Me: Well, after nearly two years I have finally finished this... heh, I suck. :P
Miroku: You realize I have most probably died by now, right?
Me: Oh be quiet. Just be happy I came back to save you.
Miroku: I suppose...
Me: I don't own any of these characters from Inuyasha...
Miroku shut his eyes in pain as a burning sensation shot up through his arm. He pulled away from Sango and curled up, breathing hard.
"Miroku..." Sango put an arm around his shoulder.
"I'll be okay." he muttered. Sango let a tear slide down her cheek. She saw the wind tunnel in his right hand glow deep purple. It looked like it would engulf the cover around it at any second.
"My arm... it's burning." Miroku wheezed. Sango lifted his sleeve up and saw it was covered with sweat.
"I'm sure the others will be here soon. Just hang on a little more." Sango comforted him. Miroku managed a smile.
"I'll do my best. I'm not ready to die yet."
"You won't die. I won't let you."
Kirara walked up to Miroku and licked him clean of tears and Sango wiped her own away. She lay her head down on the monk's shoulder and let her hair fall, sticking to her cheeks and forehead. She prayed silently to herself that Inuyasha and Kagome would come back soon.
"Sango... I'm getting dizzy." Miroku said in a strained voice.
"Just close your eyes. Everything will be alright." Sango felt his shoulder relax under her weight. She took her arms and brought him closer to her, until he collapsed into her lap.
"Sango, I don't want to leave you." Miroku said, not even bothering to open his eyes. "But... I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Up ahead!" Shippo pointed ahead from Inuyasha's shoulder to a small village in the distance. He and Kagome had been riding upon the half demon's back for the whole trip so it would go faster. All three of them were soaking wet as it had just been raining, but it seemed to have cleared up for now. Where they were currently was still completely dry. As they neared the small village that Shippo had pointed out, Inuyasha began to slow down slightly. He put his nose to the air and took in a deep breath.
"What is it?" Kagome asked.
"A demon." Inuyasha replied. "And death. Lots of it."
"Death?" Shippo asked with a small squeak. "Was there an attack?"
"Most likely." Inuyasha said as he picked up the pace again. "Hopefully there are still a few survivors around. I don't know how far away the next village is."
"You're right." Kagome said. "Miroku didn't look to good we left and I'm not sure how long he can last."
"That monk will be fine." Inuyasha replied with a shrug. They began to near the edge of the village and he began to slow down again. "The wound he had was small and it didn't look as bad as it could have."
"But he looked terrible." Kagome said back. Inuyasha came to a complete stop and she and Shippo jumped off to the ground. "Could it be perhaps that the wound is so close to the wind tunnel on his hand?"
But Inuyasha did not answer back. He and Shippo were staring straight ahead into the village. The small homes looked intact but splattered all over was blood. It looked as if a brutal battle had taken place moments ago and left no survivors. They could see no one on the streets.
"What happened?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha once again put his nose to the air and inhaled.
"The same demon that got Miroku did this." Inuyasha said. "Everything around here has the same scent as his wound. Poison."
"Do you think there's anyone still alive?" Kagome asked as she followed Inuyasha a few paces into the village. Inuyasha said nothing and continued walking.
"I sure hope so for Miroku's sake." Shippo said in a small voice. Kagome nodded in agreement.
"Is anyone here?" Inuyasha stormed through a nearby entrance to someone's home. Lying on the floor were two people, a man and woman, who looked to be in their late twenties. The man's left sleeve was torn off and huge gashes ran the length of his arm that were colored exactly the same as Miroku's wound. The woman's were the same only her's were on her stomach. The wounds were bleeding a sickly green liquid freely all over the floor. Both the man and the woman were dead.
"How horrible!" Kagome covered her moth after she entered behind Inuyasha. Shippo jumped to her shoulder and buried his face in her hair.
"This didn't happen long ago." Inuyasha said as he inspected the bodies."They're still bleeding."
"So you were right when you said Miroku's wasn't as bad as it could have been." Kagome said as she turned away from the sight before her. "But why?"
"My guess is he panicked and tried to suck it up with the wind tunnel. From the looks of it he succeeded too. That's probably why his arm's been bugging him."
Inuyasha and Kagome left the house and looked around some more before trying another home. They were met with the same sight as before.
"I don't think there's anyone here." Inuyasha said as they walked back out of the second house with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Then what are we going to do?" Shippo asked. "Doesn't Miroku need help?"
"He does." Kagome said. "But I don't think we're going to find any here. We're just going to have to travel on to the next village."
"That'll take too long!" Inuyasha said. "There's not enough time."
"Then what are we going to do, let Miroku die?"
"He's going to die soon anyway with that wind tunnel of his." Inuyasha shot back.
"How can you even say that!" Kagome stormed. "There has to be some way we can help him!"
"Well I— "Inuyasha began.
"You there." a small voce called out to them. Inuyasha stopped mid sentence and they all turned to face the source of the voice. Across the road and on a small area to the side of another house was a young girl. She was leaning up against the side of the house and looked as if she would topple over any moment. Like all the others they had seen here, she had been attacked by the demon too. "Are you looking for an antidote for the poison?"
