Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk, Miroku & Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter
A few days after Kikyo's return, the small group continue their adventure around Feudal Japan, searching for pieces of the Shikon Jewel. The two Half-Demons, little Fox kit, and practise Priestess stop at a spring for a rest. Shippo and Kagome kneel by the spring, scooping up a drink of water. "It tastes great," Kagome comments, looking at the young Fox Demon.
"Kagome, are you all right now?" Shippo asks, looking at her as if he knows that she's been worried about Inuyasha. Mizuyuri has clung to Inuyasha, who seems to be sulking a little about everything that happened a few days ago with Kikyo.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Shippo," she replies, smiling at the sweet young Demon. "It seems my soul went flying out and back into my body but I seem to be perfectly fine." Mizuyuri comes over to them, joining them for a drink at the clear spring.
"You do know we have water bottles, little sis?" Mizuyuri teases her, filling two bottles with a few fruits in the infuser.
"Is that for me?" The young Priestess asks, looking at it.
"It's for Inuyasha," she retorts, making Kagome gape at her sister. "I've already done yours."
"That's just mean!" Kagome shouts at her as Mizuyuri walks away, joining Inuyasha by the bike. "The only thing that's changed is that after his run-in with Kikyo," she muses, looking over her shoulder at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha spends more time staring into the distance." Inuyasha stands away from the others, looking at the sky.
"I don't mind him, he's been thinking. His brain might be sparking out," the Half-Fox-Demon assures her sister.
"I don't know anymore… I gather up all the fragments and become a full-fledged Demon…then what?" Inuyasha wonders, thinking about Kikyo and then turns, glancing at Mizuyuri as she fills the water bottles. "If I become a Demon, will I become stronger inside?" An image of Mizuyuri appears across the sky. "Can I forget Kikyo? Will my heart be swayed by someone else?" He looks back at Mizuyuri as she walks towards him, wearing black and white sneakers. The black ripped skinny jeans and black and white top match, and she takes off her beige woollen cardigan. Kagome walks up with her sister, holding Shippo in her arms behind Inuyasha.
"Kagome, Princess, there's something funny about Inuyasha," Shippo remarks, looking at the Higurashi sisters.
"I think you're right," Kagome agrees, and Mizuyuri looks at them, smiling and shaking her head. Shippo jumps and thumps Inuyasha on the head, trying to shake him up and get him out of his thoughts.
"Take that, you!" He shouts, hiding in Kagome's arms as Mizuyuri puts the water bottles in her bag.
"Ow…" Inuyasha groans, grabbing Shippo by the tail. "What was that for?"
"Quit moping! Have you given up on gathering the Sacred Jewel fragments?" The young Fox Demon asks, hanging upside down.
"Zip it, will you! Even I sometimes have things to think about," he snaps, and Mizuyuri takes Shippo from Inuyasha, cuddling the young Fox Demon in her arms.
"That's really funny," Shippo laughs, and Inuyasha raises his fist, threatening to hit the young Kit.
"What's that?!" The Half-Dog-Demon roars, making Shippo jump out of Mizuyuri's arms. The older Half-Demon chases Shippo around in a circle around the sisters. "Wait, you little pipsqueak!"
"I'm not that dumb!" He shouts, running.
"Why you…!" Inuyasha growls.
"You are acting so childish, Inuyasha," Mizuyuri sighs, making him stop and look at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks, glaring at her.
"Such sorrow from the Sacred Jewel," Kagome muses. "Kikyo claims that Inuyasha betrayed her. Inuyasha claims that she betrayed him. Their stories don't match. Will gathering the fragments lead to the solution of this puzzle?"
"You are chasing a child around, you're meant to be setting an example for him," Mizuyuri scolds him.
"Example? Him?" Shippo exclaims, making Inuyasha lunge at him again and chase him around the spring.
"Shippo, please don't bait him," she sighs, picking the young Kit up and holding him in her arms. "And stop chasing poor little Shippo," The Half-Fox-Demon mutters, walking away and leaving Kagome and Inuyasha.
Meanwhile, a Priest stands in the middle of a forked path and throws his staff on the ground, which points to the right path. "To the right," he concludes, and two merchants pass him, chatting amongst themselves.
