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Part Three

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Miroku sat crosslegged under an old tree, allowing his senses to wander, hyperaware of the slightest changes in the air around him. For all his playful (and sometimes perverted) antics, the young monk had quite a serious side to him, and felt a great dedication to his faith. He took the time to meditate rarely, much more rarely than he ought, but he was imperfect, and one of the benefits of being a Buddhist was, he thought, the acceptance of human imperfections. After all, technically he was supposed to reject material possesions as having no true worth, but that hadn't stopped him from ripping off the occasional nobleman and selling the goods for food. He liked to think he was liberating the rich from the trappings of wealth and helping them come one step closer to nirvana. A smile played across the young man's lips as a faint breeze danced against his skin.

Suddenly, much too suddenly, he felt the overwhelming presence of something evil. His eyes flew open and he was on his feet immediately, looking around him. Was he under attack? It seemed to be coming from the direction of the deep woods known as Inuyasha's Forest. Gripping his staff firmly, he started in that direction.

"Houshi-sama!" He turned his head at Sango's call. She was running towards him, Kirara beside her. "That jaki!"

"I know!" he called back. "Let's go!"

The beautiful taijiya leapt onto the back of her faithful fire-cat, and reached out a hand to pull Miroku up behind her. Kirara bounded into the air over the forest trees.

"Where could it have come from?" Sango wondered. "It was so sudden. One moment nothing, and the next moment, this massive evil force." It had indeed been sudden - Sango still had her kimono on over the tight-fitting armor of a youkai taijiya. As she spoke she tied her hair high on her head to keep it out of her way during the fight she sensed was coming.

"There!" Miroku pointed. "By Kagome's well!" A bird was rising from the well, and as soon as it cleared the edges, it began to increase in size.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango let loose her battle cry and flung the massive Hiraikotsu boomerang at the bird's head. Miroku had to duck to avoid being struck by it. He stood up on Kirara's back and lept into the air with his staff, uttering a cry and striking. His staff connected, but had little effect, and as he fell backwards, twisting his body so he could land on his feet, one hand grasped the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, preparing.

He landed, and called to Sango and Kirara to get out of the way. "I'm going to use Kazaana!" He pulled the beads away and loosed the hellmouth of his right palm. The massive bird shrieked with rage and flapped its wings against the powerful force of the Kazaana curse. Miroku couldn't keep it open too long without endangering everyone around, and the youkai was strong enough to resist it. He closed it and clutched his hand to his chest for a moment. Kazaana was painless, but it left him feeling breathless and sapped.

Sango retrieved her errant Hiraikotsu, which had been thrown off its course by connecting with the creature's head, and sought an opening again. The bird had lifted well off the ground in its effort to escape the wind tunnel, and now let out a shattering crow, suddenly descending and seizing Sango by the shoulders. She felt her feet leave the ground, and cried out "Houshi-sama!"

"Sango!" Miroku shouted. "Kirara, quickly!"

Sango had dropped her weapon, but kept her head and fumbled in the folds of her kimono. She always kept a small knife strapped to her waist, just in case she needed it. She tried not to notice how dizzingly high she was getting, as she drew the knife and firmly implanted it in the foot that had hold of her, slicing deep and unreservedly. One of the toes of the beast came off raggedly, and it screeched in anger and pain, letting go of her and flying higher up.

Sango fell for only a few dizzying moments before Miroku's arms caught her, and she was pulled onto Kirara's back, safely embraced by the monk. "Sango," he gasped with relief, resting his face on the back of her head. As Kirara brought them down to a safe height, Sango closed her eyes and rested against him, her heart pounding from her near escape.

It took a few moments for them to remember themselves, and that the danger wasn't over yet. Their eyes sought the sky for the enemy, and their hearts sank as they realized it was most assuredly on its way to the village and it would be there in a matter of minutes. "Kirara, we need to get there first," Sango urged her faithful friend. "We have to warn them!"

They touched down in the village a few moments later, and started shouting. "Get inside! Everyone hide!" The villagers saw the bird coming, and most of them were already hustling the old, the young, and the weak inside their huts and homes, anywhere they could be safe. The men and some of the stronger women, who were all well used to youkai attacks, were arming themselves and preparing according to Kaede's orders.

"Kaede-sama, you should get inside," Miroku told the aged priestess. "That youkai nearly carried off Sango."

"What a time for Inuyasha to go missing," Kaede sighed. "I will certainly not go and hide, young monk. I've been fighting youkai some forty years now." She pulled an arrow from her quiver and watched the shape in the sky getting closer.

The youkai was in no mood for a fight, however. It swept over the village a few times just out of bow range, scanning with its wicked eyes. Kirara lunged, and Hiraikotsu sang as it cut the air. It dodged the blow, screaming with a downward plunge. Sango cried out as her eyes followed its path. A small girl who had snuck out of her home to watch. The villagers attacked with arrows, with spears, and with curses, but the devil moved too fast, and they couldn't fight without fear of hitting the child, who was being lifted. Sango urged Kirara closer. Only they could get high enough to fight. She tried to put the screams of the child out of her head, and hefted her recovered weapon over her head, took careful aim. If she missed, the girl would not survive. "Kami-sama, please guide me... HIRAIKOTSU!" The elegantly carved bone sliced through the air and connected firmly with the youkai's legs. She had been right in guessing that the creature was stupid, and would drop its prey in shock. Her gamble had paid off a second time. Kirara instinctively caught the wailing child, and they immediately glided back to earth. The youkai cried out in fury and sailed away to find an easier meal.

"Yokkata!" A weeping woman pushed through the crowd and embraced the little girl, sobbing her thanks to Sango for the rescue. The girl was still crying with pain and fear. She had not had the benefit of armor, as Sango had when she'd been caught, and the bird's talons had pierced her flesh deeply. She was bleeding copiously from her wounds, and wailed. Kaede knelt down beside her mother and tried to quiet her as she surveyed the wounds. "Carry her into my house immediately," she ordered, and the girl's father obeyed. Kaede walked behind, moving as hurriedly as her body would allow her. The child was still in great danger.

Kirara reverted to her smaller form and hopped into Sango's arms, mewing. "Hai, Kirara," the young woman said. "You were sugoi."

"You both were," Miroku agreed, surprising her. "Sango, I haven't seen you fight like that before. It was truly inspiring."

"I just hope it wasn't futile," she said sadly. "That child could still die."

He bowed his head. "Sou desu. But have some faith in Kaede-sama." There was silence for a moment, until with a rather naughty glint in his eye, the monk added "Are YOU injured, Sango?"

"Me? No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Perhaps I should just check to be sure..." A resounding slap to the face pulled his wandering hand off of Sango's body and onto his own face, rubbing the stinging mark. "I was just trying to help!"

"I assure you, THAT part of my body is FINE!" Sango stalked off. Miroku sighed and decided to see if he could assist Kaede in any way.