By the time the castle came into sight, Miroku thought his lungs might burst from the effort of running so far, so quickly. He was a good runner by necessity rather than choice, and Shippou was still a dead weight on his shoulder threatening to drag him down before they even reached their quarry. But when he saw the castle wall, he felt a flash of hope that they had reached their goal after all.
The Saimyoushou no longer led the way, but hovered idly all around. Inuyasha leaped effortlessly over the wall, taking Kagome with him, but Miroku had no hope of making such a jump. Instead, he jogged around the length of the wall until he found an entrance. Expecting a fight, he approached with caution; he could feel Shippou's nervous trembling against his shoulder the whole time. And yet when he rounded the corner, tensed and ready for a battle, there was no one there. The entrance was wholly unguarded.
It was almost as if Naraku himself were welcoming Miroku inside. And he did not like it one bit.
This was the moment he had been waiting for: a chance to confront Naraku. A chance to end the curse of the kazaana once and for all.
He had no choice. He went in.
He found Inuyasha and Kagome easily enough. The castle was entirely devoid of life. Not a human soul dwelled within, so there was no resistance as he made his way over to where his friends stood in apparent shock.
As soon as he drew near, Miroku saw what had inspired such a reaction.
They had found Sango, indeed, and it was worse than he had expected.
"Sango-chan?" Kagome said, her voice trembling in horror.
The slayer was clinging to her brother, his eyes as hard and cold as ever. The boy was unharmed. His sister was soaked in blood. Her own, most likely. The smell of it was strong enough even for Miroku to detect, and yet Inuyasha had said nothing.
Sango turned her head at the sound of Kagome's voice. "Inuasha?" she asked. The word sounded like it would be her last.
Kohaku released his grip on her and Sango collapsed to the ground with a hollow thud. She made no attempt to rise. Miroku could not even tell if she was still breathing.
Tears filled Kagome's eyes. "How horrible," she breathed. It was taking everything in her to remain calm, Miroku could tell. But where Kagome was horrified, Inuyasha was furious. And it was that which worried Miroku more.
"Her own brother was forced to do this," he observed, hoping to remind Inuyasha that Kohaku was no more to blame for this than Sango was for stealing the Tessaiga.
But he need not have worried. "Naraku, you bastard!" Inuyasha shouted. For the first time Miroku noticed the shadowed figure lurking on the verandah of the nearest castle building. He'd been so distracted by the sight of Sango, murdered at her brother's hand, that he had not looked further. He feared the mistake might cost them dearly, but Naraku seemed more interested in taunting Inuyasha to further heights of rage than attacking.
"Such a foolish lot," Naraku observed idly. "You came all this way even though you knew it was a trap, and all for a woman that betrayed you."
"Oh, shove it," Inuyasha retorted. Without warning, he leaped past Kohaku toward his real enemy, but Naraku was even quicker to react. His hair burst toward the hanyou as if it had a life of its own, attempting to ensnare Inuyasha.
Kohaku turned and fled as Miroku and Kagome raced forward to reach Sango. Shippou leaped down from Miroku's shoulder to cling to Kagome as she gently lifted Sango and cradled the fallen slayer on her lap. Knowing that he was useless to Inuyasha in this situation, Miroku brandished his shakujou in an effort to keep the hair, impossibly long and always moving in search of an opening, from reaching Kagome and Sango.
"Sango? Sango, please wake up," Kagome murmured quietly.
Miroku did not dare turn his attention away from Naraku long enough to check on them, but Sango's silence spoke volumes.
If you die here, Sango, I will avenge you along with my father and grandfather, he promised. The thought of Naraku claiming another victim was unbearable. And this was even more unbearable because Sango had survived one of Naraku's plots before, only to be drawn back in and horrifically wounded by her own brother.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed from somewhere amidst the swirling hair. "He's fucking run away!"
Naraku's mocking laughter echoed from everywhere – and nowhere. "You're wrong, Inuyasha. I won't run this time, because I wanted you to come here."
All at once, all the hair fell limply to the ground. Miroku knew better than to assume this was a good sign. Power pulsed through the air, strong enough that even an ordinary human might have felt it. Within moments, the limp strands of hair had transformed, taking on the shape of venomous serpents.
When the serpents leaped forward from all around, it was all Miroku could do to intercept them all before they could reach Kagome and Sango. Inuyasha must have fared better, because Miroku heard him shout, "Is that all you've got?"
