Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Origin Of The Species: New blood
*episode 4*

Inuyasha is sitting alone in a tree outside the shrine. Tattoimaru walks to beneath him. He says, “Excuse me, mr. Inuyasha, can I talk to you.” Acting as uninterested as possible, Inuyasha says, “Go ahead.” The boy asks, “Will you come down?” Heaving a sigh of frustration, the half-demon drops to the ground. He says, “Hasn’t Shippo told you by now that I’m a jerk. You’d be smart if you left me alone.” Tattoimaru says, “He said that, but I had to meet you.” “Why?” Inuyasha asks. “Because,” the boy says, “you’re a half-demon.” Inuyasha raises his hand to the hilt of his sword, reflexively. He asks, “Got a problem with that?” Tattoimaru says, “No, but that means you’re stronger than a human.” After getting a nod of confirmation, he continues, “My father told me that some half-demons were stronger than demons, are you?” Inuyasha says, only boasting a little, “I’ve fought lots’a demons and I’m still alive. Ya, I’m stronger than some demons, maybe all, maybe not.” The boy asks, “So one of your parents was a human and the other was a demon?” Inuyasha says, “That’s what half-demon means. My old man was a demon, but I never met him.” The boy says, “That’s too bad. My father is great; was great. He’s strong and smart and powerful.” Instead of asking then how come he’s dead, Inuyasha jumps back up the tree signifying that the discussion is over.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Origin Of The Species: New blood
*episode 3*

“Big top!” Shippo shouts. He has been showing off his tricks to the human who is thoroughly amazed and amused. Tattoimaru asks, “How can you do such things Shippo?” The foxling responds, “It’s all fox-magic. But this is nothing. You should’ve seen some of the tricks my dad could do.” Having allowed his enthusiasm to draw out memories, Shippo feels a hint of sorrow creeping into his face. He says, “My dad was kill; just like yours. There were these two demons called the thunder brothers; they killed him for a jewel shard.” The boy says, “I’m sorry.” Shippo says, wiping the sadness from his mind, “Don’t worry about it. For a while I was alone. But then I met Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha killed the thunder brothers and avenged my dad’s death.” Tattoimaru says, “He must be really strong.” “Ya, he is,” the fox replies, “and sometimes he can be a real jerk. But don’t worry, Kagome can take care of him. All it takes is one word from her and boom; that’s even cooler then my magic.” The boy asks, “Is miss Kagome a priestess?” Shippo thinks; then he says, “I guess you could call her that. But she’s not like any priestess you’ve ever met.” Tattoimaru gives a small smile. Shippo asks, “So how about your friend, Kyoubou? What’s he like?” The human stops to think, “I don’t know him that well. We’ve only been together for a few weeks; since he was injured. He let me take care of him, but I’m not sure what he’d do if he wasn’t hurt. He might leave me.” Shippo says, “Don’t worry, if he does, you can stay with us; I’m sure Kagome would allow it. Now, watch this! Multiply!”
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Monday, June 27, 2005

