Part 3

Miroku stood as Sango and Kirana's protector. His staff stopped a fatal blow from Jakotsu's sword, but the pressure was mounting.

Jakotsu pushed with his sword against Miroku's staff and Miroku's body arched backwards. Miroku hand hurt as he held his staff and he felt like he was about to lose, but then Kirana came to his rescue. She transformed into her fiery form again, and snarled at Jakotsu, making him back off.

"You're a miserable thing!" Jakotsu said. "But you'll soon learn your place. Once my brother deals with Inuyasha, he'll join me and together you'll all die!" He cocked his head. "Although, you're not half-bad looking, monk," he added. "But you're not as cute as Inuyasha."

Miroku expressed disgust. "While to each his own, keep it to yourself, Jakotsu," he said. "And you overestimate your chances." Jokotsu suddenly grinned large, and Miroku was confused. "And why on earth are you smiling? You're can't defeat us alone."

"Quite true," Jakotsu said, then pointed towards a tree close behind them, and there in the lower branches was Kohaku, Sango's little brother, in full-battle regalia. "I won't have to," he added. "It's you who underestimated our strategy. While I distracted you into battling me, he infiltrated unnoticed. Kohaku! Capture the fair-haired one…NOW!"

Jakotsu pointed to Kagome.

Kohaku threw his chain-sickle, a curved blade made of animal bone, at Kagome, who was standing away from the battle zone, mildly protected by Shippo, and it wrapped around her shoulders, arms and waist, coiling like a snake. Kagome screamed as Kohaku dragged her back towards the tree. Shippo tried to pull her free, but his strength was little help.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out. "Help!"

Inuyasha looked back. "Kagome!" he shouted. "Miroku, get her! I'm a little busy at the moment." He struggled with Bankotsu, their swords clashing. The clash between the two titans would be have been an awesome sight to see for anyone else.

Naraku was standing apart from the battle like some sort of overseer still dressed in that ridiculous Baboon disguise, Inuyasha saw.

If Kagome is hurt in anyway, I'll kill them all. I swear it!

Bankotsu used the opportunity to take the advantage and gave a little push forward with his sword to knock Inuyasha down to the ground. Bankotsu then swirled his Banryuu and disarmed Inuyasha of the Tetsusaiga, the Tetsusaiga flew up into the air. It flipped several times and then landed hilt first into Banotsu's free hand. The sword reverted back to its thin, beaten down looking, state, not in the hand of its master.

Bankotsu levelled the Tetsusaiga underneath Inuyasha's chin, now with the appearance of a typical Samurai sword. "You've been beaten by a superior swordsman, Inuyasha," he said. "And now the Shikon Jewel shards and the mighty Tetsusaiga will be mine. Once I learn their secret's, I'll become the most power force in the land."

Inuyasha growled. "Not if I have anything to say about it," he said.

"I should cut your throat right here and be done with you," Bankotsu said.

"But you won't or you'll feel the wrath of your master," Inuyasha said with smugness.

"Naraku is not my master, I serve no one!" Bankotsu said. "I was the ruler of this land many years before Naraku or any his kind ever existed, demons or other. And once I learn the secrets behind the Tetsusaiga and the Shikon Jewel, I'll become so again!"

"If you hate him that much, then why not join us and help us kill Naraku? After that we can go our separate ways."

"Food for thought, my friend, but impossible. If I disobey him, then I'll become just as weak and feeble as you. He'll take my jewel shards away and I'll—die. In serving Naraku I can learn his secrets and one day destroy him with his own power and then live forever!"

"He eats warriors like you for breakfast."

Bankotsu chuckled. "I know your plans for the Shikon Jewel when it's reassembled, such a weak purpose to want to become full-demon like your pathetic brother. But I have plans for it too, and in serving with Naraku, I can acquire my wish much faster. So if you know what's good for you, you'll cease your petty quest and go home."

"I have no home, Naraku destroyed it!" Inuyasha said.

"So you're just as determined to get the jewel as I am, but you're too late," Bankotsu said. "My associate has the young girl from the future in his custody. The jewel shards will be ours."

Inuyasha growled, and Bankotsu laughed.

With Kagome captured by Kohaku; Miroku, Sango and Kirana were virtually helpless to act for fear of her safety.
Kohaku, under the control of Naraku, was powerless to resist his control to capture her.

He had been risen from the dead to serve Naraku after a trap ensnared his family, killing them all—except Sango. The youngest member of a family of Demon Slayers, he was called to enlist his skills on his first mission, but his inexperience ended up killing his everyone instead. Aware of his wrongdoings, his mind open, he served under Naraku to one day live again, but couldn't break away from Naraku, not with a shard of the Suikon Jewel in his back that kept him alive. He was like a puppet and Naraku had his strings.

Shippo was the most scared in his entire life, but he had to do something to help Kagome. Using his transformation ability, he changed into a very large hideous looking ogre-type demon with dark green skin, a muscular body, and one eye, like a cyclops—more than twenty feet tall. Shippo thought it was the strangest thing he could think of, manufacturing a big club.
He slammed the club into the ground, causing the ground to quiver and shake.

Jakotsu was unafraid, an illusion at best.

"Your illusions are interesting, fox demon, but you're still a weak, and insignificant," Jakotsu said, and walked up to Shippo. "Do your worse and try to strike me down!"

Shippo attacked him with the club, but at the last second Jakotsu side-stepped to the side and cut the club in two with his sword, then he twirled like someone dancing, and sliced Shippo across the stomach, bringing the ogre thundering down to the ground. Shippo reverted back to his small self, a small pool of blood flowing from his underbelly.

"Ow, ow, ow!" the fox demon cried out in pain.

Sango went to him, and said, "Shippo, are you alright!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Shippo replied. "It hurts!"

"You evil bastard!" Miroku said. "Have you no heart at all!"

"Oh, I have a heart, it's just black as the night," Jakotsu said, and he licked two fingers after putting them in his mouth as he looked at Miroku. Miroku looked to shiver. "I'm more demon now, and I enjoy what I do."

Mikoku suddenly grit his teeth in pain and clutched his hand, collapsing to his knees.

His wind tunnel sucked at the cloth fabric of the glove covering his hand, the prayer beads no longer holding Naraku's curse at bay.

He turned to face Naraku, who was standing away, but close enough that his wind tunnel would suck him in. "This is it! If I go, you come with me, Naraku!" And he removed his glove.

Miroku's wind tunnel unleashed with hurricane sized winds and everything that was in its path was sucked in, collapsing with its dark void. Inuyasha and Bankotsu ceased their fight so they could seek refuge, the winds were so strong.
"Miroku, you idiot! Seal that thing up!" Inuyasha demanded.

Bankotsu managed to dig his sword blade into the ground deeply and hide behind it like a shield as the wind sheers torn everything around him flew asunder. Jakotsu did the same.

Inuyasha tried as he might, digging his claws into the ground, trying to grab purchase, but it all was for naught, and he was the first to be sucked in.

"Quickly! Get the jewel shards," shouted Naraku, "before they're sucked in!"

But none of his accompaniment listened.

The next thing that happen was horrific and Miroku was witness to it all.

Next went Sango, Kirana, Shippo, and Kagome, all drawn into his wind tunnel.

"NO!" he screamed.

Then finally, Miroku himself, as he felt his insides begin to tear apart, bit by bit, his body was ripped to shreds and sucked into the wind tunnel—

And into the void!

To be continued...