Hey, it's here! Woot! You should be impressed, all of you that are reading this. I thought for sure that I wouldn't be updating this weekend, but what is this? An update? Somehow, SereneDolphin made the time to get this out to her lovely readers, just because she cares so much about all y'all.
Too much sarcasm. I think it's left over from the disappointment of not getting into Sigma Alpha, it was a big downer.
As usual, notes for the reviewers:
Fiona McKinnon: Thanx, I'm glad you like it! And, I hope I don't sound stupid, but, what does PAMS stand for? I'm not very good at acronyms.
Melinda-chan: I'm not sure on Souta's age either, but it's close enough. I really enjoyed reading your review, it cheered me up greatly! About Mikayo, though. I wasn't surprised when you said that there were no female monks in Japan. I figured that it would be that way. Mikayo, though, as you will see at the end of this chapter, is a special case. Also, when she said that there were very few female monks back in Chapter two, she was being sarcastic by saying there were few, when really she was the only one she knew of, and hence the slight giggle. I know it's kind of twisting reality a bit here, but I like the plot too much to fix it now. Mikayo is one-of-a-kind.
DISCLAIMER: Don't own Inuyasha. Don't plan to. The closest I'll ever get is an Inuyasha plushie, and even that seems impossible at this point, what with monetary situations being as they are at the moment. . .
Warning: This chapter contains some very disturbing and gruesome content. If you get disturbed really easily, to the point it will make you sick, then I advise that you don't read it. Seriously, when I read it over, I started crying, and I'm the darn authoress! Anyway, enjoy.
Chapter 4: An Interruption from the Past
The early autumn wind rustled through the trees, tickling the little boy's nose. He gave a tiny shiver, and bounded to the forest near his home. This was his playground, and it was time to play.
He picked up a stick. "Come out, demons! It's time for you to go away now!" He swung forcefully at a nearby tree, causing pieces of bark to rain on his black hair. "Hah, I got you! Nobody can escape me!" He shook his tiny head, causing the little black ponytail tat the nape of his neck to whip back and forth. In his three years of life, fighting demons became a regular event. Though he never did fight, he went with his father to a countless number of villages, and watched his father slay many demons using his powers. He dragged his stick along, going form tree to tree, ridding the forest of demons. On one tree he paused.
"You are a very strong demon. I will have to use the enchanted ofuda." He dug around a fold in his purple robes and produced a small piece of paper. "Chant, chant, chant, ha!" The boy slammed the paper into the tree, proceeding to squish a poor, unfortunate insect. "I'm going to be a great monk. I'm going to save lots of people. I'm going to be just like my papa." He sang this to himself as he skipped through the forest, now rid of all the "demons."
The little boy then heard a loud commotion. He thought it came from the village. 'Are they having a festival?' he wondered. The boy ran all the way back, his feet making little pit-pats on the ground beneath him. Worried that he was missing out on some fun, he ran all the way without stopping. Right out on the outskirts, a small gasp escaped his lips.
The whole village (at least the men) was out, fighting three dozen rat and wolf youkai. Many lie on the streets, dead, and a small river of blood was flowing quietly, permanently staining the ground a dark red. Though frightened by the scene, he skirted forward, dodging bodies and fights alike. "Mama! Papa!" he cried, not noticing he attracted the attention of a particularly large rat youkai, who thought the boy a tasty snack.
It took him three seconds to realize that a rat demon was in front, ready to pounce at any moment. He took a few steps back in fear, tripped over a severed arm, and fell flat on his bottom in a pool of blood. The demon leaped. "Waaaaaaaahhhhh!" The boy shrieked.
"Noooo!" A dark figure appeared from no where and smashed into the youkai's left side. The little boy looked dup, and saw his mother, kneeling, injured from her attack on the rat.
"Mama!" he called out to her.
The rat demon howled in rage, a call that sent shivers down the humans' spines. Then, a strange phenomenon occurred. All the youkai, dead or alive, flew through the air and attached themselves onto the rat youkai. Some pieces were devoured, thus creating the largest demon the village has ever seen. When it roared, the little boy had to cover his ears, though he grimaced when he noticed that his hands were covered with the red liquid. He stared in horror as the mutated youkai advanced toward his latest attacker- his mother. "Mama!"
