Episode 134 - The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru (the latter part)
(133 and 134 together) A sunlit beach holds a strong attraction for young adults and Inuyasha and company are no exception. As the gang enjoys precious teen moments of sand, surf and fun, in a nearby village the red thread of fate unravels again. A young noblewoman named Sara lies dying. Her last act in the human world is to play her flute one final time. The eerie, mournful music catches the ears of both Kagome and Inuyasha as they pass by the dying girl’s house. Sara seems to sense their presence too, for some odd reason, but death grips her and she dies, murmuring about ‘useless love’. Just as the team reaches the outskirts of the village, their interest is drawn back to town by a sudden, massive influx of jaki. Looking back, they see an evil miasma creeping around the house where they heard the flute music. Suddenly, the house explodes into flames. Rushing back to investigate, the villagers tell them about Sara and her sad fate. Later, when examining the burned out ruins, Kagome spies a familiar phenomenon: a perfect human outline on the charred floor where Sara had laid, dying. Elsewhere, Sessho-maru and his entourage make their way through a misty, rocky pass. Rin chatters happily to the morose and disinterested Jaken. Sessho-maru remains aloof amid the racket. The melancholy sound of a flute halts the group in their tracks. Out the mist, a woman materializes, walking towards them -- it’s the recently deceased Sara. She drops to her knees in front of Sessho-maru, greeting him with extreme deference. She tells him the story of her father, a warlord, and how she became infatuated with Sessho-maru after witnessing him annihilate her father’s warriors. Sara tells him it was her dream to see him again, and how she wants be in his favor. Sessho-maru is bemused, telling her to figure out a way to earn his interest. Sara agrees, passing by as an outraged Jaken blusters about her audacity. How dare a human confront his master with such nonsense! Sessho-maru informs Jaken that was no lady -- she was a demon. Back the beach, Inuyasha and the others discuss the strange events of the day. Their conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a sea monster. They spot the creature streaking inland, bearing down on a female human sacrifice, bound to a stake on the shore. Miroku races to her rescue with great haste followed very closely by Sango and Kirara. When Miroku and Sango reach the woman, it’s Sara, who is the monster’s bait. As her rescuers prepare to fight the approaching creature, a weird light distracts Miroku. He looks back, horrified, shouting Sango’s name in despair... Lagging behind, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo arrive and discover Miroku, Sango and Kirara are turned to stone. The sea monster attacks, giving Inuyasha little time to ponder his friends’ predicament. Inuyasha makes quick work of the monster but is bewildered by the discovery his nemesis was merely one huge mass of seaweed. Sara is rescued, but Inuyasha and Kagome must now try to free Miroku, Sango, Kirara and the entire seaside village, from their curse of stone. A grateful Sara offers to help, and tells Inuyasha about a shrine in a cave on a nearby cliff. Inside the cave is a chamber that contains the remedy to the curse. Sara’s story strikes Shippo as suspicious, but he and the others follow Sara up the cliff-side to the shrine. Inside the cave is the chamber Sara described, sealed with a great stone. Inuyasha’s attempt to move the stone is futile until Sara directs him to insert the Tetsusaiga in a slot carved into the stone seal. As the stone finally moves, Sara smiles wickedly. Shippo notices, whispering his suspicions to Kagome, who agrees that something is fishy, but their warning comes too late for Inuyasha. A powerful blast flings Inuyasha backward, and the cave collapses burying both Sara and Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha barely gets Kagome and Shippo to safety atop the cliff when the ground under their feet starts to crumble. The demon Sara bursts through the ground, riding a gigantic carrion crow. She carries Tetsusaiga victoriously. Enjoying her success, Sara remembers when she spied Sessho-maru in the forest while he recovered from losing his arm to Inuyasha. In his delirium, Sessho-maru called out his brother’s name, cursing him for taking Tetsusaiga. This memory inspired Sara to steal the katana from Inuyasha, present it to Sessho-maru and win his affection. Bad timing places Sessho-maru at the cliff following Sara’s theft of Tetsusaiga. His brother present, Inuyasha believes this is another attempt to take Tetsusaiga and he angrily attacks Sessho-maru. Sara hovers above with the katana, watching. After repelling Inuyasha, Sessho-maru makes it clear he had nothing to do with Sara’s plot. Although Sara tries to present him with Tetsusaiga, Sessho-maru refuses the weapon, making it clear he doesn’t want the Tetsusaiga from her under the circumstances and leaves. Inuyasha charges Sara, attempting to reclaim Tetsusaiga, but she attacks, hitting him with her petrifying stone spell. Quick reaction from Kagome saves him - her Miko arrows destroy and purify the spell, reversing its effect on Inuyasha, but Sara manages to escape. Inuyasha pursues her, while Kagome returns to the village to free her friends and the villagers from an eternity as statuary. Meanwhile, Sessho-maru arrives back at the woods where he sought refuge to recover after his first tangle with Tetsusaiga. He recalls the fight with Inuyasha within their father’s tomb and how afterwards, escaping to the same forest, he lashed out in pain and anger at Sara’s father’s samurai. His solitary brooding is interrupted when Sara joins him, still carrying Tetsusaiga. She tells Sessho-maru how she encountered him in the forest while he was wounded and delirious, how she learned about Tetsusaiga and his desire to possess the katana. She continues, telling Sessho-maru about how she tried to stop her warlord father from exacting revenge on him and how her father cruelly beat her for interfering with his vengeance. Her father’s attempted retaliation on Sessho-maru turned her against him and Sara declares how satisfied she felt when Sessho-maru defeated her father. Sara confesses her devotion to Sessho-maru and how, when she was dying, she allowed herself to be consumed by demons to become youkai and more worthy of his attention. As Sara presses the Tetsusaiga upon Sessho-maru again as the proof of her love, Inuyasha arrives ready to reclaim his blade. Sara isn’t giving up Tetsusaiga easily and attacks him again, sending forth hideous, snake-like demons to bind and restrain Inuyasha. In a startling turn of events, Sessho-maru blocks further attacks upon his younger brother. It seems Sessho-maru wants to keep their conflict exclusively a family matter! Sara is shocked as Sessho-maru attacks her, releasing the true demon Sara has become. Kagome and the others arrive at the strange battlefield, free Inuyasha and join the fight against Sara. The human part of Sara implores Sessho-maru one last time to be with her, but Sessho-maru isn’t interested. Kagome’s arrow hits Sara, blowing a hole through her torso. Sessho-maru strikes with Tokijin, and severs the appendage holding Tetsusaiga. Masses of youkai continue to fly relentlessly from Sara’s demon body, inundating the fighters. Spotting the freed Tetsusaiga, Sessho-maru grabs the sword and swings. It’s energy barrier sizzles viciously in his hand, painfully scorching Sessho-maru as he hacks at the huge tide of demons surging at him. The creatures are driven back temporarily. Unable to hold onto the katana any longer, Sessho-maru is forced to drop Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha takes back his weapon and successfully dispatches the deluge of demons. Demonic Sara is vaporized but the human part of Sara still lingers, dying and dissolving into dust at Sessho-maru‘s feet. She melts away calling his name until noting is left but her flute. Sessho-maru stabs the instrument into the pile of dust and enigmatically walks away. Baffled, Inuyasha and the others make no effort to stop him. Sessho-maru rejoins Rin and Jaken -- it appears he already has all the ‘affection‘ he needs from his peculiar, but devoted, traveling companions.
