(The Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
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A few days had passed since the whole ordeal with Kikyo, and after spending some time resting and recovering, the search for the Shikon Jewel shards continued.
Kagome quickly downed a drink of water "I've gotta admit, soul getting sucked out of me aside that really hits the spot."
"So how are you holding up?" asked Tatsu "You feeling back to normal now?"
"Well my side has been hurting a little bit, I'm not sure what that's about, but aside from that I feel perfectly fine again. I can hardly believe that old woman managed to suck my soul out of my body, but I'm feeling back to my old self now. Thanks Tatsu."
"It wasn't good enough to stop you from getting your soul sucked out, sorry about that."
"Well no harm done, at least everything is back to normal."
"Not like we can say the same about Inuyasha though." Tatsu glanced back.
Inuyasha was just staring off into space, his mind drifting as the wind did 'I just don't know anymore, so I gather all of the shards of the Shikon Jewel to become a full blooded demon, but then what? Even if I do fully become a demon, is that going to make me stronger inside, will it allow me to forget about Kikyo?' he was promptly hit on the back of the head with a rock, and he shot a glare at Tatsu "What?"
"You're brooding like Raidou, that's not your thing."
"Well I'm making it my thing now piss off, even a guy like me needs some time to think to himself once in awhile."
"...I'm not even gonna go there." Tatsu shared a quick glance with Kagome 'This whole thing seems really fucked up. Kikyo says that Inuyasha betrayed her, Inuyasha says Kikyo betrayed him. Obviously there's some kind of third party involved, but who and how? One thing is for sure, with finding all of the remaining shards of the jewel and figuring out a mystery that feels like it's straight out of Doctor Who, we've got a lot of work ahead of us.'
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Meanwhile, with a certain lecherous monk…
At the same time, a handsome young monk by the name of Miroku had doing what he did best, in the form of aiding a feudal lord in exorcising a demon and then swindling him out of all of his valuables, including 3 of his best horses 'Now what to do next? Well the first thing should be to find a place to pawn these off and see how much I can get for all of it.'
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Nightfall came, and the moon lit up the blackened sky.
Miroku took to a hot spring to lament over the events of the day "Well that was disappointing at the very least, an entire cartload of spoils and they fetched but a small price. But all things considered, this shard of the Shikon Jewel made it worth my while."
"Oh yeah, now this is what I like to call a hot spring."
Miroku peaked behind a rock and noticed Kagome bathing on the other side of the hot spring, but a few things in particular caught his eye 'A girl? And she carries shards of the Shikon Jewel with her, and they're- I mean there's so many of them, and they're huge!' he whipped back around the rock before he could be spotted.
"And don't you even think about peeking at me!"
As it turns out, Tatsu, Inuyasha and Shippo were hanging around nearby "Okay that's just unnecessary, you know that I would never do that, you know that Shippo is too young for that, and you know that Inuyasha doesn't give a shit about that."
"Well yeah I get that, what you don't want to look?"
"Do you want me to?"
"...I'm gonna go bathe over there." and so she swam off.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I'm pretty sure she really doesn't wanna answer that ." Shippo promptly stripped off his own clothing.
"And what the heck are you doing?"
"I'll give you one guess, why did you wanna come too? Wait a second now that I think about it, you and Kagome have known each other for years but you never bath at the same time. Why exactly is that? I mean think of all of the fun things you can do when there's two of you?"
"I asked my brother about that once, I saw what he and his girlfriend Mai do, and now I have numerous mental scars because of it."
"Hey I used to take baths together with my mom and dad and we had a great time."
"Are you not listening to a word I've been saying or are you just deliberately ignoring me? If you are, then congratulations."
"I guess it means that you haven't gotten very far with Kagome yet right? I don't know what that means, but no one ever seems willing to answer. I wonder why."
"...Hey Inuyasha you wanna do the honors?"
"Oh by all means." Inuyasha picked up Shippo by the tail and quickly hurled him across the hot spring "That felt good, that felt really really good."
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the spring…
Kagome laid back against a rock and let out a sigh 'Well this is getting way more complicated than it should, fighting off demons 500 years in the past and now I learn that my best friend is in love with me? Maybe we should head back home soon so I can talk to someone about this, or at least clear my head.' she heard a rustling and whipped around, only to discover that it was just a pack of monkeys 'Well better than having Tatsu peep on me. Probably, at least he'd be polite about it.'
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Miroku observed Kagome from afar 'So she has other companions with her, another man and two demons by the looks of it. Well that's quite unfortunate, I do hate having to resort to violence.' he whacked his racoon servant Hachi on the head with his staff "Alright racoon, explain. Now."
"Please, just let me explain!" Hachi protested "All I wish for is a guarantee!"
"I told you before that you'd be compensated."
"...Alright."
"Good."
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Morning came, and the group had started travelling once again.
Tatsu was dealing with problems in the form of an angry Shippo "Oh come on can't you try to see the humor in it? I had Inuyasha hurl you across the clearing, you started a very awkward conversation none of us wanted to be part of so as far as I'm concerned we're even."
