"Dissociative identity disorder? Isn't that just something from storybooks to scare kids?" Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, his brow furrowed in skepticism.
To a pragmatic cook, the idea sounded like a ghost story.
However, Chopper tilted his head, his small hooves tapping against his chin as he dug through his memories.
"Actually... I once saw a book in Doctorine's study that mentioned this condition. It's a fracturing of the mind. But no one really paid attention to it because it's so rare, and... there's no known cure."
Kagome, sitting by the fire, nodded solemnly.
"In my era, this condition is well-documented. It's said to affect people who've experienced extreme trauma or profound, crushing loneliness. Generally, a split personality emerges as a self-protection mechanism—a way for the mind to hide from pain."
Loneliness.
The word hung in the air like smoke.
Hearing this, the realization hit the Straw Hats simultaneously.
Their faces lit up with a mix of understanding and sorrow.
"Ray is lonely," Luffy murmured, staring into the flames.
"And Sesshomaru... he's always alone, isn't he?" Nami added softly.
"That makes perfect sense!"
It fit too well.
Ray, the man who always stood apart, and Sesshomaru, the demon who walked a solitary path.
Two sides of the same isolated coin.
Inuyasha, leaning against a tree nearby, nodded slowly.
Even he had to admit it sounded plausible—after all, their archenemy Naraku was a being literally stitched together from fragmented souls.
But as he thought about it, his emotions churned into a cocktail of disdain and strange pride.
"Sesshomaru split? Tch, how weak," Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms. "A real man endures any hardship without breaking! Pathetic."
He puffed out his chest, a smirk playing on his lips. "Look at me! I've suffered tragedy after tragedy, been sealed to a tree for fifty years, and despised by both humans and demons. But did I split? Did I break? No! Tch, Sesshomaru really is just a pampered weakling."
Kagome sighed, giving him a flat look. "Yes, yes, Inuyasha, you're the strongest, most emotionally stable boy in the world."
Ignoring the banter, Nami raised the question that was weighing heavily on the entire crew.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"So... how do we cure this? How do we make Ray's consciousness dominant again? If Sesshomaru is the 'original,' won't Ray just disappear?"
Kagome frowned, racking her brain for any psychology trivia she'd picked up in the modern world.
"I remember a movie mentioning two theoretical methods. First, complete fusion—the two personalities merge into a single, new entity. Second... one personality eliminates the other, becoming the sole owner of the body."
The Straw Hats collectively gasped.
The implications were terrifying.
"Can Ray win?" Usopp whispered, terrified.
"Sesshomaru is so strong..." Robin noted analytically, though her eyes betrayed her worry.
"It seems unlikely Ray could overpower him mentally without help."
"Then we have to create conditions for Ray's victory," Zoro said, his hand tightening on his sword hilt.
"We have to weaken Sesshomaru before his personality overwhelms Ray completely."
"But how?" Sanji exhaled smoke, frustration evident in his posture. "That guy is a monster. We couldn't even touch him."
...
As they debated strategies and theories, the sun dipped below the horizon, surrendering the sky to a blanket of stars.
Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, finally caught up with them.
One by one, the Straw Hats drifted into a restless sleep huddled around the dying fire.
Inuyasha and his group hadn't left.
Guilt gnawed at them.
After all, they were the ones who had handed Chouchou over to Sesshomaru, a decision that had indirectly led to Luffy and the others getting brutally beaten.
So, Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others decided to stay, standing guard while the pirates recovered.
It wasn't just guilt, though.
They genuinely enjoyed this chaotic group's company.
Late at night, the forest was silent save for the chirping of crickets and the rhythmic breathing of the sleepers.
Inuyasha sat on a high branch, arms crossed, eyes closed but ears swiveling at every rustle.
Suddenly, his nose twitched.
He caught a scent that made his scalp tingle, and the scar on his back throbbed with a phantom pain.
"Is Sesshomaru back?" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open, hand reaching for Tessaiga.
Then, he paused.
"No... it's that little dog?"
Indeed, a small white shape emerged from the underbrush under the cover of darkness.
Chouchou had returned.
Seeing Inuyasha drop down to block his path, the puppy stopped.
His eyes were serious, far too intelligent for a normal animal.
He spoke in a childish, yet urgent voice.
"I need to talk to Luffy and the others. Immediately."
Inuyasha stared for a moment, then nodded.
He followed Chouchou into the camp as the little dog went from person to person, nudging them awake.
Within minutes, the crew was gathered, bleary-eyed but attentive.
Chouchou wasted no time explaining 'Ray's current situation'.
The gist was grim but offered a sliver of hope:
[Ray is trapped deep within Sesshomaru's consciousness. Normally, he is suppressed, but when Sesshomaru sleeps or meditates, Ray's consciousness can emerge briefly.]
[However, because Sesshomaru's will is too strong, Ray's consciousness is being eroded. He will fade completely in two and a half months.]
[The only way to save Ray is to defeat or severely injure Sesshomaru within this timeframe. Pain and weakness will shake Sesshomaru's mental hold, giving Ray a chance to seize control.]
After relaying this, Chouchou looked anxious.
He explained that to avoid arousing Sesshomaru's suspicion, he had to return immediately.
He had only been able to sneak away because Ray had briefly taken control of the body during meditation to let him out.
But Ray's control was slipping, and Chouchou had to be back before Sesshomaru woke up.
With his mission complete, Chouchou bid a hasty farewell to the Straw Hats and vanished back into the night shadows.
Silence reigned in the camp for a long moment.
But this time, it wasn't the silence of despair.
Now fully understanding the situation, the crew's earlier disappointment and exhaustion vanished.
It was replaced by a fiery, terrifying determination.
"Train," Luffy said, his voice low but vibrating with power. "We train like our lives depend on it. Because Ray's life does."
"Two and a half months," Zoro said, standing up and tying his bandana tight. "We have to break through our limits. We have to become monsters."
Reality had aligned with their wild speculations, and Ray had provided the solution himself.
With a clear goal, their morale didn't just recover; it soared.
"Since meeting Ray less than two months ago, my strength has more than doubled," Zoro declared firmly, the moonlight glinting off Wado Ichimonji.
"And on the ship... we've wasted too much time being lazy. We relied on him too much."
"This time," Sanji stood up, stamping out his cigarette, his eyes shadowed but fierce, "to save Ray, every single one of us must push ourselves to the brink of death."
As the combat leaders, Zoro and Sanji were usually at odds, but tonight, there was no bickering.
No insults.
Just a shared, deadly seriousness.
Watching them, Inuyasha felt a strange warmth in his chest.
He grinned, revealing his fangs.
"Kagome," he whispered, "I really like these guys. It'd be great if they could help us find the Sacred Jewel shards after this is over."
Hearing this, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango exchanged shocked glances.
"Inuyasha... actually wants humans to join us?" Miroku whispered, scandalized.
"That's rarer than a dog falling in love with a cat," Sango noted, eyes wide.
"Maybe Inuyasha is just that unique kind of dog," Shippo snickered.
"You guys—(╬ಠ益ಠ)! Argh, shut up! You're pissing me off!" Inuyasha barked, face flushing red.
Only Kagome smiled gently, understanding the truth.
Though Inuyasha acted tough, deep down, he was insecure.
He had been ostracized and abandoned by humans and demons alike since childhood.
Seeing humans who would fight so fiercely, so unhesitatingly for a comrade—even one who was a "monster"—had clearly moved something deep within his soul.