Chapter 16

Miroku opened his eyes and a flash of pain shot through his head. He tried to reach up and rub his temple with his hand, but found that it was bound to a pole along with his other hand.

'Where am I?' he thought to himself. He gasped as a rush of memories of the past day flooded into his head. He opened his eyes wide, ignoring the pain, and looked around frantically for Sango.

"Sango! Sango, can you hear me?" he called out. He heard a groan behind him and he turned his head. He spotted Sango laying on a table, her arms and legs bound with leather straps.

Miroku struggled to stand up and maneuvered around the pole, trying to get a better look at Sango. She had no external injuries as far as he could see. Miroku let out a breath of air he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Sango! Sango wake up!" Miroku said, trying to rouse the girl from her unconscious state. He smiled when Sango opened her eyes and groaned at the bright light above her head.

Miroku struggled against the ropes that bound him, managing to get one hand free.

"Mi-Miroku?" Sango stuttered nervously. Miroku paused and turned to look at her. He winced when he saw the wall of hurt behind her eyes.

Sango suddenly went into defensive mode. Her eyes closed the opening into her soul, her face went blank, and she narrowed her eyes.

"So? Come to finish the job? You going to kill me know that I know your dirty little secret?" she interrogated him.

Miroku shook his head. "I am trapped as you are, most likely going to be killed after Naraku finishes with you. Unless I can get my other hand free that is."

Sango's façade broke a bit when she heard this. "Why is he going to kill you? You were following his orders weren't you?" she bit out.

Miroku sighed. "I was, until I fell in love with the person I was supposed to lead back to Naraku."

Sango gasped. 'He doesn't mean me? Does he? How do I know he isn't lying just to get me to trust him again?'

"I am sorry." Miroku lowered his head, shadows covering his eyes. "I didn't want to kill your family. I didn't want to kill anyone. Naraku forced me. And I know that isn't any excuse for what I did, I just wanted you to know that I am still a relatively good person."

He lifted his gaze to lock with Sango's. "I am sorry. I love you."

Sango could only stare at him, tears prickling at the back of her eyes. "Mi-Miroku. I-I love you too."

Miroku's eyes opened wide when he heard the softly uttered confession. He smiled and turned his attention back to the ropes that bound his hand.

"I see you both have awakened," a cold voice brought them back to reality.

Miroku turned his head. "Naraku!" he spat the word with acid dripping from his voice.

Naraku only smiled. "Oh my! It seems I have made little Miroku angry! What a shame! I wanted you to help me kill off the only person to have escaped my castle alive."

A tentacle shot out and grabbed Miroku by the neck. 'How many times is he going to do this?' Miroku thought as the end of his life brought out the humorous side in him.

"Miroku!" Sango yelled, struggling with her bonds.

"Don't even try it little Sango. I made those bonds extra sturdy. Unlike some people, I learn from my miscalculations." Naraku dropped Miroku onto the floor.

Miroku smiled. "Thanks for releasing me from my bonds. Now I can kill you!" Miroku grasped his prayer beads and yanked them off of his hand.

The wind tunnel blew around him, sucking in everything in its path. Everything that is, except Naraku.

"Fool!" Naraku spat at Miroku. "Do you think that I would give you such a powerful weapon without putting a limit on it? You can't suck me in! I am truly unstoppable!"

Miroku covered up his wind tunnel and stared at Naraku, not believing that his wind tunnel could have been so useless.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

InuYasha and Kagome flew to Naraku's castle. Kirara roared and dropped down to the ground. InuYasha and Kagome jumped off and ran to the barrier.

Both being inexperienced with barriers, charged it and got knocked back a few feet.

"Kagome!" InuYasha exclaimed, running over to where she lay on the ground.

Kagome sat up slowly. "I am fine. Shocked, but fine."

InuYasha breathed a sigh of relief. "How are we supposed to get past the barrier?" he wondered aloud.

Kirara roared and walked over to the barrier with an amulet in her mouth. She dropped the amulet and stepped on it with her paw. The amulet shone a dark green before beams shot out of it onto the barrier.

The barrier wavered before finally breaking down, allowing the two befuddled teenagers to walk into Naraku's castle.

"Well that was different! I wonder where Kirara got that amulet?" Kagome asked.

InuYasha huffed. "That is probably where she was while we were doing all of the fighting! Coward."

Kirara jumped on InuYasha, knocking him into the ground, before walking away, he tail in the air.

Kagome giggled and helped the angry hanyou from his hole in the ground.

A/N: I know that this chapter wasn't one of my best! Last week was exam week at my high school so I was cramming every single night! And the one weekend that all I want to do is vegetate, is the one weekend that I have to go all over God's country! Ugh! You can never win can you? Anywho, here is the next chapter and I am sorry for not updating sooner!