"Yeah." Kagome said. She walked over to the little girl and crouched down next to her. "Do you need any help?
The girl shook her head with much strain. "It's too late for me." she spoke with a small cough. "I have no reason to live anymore. My family all fell prey to the demon a short while ago."
"And you're saying you know how to cur this poison?" Inuyasha asked with a scoff. "How come you didn't save your village."
"The poison spread far too quickly." the small girl coughed again. She stared up and Kagome and smiled. "But I heard you say your friend's wound was small. You may be able to help him."
Sango had moved Miroku back to the safety of the cavern with the help of Kirara after the monk had fallen back asleep. He still had a bit of a fever and his arm felt like it was on fire. She had placed a cool cloth over the monk's forehead once again to cool him off but it didn't seem to be helping. Soon, as she watched Miroku's restless sleep, she too dozed off.
Next to Sango's sleeping form, Miroku had begun tossing and turning again.
"Leave me alone." he muttered in his sleep. He found himself standing in a large stretch of field again and he could see anything for miles. The sky was growing darker by the second and the wind had begun to get a lot stronger.
"Where am I?" Miroku asked himself. A surge of pain shot up his right arm and threatened to knock him over. He gripped his right forearm with his other hand and did his best to keep from yelling out in pain. Blood had begun oozing out again and it was flowing down his arms and dripping to the ground, staining the grass it landed on. Miroku fell to his knees.
"Is this the end?" Miroku asked himself. He looked down at his cursed hand and saw the wind fighting to escape. The ring around his finger broke off and was sucked in and soon the flaps of material were gone too. The wind had become even stronger now. Miroku couldn't take his eyes off of it.
"I die here, then." he said to himself.
"You don't have to die yet." a voice said. He heard faint footsteps come to a halt right before him. He tore his eyes away from his hand and found himself looking into Sango's eyes. She smiled back; she seemed to be unaware of what was happening to Miroku.
"Get away, Sango." he said in a strained voice."I don't want to hurt you anymore."
"You've never hurt me."
"You have hurt her!" another voice spoke from above them. Miroku looked up into the darkening sky. "You just won't learn."
The beads that had been sealing the wind tunnel shattered around him and flew in all directions. The wind from his palm became stronger them ever and was bleeding still out the sides. Before Miroku knew it, his whole right side was drenched in blood.
"Sango, leave." he said. But Sango took a step closer. She lost he footing and slipped. The wind around her picked her body up with ease and drew her closer and closer.
"NO!" Miroku yelled so loud he woke himself up. He sat up, breathing hard, and looked around him. He was still in the cave and Sango and Kirara were still beside him, asleep. He stared at Sango for a minute while he caught his breath until a surge of pain went up his right arm and brought him out of his trance.
"I have to leave here." Miroku said as he looked at his arm. His greatest fear att he moment was for the nightmare he just had to become a reality. His wind tunnel had been acting strange even since he had been attacked and he didn't want to take any chances. Off to his side he spotted his staff leaning against the rock wall. He grabbed it with his right hand and used it to bring himself to his feet. He staggered a bit as he still was feeling a little dizzy, but soon regained his balance and left the cave.
"I do not wish to hurt you, Sango." Miroku said as he looked back on her sleeping form. "And I understand that leaving right after we announced our love to one another will be difficult..." he paused, trying to recall if that had even happened at all. His memory was becoming a bit foggy, probably from all the poison coursing through his body at the moment. "Please understand."
He left the cave entrance and began walking back to the main road. He planned to go back the way he came lest he run into Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo ahead. He didn't want to endanger them either. However, he didn't get nearly as far as he had planned. Another pain shpt through him and he collapsed on the spot, breathing hard and sweating. His rolled up his right sleeve and found his arm covered with a assortment of bloods from his wind tunnel. With one last groan of pain, he blacked out.
Kirara woke up soon after Miroku had left and, when she saw the monk had left, quickly nudged Sango awake.
"What's wrong, Kirara?" Sango asked the cat demon. Kirara looked distressed. "Is something wrong with Miroku?" she quickly turned to the side and found the area where Miroku had been previously sleeping to be vacant. His staff was gone as well. The only ting left was a small trail of blood drops that lead out the cavern entrance. "Why would he leave?"
Moments later, Sango was on Kirara's back and following the trail Miroku had left. They were only a few feet from the cave when they found Miroku laying on the ground ahead of them. Kirara came to a sudden stop and Sango jumped off and flung herself over Miroku's body.
"Miroku, please wake up." she cried into him. She could barely feel a pulse and he was breathy softly and irregularly. "You're going to be fine if you wake up." she sat up and looked at his right hand as she wiped her tears.
"Sango!" she heard a voice call out from the forest ahead of her that sounded like Kagome's. She looked up and Inuyasha skidded in front of her and Miroku. "How's Miroku doing."
Sango couldn't find it in herself to answer. She was happy that they had made it back but she wasn't sure if they had been fast enough. Miroku looked like he could pass away at any moment. It made Sango want to cry even harder just thinking about it.
