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| Episode 16: The Outlaw Monk, Miroku, with the Air Void in His Right Hand (Migi Te ni Kazaana Furyou Houshi Miroku) : As the episode starts out, Kagome, Shippou, and Inuyasha reflect individually upon the events that occurred in episode fifteen. We then see Miroku, who is randomly traveling around, and he�s trying to decide which path at a fork in the road he should take. Though he uses luck to decide, he overhears from a couple villagers walking by that the teahouse down the other path has new girls, with "white skin and round eyes." So the lecherous Miroku changes his own luck and goes down the teahouse path. He�s "rewarded" with girls that have white skin and round eyes, but round bodies as well. (This is just a good example of his licentiousness). He then overhears the same villager stopped at the teahouse, gossiping about a wealthy nobleman�s daughter needing help due to an evil spirit possessing her body. All Miroku seems to hear is "wealthy" and "nobleman�s daughter," so he of course goes to the nobleman�s house. The daughter, however, is almost as round as the teahouse girls. Miroku, as a monk, still senses the evil spirit, though. He vanquishes the weasel demon (who has a Shikon shard) that has resided in a Buddha statue in the room, and manages to rob the rest of the room before disappearing, but not before leaving a positive impression on the na�ve daughter. |
| He takes a bath later, after selling what he stole, when he hears Kagome splashing around from another part of the pond (and gets a good glimpse of her nudity O_o). He gets out of there pretty fast, and confirms that she has companions with her. He gets his raccoon friend, Tanuki [literally means racoon], to help him attack the Yasha gang the next morning, and get the Shikon shards from Kagome. The Yasha gang follows Miroku�s scent into a village, where Inuyasha immediately starts a fight. Miroku tries to avoid fighting, but Inuyasha is persistent. Miroku blocks Tessaiga with his monk�s staff, and says that he helps people with his Houriki [Power of Buddha]. Inuyasha manages to get the staff away from Miroku, but Miroku then runs to the outskirts of town, and uses his Kazaana [Air Void] on Inuyasha. His Houriki is a black hole, and Kagome says to herself that a black hole in no normal Houriki (makes me wonder what is normal, then). She lets herself be pulled toward the black hole in order to make Miroku seal it up to keep from sucking her in, saving Inuyasha from such a fate. Landing on Miroku, Kagome is unconscious for a bit, and Inuyasha rushes to her side (kawaii!!!). Kagome tells him that she thinks Miroku must be a somewhat reasonable person, right before he cops a feel of her rear end. She�s quite angry, of course, but Miroku takes a few moments to explain his situation. Here�s his story: Naraku is the reason why Miroku is trying to find all of the Shikon shards. Naraku placed a curse on his grandfather to place the Kazaana in his right hand. His father also had it, and now he�s cursed with it. Unfortunately, the bad part of the curse comes in when the Kazaana sucks Miroku inside of it as well. That�s what happened to his father and grandfather. It�s also why he�s always asking pretty girls to "bear his child"...he needs someone to carry on the family line in case he�s sucked into his own Kazaana before he can kill Naraku and get the curse lifted. During his story, he mentions a miko, and we basically confirm that Naraku is the one who did the evil deeds of 50 years ago. (It�s finally coming together!) Since Miroku and Inuyasha have the same goal (getting the Shikon no Tama and killing Naraku), they join forces. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome get way off topic, though, when Miroku asks Kagome to bear his child (which brings out the green monster in Inuyasha)...ah, it�s so sweet. Episode 17: The Dirty Ink of the Hellish Painter (Jigoku Eshi no Kegareta Sumi) : As this episode starts, we see a seedy-looking man running away from some people. He has a Shikon shard in his ink case that allows his drawings of beasts, demons, and other nasty things to come to life and fight for him. So he uses this power to slaughter the men chasing him. When the Yasha gang views the carnage the next morning, the battle scene is odd...Inuyasha can�t smell any blood. Miroku takes his leave of the Yasha gang, and after he�s out of earshot, Inuyasha lets Kagome and Shippou know that he could smell a lot of ink on the battleground, and wants to follow the scent. Meanwhile, the painter tries to lie to a mansion lord about his involvement in the battle of the night before to good position in the household, but he�s caught at it. The mansion guards are beating him up when the hime [princess] of the mansion tells them not to be so harsh before sweeping away grandly. The painter, of course, gets a huge crush. The guards throw him into the river, and he gets out downstream, ranting off his plans like a lunatic. Just then, Inuyasha catches up to the smell he�s been after and grabs the painter. The painter manages to wriggle away and let loose one of his monsters, an oni [ogre]. Inuyasha takes one slice at it, and kills it instantly with Tessaiga, releasing all of the ink inside, the smell of which is so strong that it knocks Inuyasha out (his sense of smell is too acute to take it). Later that night, Miroku is trying to gain entrance into the same mansion for a night�s sleep when the dreams of the painter make the ink move of its own will...thus, a bunch of mythic monsters attack the mansion. Though the mansion�s guards had turned Miroku away for trying to con them into thinking that there was an evil omen over the house, the attack (withdrawn when the painter wakes up) gets Miroku into the mansion really easily. He�s trying to con the mansion lord some more when Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou come by to collaborate with Miroku on the events of the past hour or so. It�s during their conversation that Kagome reveals that she knows that Miroku has three Shikon shards, which impresses Miroku. However, the mansion guards overhear their conversation and tell the mansion lord, who decides that he wants the painter�s shard, plus Miroku�s shards. That night, the guards attack Miroku, who left a fake pillow (or something) under his blanket...meaning, they didn�t manage to kill him. He easily overtakes them and makes them tell him where the painter lives...the Yasha gang has run over by now to make sure he�s okay. Miroku grabs Kagome�s bike and high tails it to the painter�s house, so Inuyasha has to carry Kagome and Shippou on his back and do a samurai run to catch up to Miroku. Meanwhile, the mansion lord has gathered his small army and is attacking the painter�s house. Though we see Inuyasha and his posse arrive to save the mansion lord (even if he doesn�t deserve it), we don�t see Miroku anywhere. Note: It�s kind of cool that Inuyasha can use Tessaiga and jump around hitting the oni with it when he�s got Kagome and Shippou on his back (hopefully holding on tight), but isn�t that kind of unrealistic? The smell of the ink and blood knocks Inuyasha out again, and as a random oni approaches to attack, Miroku arrives to deal with it. He opens up his Kazaana and sucks in almost all the monsters (woohoo!), except he hasn�t sucked in that much evil energy before, and it feels pretty nasty. Then a big, three-headed dragon thing bursts out of the painter�s house with the painter riding on the middle head. Inuyasha asks Kagome where the shard is, and she points out the bamboo tube on his side. Inuyasha then hops onto the dragon thing, telling Miroku off as he goes. The painter unleashes some more oni, and Inuyasha simply beats them off with his fists. In a really funny scene, Miroku asks Kagome what kind of sorcery it is that Inuyasha can beat them off, and Kagome replies that she thinks he�s just beating the crap out of them. Inuyasha then fights his way to the top of the dragon thing, and uses Tessaiga to slice the bamboo tube in half, rendering the ink monsters back into puddles of ink. The painter, desperate to save his ink, ends up doing something stupid...he invites his ink monsters to drink his own blood. So they oblige and end up killing him. Another funny scene occurs when the Yasha gang (plus Miroku) approach the huge puddle of ink, and Miroku says to himself that the evil coating the Shikon shard will keep anyone from touching it for a while. However, Kagome seems to have no problem picking it up, which shocks Miroku. The next day as they continue their travels, Miroku has decided to tag along (add Miroku to the