Alright, I got three reviews...so I'll keep my word and continue. But I am telling you, I am very disappointed in the lack of reviews. If you enjoy this, or see anything you don't like about it, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! I love to hear anything, anything at all!! Alright: here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except Koraru!! Yeah....

The Evening Star: Chapter 3

The Monk and his Daughter

When Miroku next woke up, he was pleasantly surprised at feeling a whole lot better than he had in a long time. 'Wonder what types of medicine that girl uses...?' Speaking of which, the person he thought of opened the paper door and stepped inside, a shy smile on her face. "And how are you feeling today?"

"Much better," he told her with a warm grin. She smiled largely at him and threw her arms around his neck, "I'm glad! I'll have Kagome-obasan make some breakfast for you." She skipped out of the room, leaving him to dress. He was just placing his purple sash on when she came back with a tray with a bowl of rice, lightly fried fish, and miso soup. "Ah, thank you, Koraru, it looks good." She giggled and sat on her knees in front of him and stole a piece of his fish. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as she daintily nibbled at her food. In that way she was like her mother, she had good table manners. Picking up his chopsticks, he started stuffing the food into his mouth. A look of disgust crossed the girl's face, "Oba-san says you were always a sloppy eater."

"Like I'm anything next to Inu-yasha," he noted slyly. She shrugged, "I wouldn't know, I never met him." He tilted his head, "What happened to him?"

"No one knows, he just disappeared. Oba-san always suspects that Kikyo came and got him somehow. Mama agreed with her, and from what I've heard, so do I." Miroku's eyes darkened at the fate of his friend, but he kept his features carefully schooled. He quickly finished off his breakfast, and rose to his feet, his daughter following his movements. "Papa?" He smiled his carefree smile at her, "Didn't you say if I felt better we could go out looking for Naraku?" A frown crossed her adorable features, "I guess I did. It means we have to go out and leave Obasan again, doesn't it?"

"She can always come with us."

"You know she never does, Papa. It brings up too many memories for her." It saddened him to hear such a fortune becoming the brave woman he had grown to admire. She took a look at his gloomy face and lowered her eyes, "I'll go ask her to prepare some travel packs for us."

"I'll come with you."

"Hai!" her cheerful countenance was back, and she skipped off, showing him the way into the next room. They came to a larger space then where he had been sleeping, and where Kagome was bent over a pot of stew, "Hi, Miroku!" She greeted him, a soft smile on her face, "I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

"And I am glad to see you as well, Kagome-san." A gentle chuckle came from her, "Didn't we drop the titles long ago?" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, yes. Of course."

"We're going out again, Oba-san, Papa has the itch to find Naraku again," the little girl chirped up. The woman sighed and looked at her friend tiredly, "Miroku? Must you go on this continuous search?" She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Must you torture your only child with war?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I must end this curse, Kagome, and avenge my beloved Sango. I will not rest until her killer is sent to hell, where he belongs." She shook her head, "Miroku..." Koraru gave the saddened woman a hug, "Don't get sad Oba-san, don't we always come back?" Kagome smiled down at her adopted niece, "I guess you do. I'll go prepare some food for you to take on your journey."

"Arigato, Oba-san!!" She hugged the woman even tighter before turning to her father. "I'll go get my slayer armor!" He smiled down at her, "Alright, but be quick."

"Yessir!" the little girl leapt to her feet and bounded into another room on the other side of the house. As soon as the door closed, Kagome turned to him, fire in her eyes, "You really should stop this. Having the girl constantly fighting is not good!! It's not right..."

"She's her mother's daughter," Miroku said sadly, "And I will not have her ending up like her! I must end the threat of Naraku, once and for all."

"You can't do it alone! You don't have your wind tunnel to use anymore!" This shocked the priest to the bone, "What?!"

"I found a spell to seal it, remember?? It'll consume you if you use it even once! You haven't used it for years!" Tears filled the woman's eyes, "I don't want to lose anymore friends.......please, Miroku." He took her into his arms, trying to comfort her, "It will be alright Kagome."

"No it will not! It's been disastrous ever since Inu-yasha vanished! First he was gone, then Sango, then Kaede-baba, and...and..." She broke into heart-rending sobs, shaking the houshi's soul. "Don't cry, please, Kagome. Be strong, if not for yourself then be strong for young Koraru." The miko nodded, stepping back from him, though her head was lowered, "I'll get started on your bags."

"Thank you, my friend," but she said nothing as she started placing blankets and other necessities in two travel-worn bags. He sat down against the wall, and began to meditate. The two friends thus sat in comfortable silence for a while, before it was interrupted by an energetic young Taiyja. "Are we ready, Papa?" he chuckled at her and got to his feet. "I think we are, now that you're here." He took in his daughter's dress. She wore a simple yukata, much like her mother did, with peeps of her armor underneath. Dressed as such, she was a living memory of her parent. Shaking off the fancy, he turned to Kagome, "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes," she answered, turning around to pass them their bags with a warm smile. "You have a five day food supply, that should get you to the next village. You're scrolls are in there too, Miroku. And I have some special treats in there for you Koraru." A bright light appeared in the girl's purple eyes, "Is it chocolate?"

