CHAPTER THIRTEEN
*
"We know you're there!" Miroku shouted. "Come out and face us!"
He knew that they probably made a rather peculiar trio -- a monk, a demon-slayer and a very small kitsune. He and Sango could fight well enough, and Shippo's foxfire could probably protect him in a pinch. What Miroku worried about was what would happen if the extremely emotional Shippo went into a frenzy over the illusions...
The flare of white light died away, revealing a demon, with a face as pale as the moon and bluish-grey hair floating around his head. He was tall and slender, and his face was as close to perfect as Miroku had ever seen -- but cold and bland. A faint silvery light seemed to shimmer around him, like the moon shining through a veil.
Normally, Miroku would have been impressed by the sight. But he knew that it was meant to impress. "Who are you?" he demanded, holding his staff like a spear. "I demand to know, are you the one who has been using illusions to trick us?"
The demon smiled coolly. "I am. I am called Makau."
"And were you the one who turned these villagers against one another?"
The demon shrugged slightly, as if he couldn't be bothered to think about the idea. "Pesky things. I didn't want them distracting me, so I got rid of them. Terribly simple, to just conjure up the sight of demons and bandits. They were all dead within an hour."
Miroku gritted his teeth. "And so I suppose you set Kagome and Inuyasha against one another, trying to make them kill each other."
The demon smirked. "A smart one, aren't you?"
"Why did you do that? You're working for Naraku, aren't you?" Sango demanded.
"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not." Lazily, Makau flicked his hand at Miroku. "Now get away from me before I decide that you are a pest too."
"Not likely," Miroku snapped. "We already know about your demon illusions. You can't set us against one another if we refuse to fight."
"Oh, I can do much more than that," Makau said with a wicked smile. "I don't think you should try me, monk." A flash of light enveloped him again, and when Miroku opened his eyes, he saw the light whirling away towards the forest again.
"Sango!" Miroku shouted. "Quick!"
Sango's boomerang sliced through the air, cutting through the moving pillar of light. It shattered into hundreds of tiny shards that sped and bounced through the air like blades. Shippo shrieked and threw himself to the ground, covering his small head.
"Don't worry, Shippo! They're not real!" Miroku shouted. Two or three of the little light blades slashed through his chest, but he felt nothing. Another whizzed through his eye. It's like being attacked by fireflies, he thought.
Sango shouted, "Where's Makau? Do you see him?"
Suddenly the blinding light flared up from the ground in front of them, and faded away to reveal the handsome demon. He was still smirking, but to Miroku's eyes he looked a little alarmed. "There, I gave you a little demonstration. You can't cut me down, and you can't stop me. So go away before I get angry."
"Here's one thing your illusions CAN'T stop!" Miroku said. He started to pull the beads from his wrist. He would suck the damned demon into his wind tunnel, and rid them of this enemy for good.
For a split second, he saw a look of panic on Makau's face. Then suddenly Miroku felt a heat forming under his feet. He looked down -- and a wall of searing flames shot in front of his, burning the skin on his face and fingers. He staggered back, only to feel more flames licking at the air behind him, blocking him in. He couldn't breathe -- all he could feel was the flames licking at his clothes, his skin. He could hear himself screaming, could hear Sango shouting out his name...
Then suddenly he felt her strong arms around him, pulling him back. Miroku clutched at her, shaking like a leaf. "S-Sango... Makau... is he-"
"He got away," Sango said grimly, helping him sit down.
"Miroku, are you okay?" Shippo said, clinging to him. "Are you okay? You look sick."
Miroku forced his eyes to open. He expected to see his robes burned to ashes, and his body charred and blistered. But to his surprise, he hadn't even been singed -- even though his skin was still tingling and burning. And he was shaking all over.
"It was another illusion," Sango said grimly. "It seems that sight and sound aren't all that Makau can control." Her pretty face shifted into a look of concern. "Are you all right?"
Miroku winced and curled up. He felt as if he had just been pulled out of a fire, even if that fire had been an illusion. He felt cold and shaky, and the only thing that helped was clinging to Sango for support.
"Shippo," Sango said, cradling Miroku's head. "Go back to the hut and bring Kirara back here."
"Will do!" Shippo said. He transformed into a fat pink bubble, and floated over the trees.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"We know you're there!" Miroku shouted. "Come out and face us!"