Yasha gang!). Though Inuyasha walks in front, Kagome and Miroku discuss together how he really is a good person, since he didn�t kill the painter himself. Inuyasha is so cool!!! Episode 18: The Alliance of Naraku and Sesshoumaru (Te o Kunda Naraku to Sesshoumaru) : As the title suggests, something bad is going to happen...Sesshoumaru and Naraku are going to make a deal (nooooo!). We first see a quick recap of the events of 50 years into Inuyasha�s past. Then we see a group of thieves after they�ve just plundered a small village, and they decide to attack Sesshoumaru, who�s out and about, and who looks like a human. However, Sesshoumaru has a pretty new accessory...an ao-oni [blue ogre] arm to replace the one that Inuyasha hacked off. He kills the thieves with one swipe. However, he informs Jaken that the arm is far from suitable, and tells him to find a better one. As if on cue, Naraku in his stupid-looking baboon coat shows up, sayi hates Inuyasha just as Sesshoumaru does (which is probably true), and wants to give Sesshoumaru a human arm with a Shikon shard in it. He explains that the human arm will allow Sesshoumaru to hold Tessaiga (remember, only those with human blood...or a human arm I guess...can hold the sword), and that the Shikon shard will increase his own power. He also gives Sesshoumaru a hive of Saimyoushou [Hell's Insects] that will prevent Miroku from using his Kazaana effectively (Naraku is a smart jerk, isn�t he?). The Yasha gang has obtained lodging (through shady means) for the night and are about to go to bed when they feel the ground shake as if something large were coming their way. Kagome senses a Shikon shard, so of course Inuyasha and Miroku are itching to go get it. The big thing turns out to be another of Sesshoumaru's Rent-A-Demon's, and he is once again sitting on the ogre�s shoulder. Inuyasha is ticked that his brother is there, and Sesshoumaru immediately begins to attack Inuyasha. He�s demanding Tessaiga from Inuyasha, who isn�t going to give it up, of course...Sesshoumaru just asks dumb questions sometimes. They fight for a bit, and it�s obvious from Sesshoumaru�s taunts that Tessaiga has a power that Inuyasha hasn�t "discovered" yet...Kaze no Kizu [Wound of the Wind]. Sesshoumaru gets Tessaiga away from Inuyasha, and picks it up, much to the shock of everyone else. Sesshoumaru is then kind enough to demonstrate Kaze no Kizu, using the ogre to drive out the youkai on the mountain near them. With one swing, he completely decimates about 100 youkai, and most of the mountain. Miroku tries to help fight Sesshoumaru with his Kazaana, but Sesshoumaru throws out the hive of Saimyoushou, and puts Miroku out of commission. Kagome goes to get antidote from her bag, and Inuyasha and Shippou kill of the rest of the evil bees. Inuyasha then hauls Miroku behind the ogre�s head (who�s now dead), but Sesshoumaru follows to throw another Kaze no Kizu at them. They survive it, thank goodness, and Inuyasha comes at Sesshoumaru, parrying Tessaiga with its scabbard. Meanwhile, Miroku is beating up Jaken (yeah!) in order to get some information out of him on the evil bees. He doesn�t get his information, though, and Sesshoumaru is about to deal a heavy blow to Inuyasha when Kagome saves the day (YEAH!!!) by shooting Tessaiga�s blade with one of her purity arrows, thus breaking its transformation. Though it doesn�t show, Sesshoumaru and Miroku are impressed. Kagome has another arrow ready and aimed at Sesshoumaru�s head when the episode ends. Episode 19: Go back, Kagome! To Your True Time (Kaere, Kagome! Omae no Jidai ni) : As we pick up where we left off, Kagome shoots again, but misses since Sesshoumaru is just so fast. She had aimed for the Shikon shard in Sesshoumaru�s new human left arm, so Sesshoumaru decided to come after her. Inuyasha, quite alarmed, moved faster than usual in order to protect Kagome. Telling her that Sesshoumaru was harder than she thought, Inuyasha told her to take care of Miroku. Sesshoumaru is slightly amused over the de-transformation of Tessaiga, and it�s then that Jaken points out for us that Sesshoumaru�s face was scratched by Inuyasha�s attack when Sesshoumaru went for Kagome. Jaken gets a smack upside the head by Miroku, who finally beats out the name of the person who gave the Saimyoushou to Sesshoumaru...Naraku, of course. Miroku then beats the crap out of Jaken, anyway. Kagome shows up to give the antidote to Miroku, and then pops out from behind the rocks that Miroku and Shippou were hiding behind to try to hit Sesshoumaru again since Inuyasha�s fight with his older brother has been dragging on for a while. Meanwhile, Inuyasha tells Sesshoumaru (though why he gives the surprise way is a mystery to me) that he�s going to rip off his left arm, and Sesshoumaru replies that Inuyasha probably couldn�t even touch it. He turns out to be right, and lands a good punch on Inuyasha�s face. While Sesshoumaru�s distracted, Kagome�s arrow breaks the armor on his left shoulder (so close!). To get her out of the way, Sesshoumaru attacks her with one of Tessaiga�s lesser powers, so Inuyasha has to save her. He does a superb job, though Kagome does get knocked out. Sesshoumaru has finally gotten Tessaiga to transform again, and Inuyasha tells Miroku and Shippou to get Kagome out of there. He goes at Sesshoumaru to rip the arm off again, and manages to grab Sesshoumaru just as he is about to use Kaze no Kizu again. Though Sesshoumaru gives Inuyasha a really bad wound while Inuyasha�s there, Inuyasha manages to come away with the sword. Kagome wakes up in Miroku's arms as he flees the battle scene, and she tries to go back to help, but Miroku stops her. Inuyasha, badly hurt, has to take a knee to keep from falling unconscious, and has Tessaiga�s blade outward towards Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru knows that he can�t take a step closer to Inuyasha because he�d feel the full power of the sword...I think this means that Inuyasha�s in a such a desperate state that he�s close to being able to use Kaze no Kizu, which could, of course, kill Sesshoumaru. So Sesshoumaru leaves as if he�s just tired of trying to get the blade (he can�t pick it up anyway since the hand of his human arm�s been ripped off). Kagome runs to help Inuyasha, who falls unconscious. As Sesshoumaru leaves the area, the Saimyoushou follow to retrieve the Shikon shard still embedded in the remainder of the human arm, the skin of which is creeping up over Sesshoumaru�s body (eww!). Sesshoumaru easily rips the old arm off, tossing the Shikon shard to the evil bees. Sesshoumaru follows the bees to their master, and confronts him (or rather, Jaken does the confronting) about the arm-skin-creeping-up-thing...Naraku says it was merely a way to get the shard back. Sesshoumaru then slashes the baboon coat, ripping Naraku�s head off, but Sesshoumaru knows that Naraku is gone (or wasn�t even there). As the Yasha gang rides Tanuki�s squash form back to Kaede�s village to recuperate, Kagome and Shippou decide not to tell Inuyasha about Naraku giving the arm or the Saimyoushou to Sesshoumaru since it might make him want to go looking for Naraku despite his serious wound. When they arrive back to the village, Inuyasha takes Kagome to talk alone, and leads her to the Bone-Gobbling Well. He tells her that it�ll be dangerous from now on, to which she replies that she�s not scared, and that she wants to finish off that evil jerk, Naraku. This comment gets her a big hug from Inuyasha (KAWAII!!!), right before he pockets the shards she was carrying and shoves her into the well. Miroku and Shippou, who�ve been spying on them, ask him why he did it, and he tells them that it�s where she belongs (and looking like he�s in more than physical pain). Kagome, in her time, tries to go back, but can�t because there�s no Shikon shard on her side. Cliffhanger!!! Episode 20: The Wretched Thief: Onigumo�s Secret (Asamashiki Yatou, Onigumo no Nazo) : As the title suggests, we learn a bit more about the origin of Naraku...the evil human who joined with hundreds of youkai to form a hanyou is Onigumo...and how he came to meet Kikyou, Kaede, and even Inuyasha. After the subtitle, we see that Inuyasha has stuffed a tree down his end of the Bone-Gobbling Well to try to keep Kagome from coming back (as if it would help O_o). Shippou�s mad at Inuyasha, of course, since he likes Kagome so much. Inuyasha explains angrily that he can�t fight the way he wants to if Kagome is with him. Miroku and Inuyasha (with Shippou sulking next to the well) try to stay calm and think things through. Miroku asks Inuyasha if he has actually met Naraku, but of course Inuyasha hasn�t...he�s only