Miroku panted, his lungs burning as he sprinted across the trembling earth. The monk leapt over fallen trees, his robes snagging in the fallen branches and thorns. The acrid stench of miasma clung to the air; all around him were the sounds of explosions from the spider's onslaught.
Fear gripped his heart as he raced through the woods, the throbbing pain in his right hand growing with each second. His moment was coming, he could hear the howling of the wind tunnel even over the din of chaos around him. He had little time left to make a difference in this fight, every second counted.
He had to reach Ronuku first.
Every fiber of his being balked at what he was about to do. He wanted to be far away from this place, to return to the days of wandering the countryside alongside his friends, to be somewhere warm and sunny where the only problem at hand was finding something to eat.
But there would be no more sunny days.
Any moment now Miroku's wind tunnel would grow too strong and consume him. He hadn't used it yet in this battle, too afraid that once he removed the seal he would never be able to close it again. But that didn't stop the wind from growing, and all too soon the seal would no longer matter.
The dark line floating in the sky, the trail of Ronuku's power, suddenly flared. Miroku stepped away from it and hesitated, glancing ahead in the forest. The dark line pulsed, waves of energy scorching the trees that were too close to it.
A shout echoed from behind him, and Miroku took off again. There was no time to wonder about Ronuku's energy, he was certain that Naoe and Sango were not far behind. Miroku pushed onwards desperate to put distance between himself and the two.
He didn't want them to be there. He didn't want Sango to see it.
Kaida's final instructions echoed in his mind, if they didn't stop Ronuku and Kohana then something terrible was going to befall them all. He'd seen them in battle though, even Inuyasha in his demon form hadn't been able to touch them. As long as Naraku and the jewel controlled them they were indestructible, it was likely that whoever faced Ronuku or Kohana wouldn't survive.
But Miroku was already marked for death anyway.
The monk followed the trail upwards, towards the steep slope of a mountain. He moved his staff to the crook of his arm and began scaling the rocky outcrop, his fingers aching against every jagged edge that he used to pull himself higher. Ignoring the blood that dripped from scrapes and cuts, he hauled himself onto a ledge and paused to catch his breath.
Not more than a moment later, the earth suddenly shook again. Miroku grunted and dug his staff into the ground, holding himself steady as the rocks he'd used to scale the side of the mountain collapsed and fell down the edge. The tremor did not last long, and when the monk glanced over the edge his eyes widened. If he'd arrived a few minutes later than he had he would have faced an unscalable wall, or perhaps been buried beneath the rubble…
A second later two figures emerged near the base of the mountainside, Naoe and Sango. As they glanced up and shouted his name Miroku realized that they'd never catch up to him, they would have to circle around the mountain and find another way up. Thanking the gods he stood and continued his journey, glad that he wouldn't have to worry about them facing Ronuku.
They didn't need to be the ones risking their lives in order to make a difficult choice. They didn't need to suffer the guilt or anguish in order to protect everyone else.
Sango didn't need to be the one to stop her husband. As long as there was breath in his body, Miroku was determined to bear the burden for her.
He continued to ascend the mountain, the forested slope not as steep closer to the top. The further he ran the darker the sky seemed to grow. Slowly the explosions and sounds of battle ebbed away, muffled by the trees and forest closing in on him.
All sounds except the howling wind.
As he continued on into the darkness he felt as though he were entering another world, and when he stepped past a line of bushes he came to the final slope of the mountain, the top completely barren of any trees or foliage. When Miroku saw the figure at the top of the mountain he froze.
Ronuku stood there, his expression impassive and his eyes clouded over by darkness. The trail of energy that led to the samurai extended past him and down the other side of the mountain. Miroku ducked and gripped his staff defensively, but Ronuku didn't seem to react.
Heart hammering in his chest, Miroku nervously crept forward, expecting to be attacked at any moment. Halfway up the slope, Ronuku still ignoring his presence, the monk couldn't help but turn and follow the line of light with his eyes. From the top of the mountain, even though an oppressive darkness seemed to close in around him, he still saw the valley below and the extent of the line of dark energy.
A great black circle surrounded the entire village. His friends, the demons, Naraku's giant spider, they were all encircled by Ronuku and Kohana's power.
When the world is swallowed you will fight until the end of eternity.
Whatever doom Kohana and Ronuku were commanded to usher in was about to begin.
Miroku had little time to stop them.
The monk continued forward until he stood but a few feet away from the samurai. Ronuku continued to ignore him, standing so still that he appeared to be a statue, nothing more than a conduit for the power that surged through his veins.
"Ronuku," Miroku called out quietly, "Can you hear me?" His pulse raced, waiting for any sort of reaction or attack, but he received nothing. The monk sighed, his heart growing heavier by the second.