Don't speak too soon, Miroku cautioned mentally, though he knew the words spoken aloud would be lost on Inuyasha. He detected the toxic fumes of miasma an instant before Inuyasha muttered, "Ugh, miasma…"
If we kill the snakes, they become miasma, Miroku realized. If we defend ourselves, we'll be consumed by poison…
Naraku laughed again. Infuriatingly, Miroku still couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. "If you want a fight, then have one," he said, as if granting them a boon. "This place is filled with my miasma. So go on and fight, but you'll only end up covered in miasma."
Inuyasha backed toward them, muttering curses under his breath. Miroku had no better idea of what to do. He could try to use the kazaana to absorb the snakes, but with his injury and the miasma, the most likely outcome would be his death – and that of his companions. There simply wasn't enough room in the castle courtyard to put enough space between them to render them safe from the kazaana's destruction.
"How does it feel, Inuyasha, to have nowhere left to run?" Naraku taunted.
"Show yourself, Naraku!" Inuyasha demanded.
It was a hopeless request. Naraku had the upper hand, and he wasn't one to level the playing field if he had any other option. Several of the hair-snakes leaped for Inuyasha at once. He slashed effortlessly through them with his claws, but thick miasma spurted out from the remains, showering over him.
"Inuyasha, if you keep that up, your body won't be able to handle it," Miroku cautioned.
"You think I don't know that?" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku was spared from having to answer when Sango suddenly groaned.
"Sango-chan!" Kagome exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Sango murmured. She sounded horrifyingly weak. "I…"
"It's okay," Kagome assured her. "We understand."
"Thank goodness," Miroku commented, relieved almost beyond words to hear her speak. Perhaps he would not need to avenge her after all. "Sango's still alive."
"You thought she'd drop dead so easily?" Inuyasha replied, though his voice betrayed that he'd been worried about her, too. To Sango, he said, "Sango! I'm really going to complain about all this to you later. So don't you die, okay?"
Sango did not respond; a quick glance revealed that she had fallen unconscious again.
Miroku had no time to worry about her. He had to trust that Kagome would protect her and keep her alive, because Naraku's serpents were surging through the air all around them again, threatening to attack at any moment. If that miasma were to reach Sango, she would die for sure… so they couldn't let that happen.
Miroku thought frantically, trying to come up with a way out, but the only possible option seemed to be the kazaana. Was the trap really for Sango? Or was it for all of us? he wondered.
Naraku's laughter filled the air along with the serpents. "So you still think you can get out of this alive?" he asked. "This is where you die."
Miroku tensed, but the attack did not come.
"All of this," Naraku went on, taunting, "is because of Sango's betrayal."
Kagome looked up suddenly, fury in her eyes, as if she'd detected something. If Naraku noticed, it did not stop him from continuing to gloat. "Instead of your lives, Sango chose to save her brother's. If you're going to hate someone, then hate Sango for being so shallow and selfish."
Only then did the serpents attack, plunging toward them in an enormous mass. "Damn!" Inuyasha breathed. In an instant he had pulled the robe of the fire rat off and tossed it over Kagome's head.
"Inuyasha…"
"Put it on!" he ordered. "It should be able to keep off some of the miasma!"
Miroku mentally prepared himself for what was to come. Inuyasha flung his blades of blood into the serpent horde, destroying enough of them in that single attack to blanket the courtyard in miasma. Huddled beneath the robe of the fire rat with Shippou and Sango, Kagome cried out Inuyasha's name, though Miroku could not have said if she was more worried or afraid.
"It's no good," he warned Inuyasha, though he had to cover his mouth and nose with a hand in order to breathe at all. "We're getting nowhere."
"You think I don't see that?" the hanyou snapped.
Miroku closed his eyes and focused. This entire time, he had known there was really only one way out. Naraku had made sure that the kazaana would be their only hope, despite the risk it posed to Miroku's life. He had hoped to find another way, but now it was clear.
He pulled the sealing rosary free –
"Miroku-sama!" Kagome admonished.
"Miroku!" Shippou cried in horror. "Don't do it!"
- Miroku suddenly found himself with an armful of kitsune as Shippou launched himself right into Miroku's arms. "If you open it now, you'll die!"
"Let go, Shippou," Miroku sighed.
"Don't die in vain, you idiot!" Inuyasha snarled.
"There's no choice!" Miroku snapped, desperation more obvious in his voice than he would have liked. "If I can save the rest of you from being killed, then –"
He never finished that thought. Inuyasha's fist in his gut forced the air out of his lungs and left him gasping, stars dancing before his eyes. "You bastard," Miroku gasped. "What are you doing?"