seen one of Naraku�s false forms (we then get some flashback scenes). Shippou�s now crying on the tree trunk sticking up from the well, and Miroku suggests that perhaps it isn�t Inuyasha who Naraku was targeting, but Kikyou (smart monk!). Meanwhile, Kagome is brooding about what happened while at school the next day (having to wear plain clothes since Inuyasha�s wound bled all over her uniform). Later, Inuyasha is getting treatment from Kaede, who tells Inuyasha and Miroku a theory she has had ever since Kikyou was resurrected. She recounts her memories of Onigumo to the Yasha gang: Onigumo was a mountain thief who was nearly burned to death, and broke both legs. Kikyou, as a priestess, took care of him since he could no longer move from where he lay in his little cave, which he called home. Kaede remembers Onigumo to be a twisted, evil man...who had a dirty lust for Kikyou (we now have the motive for Onigumo inviting youkai to devour him, thus turning him into Naraku). The Yasha gang (minus Shippou, who�s trying to get the tree out of the well) and Kaede go into the cave where Onigumo once lived to check it out. Though Shippou can�t move the tree, he�s determined to fix it somehow (and gets himself mad at Inuyasha, even to the point where he yells Inuyasha�s name). It�s then that a group of wolves come upon Shippou, and the lead wolf (a youkai) menacingly growls Inuyasha�s name. Shippou turns around in a very funny way to see that the wolf youkai is very big. Meanwhile, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kaede enter the cave and see that the spot where Onigumo used to lay is devoid of foliage. Though I�ve told you how Onigumo became Naraku (a hanyou, technically), the rest of the cast is confused as to why a human gives off the strong evil energy of a youkai. They�re left rubbing their chins when they hear Shippou calling for help. Inuyasha saves the day by killing off the wolves chasing Shippou, thus reopening his wound, but at least he has been introduced to Rouyakan, the wolf demon Shippou "met" earlier. Rouyakan, according to Kaede, is supposed to be the gentle protector of the forest. He seems to regurgitate wolves at will, thus making it hard for the Yasha gang to fight them off since it�s a never-ending supply. We then see, though, that the never-ending supply is due to a Shikon shard placed in Rouyakan�s forehead by, who else, Naraku. Miroku manages to drive Rouyakan away by using his Kazaana a few times, saving Inuyasha some pain, but Rouyakan is sure to be back, so the gang heads back to the village. Meanwhile, Kagome is in gym class, wondering why Inuyasha hasn�t come back for her after three days, when Houjou-kun comes by to talk to her about a date on Saturday. She accepts after some prodding from her friends, who think she has fallen in love with some other guy (Kagome immediately thinks of Inuyasha as the "other guy," of course). Still angry with him for pushing her into the well, she later tries to go through again, but nothing happens. Back in feudal Japan, Inuyasha has been sealed into a room with Shippou using warding scrolls so that he can�t leave (to keep him from reopening his wound). Shippou, trying to console Inuyasha, turns his form into Kagome�s and tells him to please go to sleep. Inuyasha thinks it�s her for a second, but then Shippou (who still has his tail poking from underneath Kagome�s skirt) asks Inuyasha if he wants to sleep with him (sleep only...) tonight, getting Inuyasha quite angry. Miroku and Kaede convince Inuyasha to cool it with the Naraku hunt until his wound heals, and later that night, Shippou and Inuyasha exchange a couple words about Kagome (and we hear a little of Inuyasha�s worries about Kagome, though they�re not spoken out loud). Meanwhile, we see that Rouyakan is cowering in fear of the Kazaana, Naraku, and Inuyasha, but Naraku finds him, and "removes" his fear using another shard. Rouyakan, now only full of anger, seeks out Inuyasha once more. Miroku and Kaede, seated outside the small cottage where Inuyasha and Shippou are, have readied themselves to hide the house from any youkai seeking it. They sense Rouyakan approaching, and put up a holy barrier. Naraku sees that they�ve put up the barrier (he can see it since he�s not a youkai...another clue given to viewers) and sends a spear towards Kaede. Though he shouldn�t move, Miroku blocks the spear with his staff, and the barrier is broken. Rouyakan then attacks the cottage, but it only releases Inuyasha from the warding scrolls that Miroku and Kaede put on the door and walls. He has brought out Tessaiga, and though his wound hasn�t healed at all yet, proceeds to attack Rouyakan. He�s not effective since his strength isn�t back, and drops the shard that Kagome once held. Rouyakan�s going for it when Shippou runs by and picks it up. Miroku tries to help, but Naraku releases the Saimyoushou to thwart Miroku�s efforts. Inuyasha doesn�t know what to do, and Shippou runs for his life. Cliffhanger!!! Episode 21 (Part 1 of the Inuyasha Special): The Truth Behind Naraku�s Origin (Naraku no Shinjitsu ni Semaru) : We get a long, great sequence of scenes about Kagome�s feelings for Inuyasha, which are slowly developing into what may be love very soon. Kagome, however, is on a date with Houjou-kun today, probably trying to convince herself that she doesn�t see Inuyasha as the guy for which she has "soft feelings." She stops by the well on her way out, and tells Inuyasha (or rather, the bottom of the well) that she�s going on a date. O_o Meanwhile, we a get a quick run-through of the fighting from the last episode and Shippou�s mad dash away from Rouyakan�s summoned wolves as he holds the shard that Inuyasha dropped. He makes it to the Bone-Gobbling Well, and uses his BunshinShikon shard makes contact with the bottom of the well, and Kagome, on the other side, senses its presence. She runs back, thinking Inuyasha has come back for her. When she doesn�t see anyone, she leaves for her date with Houjou-kun. Meanwhile, the Yasha gang is fighting Rouyakan, the evil bees, and Rouyakan�s summoned wolves (wow). Inuyasha�s doing poorly, though, and Kaede comes to the conclusion that it�s not just his wound slowing him down, but also the fact that Kagome isn�t there (huh?). We change to Kagome�s date with Houjou-kun. She�s distracted by her thoughts of Inuyasha, and Houjou-kun thinks that she�s too sick to be there with him (way off, buddy!). Suddenly, Kagome gets too worried about Inuyasha and his wounds to be helped, and she hastily parts with Houjou-kun to run back to the Bone-Gobbling Well. At the bottom, she can still feel the presence of a Shikon shard (Shippou�s still on the other side), and begins to dig through the dirt at the bottom. Suddenly, she comes through the time portal and finds the shard in her hand. Shippou, having woken up from his awful incident with the tree branch, sees that the summoned wolves have found him. Kagome, however, has come through the well, much to Shippou�s joy and relief. Inuyasha picks up her scent almost instantly, and suddenly does a lot better at fighting. The Yasha gang meet up, and face Naraku! Inuyasha asks Naraku about the grudges he holds against him, and we hear the story about Onigumo becoming Naraku, and about Onigumo�s main motives. Basically, we see how the awful mix-up between Inuyasha and Kikyou occurred. Inuyasha�s now really ticked off, and asks Kagome how many shards Naraku has. She replies that he�s got way more than twenty, and Inuyasha proceeds to attack Naraku. He slashes off the baboon coat that Naraku wears, but Naraku still hides his face. He creates a miasma using his shouki [noxious or corrosive gas], so the rest of the Yasha gang runs for it. Inuyasha, however, has to land into the middle of it, and we get a partial view of Naraku�s face. He thinks Inuyasha has been consumed by the noxious fumes, but Inuyasha whips out Tessaiga, completely surprising Naraku (yeah!). Naraku tries to walk away (an arrogant guy like him wouldn�t run), and Inuyasha jumps at him from behind. Tessaiga slashes the clothing from Naraku�s back to reveal a spider-shaped scar (reminiscent of Onigumo�s burn scars). Naraku uses some mysterious power to get away, which gets Inuyasha even madder. Kagome and Shippou help poor Rouyakan take out the Shikon shards (eh, they at least got a couple shards away from Naraku). As the episode ends, Kagome stares at Inuyasha, concerned about him since he has just learned that Kikyou chose to die. The scene fades with them gazing at each other (aww!). Episode 22 (Part 2 of the Inuyasha Special): Kikyou's Soul (Kikyou no Tamashii) : Miroku has obtained lodging for the Yasha gang