"Ronuku, Sango is looking for you," the monk continued, "Naraku's demons are after us, your children are under attack in the valley at this very moment. If you break free from his spell you can save them. If you can hear what I'm saying then please, stop this at once."
Silence.
Miroku frowned, clenching his fists as he understood the foolishness of trying to reason with him.
Perhaps…I'd hoped to sense that there was something left, he lamented, that maybe he could be saved. Kaida was right it seemed. There was nothing, just a shell where a human once lived.
Ronuku was gone.
Miroku gulped, the weight of his task pressing down on his very soul. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and he trembled as he gingerly thumbed the prayer beads that kept his raging wind tunnel at bay. In just a brief moment everything would be over.
Would it hurt?
He'd been terrified of this moment every single day of his life. As a child Miroku had seen what would eventually befall him, crying and screaming against Mushin's grasp as he watched his father's wind tunnel swallow him whole. There'd been nothing left but a crater, everything close by having been swallowed completely.
The inescapable fate that had taken his father and grandfather had come to claim him as well. Miroku had always imagined that he'd be alone on this day, far away in the distant woods where no one else would be harmed by his deadly curse.
He'd never thought that he would have to drag someone else along with him. He never thought that he would ever take another human life.
This is a sin for which I cannot forgive myself, Miroku thought in dismay, slowly tightening his grip on the beads, But I'm afraid there isn't another other choice. I won't let the others be destroyed by Naraku's plot.
"Ronuku," he said, his voice shaking as he fought back his sorrow and fear, "I'm going to end this. I'm going to draw you into the wind tunnel, and then I shall follow you into the void. I never wanted to hurt you but I can't…I can't let you harm Sango."
Ronuku stood as still as stone, not even registering Miroku's presence. Miroku's thumb gripped the beads. Once he ripped them off it would be all over, the hungry abyss would devour them both. In one swift motion he would end everything, and Ronuku's blood would be on his hands.
Miroku's heart hammered and his body trembled. He knew what he had to do, but as time he could not deny his fear. The gravity of this moment weighed on him, beads of sweat forming at his brow.
His hand fell slightly.
"What are you waiting for, monk?" A silky voice suddenly purred, "Don't you want to end this for good?"
Miroku sharply inhaled and looked around. A thick miasma had permeated the clearing, a purple fog surrounding them both. The monk's senses choked on the poisonous cloud, but Ronuku didn't react. Slowly a third figure walked forward and stepped through the fog.
"Well monk," Naraku said, "Why do you hesitate to kill this man?"
"Naraku," Miroku growled, his eyes widening in fear and anger. He swiftly turned his hand and raised his palm towards the demon, it would be a complete victory if he could end Naraku here and now. To his dismay, Naraku's figure wavered and he quickly realized that it was nothing more than an illusion.
"Is it that you're afraid to end your own life as well?" Naraku asked, his red eyes glowing with delight as he smirked, "You've always feared the day that the wind tunnel would take you, haven't you?" He raised his hand and waved it.
The pain in Miroku's palm suddenly eased, the roar of the wind died away.
"Wh-what?" Miroku gasped as he stared at the glove on his palm that kept the wind tunnel at bay. He could feel it, the abysmal hole was slowly shrinking, the threat on his life ebbing away. He turned towards the demon and glared.
"Naraku, what sort of trick is this?" He demanded angrily, "Why would you offer to spare my life after all this time?"
"You've become of use to me, monk," Naraku said, "It seems that the samurai here no longer obeys my orders. He and the girl are intent on complete destruction, myself included. For the time being, you and I have mutual interests."
"You honestly believe that I would sacrifice Ronuku to save you?!" Miroku spat, rage building within him as he stared down the monster that had plagued him his entire life.
"Would you sacrifice everyone else to save him?" Naraku asked, "If you do nothing, Ronuku will usher in an eternal darkness that will destroy them all. Sango, her little brother, her precious children…all of them will die. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"
Miroku lurched forward and swung his staff, aiming to silence Naraku's illusion. His staff merely collided with thin air, Naraku reappeared at his side.
"Why do you hesitate to kill him?" the demon asked, "Shouldn't you hate this man? He took away everything you wanted, everything you were destined to have." He waved his arm and another figure appeared in the fog.
"Miroku," Sango's sweet voice floated through the air as she stepped through the fog, her cheeks pink as she nervously blushed, "M-miroku I...I want to be with you. I want to bear your children."
"Naraku!" Miroku furiously shouted, "Enough with your illusions!"
Before he could stop her Sango's illusion stepped forward and pulled Miroku towards her, her soft lips brushing against his own. She pressed her warm body against him and deepened her kiss, Miroku helpless against her advances.
She was just an illusion…but she felt oh so real.
