Warnings for this chapter: more vomiting, depictions of violence, effects of a traumatic brain injury, and brief use of language similar to discussions surrounding addiction.
Inuyasha jumped over Miroku's head, scattering the insects with his claws. It gave Miroku just enough time to open the wind tunnel and suck in a few of the wolves closest to them before the insects regrouped. Then he ran forward, swinging his staff at the wolves and clearing a path to Royakan. Under the cover of Kaede's arrows, he hurled a handful of sutras at Royakan, causing the demon to stumble back. With one last glance at the monk, Inuyasha ran in the opposite direction, to where he could hear Shippo's cries for help. He followed the sound through the forest, praying that Miroku and Kaede would be able to hold off Royakan and his wolves for a little while longer.
As he caught up to the kit, he saw Shippo jump into the air, shouting "Multiply!" Sure enough, a dozen little Shippos appeared, scattering in all directions and confusing the wolves. Even knowing they were just illusions, Inuyasha winced as they were crushed in the jaws or under the paws of the wolves. He watched as the real Shippo scampered up a tree, unnoticed. His eyes were wide as he caught Inuyasha's gaze. The hanyou hung back, watching as the wolves got frustrated and sniffed around the trees. They couldn't climb the tree and Shippo was out of harm's way, for now. When the kit nodded at him, grim resolve sliding over his features, Inuyasha turned and ran. He wanted nothing more than to rip the wolves apart, but his strength was already waning, and there were others who needed his help more. A few of the wolves caught his scent and followed him back to the others, but there was nothing he could do about it. He ran back to the clearing around the destroyed storehouse to where Miroku and Kaede were battling Royakan's wolves.
Miroku stuck close to the old miko's side, keeping the wolves at bay with his staff and few remaining sutras. He could injure them and drive them off, kill a few of them if there was enough time before another wolf attacked. Beside him, Kaede shot arrows tinged with spiritual power at Royakan. They were little more than a nuisance, but they distracted him enough that he neither approached nor produced any more wolves. It was enough to keep them alive for the time being, but the tremor in Miroku's muscles and Kaede's rapidly emptying quiver warned of what was soon to come.
Inuyasha burst through the treeline, batting aside wolves left and right. Miroku seemed to recognize that he was fighting his way to them so he adjusted in kind, distracting the wolves between them to make it easier for Inuyasha to get them. An angry buzzing came from overhead and Inuyasha's stomach dropped as he watched the giant insects dive for Miroku. The monk looked up from the wolves and began swatting the insects with his staff, cutting them in half with powerful blows. Inuyasha felt something unwind in his chest. Of course, Miroku wouldn't open his wind tunnel with the insects around. Even he wasn't that stupid.
"Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer!" he shouted, tearing away at the few wolves remaining between him and the others. A few dropped dead at his feet, but not enough. He barely had time to land before Royakan's hand slammed into the earth where he had been standing. He jumped to evade the blow and twisted in the air, turning to face his opponent. Royakan roared and grabbed for him again, striking the earth and shattering rock. Inuyasha winced, his wounds burning, and missed the next attack. Royakan's claws sent him flying through the air, the air knocked from his lungs. He slid to a stop and climbed to his feet, but his movements were stiff and weak.
"Inuyasha!" Kaede called out, pausing to grab a spent arrow from the side of one of the dead wolves.
"He's struggling much more than usual," Miroku agreed tightly as Inuyasha dodged another blow. "He can't seem to focus. He is trying to fight Royakan while defending us and Shippo, and maybe even go after Naraku, all at once."
Inuyasha leapt from another attack and landed in front of them, just in time to slice through a wolf lunging for Miroku's exposed back. The monk nodded his thanks, though it confirmed his theory. They needed this fight to be over, and fast. They couldn't concentrate on so many different opponents at once, not when they were all weak and exhausted.
"Royakan has two Jewel shards," Miroku shouted to Inuyasha. "You focus on him while we cover you. It's our only chance to finish this!"
"I'm working on it, damn it!" Inuyasha growled as another wave of wolves spilled from Royakan's mouth. The existing ones charged at them from behind.
