Warning this chapter may contain content that adult may not find suitable for young children. Teens are okay!
Miroku Meets an Old Friend
Chapter Three
By Demonwind_wing
~Near Natsume's home~
"Where did they go," Inu- yasha said as he sniff at the ground in search of Miroku and Natsume.
As the rest of the Inu- yasha gang follow Kogome asked, "Inu- yasha why did you have to wake us up so early, the sun is barely up. Yawn--," Shippo nodded in agreement half asleep. "Can't we rest? I'm sure that they're okay." Plead Kogome.
Inu- yasha was a little ahead of the others. "Fine we'll stop for a little bit." But just then the wind pick up. The scent of blood fill his nose, Miroku's blood. The half demon left the others to find the where the scent was coming from. The others follow as fast as the could, all wondering why he had left so quickly.
When they had caught up with him he was standing beside a small pool of blood. "Uh, Inu-yasha, who's blood is that?" Kogome asked as she inch towards him.
"It's Miroku's blood, I'm sure!" But the scent ends here. There's no trace of him, only his blood. Let me try to pick up his trail. And Kogome will you let go of my arm." Kogome was clinging to Inu- yasha's arm. She let go. Shippo then jump onto Kogome shoulder as Sango walk to them.
They all waited as Inu- yasha began to sniff the ground for a trace, any trace of Miroku or Natsume. Inu- yasha then pick up a small scent of the both of them plus the scent of two others, both demon! He follow the scent to the banks of the lake the began in the forest and move towards the mountains, and into a cursed valley where no one had gone to and come back.
"Well are we going to follow Inu- yasha?" Sango said as she went behind a tree to change into her exterminator.
Inu- yasha then yelled in frustration, "and how do you think we're going to cross the lake!"
"Inu- yasha, you don't have to yell," Shippo said laying on the ground with swirling eyes. Apparently Inu- yasha had yelled in his fox ears.
'Poor Shippo,' thought Kogome as she pick him up.
"Maybe if you had any brains Inu- yasha then you wouldn't had yelled. Why don't we use Kirara. What do you said Kirara?" Sango talk as she came out from behind the tree dress for combat. Kirara game a little yip of approval. She had been completely forgotten till now.
Inu- yasha, now looking like a fool for not thinking of it first said trying the regain his dignity, "fine, if you want to do it that way." Kirara, getting the okay transform into her full form. She then trudge into the water with the rest on her back, she was a custom to the weight on her back.
As they continue through the water a fog began to overcome the lake. "Inu- yasha what's that? Is that a boat?" Everyone look at the direction that Kogome was pointing at. They all saw a boat coming through the water.
Just then someone yelled in the dense fog that shrouded the lake, "hello out there." It was a man's voice that rang out to them. The small boat came up to them and stop. The man, it seem from the graying hair around temples, was a little over middle age. He was really tall and had long black hair tied up in a high pony tail. (Guess who it is! It's Sanjuro!) "Hey I was wondering if you can by chance help me find my niece." He said with good nature.
"Sure we'll help if we can," Kogome said with good nature herself. She could never help herself to help another out.
"What! If you hadn't notice, we're trying to find Miroku and Natsume." Inu- yasha said exasperated.
"Did you just said Natsume AND Miroku. They're together? Where are they?" Said the strange man as his eyes lit with joy at finding the two together once more.
"Wait, you know Natsume and Miroku?" Sango asked with full attention.
"Yes, Natsume is my niece, and Miroku is a friend of mine."
"Well if fate could 'a been kinder, they're missing and we just found a small pool of Miroku's blood." Inu-yasha said rudely from impatience.
"Don't mind him, he's always like that sir." Kogome intervened.
"Hey, what is your name anyways?" Shippo then but in.
The man was startle by the sudden change of subject that he almost fell from the boat, "HUH? Oh yes my name, my name is Sanjuro."
Inu-yasha then renter the conversation saying, "well, if you don't mine, can we hurry up and find the two of them. And I prefer that we find them both alive, which they might not be right now."
"Don't worry about them," everyone look at Sanjuro with the questioning look on their faces. "I guess you guys want an explanation?" They all nodded. Sanjuro then continue saying, "They won't kill them," Inu-yasha had a face on the said, 'how can you be sure?" Seeing the question on Inu- yasha face, Sanjuro answer, "they need Natsume alive so that she can raise the Army of Shadows. She's the only one that can do it."
