Part II: Stick it Out
1.
"Trust to your instinct
If it's safely restrained
Lightning reactions
Must be carefully trained
Heat of the moment
Curse of the young
Spit out your anger
Don't swallow your tongue"
-Rush, "Stick it Out" stanzas 1-2
Sango swallowed. She readied her Hiraikotsu to throw at the hanyou. "For Houshi-sama," she muttered before throwing it into the air at the inu-hanyou, possessed by this Gensai. Who was he anyway? Why had Houshi-sama asked about him when he returned to himself? All this Sango wondered, nearly missing her Hiraikotsu as it flew back toward her.
"Sango, be careful!" the small kitsune demon called to her. It had begun to rain.
Sango nodded, looking at her boomerang, sliced deeply by the hanyou. His glowing eyes were on her now. She stood stiffly. Now that her Hiraikotsu was ruined, she had only two weapons: a wakasashi at her side and a small dagger embedded in the cloth encircling her arm. Come at me, she dared the inu-hanyou in her mind. Come on. I'm not afraid of you.
As if hearing her dare, the inu-hanyou charged her and sliced at her stomach. She dodged him, but only barely. Not knowing why, she suddenly yelled out, "Get out of Inu Yasha, Gensai!"
She fell onto her back as the hanyou soared over her again, but this time, with his golden-yellow eyes rather than glowing red. He fell about ten feet from where she lay. Hurriedly, she staggered to her feet- she must have twisted her ankle when she fell- and rushed to his side, along with Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara.
"What happened?" He asked, sitting up and holding his head. "I remember Miroku falling to the ground, but I don't remember anything after that… Where is that bouzu, anyways?" He looked up at Sango.
Sango looked into the distance. Miroku is dying, she thought, and I'm not even around to help him. She looked back at Inu Yasha. "He said he'd catch up and to keep moving. C'mon," she said, helping the hanyou to his feet.
"What's that glow?" Kagome stated suddenly.
"Where?" asked everyone.
"There…" Kagome pointed about 15 feet in front of them.
Sango went over and looked at the ground where Kagome was pointing. Three jewel shards lay on the ground at her feet. Cautiously, she picked them up one at a time. "Houshi-sama's Shikon no Kakera…" Sango murmured. Without saying anything to the group, she pocketed two of them. Exchanging a "please" glance with Kagome, she brought over the remaining jewel shard. "A shard," she said, placing it in Kagome's outstretched hand. "One of Houshi-sama's, because it's been purified. Where the other two are, I'm not sure."
"Now what?" Kagome asked, pocketing the shard.
"Simple. We get the bouzu and finish hunting down the rest of his shards for me," Inu Yasha replied.
"Inu Yasha, sit boy!" Kagome said, matter-of-factly.
"Ow…" Inu Yasha said, raising himself up from his three foot deep hole. "What'd you go and do that for!" he demanded.
"Miroku is not a bouzu. He's a Houshi. A houshi no sukebe, no doubt, but still a houshi."
"Whatever," Inu Yasha said, starting off. "Let's just go get the monk."
Wait, Sango wanted to say. He's dead. We can't go back. It would be a mistake. They couldn't.
"C'mon Sango!" Shippou's voice jerked the daydreaming taiji-ya back to her senses. She sighed, looking up at the sky.
"Gomen, Houshi-sama. Gomen."
2.
"Stick it out
Don't swallow the poison
Spit it out
Don't swallow your pride
Stick it out
Don't swallow your anger
Spit it out
Don't swallow the lies"
- Rush, "Stick it Out", stanzas 3-4
Sango closed her eyes as she ran after the group. She remembered all the times she and Miroku had spent together. There were indeed those times when the houshi was a total sukebe at times, but, ultimately, he was a good monk. He had his moments where he was absolutetly charming and lowered her defenses to the point where she was finally willing to get close to him, and then he would grope... Wait a moment, she thought, her eyes widening with realization. I get it! He's the same way that I used to be. I didn't want to let anyone get close to me because I was afraid that they'd... die...
Miroku was in the village, reading palms. A woman in front of him was giggling uncontrollably and he was smiling and saying something to her. She giggled again, blushed, and her eyes sparkled. "Oh, you're such a joker!" the girl said, dismissing whatever he had said with a wave of her hand.
"It's true," said Miroku, smiling as well. "As a matter of fact, I would be glad to father those children you give birth to."
The woman blushed even more.
Sango, watching from behind a fence, glared at him. Who did he think he was?
Shippou looked at her. "Jealous?" He asked.
It was Sango's turn to blush now. "Nothing of the sort!" she said, although she knew deep inside she was lying to herself. It was difficult to see the man she loved flirting with someone else. "Such a lecher..."
That's it! she concluded. He does it... so I won't get close to him. He cares about me... like he loves me too much to lose me. Glad that she had finally gotten closure for herself, she continued with the group until she caught sightof Miroku. "Houshi-sama!"
Miroku breathed heavily, and the world around him blurred as his vision worsened. He had lost too much blood. I'm going to die, he thought angrily, closig his eyes and letting rain fall on his eylids and the rest of his already-soaked body. His robes clung to his body. He leant over and coughed again. God damn it, I'm going to die... and Sango will never know love... nor shall I.