Kaede was out of arrows, so she wielded her bow like a staff to keep the wolves at bay, mirroring Miroku's movements. Inuyasha drove the new wolves far enough away for him to unleash the Tessaiga, catching them in a blast and driving off the ones he couldn't kill. Miroku grunted beside him as he pushed back the gaping mouth of a wolf with his staff, throwing his last sutra at it before immediately turning to another. Inuyasha stabbed yet another that reached for the monk's exposed side. "You see why I can't just leave you on your own?"
"We're only going to get worse from here," Miroku argued. "Take on Royakan while you still have the strength to do so and before he makes any more wolves!"
Inuyasha looked conflicted, jumping at Royakan but falling short, keeping himself between Miroku and the demon. Suddenly, Miroku understood. It wasn't just the external battle raging around the hanyou. Inuyasha was weakened and vulnerable, as were Miroku, Kaede, and Shippo. Inuyasha's protective instincts were driving him to protect those he cared about, and he couldn't leave their sides long enough to focus on defeating Royakan. While a nice sentiment, it might just cost them their lives.
Inuyasha's head whipped around, ears pricked, and a moment later Miroku also picked up Shippo's cries for help coming from the woods. He ground his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground, forming a weak barrier. He pushed it out in all directions, catching the wolves and bowling them off their feet. "Inuyasha, go! I got this!"
Inuyasha's eyes were wide and his ears pinned back as he glanced between Miroku and Royakan. When Shippo's voice sounded again, more urgent this time, he jumped into action. He dodged Royakan's blow and ran up the demon's arm, fist drawn back before punching him hard in the race. Royakan stumbled back with a ferocious cry and fell to one knee. Inuyasha unsheathed the Tessaiga again and slashed the demon across the chest. He didn't wait for Royakan to fall, just turned and ran to help Shippo. He knew that Royakan wasn't dead, but he desperately hoped that it would be enough for Miroku to keep them safe.
"Kaede, can you form a barrier above us?" Miroku asked, swinging his staff at the wolves which surrounded them.
"Only for a short time. Why?" Kaede gasped, leaning hard against her bow.
"I just need long enough to suck in these wolves," Miroku answered, already stabbing his staff into the ground and grabbing his mala.
Kaede looked skeptical but still clasped her hands and began chanting. A thin, transparent barrier formed over their heads. The insects buzzed angrily but Miroku ignored them, wasting no time in opening the wind tunnel. He walked around Kaede, sucking in the wolves in all directions. Royakan also had to jump back to avoid the vortex. The insects found their way under the barrier a heartbeat before it dissolved, but they were too slow. Miroku wrapped the mala back around his hand and grabbed his staff. He gathered Kaede's bow as well, and pulled on Kaede's sleeve. He dragged them past Royakan and toward the forest, Kaede stumbling behind him with ragged breaths.
"Monk, what-"
"He needs his pack together," Miroku gasped back, barely able to form words. "We need to put up a unified front."
Inuyasha immediately saw what caused Shippo's distress. The wolves had found his scent and were trying to jump at the fox. Some had managed to find purchase in the lower branches and were clumsily trying to climb higher. Others were chewing at the trunk, obviously intent on bringing the whole tree down. Inuyasha slashed and struck at the wolves, an amber pulse of power shooting from Tessaiga. It killed most of the wolves and cut the tree cleanly in two. Inuyasha leapt up and caught Shippo, who jumped from the tree as it fell. He could feel the little fox shaking and clinging to him as they landed and he took a moment to simply breathe and hold him close.
Pounding footsteps sounded from the edge of the forest, quickly accompanied by a familiar scent. Inuyasha turned to see Miroku and Kaede running toward them with Royakan hot on their heels. Kaede was struggling to keep pace, stumbling after the monk and breathing raggedly. When she staggered and fell, Miroku grimaced and swung around, pushing her forward even as he turned to face Royakan. The monk leapt into the air, bringing his staff down hard on Royakan's head. The demon howled and stumbled back. Miroku landed hard, leaning against his staff, and Inuyasha watched in horror because it wasn't enough, Royakan was rushing forward again-
The demon's blow knocked Miroku from his feet and sent him flying into a nearby tree. He slumped to the ground and didn't get up. Inuyasha growled as the world went red. Royakan took another step forward, still shaking his head to clear it from the monk's blow. Inuyasha grabbed the tree he had cut down and lifted it with a roar. He caught raw disbelief in Shippo and Kaede's faces as he swung the tree over his head and brought it crashing down onto Royakan. The demon cried out, stumbled, and fell. Around him, the few wolves that had followed him disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Inuyasha turned his attention to Miroku, who was sitting up and rubbing his head. He stared at the monk, eyes wild, long enough for Miroku to give him a quizzical look. "You alright?"