"You're such an idiot," Inuyasha muttered.
Miroku didn't have the breath to argue. He fell to his knees, struggling to regain control of himself. Like this, he was worse than useless. He was one more easy target for Naraku's schemes. Damn it, Inuyasha…
Laughter, again. "Inuyasha, your foolish sentimentality will be the death of you," Naraku observed.
Damn it all, where was he?
Miroku tried to breathe, but the miasma was making him weaker and weaker.
"You refuse to hate Sango the betrayer," Naraku went on. "And you value that worthless monk's life enough to cut off your only means of escape." He laughed again, for a long time. Miroku had never wanted to kill that monster so fiercely. If only he could stand…
"Such fools you all are… And now, because of that, you're all going to die."
Miroku was too weak now to even remain on hands and knees. His arms trembled for a moment, then shook dangerously, and ultimately gave out altogether. He crashed face first to the ground, and couldn't find the strength to rise.
Damn Naraku. Damn him for being right. Damn him for winning in the end.
Kagome stood up suddenly and cast the robe of the fire rat over Sango. "Everything that happened today isn't because we're fools," she said. Her voice was quiet at first, but grew with every word as her anger increased. "It's because of your scheming!"
Miroku realized dimly that she was looking for Naraku. There was no hope left, but her bravery was almost inspiring.
"Inuyasha, I sense a fragment of the Shikon jewel!" she gasped suddenly. "Over there!"
Inuyasha leaped away in the direction she had indicated, slashing his way through the lingering serpents… but it was only a matter of time before the miasma grew too strong and threatened to overpower even him. "Damn it!"
Miroku struggled upright again only to see the serpents swarm around Inuyasha, dragging him down into the miasma. For a moment Miroku had thought that with Kagome spurring him on, Inuyasha might actually succeed. Now it seemed he had been wrong. Nonetheless, he dragged himself closer to where Sango lay under the protection of the fire rat. Feeble as it was, that protection might be their only chance to survive at this point.
"How pathetic, Inuyasha," Naraku's voice echoed ominously once more. "You'll die here with your friends, in terrible pain. For a failure of a half-youkai… it is an appropriate way to die."
Suddenly the entire courtyard was engulfed in a brilliant, pink-tinged light. It took Miroku a few stunned seconds to realize that Kagome had fired an arrow, and her arrow was the source of the light. He was aware, of course, that she possessed strong spiritual power, but he had never seen her unleash it like this. Her arrow flew true and left a swath of destruction – and breathable air – in its wake.
It took out the entire side of the tower she had fired at. Dimly, in the shadows that remained, Naraku was visible. His expression was one of stunned and horrified shock. Astonishingly, the explosion of power from Kagome's arrow had destroyed one of his arms.
Kagome stood firm, staring him down, daring him to try and attack them again. "Naraku!" she shouted, as if issuing a challenge. "You really are the absolute worst!"
"The miasma!" Shippou realized. "It's disappearing!"
"Is this because of Kagome-sama?" Miroku wondered aloud, though he could think of no other explanation.
"Kagome…" Inuyasha murmured.
"You are not getting away," Kagome continued, ignoring the rest of her friends. She readied another arrow and drew the string back. Her focus was solely on Naraku, and it was evident that she meant every word she had said. She had destroyed his deadly miasma, purifying it with her spiritual power, and she would destroy him as well if he remained.
"Don't move!" she ordered.
Naraku did not move. Miroku began to fear that he had some other scheme planned.
"Girl," the monster said. "Just who are you?" He seemed almost to be genuinely curious. "A long time ago, there was another girl with such power…"
Kagome snapped. "You also tricked Kikyou into a trap and killed her, didn't you?" she demanded, trembling with tension.
Naraku paused, realizing, "You're Kikyou's…"
"Shut up! Now I'm getting angry!" she shouted and released the arrow. It flew true, despite her trembling, and lodged itself in Naraku's chest. Power burst forth, destroying what was left of Naraku's body until only the head remained.
"Got him!" Shippou cheered.
"Amazing," Miroku breathed. Truly, he had never seen anything like this. Was this what the warrior miko, Midoriko, of whom Sango had spoken, had been like?
Naraku's head tumbled slowly to the ground. Inuyasha realized it was a trap an instant before the miasma came bursting out. "Watch out!" he cried, leaping to haul Kagome out of the way of the miasma.
Cursing, knowing that Naraku was about to escape him yet again, Miroku grabbed Shippou and threw himself toward Sango, and the meager protection that the robe of the fire rat might provide – and hoped for the best.