Origin Of The Species: New blood
*episode 2*

After Kagome convinces the boy that they won’t do anything to harm the flame-cat, Kirara is big help, they all return to the monk’s home. Sango prepares bedding for the injured demon who has returned to carryable size. The cat, a male, has a massive scar on his right leg; embedded in it is a shard of the sacred jewel. Assuring him that no one has more experience caring for cat demons than Sango, Kagome sits down with the boy. “What’s your name?” she asks. He says, “I’m Tattoimaru and that’s Kyoubou.” Kagome smiles and says, “Well, I’m Kagome, this is Shippo and Inuyasha. My friend who is taking care of Kyoubou is named Sango. Her friend, the cat like yours, is called Kirara. We’re in the home of an old monk named Mushin. Later you’ll meet him, a younger monk, Sango’s little brother, Kohaku, and his friend Kagura.” Tattoimaru says, “I came to see master Mushin.” Shippo asks, “Do you know him?” The boy shakes his head. He says, “I knew that there was a monk here and I wanted to find sanctuary for myself and Kyoubou.” Kagome asks, “What happened to him?” Tattoimaru says, “I don’t know. When I found him, he was dying. I used the jewel shard to keep him alive, but it hasn’t healed the wound.” Inuyasha interrupts, “How’d you have a shard to begin with?” “It’s my mom and dad’s shard.” the boy says. Kagome asks, “Do they live around here?” He looks down, “They’re dead. They were killed in their sleep.” Kagome doesn’t allow the sadness she feels for the boy to show on her face, keeping a positive face on. She says, “I’m sorry. But I’m sure you can stay here for now, and maybe you can come with us later.” Inuyasha says, “Kagome! We can’t have him tailing around with us.” She says, “I know that! I was thinking that he could stay in Kaede’s village. We can’t leave him with Mushin. He’s the one who raised Miroku.” Inuyasha nods, reluctantly. Kagome turns to the young fox, “Shippo, why don’t you show Tattoimaru some magic. Later, you can share the lollypops I brought you.” “Ok,” Shippo says, “Come with me.” He takes the boy over and begins performing foxmagic to amuse the human. Sango comes over to the two and says, “I made him comfortable, but I don’t know what else to do. The jewel shard may be keeping him alive, it’s doing something anyway. What really concerns me is the wound itself.” The others wait for an explanation. “It looks similar to injuries Kirara has gotten from Naraku’s tentacles. If that’s the case, there may also be poisoning. You should look at him in a little while Kagome; you know more about medicine and about the jewel than I do.” Kagome nods.
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Sunday, June 26, 2005

Origin Of The Species: New blood
*episode 1*

Idiot!
Brat!
Bully!
Doink
Kagome!
Inuyasha!
Doink, doink doink
Sit!
Crash
Shippo rubs his head and says, “Serves you right.” Inuyasha looks up and asks, “What was that for!?!” Kagome says, “Shippo, go inside. Inuyasha and I need to talk.” Not entirely pleased that he will miss the rest of the fight, the foxling turns and goes into the house. The group is resting at the home of the drunkard Mushin who, unfortunately, is the only one who can tend to Miroku’s windtunnel. Kohaku is still not up and about, and Sango and Kagura are fussing over him. The old monk has stitched the sides of the windtunnel which was damaged under strange circumstances. All Sango said was that the monk had been attacked by two new incarnations of Naraku and that she had saved him without killing them. However, even Shippo can tell that something else happened and that neither of them is talking about it. Uninjured and bored, the young fox and Inuyasha have been shouting at each other for hours. Kagome walks over to the half-demon and extends her hand. He suspiciously accepts her over and allows her to help him to his feet. She asks, more resigned than angry, “Do you two always have to fight?” He tells her, “It’s his fault! If he hadn’t been…” Kagome cuts him off, “…it doesn’t matter what he was doing. He’s a kid; your not. Try and act like it; ok?” Inuyasha looks glum. Kagome says, “Look Inuyasha, we’ve been traveling with Shippo for a long time now and…” She trails off and looks away. “What’s up?” Inuyasha asks. Kagome says, “I sense a shard of the sacred jewel. It’s coming this way.” Inuyasha says, “Go get Sango and Kirara. Kagura should stay with the others.” Inside a few minutes, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo are all headed off in the direction of the jewel. Kagome points them at a stretch of road leading to the monk’s shrine. The only one apparent on the road is a human child, dressed in the manner of a peasant child and carrying a small sack. The group comes to a halt in front of him and Inuyasha asks, “Kagome, are you sure? How could a kid have a jewel shard?” Hearing the half-demon speak of the sacred jewel, the boy turns, drops his bag, and digs into it. He pulls out what is either a very long curved knife, or a miniature sword. As he turns to face the group, he shouts, “You can’t have it! Stay back!” He is a young child, maybe eight years old, with innocent features twisted with shear terror. Suddenly, something small and black jumps out of the bag. As it is in mid-air, it bursts into a ball of blue flame. Out of the fire, a great cat emerges. It has black-blue fur, orange eyes, and two tails. It lands beside the boy, growling menacingly. As its paws hit the ground, its front right leg buckles and it collapses forward. “Kyoubou!” the boy shouts, dropping his sword. He dashes to its side and begins to rub the leg. He looks up, tears streaming down his face, and says, “You can’t take the jewel shard. It’s all that’s keeping him alive.”
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Saturday, June 25, 2005