"Am I-?" Inuyasha asked incredulously as he rushed to the monk's side. "You idiot! Are you hurt?"
"A little battered and slightly bruised," Miroku reported dutifully with a small smile. Inuyasha helped him to his feet, his hands lingering on his shoulders even after the monk was standing again.
"Miroku!" Shippo shouted, jumping from Kaede's arms into Miroku's.
Inuyasha huffed in slightly hysterical amusement as Miroku took a moment to cuddle with the kit. Then something flashed in the monk's eyes. He reached out and gently pulled the Jewel shard from Shippo's tight grip. His eyes met Inuyasha's with a carefully neutral expression. "I'll be taking these back, now."
Inuyasha grimaced, but what could he do? He didn't release his somewhat desperate grip on Miroku's shoulders, nor did he meet the unfairly calm violet eyes. They wouldn't get into it. Not yet. Not now. But Inuyasha knew that he would have to explain himself and…what could he say? Something settled in Miroku's face and he nodded to the unspoken plea. Later.
"Miroku," Kaede said, staring deeper into the forest. "Do ye not think it peculiar?"
Miroku frowned. He had stopped thinking a lot of things peculiar recently. "What's that?"
"The droves of venomous insects have vanished without warning."
"You're right," he murmured, scanning the foliage above them.
There had been plenty of insects left when they ran here. Had they simply given up? That seemed unlikely. But what-? Miroku went rigid as he remembered why they were there in the first place. He could feel eyes on him. He could sense the foul presence, echoing what he felt in Onigumo's cave but so much stronger. It still made no sense, but Miroku knew that this evil youki emanating from deep in the forest was Naraku. Inuyasha's arm had curled protectively around his waist, and Miroku closed his eyes for a heartbeat. What should he do? Royakan was defeated, the wolves were gone… They could be done this battle. Instead, he sighed.
"Naraku's nearby," he said to Inuyasha, calmly disentangling himself from the hanyou. "With many shards of the Jewel. Come on, now's our only chance!"
They took off running, Inuyasha immediately picking up the scent. Shippo and Kaede were calling after them, and Miroku hoped that they would be wise enough to stay back. Surely he and Inuyasha were monumental fools for rushing headlong into something like this, but he couldn't help it. Seven years. A lifetime of waiting. Three generations of vengeance. Naraku was close by for perhaps the first time in his life and he couldn't just let him get away.
Inuyasha tensed, slowing his pace for a moment only to spring up into the canopy. He launched himself off a high branch and through the forest, landing in a small clearing. Across from him stood a figure draped in the skin of a baboon.
"I sensed that you weren't far away," he growled, staring down the figure. "You're Naraku, aren't you?"
The youkai hummed in acknowledgement but made no other response. Miroku crashed through the underbrush behind Naraku, and Inuyasha could see hate burning in his eyes. He came to a stop, staff held protectively in front of him, mouth a thin line. Inuyasha took a step forward, wanting to keep Naraku's attention on him. "At last I've found you."
Miroku seconded the sentiment. His gut churned as he took in the shadowy figure, the features obscured by the baboon mask. This was his nemesis. This was his fate.
"Answer me one thing before I avenge Kikyo's death," Inuyasha was saying, fingers slowly coming to a rest on the hilt of his sword. He could hear Kaede and Shippo approaching behind Miroku. "Naraku, why did you do it? What grudge do you have against me?"
"Good question." The voice was silky, low and dangerous, full of false amusement and the promise of pain. "I suppose you wish an answer to that question."
"It is him," Kaede gasped, coming to a stop behind Miroku.
"Kaede," Naraku greeted, tilting his head slightly to acknowledge the newcomers with a smirk. "Age has not been kind to you."
"You know me," Kaede said. "Aye, Onigumo – is that your name?"
"Onigumo…" Naraku chuckled, and Miroku could see the sinister twist of his lips. "That name brings me such fond memories. Nay, I am Naraku. Yet it cannot be denied that I was born of Onigumo fifty years ago – such a foolish man. He fostered desires for the miko who nursed him, who drove him to succumb to his weakness and call forth the demons." Miroku reached for his mala beads, wondering if it was worth sucking in the Jewel shards to kill Naraku, once and for all.
