Ch. 93- The Wounded Wind Tunnel

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

"Are you ready, Kagome? Drive it out this way!"

This came from Sango, who was donned in her demon-slayer armor while several onlookers gathered around her. She had the Hiraikotsu hoisted over her shoulder and her mask over her mouth to shield from the plumes of smoke coming from underneath the inn. The group had recently had stopped here for a rest, but the inn had not gotten any customers as of late due to their being a demon hiding underneath.

Thankfully, thanks to years of demon-slaying, Sango knew just what to do to handle this.

"Tell me, monk," said the innkeeper to Miroku, who stood nearby. "Are you sure this will destroy the demon that hides beneath the inn?"

"Rest assured, my good innkeeper," answered Miroku. "That maiden has done this, many a time."

On the other side of the inn, Kagome sat near a bamboo tube filled with burning incense, using a paper fan to blow the smoke underneath the inn while she wore a hospital mask over her mouth. Kirara sat beside her, completely unaffected by the smoke as she watched.

"This is just like how we get rid of bugs back at home," Kagome mused before she pulled her mask off. "Sango, are you ready, yet?"

"Uuuuuugghh...!" Inuyasha groaned as he lied on the ground, covering his nose.

"What's wrong with him?" asked one of the villagers. "Is this one of the demons being slain by the smoke?"

"No," Shippo answered while he pinched his nose shut. "Inuyasha's nose is just really sensitive."

"...Someone kill me...!" Inuyasha whimpered.

As everyone continued to watch, Miroku just so happened to catch something out of his peripheral eye. It appeared to be a young woman, wearing some sort of hood...and she had a small, gentle smile on her face.

"Well, well..." Miroku whispered. "What's this, I see?"

Before he could react, the woman turned and walked away from the crowd...and Miroku, after taking a brief moment to check and see if anyone wouldn't notice, soon followed after her.

"Here it comes!" Sango exclaimed as she saw several eyes flashing red from beneath the inn. Soon, the creature leapt out, revealing itself to a huge demon rat, which opened its maw as it lunged for Sango. Unfortunately for the rodent, it wasn't really much of a match for her. She hammered the Hiraikotsu right into its back, causing it to screech in pain as it shrunk to the size of a common rat, dead as a doornail.

"Good," Sango said as she pulled her mask off. "That takes care of that!"

XXX

Sometime later, the group had soon congregated inside the inn with the innkeeper, who, in a show of gratitude, gave the heroes his finest room and the best food that the establishment had to offer.

"So, it was a demon rat, was it?" asked the innkeeper.

"Yes, that's right," Sango said as she put down something that looked like medicine balls. "I even got rid of its nest, but should another one happen to appear, place these bait balls under the floorboards and it should die off on its own, soon."

"Are you still feeling sick, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as she rubbed circles on the half-demon's back while he lied in her lap. It seemed that he was still reeling from the effects of the smoke from earlier.

At least having Kagome comforting him made it a little more bearable.

"By the way, I just noticed," said Kagome, "where did Miroku go off to?"

"Oh, yeah," Shippo said. "I saw him go after some woman."

"...Again?" Kagome deadpanned.

"Wait," Sango said. "While we were busy, he went off to chase some girl?!"

"He always does this when he sees a pretty woman," Shippo answered. "He probably went to ask her to bear his child or something."

"...I see," Sango muttered in disdain. "So I'm not really the first one he asked, huh?"

"He did it to me, too," Kagome replied as she put a hand on her shoulder.

XXX

Meanwhile...

"Ah...I could see that you were once a lady of a prominent clan," Miroku said as he walked alongside the young maiden.

"Quite prominent," replied the maiden, "that is until we were decimated during the wars. I am the last surviving member...and I would like to bear the child of a nobleman in order to reestablish the family line...which is why I sought you out, my good monk."

"You have impeccable taste," Miroku smirked, just as the maiden when up and embraced him.

"Won't you please grant my wish?" she asked...but just as Miroku was about to answer her, he saw something burst out of her back: a pair of huge pincer-like arms.

"...Right..." Miroku muttered, incredulously. "I knew it was too good to be true."

On that, he soon jumped away from the claws of the creature, then looked up as he saw the maiden's skin fall away...revealing a giant praying mantis with bulging red eyes!

"So...wearing a young woman's skin, were you?" Miroku theorized. "Did you kill this poor girl?!"

"I devoured her innards..." the mantis hissed. "Just as I will devour you!"

"Hmph," Miroku scoffed as he held up his right hand. "Perhaps you should choose your meals more wisely."

"YOU'RE MINE, MONK!" the mantis demon screeched as she lunged for the monk.

"I'm afraid it's the other way around!" Miroku shouted before he pulled the beads away from his right palm. "WIND TUNNEL!"

Soon, the mantis demon found itself being pulled into the void of Miroku's right hand. She dug her pincers into the ground, struggling to get away...but it was all for naught. Soon, she was sucked into the cursed hand, slowly shrinking in size...but just as she was about to be devoured, one of her pincers got caught on the edge of the Wind Tunnel...leaving a small cut.

