Page 7
Panel 1
View of Houjou and Auley walking; Houjou is carrying the katana case on his
back.
Auley: My, that's a big…whatever it is you're carrying
on your back.
Houjou: It's a bassoon.
Auley: You play the bassoon?
Houjou: No.
Auley: Then why do you carry one?
Houjou: In case I need it.
Panel 2
Houjou and Auley walk side by side; Houjou frowns, Auley is pleasant as usual.
Auley: You wear glasses?
Houjou: Yes.
Auley: You weren't wearing them yesterday.
Panel 3
Long shot of the two walking side by side.
Houjou: You've talked to my university colleagues, the
shrine mikos, my mother's housekeeper, my high school principal, my dry
cleaner…haven't you called my optometrist yet?
Panel 4
Medium shot of the two.
Houjou: I'm extremely nearsighted with severe astigmatism.
I own thick eyeglasses and weighted contact lenses. I wear the contacts when
I want my eyes to itch, and the glasses when I want the tops of my ears to hurt.
Today my eyes are tired. Didn't get much sleep.
Panel 5
Profile close-up of the two.
Auley: Worried? Or guilty conscience?
Houjou: … One might assume I have a beautiful wife.
Panel 6
View of the two. Auley grimaces and slaps the side of his face.
Auley: Point taken. You do have a beautiful wife. Agh!
Something bit me.
Houjou: Hm. A bit early for mosquitoes.
Panel 7
Full-length view of the two from behind. Houjou's arm is stretched out behind
Auley's back, and we see something small—just a dot—dropping into
his open hand. Auley is looking at the palm of the hand with which he just slapped
himself.
Auley: Huh. Guess I missed 'im. My brother plays the bassoon.
Houjou: Does he.
Panel 8
Same view. Houjou has bent his arm upward so that the hand with the "dot"
is touching his own head.
Auley: They break down. The case is much smaller than
the one on your back.
Houjou: It's a contrabassoon.
Auley: Not a katana?
Houjou: Why would an anthropologist need a katana?
Auley: Instead of a bassoon?
Page 8
Panel 1
View of Houjou and Auley. Houjou has his wicked smile.
Houjou: It's actually my baseball bat, "Wonder Boy."
Auley: Great movie.
Houjou: Field of Dreams was even better.
Panel 2
View of the two side by side; Houjou is almost smiling.
Auley: Do you ever tie the tie?
Houjou: Not if I can help it. Do you ever wear one?.
Auley: Not if I can help it.
Panel 3
View of the two; Auley looks conspiratorial, Houjou somewhat surprised.
Auley: C'mon, you can tell me…What did you really
plan to do with the Shikon no Tama?
Panel 4
The two are face to face; Houjou looks angry again.
Houjou: I beg your pardon.
Auley: Which were you planning to choose? If you hadn't given your life to Kikyou,
I mean. Daemon or human?
Panel 5
View of the two face to face before a Wack Donald's sign.
Houjou: … Mr. De Dannan. Here is Wack Donald's. I
am about to buy myself a cup of coffee. I will buy you a cup of coffee and a
Wack McGuffin if you will leave me alone for the rest of the morning.
Auley: Dr. Houjou, you're on. I love Wack McGuffins.
Houjou: I knew you would.
Panel 6
Long view of Houjou, carrying a carryout coffee cup, walking away from a
cheerful Auley, who holds a coffee cup and a pap
Auley: Noon, right?
Houjou: Extra cheese. Twelve-thirty.
Page 9
Panel 1
View of Houjou walking along, carrying his coffee, his face serious. There
is a tiny figure on his left shoulder. This is, in fact, Myouga the flea-daemon,
although we can't see him very well yet.
Houjou: So…what is he?
Myouga: Damned if I know, milord. Maybe human. Maybe not. He's not Japanese.
Panel 3
Close-up profile of Houjou, carrying his coffee, with Myouga on his shoulder
Houjou: No, thanks. Nice place to visit, but Tokyo is where I belong.
Myouga: You really going to drink that slop, milord?
Houjou: It's decent. It's hot. It'll keep me awake enough to lecture. I can
catch a nap at lunchtime.
Panel 4
Close-up of Houjou, looking serious, with Myouga on his shoulder.
Houjou: Myouga-jijii, what's Sesshoumaru up to? And who is this person De Dannan?
The Tuatha de Danaan are faerie lords—Ireland's answer to the taiyoukai.
Why has Jaken sent this man after me?