"He traded his rotten soul and burned flesh for the strength of the demons who devoured him. He bound them to himself in order to pursue his desires, a Jewel and a maiden, it seemed. So many demons, it took, and they were only there because of Kikyo's weakness. Her power diminished because she had fallen in love with a worthless hanyou." Naraku's head swung around to stare at Inuyasha. His voice had grown harsh and angry. "She submitted to her childish desires and attempted to use the Shikon Jewel for her own purposes. For that, she was punished." A wide, eerie smile stretched across his mouth. "And you, Inuyasha, suffered the punishment as well."
"You bastard!" Inuyasha shouted. He couldn't believe it. He had spent his final moments believing Kikyo had betrayed him. Kiyko had died believing it. She still believed it, had died again because of it. "How dare you? You tricked us! You forced us to kill each other! It's all your fault!"
Naraku chuckled. "My fault, hm? Then tell me, how was it that the trust you held in each other was so easily destroyed?"
"What're you saying?" Inuyasha spat, claws curling into the palm of his hands. He was trembling from the force of the emotion, the sheer hatred that seeped through him.
"It was anger," Naraku answered smoothly. "A bitter anger that set you two against each other. That, Inuyasha, is the true legacy of the trust you supposedly held for one another. Even Kikyo could not comprehend it. She should've chosen to live, and use the power of the Sacred Jewel to save herself. Instead, she chose death."
Inuyasha rocked back as though struck. No! That couldn't be. Kikyo- She couldn't have given up! Not like that! Kikyo!
Naraku's poisonous words continued. "Had she pleaded for her life, her pathetic, wretched wish would have been easily granted. Then she would've understood the ultimate truth of darkness, of the beauty the Jewel could possess. Foolish woman."
"And that's why you did it?" Miroku asked, swinging Naraku's attention toward himself. "All that to try to corrupt the Jewel? To sow the seeds of misery and despair? Is that why you cursed my family as well?"
"No," Naraku smirked. "I cursed you for a much simpler reason – because your grandfather bothered me. Because I thought it would be fun."
Both Inuyasha and Miroku growled at that. Inuyasha took a step forward, drawing the Tessaiga. "You know what'll be fun?" he spat. "I'll slit you open from head to toe! That'll show you what misery is!"
He threw himself forward but Naraku jumped out of the way, flying high into the air. Inuyasha leapt after him. They spun around each other, each using their youki to move through the air. Inuyasha swung with his claws, barely catching the baboon hide. He pulled with all his might, tearing the pelt to shreds. The figure he revealed was not what he had been expecting. He looked almost human, despite the sleeve covering most of his face. He was dressed in fine clothing and had long, human-looking black hair. His sleeve shifted just enough to reveal a glowing red eye. Naraku chuckled. Inuyasha's heart sank.
A purple-black smog erupted from Naraku's body, storming out in all directions. Inuyasha gasped at it hit him, tearing at him and sending him flying back. He instinctively curled into a ball, relying on his robes and the Tessaiga's blade to take the brunt of the impact.
Miroku recognized the cloud for what it was even before it began dissolving the trees in front of them. He grabbed Kaede by the arm and pulled her after him, running for all he was worth. He threw out his other arm with his staff, summoning the last of his strength into a final barrier. The miasma hit hard, burning the leaves off the trees, shriveling the grass and ferns into nothing. Miroku pushed them further, right to the edge of the forest. He couldn't stop to wonder about Inuyasha's fate. He could only pray that somehow, he was still alive.
Inuyasha crashed into the ground without control. He gasped, the swirling black mist stinging his eyes and lungs. He couldn't see or smell anything through the thick miasma, could only hope the others had gotten to safety. A soft chuckle sounded from somewhere close by, then the sickeningly smooth voice. "So you have succumbed. Farewell, Inuyasha."
Oh, like hell he had! "Think again!" he shouted, rushing blindly at the voice.
"Impossible!"
He swung the Tessaiga, clearing some of the miasma from the air. He caught a glimpse of the wide eyes, something that looked almost like fear flicker across Naraku's expression before the monster turned away. Inuyasha leapt and struck. He fell short, barely catching the robes on Naraku's back. The tattered cloth fell away, revealing a horrific burn stretching across his back. It was jagged and poorly healed, with eight long lines reaching out. Almost like a spider.