"You didn't have to throw me, it was an innocent question!" Shippo protested.
"Well then don't ask either of us questions we're not prepared for!"
"And that about sums up his personality." Inuyasha commented dryly.
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Meanwhile, with the scheming monk and raccoon…
Hachi and Miroku observed the group from above "So you're saying that it's the fellows in red and blue you want me to attack?"
Miroku nodded "That's right, and meanwhile I shall make off with the girl."
"I still don't get it, why go to all this trouble when you could use the power in your right hand and have the jewel shards in a matter of seconds?"
"Don't be such a fool Hachi, surely you know better than that. Keep in mind that if I use this hand then everyone in the vicinity would die."
"How could I have forgotten? I hope you remember who your friends are if this should somehow get out of control."
"You can count on it my friend."
"Well then, here I go!" he leapt over the cliffside, transformed into a massive yellow gourd creature, and then charged down the mountain towards them at full speed "I HAVE COME FOR THEE!" he pounced on Tatsu and Inuyasha, taking them and Shippo further down the mountain as a result.
"Tatsu! Shippo! Oh yeah, and Inuyasha too!" Kagome was suddenly pulled by Miroku by the back of her shirt "Okay hold on, what the heck do you think you're doing?"
"Fear not young lady, I can assure you that you have no reason to doubt the purity of my intentions." Miroku took off on her bike with her in his lap "I happen to be nothing more than a simple monk, a simple monk who desired a jewel shard and got himself a young woman in the process."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, and I'm not some kind of consolation prize!"
"I would think of you as more of a bonus."
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Tatsu observed the situation as he held back Hachi with his bare hands "Alright ugly I don't know what this is about and frankly I don't give a shit, he's getting away with my girl and there's gonna be hell to pay, and frankly I've got better things to do." he pulled both of his swords off his back and prepared to cut him down.
Hachi promptly transformed back out of fear "Please don't kill me, I'm but an innocent badger forced into this life!"
"You look more like a raccoon to me- No you know what fuck that, just tell me what you're after attacking my friends?" instead of getting a verbal answer, he was promptly sent flying into the side of the mountain by a powerful force of wind, with Inuyasha right behind him "Okay quick question, what the fuck?!"
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About 20 seconds earlier…
Miroku brought the bike to a halt when he noticed Tatsu pulled his swords off his back "A unique form of swordsmanship with two blades? Interesting, it's most unfortunate that your friend is nearly as violent as the half demon." he pulled the beads off of his right hand and unleashed a powerful force of wind, sucking in a great deal of debris that also resulted in Tatsu and Inuyasha being pulled into the cliffside.
"Tatsu hang on, get off me!" Kagome quickly bolted off, leaving Miroku behind with her bike and something else, and by that I mean her jewel shards.
"I have no need to hold a beautiful woman against her will, especially since I have what it is that I desire from her. Oh the spoils of groping." and then he left, taking his bike with her.
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Kagome skidded down the side of the mountain and pulled Tatsu out of his position of being jammed into the side of the cliff "Hey are you alright?"
"Aside from having some rubble stuck in my teeth, I'm just fine." Tatsu proceeded to spit out some of said rubble "So who the hell was that guy?"
"Well he did mention something about being a monk but I'm pretty sure that it's not normal for a monk to have black holes in their right hands."
"Whatever he did it pissed off Inuyasha, so that's gonna be a thing for awhile now. Now I'm gonna have to do damage control."
"I think you mean we."
"Do you wanna have an angry dog man trying to claw your eyes out?"
"Point taken." then she let out a gasp "Oh man that monk took off with my bike!"
"Well that sucks, I spent a crap load of money on that thing so I could give it to you for your birthday. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a 12 year old to make money in Tokyo these days? Besides you were being kidnapped, add that to the list of reasons why his ass is gonna get kicked."
"Oh tell me about it, but thanks for being worried about me."
"You're almost as reckless as me, I can't afford not to be."
"Yeah sorry about that."
"Don't be, in my book it's a compliment. Hey by the way, where are the jewel shards cause if we don't have them Inuyasha's gonna lose his shit."
"...Oh yeah." she cringed at this."
"What's the matter?"
"Well the monk took more than the bike, he kind of took the jewel shards with him too. And now he's god knows where."
"...Maybe we should wait awhile to dig him out."
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Several minutes later…
Having left Inuyasha where he was (as per the discussion above), Tatsu bolted across the countryside at full speed with Kagome and Shippo on his back "Don't worry guys, monk or not he's only human so there's no way he could've gotten too far too fast."
"You think you can track him?" asked Kagome.
"I can sense him from miles away, it's as easy to me as breathing. He's somewhere in that town up ahead, the energy signatures are all kind of jumbled up but as long as I can find the biggest one then it shouldn't be a problem."
"Well let's just make it fast, the last thing I need is for people to start staring like we're a bunch of freaks."
"Says the girl with the abnormally short skirt, even by the standards of Japan."
"You say that like people haven't stared at you before!"
"For my physique, and frankly I've caught you sneaking a peek a few times lately and you even tried to touch the merchandise."
