Well, I'm finally updating after . . . what? Two days? Three days? I dunno. I lost count. I actually got sick with Bronchitis, and I've been sick with that for days, and am still sick with it, actually, so I'm pretty glad this story is already written because I don't feel like working on anything at ALL. Well, anyway, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and got lots of money and gifts and the like. Here's the next chapter, and everyone who isn't reviewing but reading, review to let me know what you think! :P

Chapter four

"Kagome, are you awake?"

"Well, if she wasn't before, she probably is now! You should just let her sleep!"

"She's been sleepin' for days! And Kaede said she needed to get up and move around!"

"There's nothing wrong with her resting for a little longer!"

"Inuyasha, Sango, that's enough. I'm sure Kagome is on her way to good health. Kagome, if you are awake, I've got some breakfast for ye."

I opened my eyes slowly, seeing Inuyasha and Sango both leaning over me, both looking worried about me. I yawned and slowly sat up, with both of them helping me up on either sides, and glaring at each other in competitive rivalry.

"Wow, it feels like I've been asleep for years." I commented, but I felt well rested. My side was still sore, but it wasn't terrible. I stretched, making sure not to mess up the stitches in my side, and accepted the bowl of soup that Kaede handed me. I was hungry.

"Well, you slept for three days." Sango commented, as I sipped the soup.

"These two have barely left your side." Kaede explained to me, eyeing Sango and Inuyasha wearily. "I've had to break them up for fighting this whole time."

I shook my head. "Why am I not surprised?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded.

"You know exactly what I mean!" I snapped, nose to nose with him. "I'm laying here, practically dying, and all you can do is fight! Sheesh!"

"Well at least I stayed!"

I shook my head again, continuing to sip my soup. "Well, as long as Mistress Centipede didn't get the jewel, that's all that matters."

"I have sympathy for ye." Kaede replied. "The demons that ye have had to face ever since taking on your duty are fearsome."

Inuyasha grinned, and looked at Sango. "Did you hear that, demon slayer? I'm fearsome."

Sango glared at him. "Listen, insolent demon, I am a demon slayer, and I can slay you at any minute."

"I think I'm going to go bathe." I sighed, and stood up, shrugging off Inuyasha and Sango's help. I was aggravated with the two of them for fighting while I was resting.

"Well, I'll go with you and keep watch." Inuyasha said, standing up.

I whirled around to face him. "You can't be serious! I'm going to bathe, you pig!"

"It's just to protect you!"

"I'm more than capable of carrying out this task!" Sango interjected, rising. "I can protect you, Kagome."

"I don't need protecting! Ugh!" I threw my hands up. "Will you two cut it out?"

I stomped from the hut after grabbing my bathing supplies, unsurprised to hear Sango and Inuyasha arguing in the hut after me. I moved quickly down to the hot spring, so as not to have to hear the two of them.

I winced when I slid into the water, because the hot water stung on my wounds. After a moment the sting vanished, and I sighed as I sank down into the spring, relaxing my body.

I would hate to think if a demon more powerful than Mistress Centipede decided to come after the jewel. I thought, as I soaked in the water. This is twice already that I've nearly lost the jewel because I'm not strong enough by myself to protect it. Either Sango or Inuyasha have to come to the rescue. I'm a lousy protector . . .

I need to ask Kaede how to get rid of the jewel. We have to do something. We can't just let the jewel continue to summon demons like this, because the entire village will be wiped out at this rate. I think- My thoughts were cut off as I heard a silent curse from the bushes, and I felt a rush of anger.

"Inuyasha, I'm tired of you spying on me, you pervert!" I grabbed a rock and hurled it, and the yelp I heard from the bushes upon impact was male, but it wasn't Inuyasha.

A moment later a young man appeared, rubbing his head where I'd hit it with the rock. I snatched up my clothes and covered myself as he walked out into view, and when I saw he was just an ordinary human, I relaxed a little. He wore a monk's garb, though his dark brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. He was quite handsome, I saw, and he carried a strange staff.

"My apologies, fair maiden. I was just passing through this area and I heard that there was a young, beautiful miko in possession of the sacred Shikon no Tama. I would like to have a word with you, if you are her." His voice was smooth, and his dark blue eyes were sincere as he watched me.

"Well, I am her, and I don't see why you can't. Just let me get dressed and I'll take you to the village." I replied.

Once I was properly clothed I took the strange young man to the village, and once there, I saw Inuyasha and Sango were outside working under the watchful eye of Kaede, obviously a punishment for their incessant arguing. It was slightly amusing, and I called for them to come inside with me and the young man.

After we had all sat down, I bade for him to explain his reasons for seeking me out. "You said you wanted to have a word with me, so go ahead."