for the night by promising a mansion lord to protect the soul of his dead daughter. Supposedly, a youkai has been stealing the souls of the dead (and we�ll see this youkai a lot from now on). We find out that the re-make of Kikyou did not die in her fall from the cliff a few episodes ago...ohhhh, no. From afar, a monk by the name of Seikai has a bad feeling about the new priestess, Kikyou. He thinks she�s a monster, and probably has the right to think so. Kikyou knows he�s there, and tells him to come out. He feigns politeness, but then pretends to drop a sutra [a scroll meant to bring out the true form of demons]. He asks her to p for him, and she does so without anything happening (she�s not a demon, of course...just "undead"). When she hands back the sutra, though, the monk feels an awful shock inwardly (given to him by Kikyou), but outwardly, he looks fine. However, the sutra has been wiped clean (now, that�s pretty cool). We then see how Kikyou survived her fall, and the relationship she has with a little girl named Sayo. Meanwhile, the Yasha gang has not seen any action over at the mansion, so Miroku has gone to see the younger hime [princess], a very gushy touchy-feely kind of girl, who�s all over Miroku. While he�s away, the Soul-Snatching Youkai (or Shinidamachuu) tries to steal the soul of the deceased princess, and Inuyasha easily dispatches it. However, Kagome and Inuyasha see lots more outside, all carrying souls. Sayo, in her house in the village where Kikyou�s living, wonders why Kikyou wasn�t as cheerful as usual that day. Unable to sleep, she wanders out of the house, following Kikyou after seeing her walk by. When Kikyou approaches the riverside, Sayo watches as Kikyou takes in the souls captured by the Shinidamachuu, which scares the poor child. Seikai and his assistant have seen it, too, and Seikai confronts Kikyou. He uses his soul-binding magic to try to let Kikyou�s soul (what�s left of it) pass onto the other world, but Kikyou, suddenly angry (that temper!), breaks free, and the dragon body that came from Seikai�s magic is burst into sharp pieces, one of which stabs Seikai in the neck, killing him. Since Sayo saw everything, Kikyou cannot approach Sayo without scaring her, and Kikyou realizes she must leave the village that she wanted to live in peacefully. (Geez, she really needs to just stay dead...doesn�t she know that?!) The next day, the Yasha gang has stopped by a river to eat lunch when they see the body of Seikai�s assistant floating by. Kagome throws Inuyasha into the river to save the monk, and Miroku determines that the monk is only unconscious (whew...not dead is good). Since Kagome looks like Kikyou, the monk freaks out at first, then tells his story. Now Inuyasha�s very much interested, and about to go through more emotional pain (damn that Kikyou!). They find out that Kikyou�s the one controlling the Shinidamachuu. Inuyasha goes off by himself, and the Yasha gang stays behind to wait for him. There, Kagome says that Inuyasha�s probably still in love with Kikyou (I�d say that a definite yes)...and Kagome looks a bit sad here, too. Miroku sticks his foot in his mouth (not literally), and gets Kagome mad at Inuyasha. Suddenly, they see more Shinidamachuu fly by, and run to follow them. Kagome gets by a barrier, but Miroku and Shippou are blocked. Kagome doesn�t realize she�s alone until she�s out of sight of Miroku and Shippou, but falls down a slippery hill before she can go back to get them. There, she finds Kikyou lounging in a tree with the Shinidamachuu surrounding her (what, is she taking a nap?!). Episode 23: The Voice of Kagome and the Kiss of Kikyou (Kagome no Koe to Kikyo no Kuchizuke) : We get right into this episode with Inuyasha searching for clues of Kikyou. He finds the riverside where she killed the monk and left a ribbon behind. After the subtitle, we get a few flashbacks to previous episodes dealing with Kikyou�s resurrection. We then see Kagome approach Kikyou, who seems to be napping in a tree. Kikyou wakes up, wondering how Kagome got through her barrier (which Kagome didn�t even notice). She seems to freeze Kagome, considering her to be an obstacle, and leaves her leaning against the tree with the Shinidamachuu surrounding the trunk. Inuyasha then comes upon the same barrier, and Kikyou lets him in. Meanwhile, Kikyou explains to Kagome that though she thinks Kikyou would feel better knowing that Inuyasha didn�t kill her, the dead only wish for a new life, and Kikyou knows she can�t have it. So she�s going to make Inuyasha accompany her to hell since she wants to be with him so badly (geez, that�s psycho). Kagome desperately asks why it isn�t enough that Inuyasha thinks of Kikyou every day, but Kikyou says that the hatred that developed between Inuyasha and her is too great an emotion to overcome. Right when Kikyou vaguely gives her answer, Inuyasha arrives. Kikyou tells Inuyasha, confirming his suspicions concerning the disappearing souls, that she must use them to keep her clay and bones body moving. Kikyou expresses her hate, but Inuyasha yells to her how much he thinks of her. Kagome, whom Inuyasha can�t see or hear, admits to herself that knowing his feelings saddens her, and Kikyou looks touched, too. Kikyou reaches to Inuyasha for a kiss, which gets Kagome jealous (though she�s trying to fight it). Inuyasha thinks to himself that he really can�t save Kikyou...she�s already dead, an unchangeable fact. Inuyasha tells Kikyou that it�s okay if she "stops time" for them; he doesn�t care anymore, as long as he can be with her. Kagome�s ready to leave them alone, but then freaks out when Kikyou begins to suck the two of them to hell. Kagome tries to convince Kikyou to let Inuyasha go and get revenge on Naraku since Inuyasha�s unconscious by now, but Kikyou only releases Kagome�s binding spell. Kagome gets angry, and seems to call back the part of her soul that�s still within Kikyou. The act sets loose many of the dead souls inside Kikyou, and Kikyou tries to take Inuyasha with her to hell before they can all leave. Kagome then tries to reach Inuyasha--she yells his name, awakening him. He turns to see Kagome, who�s visible now, and runs to check on her safety, leaving Kikyou in the hole that was forming in the ground. Kikyou desists in her attempt to reach hell so that she can ask Inuyasha if Kagome�s more precious to him than she is. On that note, she leaves via the Shinidamachuu Express. Kagome begins to leave, telling Inuyasha to leave her alone for a bit, and Inuyasha prods for her real reason. Kagome then asks him if spotting shards is the only reason he keeps her around, and Inuyasha sort of can�t bring himself to answer. She then tells him that she saw everything that occurred between he and Kikyou, which Inuyasha tries to clarify, though he knows what it means. Kagome osuwari�s him, then declares that she�s going home. Miroku and Shippou come along, and find Inuyasha face down in the grass. We then see Kikyou go to Kaede to learn about Naraku, which Kaede fills her in on. Before leaving, Kikyou tells Kaede that Inuyasha seems gentler, and Kaede attributes it to Kagome�s presence, and that little by little, she�s healing his heart. The next day, the Yasha gang watches Kagome go back through the well of her own free will, and Miroku and Shippou learn that Kagome witnessed Inuyasha doing to Kikyou "what you normally do with girls." Poor Inuyasha thinks kissing equates with Miroku�s idea of sex...lecherous monk! O_o Miroku and Shippou suggest that Inuyasha apologize to Kagome for whatever it was he did, but Inuyasha hesitates. Kagome then has to return for the bag she left, and overhears Inuyasha telling Miroku and Shippou that he wishes he could choose both of them, which Shippou calls two-timing. Kagome gets mad and yells osuwari from inside the well. Inuyasha�s in trouble now... Episode 24: Enter Sango, the Demon Exterminator! (Youkai Taijiya: Sango Toujou!) : This episode heralds the entrance of the final Yasha gang member, Sango, a youkai exterminator, or taijiya (this doesn�t sound good). Sango lives in a village where many exterminators live in a sort of union. Her father is also an exterminator, and her younger brother, Kohaku (eleven-years-old), is in training to be one. Sango and Kohaku, as brother and sister, have a very strong bond...what�s about to happen would mentally scar any girl in the same situation. As the episode starts, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippou are sitting around a fire discussing the Shikon no Tama. Miroku makes a serious statement when he says that he�s never seen anyone use it for good purposes, concerned about what will happen to