"...Don't go changing the subject, we're supposed to be finding the monk who stole my bike and the- There it is, heal!" she yanked on the back of his gi and pulled him to a stop "I can see my bike over there!"
"So he's basically in a medieval strip club?"
"A geisha dancing joint."
"Like I said."
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Sure enough, Miroku was drinking some sake and watching the geisha dancers, whom didn't exactly (ahem) live up to his expectations "So much for their claims of having beautiful geisha dancers, at this rate I feel like I would've had a better time if I had gone drinking with the raccoon."
That was when Tatsu and the others burst into the room "Just going on records, strip clubs do NOT increase in quality over the next 500 years. Neon lit signs sure, but by no means quality."
"Oh my, I'm so glad you're here!" Miroku wasted no time in blowing Tatsu off and immediately taking Kagome's hands in his "It's too good to be true, you really are a sight for sore eyes milady."
"Oh that fucking does it, now your ass is grass and I'm the one ripping it right out of the ground with two swords and a crap load of maximum effort!" Tatsu promptly drew both swords from his back, and he swung both of them at Miroku in a comical rage.
"The one with elemental manipulation abilities, I suppose I should've known as much with your tenacity."
"You're not the first one to make that mistake, you won't be the last, but either way you're getting a sword up your ass."
"No intention of finding a peaceful solution?"
"Would it work if I just asked you to fork over the things you stole from Kagome, the jewel shards for starters."
"Quite perceptive of you my friend, but you could not use the power of jewels such as these for the proper reasons. It does not belong in your hands or those of your demon companions, I hope you understand."
"Agree to disagree." Tatsu slashed at him with both swords.
"I suppose I will have to bid you farewell then." Miroku dodged his attempted slashes and took off running through the village at full speed.
"Oh hell to the no!" Tatsu took off after him at full speed "Get back here and face me like a man monk!"
"I will not fight a senseless battle!"
"Agree to disagree on the meaning of senseless!" Tatsu pounced at him and brought down both of his swords.
Miroku was quick to block both of his swords with his staff "Your skill is more impressive than I first anticipated, but if you insist then so be it." he swatted Tatsu away, forcing him to back up and gain some distance.
"Well one thing is for sure ponytail, if you can fend off one of my attacks then you're no ordinary perv."
"Flattery will not save you from me, but thank you. I go by the name Miroku, and I happen to be a simple monk who works to aid the common man."
"This coming from the guy who groped and robbed one of my friends to get our shards of the jewel, give me back the shards you took and this won't have to get ugly without Inuyasha getting involved. I went through a lot of crap to get them and I'm not gonna lose them now."
"I understand your plight as well as the troubles I went through to collect these shards for myself, however I don't believe you to be unreasonable so please try to understand that it's much safer in my hands Tatsu."
"What you've heard of me, I guess killing the Thunder Brothers gained me a bit of a reputation around these parts. I'm flattered."
"So that was you, unfortunately I never learned the name of one who did such a thing. I believe it was that beautiful companion of yours who mentioned you by name before, that's where I learned it."
"...Dick."
Kagome on the other hand found herself blushing "Well I guess he can't be all bad if he has such good taste."
"First of all Kagome, that's incredibly conceited and self absorbed. Second of all, he stole your bike and the jewel shards from under your nose. Third of all, I say it's time for that sword to go up your ass!" Tatsu charged at Miroku at full speed.
Miroku easily dodged and weaved his way around many of the attacks, though he was quickly pushed back on his heels and began taking some small but noticeable cuts 'He has a great deal of power and his skill is obvious to the eye, he's no demon but he's certainly no ordinary human either. What is this I'm sensing from him?'
'He's holding out pretty well, but not well enough!' Tatsu slashed at one of Miroku's knees, knocking him to the ground and his staff out of his reach "Not bad but not good enough either monk, if it's all the same to you I'll be taking those jewel shards back now."
"Interesting offer, but I think you'll find that I'm not so helpless." Miroku bolted to his feet and took off running again "Villagers take heed, if you value your lives then distance yourself from this place! Do not hesitate!" he quickly reached the outskirts of the village, with Tatsu hot on his heels.
"Alright we're out of the village, whatever you're gonna do just do it now."
"So you noticed it and decided to play along."
"I'm not gonna let innocent people suffer because of a feud, but that being said I'm not exactly a graceful loser."
"It may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but neither am I."
"It doesn't surprise me in the slightest."
"Then this shouldn't either. Wind Tunnel!" Miroku pulled the prayer beads off his right arm and opened up the black hole in his hand.
Tatsu dug both of his swords into the ground to stop himself from getting sucked in "Not a back trick but draconic elements are some tough shit."
"So I see, but you'll be sucked in eventually!"
"Maybe but there's one thing you oughta consider."
"And what would that be?"
"That while you might have control of the wind, I happen to have control of the earth you're standing on. Case and point." Tatsu slammed a foot into the ground, causing a pillar to rise up directly in front of Miroku, uppercuting him in the jaw severely and sending him flying high into the air.