"Well, I believe introductions are needed, first. I am Miroku, a traveling houshi. And you are Kagome, I believe." he looked to me. He glanced over to Sango, and said, "You are the beautiful, exotic demon slayer who goes by the name of Sango. And you are Kaede, the wise priestess who has protected this village and trained Kagome. And you . . ." he looked to Inuyasha. "I don't believe I've heard of you."

"Uh, he's new." I laughed a little, and reached over, rubbing Inuyasha's head. He gave me a dark look, but didn't respond. "This is Inuyasha."

Miroku nodded. "Well met. Now, onto my reason for being here . . . I am afraid that my story isn't a good one, so . . . listen carefully. There is a curse that has been placed upon my right hand, a wretched wind tunnel that sucks up everything in it's path when I remove these prayer beads." He lifted up his right hand for emphasis, and I saw the purple and blue glove upon it, wrapped with light blue beads. His other hand didn't have anything on it. "This curse has been passed down for generations now in my family, and always to the sons."

"But why? Who would inflict your family with a curse?" I asked, taken aback.

"Like I said, it was generations ago. One of my great great grandfathers fell in love with the priestess Midoriko, also the creator of the Shikon no Tama, and she also fell in love with him. He wove fantasies before her, promises of marriage and children, once her tasks as a priestess were done, and she swore herself to him.

"Unfortunately . . . my grandfather was a lecher. Midoriko discovered him with another woman, obviously breaking his vows to her, and was enraged by his betrayal." Miroku's voice was solemn as he went on, and all of us were entranced by his story. "Infuriated, Midoriko laid a curse on his right hand, the kazaana, or the wind tunnel, that would gradually grow bigger with age. Eventually, in his older years, the wind tunnel consumed him, sucking his entire body up into the void, and the curse was passed down to his son, who was also consumed. And then, to my father, who also died, and now, me."

"That's terrible! I thought Midoriko was a gentle, loving priestess." I whispered.

"She was. But she was scorned, and took her revenge in the form of a curse, for my grandfather's lecherous ways." Miroku explained. "And this curse has gone down in the generations, and if I do not break the curse, I soon will suffer the same fate. The wind tunnel in my hand grows bigger with the years, and I fear that I do not have too many years left before I am consumed also."

"So how do I fit into all of this?" I asked.

"It's quite simple, really. I wish to use the power of the jewel to confront Midoriko, and have her remove the curse." Miroku explained.

"But . . . isn't she dead?" Sango questioned.

"Yes. Midoriko gave her life, and thus, this created the jewel. But within the jewel, Midoriko's soul constantly is in battle with the souls of the demons she sealed inside it within her." Miroku went on. "Midoriko's soul cannot rest until the jewel is gone. And I have a theory that if Midoriko's soul is put to rest properly, that the wind tunnel in my hand will vanish, along with the Shikon no Tama."

Is this my destiny? I thought. To meet Miroku and join him in putting an end to Midoriko's battle within the jewel? And to make it vanish? Maybe that's what my destiny is. "I'm sorry Miroku, but I can't let you have the jewel." I apologized, and at his crestfallen look, I continued. "I've been trying to think up a way to get rid of the jewel, though. And I think your theory is right. I think if Midoriko's soul can finally rest and move on, the jewel will vanish, along with your wind tunnel. She can't hold onto the curse or the jewel if her soul is at peace."

Miroku nodded. "You understand then, Kagome."

"I do. And, though I can't give you the jewel, I will journey with you to accomplish this."

Inuyasha looked at me as if I was crazy. "You can't honestly be serious, Kagome! How do you even know he's tellin' the truth?"

"Inuyasha-" I started, but Miroku cut me off.

"No, I understand that the tale sounds far too strange to believe. Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Follow me." Miroku stood up, and Sango, Kaede, Inuyasha and I exchanged apprehensive glances before we rose and followed him from the hut.

"All of you, stay behind me. Make sure your villagers do as well." Miroku instructed, and as we did so, he turned to face the forest. He gripped the prayer beads on his right hand, and pulled them off, holding his right hand out, palm up, toward the trees. "Wind tunnel!"

Wind erupted from his hand, and I watched in horror as the trees began to shake violently, and whatever was in front of his hand was sucked forward, and into the center of his right hand, where a black hole lay. The roots of the trees were yanked up from the ground, and a few of them flew toward us, and I was about to run, but the trees were also sucked into his right hand. I heard Sango and Kaede's sounds of amazement, and Inuyasha's "Hmph!" at the performance.

Miroku then wrapped his beads back around his hand, sealing the tunnel up. He turned to face us. "I think it's safe to say you believe me now. So, Kagome, will you join me in this task?"

I nodded. "I will. The world will be a lot better off without the jewel."

I turned around, looking to Sango and Inuyasha. "And what about you two? Will you come with us?"