"As always."

"SUGOI!!" the child gave her a hug, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Miroku smiled, "We better get going, we want to make good time." Kagome nodded, "Of course, the demons have been more rampart than usual, so take care."

"We will!" little Koraru promised, "I'll protect Papa with Hiraikotsu!" At that announcement, the priest's eyes bulged out in a mixture of awe and fear. First off, he was amazed the child could even wield such a heavy weapon. Secondly, he feared for his life if his daughter had the same temperament as the woman who bore her. But he quickly hid his surprise as they stepped out into the bright sunshine. "Kirara! Kirara!! Where are you Kirara??" a small meow answered the girl's calls and the small fire-cat demon popped out of the forest. Giggles filled the air as the two-tailed creature jumped up on her mistress and started licking her. Miroku couldn't help but smile, the scene in front of him was just too cute. "Are you ready Kirara?" the little girl asked. The youkai nodded, "Then lets go!" With a roar of fire and flame, the small cat turned into her much larger form, and knelt so the two humans to get on. "Goodbye Oba-san!!" Koraru waved cheerfully, "Take care while we're gone!"

"Goodbye, Kagome, I'll see you when we get back!" The woman nodded with a small smile, waving her farewell as the trio took off to the sky. "Sayonara, Miroku..."

'No sign of him yet, no sign at all,' Miroku thought desperately. They had been searching for close to a month now, and there was no luck for the two hunters. One of them was so bored that she had actually fallen asleep. Her father stared at her lovingly, in time he was with her, he had learned she was in a lot of ways like her mother, and in a lot of other ways she was just herself. He liked the moments when she was just herself, she was much more trustful and revealing in her emotions than Sango then. And he liked that extra love that her mother never showed him...It was strange. Even though he knew he had raised this child, and loved her mother, he couldn't remember any of it. It made him doubt this reality, but he lived it anyway. He petted the girl's soft hair, reminiscing and imagining the life before his fever...Then a dark miasma hit him like a hammer, making him nearly fall of Kirara. Miroku's sudden movements woke up his daughter with a start, "Papa? What's...whoa! That is a really dark aura!!" He placed a protective arm around her and got out a spelled scroll. "Set down, Kirara! Now!" The cat followed his impassioned order, and fell to the ground in lightning speed. As soon as they touched earth he jumped off and put a barrier spell around them. "Papa?" the little girl came up beside him. "It's Naraku." Her eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I know this aura anywhere, prepare yourself, Koraru."

"Yes sir!" The child peeled off her yukata, revealing the demon slayer outfit underneath. It looked exactly like her mother's, except that her armor was blue instead of red. She put on her mask and handed him one, "I'm going to use my poison powder..."

"Yes, but not yet," he told her softly, motioning her to put it away as he put on his mask. "What are we going to do?"

"For now, we are going to run."

"What??"

"Don't worry, he'll follow, trust me," Koraru nodded, not completely understanding, but she trusted her father. "Ok, on the count of three, I'm going to drop the shield, and we are going to run as fast as we can, got it?" the girl nodded again. He smiled at her, "Are you afraid?" She waited a moment, then nodded shakily. He knelt in front of her and took her shoulders, "It's natural to be afraid, it makes you cautious, wise. But you got to stand up to what you're afraid of, you do that every time that you face a demon don't you?" Another set of nods came from her, and he gave her another warm smile, "This is just like those other times."

"But...this one killed mommy." He lowered his head, "Don't let that stop you, let it make you stronger." This time, the girl nodded vigorously and pulled up Hiraikotsu, "Let's go." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, "That's my girl. Ready? One...two...THREE!" The two broke out into a run, Miroku leading while Koraru followed behind. They could hear something buzzing in the forest, which the priest immediately recognized: they were surrounded by Saimyosho. "Koraru," he shouted behind his shoulder, "Whatever you do, don't use your Kazaana!!"

"But father..."

"Those things out there will kill you if you open your hand! They're poisonous!"

"Yes sir!" They continued running through the forest, Miroku looking for the perfect spot to do battle. Then they fell into it. There was a crater in the middle of the woodlands, where no grass or tree grew. The priests knew the signs; something of great evil had taken place here. He rolled to the bottom of the small valley, landing on his knees. "Koraru! Use your poison powder now!" He didn't hear a response, and for a moment he feared something had happened to her. To his great relief the gas did appear, and he felt a body crawl up to his own, "Father, will this kill him?"

"No, it won't."

"Then why...?"

"I'm buying time to create a spell, and you'll need to protect me." She nodded, fire gleaming in her eyes, "Yessir!" He watched her shadow stand up, brandishing her very large weapon. Smiling, he started murmuring an ancient Buddhist chant. As the purple fog began to disappear, minor demons began swarming around them. Immediately Koraru leapt into action. Hiraikotsu flew in the air, slicing all creatures in its path, and the young Taiyja defended herself with her swords. Soon the land was littered with blood and broken body parts. 'The girl has impressive skills,' the Houshi thought gently, 'She'll be a great warrior.' Then, all of a sudden, the demons all disappeared. The girl stood in confusion she stood in front of her father, "Where did they go?" Miroku felt a great sense of foreboding, and he broke the chain of his spell, "Koraru, MOVE!!"