Realizing the situation, Miroku was forced to cover his arm with a set of beads before he hit the ground with a loud thud.
Tatsu promptly sheathed both of his swords as he made his way over to Miroku's apparently unconscious form "Looks like he seals that black hole with those prayer beads, and he stopped it on his own so he can't be all bad I guess."
"Tatsu!" that was when Kagome and Shippo came running up to him "Okay that was pretty much insane, are you okay?"
"Well I'm not dead so that's a definite plus, though to be honest uppercutting him with that plateau only had about a 50/50 chance of working."
"You're insane."
"Hey with a hand like that he could've killed us all from the start if he wanted to. Maybe he's some extra firepower we could use in gathering the shards, at the very least we should hear him out, which will be a lot easier now that I've calmed down." he glanced down at Miroku "And for the record monk, that's my ass not hers. Blind groping never works, I've been on the receiving end more times than one should."
"...Oh. Well in that case…" Miroku pulled himself to his feet "Perhaps we can come to a peaceful conclusion about this, if you'll allow me to explain things."
"Only if you agree not to squeeze my ass again."
"That was an accident, but all things considered… impressive."
"Years of hard work, and a bit of natural talent if being a little bit vain."
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Sunset came, and after recollecting a very irate Inuyasha, the group settled down in a grassy field to begin the important conversation that had yet to come.
As he had agreed, Miroku quickly began his explanation "Like you and your party, I too am in search of the Shikon Jewel shards."
"You really think you'll get women like that?" Tatsu shot him a skeptical look "Yeah your hopes there are slim to none."
"I learned that the hard way, but that's not the reason. My purpose in using the jewel shards is to find and eliminate a specific demon that spreads destruction and misery everywhere he goes, this one going by the name of Naraku."
"Bad guy name if I've ever heard one."
"And it just so happens that this demon is the very same one who left me with this cursed hole in my right hand."
"So what kind of demon are we dealing with?"
"I personally know very little of him except for the fact that he is extremely wicked and known to devour people. According to what my father told me, over 50 years ago my grandfather did battle with Naraku long ago in the days of his youth. The battle between the two of them raged on for several years, and each time Naraku appeared before my grandfather he took on the form of a different human."
"So we're dealing with a shape-shifter, now that sounds interesting."
"Indeed. They say that the last time Naraku appeared before my grandfather he took on the form of a beautiful woman, my grandfather had great spiritual power but unfortunately as fate would have it…"
"Let me take a wild guess, he was a pervert who let his penis guide his thoughts."
"Rather vulgar but not inaccurate, your intuition skills are quite impressive. Naraku pierced my grandfather in his right hand with his religious sacred seals and he managed to escape, but not before warning him that the curse of his hand shall be passed onto his descendents until the entire bloodline is extinct, so long as Naraku lives. Each year the hole in my hand grows larger and the wind ever more powerful, unless I can defeat Naraku I myself will eventually be devoured by the hole."
Kagome was horrified by this "So in other words, you mean it would kill you?"
"It is inevitable and I am prepared to accept that fate if such is truly what destiny has in store for me, but in the meantime I must continue with my efforts to stop Naraku and slay him. The Sacred Jewel of the Four Souls vanished 50 years ago and now it has been shattered into many tiny shards, knowing Naraku's ambition he is certain to attempt to gather the fragments in order to strengthen his own malicious power. I'm sure of this."
"And what exactly does make you so sure of that?" asked Tatsu.
"I know this for a fact because Naraku once came close to obtaining the jewel 50 years ago, and while he may have failed, he succeeded in slaying the priestess that protected it."
Now this is what got Inuyasha's attention, and he hopped his way over from where he was positioned, bound by iron chains to subdue his inevitable rage "You said that he killed a priestess before?"
"That is what I said yes."
"But that would mean… He must be the demon who disguised himself as me that day and then struck down Kikyo, it has to be him! Tell me something monk, you say that this Naraku can take on any kind of different form he wants right? What about now, what the hell does he look like right now?"
"Calm yourself, if I had that information then I would've slain him long ago myself or died trying."
'Dammit! Naraku laid a trap for Kikyo and me back then, he attacked both of us and tricked us into believing that we had betrayed each other! The demon who killed Kikyo is still alive and he's after the shards of the jewel, I swear I will hunt down Kikyo's killer and avenge her death! I swear it!'
"I take it you know something about this demon?"
"It just took some time to piece that together." Tatsu held up the bottle of jewel shards "If we keep looking for jewel shards and hold onto these things we're gonna meet up with Naraku at some point."
"How did you get that back?"
"I grabbed it out of your robe when you grabbed my ass. Anyway how about you tag along with us for now, we could use the extra manpower and combining our jewel shards makes us that much bigger of a target for Naraku. I think it's safe to say Inuyasha isn't gonna give up anytime soon, so what do you say?"
"I do appreciate the offer but I've always been a solitary man, I prefer to work more in my own company than in that of others."
"Yeah but if you don't act fast then you're not even gonna have your own company to enjoy anymore." Kagome pointed out.