Myouga: Never could stand Jaken, milord. He was always your brother's man, of
course, just as I was yours.
Panel 5
Full-figure view of Myouga. We can see that he has four arms, and is dressed
in modern clothing—a fleece sweatsuit. The jacket has a zipper, white piping
on the arms, and a little "DKNY" label.
Myouga: I don't trust this truce between you and your brother, Lord Inuyasha.
Sesshoumaru has an angle for everything.
Page 10
Panel 1
Close-up of Houjou walking along, drinking his coffee; Myouga is on his shoulder.
In the background a man and a woman look at him curiously—perhaps because
he is talking to himself, perhaps because he is flagrantly drinking coffee on
the street.
Houjou: Agreed. Technically, of course, he's not my brother anymore. It's a
business relationship.
Myouga: And he's hired a competitor to spy on you.
Panel 2
Close-up of Houjou (holding his coffee) with Myouga on his shoulder; in the
background a passerby is looking at him.
Houjou: Hm. I'm not really an active part of the exocism business. That's my
wife's family. I merely take a strong interest in the shrine. You want a swig
of this before I finish it?
Myouga: No, thanks. I'll wait and get it secondhand.
Panel 3
Close-up of Houjou with Myouga.
Houjou: Make yourself scarce for a bit, Myouga-jijii. I'm making people nervous
talking to myself.
Myouga: I might stop in to see Lady Kagome, milord. I have to say that this
new mix of hormones is invigorating.
Houjou: I'm a great fan of Lady Kagome's hormones myself.
Panel 4
Full-length view of Houjou. Walking slightly in front of him is a woman walking
a wiener dog on a leash; the dog wears a little sweater. Myouga—again just
a dot—is leaping off Houjou's shoulder toward the dog.
Myouga: Oops—here comes my ride. Later, milord.
Houjou: Ciao.
Panel 5
Full-length view from behind of Houjou watching the woman and dog walk away.
Houjou: A leash and a stupid little jacket. That just gives me chills.
Page 11
Panel 1
View of a computer screen and keyboard. The screen shows a spreadsheet program,
with the usual A, B, C column headings and Japanese menu line. The spreadsheet
has numerical entries with Japanese labels (things like "office supplies"
and "modem" and "salaries"—it's a budget.) A hand is
one-finger typing.
Panel 2
View of a very bored-looking Houjou typing with one finger on a computer
keyboard. His chin is resting on his other hand.
Panel 3
Closer view of the computer screen. Some of the figures are the same, but
things are looking weird. The columns are now headed "A, B, AB, O".
The first row's numerical entry now crosses the entire screen with a row of
zeros. On the next line, the zeroes have turned into a variety of smiley face-type
emoticons. The next row is the counting numbers from one through 17. On the
next row, a line of little "man" kanji do a dance, with some nice
leaps and twirls. The next line is English, the beginning of Lewis Carroll's
"Jabberwocky" (a sword story, remember?): 'twas brillig and the slithy
toves did gyre and gimbel in the wabe all mimsy were the borogoves and the mome
raths outg[rabe]. Houjou, we'll recall, is a bit fuzzy as far as English capitalization
and punctuation.
Panel 4
Close-up of Houjou, finger poised to type, blank look of astonishment on
his face.
Telephone (sfx): Ringggg.
Panel 5
View from the side of Houjou, sitting at the computer, turning to stare at
the telephone on his desk.
Telephone (sfx): Ringggg.
Panel 6
View of the telephone.
Telephone (sfx): Ringggg.
Panel 7
Close-up of Houjou, who now has an expression of shocked realization.
Houjou: Oh, shit! I forgot! I'm using the computer!
Page 12
Panel 1
Kikyou, in full miko gear, is standing in the doorway of Houjou's office
(we can see the bow and quiver of arrows on the wall to the right). She is smiling
happily and holds Toukijin in her hands.
Kikyou: Inuyasha!
Panel 2
Houjou, a look of shock on his face, swings around in his chair, bringing
up one hand.
Houjou: Kikyou! No!
Panel 3
Kikyou, still smiling, stands across the office from Houjou and swings Toukijin,
whose kenatsu is visible as force lines. Houjou, still in his chair,
holds his hands up to protect himself. Blood spurts from wounds on his face,
arms, hands, and legs.
Kikyou: Die, Inuyasha!
Houjou: Aaaaaaaahhh!
Voice (offscreen): Houjou! Jesus H. Christ!