Inuyasha�s personality if he uses the whole Shikon no Tama to become a full-blooded demon. Miroku says that Inuyasha very well could kill Shippou and Kagome (he�d have run away by then), and to himself, Inuyasha insists that he�s different, but it�s obvious that Miroku�s words have impacted Inuyasha�s thinking. We then follow Sango around for a while. Her brother, Kohaku, and their father wants him to come along for an "extermination" that night. So their father tells Sango to rest a bit and tells Kohaku to get ready. Sango then cheers on Kohaku because he�s a bit nervous about his first battle (and he has a right to be!). That night, Sango, Kohaku, and their father and comrades, in their battle gear, bow before the mansion lord for whom they�re working. The lord expresses doubt over the abilities of the "girl and the child," but their father insists that they�re the best. As they finish their conversation, the youkai to be exterminated, a spider demon, approaches the mansion. Displaying great speed and teamwork, they make quick work of the big ugly spider that comes their way, and we see Sango use her big boomerang...Hiraikotsu [Flying Bone]. She defeats the spider demon with one throw, and the rest of the exterminators go in to make sure it�s dead. Kohaku is about to help when a string of some sort attaches to his neck, and makes him stop dead. Kohaku, no longer able to control his body, kills his father, comrades, and even lands his weapon in his sister�s back, before he gains control of himself. Sango was trying to kill the mansion lord, who turned out to be the demon controlling Kohaku, but obviously got waylaid by Kohaku's sickle-chain weapon. Crawling to her brother, who was shot with many arrows by the mansion guards and is dying, Sango is also shot full of arrows. She seemed to die, half-lying on top of her brother. (SNIFF!) The lord, lying that they�d gone mad, is suddenly slain by the young master of the house, who had been ill lately. We later find out that this man is Naraku, who's posing as the son. The young master says that the lord was not his father (though this came way too late for Sango and Kohaku). He says that what�s happened to the exterminators is tragic, and to bury them in the garden. The Yasha gang is looking for the taijiya village, "somewhere in the mountains," when they see a humongous flock of demons fly overhead. This flock, sent by Naraku, is about to attack the taijiya village, and kill everyone there (Sango�s not having a good day). The Yasha gang knows that something just isn�t right, and follows the flock of youkai as best as they can. However, Sango�s not going to give up!!! She later crawls out of the grave, much to the young master�s surprise. We see Naraku�s kugutsu [Puppet], a fake form that Naraku sends out instead of himself since he�s such a sleezeball, enter the pillaged taijiya town, and take the few Shikon shards they have. The next morning, the Yasha gang�s finally caught up to the youkai swarm, but it�s way too late. The village is completely decimated. Meanwhile, Sango has been treated for her wounds, but overhears the "young master" (Kagewaki is his name) speaking with the "man in the baboon coat" about the attack on the village. Enraged, she demands her armor and boomerang, and tries to leave for the village with the man in the baboon coat to get some revenge on the youkai who attacked her village...guess who Naraku said it was? Inuyasha, of course. Back at the village, the Yasha gang decide to bury the dead villagers, when Kirara, in her big form, comes out of a nearby house, ready to attack Inuyasha since he�s a hanyou. However, Myouga is with her, and the Yasha gang learns what happened to the village (avoiding a fight, thank goodness). Episode 25: Tearing Through Naraku's Conspiracy! (Naraku no Bouryaku o Uchi Yabure!) : As this episode starts, we get a recap of Sango�s awful night, and her intention to kill Inuyasha even though she�s seriously injured. We then see that Sango is traveling back to her village with the kugutsu, and she desperately hopes that her body will last long enough for her to kill Inuyasha. Meanwhile, the Yasha gang is headed to the cave where the Shikon no Tama was made. Myouga lets everyone know that though the taijiya village used this cave as a dumping ground for youkai corpses, there was originally a large pile of these bodies in the back of the cave. Inuyasha tries to enter the cave, but there�s a powerful shield over it. Sango, who finally falls to out of exhaustion, is given a Shikon shard by the kugutsu, who puts it in her back to make her forget about the pain. The Yasha gang, deciding to try to find the taijiya who left the village before it was attacked so that they can ask them about the story behind the Shikon no Tama, leave the cave entrance and head back to the village. It�s on their way back that Sango finds them. Without warning, her Hiraikotsu comes slicing through the trees, and Inuyasha goes to protect Kagome. O_o After a few more throws of the boomerang, Miroku attempts to help, but those evil Saimyoushou come back to haunt him. Closing up his Kazaana just in time, the Yasha gang is unable to help Inuyasha. Knowing that Naraku is around, Inuyasha jumps at him as soon as he sees him, but Sango pulls him down with a chain. Kagome sees the shard in Sango�s back, and Miroku confronts Naraku. He manages to chop off the kugutsu�s hand, but it only flies over to grab Kagome�s shard. Reattaching itself, the hand and Naraku leave in a whirlwind of black smoke, which gets Sango�s suspicions up. Seeing Kirara alive, she tells Kirara to follow Naraku. Turning to once again attack Inuyasha (who gets her boomerang away from her), Sango throws some noxious gas at him (no, not shouki). Inuyasha claws off her mask, leaving Sango vulnerable, but Inuyasha then graciously saves her. Sango still tries to kill him with her katana. I thought it was kinda funny that though Sango stabs Inuyasha in the arm, he pulls the sword out easily like it was a splinter, as if it hadn�t hurt, and looks at her as if she were a child. Inuyasha, smelling her blood, knows that she�s bleeding heavily. Sango, not realizing how bad the injury was because the shard masked the pain, suddenly passes out (not from pain, but because the injury, though she can�t feel it, has worn her out). Kagome tells Inuyasha about the shard in Sango�s back. Meanwhile, Miroku is trying to keep up with the fleeing kugutsu, and Kirara comes along to give him a ride. Coming up behind, Miroku bashes the baboon with his shakujou [monk�s staff]. However, the kugutsu grows humongous tentacles from underneath the baboon coat, and pulls Kirara and Miroku to the ground. Inuyasha, with Sango, Kagome, and Sango�s huge boomerang on his back (wow!) is still running at a fast pace to catch up to Naraku. Meanwhile, Miroku has already started to suspect that Naraku�s body is a fake. Inuyasha and the rest arrive to bail out Miroku, who�s not doing so well. It�s then that Naraku spills his story, and Sango hears it! At last, Sango is soon to be the last member of the Yasha gang! Sango tries to attack Naraku, but the shard in her back is released, and Naraku grabs it up as Sango falls to the ground in pain. Inuyasha, suddenly ticked off, jumps at Naraku and cuts off his head (or rather, the kugutsu�s head). The body and head are still able to move since it�s only a puppet, and Sango realizes what it is. She helps Inuyasha defeat the puppet, and the Yasha gang is able to retrieve the shards that the kugutsu had stolen. We then get to see that Naraku, pulling the puppet�s strings from a safe place, is the young lord from the last couple of episodes. The real wakatono [young lord], Kagewaki, is most likely dead. And if Naraku�s current appearance is anything to judge by, the real wakatono was hot! Poor guy! Episode 26: The Secret of the Four Souls Is Finally Revealed (Tsui ni Akasareta Shikon no Himitsu) : As the episode title suggests, we get a load of information about the Shikon no Tama in this segment. Inuyasha, who wants to find Naraku yesterday, wants to take Sango around the area to find Naraku's castle, but Miroku tells Inuyasha (who wants revenge badly) that being alone is best for Sango right now. Kagome finds Sango sitting at the gravesites of her fellow villagers. She asks Sango if she'd like to accompany the Yasha gang after she has rested up. Sango invites the Yasha gang to the cave to learn about the Shikon no Tama's origin. Sango tells them that to get past the cave's barrier, they most likely need to feel sorrow for those who have died because of the Shikon no Tama has destroyed a lot, and the person who made it has regret over its creation. The Yasha gang (except Myouga-hehehe) passes the barrier easily, and inside find a huge pile of youkai corpses. Sango then explains that the human corpse on top of the pile, crystallized, is a priestess from hundreds of years ago. Midoriko, with the holy power to take out a youkai's spirit and purify it, was sent out during this dangerous era to defeat the growing number of youkai in the land. Kagome is a bit confused so Sango explains that in this world, everything is made up of four souls-"Shikon" means Arami Tama [Courage], Nikimi Tama [Friendship], Fushigi Tama [Wisdom], and Sakimi Tama [Love]. When they gather together, they become "our" heart/spirit. When those four spirits work properly, "we" are called Naobi [Straight, as in on a straight path]. Those who drift away from Good are called Magatsuhito [?]