She turned to him with a tear-streaked face. "Son," she whispered, but he could hear her. "Son, use your right hand."
At these words, the boy grew a frightened look on his face, more prominent than ever. The youkai edged ever closer. His mother tried to get up, but her legs failed her, and she crumpled in a heap.
The little boy gulped, and held out his right hand. He unraveled the sacred beads that held the immense power in check, and unwrapped the handkerchief from his hand. Instantaneously, a powerful, sucking wind blew within the area, knocking the demon off balance a bit. However, as soon as the slightest bit of debris was sucked into the black hole in his hand, he screamed in pain, covering up his limb as fast as possible. The mutant demon, noticing that the disturbance was gone, licked his chops and continued advancing toward the woman.
She called out to her son. "Miroku, please. . ."
"I can't Mama!"
"Miroku!"
"No, it hurts too much, I can't do it Mama!" Tears streamed down his grubby cheeks from physical and emotional pain.
"Miroku, help me!"
"Somebody help my mama!" The youkai had now reached her.
"Miroku!" She gave out one last desperate cry.
"MAMA!" All he saw was red.
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"Miroku." She looked down with worry at the troubled face.
"Mammam. . .ma," came the mumbled reply.
"Get up, Miroku." Sango nudged him on his side.
"Aaaah, ha, huh- wah?" Miroku bolted right up, expecting the worst. He blinked. An early-day sun was poking through the deciduous trees, and a worried Sango and Shippou were kneeling next to him.
"Man, that had to be some kind of weird nightmare," Shippou stated bluntly.
"Are you all right, Houshi-sama?"
Miroku nodded and sighed. He was still breathing quite heavily, and he quickly tried to calm down to convince them he was okay. "I am fine, my dear Sango." She gave him a quizzical look, but decided not to press the issue.
"Then I guess we better get breakfast started." Sango moved to go get some firewood, faithful Kirara going with her. Miroku then turned to Shippou.
"Why hasn't Inuyasha shown up yet?"
"I dunno, he's probably just with Kagome." Shippou looked behind Miroku to see Inuyasha stomping towards the clearing. "Hey, here he comes. . ."
Miroku moved to greet his friend. "Inuyasha, glad to see you're back. How was your trip with Kago. . .me?" His voice faltered as Inuyasha ignored him and stomped right past him back into the forest.
". . . and there he goes." Shippou stated the obvious.
"He'll never learn, will he?"
"Well, they say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and Inuyasha's more than two hundred years."
"He is a demon, though, so that has to be taken into account."
Shippou shrugged. "Older than me."
Sango had now returned, and was now bent over, her m9ind busy on making the campfire. Miroku grinned at the wonderful opportunity that he was blessed with. Shippou and Kirara flinched after a particularly nasty slap. "Speaking of never learning. . ." Shippou muttered to himself, Kirara in her smaller form mewed her agreement.
After all this excitement, the nightmare was temporarily forgotten- or so it would seem. It did not escape the notice of Sango, who noticed that, though he did all his normal Miroku things, there was a look of deep sadness flickering in his eyes, and he was more quiet than usual. It disturbed her, for she was sure that Miroku was calling for his mother, and that made her wonder why Miroku was so distressed. Finally, Sango stored it in her memory, deciding she would bring it up with Miroku later.
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Hojo wondered how he brought this upon himself. In all his seventeen years, he never would have imagined walking along a cold, grimy cave in the feudal era following the eeriest child he had ever seen to go visit a demon who was apparently an able killer. He shuddered at the images that he produced, wondering who this demon really was. When they finally reached the area of the cavern, Hojo's jaw almost dropped in shock.
Giving the circumstances, Hojo figured he would cower in fear, or be in awe of his great power, or just be plain terrified. What he did not expect was to see the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen- a man in a white baboon pelt with a blue snout. It took all his will-power not to bust out laughing.