"I hear there's a young woman working at the rest house up ahead. They say she's lovely, with fair skin and large eyes," the first merchant remarks, making the Priest stop and listen.
"I'm feeling a bit hungry. Shall we stop in?" The second merchant questions, smiling at his companion.
"Sure," he replies, walking onto the left path at the fork in the road with his companion, and the Priest pushes his staff to the left path with his foot as if he's not changed his mind because of the mention of a woman.
"To the left," the Priest concludes, smiling and heading down the path with the two merchants in front and leading the way.
The Priest sits at the rest house with the merchants, folding his arms in disappointment as he looks around. "It's true she has fair skin and large eyes, but…" The Priest muses, his eyebrow twitching as he looks at a fat woman with fair skin and large eyes walking out of the rest house.
"Here you go," the woman says, holding a plate of food. The Monk bows and takes the plate. The larger woman enters the rest house, and he sits at the table.
"Should've gone right," he mutters, eating his plate of food graciously.
"I hear the daughter of the Lord hereabouts has been possessed and has taken to her bed." The second merchant muses, looking at his companion.
"My, that is a terrible thing," the first merchant replies, both eating, and the Monk beside them overhears their conversation.
A while later, the Priest makes it to a nearby mansion with a beautiful koi fish pond, two happily swimming. "Are you sure this one's a priest of high virtue?" The Lord of the Manor asks, looking at his servant.
"Yes," the man replies. "So he claims."
Not far inside the mansion, in the treasure room, the Priest sits with the Lord of the mansion. "Monk, if you can't drive away the Demon, I'll not offer you a bowl of gruel, understand?" The Lord demands, and the Priest looks at the treasures around the room, his greed getting the better of him.
"My, to live in such opulence in so turbulent a time. Your subjects must surely resent it," the Monk remarks, angering the Lord.
"Impudence!" He snaps at the younger man.
The Lord leads the Monk into a room with a big gold statue of Buddha that sits in a corner of the room. A young woman lies on a straw mat, seeming weak from whatever the Demon has done to her. "Princess, a Priest has come to see you," the Lord informs the poorly weak woman.
"Pardon me. Let me see your face," the Monk requests and kneels, looking at the Princess. "My!" He gasps before looking at her sympathetic. "Her face is so swollen!"
"It was always so!" The Lord shouts at him angrily. "Are you really a Monk?" He looks at the clothes.
"That statue of Buddha…" The Monk says, ignoring the man as he notices the statue, feeling the dark feeling coming from it.
"I received it from some impoverished nobleman. It's a blessed statue," he informs the younger man. The Priest stands and scrutinises the statue. Two feelers are on the Buddha's face.
"All right. Leave the Princess here, and take everyone outside your gate," the Priest orders the Lord, who looks at him in shock.
"What?" The Lord asks.
"And listen carefully. No matter what you hear, you are not to look in," he warns them, though the Priest has other ideas.
"Uh-hmm…" The Lord replies, nodding, though he's unsure of the man's intentions but trusts him enough.
"I will now begin the exorcism," the Monk announces, and the Lord leaves the room. "Now…" He turns to the Buddha statue. "Leave peacefully and I will show you mercy." The Priest points his staff at the statue, and it shakes violently. The mouth of the Buddha suddenly shows a menacing grin. "I don't suppose you'll give in so easily?" A weasel appears from the Buddha statue and flies at the Monk. "Huh! So you're a Demon Weasel!" The Demon attacks the Priest, who dodges when he notices a pink glow appear on its forehead. "Huh? That light… A fragment of the Sacred Jewel?" He wonders, and the Demon Weasel attacks the Monk, who dodges, causing it to crash into the wall instead. The Priest leaps and hits it on the head with his staff, making the Demon Weasel growl.
Outside the building, the Lord and his serfs look on in wonder as they hear the noise inside. "What is it? That sounds like some beast…" The Lord muses, growing concerned for his daughter.
"What's going on in there?" The Serf on the Lord's right asks.
"Shall we take a look, my Lord?" The Serf on the Lord's left asks.
"No, wait…" The Lord argues. "He said not to look until he gave the word. I don't want to catch any flak from the exorcism." Suddenly, the building shakes violently, and they hear the sounds of rummaging from inside.
"But, my Lord…it sounds like someone's searching the mansion," the Serf on the Lord's left comments.