He knew that they probably made a rather peculiar trio -- a monk, a demon-slayer and a very small kitsune. He and Sango could fight well enough, and Shippo's foxfire could probably protect him in a pinch. What Miroku worried about was what would happen if the extremely emotional Shippo went into a frenzy over the illusions...
The flare of white light died away, revealing a demon, with a face as pale as the moon and bluish-grey hair floating around his head. He was tall and slender, and his face was as close to perfect as Miroku had ever seen -- but cold and bland. A faint silvery light seemed to shimmer around him, like the moon shining through a veil.
Normally, Miroku would have been impressed by the sight. But he knew that it was meant to impress. "Who are you?" he demanded, holding his staff like a spear. "I demand to know, are you the one who has been using illusions to trick us?"
The demon smiled coolly. "I am. I am called Makau."
"And were you the one who turned these villagers against one another?"
The demon shrugged slightly, as if he couldn't be bothered to think about the idea. "Pesky things. I didn't want them distracting me, so I got rid of them. Terribly simple, to just conjure up the sight of demons and bandits. They were all dead within an hour."
Miroku gritted his teeth. "And so I suppose you set Kagome and Inuyasha against one another, trying to make them kill each other."
The demon smirked. "A smart one, aren't you?"
"Why did you do that? You're working for Naraku, aren't you?" Sango demanded.
"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not." Lazily, Makau flicked his hand at Miroku. "Now get away from me before I decide that you are a pest too."
"Not likely," Miroku snapped. "We already know about your demon illusions. You can't set us against one another if we refuse to fight."
"Oh, I can do much more than that," Makau said with a wicked smile. "I don't think you should try me, monk." A flash of light enveloped him again, and when Miroku opened his eyes, he saw the light whirling away towards the forest again.
"Sango!" Miroku shouted. "Quick!"
Sango's boomerang sliced through the air, cutting through the moving pillar of light. It shattered into hundreds of tiny shards that sped and bounced through the air like blades. Shippo shrieked and threw himself to the ground, covering his small head.
"Don't worry, Shippo! They're not real!" Miroku shouted. Two or three of the little light blades slashed through his chest, but he felt nothing. Another whizzed through his eye. It's like being attacked by fireflies, he thought.
Sango shouted, "Where's Makau? Do you see him?"
Suddenly the blinding light flared up from the ground in front of them, and faded away to reveal the handsome demon. He was still smirking, but to Miroku's eyes he looked a little alarmed. "There, I gave you a little demonstration. You can't cut me down, and you can't stop me. So go away before I get angry."
"Here's one thing your illusions CAN'T stop!" Miroku said. He started to pull the beads from his wrist. He would suck the damned demon into his wind tunnel, and rid them of this enemy for good.
For a split second, he saw a look of panic on Makau's face. Then suddenly Miroku felt a heat forming under his feet. He looked down -- and a wall of searing flames shot in front of his, burning the skin on his face and fingers. He staggered back, only to feel more flames licking at the air behind him, blocking him in. He couldn't breathe -- all he could feel was the flames licking at his clothes, his skin. He could hear himself screaming, could hear Sango shouting out his name...
Then suddenly he felt her strong arms around him, pulling him back. Miroku clutched at her, shaking like a leaf. "S-Sango... Makau... is he-"
"He got away," Sango said grimly, helping him sit down.
"Miroku, are you okay?" Shippo said, clinging to him. "Are you okay? You look sick."
Miroku forced his eyes to open. He expected to see his robes burned to ashes, and his body charred and blistered. But to his surprise, he hadn't even been singed -- even though his skin was still tingling and burning. And he was shaking all over.
"It was another illusion," Sango said grimly. "It seems that sight and sound aren't all that Makau can control." Her pretty face shifted into a look of concern. "Are you all right?"
Miroku winced and curled up. He felt as if he had just been pulled out of a fire, even if that fire had been an illusion. He felt cold and shaky, and the only thing that helped was clinging to Sango for support.
"Shippo," Sango said, cradling Miroku's head. "Go back to the hut and bring Kirara back here."
"Will do!" Shippo said. He transformed into a fat pink bubble, and floated over the trees.
TO BE CONTINUED