A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 8*

Akume is shock for the first moment as the windtunnel is opened, but not shocked enough. A flash of blue light reveals a demonic barrier rising between them. The wind forms a slipstream around the bubble of the shield and the demoness looks amused. Her barrier extends around herself and her lover and it contracts as she moves to stand next to him. Clearly safe, the two watch as the monk tries to force the sutra beads back onto his hand. He can feel his hand tearing, but he cannot summon the strength to reseal the void. As he prepares to meet his father and grandfather, two things happen simultaneously. First, Miroku feels a body pressing against his back, its right arm reaches around him and grabs his right wrist holding it steady while its left hand grabs his left elbow and forces it forward with strength greater than the monk’s own. Second, the Hiraikotsu slams into the back of the barrier diverting its strength. With Sango’s help, Miroku closes the windtunnel and collapses forward. The wind gone, the shield deflects the weapon and sends it flying. Kutsumaru throws his nunchaku toward the pair. With lighting speed, Sango draws her sword and entangles it in the chain. No longer as a buzzsaw, the weapon goes soaring. The demon dashes to retrieve it then turns to see the slayer armed with her own projectile. Weaken from the slayers attack and the constant drain of projecting a barrier between the forest and the village, Akume collapses. Her lover hurries to her side and, sending venomous glances at the humans, heads off into the woods, carrying her. With the threat gone, Sango helps Miroku back to his knees. She asks, “Do you see where your lecherous ways have gotten you? Chasing after that woman nearly got you killed.” The monk says, “Sango, you don’t understand. She was an incarnation of Naraku; both of them actually.” She asks, “And that should excuse what you did?” “No, no,” he says, “You have it all wrong. I knew she was an incarnation all along. I was seducing her in the hope that she would lead me to a jewel shard. I didn’t count on her having backup, but the same goes for her.” A look of contentment and joy floods Sango’s face. “You mean you weren’t going to sleep with her?” she asks. “Well…” the monk says nervously. “It might have been necessary to get her to lead me to the jewe…wait, no Sango!” As the slayer reaches back her right hand for the grandmother of all slaps, Miroku raises his injured right hand defensively. Swallowing her rage, Sango admits that his injuries must be treated before he gets what he has coming to him. Letting out a dejected sigh, Sango says, “Alright, but don’t think I’ll forget this. Let’s go back to the village, Miroku…Miroku?!?” The monk collapses again, and this time he is unconscious. His wounds are serious, and Sango throws him over her shoulder then, not forgetting her weapons, walks back to the others.
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A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 9*

Naraku sits alone in the heart of his cave. A figure approaches him. “My master,” he says, “The Saimyoushou tell me that Akume and Kutsumaru will be arriving shortly. They have failed.” Naraku says, “They seem to have taken quite a liking to you. Before now, my incects have never obeyed anyone but me.” The other asks, “Is that a compliment my master, or a threat?” The lord says, “You’re learning quickly. Did they tell you what the monk wispered?” The other shakes his head. “He said that his regret was that demon slayer who rescued him.” Naraku says. “Keep that in mind when the lovers come.” “You intend to punish them?” the other asks. Naraku responds, “One of my mistakes in handling Kagura was to allow her to fail me without penalty. I will not repeat this miscalculation.” “I could do it for you.” the subordinate says. “No,” Naraku says, “this is something I will enjoy. You are merely to observe and learn. Here they are.” That said, Akume and Kutsumaru walk into the chamber. They kneel before Naraku, and Akume says, “Forgive us lord. We did not consider that the slayer might not be with the others; we have failed you.” Naraku smiles and says, “Don’t feel too bad. Giman not only failed in his mission, he also lost his jewel shard. I still have both of yours. Considering this, I have decided to be lenient toward the two of you.” “Thank you, Master Naraku.” they say in unison. “Yes,” Naraku says, “In fact, I’ll only kill one of you. I think…you.” As he speaks, Naraku points at the woman. A tentacle shoots from his arm, aimed at Akume’s heart. The fourth person present is not able is track all the movement, but when it is done, he sees Naraku extending a tentacle through Kutsumaru back and Akume’s front. Before they are both absorbed into Naraku’s flesh, Akume gives a final caress to her lover who gave his life in a futlie attempt to save hers. When the two are nothing but a memory, Naraku turns to the other. He asks, “Why did Kutsumaru die?” The other says, “He was weak.” Naraku’s look says go on. “He allowed lust to grow into love. He desired a female in such a way that he not only had to have her body, he also needed her heart. He was a fool, he deserved to die.” Naraku nods, “That is true. However, also remember the simple fact that he failed me. Your turn will come soon, and should you fail, a similar fate awaits you. However, you will not fail. You are not like him; you are superior; you are my…
*The End*
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Friday, June 24, 2005

