Ch. 94- Mushin's Temple

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

Even now, ever vividly, Miroku could still remember the day it happened...the day his father was swallowed up by the curse that Naraku had placed upon him and his grandfather before him. It was a quiet night, just like any other. Miroku, back when he was but a mere child of 8 years, was sitting next to his father, who was having a drink of sake with a very good friend of his...then, all of a sudden, he remembered the monk suddenly grabbing his right hand, his teeth clenched as he bit back a scream of pain.

Miroku could have sworn that his father's hand twitched and convulsed, uncontrollably. The monk gave a sigh of resignation before he quietly turned to his son and gave him a small...yet sad smile. He then turned to his friend, who sighed and nodded his head...a subtle nod of farewell. Then, Miroku's father stepped out into the open, slowly pulling away the beads that sealed up his right palm...and almost instantly, a huge vortex opened. Miroku attempted to follow his father...but his friend grabbed him and held him back, knowing that if he got too close, he too would have been sucked into the terrible mystic winds.

The boy could only reach out his hand, crying out to his father until he vanished into the void...leaving behind a huge crater.

All the heartbroken boy could do was sit there, horrified and shocked beyond all reasoning.

"Your father foresaw that his own demise would soon be upon him," his friend told the boy, that day. "That is why he entrusted your care to this temple...I am deeply sorry, Miroku."

And now, 10 years later...Miroku stood before the steps of the very temple where he spent the remainder of his childhood with Hachi standing at his side.

'My father was swallowed up by the Wind Tunnel in his right hand...and it was said that my Grandfather met the same fate...and if I do not find a way to defeat Naraku...then I shall die in the same horrible as they did...'

Soon, Miroku and Hachi began to walk up the stone stairs, heading up to the temple at the top.

"So, you grew up in this temple, Master Miroku?" asked Hachi.

"That's right," answered Miroku as they soon reached the top...finding a rather disheveled temple as they made it up. Its roof had a few holes, the walls were cracked and chipped, and the doors had a few holes in them, too.

"My goodness," said Hachi. "You'd think that they'd keep this temple in better shape?"

"Master Mushin was never really handy," Miroku muttered in disdain as they approached the temple. As they did, though, Hachi noticed a large crater with a stone lantern in the center.

"Hmm?" he hummed, inquisitively. "What's this crater?"

"Oh, that?" Miroku asked. "That's...my Father's grave."

Hachi gasped silently before he turned to the crater, then put his paws together in prayer while Miroku entered the temple...only to see a bald, portly man with a gray mustache and wearing the traditional robes of Buddhist monks. He snored as he lied on the floor, resting his head on an empty jug of sake as he scratched his chest.

This was Mushin, Miroku's caretaker after his father's death.

Miroku groaned in disbelief as he glared at the old monk. "Drunk, again...I should have known." He soon kicked the jug out from under Mushin's head. "Wake up, you depraved old monk!"

There was an old saying: "Those who live in glass houses should not cast stones."

Mushin groaned as he sat up, rubbing his skull. "Hmm? Oh...it's you, Miroku."

"Master Mushin," Miroku said as he sat down beside the old monk. "You will not live long if you continue these drinking habits."

"Hmph," Mushin scoffed as he scratched his chest. "Did you come here, just to lecture me?"

"No," Miroku answered before he held up his right hand...and almost instantly, Mushin's face seemed to sober up before he looked to the young monk, who sighed. "The opening was cut slightly by a mantis demon...do you think you can heal it?"

"Well, let me have a look," Mushin replied as he took Miroku's hand in his palm, pulling back the tekko slightly so as not to accidentally open the Wind Tunnel. It was there that he saw the tiny knick left by the mantis demon...and he had a somewhat disconcerted look on his face.

"Well?" Miroku asked.

"...I'm afraid you will die tonight, Miroku," Mushin said, causing Miroku's face to pale, instantly...but then, the old drunkard monk snorted. "Just a joke!"

BONK!

"I could just as easily suck you up into oblivion, you old codger," Miroku threatened while Mushin nursed the bump that had formed on his head.

"Yes, yes, I know," Mushin said. "I can fix it for you, Miroku, but until the wound has healed, I advise you not to use the Wind Tunnel. Is that understood?"

By now, Hachi had entered the temple as well, but Miroku had decided to ignore him for the time being.

"What will happen if I attempt to use it?" Miroku inquired.

"The Wind Tunnel will begin to expand from the mouth of the wound...and you will die much sooner than expected," said Mushin, grimly. "If that happens...even I cannot help you by then, Miroku."

Miroku sat there, a serious look on his face...but deep down inside, his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. His father was almost at his 30s when the Wind Tunnel swallowed him up. The very thought of dying before he even reached his father's age was very unsettling.

"Now then," Mushin began as he stood up, "since it's been decided, I've got to go and prepare the herbs." He soon staggered off, carrying his jug of sake over his shoulder. "Until then, go and purify your defiled body."

"...I think the same should be said about you..." Miroku muttered.

Sometime later, Miroku was now dressed in robes of white as he sat beneath the waterfall behind the temple while Hachi sat on the bank, nearby.

"So that is the monk who raised you, Master Miroku?" asked Hachi.

"Yes," Miroku replied. "I'm afraid most of my bad habits come from him."

"I see," Hachi replied as he glanced at the temple. "His name means 'innocence', does it not?"

"Ironic, isn't it?" Miroku asked. "Now please, leave me to my meditation."

Meanwhile, on the temple porch...Mushin stood there, staring at the horizon with a troubled look in his eyes...one that was free of any sort of humor.