"Just hold on a while…" He argues,
A short while later, the sun begins to set, and the Lord enters the Princess's room to find her awake. She sits behind him when he picks up a weasel. "So you say this tiny weasel turned into a Demon and had a hold on you?" The Lord questions, frowning.
"Yes," the Princess replies.
"And what of the Monk?" He wonders, and the Princess can't help but blush, holding her face swooning.
"Oh, my Lord! It's a disaster!" A Serf shouts, taking the Lord to the treasure room to find it completely empty.
"Oh…!" The Lord cries, shocked.
"Everything worth anything has been taken. And three horses, too," the Serf announces, panicked.
"I've been had…" He yells, falling to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Priest rides on a carriage full of the treasures he stole from the Lord with three horses pulling the carriage. "Now, where can I see these?" The Monk wonders, looking around as he travels far away from the Lord's home.
The Monk finds himself away from the Lord's home and at a hot spring to bathe when the moon appears in the sky, and he finds himself with two snow monkeys. "Oh, well… After all the trouble transporting everything, they fetched such a small price," the Monk groans, holding up the Sacred Jewel shard from the Weasel Demon. "I guess this Jewel fragment was the only item worth anything."
"A hot spring bath! How wonderful!" Kagome exclaims, making the Priest stop and peep behind a boulder to the other side of the spring to find a naked Kagome entering the spring. "My, but it feels glorious."
"A girl… Huh?" The Priest muses, noticing the fragment on Kagome's neck. "That's a fragment of the Sacred Jewel - and it's huge." He moves forward and is about to move toward Kagome.
"Don't you dare peek!" She warns Inuyasha, making the Priest hide back behind the boulder.
"Huh?" He questions, not noticing Inuyasha sitting with his back facing Kagome on the other side of the hot spring.
"Kagome, don't be silly," Mizuyuri sighs, getting into the warm water and joining her sister. The Monk looks, spotting the Half-Fox-Demon and admiring the pink hair. Shippo watches Kagome and Mizuyuri, wanting to join them.
"Don't worry. There's nothing there that interests me," Inuyasha assures Kagome, not interested in seeing the young Priestess in training, though his mind winds to Mizuyuri, wondering how her porcelain skin feels.
"My!" Kagome huffs, turning around. "Humph!" Mizuyuri looks at her sister, laughing. "How rude!" Shippo grows bored sitting beside Inuyasha and starting to undress himself.
"Huh? Shippo, what are you doing?" He asks, looking at the young Fox Demon.
"I'm going in too," Shippo replies, smiling.
"Wait a minute!" The Half-Dog-Demon snaps, grabbing Shippo's tail.
"Inuyasha, you come too!" He encourages him.
"Wha…?" Inuyasha questions, looking at him surprised.
"I've always wondered…" The young Fox Demon replies. "Why don't you and the Princess ever bathe together? It's more fun bathing together!"
"Listen…" He sighs, annoyed.
"When my Ma and Pa were alive, we always bathed together," Shippo argues, still too young to understand.
"You're a kid, so you probably don't understand…" The silver-haired teen replies, and Shippo stares at Inuyasha.
"Be honest," he whispers, leaning closer. "How far have you gone with the Princess?" Inuyasha gasps nervously at the Kit and folds his arms. "When I ask things like that, grown-ups get tongue-tied. I wonder why?" Inuyasha relaxes and pinches Shippo's cheeks angrily.
"You wonder why?! I almost said something I shouldn't!" Inuyasha mutters.
"Yikes! I won't ask again!" The young Kit shouts, and Kagome sinks into the water as Mizuyuri sighs. Mizuyuri is enjoying the hot spring, unaware of Inuyasha and Shippo's talk.
"So, I'm not a beauty like Kikyo…" Kagome muses, turning around and noticing something making her scream.
"Kagome!" Mizuyuri yells, and Inuyasha stops bullying Shippo after hearing Mizuyuri's yelling and running to the spring with Shippo following.
"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asks, jumping into the water. Kagome gasps, seeing Inuyasha before thumping him with a massive stone on the head as several snow monkeys sit behind the sisters.
"We're fine. Get out of here!" Kagome yells, and Inuyasha falls into the water. "Shoo! Shoo!" She turns to the monkeys that watch them.