Streams of miasma rushed and swirled around Naraku, forming a protective cocoon. Inuyasha tried to reach for him, but the poisonous gales forced him back. When the smog cleared, there was a hole bored into the barren ground and nothing else. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He got away. That wicked, evil, slimy bastard got away!
"No!" he shouted into the sky, pouring all his frustration and anger and pain into the words. "Come back and fight me!"
The cloud of miasma had ceased. Kaede and Shippo were standing safely beside him, gasping for breath and staring wide-eyed back into the trees. Miroku heard the shouts and knew instantly that Inuyasha was still alive. He tore through the forest, needed to see it for himself. He needed to know that Inuyasha was safe. He needed to see that Naraku was gone. Wisps of miasma still rose from the ground and barren trees. Inuyasha was on his knees in the middle of the clearing, gasping and shaking as sobs ripped through his frame. Miroku didn't slow his run, simply crashed into the hanyou and gathered him in his arms.
"You're alright?" he asked, voice raw from the emotion of everything they'd endured. "That miasma didn't get you?"
"He got away!" Inuyasha sobbed, hands curling into Miroku's kesa and holding him there, pushing him away while still clinging to him. "Damn him, he got away!"
Miroku felt the sting in his eyes, the crushing sense of despair as he realized that yes, Naraku was gone. He had failed. He failed his father, his grandfather, and himself. He failed Inuyasha, too, and Kaede, for not avenging Kikyo. He wanted to scream. He wanted to track down Naraku and beat him to death, to hold him in front of his wind tunnel and give him a small taste of the wordless dread and fear that followed him every moment of his own wretched life before cleansing the world of his evil. Instead he closed his eyes, wrapped his arms more securely around Inuyasha's shoulder and ignored the bite of claws as Inuyasha clung back to him.
"It's alright, Inuyasha," he murmured. "We heard his voice, you got his scent. There will be no escape for him next time."
"Yeah…" Inuyasha said unenthusiastically, but his ears perked up and he shot Miroku a toothy grin, gaining some grim enthusiasm. "Yeah! You're right. We're bound to run into him again while searching for the Jewel shards, and when we find him, we'll be ready." He still looked angry and defeated, and he shook from exhaustion and pain, but a fire had lit in his eyes. "There's another thing. There was a mark burned into his back. It looked like a spider."
"Charming," Miroku mused, pulling Inuyasha to his feet. "And very fitting for a venomous creature like him."
Neither were willing to let go of the other, and each kept an arm wrapped around each other's shoulders as they stumbled back to Shippo and Kaede. Miroku noticed Inuyasha subtly sniffing them both for injuries and smile softly despite the anger which still rumbled within him. They were all worse for wear after the long day and night. Kaede looked stiff and exhausted, while both Inuyasha and Miroku could barely keep their feet. Miroku wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, to forget about this awful day for a while. But he caught Kaede glaring meaningfully at him, and he sighed.
"Inuyasha, why don't you take Shippo back to the village?" he suggested, leaning against his staff. "Make sure that no one there was harmed or that no wolves remain. Kaede and I need to check on the miasma, just to make sure it's not spreading."
Inuyasha looked deeply unconvinced, but followed Shippo toward the village regardless. Miroku walked with Kaede back to the barren clearing. The lingering miasma had already cleared, and there was no indication that the wind had carried it elsewhere. The giant insects were nowhere to be seen, and there was no trace of Naraku. Miroku turned expectantly to Kaede, hoping to get this over with quickly.
"Ye know that Inuyasha will seek to destroy Naraku," she stated without preamble. "I know that ye also wish him gone, and with good reason. But what happened today cannot happen again. Ye cannot allow Inuyasha or yourself to rush headlong into danger so unnecessarily. You were incredibly lucky that Naraku did not attack. I have no doubt that he could have easily killed every one of us, had that been his desire. Ye must be more careful in the future."
"What would you have me do, Kaede?" he asked, exhaustion colouring his voice. "Let him escape again? Hold Inuyasha back from his vengeance? I have spent my entire life waiting to destroy Naraku, and you know as well as I that Inuyasha is not one for patience."