"Honestly dear Kagome, are you that troubled by this wretched fate that has been forced upon me?" Miroku took her hand in his.
"Sort of, but not as troubled as what's gonna happen next. I think."
"Then do me this good turn will you? I wish for you to bear me a son." this was met with various reactions, them being Kagome being comically stunned, and Tatsu drawing both of his swords to cut him down.
"...And why exactly would I do that?"
"The reason is quite simple, if for some unforeseeable reason I should fail to destroy Naraku then I should like my son to carry on the mission of my family."
"Which is harassing every woman in Japan?" Tatsu pointed a sword at Miroku's throat "Try it and this sword will cut off a certain part of your anatomy, whereas the other one will cut your Wind Tunnel open. Don't forget that."
"Such anger in your eyes and the passion in your voice…"
"You mean my voice?"
"My apologies then Tatsu, I thought you no more a companion but it's clear to me now that you have feelings for Kagome. I make it a rule to never go after taken women."
"Hey don't get the wrong idea, she's one of my closest friends and as a friend it's my job to protect her from losing her virginity to people like you. I've seen my brother and his future wife go at it, the last thing I need is to imagine her in that position. To this day I still can't even look at pineapples."
Shippo just observed the situation from his place high up in a nearby tree "Well so much for everyone coming to a peaceful solution, I don't think I ever wanna grow up."
"I was only 12, I cracked the door open and- God dammit monk will you get your hands off of her! I swear I'd rather have you touch my ass again!"
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Unfortunately, that night was not as calm as the previous comedic scene would make the reader believe.
A man by the name of Kotatsu, carrying with him a large number of scrolls as well as a jewel shard, was being chased by a large number of bandits for that same jewel shard.
However, as the men closed in, an army of demons suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and they slaughtered the men.
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Morning came.
Tatsu and the others, now accompanied by Miroku, quickly discovered the scene "Well that's a new level of unnerving."
"Must've been some battle." Shippo muttered "I'd hate to see what the other guy looks like right about now."
"Yeah hate to break it to you squirt but this was no battle, this was a slaughter." Tatsu knelt down by one of the bodies "Something isn't right though, these guys were killed recently so there should be at least some sign of blood."
Inuyasha nodded "Yeah he's right, but I can't even pick up a whiff of the stuff."
"No blood but an instant slaughter, whatever demon did this clearly knows what he's doing and how to use the Shikon Jewel shard he's got."
Miroku nodded "A truly formidable demon with a great reward for its defeat, a proposition like that sounds most interesting."
"Hey just to be clear monk, I don't exactly prefer to work with people who grope my ass, and that includes sharing any jewel shards with you."
"Every man for himself then, that's what you're trying to say is it?"
"Glad to see you and I are on the same page."
"Well then I suppose I should take my leave of you for the time being, it would be better for us to compete from afar. Farewell then." and so he left.
"And now my ass is free of persecution."
"It's too bad though." Kagome commented "He was starting to grow on me, hey Tatsu are you sure you want him to leave?"
"I never said I wanted him to leave, I said I wanted him to stop groping my ass like he did twice already, one of which I'm pretty sure was deliberate- Hey where's Inuyasha?"
"I don't know, he wandered off while you and Miroku were arguing." Kagome glanced down the path and her face fell "Oh come on!"
As it turns out, Inuyasha was harassing some guy and sniffing his mail "What the hell is this, is this the scent that I was picking up?"
"Sit boy." and cue the thud, which allowed the guy to get away and maybe stop a war or something.
"What the hell did you do that for?!"
"You were harassing the poor guy, what was that about anyway?"
"He was giving off the same ink scent as what I caught on the battlefield, if I can track down the source then it'll probably lead us to the demon."
"You realize that you're basically useless in this situation." Tatsu pointed out dryly.
"You wanna come up with a better plan or should we use mine and track down the jewel shard before Miroku does?"
"Good lord man I'm not as bitter as you and I'm the one whose ass he grabbed, what gives you the right to act all pissed off?"
"The fact that you left me behind to get buried in rocks, some of which got in places I'm not at liberty to discuss."
"I've gotten stuff down there too but you don't hear me whining."
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At the same time, Kotatsu had appealed to a lord over his slaughter of the bandits in an effort to join his ranks, only to be revealed to be a simple wandering artist, which prompted the lord to have him thrown out.
The guards wasted no time in abusing him, albeit stopped momentarily by the princess of the temple, and then they proceeded to tie Kotatsu up and throw him into the river, much to their cruel amusement.
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Sunset came.
Kotatsu had soon saved himself from drowning in the river, brooding over the humiliation he had suffered "Curse all of those fools, I'll make them regret this. I can summon my brigade of demons and slaughter all of those who stand in my way. I deserve to become a warlord, no one will be able to criticize me once they witness my power! I shall possess my own castle and be surrounded by riches, and I shall marry a princess! With my power there is nothing I cannot achieve!" he started laughing maniacally.
And then Inuyasha picked him up by the shirt "Hey asshole I could hear you monologuing like a mile away, anyway you mind answering a few questions?"