Kogome blunted, "then why do they need Miroku?"
"My guess is to hold him hostage so that Natsume will listen to whoever that took them." Sango supplied the answer. All Sanjuro did was nodded with a grim look in his eyes.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go find them and kick whoever's butt that took them." Shippo said cutting the disheartening aura that lace the air. They all nodded with approval and headed through the water and deep into the lake as Sanjuro told the whole story.
~Castle Of Shadows~ (where Miroku and Natsume are)
Miroku awoke with a throbbing arm. He tried to sit up, but find that he was weighted down by some one. He felt the bear, soft, warm skin of the person that weighted him down. One eye at a time he open, he was in a well furnish room and was lying in a silk futon. But what surprise him the most was Natsume and himself were in the same futon, and both of them had nothing on! (Note here: Miroku does have his prayer bead and glove on. Just wanted you to know.) He felt ashamed of himself for tricking her into the same futon as him. (That should tell you how much he likes her. Hee hee ;) 'I don't know if she even likes me,' he thought with fury at himself. 'Wait a sec! I don't even remember tricking her at all. The only thing I remember is…,', "the demon!" he then said out loud.
"Snicker, snicker," Someone was snickering from Miroku left, behind the sliding paper doors. "Finally awake are you?" The man said as another person who looks like a servant put down his burden.
Miroku then realized what the other man was. "You're a demon! What do you want with the two of us and why are we, um, like this." Miroku said with fury and hesitation at the same time.
The man then answer with a oily voice, "why? Why is because she is the last of the lord shadow demons that ruled over us. And she is the only one who can control the shadows beasts. When she bears a child we shall raise that child to listen to our words and take over everything, and with the shadow beast as our warriors under that child command."
Now this really got under Miroku's skin, fury boil his blood, but he manage to said in a clam sounding voice, "how can you do such a thing. Using a child to such a degree when that child is not even born! And why use me to get that child?"
"The child must be born from parents that truly love each other. And the way she would give up her own freedom for you life means she does love you." This came as a surprise to Miroku. He had always like her even as far as to say he love her. But he never thought she would like him or love him. The man interrupt Miroku thought saying, "even if you have a cruse on your hand, it won't effect the child at all. There are a few good things about being a Void Shadow Demon." He and the other person left as Miroku clench his good fist in a tight ball.
He was about to slam his fits into the covers of the futon before he remember that Natsume was next to him. Until now he never realized how big her… Miroku shook his head to get the thought out of his head. 'She's my friend! Get a hold of yourself Miroku!' With that decided Miroku try to wake her up by shaking her shoulder. All she did was snuggle up close to him, which got a blush out of him. It's was useless, try as he might, she would not wake up. It was like she was put to sleep with a drug or something. (Which she was.) "Sigh--, oh well, she'll wake up soon." He look around the room once more. He then notice the burden the other person had brought. No one was around so he got up and open the door and found two trays of food and his own monk outfit and a red silk kimono with black flower print. He brought the items from outside the room and close the door.
As he set the trays and the kimono on the floor next to Natsume she began to stir. Quickly he began to put on his own outfit. He did not want her to see him with nothing on, that was for sure. When Miroku was finish he sat beside Natsume. Natsume sat up with the covers clutch to her chest.
"Miro- Miroku? Wha- what hap-," she trail off, "Miroku what are you doing here, and why am I like this?"
"Listen Natsume, just clam down. I heard why we're here and why you, um, are like this." Miroku answer as he felt a blush creep up on his face. He explains everything that he heard from the demon.
When he had finish Natsume began to shed tears. Miroku did the only thing he could do. She cried in his arm as silently as she could, as tears began to wet his robe. He crying was so bad that Miroku did not hear what she was saying. "Huh?"
"It's my fault that you're in this mess. It's all my fault! I should have never been born!" She continue to cry as he hold her in his arms.
"It's not you fault. Don't say you should have never been born. With out you I would have died a long time ago." Memories of all the times Natsume had stop him from drowning in a river, the time she help him through the forest while demons where chasing them and other times she had help him through. The flow of tears began the thicken as she to remember all those memories also. "Now hurry up and get dress Natsume," he said as he move away to fetch the silk kimono for her. When he gave her the kimono he turn around. Natsume did trust Miroku not to look at her.
"Okay, you can turn around Miroku," He did as he was told. Miroku was speechless. She was splendid in the black and red kimono.
To be continue…