Mikayo, in a corner, sensed the ridicule forming in Hojo's mind, and sent him silent warnings. 'Please, Hojo, understand, looks are more deceiving in our world than in yours.' He held it in, and became more somber, causing Mikayo to sigh in relief.
A low, hoarse voice issued from Naraku. "Who are you?" he questioned.
'Forget the fact that he's a murderer and talk all ready!' Hojo scolded himself. "Uh, I'm Hojo." He tensed, fearing that anything he spoke could be taken as an insult.
"Why do you seek me?"
Hojo relaxed in the tiniest way, having the feeling that if he answered this youkai's questions honestly, then he would walk out of the cave alive. "Well, from what Mikayo told me, you're the only one who stands a chance at destroying Inuyasha."
"Why do you wish to destroy the hanyou?"
Hojo was slightly surprised to learn that Inuyasha was a half-demon, but then blushed, knowing what information he would have to reveal at this point. "Well, it's because a girl, Kagome, likes him, and. . ."
"You are infatuated with Kagome?"
He blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Yeah, and well, he doesn't treat her right. So I want him out of Kagome's life in any way possible."
"I see," Naraku hissed. Things were going well. "Is what this woman says true, that you are indeed from the future?"
"That's right. I believe it's 1996 A.D. in my time, and I don't know what year it is here, but I'm sure it's quite a few centuries, about five hundred year's difference." Underneath the baboon pelt, Naraku's eyebrows raised. With that, the answer came to him, and his eyes were greedily gleaming.
"How is it that you travel through time?" Naraku knew the answer, but he had to see it with his own eyes.
Hojo shifted his feet. "I'm not exactly sure, but I know I have to carry this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his jewel shard. "I don't know what it is, but I found it near the Hachimangu well, and I guess it enables me to come here."
"It is part of a jewel called the Shikon no Tama, which was shattered a while ago." Naraku paused, taking time to formulate his ideas. "I, Naraku, have a plan. The jewel shards may be used to accomplish the task, but I do not currently have enough. This Naraku is powerful, but cannot access the future."
"So you think that there are shards in the future in my time, and you want me to retrieve them?"
"Precisely."
Hojo was astounded that he received the job he did, but took it nonetheless. "I accept. Is there anything else?"
"That is enough for now. When you have completed your task, Kagura will find you and bring you to me- I will not be here." Both Hojo and Mikayo thanked the heavens for that. "Mikayo, Kagura is currently seeking the location for you, and will be back." He then directed his conversation to both of them. "If you want our mission to succeed, you must speak of this to no one." At that, Naraku fell silent. Hojo turned to leave, and, noticing no one stopping him, walked quickly out of the cave. Questions rang in his mind, such as "How am I going to find mere jewel shards in the vast future?" But one question persisted above all others, even as he traveled back to his time, and that was, how Inuyasha and Kagome met in the first place. By the time school started the next day, Hojo started to doubt that the Hachimangu well was the only portal between his world and the past.
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"I'm ba-ack!" A few days later, Kagome came back to the feudal era to continue on the journey towards defeating Naraku.
"Kagome!" squealed Shippou, and the fox kit leaped into her arms. Kagome smiled and rumpled his hair. "Did you get me anything good?"
"Here, I brought you some chocolate this time." She gave him the candy, and tiny fists snatched it away greedily. "Where's everybody else?"
"Sango, Miroku, and Kirara are all with Lady Kaede right now. I decided to come by since you were coming back today, and so I sat and waited. As for Inuyasha, well, he's up a tree somewhere."
Kagome groaned inwardly. That meant he was still upset with the encounter with Hojo. "Listen, Shippou, you go tell the others I'm back, and I'll go convince Inuyasha to hop down and get over himself."
"Okay." Shippou jumped out of Kagome's arms, not in the mood to listen to Kagome and Inuyasha squabble.
She found him in a particularly nice tree with branches spreading out over the river. As she approached, he muttered, "You're late."
Kagome sighed, all ready feeling her patience wearing thin. "And how, may I ask, can you tell when you can't even tell time?"
"You said you'd be back in exactly four days, when the sun was in the east. It's four days later, but the sun is in the west. What were you doing, hanging out with your boyfriend?"