'The poor boy...having to worry so much over even a small cut. Naraku...you are a cruel demon, indeed...forcing a young man such as him to live a life in fear of his own right hand.'

XXX

"Naraku~!"

Inuyasha and Sango continued to pursue the white baboon through the forest, the latter holding onto Kirara while holding the Hiraikotsu. Naraku didn't even so much as glance back at them as he continued to gain further distance. Sango clenched her jaw tightly as she glared after the fleeing demon. There was no way she was going to let the one who murdered her friends and family get away. Not this time.

With a heave of her arm, Sango threw her giant boomerang at Naraku, making sure it spun upright instead of going horizontally. That way, the trees would not block her aim.

To her relief, the Hiraikotsu landed a direct hit to Naraku's head!

"I got him!" Sango exclaimed. "Inuyasha, now's your chance!"

"I'm on it!" Inuyasha shouted as he drew the Tetsusaiga. "DIE, YOU BASTARD!"

SLASH! Inuyasha slice through what he was sure was Naraku's shoulder...but then, as they got closer to the corpse, they gasped in horror, feeling their hearts drop.

There was no blood...just soil.

Soon, the pelt crumbled, revealing the wooden doll inside with hair wound up around it.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed. "It's another one of his demon puppets!"

"Damn!" Sango hissed. "I thought we had him, this time!"

At that moment, Kagome and Shippo finally caught up and saw the wooden doll.

"I might have known," Kagome said. "I should have realized something was wrong when I didn't sense any jewel shards on him!"

'It's strange, though,' she thought. 'Why did it just run away? It was almost as if it wanted us to chase it...like it was leading us somewhere...'

Suddenly, she let out a gasp.

"Oh, no..." she muttered.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Shippo asked.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. "Why do you think Miroku left?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha muttered. "Hell if I know...although, he kinda was acting a bit strange, last night. I didn't think of anything of it, though, so I didn't bother him."

"I noticed it, as well," a voice spoke up, causing the others to turn and see that it was none other than Myoga, who was sitting on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"What the-? Myoga, what the hell are YOU doing here?!" Inuyasha questioned.

"Were you here the whole time?!" asked Kagome.

"Yes," Myoga replied. "I was also with you all, last night...and I couldn't help overhearing about the monk who was accompanying you all. I actually might have something that has something to do with why he left so suddenly." He crossed his arms with his eyes closed in contemplation. "While the rest of you lay sleeping, Miroku sat wide awake...gazing at his right hand where his Wind Tunnel was."

The others widened their eyes at this information, then glanced at each other, worry etched all over their faces.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started. "I'm worried. If Miroku's worried about his Wind Tunnel and Naraku's trying to distract us...he could be in serious danger!"

"I agree with her," Sango added while holding the Hiraikotsu. "We have to find him, quick!"

"Then let's get a move on," Inuyasha replied.

On that, the group soon headed off, following Miroku's trail.

'I don't understand it,' thought Kagome. 'Why would Miroku leave without telling us, first? Was it because of how we acted, the other day?'

XXX

Later, as dusk began to approach, Miroku sat with Mushin, who handed him some sort of elixir.

"A painkiller?" Miroku inquired.

"That's right," Mushin affirmed. "I'm going to suture your wound. Drink that and you'll sleep right through it."

Miroku nodded before he drank the liquid...which tasted rather bitter, but he forced it down, nonetheless.

"Now then..." Mushin started...but it was then that Miroku noticed the monk's trembling hands.

"Your hands are shaking," Miroku pointed out.

"Whoops," Mushin muttered as he looked at his hands. "The sake must be wearing off." He soon turned and left. "Looks like I'll have to get more."

Miroku could only groan in disbelief. He wasn't quite sure if having a drink of alcohol would really work, but he decided not to question. Whatever worked, he'd take it.

As Mushin entered his cellar and opened up a jug...he heard something rustling behind him.

"Hmm?" he hummed before he turned around, only to see nothing but darkness. "Who's there?"

At first, there was no response...but then, in the dark, he saw a pair of glowing red eyes, glowering at him, which caused him to gasp.

"Who are...?!" he started...but the next thing he knew, something jumped out at him. He let out a muffled scream, followed by some sort of choking sound...and then, there was silence.

XXX

Miroku lied on the mat, the room lit by a small oil lantern. Slowly, he could feel the pain in his right hand starting to fade, ever so slightly. Drowsiness had begun to set in and before Miroku knew it, he started to feel very heavy. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Yet, despite that...he noticed that Mushin had been gone for quite some time. He was starting to wonder what had happened to him. Maybe he had too much to drink and passed out.

Just then, he heard footsteps, causing him to glance over to his right and, though it was blurry, he could make out Mushin's shape.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"...A bit sleepy, now..." Miroku murmured.

"Good," Mushin replied as he gently closed the monk's eyes. "Go to sleep now, my boy...it will all be over, soon."

"...Your hands...aren't shaking anymore..." Miroku commented, his voice slurring just a bit.

"...Heheheh..." Mushin chuckled. "What a fool...thinking he can trust someone like this old drunkard..."

As Mushin spoke...something seemed to slither out of his mouth.

"Now," he said as he raised a large knife, "I'm going to end your suffering..."

XXX

Meanwhile, back with Inuyasha and the others...

"Inuyasha, do you even know where to look?!" Kagome asked.

"Not really!" Inuyasha asked. "We'll just have to go back where we were before we chased that puppet and go in a different direction!"

'...Why do I have this feeling that something bad's about to happen?!' thought Kagome. 'Miroku...where are you?!'

Uh-oh!

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