"Agh!" Miroku grunted as the mantis finally disappeared, causing him to seal his hand back up...but he sighed as he looked down at his palm, worriedly.

'Damnation...she cut the hole...!'

Not too far away, something happened to be watching from the trees...and it was soon revealed to be one of Naraku's demon hornets, which buzzed away as it flew off to parts unknown.

XXX

Later that night, Miroku returned to the inn...but was met with some rather cold reception. While Inuyasha and Shippo stuffed their faces, Miroku couldn't help but notice the cold glares that Kagome and Sango were giving him...and he couldn't help but feel just a little comfortable.

"Ahem," Miroku cleared his throat. "Inuyasha? Is it me...or do the gazes of the ladies seem even colder than the wind, tonight?"

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Oh, yeah? Well, who can blame 'em? After all, while we were busy getting rid of a harmless little rat, you had to go off chasing some pretty lady's ass, didn't you?"

"...Uhh..." Miroku muttered, nervously.

"I rest my case," Inuyasha said.

Miroku could only sigh in indignation. It was true, he did walk away from the others while they were busy, but this time, he actually did have a good reason...well, somewhat.

"You have it wrong," said the monk. "I know that you girls might not trust me, but-"

"Oh, we don't trust you," Kagome interjected as she scooted away from Miroku.

"You're definitely lying," said Sango.

"I didn't even explain myself, yet!" Miroku complained.

"Ah, who cares?" Inuyasha asked. "It'll be the same spiel you give, every damn time! Now shut up and go to bed! We got a long day ahead of us, tomorrow!"

Miroku could only sigh, once again. Was he really that untrustworthy? Sure, he was known for being a deceiver and he did take some pride in it, but...he didn't think it would come to the point where his own friends didn't trust him...if he could call them that.

Thus, the night went on and the group retired to bed. The girls slept in one room with Shippo and Kirara while Inuyasha and Miroku slept in another room. Even though there was a futon laid out for him, Inuyasha still preferred to sleep sitting up against the wall while he held the Tetsusaiga in his hands.

However...Miroku was the only one who was not asleep. He lied on his futon as he stared at his right hand...which throbbed in pain, causing him to wince.

"Damn..." he cursed, quietly. "It still hurts...that mantis...she only made the Wind Tunnel grow bigger..."

He then glanced over at Inuyasha, who snored quietly as he continued to sleep against the wall.

XXX

When morning came, Inuyasha grumbled as he woke up, groggily. As he yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he turned to wake up Miroku...only to find his futon folded up and the monk was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered, just as the door opened to reveal a half-asleep Kagome, still wearing her PJs and her hair frazzled and unkempt.

"Morning, Inuyasha," said Kagome.

"Hey," Inuyasha replied. "You wouldn't happen to have seen Miroku, would you?"

"Huh?" Kagome muttered as she looked around. "Where is he?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd know," Inuyasha replied.

"The monk's gone, again?" Sango asked as she came in. "Typical...probably went chasing after another woman, again."

"I wouldn't put it past him," Kagome muttered in a deadpan tone.

"If you're looking for the young monk," said the innkeeper as he came in, "he actually left sometime before dawn."

"Wait, what?" Kagome asked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Aye," the innkeeper nodded. "He asked me to pass on the message that he will be traveling alone for a bit."

"Alone?" Kagome repeated, her voice slightly tinged with concern.

A while later, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Kirara were out on the open road again.

"...You don't think it might have been because of us...do you?" asked Kagome.

"I hate to break it to you," Shippo began, "but you and Sango were pretty harsh, Kagome."

The girls winced as they glanced at each other, Sango biting her lip in worry.

"...Well...we really didn't give him a chance to explain himself, did we?" asked Sango.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Oh, please. Miroku's not some wuss. His feelings aren't so easily." He then glanced off to his right...and put his hand on Tetsusaiga's hilt. "But more importantly...WHO'S SPYING ON US BACK THERE?!"

With a mighty swing of his sword, Inuyasha sliced through a large tree...revealing a familiar figure hiding behind it; one cloaked in the pelt of a white baboon.

"Oh, my god!" Kagome exclaimed.

"NARAKU!" Inuyasha and Sango shouted, just as he turned and fled.

"After him!" Inuyasha shouted as they soon gave chase. "Don't let him get away!"

"Trust me," Sango said as she and Kirara followed. "I don't plan to!"

"Wait up, guys!" Kagome called as she pedaled after them on her back while Shippo rode in the basket.

XXX

Concurrently, in a castle far away...the real Naraku sat in his room, watching his demon puppet. That's when he heard this familiar buzzing sound, causing him to look out through the shade in the doorway.

"Ah...the Saimyosho has returned," Naraku said as he held up his hand, allowing the demon insect to perch itself on his wrist. It buzzed its wings and clicked its mandibles, causing him to smirk.

"As I thought," he said. "Sending that mantis after Miroku was an ingenious plan...now that he's separated from Inuyasha, I can take this chance to kill him."

He then gave a dark chuckle.

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