shows up this time, instead of one of his stupid puppets.
Whether it's really him or a facsimile, he is indeed floating in front of that gaping cave in he side of the mountain, encased in his bubble barrier as usual. Abi faces him with the very spear he gave her, hovering before the giant eye peering out from the gash in the rock and scoffing. Girl has nerve, I'll give her that. Abi mockingly marvels at him coming there, and asks petulantly if he came here to get revenge for his castle being destroyed. Naraku is also smirking, and casually talks about how it seems her flying vampires have sucked up every last drop of blood from the humans at the castle. Abi tells him that this is indeed so, and because of that, her mother is feeling just SO much better. The cave housing the one massive eye starts to crack and split around the edges, as Abi informs Naraku that her mother wants to give him a little greeting.
If someone gave me THAT look in response to an overt threat, I would rethink whatever it was I was going to do.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I understand that I am no longer in the target demographic for this story, and I've aged far out of it, but even when I was reading this the first time well within the range of the target demographic I thought the petty jealousy being emphasized between Kagome and Kikyou was boring and frustrating. I hate to repeat myself, but Kikyou is an amazing character that could be utilized in a much more interesting way, and the fact that she's being reduced to a drama mill for Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship is beneath her. I certainly think there was a time for jealousy to come into play, because it's natural for 15 and 16-year-old girls to be a little prickly when they're into the same boy. But my opinion is still that this should be a small part of a much LARGER narrative about the difficulties of establishing one's identity outside of expectations, growing to understand the different parts of oneself, and coming into one's own even while struggling to step out of someone else's shadow. The shallow way in which these two characters relate to one another has been driving me a little crazy for a long time, because RT just completely bypassing the deeper and more meaningful relationship here in favor of cheap romantic tropes disappoints me afresh every time I read it.
Sorry, rant over, for now, but I can't guarantee I won't return to it again in the future. It's stuff like this that might be the reason I'm not into romance and shipping in fiction.
That being said, I can definitely see Kikyou's reasoning at the beginning here, despite my jokes about it above. It makes the most sense that Naraku would not be exposing Abi to attack by removing the barrier if he wasn't "done" with her, and that has to mean that she has completed the task he entered into his alliance with her for. And later when we learn from Sesshoumaru, and then Inuyasha, that Naraku appears to already be at the nest, the only possible reason would be that he's ready to carry out whatever plan required the gathering the human blood. He could have kept the barrier up, disguising both his scent and the nest's, if he didn't want his enemies to show up, so it must mean that he's specifically SUMMONING company in his quest for the final Shikon shard. And there's also only one real reason he would do that - he expects that the jewel fragment will be difficult to find once he enters that vast expanse of a borderland.
This is quite possibly the CLEAREST line of logic that any of the characters have engaged in during this story, so I'm kind of impressed. BUT, it also boxes Inuyasha and company in, so Kikyou advising him to just not bring Kagome with him is essentially useless. If it's safe to assume that Naraku expects to need Kagome's sight to find the Shikon fragment, then Inuyasha would undoubtedly need it too. And this is the last shard that was lost, so the stakes are pretty high in preventing Naraku from taking it. They can't just NOT GO either, so the only real choice is exactly what Kikyou is advising against.
Which I guess is why she relents and gives Inuyasha an arrow to give to Kagome for her to use "well" or not. But refusing to say what exactly that means brings us right back to the petty rivalry RT is fomenting, because she doesn't HAVE to be cryptic here. But it's like how she didn't make an effort to meet with Inuyasha's whole group in the first place - a conspicuous decision by our author to twist the meeting into something that looks sordid because that's what she assumes her adolescent audience wants to see.
Maybe it was, and I was just weird in hating it. Wouldn't be the first time.