"Monkeys!" Shippo exclaims, and the Monk meanwhile puts on his clothes behind a tree, having watched.
"She's with a guy… Too bad. I hate violence," the Priest remarks, glancing at Mizuyuri as she stands up to help Inuyasha.
Later, in the forest, the Priest thumps a Tanuki on the head with his staff, needing his help. "No, please…Miroku…" Tanuki cries, holding his head.
"I said I'd compensate you, didn't I?" Miroku assures him, knocking Tanuki's head.
"Yes…" he replies unwillingly.
Meanwhile, Kagome pushes her bicycle along a mountain path with Shippo sitting in the basket, while Inuyasha sulks behind them and Mizuyuri walks on the other side of her sister's. "How long do you intend to stay mad?" Kagome asks Inuyasha. "You saw me naked, so we're even."
"I didn't," Inuyasha argues, though only Mizuyuri notices him looking away and blushing.
"He did, didn't he?" She asks Shippo.
"I can't really say…" Shippo replies.
Up the cliff is Miroku, and the Tanuki is overlooking them. "I have to attack the guy, right?" Tanuki asks timidly.
"Yeah. Meanwhile, I'll take the girl," Miroku assures him, though he doesn't know how much power the young Fox Demon might have or the Half-Fox-Demon.
"But, Miroku…why go to so much trouble?" He wonders. "If you use your right hand, it'll be over in seconds."
"Fool," the Monk snaps. "You know better than that." He holds up his right hand. "If I use this hand, everyone will die."
"That's true…" the raccoon agrees, worried. "Well, if anything should happen, please save me." He takes a leaf and puts it on his head.
"Don't worry," Miroku assures him, patting Tanuki on the shoulder.
"Change!" He shouts, jumping off the cliff and transforming into a huge boulder, rolling ominously towards Inuyasha and the others. They look up as they hear the rumbling sound.
"Huh?" The teen question.
"I've come for you…" Tanuki shouts fiercely. The Tanuki-boulder crashes into the group, making Kagome fall forward, while Shippo falls down the cliff with Mizuyuri stumbling after him. The Tanuki-boulder continues crashing toward Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha!" Mizuyuri shouts, tumbling down the side of the cliff, and Kagome runs to the edge to see her sister and Shippo falling.
"Mizu!" Kagome screams, and Miroku appears behind Kagome on her bike; he pulls her onto his lap and rides on. "Eeek! Who are you?!"
"You have nothing to fear," Miroku assures her, smiling. "I am a Buddhist Priest…no one suspicious. When I searched for the Sacred Jewel fragment, you were attached to it, you see."
"You've got that backwards, mister," she snaps, and Inuyasha pushes the Tanuki-boulder and notices Miroku away with Kagome. Mizuyuri catches herself, holding onto a rock before jumping up towards Inuyasha and kicking the Tanuki boulder away from Inuyasha.
"Move it!" Mizuyuri snaps.
"Kagome! What's going on?" Inuyasha shouts. "That guy…!" He pushes Tanuki aside, who crashes onto the ground. "Get out of our way!" He unsheathes Tetsusaiga. "Out of our way I say!" The Tanuki-boulder grows frightened and transforms back to normal.
"H-He's going to kill me!" Tanuki shouts, cowering.
"Tsk…" Miroku scoffs, stopping and removing a chain of beads around his right hand. "What a vicious fiend!"
"What's the matter with you?" Mizuyuri asks him, seeing how harmless the creature appears when a strong gust of wind suddenly blows. Tetsusaiga suddenly gets sucked out of Inuyasha's hand and strikes upwards, crashing into a rock wall.
"Inuyasha! Mizu!" Kagome cries, pushing Miroku away. "Let me go!" She runs off, unaware that the Monk has taken her large shard of the Jewel fragments.
"Certainly…" Miroku mutters, putting the beads back on his right hand and revealing his find. "All I need is this…" He cycles away, needing distance between himself and the strange group.
"Mizu, are you all right?" She asks, reaching her sister.
"I'm okay, Kagome," Mizuyuri assures her. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replies, looking at Mizuyuri and, a short while later, sits on the path, confused about the situation. "Damn… Who was that guy, anyway?"