. Inuyasha assumes that Midoriko lost, but Sango says that she hasn't been defeated yet. Sango then explains some more: after battling for seven days and nights (wow!), the youkai army finally got a hold on Midoriko, but she used the last of her power to extract their souls and sealed them into her own heart, which was ejected out of her body and created the Jewel of Four Souls. So inside the Shikon no Tama, her soul still battles with the unpurified souls of the youkai that she sealed inside. Inuyasha gets uppity and says that he can put Midoriko's soul at rest by using the Shikon no Tama to become a full youkai, and the barrier on the cave decides to kick him out (baka!). Later, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome hear how in Sango's grandfather's generation, the taijiya found the Shikon no Tama in one of the demons they defeated. They gave it to a powerful miko to purify (Kikyou, of course). Sango then hears that Naraku was the one who killed Kikyou (so she now knows why Inuyasha is ticked at Naraku-or at least, she will). Later that night, Kirara wakes up and sniffs the air. We see her pick up Myouga, who has the Shikon no Tama chunk, and go to the cave. Now, what Myouga was planning, I don't know, but the dummy was doing something with the Shikon no Tama, and all of a sudden, a few demon spirits that hadn't been completely sealed away woke due to the Shikon's presence. The activity is quite loud and wakes the others, who run to the cave to see what's going on. Meanwhile, Kirara has transformed into her larger size, and though Myouga wants to run away, Kirara goes for the Shikon shard that Myouga dropped. However, poor Kirara gets caught in the tail of a youkai ghost. When it looks like the end of Myouga and Kirara, Myouga sees a light from Midoriko. Her spirit appears in order to vanquish the youkai ghost, astounding Myouga, but as he looks, Inuyasha appears from her spirit (was it a hallucination or what?). Inuyasha yells at Myouga for being stupid and they leave after Miroku has already come and retrieved the Shikon shard. However, Kirara stays behind and sleeps the night away under the crystallized corpse of Midoriko, and we see what must be a flashback scene of Kirara and Midoriko together. What this may mean for the plot, I'm not sure, but it's a pretty cool coincidence, ne? Episode 27: The Lake of Darkness, Controlled by the Water God (Suijin ga Shihaisuru Yami no Mizuumi) : As this filler episode starts out, the Yasha gang is lamenting on how they can�t find Naraku�s castle. Inuyasha invites Sango to become a member of the Yasha Gang (though he doesn�t word it that way ^_^ ) so that she can have a better chance to get at Naraku, but Miroku convinces Inuyasha that it�d be better to gather Shikon shards first (taking a break to grope at Sango). Just then, Shippou comes along in his pink-thingie form to tell them that there�s a castle nearby. They travel a bit to find a rough village plagued by floods, and the villagers are forced to use children as sacrifices to the Water God, Suijin. This time, as the sacrificial procession goes by, the child is the son of the village leader, Nanushi [literally means Head of Village]. Inuyasha pops up to tell them that Suijin is probably just another youkai. The villagers see his ears and immediately take offense, but Miroku comes in to say that they�re a group of people who make a living by helping others. The villagers are now ecstatic to hear that someone might be able to help, but Nanushi won�t hear it. As the procession leaves, the Yasha gang is approached by a very young boy who wants to hire them. After they figure out that he is Nanushi�s real son, the boy tells the Yasha gang that his name is Taroumaru, and that the substitute child is his best friend, Shuekichi, who is the child of Nanushi�s servant. About six months ago, the water god�s threats began. Houses were marked when hit with a white arrow, and when it hit Nanushi�s house, he told his son to hide. The Yasha gang takes up the job and surfs into the castle. Inuyasha, of course, just goes in with guns blazing and takes out some guards as the rest of the Yasha gang follows. Inside, Suijin has figured out that Shuekichi is not Taroumaru because of the calluses on his hands caused by a servant�s work. He�s about to crush the poor kid�s head with his bare hand when Inuyasha comes storming in to disrupt Suijin�s fun. Inuyasha can smell the youkai�s scent, and slashes at him with Tessaiga, but the fake Suijin whips out a powerful deity triton, Amakoino Hoko. The triton blocks Tessaiga and turns off its transformation. Still claiming to be the real water god, the fake Suijin tells the Yasha gang that he�ll kill them for disrespecting him, and uses the triton to summon a lot of water. The Yasha gang is swept out of the castle, and a rock appears out of nowhere to knock Inuyasha out just as he was about to swim over to help Kagome. Kagome, Taroumaru, and Shippou break free of the water spell, and Kagome takes a moment to shoot an arrow at the fake Suijin. He catches it, but its holy powers de-transform part of his arm. Kagome ushers out the three kids. Meanwhile ( ^_^ ), Miroku is trying to wake up Sango. Thinking that she had drowned, he goes to give her mouth-to-mouth, but Sango wakes up when he is about two inches from her. We hear a very resonant slap (poor Miroku!). They take a look around and see that two pretty fish have rescued Inuyasha from drowning. They introduce themselves spirits similar to the one pretending to be Suijin, and tell Sango and Miroku where the real water god is sealed. They decide to go free the real water god, but Inuyasha, waking up, is determined to go back to the castle to save Kagome (HOW SWEET!!). Kagome and the three kids are hiding inside a small storehouse on the edge of the lake castle, and the fake Suijin uses his tail to crush the hut, revealing Kagome inside. Miroku and Sango discuss Inuyasha�s motives for pestering Sango while on their way to the location of the real water god, and Kagome, about to be skewered by the fake Suijin, is saved by Inuyasha as he knocks away the triton with his sword. Inuyasha barely has time to ask Kagome if everyone�s okay before the fake Suijin grabs his ankle with his tail. Plunging him under the water a few times, he then pulls Inuyasha deep into the water. Miroku and Sango save the water goddess (that�s right, goddess), but Miroku is deeply disappointed that she�s so small (lecherous, lecherous!). Cursing to himself as he does a monk�s pose, we then switch back to Inuyasha�s fight. Inuyasha, close to drowning, is saved when Miroku and Sango show up with the real goddess, who uses an earring to command the water to split. The fake Suijin rises up from the "hole in the water" to dive at the people at the dock. Inuyasha claws at the fake�s snake body, and Sango throws her boomerang, but before they can get any more hits in, the fake uses the triton to call rain clouds, which create tornadoes (water spouts, actually). Inuyasha manages to get the triton away, but as the fake reverts fully to his snake form, he bites down on Inuyasha�s arm, and drags him back into the water. Kagome yells at Inuyasha to give her the triton so that the real goddess can use it to stop the water spouts, but the fake�s tail knocks it off course after Inuyasha throws it. Taroumaru dives to get the triton. He retrieves it, but tossed from the water by the fake�s tail. The tail comes around again to hit Taroumaru, but Sango cuts it in half with her boomerang. She then dives in the water with Kirara to retrieve Inuyasha. Sango, upon Inuyasha�s request, "throws" him at the snake. He whips out Tessaiga and slices the snake in half, vertically--yuck. Miroku opens up his Kazaana to suck in the snake, and Inuyasha pops out of the water with the triton and Taroumaru. Go