A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 6*

There are three centipede demons in the moonlight. As they close in on the helpless seeming mortal, she drops a heavy burden she carried over her shoulder. The demons strike as one, however, when they arrive, she is gone. Two of them hear a swishing noise. The third hears nothing as its head falls to the ground. They turn to see their companion’s body falling at the woman’s feet. She faces them, her sword gleaming in the moonlight. Not loyal by nature, the centipedes attack again still hoping to feed. There is another rush of air and one of the demons finds its innards spilling outward through a huge slit along its belly. Having learned from his brothers’ experience, the last demon turns to run. However, he is too late. The killer leaps onto its back and thrusts her sword through its heart. Feeling the demon die beneath her, Sango jumps clear and looks over her handiwork. Content with the careenage and relatively confident that she will not do the same to Miroku when she next sees him; Sango retrieves her Hiraikotsu and cleans her sword. Suddenly, she thinks she hears the lecher, “…Inuyasha…help…” Sango’s first thought is that anything happening to the monk is deserved. Her next is that if he saw fit to call for his fellow male by name, Miroku’s problem, whatever it is, will probably only make her more mad. Then she stops to remember the day they rescued Kohaku. The monk had deliberately walked into a trap to give them a chance to rescue her brother. Faced with this memory, Sango decides to go have a look. If nothing else, she can take the opportunity to crack open Miroku’s skull.
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A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 7*

Miroku kneels at the edge of the clearing. In his left hand, he cradles his wounded right. Nearby sits Kutsumaru with Akume on his lap. The woman begins, “Our stories start with two mortals. They both have one thing in common, they are now dead. One was a man who took great joy from killing. However, combat held no interest for him. So he lived as a wanderer; he would come upon a village and then wait for nightfall. In the morning, he would be gone and the villagers would find several of their kin mutilated and killed. In a few years, he killed dozens of people. However, this was not enough. He had the will for slaughter, but as a mortal he was too weak. The other was a prostitute in a city. She had been promised many things by many men, and all of them had been lying. Naraku found these two. He gave each of them a shard of the sacred jewel. The man took his shard and destroyed an entire village. The woman, on the other hand, wanted nothing more then to rise above her miserable life. She accepted one last promise from one last man, Naraku. The price for this promise was exactly what all the other men had wanted, however Naraku had other things in mind. When she came to him, he killed her and he bathed the shard in her blood. The man on the other hand, brought down the wrath of a nobleman. His new strength had been enough to take the villagers by surprise, but the lord’s warriors soon brought him to his knees. As he was being brought before the lord for judgment, the people of the lord’s castle-city, having heard of his crimes, overwhelmed the guards and tore him limb from limb. Naraku took both of the jewel shards and he built around them two new incarnations. First my beloved. He has that man’s passion for killing as well as the strength of a demon. However, a targetless killer would be of little use to our master. He finished me and sent me to gain control. For that woman, sex was her curse; for me it is my reason for being. Kutsumaru has a limitless passion and I have limitless capacity to receive passion. We go well together.” Seeing that he is becoming aggravated, she pulls her lovers face to hers and kisses him. She gently pats his cheek and turns back to the monk, “Of course, we know your story. We also know that that story will end momentarily when you are sucked into your ever expanding windtunnel. So, any last words? Defiant statements? Regrets?” Overcoming the pain, Miroku smirks, “Regrets? Just one…” He says something so softly that the demons’ ears can just barely tell that he spoke. Rising to her feet, Akume says, “Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” The monk repeats himself in the same tone of voice. The demon walks forward until she is standing just before him. She bends down and cocks her head. Looking up with a triumphant grin on his face, Miroku rips the sutra beads from his right hand opening the void.
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Thursday, June 23, 2005

