Chapter Five: Fighting

A/N: Edited on 9/14/15

Miroku held his staff while holding Sango's shoulder, as he held them tightly on Kirara's back. The demon cat raced thru the sky like a bird with wings. Her front paws taking the beat of the flight while her back paws propelled them forward with more speed.

Shippo clung to Miroku's robe. The small fox demon seemed to be in the mood to join them on this demon hunt. Keade had said a demon was spotted not far from where Keade's village was, and rumored to have a Shikon Jewel shard. But without Kagome, they were only going on a hunch.

"Sango, do we really know if there is a Shikon Jewel shard?" Miroku asked.

"I wouldn't know." Sango sighed, "But even still, I hope fighting will get us all back in the mood."

Miroku sighed. Despite the both of them trying to help, Sesshomaru had really gotten through to InuYasha before they could. Miroku thought, Sesshomaru had always despised InuYasha due to his human blood. Yet every chance the Demon Lord had to kill InuYasha, he never took it.

Even InuYasha held back. Even though Miroku wasn't at InuYasha's father's grave when the half-demon fought Sesshomaru over the Tessaiga, he had cut Sesshomaru's arm off. But did InuYasha still hold back? The way Kagome had described it InuYasha had had a clear shot at the Demon Lord's neck.

Miroku shook his head, and looked down at Shippo. The young fox demon was shaking from head to toe. He wanted to fight, but he was still a child. Miroku hoped he may just observe as they started to approach the rumored demon.

"We're here." Sango said, as she positioned her boomerang over her shoulder. Miroku took his focus off of Shippo and turned his head forward. A small village lay ahead. Kirara landed and all three got off. Kirara transformed back to her smaller form and hopped onto Sango's shoulder.

"I hear you have a demon problem?" Miroku asked an elder woman who was out sweeping in front over her hut.

"Yes, why I do Good Monk." The woman bowed.

"We have come to defeat it." Sango said as she stepped forward. The village suddenly became alive, parents streamed out and men held pitch forks. Miroku noticed most of the men had battle marks. From what, Miroku did not know.

"A demon exterminator has come!" One man shouted.

"Finally!" Another said.

"Wait…" Miroku held up his hands. "I do need to know. Do any of you know if the demon has possession of a Shikon Jewel shard?"

"I highly doubt they would know." Sango hissed. "We still have to help these people."

"I know Sango, but I would rather know beforehand." Miroku responded to her concern.

"I wouldn't know." One man said.

"It takes our children!" A woman cried and held her little boy to her tightly.

"Alright, alight." Miroku held up his hands. "I can assure all of you, you will be sleeping better tonight."

Suddenly the villager's faces all turned to horror. Miroku sighed as the demonic aura came up behind him. Sango looked down and said nothing.

"There's another demon behind you!" A man screamed.

"Don't worry," Sango said, giving the 'demon' behind her a glance. "He's with us. He's going to help exterminate the demon that is bothering you."

"Are…you…sure?" The elder woman asked. "It looks like it's going to eat you any second!"

Miroku heard an irritated growl come from behind him. Miroku turned to see InuYasha's red eyes glaring at the villagers. Both of his wings folded nicely behind him, his red fire rat pants were on, and a ratty old grey kimono with two holes in the back to suit his wings. InuYasha had not been willing to put the top of his fire rat on just yet.

"InuYasha, they don't understand." Miroku sighed. "Just ignore them and concentrate on the task ahead." InuYasha only snorted in response, and took a glance into the sky. He took one faithful jump and snapped his wings out darting ahead to the woods that the demon seemed to live in.

"That's our cue. Come one monk." Sango said as she moved forward between the shocked villagers.

As Miroku started thru them, a man gave him an angry look. "That demon is no better then the one that terrorizes our village."

Miroku felt something snap in him. Never had he felt the anger, the loss of self control like this before. He glared at the man and got right into his face.