"Oh for fuck's sake." Tatsu just facepalmed himself "That's six times today alone, seriously at least get a hobby."
Kotatsu wasted no time in trying to make himself look fierce "Who are you two? I warn you both I'm of great power- I mean I'm nothing more than a humble second rate artist."
"Dude you're either powerful or you're not, pick one."
"Well in that case, I'm not."
"Oh really." Inuyasha let out a snort "Then answer me this little, why the hell do you reek of ink and fresh human blood."
"Be silent! Release me, free me at once!" Kotatsu freed himself from Inuyasha's grip and rolled open one of his scrolls, summoning a massive ogre demon.
"Okay what the fuck?"
"Okay they're just ripping off Naruto now." Tatsu grumbled "I don't get it though, that guy's a human isn't he?"
"Yeah I'd be able to smell it if he was a demon." both of them dodged the strike by the demon with ease.
"So then what, can he summon demons with his scrolls?" Tatsu drew both of his swords and cut the demon down the middle in an instant "Well either way size doesn't mean shit, this being exhibit A."
Inuyasha was about to retort, only to end up covered in a massive amount of black liquid spilling from the demon "What the hell? This is blood mixed with black ink." and then the smell of blood and ink overwhelmed him, causing him to pass out.
"Hey come on stupid, get it together for a second." he was met with groans "I guess the scent got to him."
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Kotatsu bolted along the path as fast as he could, though eventually he hid behind a tree as he tried to catch his breath "What manner of beasts were those two, and how did the one with the ears detect the scent of ink and blood? Yet it is they who should be afraid, I have an endless stream of demon battalions prepared to back me on my command!" he let out a malicious laughter.
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The two guards studied Miroku with clear doubt in their eyes "An exorcism, do we look like fools to you?"
Miroku shook his head "I assure you not good sirs, I sense an evil shadow hanging over this mansion. I could drive the demons out in a single night."
"Some claim, this mansion is not cursed with demons! Every year a reputed priest of much greater standing than yourself comes to bless the ground here, now leave this place at once wretch! The only curse we have is being plagued with visits from rogues like you! Evil shadow he says." and then they stormed back inside.
Miroku let out a sigh "And there you have it, I suppose my only option is to retire in the woods tonight." he prepared to turn around and leave, only to stop when he noticed an ominous dark cloud moving overhead "My prediction is true. Hurry and run, the evil shadow that I spoke of is now upon us!"
"Just listen to this fool, his arrogance goes unbridled." the guards whipped back around in order to tell Miroku of again, only to almost instantly be slaughtered by the demons that appeared from within the cloud.
"A bull demon and dragon demon? I've only seen those in paintings of hell!"
And then screams sounded from inside "Help, someone rescue the princess!"
'And that's my cue. Hold on, I'm coming!" and so he bolted off like a white knight, minus the fiery steed (Who gets what song that's referencing?)
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Kotatsu slept on a cot surrounded by his paintings, unaware of the demons in his scrolls influencing his dreams "Princess… Princess… No princess, I don't understand… what happened to you? Your eyes glow red… No… No! Stop this madness! Release me! No no no! Stop this! STOP!"
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"Princess!" Miroku wasted no time in trying to protect the princess from the demons, only for them to vanish in a cloud of black smoke "Well… okay then, works for me."
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"STOP THIS!" Kotatsu bolted out of his bed, sweat dripping down his face, only to poke his head outside and notice ink raining down from the skies above "The skies, are they raining black ink?" he leapt out of the way as a puddle of ink rain pounced past him and landed inside of his ink gourd, glowing purple from the jewel shard inside of it "The ink must have sprung of its own accord while I lay sleeping."
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The lord was quick to reward Miroku for his bravery with a feast "I am indebted to you for saving my daughter monk, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive my men for their earlier rudeness to."
Miroku was quick to wave him off "You need not thank me good sir and I bear no grudge towards your men, but I fear the danger has yet to pass. The demons will surely attack once again, and come to think of it the princess will undoubtedly be safer if she were to stay here with me. Here in the shame room and sharing the same bedding."
"Let me take a wild guess about the pickup like he's gonna use." Tatsu poked his head into the room from outside, with Kagome and the others right behind him "And I'm guessing you're gonna insist that she let you search her robes while you're at it?"
"Well if it isn't my old dear friends Tatsu and company."
"Yeah you know what I can make fun of you being a perv later, did a bunch of ink demons pass through here?"
"I suppose but I had no realization of them being made of ink."
5 minutes of explanation later…
"So you're saying that a human artist is capable of manipulating those demons?"
Tatsu nodded "Yeah and like I said, he's human."
"This is very troubling, for a human to have such power he must be drawing on the power of a jewel shard."
"Probably the only reason he didn't get consumed by his own power by now. But that raises the question, how do we take down a guy who can bring paintings to life?"
"Well not by brooding." he gestured to the others.
"They seem upset?"
"She's mad that I ditched her again and ran off after Inuyasha without her, and Inuyasha is mad about you being better than him and me for leaving him behind yesterday."
