Part 1

The void: an infinitesimal place. And to Miroku, he believed it was where his fate lay.

Like his father before him, Miroku believed he would be sucked into his own wind tunnel and be cast into an unending abyss. 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 doctors for a possible reason, but no one could tell him the cause for his discomfort. One doctor told him that it might be psychological and not to worry about it, claiming it was due to stress. But Miroku didn't believe that and dismissed his analysis.

Kagome had given him some hand cream she brought back from her time, but even that didn't work. He didn't know what to do about the problem, if a solution was forthcoming.

Miroku had a dreadful feeling that this might be the beginning of the end for him, like his father; he also felt a strange ache in his hand before he died. But he didn't want to die. He still had so much to do. He was too young and he still had not found a woman to bear his children, and to carry on his name, and the fight against Naraku. He was a holy monk, but he still believed in the natural order of things, namely the continued line of the human race.

"Whatcha doin', Miroku?" asked Shippo, appearing out from behind the tree.

Miroku was started by Shippo's appearance, deep in thought. He put down his hand and looked at the fox demon. "I'm contemplating existence, Shippo," he said. "You wouldn't understand."

"I live therefore I am?" Shippo voiced.

Miroku raised his brow. "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 warmly. "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've 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 cocked his head. "Is that why you were looking at your hand just now?"

"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 freaked out, then cried out, "Kagome!"

Miroku jumped, started, then watched Shippo run and get her. She, the girl from the future, another time, was standing alone on the grass near by.

"Kagome! Miroku's talkin' all creepy," Shippo said, bringing Kagome over.

"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."

"I guess the hand cream didn't work?" Kagome said, in her sweet, kind-hearted, lovable 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. His hand was covered with a partial glove that protected the wind tunnel from activating thanks to his prayer beads he had wrapped around his right hand. "I'm sorry, I wish I could do more."

Miroku's heart began to thump and his body filled with adrenaline as she touched him. And whether he wished for it or not, something else began to emerge. He was thankful for his robes and that they were concealing what lay beneath.

For that moment, she took his mind off the pain, but then he felt another pain—a pain of love. And his left hand reacted, touching her butt.

As soon as Kagome felt his hand, she yelped.

"I can die a happy man now," Miroku said smirking like a love-sick dope.

"You see, he says he's going to die!" Shippo said.

"He's not going to die," Kagome said with a snort, "and far from it actually."

"What's all the commotion over'ere?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, approaching, after a workout section with the Tetsusaiga. His blood red, ceremonial, rat fur hakama, matched his hot-blooded, jealous temper, on most occasions, and with the current situation they coincided. "Hey Miroku, are you fakin' sick again? What's with you lately? Grow a backbone, you idiot monk!"

Miroku cleared his throat. He was also annoyed that he had been removed from his fantasy that distracted him from his hand pain. "I'm not sick, Inuyasha," Miroku said, getting to his feet. "I was merely concerned about the ache in my hand, and sometimes it feels numb and I was trying to bring more feeling to it. It continues to get worse."

"Oh," said Kagome said surprised. "I'm sorry I misinterpreted your actions then."

Miroku smiled, relieved that she accepted his excuse.

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah right, don't make excuses. I've got a solution for your problem."

"Oh really, Inuyasha?" Miroku's brow ached. "Do tell."

"Let me cut it off! Then you'll have nuthin' to worry about." Inuyasha chuckled, getting a better grip of the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "No hands, no excuses."

"That's hardly a sensible solution," Miroku said with a frown, then he looked around. "Where's Sango? I thought she'd be back my now. I haven't seen her in hours."

"She went off with Kirana in search of a doctor who could help you," Kagome said.

"I've seen the best doctors. This is a curse placed upon me and my family, not a disease brought on by a sudden illness. What makes you think this doctor Sango knows can help?"

"I don't know, Sango says she knows him," Kagome said.

"Look at you, all ready to die," Inuyasha said, followed by a sarcastic 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'm prepared to fight no matter what the outcome. So, you needn't worry about me."