"As I should point out that demon is my friend! He was possessed, forced to rape the women he loves, and almost forced to kill his brother! Is there any more you want to tell me that I don't know about?!" The villager backed up, his face showing in shock and confusion, but Miroku wasn't done. "That is my FRIEND, not a demon who hunts and feasts on humans! Now don't tell me that my friend is the same as the demon that terrorizes your village!"

The villagers just stared at him in open mouthed. Some of the women put their children closer to them, but no one challenged Miroku. Miroku took a deep breathe and stalked after Sango. He felt InuYasha would not want him to tell what he had just blurted, but those humans wouldn't know what happened nad none of them would understand. InuYasha should not be judged by how he looked, and it hurt Miroku just to think what InuYasha was going through. InuYasha had been a hybrid, between a demon and a human, and he had no choice on what his parents were. Everyone hated him for what he was; no one cared to know him personally. But Miroku had, he felt for InuYasha. He had no regrets of joining InuYasha to help defeat Naraku.

Miroku felt a sudden chill go through him. If he hadn't met InuYasha, would he think the same thing? Think that all half-demon's were abominations? Miroku had a bad gut feeling he would. He had grown and trained to be a monk, who thought all demons were evil and need to be rid of. And if so, he would have attempted to purify InuYasha or maybe sucked him into the wind tunnel without second thought.

No, InuYasha was his friend. A half-demon, yet a friend. Even now, as full-fledged demon at the moment, Miroku's feeling for InuYasha didn't change. He had been worried when he first heard InuYasha wanted to use the Shikon Jewel to turn demon. That day when InuYasha transformed Miroku cemented that worry and he hoped he would persuade his friend to stay the way he was.

Miroku was so in thought he hit something leathery and felt something slam him in the face.

"Shit Miroku! Watch where you're going!" InuYasha's voice hissed. Miroku rubbed his cheek to where InuYasha had hit him and shot his brow down.

"Excuse me!" Miroku snapped. "I just defended your integrity. So give me some gratitude!"

InuYasha stopped and stared at him, one of his ears flicked. "My integrity?"

"Yes, I don't want to tell you though, we need to focus on defeating…"

"Already done." Miroku froze.

"What…?"

"You took to long." InuYasha gave him a look. He held up the head of the demon. Miroku almost felt the bile in his stomach come up, as he looked away slowly.

"You mind putting that somewhere else?" Miroku gagged.

"Sorry, but I'm looking for shards." InuYasha grumbled. That was when Miroku realized InuYasha was covered in blood. By the looks of it, the splatter was on him and not his own wounds.

"Monk what took so long?" Sango came up behind him.

"I was calming the villagers." Miroku lied. More like shocking them to a core, Miroku silently cursed himself.

"Found it!" Miroku and Sango turned to InuYasha as he ripped the skull open, much to the dislike of Miroku's stomach and probably Sango's, and ripped out the shard from the grey matter.

"Don't you think he needs a bath?" Shippo asked.

"Definitely." Sango said. "I don't have his nose, but I sure can smell this. We better start cleaning this up."

"Sango?" She turned to him, as the headed to decapitated demon.

"Yes monk?"

"The truth…" Miroku looked down. "I lost my temper."

"You what…?" Sango stared at him in confusion.

"When a villager said InuYasha was the same as this demon, something in me snapped. I think I scared them all." Miroku looked down further.

He felt her hand come on his shoulder; he looked up at her smiling face. "You know that is what something Kagome would do. Protect InuYasha like that."

"What will happen between them now?" Miroku asked her. Sango's face dropped.

"I…InuYasha needs to get over what was not his fault. I tried to tell him that Kagome loves him. I know women when they see their soul mate. It's just in her eyes the way she looks at him. He still is in denial."

"Is that what I'm seeing in your eyes right now my dear Sango?' Miroku smiled. Sango gave him a cold look.

SLAP! "I only hope not." Was all she said as turned her back on him. Miroku sighed, so close.

"Are we going to be all day or what?" InuYasha asked, with his bloody arms crossed.

"No InuYasha we're not." Miroku answered the impatient half-demon. "But do us all a favor when we get back to Keade's village."

"What?" InuYasha scowled.

"Get a bath."