"He said he was a Buddhist Priest, but…" Kagome replies, frowning. "What was it he did with his right hand?"
"I felt like I was being pulled by a strong wind," He muses. "What did he do from way up there?"
"Oh no!" She yells, gasping.
"Huh?" Mizuyuri questions, looking at his little sister.
"He stole my bike! The nerve!" The younger Higurashi sister snaps.
"Forget the bike!" Inuyasha argues. "You were being kidnapped! I look away for one second, and…" He folds his arms, glaring at Kagome.
"Inuyasha… I'm sorry," Kagome apologises.
"I'm sorry about my little sister," Mizuyuri apologises, making Inuyasha blush and look away defensively.
"It wasn't you I was worried about. It was your Sacred Jewel fragment…" Inuyasha argues, and Kagome claps her hands, looking at Inuyasha with pleading eyes.
"Well… It seems he stole my Jewel fragment, too," Kagome informs him, making Mizuyuri and Inuyasha glare fiercely at her.
"What?!" The Half-Demons shout at her.
In a nearby village, the villagers look on excitedly as Inuyasha leaps with Kagome and Shippo on his back, and Mizuyuri leaps beside him. "Damn that guy!" Inuyasha growls. "He can't have gone very far. I'll find him wherever he is."
Inuyasha loses sight of Miroku and begins sniffing the ground on all fours, making the villagers gape at him. "Inuyasha, what's taking you so long?" Mizuyuri asks, looking uncomfortable as everyone stares at them.
"Leave me alone. The smells are all mixed up, so I can't tell!" Inuyasha grumbles.
"People are gathering around!" Kagome complains.
"They're really suspicious of us," Shippo remarks, glancing around.
"Where'd that bugger go?" Inuyasha wonders, annoyed already.
"A Demon here in our village?"
"See?!" Kagome exclaims.
"That guy, kid, and pink-haired girl aside, look at that girl."
"Is she a Demon?"
"Who, me?" Kagome gasps, shocked.
"Good for you!" Inuyasha sneers, looking up and continuing to sniff the ground.
"He's probably not here," Mizuyuri argues, growing bored. Inuyasha shoots up, flinging over a poor and peering into a barrel before returning to sniffing the ground.
"No doubt about it. He's here," he argues, glaring at the Higurashi sisters.
"Why would a robber hang around…" Kagome reasons, looking around and gasping, noticing her bike. "Oh!" She points, finding her bike parked outside one of the huts.
Inside the hut, several ugly Geishas sing and play musical instruments, with more Geishas surrounding and fawning over Miroku. "Yippee-all-ayy!" The Geisha sings off-tune.
"Phew…" Miroku sighs, drinking disappointedly. "'We have nothing but beauties,' he said? I'd have been better off drinking with the Tanuki."
"You!" Inuyasha shouts, bursting into the room with Shippo, Mizuyuri, and Kagome.
"You bike thief!" Kagome snaps.
"You leecher!" Mizuyuri growls.
"Oh, it's you two!" Miroku muses, standing up and rushing to Kagome, holding her hand happily. "You're just what I need. You're a sight for sore eyes!" He moves onto Mizuyuri, who growls at him, making her eyes glow red.
"I'll take care of you!" Inuyasha vows, flexing his claws before attacking Miroku.
"Hold it," he says, dodging the attack and running backwards. "Such violence."
"What do you mean?! Just who was it that used a Tanuki to attack us?! I guess you're not ready to hand over the Jewel fragment," the Half-Dog-Demon snaps.
"This isn't something a Demon should have," the Monk argues, smiling and holding up Kagome's necklace of Sacred Jewel.
"Don't get funny!" Inuyasha shouts, sprinting toward Miroku, who leaps out of the balcony and runs off. "Hey!" He chases after the Monk.
Miroku runs into the village as Inuyasha chases him. "Hold it!" Inuyasha shouts.
"I will not fight a senseless battle," Miroku argues.
"Is that right? Then you'll die!" He yells, unsheathing Tetsusaiga and leaping. The Monk spins around and blocks Inuyasha's attack. "He stopped the Tetsusaiga! This guy's no ordinary mortal."
"Do you insist on being punished?" The Monk questions and Inuyasha leaps backwards and lands.
"Who the hell are you?" The Half-Dog-Demon demands.