team! Kagome holds up the triton for the real water goddess, who gains her real height after touching the triton. She stops the water spouts, and all is well. The Yasha gang leaves with "presents" from the Nanushi and Inuyasha is grumbling about not finding a Shikon shard. Episode 28: Miroku, Caught in a Cruel Trap (Kakoku na Wana ni Kakatta Miroku) : As this episode starts out, Sango and Kagome are trying to smoke out a demon from a villager�s hut, and as Miroku looks at Inuyasha (who is near to fainting due to the strong smell of smoke), he sees a pretty young woman in the crowd of villagers around them. He follows her as she walks away from the scene. Having heard a story from the girl about being a princess, Miroku is given a rude awakening as to her real form...a praying mantis. Thinking her story was too good to be true, he defeats the youkai easily, but as he sucks it in, the mantis�s claws rip a scratch into the side of his Kazaana...definitely not good. He returns to a couple of girls who think he�s a dirty priest, and goes to sleep that night worrying about his hand. Leaving early in the morning before the others get up, Miroku rides Tanuki�s squash form to his father�s grave (and the home of the monk who raised him). When they arrive, they find the older monk, Mushin, is asleep (or rather, in a drunken stupor). Miroku rouses him and asks him to fix his Kazaana...and Mushin plays a nasty trick by saying that he�s going to die that night...he takes it back and gets a smack on the head from Miroku. But before Mushin leaves to get some medicine, he warns Miroku not to use his Kazaana until after it heals. Kagome, learning of Miroku�s worries from Myouga, wants to go look for him, but Inuyasha convinces her that they should look for the shards first. Meanwhile, Mushin is commenting on how dark it is outside considering the time of day when he�s attacked by a youkai. However, we see him approach Miroku in the next scene, who is laying down after drinking some medicine. The Yasha gang, now out and about, notice the darkness, too...and Inuyasha is instantly alert. He slashes at a random tree, and one of Naraku�s evil bees flies out. Just as Mushin is about to chop off Miroku�s head with a cleaver, Miroku happens to open his eyes, and dodges out of the way (whew!). The Yasha gang, realizing that Miroku�s probably in trouble if Naraku�s trying to watch them, begin to search for Miroku in earnest. Miroku, injured since he only nearly escaped, and also still heavily drugged, is in no shape to take on Mushin�s possessed attacks. As Mushin tries again, Miroku manages to heave himself out of the hut, crashing on top of Tanuki, who hands him his staff and then uses a spell to get them out of there. Miroku, realizing that Tanuki will be killed if he tries to help him further, forces Tanuki to leave him. Tanuki flies off in his squash form to find Inuyasha, but is chased by bees most of the way. Landing close to where the Yasha gang has been pursuing the crippled bee from earlier, Inuyasha uses his Sangon Tetsusou attack on the closest bees, and they learn where Miroku is from Tanuki. Miroku, at his father�s grave, is using a monk�s barrier to protect himself, but knows he can�t hold it up for long. The Yasha gang, riding Tanuki�s back, arrive at Mushin�s place, and pummel their way through a flock of youkai. Saving Miroku from the onslaught of youkai that have come to kill him once his barrier has failed, Inuyasha and the rest of the gang rush to see if Miroku�s okay...so now Miroku�s getting a nice fuzzy feeling in his heart. ^_^ They don�t have much time to get mushy because then Mushin shows up with what looks like a big black pearl necklace. Miroku tells Inuyasha not to kill Mushin, but Inuyasha charges at the monk. Mushin throws the necklace at Inuyasha, which wraps around Tessaiga�s blade, breaking the transformation. The pearls then wrap themselves around Inuyasha, and as he drops his sword, more demons come up from behind Mushin to attack, but Inuyasha gets an arm free to dispatch them. Mushin increases the strength of the pearls, and Kagome yells to no one in particular that something odd is coming out of Mushin�s mouth. Myouga pops up to give us the answer: Mushin is being controlled by a Jar Master. To defeat the Jar Master, Myouga suggests finding him, and forcing the jar to face the kokochu [ghostly spirit inside Mushin], drawing it back in. Kagome runs to immediately go look for the Jar Master (since she really wants to help Inuyasha ^_^), and Sango drops in to ask what�s going on. But just then, Shippou points out the Jar Master, sitting on top of Mushin�s house. Kagome fires an arrow at him, but misses. Inuyasha, still holding on, knows that he can�t hold on much longer because the pearls are draining his power. Inuyasha tries to end it all by killing Mushin, but the kokochu inside Mushin reminds Inuyasha that Mushin is important to Miroku, so Inuyasha is forced to stop. The pearls take hold, and the youkai overhead are bearing down when Miroku brings out his Kazaana (though he definitely shouldn�t). While Mushin/Kokochu is distracted, Inuyasha breaks the pearl necklace and punches out Mushin. As Miroku finishes his job, we see that the use of the Kazaana has ripped it even more (owie), which means his life expectancy has now decreased. He�s about to fall back into the crater of his father�s grave when Inuyasha grabs his arm to keep him from falling. Then turning to get Tessaiga, he uses Kaze no Kizu to eliminate the youkai still floating around. Sango slices the Jar Master in half with her boomerang, and Shippou (who gets to be useful!) catches the jar. Go Team! They use it to free Mushin from the kokochu. The next morning, Mushin has done everything he could for Miroku, but confides in Inuyasha that the damage done to Miroku�s Kazaana is irreparable. Inside, Miroku wakes to find Sango, Shippou, and Kagome around him, and makes as if something�s wrong with his hand. While distracted, he cops a feel of Sango�s hind end, which earns him a smack on the head. Oh, well... Episode 29: Sango's Anguish and Kohaku's Life (Sango no Kunou to Kohaku no Inochi) : As this episode starts out, Kagome has returned from the Sengoku Jidai to a grandfather who is trying to find more excuses for Kagome since she has to be away from school so much. She runs off to school, but realizes when she gets there that she has forgotten all her textbooks. Thankfully, Souta brings them along and drops them off for her. He also borrowed Eri-chan�s math notes for Kagome when he heard she had a test the next week. Silently thanking her brother, we get a great lead-in to the episode about Sango and her brother. After seeing a recap of Inuyasha finally using Tessaiga�s Kaze no Kizu, one of Naraku�s evil bees comes to tell him of this news, and Naraku decides to send someone who they can�t kill...and it�s pretty obvious who it is once we get a little bit closer to his silhouette. Poor Kohaku, who's mentally scarred and using Naraku�s help to keep the pain of what he has done away from his conscious mind, is now in Naraku's service as a mindless drone. Naraku sends him off to attempt to kill Inuyasha, which will undoubtedly torment his sister, Sango. Inuyasha, trying to figure out how he was able to perform Kaze no Kizu, scares the crap out of Shippou when he swings Tessaiga in his direction. That night, Inuyasha and Miroku talk a little bit about Naraku�s next move, and Shippou plays lookout while Sango and Kagome undress to bathe. Kagome asks Sango about the scar on her back, which brings out the story about Kohaku. Sango then learns that Kagome is a rebirth of a miko, and that the Shikon no Tama was shattered because of her. Thinking that someone is peeping, Sango throws a rock into the bushes, but manages to knock out a monkey. Inuyasha and Miroku come to see if they�re okay after hearing Sango yell, but instead see Kagome entirely naked and a barely-covered Sango. They get the crap beat of them... The next day, Shippou complains about the weight of Kagome�s backpack, which gets Kagome talking about Souta. She feels bad, though, when she realizes that speaking of her little brother might upset Sango, but Sango takes it in stride. Then in the distance, they see an injured man limp towards them, but he falls over dead before he reaches them. They follow his trail of blood back to his village, and find Kohaku, who has obviously massacred and booby-trapped the entire village. Sango is definitely feeling lost at this point, but as Kohaku runs away, she hops onto Kirara�s back and follows him past a barrier. Kagome, having heard Sango whisper her brother�s name when they first