"Inuyasha wants to destroy Naraku, that is true," Kaede agreed. "But if there was one thing I learned today, it is that he also wishes to protect others. He cares for ye, hoshi-dono, and ye care for him. Do not let each other become lost in your quest for vengeance. Do not throw your lives away. They are much too valuable."
Miroku sighed heavily. He felt more and more drained with each passing breath. "I told Inuyasha that we would track down Naraku again. Fighting him here has gained us something, at least."
Kaede's eye narrowed and her voice was oddly hesitant. "Ye know that seeing his face means nothing. If he was truly the shapeshifter from fifty years ago, all aspects of him may easily change."
Miroku dragged a hand down his face. "Not right now, Kaede."
"Was there anything else that may be of use to you? Something that would linger in any form he takes?"
"His youki was unmistakable," Miroku grimaced. "It was undoubtedly the same presence I felt lingering in Onigumo's cave. Inuyasha also said he had a spider-shaped burn mark on his back."
"Somehow, Onigumo is Naraku," Kaede shook her head. "The spider will be useful, though. If he carries that with him, it may become his most recognizable trait."
Miroku glared at the arm leaning on his staff, at the purple cloth and painted wooden beads. At the unseen void which lay beneath. "A spider on his back," he murmured, mostly to himself. "That shall serve as Naraku's own sign."
Another mark of the past bleeding into the future. Another condemnation of death.
From a little ways into the forest, Inuyasha growled deep in his throat, his eyes fixed on the arm the bore Miroku's curse.
Miroku had to help Kaede back to the village, she was so exhausted. He didn't think he was much help, to be honest. His hand shook where it supported her elbow and he kept stumbling. As the heat of battle faded, he felt drained and empty. His arm ached from using the wind tunnel too soon and pushing his body so hard before it was recovered.
Shippo was sitting on the steps to Kaede's hut, chin resting on his hands. He perked up when he saw them, instantly scampering over to climb onto Miroku's shoulder. He also looked subdued, but at least he was unharmed.
"Where's Inuyasha?" Miroku asked the kit as he snuggled against his neck.
"He didn't say, but he went off that way," Shippo pointed to an area just outside the village. "He seemed unsettled."
"Thank you, Shippo," Miroku sighed, transferring the fox into Kaede's waiting arms. "Do you think you can help Kaede for me? She's very tired after the battle."
Shippo instantly seemed more energetic. He clambered to the ground and began dragging Kaede into the hut by her hands, chattering away about how they needed to have a nice long nap and then maybe some food and sweets. As a treat, of course. They'd earned it after the battle. Miroku smiled wistfully as he watched them go.
Inuyasha was sitting in the highest branch of one of his regular trees. Miroku could tell that he wanted to be alone, so he sat himself down at the base of the tree and waited. He leaned his head against the trunk and closed his eyes, letting the stress of the battle fall away. He acknowledged the ache, the exhaustion, the emotions, and let them all slip away. He was hovering somewhere between meditation and sleep, uncertain of how much time passed. Inuyasha shifting above him drew him back, though the hanyou didn't come down.
"She didn't save herself."
The words were barely heard, but Miroku had no doubt as to their meaning. He spoke softly back, knowing that Inuyasha's ears would pick up the sound. "She chose to be with you."
Inuyasha stared hard into the distance, breathing heavily with his ears pinned back. Miroku could only guess at what was going through his mind. After another long while, Inuyasha finally turned to look down at him. Something softened in his expression and he sighed, dropping down to kneel by Miroku's side.
"You look like shit."
Miroku smiled despite himself. "Flatterer."
Inuyasha frowned, taking in the haggard look that haunted Miroku's usually stoic expression. "You smell exhausted and in pain. You didn't sleep last night, did you?"
Miroku shook his head. "Busy making sure you were kept hidden."
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "You used the wind tunnel, too. That was stupid."
"Thanks."
He sighed and sat down next to the monk, pressing their shoulders together. "I just can't believe he got away. We were so close!"
Knowing that if he actually thought too hard about it he would explode, Miroku closed his eyes and hummed his agreement. He could feel Inuyasha's eyes boring into him. His scent had probably changed in some way, revealing the emotions he'd rather keep hidden.
"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said softly, and Miroku turned to look at him. "I got so caught up in my hatred for Naraku that I forgot how important this all was to you. I've only been looking for him since you told me about him, but you've been after him forever."
"My experience doesn't make your own feelings toward Naraku any less true," Miroku paused, a small smile tugging at his lips. "But yes, today has been truly awful."
