Inuyasha: Miroku's Hand of Fate - Pt.1
The void: an infinitesimal place. And to Miroku, he believed it was where his fate lay.
Like his father and his father before him, he too believed he would be sucked into his own wind tunnel and be cast into that unending abyss that is the void. And it was only a matter of time unless something drastic stopped it.
If he could collect all the pieces of the Shikon Jewel and kill Naraku, then his life would be spared. It was a hopeful thought and so far it was the only thing he had to cling to. And with Inuyasha and the others helping him, his dream had all the possibility of coming true. But was it a realistic dream or was it his own delusions of denial?
His right hand started to ache. He looked at his hand as he sat in the shade, underneath the branches of an old oak tree, and pondered the pain. It was all he could think about.
The ache had started two weeks ago after a battle with Naraku's forces over some Shikon Jewel shards, and had progressively gotten worse since then. He had gone to several medicine men for a possible reason, but no one could tell him the cause of his discomfort. One medicine men even told him that it might be psychological and not to worry about it, claiming it was due to stress. But Miroku did not believe that and dismissed his analysis. Kagome had given him some medicinal hand cream she brought back from her time, but even that did not work. He did not know what to do about the problem, if there even was a solution.
Miroku had this dreadful feeling that this might be the beginning of the end for him, as his father had told him he also felt a strange ache in his hand before he died. But he did not want to die yet. He still had so much to do. He was too young, and he still had not found a woman to bear his son to carry on the name and the fight against Naraku.
"Whatcha doin', Miroku?" little Shippo, a small squirrel'ish looking demon, asked, appearing out from behind the tree.
Miroku was started by Shippo's appearance and jumped startled, as he was deep in thought. He put down his hand and looked at Shippo. "I'm contemplating existence, Shippo," he said. "You wouldn't understand."
"I live therefore I am?" Shippo said.
Miroku looked at Shippo impressed. "Very profound, Shippo," he said. "Where did you learn that?"
"My father taught me. He talked about a lot things with me that confused me, but said they would help me later in life, whatever that meant."
"Your father was a very wise demon, Shippo," Miroku said. "Faith in oneself is the ultimate tool in defeating your enemy, and life is a series of journeys that shape the outcome of how our world will conform. I have devoted my entire life to discovering the secrets of time and all its crossroads through deep spiritual enlightenment. And through prayer and guidance there is nothing a human or a demon cannot accomplish."
Shippo nodded, not sure what Miroku was talking about. "Is that why you were looking at your hand just now?" He said.
"No," Miroku said, sighing "I was wondering how much time I have left before this wretched wind tunnel kills me. Forgive me if I sound somewhat melancholy, Shippo."
"It's alright," Shippo said. "If I had a wind tunnel I would probably feel the same way."
Miroku smiled thin, feeling comfort in Shippo's sympathetic words.
"Did the new medicine Kagome give you for your hand help?" Shippo asked.
"Unfortunately no," Miroku said. "No medicine seems to help it, and I can't explain the cause. Maybe, this is the end for me, Shippo."
Shippo suddenly got this freaked look in his eyes and cried out, "KAGOME!" Miroku jumped, started by the cry, then watched Shippo run and get Kagome. She was standing alone on the grass about one hundred feet away. Kagome went over to Miroku. "Kagome! Miroku's talking all creepy." Shippo said.
"I was not talking creepy, Shippo," Miroku said. "I was merely speculating on my present circumstance. I'm sorry if I frightened you with my grim talk."
"Has the hand cream not helped, Miroku?" Kagome asked in her sweet, kind-hearted voice, kneeing in front of him. She took his hand in hers and began to rub her thumb on the inside of his palm in a circular motion, caressing it softly and massaging it with gentle care.
Miroku's heart began to thump fast inside his chest and his body filled with adrenaline as she touched him. And for a moment she took his mind off the pain. In a moment of total weakness his hand touched her butt. It was an automatic reaction to present stimuli.
As soon as Kagome felt her hand, she moved away from him.
"I can die a happy man now," Miroku said, smirking.
"You see, he says he's going to die!" Shippo voiced concerned.
"He's not going to die," Kagome said. "Far from it actually from the way he's acting."
"What's all the commotion over here?" Inuyasha asked, coming over from a workout section with the Tetsusasiga. His blood red, ceremonial, rat fur clothes matched his hot-blood jealous temper, and if he had just seen what Miroku did to Kagome he would most certain have freaked out! "Miroku, are you faking sick again? What's with you lately?"