see Kohaku, informs the rest of the gang of what she heard, and they come to the barrier after Inuyasha goes back to get them. The gang deducts that Naraku is controlling Kohaku, and Miroku voices that "he�s got a bad feeling about this." Sango finally catches up to her brother, and asks him to take off his mask. Seeing that it really is him, she starts to approach him, but Naraku appears behind Kohaku in his monkey suit. He reveals that the only thing keeping Kohaku alive is the shard in his back (used in a similar fashion as when Sango was fighting the Yasha gang). Naraku tells Sango to bring Tessaiga to him, or else he will let Kohaku die. Sango, enraged, tries to throw Hiraikotsu, but Kohaku covers Naraku, and Sango is confused as to why he would do so. Naraku explains that he made Kohaku forget because Kohaku does not want to live with the guilt of what he had done under the control of the spider demon. Before Sango can continue her attack, Naraku leaves with Kohaku. Sango returns to the village, and tells them it wasn't Kohaku who they saw (she's speaking figuratively). They bury the villagers and find all of the explosives hidden in the houses. The Yasha gang figure out that Naraku was probably holding Kohaku as bait, and Inuyasha forces himself into the role of the one who has to kill Kohaku, which upsets Sango and gets Kagome mad at him. Miroku realizes what Inuyasha is doing, though, by being the bad guy. That night, Sango reminisces about her brother, and decides to take Tessaiga from Inuyasha. Cliffhanger!!! Episode 30: The Stolen Tessaiga, A Confrontation at Naraku's Castle! (Nusumareta Tessaiga, Taiketsu Naraku no Shiro!) : We see Sango have some issues with taking Tessaiga, and Inuyasha wakes up to see Sango awake. They discuss the situation with Kohaku, and Sango affirms that Kohaku would never kill all those villagers. Since it isn't him, she says, she's going to kill him and Naraku. Kagome wakes up to listen to their conversation. Inuyasha says it's not so simple to forget her brother and hate him. Sango says it isn't like that, and that she won't fall for Naraku's dirty tricks. Inuyasha counters with, "If I were you, I couldn't kill him." This prompts Kagome to make the simile between Sango's trouble and Inuyasha's trouble with Kikyou. Well, since everyone else is up, Miroku wakes up to tell Inuyasha that they're "surrounded." Oops... They run outside to see Kohaku, who came with some of his youkai buddies (or rather, a lot of his youkai buddies). Miroku is about to take out his Kazaana, but Shippou tells him that he shouldn't since it isn't fully healed yet. Inuyasha tells him that he'll take care of the youkai, at which time Kohaku simply raises an arm to send the first wave of attack. He does well for a bit, but Kohaku wraps the chain of his weapon around Tessaiga and charges Inuyasha, slashing at him. He's no match for Inuyasha, which Inuyasha is all too happy to point out. He's about to kill him when Kagome yells that he can't. Inuyasha, being the great guy that he is, misses on purpose, and proceeds to just punch the kid. He complains about how he should kill Kohaku since it's another of Naraku's tricks, and Kohaku creepily agrees, saying someone like him, who has killed his father, friends, and fellow villagers, should die. He stabs himself in the back with his own weapon to try to remove the Shikon shard keeping him alive, and Sango runs out with her boomerang. She yells for him to stop, and hits Tessaiga with Hiraikotsu, which detransforms it. This stops Kohaku for some reason, and the rest of the Yasha gang want to know what it is Sango was trying to do (she's planning on stealing Tessaiga). Kohaku gives his sister a look before running off with the rest of his youkai buddies. Tessaiga is still stuck in the ground in front of her, detransformed, and Sango takes it. She hops on Kirara's back and follows Kohaku into a white light that surrounds him and his youkai as they leave (some sort of transportation spell, I'm assuming). Inuyasha tells Miroku that he can still smell Kohaku from the direction in which they left after Kagome runs out with her bow and arrows, ready to pursue Sango. Inuyasha and Miroku do the samurai run (WAIII!!!!) with Kagome and Shippou on their backs towards the direction of Kohaku and Sango's departure, and Miroku comments on that the fact that he can't use his Kazaana and Inuyasha has no Tessaiga. Sango and Kirara arrive at Naraku's castle, having traveled through the white light. She calls for Kohaku, and hears Naraku say to put down her boomerang first. She does so (burying it in his roof, hehehehe), and drops down to the ground. In his monkey suit, Naraku asks if she brought Tessaiga, and Sango says she wants to see Kohaku. Naraku shows him, and Sango demands that he return Kohaku to normal. Naraku says that she's smart enough to know that if Kohaku returns to normal, the guilt he feels over having killed his father, friends, and fellow villagers will overwhelm him. He tries to pass off the deaths wrought onto the "power of the Shikon no Tama," and Sango yells that he's full of BS--he was the one who killed all those people. She attacks him, slicing through his monkey suit, and it falls off, revealing the young master she had met during the incident in which Kohaku "died." Naraku comments that "Kagewaki was a good leader" (he's referring to the wakatono [young lord] from earlier, Hitomi Kagewaki). Sango attacks him again (really pissed), but Naraku beats her off before getting a bite in the shoulder from Kirara, who rears back from the poisonous flesh she has bitten. Naraku obligingly explains to us that his shouki [air of negative energy--released by a demon in this case] is very poisonous. Some of his shouki that was left on Sango's arm attacks her, but she manages to survive it once it finishes. Naraku offers her a position similar to Kohaku's, and Sango throws the offer in his face. Naraku calls out Kohaku, who starts attacking his sister. She's injured several times, and the Yasha gang, having arrived at Naraku's castle, can hear her screams from outside the castle. Her boomerang magically comes down to her from where it was buried in the roof, and Sango reaches up to grab it. We hear Naraku's voice trying to tempt her into killing her brother so that the Shikon shard in his back will "shine with darkness." She realizes she can't kill her brother, and starts walking towards him, but collapses from her injuries before she gets there. Kohaku seems to have snapped out of his hypnotic state, and drops to his knees as the Yasha gang charges into the outer bailey. Inuyasha is very irked, and we hear Naraku's voice wondering why Sango didn't kill her brother. Sango wakes up to see Kohaku still in shock from having attacked his sister (but hey, at least he's not all weird again), and Miroku, the wise one, points out to Inuyasha that this must be the same as what happened between Inuyasha and Kikyou fifty years ago. Kagome gives us a great soliloquoy about the simliarities and how she won't let it happen again. As she finishes (thanks, Naraku, for waiting), his shouki creates a sort of wind wall around their group. Sango gives her mask to Kohaku to protect him from the poisonous shouki, and the shard in his back glows brightly. Kagome sees this and realizes that wherever Naraku's shikon shards are, he is as well. She sees them from afar through the wall of shouki, and points an arrow in his direction. Yelling "Naraku, take this!" (hell yeah!), she releases the arrow, which blows a huge hole in the shouki, the castle, AND Naraku's arm. Naraku is confused, of course. And Kagome shoots another arrow, which is trying to pierce Naraku's chest. He almost calmly comments on how it's just like Kikyou's purifying arrows. The arrow sort of blows up Naraku except for his head, and where he once stood is where a strong wind blows, almost sucking the Yasha gang into it. Sango sees that her brother's body is floating away, glowing red (meaning Naraku is taking Kohaku with him), and screams Kohaku's name. Inuyasha is protecting Kagome (aww), and Miroku is making sure Shippou and Kirara don't get sucked in. Naraku's entire castle dissipates (aww, shucks), and the gang opens their eyes to see the sun shining down. They find Inuyasha's sword, and the mask Sango had put on Kohaku. Kagome apologizes for not killing Naraku, but Miroku and Inuyasha tell her that she did her best yet, and saved them all from Naraku's shouki. They see Sango trying to split off from the group, but they don't let her leave (awwww!). Sango then cries on Kagome (awwwwwww!!), and Kagome comforts her while the Yasha gang looks on. So sweet!! |