"My name is Miroku. I use my spiritual powers to save people," Miroku introduces himself, and the villagers gather around Miroku and Inuyasha.
"What's going on?"
"A Demon?"
"He's slaying Demons?"
"Can he do it alone?"
"Hey! A Priest is slaying Demons!"
Kagome, Mizuyuri, and Shippo run onto the scene, seeing Inuyasha and Miroku facing off against each other. "You use your powers to save people?" Inuyasha questions. "Why, you're nothing but a robber. Give us back that Sacred Jewel fragment. We went to a lot of trouble to gather all those fragments!"
"I understand…" Miroku muses, holding up the Sacred Jewel shard. "However, it would be best for you to let me keep this, Inuyasha…"
"So, you know who I am?" He muses, smirking.
"Not at all," the Monk replies, making Inuyasha drop. "Your beautiful companions called you by that name."
"My, he doesn't seem to be such a bad person," Kagome says, blushing, and Shippo pinches Kagome's cheek.
"Wake up, Kagome! He stole your Jewel!" Shippo snaps.
"Couldn't say it better myself," Mizuyuri mutters.
"You won't be flapping your lip when I get done with you," Inuyasha scoffs, sprinting and swings Tetsusaiga at Miroku, who blocks all of Inuyasha's attacks easily while running backwards.
"You're very strong," Miroku remarks.
"Damn! He parries my every stroke," he growls as Miroku runs backwards, tripping over a pile of logs and making him fall. Inuyasha knocks off his staff, making Miroku gasp and sit as the Half-Dog-Demon points his sword in the Monk's face. "Hand that Sacred Jewel fragment over…if you want to live." Miroku somersaults backwards and sprints away. "Oh?! Trying to run again?"
"People!" The Monk shouts. "Get as far away as possible, for your safety!" The villagers, Shippo, Mizuyuri, and Kagome, gape in confusion as Miroku and Inuyasha run to the outskirts of the village before the Monk stops and turns around.
"Give up! You've lost," the Half-Dog-Demon shouts, stopping, and Miroku smirks, holding up his right hand. "His right hand!"
"Sorry, but I hate losing," Miroku remarks, removing the beads around his right hand. "Spiritual Power!" A black hole in his palm is revealed, and he starts sucking in the air and ground before him.
"Wha…!" Inuyasha gasps, struggling to hold on and thrusting into the ground to gain a foothold as Miroku continues sucking in chickens and horses from the Wind Tunnel. "It's like that time on the cliff… What is this wind? A Wind Tunnel in his right hand!"
"How long can you hold out?" He muses, Tetsusaiga slowly shifts, and Inuyasha struggles to keep his footing. In the village, villagers panic when a sudden strong gust sweeps through. Kagome, Mizuyuri, and Shippo peer from behind a wall.
"Get away! You'll get sucked to your death!"
"It's like a black hole! This isn't about spiritual power!" Kagome argues, watching.
"Kagome! We'd better run, too," Shippo suggests, looking at the Higurashi sisters.
"We've got to stop him," Mizuyuri argues, making Shippo gasp. "That Miroku…"
"He's trying not to suck in humans," Kagome realises, looking at Miroku.
"D-Damn!" Inuyasha shouts.
"Surrender. If you get sucked in, you'll never get out," Miroku yells, looking at the Demons and Human girl.
"Forget it!" He snaps, sucking towards Miroku and using the Wind Tunnel to his advantage. "I'll chop that right arm off!"
"It's no use! It'll suck you in, sword and all," the Monk warns the Half-Dog-Demon and gasps when he notices Kagome flying towards him.
"Kagome!" Mizuyuri and Inuyasha shout and Miroku immediately puts the beads over his Wind Tunnel, making Kagome crash into him because of the sudden change. They fall backwards, the Priestess in training lying atop him.
"Kagome!" Mizuyuri yells, worried about her sister, and Kagome gets up atop Miroku.
"Ow…" Kagome groans, clutching her head, but stops, noticing the beads on Miroku's right hand. "Those prayer beads… They seal off his right hand. He controls himself. He's not an evil person." Mizuyuri runs over to her sister and notices Miroku is unconscious. Inuyasha rushes over, checking on Kagome.
"Kagome… Did you willingly rush in?" Inuyasha asks.