"And yet you're not upset about…"
"You groping my ass twice, once deliberately? Well unlike Fido back there I know when to put aside a personal grudge to get the job done. Also how many jewel shards do you have?"
"Why would you assume I have any on me?"
"Kagome can see them."
"...Alright fine, I have three with me."
"Good to know." he summoned an iron club at Inuyasha, hitting him clean on the head "So you collected those shards on your own."
"That I did."
"So about your little grab attempts the other day, were those deliberate or what?"
"I will neither confirm nor deny." they failed to notice two of the guards listening in from near the door.
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The lord bolted to his feet at what he was hearing "What, you mean that artist was manipulating the demons?"
Both of the guards nodded "Yes milord, it would seem that the Shikon Jewel Shard he possesses grants him the power to do so."
"He possesses a fragment of the jewel? I have heard rumors of its power, they claim that a single shard of the Shikon Jewel can increase the user's natural powers at least several hundreds of times over."
"Perhaps we should liberate it from the artist."
"Perhaps."
"But milord, it would seem the monk also possesses a number of shards."
"That young monk does?"
"Yes milord."
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Soon enough, the guards enacted the lord's plan "Now!" they pounced at Miroku while he lay there sleeping and attempted to stab him to death, only to hit nothing but cloth "You damn cursed monk, you tricked us!"
Miroku bolted to his feet a few feet away from them "Tell me what this is about, I recall doing nothing to warrant this violent and traitorous attack. Not yet at least."
"Be silent monk, just hand over the jewel shards you carry!"
"I would think… nope." he proceeded to knock both of them out with his staff.
That was when Tatsu bolted into the room with the others right behind him "Looks like they overheard our conversation from before and got a little bit greedy."
"It would appear that way." Miroku grabbed onto one of the guards "Now tell me, what were you saying about shards of the jewel? Which one of you wants to go first?"
"It isn't our fault!" one of them protested "Our lord demanded that we seize your jewel shards for him, the master himself went to take the shard from the artist!"
"Which would mean that you know of the whereabouts of this artist, now tell myself and my companions where he is at once!"
"Alright alright!" and so he did.
"My apologies Kagome, I'll have to borrow your contraption for a bit!" Miroku quickly bolted off, taking Kagome's bike with him.
"You guys stay with Inuyasha and catch up, I'm going on ahead!" Tatsu quickly bolted off at full speed, catching up with Miroku in a matter of seconds "I don't know if these guys realize it but the jewel shard is the only thing that lets him make demons with his ink."
"Mere mortals cannot possibly defeat them."
"So you think they're gonna die before we get there?"
"I hope not."
"I'm just being realistic, I'm not some hero who thinks he can save everyone. But that being said don't think it means I won't try."
"How righteous of you. But while we have a moment alone I must ask."
"I'm not letting you grope my ass again."
"Stop bringing that up!"
"Then stop doing it."
"Moving on from that, about the Lady Kagome. Do you actually have feelings for her like I first believed?"
Tatsu slowed down until he came to a stop, which prompted Miroku to do the same, and he let out a sigh "It's a lot more than that okay? I don't just have feelings for Kagome. I'm in love with her. I've been in love with Kagome ever since I first met her. When I first met her when I was only 6, I kinda rode my bike into a flagpole. I was in love with her before I even hit the ground and broke my wrist. When I was 8 and my dad disappeared after an accident, her smile was able to just light up my very soul. And that was when I realized it, that I was in love with her. That's the kind of feeling that never goes away."
"Nor should it. Give it time, I believe that she will return your feelings. You are a truly honorable man Tatsu, one with a good heart and good morals. Some things just take time."
"It's been 7 years."
"...Yes well you might have a problem." and so they bolted off.
What went unnoticed is that Kagome and the others weren't that far behind them, and she could hear them 'Oh my god… Tatsu…'
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The lord reached the hut where Kotatsu was hiding out, and he gave the order "Move in men, take it from him now!" and so the men all charged in.
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Kotatsu laid out a large number of scrolls and ink paintings "At last I have an infinite number of soldiers at my command, and when any are destroyed they can be immediately replaced with the stroke of a brush. Now come forth my loyal demons of Hell!" he summoned his army of demons and they burst forward, destroying the hut, and then they proceeded to rampage through the lord's men, slaughtering several of them and causing the rest to run away.
"Halt, come back! Someone help me get my horse under control!" the lord was left alone to face the army of demons.
That was when Kagome and the others arrived on the scene "Remember Inuyasha, be careful when you slay them or the fumes will be too much for you again."
"Watch and learn." Inuyasha then proceeded to cut down several of the ink demons with a few clean strokes.
"You saved me young man, you shall be compensated." and yet the lord still ran away from the battle in terror.
Inuyasha on the other hand was left in a daze over the scent of the ink and blood.
"Well I did warn you-" Kagome was cut off by a demon pouncing at them, and she quickly shut her eyes and looked away, when…
"GET DOWN!" Tatsu and Miroku both burst onto the scene, slaying 3 demons each before they hit the ground "You wanna get this or can I?"