"What?" But as she turned to face him, something tore at her back, causing her to cry out in pain. "KORARU!!" He ran to her and scooped her up in his arms, quickly taking in the state of her wounds. Turning around had obviously saved her life: the claw marks carved into her back were several inches deep, missing major organs by a few centimeters. Kirara ran up to the couple, mewling plaintively. The priest had no time to respond, however, because a being appeared suddenly, hovering off the ground about ten feet away. "Naraku..." Miroku whispered, then he realized how much the youkai had actually changed. The hair that was once jet black now had streaks of silver scattered throughout it, the body was more slender then it had been, but what alarmed him were the blood-covered claws hanging at his side. The demon, until that moment, had been looking down, but now raised his head to look at his enemy. Horror filled the Houshi at the sight of Naraku's face. It was a strange mixture of the creature once called Onigumo, and the face of his beloved friend, Inu-yasha. Especially with that familiar arrogant smirk on his face. "What...in the seven hells...what did you do, Naraku??" The youkai laughed at him, two voices coming out instead of one, "Come, now, can't you guess, monk? I would think it was a little obvious. But if you must ask..." He landed on the ground, his red eyes gleaming, "I combined my body with the hanyou, Inu-yasha. When I realized the Shikon was out of my reach, thanks to my hateful child Kagura, I came up with another theory of how to become a full demon. By taking Inu-yasha's blood, and melding it with my own, it was enough to make us a full demon. A very powerful one at that."

"You bastard...how dare you..." An idea struck him, "Did...did Sango see you like this...?" The creature laughed, "Oh yes. I had to kill her of course, but the surprise on her face was worth the effort." He paused thoughtfully, "I wonder how the hanyou's bitch would respond to my face..." A magic scroll flew at him, which hit him, but he peeled it off as if it were just an ordinary piece of paper. "My, my, my, what an annoyance." Naraku threw out his hand, and Miroku flew at the movement, slamming against the side of the crater, "You know, this was the place of my 'rebirth'." The youkai drawled lazily, "And now, you are going to die here. And then the little miko will die, and then I am finally free of you all!" Maniacal laughter came the demon, making Miroku cover his ears. But suddenly Naraku stopped, grasping at his skull, "No...not now! Not now!!" The creature's body writhed in the air, as if it was fighting with itself.

Miroku took this pause as a blessing, and turned to the cat demon at his side, "Kirara, take Koraru to Kagome. Take care of her for me, I'll take care of things here." The youkai instantly transformed, and the monk hurriedly placed his daughter on the furry back, giving her a kiss on the brow. "Live well, my daughter," he whispered fiercely, "Make your mother and I proud." He gave the feline a loving slap, and she took off to the air. The Houshi then turned around, staff in hand. By now, Naraku had slithered to the ground, and his shoulders were shaking violently. Miroku walked up to him slowly, and then heard a sound he didn't expect to hear. Sobbing. The great Naraku was actually crying, "Miroku..." came a rasp. The priest instantly recognized the voice, "Inu-yasha? May Buddha be merciful...are you trapped in that thing?"

"Yes," the demon looked up, the eyes now golden instead of red. "I've had to watch everything this bastard has done, EVERTHING, Miroku. The things he does..." the man shuddered, "...it's enough to make anyone sick."

"Inu-yasha..."

"Kill me." Miroku's eyes popped out of his head, "What??" Inu-yasha lowered his head, "Kill me, please. I don't want to watch this bastard kill you, or Kagome...and he will. So please, kill me." The man shook, "Inu-yasha, I can't...there must be another way..."

"There isn't! Trust me!!" the body began to shake again, "Miroku, I'm losing control, please!! Use your wind tunnel and banish us from this world forever!" The priest paused, thinking. Inu-yasha shook his head and howled, "MIROKU!!" There was obviously no choice in the matter. Miroku swallowed and began to pull at his rosary. His worst fear, his worst nightmare, was about to take place. But, as long as it saved his friends and daughter...The seal came off and he held out his hand, "I'm sorry, my friend."

"So am I, Miroku, so am I." The hell hole opened, the familiar wind sucking everything around it. Inu-yasha's 'body' limply fell into the void, then the wind began to pick up. Closing his purple eyes, Miroku surrendered to his fate. A ball of fierce airstreams encompassed the crater, before vanishing abruptly. When all was said and done, nothing stood in the deserted valley. There was no sign that a battle had actually taken place, much less that anyone had died. But one person knew. The form of a little girl, bloodied with battle, stood on the edge, looking down with black eyes. "Very good, very good," she whispered before fading into a black mist.

Ooooo!! Mystery!! Yeah, so uh, for next chapter you need to give me....oh let's say....another 4 reviews? I would really love it if there were more though....