"Well, this Miroku… He could have killed us long ago using his right hand," Kagome argues. "I'm sure he'll be reasonable if we talk to him." Miroku regains consciousness, and his eyebrow twitches as he gropes Kagome's butt with his right hand, making Kagome shriek and leap off Miroku. Mizuyuri rushes forward and holds Kagome, making Inuyasha and Mizuyuri glare at the Monk angrily while Kagome clutches onto her sister's shirt. "Kill him after all!"
"You good-for-nothing Monk!" Inuyasha snarls.
"Settle down. We'll talk," Miroku assures them calmly.
"Kill him Yasha, he touched Kagome!" Mizuyuri snaps, hugging her sister.
The sun begins to set, and Shippo sits on Mizuyuri's lap, who sits on a tree, sharing some fruit as Kagome, Miroku, and Inuyasha sit on the grass near the tree. "I'm gathering the fragments of the Sacred Jewel in order to find a certain Demon and eliminate him. That Demon's name is Naraku," Miroku explains, glancing at his right hand.
"Naraku…?" Kagome muses, thinking about the name.
"The Wind Tunnel in my right hand was created by a curse placed by Naraku," he tells them.
"What sort of Demon is Naraku?" She asks, intrigued.
"He is malicious, and devours people. That's all I know," the Monk replies.
"What do you mean?" Mizuyuri questions.
"Well…" Miroku says, looking up. He begins explaining how he got his curse.
A priest walked into a city, and various people were walking past. "It was my grandfather who battled Naraku in his youth," Miroku explains. "That was about 50 years ago. Their battles lasted several years. Whenever they met, Naraku appeared as a different person."
"As a different person?" Mizuyuri questions, wondering how it's possible, though she knows some Fox Demons have perfected this ability.
"In their final battle, he took the form of a beautiful woman," Miroku replies, making the others look at each other.
An image of a beautiful woman appeared as Miroku informed the others about his Wind Tunnel. "My grandfather had a great spiritual power, but unfortunately…"
"Bet he was a lecher," Kagome comments, looking at her big sister, who smiles.
"That's a good guess," Miroku replies, smiling.
Miroku's grandfather fought the beautiful woman in a room and threw a handful of sutras at her. The woman threw blades at him, making him fall backwards and a hole appeared in his right palm, and he yelled in pain. "Naraku pierced my grandfather's right hand with the seals and escaped himself," Miroku explains.
"That Wind Tunnel that I have cursed you with, shall be passed on to your progeny, so long as I live," Naraku informed Miroku's grandfather. "Each generation shall be cursed, until no one remains."
"The Wind Tunnel gets bigger by the year, and stronger," Miroku informs them, looking at his right hand. "If I don't kill Naraku, I'll probably get sucked in myself."
"Does that mean you'll die?" Mizuyuri questions, frowning.
"Yes. And that's all right…if that's my fate," he replies. "But I can't let Naraku go unchecked. The Sacred Jewel that vanished 50 years ago has appeared today in fragments. Naraku is sure to gather the fragments in order to strengthen his powers. It is said that Naraku nearly got the Jewel 50 years ago. After killing the Priestess protecting it."
Inuyasha gasps, standing up after learning this. "You say he killed the Priestess?"
"Yes," the Monk tells him.
"He's the one who took my form and wounded Kikyo," the Half-Dog-Demon growls. "There's no doubt about it." Inuyasha harshly grabs the Monk. "Miroku! You say Naraku takes different forms? What does he look like now?"
"If I knew that, I'd have found him long ago, and slain him," Miroku argues, wanting to end the curse on him.
Naraku posed as Inuyasha and attacked Kikyo 50 years ago. "He laid a trap for Kikyo and me, and made us hate each other," Inuyasha realises after learning about Naraku's powers and having killed Kikyo. "The one who killed Kikyo is still alive and is after the Sacred Jewel."
Inuyasha clenches his fists angrily, thinking about what he's learned. He hates the thought of being used by someone he's never even met before. "I will find Kikyo's killer and avenge her death!" Inuyasha promises, wanting to at least set that right between him and his past lover.
"If we keep looking for these fragments, we're sure to run into Naraku, right?" Kagome questions, holding up the necklace of Sacred Jewel around her neck and then looking at the others.