Suddenly Miroku folded over in pain and grasped his right hand. It was a pain he had never experienced before and it caught him off guard, the strange ache had suddenly turned into a sting—like someone had just stabbed his hand.

Kagome quickly grabbed his hand and started massaging like before. It didn't help.

Inuyasha saw this, and with overwhelming jealousy, slapped her hand away from Miroku.

Kagome looked at him. "What's your problem, Inuyasha?" She was confused and upset.

"You were…uh…" Inuyasha's voice stuttered. "Touching him, in a weird way!"

"I was helping Miroku!" Kagome said angrily. "Don't be so jealous!"

"I ain't jealous! I'd never be jealous of that lecherous, good-for-nothin'—"

In the meantime, without Kagome rubbing his hand, Miroku 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 turned, saw what he was doing, and tried to open his hand, but Miroku wouldn't let her. He was squeezing his hand in reaction to the god-awful pain he was suffering.

After a minute, Miroku began to feel the pain subside and he opened his hand. All he could do was bare it until the pain had leaved off, as it had done at other times since the ache had begun to emerge, for which the others were not with him for. This had not been the first time this kind of "sting" had happened in the last couple of weeks.

Kagome was shocked to see his palm and glove was bathed in blood. She took out a first aid kit from a backpack she brought with her from her world and wrapped his hand with a bandage.

"Thank you, Kagome," Miroku said, but he still riveted 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 again. "This seems to ease the pain, right Miroku?"

Miroku nodded. "Oh yes, Kagome, most definitely," he said smiling fervidly.

Inuyasha looked at what Kagome was doing and slapped her hand away from Miroku again in a jealous way. "You doin' it again! Stop it!"

"Doing what, Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "What on earth is wrong with you, Inuyasha?"

"I see how it helps him, the lecherous fiend!" Inuyasha said. "I think this whole ache thing is just some rouse to get some attention since Sango's gone. Tell me I aint right, Miroku?"

"You're mistaken, Inuyasha," Miroku replied. "Why would I fake such a thing?"

"You tell me! Huh? You've done some weird stuff in the past to get girls and this ain't beneath ya!" Inuyasha then saw the look in Kagome's eyes and it was not a nice one. She eyed him with a disdainful stare. "What? Why are you lookin' at me like that fer?"

"How dare you accuse Miroku of orchestrating something like this? Miroku has helped us out more times than I can recall and you accuse him of crying wolf just to get attention?"

Kagome was very angry. Inuyasha took a step back. Her face started to go beet red with anger. She was scaring him and he didn't normally get this way. He was a fearsome fighter on the battlefield, but when it came to Kagome, he was sometimes reduced to a lapdog—and with one word. And he didn't want to hear that.

"Help me out, man," Inuyasha said to Miroku worriedly. "Tell her you're fakin'."

Miroku shook his head. "I assure you, Inuyasha, I'm not," he said.

"Oh, man!" Inuyasha said, ruffling his head. "No, no, no!"

Inuyasha thought he could not see the immediate future and 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 that he could hear the "word" from a mile away.

"Kagome, I'm sorry! Please don't say it!"

"Say what? Never mind, Inuyasha. Let me help Miroku, go over there, and sit!"

Inuyasha gasped.

The Beads of Subjugation necklace around Inuyasha's neck flashed. He did a face plant and slammed into the ground hard. Lady Kaede's, Kikyo's younger sister, had placed the beads around his neck as a seal to keep his demon side under control and also a safety precaution from him getting the Shikon Jewel at an earlier time, turning full-demon.

A secret word activated the power of the beads, a word chosen by Kagome, and when Inuyasha heard it, no matter the context, or where, it affected him. And forced him to hit the ground in subjugation and obedience like a dog.

"Ow!" Inuyasha groaned.

"Serves you right, Inuyasha," Shippo said, "Kagome is only trying to help Miroku."

Miroku looked at Inuyasha on the ground and shook his head in sympathy, and said, "Why do you insist on antagonizing Kagome, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha only groaned a painful response.

To be continued...