That made her snap. "Oh, excuse me, but I don't exactly recall telling him yes, oh please take me to the movies!"
"And I don't remember you telling him no!"
"That's because I didn't have a chance to, since a certain control-freak butted in!"
"I had your lunch! I wasn't going to wait all day for your slow mind to create an answer!" Instantly Inuyasha regretted his words, for he knew he went to far. He was assured of this fact when Kagome spat out our favorite three-letter word, and his branch was stationed over the river.
"Humph." Kagome turned her back, and walked over to the rest of the gang who came when they heard the argument. "Let's go and let Inuyasha enjoy his swim."
Sango's face broke out into a happy smile. "We're glad to have you back, Kagome," Sango told her friend, and she really meant it. The past few days have been absolutely horrible for her, only because it was obvious that whatever dream that Miroku had was still disturbing him. She tried once to discuss it with him, but he waved it off, and refused to mention it. Add to that a sulking Inuyasha, and her life was downright miserable lately. Between the warm greeting she got from her friends, and seeing the thoroughly-soaked hanyou scramble up the river bank toward them, Kagome felt better.
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"Ye be careful now on ye journey!" Lady Kaede's farewell rang in their ears as the group set out on their journey. The day was stressful and uncomfortable, due to Inuyasha and Kagome not talking to one another, as well as Miroku's continuing melancholy. Sango and Shippou filled Kagome in on the mysterious nightmare Miroku appeared to have had, and try as she might, Miroku refused to discuss it with Kagome as well. Needless to say, everyone was quite happy to stop early, though it meant sleeping in the woods.
As everyone got settled, Inuyasha's ears twitched, and he sniffed the air. "There's a human approaching," he told the others. A few seconds later, a girl wearing monk apparel came toward the group.
"I can't believe I found you," she whispered. 'I hope that my extended bath washed Naraku's scent of f of me, or this could get ugly.'
Inuyasha stepped forward. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he demanded, pulling out Tetsusaiga.
Mikayo glanced at him, nonplussed. "Well, aren't you a rude one, but then, Inuyasha, you were never known to have manners." This stunned Inuyasha somewhat, as well as the others.
"You know Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, for want of a better question.
"I certainly do, Kagome, as well as each of you here. I've wanted to talk to everyone, but. . ." Her blue eyes, the exact same shade as Miroku's, trained onto the said monk, and she ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him. ". . . I've wanted to meet you for so long, Miroku."
Miroku smiled, and returned the hug. "I am most flattered, and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Sango, Kagome noticed, was glaring at Miroku and the newcomer.
"You don't even know who she is yet!" Sango said, her voice a little more frigid than normal.
Mikayo ignored the icy tones in Sango's voice, but let go of Miroku. "I guess you really don't remember me, do you, Miroku." This statement baffled the group even further, and Miroku stared at her dumbfounded; for once in his life, he was unable to recognize a person of the opposite sex.
Inuyasha was growing impatient, and though he put the Tetsusaiga away, his tones were still less than friendly. "Enough with the guessing game, just tell us who you are!"
Mikayo herself became on edge; it was always hard to break the ice. She took a deep breath. "You may not believe me, but I speak the truth." Her voice then tumbled to a very low pitch. "My name is Mikayo, and I am Miroku's cousin.
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Finally, a cliffhanger! I've been wanting to drench my story with them (because who doesn't love a great suspense story?), but it's been hard putting them in this story. This isn't even a good cliffhanger, really, but it'll do for now.
This chapter and Chapter five are two of the most important chapters in this story, and yet I see them as being the most controversial. Whenever you delve into a character's history, you usually hit controversy, especially in my case, because I making it up, the character in question is obviously Miroku. I did as much research as I can on the web, but found very little pertaining to his childhood. Therefore, to the best of my knowledge, everything I mention in this story is entirely possible to occur in the series. If, though, you have evidence that will prove me wrong, or something, then please let me know.
Thank you to:
Fiona McKinnon for putting The Power at Hand on her story alert list.
Fiona McKinnon, cheriberigurl, and Melinda-chan for reviewing
See you next time!
SereneDolphin