"Please my friend, allow me and just make sure that the others stay behind me so they don't get drawn in. Wind Tunnel!" Miroku quickly unleashed his Wind Tunnel, but eventually he was forced to close it and he fell to one knee.
"You okay?"
"I've never attempted to draw in so many demons all at once before, I'll be fine if I just rest for a moment."
"Fine take a breather, I've got this." Tatsu drew both of his swordsjust as Kotatsu burst out of the hut on a three headed serpent demon "Looks like he's finally getting serious. You guys stay here, I've got this. Oh yeah but first, hey Kagome where's he keeping the jewel shard."
"I see it!" Kagome pointed at him "It's on the bamboo ink pot on his waist!"
"Got it!" Tatsu leapt onto the back of the serpent and started crawling up it "Hey what's up asshole, you miss me?"
"Miserable wretch, you'll face the wrath of my demons of death!" Kotatsu opened up another scroll and summoned a large number of demons.
"You know you can only do something so many times before it gets old as hell!" Tatsu quickly dispatched the demons with a clean series of strokes "And that's what you call whaling on someone, take notes. Anyway look big guy I'm gonna give you one chance to walk out of this alive, hand over the jewel shard and no one else, as in you, has to get hurt."
"You underestimate me boy, the flames of my hellfire shall burn you to the bone and now you shall perish!" Kotatsu had the serpent demon breath out a blast of fire.
Tatsu swiftly cut through the fire with one of his swords "Okay dude I'm serious, this is your last chance to walk away from this. I have no intention of dying knowing that there are people that I have to protect."
"Stay back human, you cannot have the jewel! The jewel is the last chance I have to grant myself happiness!" Kotatsu leapt away from Tatsu in fear.
Tatsu quickly burst forward and slashed the ink bottle into pieces, causing the serpent demon to dissolve and sending Kotatsu crashing to the ground.
"No not my ink, my ink has all been spilt!" now out of options, Kotatsu didn't hesitate as he grabbed a nearby sword and stabbed himself in the arm with it, sending his blood spurting into the air "Hear me my ink, I give you my very blood so that you may drink well and fill yourself anew! Come to life, feast on my blood!" the ink started closing in on him.
"The damn fool."
"You are and always will be mine, I shall never allow anyone else to take hold of you and your power!" he started laughing, but it soon subsided and was replaced by a horrible realization "My blood… the ink did not fuse with my blood… it devoured it… help me… please…" he could only cry out in agony as he was devoured by the ink and disappeared into nothingness, leaving only a puddle of ink behind.
"The damn fool."
"Tatsu!" Kagome and the others came rushing up to him "Is he…?"
"Yep, devoured by the very power he sought. Like Ronan the Accuser was by the power of the Power Stone."
"Or every villain from every Indiana Jones movie."
"Oh you've gotta be kidding me, you get Indiana Jones but you don't get Guardians of the Galaxy?"
"Hey I get stuff, I mean like Jafar from Aladdin." Kagome glanced down at the puddle of blood and ink "What a gruesome way to end though."
"That's the kind of ending that's reserved only for the guys who made Teen Titans Go. But in all seriousness his ambition turned the ink into a parasite, he would've rather had all his blood get sucked dry rather than lose his power."
"And his greed cost him his life."
"Such is the nature of humans, I guess in the end you can only save the people that actually want to be saved."
"You're still a good person for trying."
"What can I say, you've rubbed off on me."
"And you on me, which is why I put up with your insanity." Kagome picked up the defiled jewel shard from the ink, her touch instantly purifying it "So who wants it?"
"Well to be fair the monk did do his share to get the jewel shard too, but then again he also has his hand on my ass for the third time in the past two days so GET YOUR HAND OFF MY ASS!"
"Hey it's a compliment."
"Well would want his hand on your ass?"
"Of course not."
Miroku quickly intervened from the comical argument "Actually Kagome, I believe that you should keep the shard."
"...Oh, well that worked out well then I guess."
'That's amazing, Kagome was able to purify the shard just by picking it up. Also if you don't mind, would you be willing to allow me to join your group."
"Wait you really want to come with us, are you serious?"
"Very, it would be much more enjoyable to travel in the company of a beautiful woman." he exchanged a glance with Tatsu "And perhaps some good friends as well." he gave him a small subtle smile.
"Yeah, it does help. Tatsu could've killed that artist and ended all of it whenever he wanted to but instead he gave the artist plenty of chances to walk away and only aimed for the ink pot instead of him. He really does have a strong and kind heart, he's going to make some girl very happy someday.' she frowned at the last part 'Only one problem with that, the girl that he actually wants just so happened to be me. What the heck do I do?'
A/N:
Now we finally see the debut of everyone's favorite lecherous monk Miroku, and by extension, we learn of the existence of one of the driving forces of the series, the inisdious evil that is Naraku. So yes, this is where the story really starts to pick up the pace, it always happens when the main villain is introduced, especially one that becomes the driving force behind most of the series. Don't expect it to be entirely the same as canon though.