"We have something to help get rid of the poison!" Shippo told Sango to try and comfort her. Sango merely nodded and continued looking at Miroku. Kagome and Inuyasha crouched in front of the monk, blocking him from Sango's view.
"Please be alright." Sango whispered so no one could here her. "I love you."
Miroku was walking through the field again. Around him he could see the blood of thousands of demons. Their bones and flesh littered the area.
"What happened here?" Miroku asked himself. "I couldn't have done this." he looked down at his hand and winced in pain again. The wind was strong but he no longer seemed to be bleeding.
"Miroku..." a voice called from somewhere. It sounded soft and sweet.
"Who's there?" Miroku asked.
"Wake up, Miroku." the voice said. Miroku pondered what this meant for a second. Was he in another dream?
"Wake up, dammit!" a loud voice shouted down to him.
"Inuyasha!" another voice yelled back. "SIT!"
"What?" Miroku opened his eyes and looked around, sitting up in the process. Kagome and Shippo were to his left, smiling. Towards his feet, Inuyasha was plastered into a large hole in the ground. And to his right was Sango and Kirara.
"How are you feeling?" Kagome asked.
"I'm... not sure." Miroku said. He found he was able to move his hand once again. He hoisted it into his lap to have a look at it. His entire palm was crusted with dried blood but none of it was fresh. His arm no longer burned him and the pain seemed to have subsided. Tentatively, he proceeded to remove the cloth cover from his hand. The wind tunnel was a mere black speck in the center of it and too the side was a small wound that had scabbed over.
"It looks better." Shippo said to him as Miroku covered it back up. He rested his hand to his side and looked back at Sango.
"Thank you." he said to her. But Sango didn't reply. Instead, she took him into her arms and hugged him, crying into his shoulder. Miroku was too shocked to move and so was everyone else. Sango drew back from him and kissed his lips and pulled away quickly as her cheeks flushed.
"I was so scared you were going to... going to." she couldn't get the words out of her mouth.
"Die?" Miroku finished for her. Another tear fell down her cheek and she hugged him again. "I would of if you hadn't taken care of me." he smiled and hugged back. He slowly moved his hand down her back to grope her but caught Kagome's eye and stopped.
"He'll be fine, I'm sure." Kagome said. Shippo just rolled his eyes. Sango pulled away from him once again and smiled as she wiped her tears away.
"Sango," Miroku began. It was sunset and the group had stopped for the night. Sango was sitting of in the forest be herself and watching the sun set. Miroku walked up to her and sat next to her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Much better." Miroku said. He out his cursed hand into his lap and massaged his palm with his left thumb a bit. "Though it still stings a bit, I think the poison's gone."
"That's good." Sango said, not making eye contact. Miroku smiled.
"I was just wondering." Miroku began again as he pulled his hand off to the side again. "Were you really that worried about me?"
"What?" Sango was taken aback by the question, though she still didn't look into his eyes. "Of course I was worried about you. You're one of my closest friends."
"Just a friend, then?" Miroku pondered, more to himself than to Sango. Sango didn't reply. She could feel her cheeks flushing and was glad it was getting darker out. She hoped Miroku hadn't noticed.
"Of course." Sango said slowly. "A friend."
"Then that was a dream too." Miroku said with a small smile. "I though that ---"
"You thought what?" she asked Miroku quickly. He cheeks were even redder now. Miroku noticed out of the corner of his eye.
"It's nothing." Sango said. "I tend to... tend to act without thinking when I'm worried. It's nothing more."
"Is that what you call it?" Miroku asked her with a small laugh. "Oh well." he got up and began to make his way back to where the others were.
"Where are you going?" Sango asked suddenly. Miroku stopped walking but didn't face her.
"Sleep." Miroku shrugged. "I feel quite tired." he began walking again. But before he could get any farther, Sango ran up to him from behind and pulled him into another hug.
"I love you." she whispered into his back. "You're more than a friend to me."
"So that part wasn't a dream." Miroku said. He loosened Sango's grasp around him and turned to face her. He brushed her dark bangs aside and looked into her deep brown eyes. "Then you don't mind doing this, I presume."
"Doing what?" Sango asked, thinking he was talking about hugging. But before she could say anymore, Miroku pulled her into a kiss. Sango kissed back graciously and hugged him even closer to her body. The sun behind them had set completely now and the sky became filled with stars. Over them, a waning moon shoe brightly.
Miroku didn't know how long they stood there with each other. He did know that no matter how short his life was going to be, he wanted to spend it with Sango. He loved her more than anything and he would do anything to protect her. He knew eventually he would have to leave her because of his curse, but none of that mattered right now. All that mattered was that they were together.
I wonder if anyone even remembers this story... heh. Oh well, maybe some new people will read it.
Miroku: Lovely ladies, hopefully.
Me: You are one perverted monk.
Miroku: I shall take that as a complement.
Me: Whatever... this story is finally finished. Bet no one thought it even would be, huh? Blame my sister for getting me temporarily obbsessed with Inuyasha again!