A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 4*

Sango has found the monk and wishes she had not. She is standing several meters outside of the clearing watching the pervert. She should have known he was after a woman. Sango can’t hear their conversation, but she is relatively sure of the content. As the woman wraps her arms around his neck, the slayer turns to go. Suddenly she notices something out of place. Miroku is trying to push away from the woman. He backs against a tree showing what might even be fear. Sango waits a few seconds, shocked to see Miroku so unenthusiastic. Then, he grabs the woman’s arms and shoves her roughly against the tree. No longer afraid, the monk now seems aggressive and this worries Sango. If he intends to force himself on this village girl, then his friend has other ideas. But no, he turns from her and steps away. Having just been treated roughly then left, the woman comes up behind Miroku and reaches around to his front. Unsure what to do, the slayer stays there, watching as the man seems to ignore the woman. When he turns and begins to grope and kiss her, Sango turns in disgust and heads deeper into the forest. It is unsafe to venture into such woods at night; and right now, Sango needs to kill something.
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A Man And A Woman: The curse of the monk’s hand
*episode 5*

As Akume plants kisses up and down Miroku’s neck, she tugs playfully at the knots which hold his robes in place. He has shifted both hands to her butt and is quite occupied as it is. Grabbing his right arm and forcing it over her shoulder, she says between kisses, “Miroku…there’s…something…I…should…tell…you.” Allowing his arm to flop uselessly above her back, the monk grunts his permission to tell him. She continues, “Naraku…only…gave…me…two abilities. One…of…them…is the…ability to…make…barriers. The…other…is…controlling…men. Now…I’m…going…to use…them both…and…kill you…” That said, she thrusts her mouth against his. Before his half-dazed mind can comprehend what she has said, he hears a strange buzzing noise. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in his right hand. Akume pushes him backward, grabbing his hand as it passes. Looking up, Miroku sees Akume holding his bloody right hand; then she drops him and walks away. Miroku can feel his blood pouring from the wound, but he is more concerned that his wind tunnel has been damaged. He watches the demoness walk away from him and approach a shadowy form emerging from the woods. It is a short man, holding what appears to be nunchaku with blades attached to them. Akume reaches out her hand to pull the weapon to her face. She runs her tongue along the blade then, without taking it back into her mouth, she thrusts her blood soaked tongue into the man’s mouth. This sharing of blood quickly grows into a kiss of monumental proportions. The man uses his weapon to slice open the front of Akume’s clothes; reaching a greedy hand into the tear. Eventually, she breaks the kiss and says, “Enough for now dearest. We have company and he will be leaving soon.” She turns to Miroku and says, “Now where are my manners? I should introduce you. Monk, this is my beloved, the only man who can satisfy me and I him. His name is Kutsumaru. He is of course, another one of Naraku’s incarnation. And beloved, this is the most gullible man in all the world.” Kutsumaru asks, “Can I kill him now?!?” Insane bloodlust drips from his voice. “No dearest, we have our orders. You already killed him, now we just watch as he suffers and dies. Be patient, we’ll celebrate later.” Showing obvious frustration, the demon turns and throws his nunchaku. As it spins away, Miroku sees how he was attacked. The blades rotate forming a buzzsaw which plows through the forest before returning to its master’s hand. Akume says, “Now dear, be patient. Be like Miroku, just sitting there like a corpse. He thinks his friend the half-demon is coming to save him. He knows that if the mutt smelled his blood he would at least come to check. The silly little boy forgot what I told him. I can create barriers. No one is coming to help him; besides, he should have realized something was wrong when the dog’s woman didn’t sense our jewel shards.” She looks at the monk with contempt. “With that wound, your windtunnel will soon consume you. Then we’ll go.” Miroku cries, “Inuyasha! Help!” The woman laughs, “No one in that village will hear you, so scream all you like. In the meantime, Naraku asked me to tell you our life stories before you died. Don’t worry, they’re short.” Akume forces her lover into a sitting position and sits on his lap. Allowing his hands to roam, she begins the tales…
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