- Memory of a Curse -
"Miroku, listen to me,"
"Yes, papa?"
"When you were born, a demon came and cursed you,"
"A demon, papa?"
"Yes, son. You see, within each person is both Yin and Yang, Light and Dark, Male and Female,"
"Yes, papa, I know that,"
"But, my son, you are different. For when you were born..."
"Miroku-sama? Are you all right?"
"Hmm?"
"You were talking in your sleep,"
Miroku turned slightly and opened his eyes to see Kuromi looking at him worriedly, the grey light of early dawn casting dusky shadows on the features of her pretty face.
"Oh, just a bad dream, I suppose," said Miroku, looking at his right hand. "Is anyone else up?"
Kuromi shook her head.
"Nobody but us," she replied. "Something on your mind?"
Miroku looked at her, and sighed.
"Kuromi, I wanted to ask you something," he finally said.
"What is it?" she said, cocking her head on her hand.
He looked at his hand again.
"Why do you want someone to continue your lineage so badly?" he asked.
She looked at him, suprised.
"Nobody ever asked me that," she said, looking towards the ground. "Well...I...I suffer from a curse,"
Miroku raised an eyebrow and gripped his arm tighter.
"There is a hole in my hand, and one day it will swallow me whole. I want to have a child to carry on my name, should something ever happen to me,"
She suddenly turned towards Miroku.
"Please, tell me if you no longer love me, now that I have told you this!" she said, holding his hands in her own. Miroku looked at her, almost pityingly.
"Kuromi, tell me," he said. "What hand is your void on?"
"My right one...why?" she replied.
"Kuromi...I can't believe it..." he said, amazed at something. "I...it's just...I finally found you, my..."
Suddenly, a hideous cackle filled the air, instantly awaking everyone who was previously sleeping.
"Wha-?" said Miroku, looking around for the source of the sound.
Instantly, they saw who it was.
A grotesque creature bearing a scythe enscribed with a badly painted yin-yang on the rusty blade soared in the air above him, his sunken face and leathery skin a horrid sight to behold.
"What is THAT?" said Kagome, fully awake from the abrupt outburst.
"A demon," said Miroku quietly. "Foul creature! Identify yourself!"
The demon shrieked with hideous laughter.
"I am SAKU!" he bellowed. "Finally! I have found you!"
"What?" said Inuyasha. "Miroku, is he talking to you?"
"I heard of this demon before," said Sango, grabbing her Hiraikotsu. "It loves placing curses on children, and is really an immature, but powerful, troublemaker. My father had to fight one a long time ago, and he said he had a tough time just chasing it away,"
"You serious?" said Inuyasha, unsheathing the Tetsusaiga. "Well, Iam in need of a good fight!"
"Stop. This is my fight," said Kuromi, stepping forward and thrusting her arms out. "Saku! Come at me! I have waited for you to come, so I can finish you off!"
"Suit yourself, little girl!" said Saku, and lunged at her. She nimbly dodged, but was nicked by the scythe.
"Kuromi!" said Miroku. "Stop! Don't!"
But still she continued to fight, thrusting away any help they offered her.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" Saku cackled insanely. "Foolish girl! This won't help you at all! Let me put you out of your MISERY!"
He lunged at her again.
"Kuromi! Look out!" said Miroku. But by then, it was too late.
The blade of the massive scythe had gone right through her, impaling her through the stomach and sending blook everywhere.
"KUROMI!" Miroku exclaimed, and went over to her.
"Oh my god..." said Kagome, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.
"Miroku..." she breathed, looking deep into his eyes, the orange and pink shadows of the new dawn illuminating her face. "I know who you are. If you want us to be together again..."
She coughed and blood came out of her mouth, trickling down the side of her cheek.
"...kiss...me...before I die...we will become whole...again..." she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Miroku looked at her, on the verge of tears.
Then, he kissed her, gently supporting her head as her arms weakly wrapped around him.
And strangely enough, Sango wasn't objected to it.
As his lips left hers, she smiled.
"I...will always...be with you...my other...half..." she said, and closed her eyes, succumbing to the sweet mercy of death.
"AHAHAHAHAAA!" shrieked Saku. "She's dead! The girl is dead! You are DOOMED, monk!"
Suddenly, Kuromi's body began to glow, and everyone watched as small balls of golden light began coming out of her body, absorbing themselves in Miroku.
Everyone watched, amazed. Especially Sango.
"What the hell is going on?" said Inuyasha.
"I don't know!" Kagome replied.
"NO! NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOO!" Saku howled. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
As the last of the orbs disappeared, Kuromi's body did as well, and Miroku stood up, his face towards the bloodied earth.
"My father told me a story to me as a boy," he said quietly. "Telling me that I was not the bearer of one curse...but two,"
"Two curses?" gasped Sango.
"At my birth, a demon came and cursed me; that demon was you, Saku, wasn't it?"
"Ah, yes..." hissed Saku. "I remember it well...the monk's son, right?"
Miroku said nothing, but continued.
"Saku...the soul splitter. His curse was to take half of the child's soul, either the 'Yin' or the 'Yang', making the child weaker and sickly," he said. "The other half of the soul was deposited elsewhere; a perfect double, save one thing; it was the opposite sex"
"No way!" said Kagome.
"A...double?" said Sango. "Can it be...?"
"I was told many times of my double, and I never really thought much of it, until I actually met it," said Miroku. "Her name was Kuromi,"
A shock ran through the team, most of all, Sango.
Miroku looked up at Saku, pure rage on his face.
"I should be furious at you," he told it. "but instead, I am thankful. My father raised me to be a strong boy, and Kuromi was a strong woman as well. Now,"
He lept high into the air, and hit Saku squarely on the head with his staff, placing a sutra on it's brow. As he landed, the demon writhed in pain and shrieked in agony as it turned to dust.
"...it seems you have made me stronger than I could ever dream to be. Thanks, Saku,"
A fine rain of ash fell to earth, accompanied by a dull THUD as the scythe fell to the ground. Miroku stepped on it, and it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Woah," said Inuyasha, sheathing the Tetsusaiga. "Miroku was a weakling? Man, and I thought he was strong already!"
Miroku bowed at the pile of debris, and turned towards the nearby road.
"We should be going," he said. "Come on,"
Strangely enough, everyone was more than happy to follow.