"I'm not sick, Inuyasha, and if I were I would not fake it," Miroku said composed and got to his feet. "I was merely concerned about my the ache in my hand. It continues to get worse."
"I've got a good solution for that," Inuyasha said.
"And what is that?"
"Let me cut your hand off and then you'll have nuthin' to worry about," Inuyasha said smiling.
"That's hardly a sensible solution," Miroku said. "Where is Sango? I thought she would be back my now. I haven't seen her in hours."
"She went off with Kirana in search of a medicine men who may be able to help you," Kagome said.
"I've seen the best medicine men around about my problem, and none of them could help. What makes you think he could help?"
"I don't know; Sango says she knows him," Kagome said.
"Look at you, all ready to die," Inuyasha said in a huff. "It's that kinda thinkin' that could get the rest of us killed on the battlefield."
"Rest assured, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "When the time comes to battle our enemies I am prepared to fight no matter what the outcome. So you need not have to worry about me."
Suddenly Miroku cringed over in god-awful pain and grasped his right hand. It was a pain he had never experienced before and it caught him off guard. It felt like he had been stabbed in the hand. Kagome quickly grabbed his hand and started massaging like before. It seemed to help.
Inuyasha saw this and an overwhelming angry came over him. He slapped her hand away from Miroku. Kagome looked at him. "What's your problem, Inuyasha?" she asked, a little confused, and upset with him.
"You were. . .uh," He tried to voice, stuttering his words.
In the meantime, without Kagome rubbing his hand, Miroku had clenched a tight fist. He clenched it so tight in fact that blood started to drip down his arm. His nails had dug deep into his palm breaking the skin.
Kagome tried to open his hand but Miroku would not let her. He squeezed his hand as a reaction to the pain.
After a minute passed Miroku began to feel the pain subside and he opened his hand. Kagome was shocked to see his palm was bathed in blood. He took out a first aid kit from her napsack and wrapped his hand with a bandage. "Thank you, Kagome," Miroku said, still riveting from the pain.
"We must find out what's causing this," Kagome said. She grabbed his hand and began to rub the inside palm in a circular motion like before. "This seems to ease the pain, right Miroku?" she asked. Miroku nodded.
Inuyasha looked at what Kagome was doing to Miroku's hand, and again slapped her hand away from Miroku. "You were doing it again!" he said.
"Doing what, Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "What on earth is with you, Inuyasha?" She said very angry.
"I see how it helps him, the lecherous field!" Inuyasha said. "I think this whole ache thing is just some rouse to get attention. Tell me I'm not right, Miroku?"
"I tell you, Inuyasha, is it not," Miroku said. "Why would I fake such a thing?"
"You tell me. You've done some weird stuff in the past to get girls." He said. Inuyasha then saw the look in Kagome's eyes, and it was not nice. She eyed him with a disdainful stare. "What!" He questioned.
"How dare you accuse Miroku of orchestrating something like this to get girls!" Inuyasha took a step back from her. "Miroku has helped us out more times than I can remember and you accuse him of crying wolf just to get attention!" Her face started to get a little red with anger. She was scaring him.
"Help me out, man," Inuyasha said to Miroku. "Tell her you're faking."
Miroku shook his head. "I'm not," he said.
He could not see the future, but he knew what was coming. Kagome always did this when she was angry with him. And even if he tried to run it would do him no good, his ears were so sensitive he could hear her from a mile away. "Inuyasha. . ." He tried to prepare for it, but it came so fast that he did not have the time. "SIT!" Kagome said loudly.
The rosary beads around Inuyasha's neck flashed and he slammed into the ground, hard. Mistress Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister, placed the beads around his neck as a seal to keep him under control, and it was also a safety precaution from him getting the Shikon Jewel at an earlier time, and using it to turn full-demon. A secret word activated the power of the rosary beads, a word chosen by Kagome, and when Inuysaha hears it, he becomes paralysed and hits the ground with the thud.
Kagome snorted and walked away angry. Shipped followed her.
Miroku looked at Inuyasha on the ground and shook his head in sympathy. "Why do you insist on antagonizing her, Inuyasha?" he said.
Inuyasha groaned a response, because he was in too much pain to speak any coherent words.
TBC