He looked around. Nothing but a lot of rain, and mud. He coughed, and vomited blood. Then, he looked at his hand. Oh, why the Hell not? I'm going to die anyway. As carefully as he could, so as not to have to endure any pain, he snapped the string of prayer beads encircling his wrist and immeadiately felt the pull of his Kanzanna. Be quick, he murmured, placing his hand in front of his face, and feeling the pull of the black hole in his hand for the first time himself. Suddenly he thought he heard Sango calling to him.
"Houshi-sama! Stop!"
I'm dreaming, he thought. He opened the Kanzanna wider as he sucked his Shakujou into it. He winced in pain as the sharp points grazed the sides.
"Houshi-sama!" Sango's voice called.
Finally he looked, but too late. As he realized Sango and the others coming near him, he was sucked into the Kanzanna. Before he dissapeared, he head one last agonized scream:
"MIROKU!"
3.
"Natural reflex
Pendulum swing
You might be too dizzy
To do the the right thing
Trial under fire
Ultimate proof
Moment of crisis
Don't swallow the truth"
- Rush, "Stick it Out" stanzas 5-6
"MIROKU!" Sango screamed, falling to her knees. "No..." she felt the tears fall across her face. She was dizzy now, and unable to keep her balance. She fell to the ground, sobbing. "NO!" she screamed to the sky. "No..."
Kirara came up next to her and rubbed against her owner's cheek. "Mew," she purred.
"Oh, Sango..." Kagome murmured, putting a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry..."
Inuyasha took a hold of her elbow. "C'mon," he said to her. "Let's leave her be." Thus, Inu Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou, albiet hesitantly, turned and left her alone and went into Kaede's hut.
Sango remained outside, sobbing, adding her tears into the already wet ground. Why, Houshi-sama? Why did you want to die that way? We could have saved you! Why?
Sango, a deep voice resonated through her mind.
Houshi-sama? No, it can't be you. I'm dreaming!
Sango, listen to me. I am only dead physically. I will always be here for you.
But, it won't be the same, Houshi-sama, it won't...
Hush now. It'll be all right. Close your eyes, Sango.
What?
Close your eyes. Trust me.
Hesitantly, Sango closed her eyes. Blackness swarmed around her, and she curled up in Houshi-sama's soaked robes, the only thing remaining of him. He appeared before her in her mind.
Sango. He held out his hand to the imaginary person in her mind that was her.
Houshi-sama! She ran to him, burying herself in his arms.
Oh, Sango. He stroked her hair, and held her close. Sango, I…
Don't apologize. Don't. It's not your fault.
Sango…
I know you can't stay long, Houshi-sama, but please, humor me and hold me until the very last second before you have to go.
Sango…
Don't speak. Just hold me.
…I love you.
4.
"Each time we bathe our reactions
In artificial light
Each time we alter the focus
To make the wrong move seem right
You get so used to deception
You make yourself a nervous wreck
You get so used to surrender
Running back to cover your neck
Stick it out"
-Rush, "Stick it Out" stanzas 8-10
Inu Yasha sat in the hut next to Kagome, who laid against his shoulder. "Hey," he said, as she opened her eyes.
"Hm?" she asked, nestling against him.
"You think Sango will deal all right?" he asked.
"Of course. She's a strong girl," Kagome replied. "She knows what to do. I mean, she lost her entire family to Naraku's trickery. She's dealing all right with that."
"If I lost you, I wouldn't..." Realizing what he was about to say, Inu Yasha quickly stifled himself.
"You wouldn't what?" Kagome inquired.
"Nothin'," he lied, blushing.
"I know, Inu Yasha," Kagome said, falling asleep against his chest as rain spattered outside.
Inu Yasha blushed.
Miroku having left her mind, Sango gathered up his soaked robes and began returning to Kaede's hut, when she felt a poking in her side. She reached down, and pulled out Miroku's jewel shards. "Houshi-sama, I miss you already," she murmured and entered the hut.
Inu Yasha looked at her as she entered. Blushing and looking down, he said, "You're soaking wet."
Sango, however, seemed not to hear. She went straight off to her room. Kaede heard muffled cries.
"Where is Miroku?" she asked Inu Yasha.
"He's dead," Inu Yasha replied.
"How is that?"
"He was badly wounded. I don't think he thought he would have lived, because he sucked himself into his Kanzanna."
"Ye all have had a very trying day. I'm very pround of ye since ye have pulled through this without much trouble."
"Yeah, I know. It's Sango Kagome's worried about."
"Are ye saying you are not worried at all, Inu Yasha?"
"Absolutely not."
Kaede nodded. "Ye all should rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
Author's notes: OMG, I can't beleive I actually wrote that! I killed off my all-time favorite character... Don't worry, he'll probably be back, without a doubt. I really like these chapters because it shows the strong friendship between all the members of the group, esp. between Sango and Miroku. It also gives away why I he think he gropes women so much... okay. I think the song "Stick it Out" fits well with this chapter because it foreshadows what's going to happen. Sadly, I won't be able to post next until at least the end of May, so until then, I'll have to longhand it all before I can type it an post it! Oh, well. Heres some more of my skit:
Miroku: (reads all) Well then.
Inu Yasha: So he just croaks?
Me: Basically. Now will you please go away?
Sango: I want to read some more of this.
Me: GAAAAAH! Go AWAY!
Shippou: (walks in) Hey, what's going on in here? Why am I left out of everything?
Me: OUT! ALL OF YOU, OUT! (kicks them all out & slams door)
Kagome: (walks by with 6 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and two halves of a tuna sandwich) Hey guys, what's going on?
Me: Ps off! We're closed!