"I was just so desperate to get him. I would've done anything to defeat him."
Miroku gave him a long, measured look. "Is that why you took the Jewel shard from me?"
"No!" Inuyasha answered, immediately and emphatically. "I took it to keep you safe, to make you less of a target. I thought about using it to heal my wounds and go after Royakan, but I couldn't do it. It just didn't feel right."
"Thank you for not using them," Miroku said, and there was a bone-deep weariness in his voice. "I couldn't stand to lose you like that."
"Come on," Inuyasha said, rising to his feet and helping Miroku up. "You need to rest."
Despite the helping gesture, Inuyasha quickly dropped Miroku's hands as soon as he was up. The hanyou walked back toward Kaede's hut at his own pace, leaving Miroku to trail behind him. The monk sighed. He could tell by the raw energy still buzzing off his companion that Inuyasha wouldn't be able to spend a few more days lying around. He would tell Kaede that they would be leaving the next morning. Whether or not Shippo came along was a question for later.
Inuyasha stood in front of Kaede's hut, staring off into the forest. He heard Miroku coming up behind him, smell the twinge of curiosity. "Royakan's woken up."
Miroku carefully kept the exasperation from his voice. "I thought he was dead."
Inuyasha shook his head. "Just unconscious. Listen, I'm gonna go talk to him." Miroku gave him a quizzical look. "Kaede said he was some gentle forest spirit or something. And he still has those two shards of the Jewel. Maybe I can get him to hand 'em over, now that Naraku's not pulling the strings."
"I'll come with you." Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again at Miroku's resigned look. "If you try to fight me on this, know that I am somewhat testy and will either punch you or fall over."
"Just stay behind me and don't do anything stupid," Inuyasha warned, leading the way.
They heard Royakan long before they saw him. He was crying out in pain, staggering in a circle and slamming hard into all the trees in his path. Drool hung from his open mouth and lolling tongue, and his eyes were hazy and unfocused. Inuyasha didn't need to look at Miroku's pale face to know the monk was horrified. It wasn't just the tree to the head that was doing this, Inuyasha was sure – though it probably wasn't helping matters. Royakan looked like he was trying to claw the Jewel shards from his forehead.
"Stay back," Inuyasha warned Miroku as he drew his sword. "He's beyond help. I'm putting him out of his misery."
As Royakan came stumbling toward them, Inuyasha leapt onto his head, digging the tip of Tessaiga into the flesh of his brow. Despite his words, he wanted to try one last thing to save this poor creature. There was still the possibility that he would return to his old self once the Jewel shards were removed. Royakan staggered back at the added pain, swatting ineffectually at Inuyasha. He managed to dig out one of the shards before the flailing arms forced him to jump away. He passed the Jewel to Miroku without even thinking about it and prepared to jump again.
Royakan froze, reaching a hand up to feel the small trickle of blood coming from the new wound. It was almost comical for him to be concerned with a tiny cut, when Kaede's arrows were sticking out of his body at varying levels. Then he fell to his knees, his head bowed. At first Inuyasha thought that he had simply fallen. Then he realized that Royakan was presenting his head to him. He cautiously moved forward and dug his claws into his flesh. Royakan didn't so much as blink. He had already shrunk in size, and his breathing was more ragged than ever. Inuyasha quickly found the second shard and pulled it out.
Royakan heaved once, then keeled over. He was dead before he hit the ground. Inuyasha stared at the blood on his claws and the shard in his hand and felt sick. Miroku said a quick prayer over the rapidly dissolving body, mentioning that they should get Kaede to burn the bones later. There was no sense of victory between them that day. They returned to the village in grim silence.
After extensive research, aka a single Google search, I have deduced that the pelt Naraku wears is from a Hihi, a Chinese baboon youkai recorded in the third volume of the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, a Japanese bestiary. This is entirely a non-canon conclusion so it's still possible that the fucker just went on holiday to Africa.
On a much stupider note, in this episode, Inuyasha throws a tree into Royakan's mouth with the line "You could use some fiber!" Therefore, my headcanon is that in the show, whenever Kagome went back to school, Inuyasha snuck into her house and read whatever books he could get his hands on. At one point he read a nutritional magazine and understood approximately none of it, other than fiber came from plants and people needed some of it in their diet.