"It's gotta be less borin' than hangin' around this village all the time!" Inuyasha snipped, stating his opinion.

"Well, I would like to aid you, good houshi." Sango replied, turning her gaze to Miroku. "I would be honored to accompany you and aid you in this task. I would hate for you to have the same fate as your grandfathers."

Miroku smiled, and walked up to Sango. To our surprise, he took her hands in his. "Beautiful Sango, it touches my heart that you are concerned for me. And in case I do not succeed in this task, I will need a son, to carry on this legacy, and break this curse upon our family. Sango, will you bear my children?"

"Of all the nerve!" Sango ripped her hands free, but her face was bright red, and I knew she was secretly flattered. She reared her hand back and slapped him, and Miroku was smiling as he put a hand to his red cheek.

"It was well worth it." he sighed.

"It seems the wind tunnel isn't the only thing he inherited." Inuyasha muttered from beside me. I giggled quietly.

Later on that day, the four of us were by the sacred tree, around a fire that Inuyasha and Miroku had built, being the men. Inuyasha was sitting off to the side, by himself, looking moody as usual, and Miroku was busy sharpening his staff.

"So, Sango, what do you think?" I asked her quietly.

"About what?" she asked in return, taking a bite of potato.

"About Miroku, of course. You were as red as a tomato when he asked you to bear his children." I commented.

She turned red again at the thought. "Hmph! I don't think anything about him, other than that he's a lecher just like his grandfather! No wonder Midoriko laid a curse on him."

I smiled to myself. "You were flattered when he asked you to bear his children. Admit it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She stammered.

I just laughed quietly and ignored her glares. I stood up and left Sango and Miroku to chat, and went over to Inuyasha, sitting down beside him.

"Why aren't you with everyone else? You're being very quiet." I said softly.

He didn't look at me. "I'm always by myself, Kagome."

That made me feel guilty, for some reason. "Well, you don't have to be. I'm your friend. And so is Sango. Miroku probably will be soon."

"I don't need any friends." he scoffed. "Don't be stupid."

I felt a trickle of annoyance. "You don't have to be so tough all the time, acting like your all big and bad. It's ok to have friends and laugh."

"Get off my back!"

"No! You're being childish!" I argued. "Having friends is a great thing, especially if they care about you!"

"Since when has anyone ever cared about me!" he suddenly shouted, turning to face me and staring me down, his golden eyes blazing with anger, his fangs bared. I recoiled, shocked. "I've never had any friends before because no one has cared! What makes you any different?"

I felt tears sting my eyes, because I felt ashamed of myself, for bothering him, when it was so obviously something that made him upset. I should have known better. He's just an outcast. I shouldn't be surprised that he doesn't have any friends. I'm so stupid. . . "Inuyasha, I . . ." I reached out to lay a hand on his arm, but he jerked away, and stood up.

"I'm goin'. I'm tired of all you stupid humans, anyway." he growled, and stomped off.

Two tears escaped my eyes and slipped down my face, and I scrubbed them away, before looking back to Miroku and Sango, who were watching with slightly wide eyes.

"Did we miss something?" Miroku asked cautiously.

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm going to go after him." I stood up.

"Maybe it would be best to give him some time alone to cool off." Miroku suggested. "Inuyasha seems the ill tempered type."

"You're probably right." I sighed again and sat down in front of the fire, pulling my knees up to my chest.

"So how are we going to contact Midoriko and put her soul to rest, anyway?" Sango asked, as we all sat there.

"I heard her resting place is well guarded by a magical barrier, and if we can get there, I'm sure the sacred jewel will react to being there, and we can contact her. But, I am unaware of her resting place at the moment." Miroku admitted.

It didn't escape my notice when Sango suddenly looked down, avoiding eye contact with us. "Sango," I said quietly, "do you know something?"

"Well . . . I do." she admitted. "Midoriko's resting place is deep within a cave in my village."

"Your village?" I was shocked. "She's there?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to pass through the barrier." Sango continued. "I've never been into the cave before."

"Then you will take us there?" Miroku asked hopefully.

"Yes, I can. I trust that you, Kagome, and Inuyasha will be respectful of her grave." Sango replied. "But it's going to be dangerous. I also happen to know a little bit of history concerning how the Shikon no Tama was created by Midoriko . . .

"Midoriko, as a priestess, contained immense spiritual power. She could purify and destroy ten demons at once, and had incredible stamina. However, in a battle that would be her last, she was surrounded by demons. She had fought for seven days and seven nights, and realized that she would not win the battle.

"One of the demons was a half demon who was created by a man who desired to possess Midoriko, and gave his body away to demons. So, Midoriko merged her body with that of this demon's and when their souls combined, it thrust the jewel from her body, and it was created. So, that is why Midoriko's soul constantly battles that of the demon's within it. The power of the jewel depends on the holder, because of this battle." Sango explained.