Miroku fought to keep ahold of his senses, fought to push her away as his heart pulsed furiously and every instinct within him screamed to pull her closer. Oh how he'd dreamed of this moment, to take Sango into his arms and hold her close. To have her, the woman he so desperately loved, by his side and know that she was his and his alone.
Trembling, he nearly gave into the illusion when at last Sango stepped back. Miroku gasped for air but his eyes widened in shock as he stared at Sango's smiling face. A chocolate haired infant gurgled in her arms as twin girls tugged on her skirts and stared up at him in delight.
All three children looked like Miroku.
"Had Ronuku never entered this world, this would have been your future," Naraku's voice whispered into his ear, "They were supposed to be your family."
As Sango and his children smiled at him, Miroku's heart wept. He stood face to face with everything he'd longed for, all he ever wanted stood only a few inches away. He reached out to caress Sango's cheek, but his hand passed through her like mist.
This wasn't real.
"He stole them from you," Naraku said, "And now he's going to kill her. Can you stand by and let that happen monk?"
Miroku looked back at Ronuku. The samurai still stood frozen in place, but his head had turned, staring directly at the monk.
"End it now," Naraku whispered, "Take his life and I will close the wind tunnel behind him. Your curse will be lifted, and you can have Sango. You can have the woman you love."
Miroku knew not to trust Naraku, the demon was most likely lying through his teeth, but Miroku exhaled and his eyes widened. With the curse lifted, his life would be spared. He wouldn't have to live every moment in terror, death would no longer await him from the palm of his hand. At last he would be free to live his life without fear.
But to have Sango?
Miroku closed his eyes and remembered the feeling of her lips against his own.
No, he told himself, that wasn't her. That was an illusion.
Sango already made her choice.
He sighed as the truth sank into his heart. If he and Sango were truly meant to be together then she would have picked him. But she didn't. She chose Ronuku. The idiot samurai was her husband, the father of her children. Miroku could never be with her, not if he took Ronuku's life.
"Naraku, if you think that I would sacrifice the man who makes Sango happy in order to save my own life," he looked up at the demon and glared, "Then you're wrong." He turned towards Ronuku and gripped the beads on his wind tunnel.
"If I must kill him," Miroku said, his voice heavy but determined, "Then I shall atone for my sins and follow him in death."
The monk stared at Ronuku, and his heart grew heavy with memories. Though they'd been rivals for Sango's affection they'd still fought by each other's side. They'd traveled together, protecting one another, sharing the same meals, sleeping underneath the same sky…the idiot samurai whose boisterous antics made even him laugh.
They'd been friends.
"Very well monk," Naraku said, vanishing into the mist, "You shall have your wish." All at once the pain returned, the wind tunnel screamed and howled louder than ever. Miroku winced and gripped the beads at his cursed hand.
"Ronuku," he grimaced, slowly pulling the beads away, "Forgive me."
"Sango," Ronuku suddenly said, his voice rough and confused has he stared directly at the monk. Miroku instantly halted, his eyes widening in shock.
"R-ronuku?" He called out, "Ronuku, can you hear me?"
Did…did he see all of that? Miroku wondered, his grip on the beads loosening, Is…is he alive in there? Perhaps…perhaps this isn't the way. If Ronuku is still in there, then he can be saved. He can be saved and Sango won't have to lose him.
"Ronuku!" Miroku called out, sealing his wind tunnel and holding his hand tight, "Ronuku please answer me. If I can save you, you don't have to die-"
There was a flash of steel.
The sword buried itself into Miroku's throat.
The monk gasped, his voice nothing more than a strangled wheeze as his trembling hands clawed at the blood that pooled from the wound in his neck, scarlet dripping from the sword that impaled his windpipe.
Ronuku stood over him, gripping the hilt of his weapon. His eyes glowed with darkened madness as he stared directly into Miroku's. He ripped his weapon away, blood splattering his face as he shoved Miroku to the ground.
The monk collapsed, fighting for every precious gulp of air that failed to reach his lungs. His body trembled, but the wound flowed free, his life ebbing with every pulse.
His vision wavered into darkness. He heard voices around him.
"No!" a woman screamed, "Miroku! NO! Why did you do that?! Why?!"
K-kagome? Miroku's hazy mind wondered.
"A pity, really," a voice answered, "His spiritual powers would have been a great addition, but it seems Naraku's caught onto my plan. I cannot allow the wind tunnel to remain, it would have stopped Ronuku or destroyed us from the inside."
Confusion dripped through Miroku's consciousness, but it didn't last. His eyes widened as Ronuku's shadow stood over him, but soon there was nothing. All thoughts became darkness, and his body ceased to fight.
Miroku went limp, his glassy eyes staring into nothing.
Drops of blood fell from Ronuku's sword.