"So Midoriko was tragic, all around . . ." I said softly. "I wonder . . . how we can put her soul to rest . . ."

"It sounds like an impossible task, at this point." Miroku sighed.

"Well, right now, we just need to focus on getting to Midoriko's resting place and contacting her, and we can find out from there what needs to be done." Sango replied. "But we'll have to wait until tomorrow to leave. I have a child, and I'll have to make sure she's safe before I leave on a journey of any kind."

Miroku looked extremely disappointed. "You were married?"

Sango flushed. "Oh no, of course not. She's not my child by blood. I took her in because she's an orphan, to watch over her and keep her safe. She's practically my own, though."

"Ahh, I see. Well," Miroku stood up, and both Sango and I watched with curiosity as he came and sat beside Sango before taking her hands in his, "it would be best if this girl had a father figure in her life. I would be happy to fulfill that position by becoming your husband- Ow!" Sango whacked him over the head with her boomerang, and I decided in that moment I would go in search of Inuyasha.

"You two try not to kill each other while I'm gone." I said, before I set off in the direction that Inuyasha had gone. I was pretty sure I'd find him by the docks.

Sure enough, when I reached the docks, he was there, sitting indian style and staring across the river. If he heard me approaching, he didn't react, so I went and sat down beside him.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." I finally said, quietly. "I didn't know that it was a sensitive topic."

"Just drop it already. I don't want to talk about it." He replied gruffly.

I opened my mouth to argue, but then decided I'd better not. "So Inuyasha, I have a question for you . . . before now . . . what were you doing? I mean, were you alone? Were you-"

Inuyasha suddenly looked at me sharply, and I froze in my words, my heart pounding by the intense look in his eyes. "You ask way too many questions, wench." he snapped, but when he saw the expression on my face, he expression softened a little and he sighed.

"So you're back to calling me that, huh?" I drew my knees up to my chest and laid my chin against them. "Should I just call you 'half demon spawn' ?" I teased.

"Ha ha very funny."

I giggled, before I sighed myself. "We're going to be leaving tomorrow to find Midoriko's resting place. Sango says that it's in a cave in her village."

"So the slayer's useful for somethin' after all."

"She's got all kinds of use!" I defended. "You really should be nicer."

"Hmph." was his only response.

"So why are you coming along, anyway? I know you don't like Miroku or Sango, and I know you don't like me." I asked.

"Feh! I never said I didn't like you."

"So you do like me?" I asked coyly, watching him. He flushed a little.

"Of course I don't like you. Don't be ridiculous." he turned away, but I knew it was so I couldn't see that he did indeed like me, whether he wanted to or not.

"So then why are you coming along?" I persisted.

"Someone's gotta keep an eye on you. You're a klutz."

I punched his arm, and he turned to glare at me. "What did you do that for Kagome!"

"You've obviously got to like me a little if you're so intent on 'keeping an eye' on me." I said, glaring right back.

"I don't like you at all!"

"You're a liar." I muttered, and he growled at me, his ears flattening against his head.

"I am not!"

"All right then. I guess then if that's the case, I can just go ask Miroku if he wants me to bear any of his children." I suggested, just to get under his skin.

Inuyasha's eye twitched. "You wouldn't dare."

"I don't see why it would matter to you anyway!" I began to rise.

"Where do you think you're goin', you stupid miko!" Inuyasha demanded, looking rather pissed off.

"To go propose to Miroku." I said snootily, and tried to stand up, but I felt a warm hand grab my wrist, and pull me back. I gasped as Inuyasha pulled me around to face him, and my heart skipped a beat at our close proximity. He looked annoyed, but I could smell his breath from here, and it was sweet and refreshing, and his lips looked soft. I felt a warm blush light my face, and I couldn't look away from his intense yellow eyes.

"Ok, fine. I . . . like you." he ground out from between clenched teeth, his ears laid back.

"I knew it." I said smugly, but then smiled at him. "You'd think I was pulling your fingernails off, with you being so against admitting it."

"Feh." he hadn't released my wrist yet, and we were still facing each other, very close. Both of us grew silent, and gradually, his scowl disappeared, and he just looked at me, and I looked at him.

But then he looked away, and his hand let go of my wrist. "You should go get some sleep. It's late, and we have to leave tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right. But you should take your own advice." I replied, and this time, he didn't stop me when I stood up.

"I'm going to stay out here for a little bit longer." he said, not bothering to look at me, but instead looking out on the waves that rippled across the water.

"All right, suit yourself. Goodnight." I gave him one last look before I turned and left.

Who saw Miroku coming in that? :P Thoughts on Midoriko and the curse?