"How'd you get that…?" Miroku asks, confused as he looks at his empty hand.
"Let's gather the fragments together," she suggests, and Mizuyuri rolls her eyes at her younger sister.
"Huh?" He questions, looking at the young Priestess.
"Well, I'm sure Inuyasha's not about to give this up," Mizuyuri argues, pointing at her fellow Half-Demon.
"Of course not!" Inuyasha snaps, glaring at the Monk.
"That's why," Kagome agrees with her sister.
"I'm not very good at dealing with people…" Miroku argues, looking away from the others.
"But, if you don't kill Naraku soon, you'll die, won't you?" She wonders, making the pervy Priest glance at her.
"Kagome… Are you concerned about me?" He asks, holding her hands.
"Of course…" The younger Higurashi sister replies, growing uncomfortable.
"Then, I have a request. Will you do me the favour of bearing my child?" The Monk wonders, and Mizuyuri growls, glaring at Miroku.
"Why you…?!" Mizuyuri sneers and Kagome grimaces in confusion, looking between her sister and Miroku.
"I would ask you, but you are a Half-Demon," Miroku remarks, looking at Mizuyuri, who glares at him as her ear twitches angrily.
"What…?!" Inuyasha snaps, glaring at Miroku and twitching angrily.
"What's this all about?" Kagome asks, clueless.
"If I should fail to destroy Naraku and die, I need a child to carry on my family's mission," Miroku explains, grabbing Kagome into his arms and sighing.
"Quit it, will you? You lecherous Priest!" Inuyasha snaps, shoving Miroku away.
"I'm a Priest," he argues.
"If you lay a hand on either of them again…" The Half-Dog-Demon warns the Monks, glaring at him.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome mutters, smiling and glancing at Mizuyuri, who blushes a little.
"Well, pardon me, I thought you were just a companion… Or with the Half-Fox-Demon… But you're in love with Kagome…?" Miroku concludes, but gets the wrong idea.
"Huh..,?" Inuyasha questions, taken back and glances at Mizuyuri, who can't help the red blush covering her cheeks.
"Please forgive me," he replies, glancing at the two Half-Demons.
"Damn it! She's just a Jewel detector!" The Half-Dog-Demon snaps defensively, blushing.
"Jewel detector?!" Kagome shouts, shocked and steps back, elbowing Inuyasha. "How dare you!" She folds her arms.
"Well, I guess you do have someone you love," Mizuyuri mutters, making the boys look at her.
"Huh?" Miroku and Inuyasha question.
"What shall I do? Miroku is nicer…" Kagome muses.
"Why are you going to betray me?!" Inuyasha snaps, glaring at the practising Priestess.
"You must be nicer to the womenfolk," Miroku comments, making Inuyasha turn his glare to the Monk.
"Shut up!" He scoffs, annoyed with him.
"I'm only a Jewel detector…" Kagme mutters, and Mizuyuri hugs her sister.
"You're more than that, and you know it, Kagome," Mizuyuri assures her sister.
"Weren't they having a serious discussion?" Shippo questions, shaking his head. "I don't understand grown-ups."
"You could learn from Miroku," Kagome comments, glancing at Inuyasha, who sulks.
"Yeah right," Mizuyuri scoffs.
"Gentle," Miroku says.
"Yes. Be more gentle," Kagome agrees, smiling.
"Yes, be gentle…" he repeats, and Kagome suddenly shrieks.
"Hey, don't touch me there!" She shrieks, making the others look to see the pervy Priest touching Kagome.
"Did you touch her again?!" Mizuyuri shouts. "Don't touch my sister!" She creates a fireball, making Miroku gulp before fleeing. "Get back here! FOXFIRE!"
"Mizuyuri!" The Priestess in training shouts, chasing after her sister as she sprints after Miroku.
It's sometime later after Miroku joins Inuyasha and the others on their quest to find the other fragments of the Sacred Jewel and now the annihilation of the Demon, Naraku. The pervy Priest seems to enjoy his time with them, though he focuses on flirting with the Higurashi sisters, which answers the Half-Dog-Demon.
Meanwhile, in a field in the middle of the night, a painter sprints across nervously while several horsemen chase him with raised weapons. The man carries a few paintings in his arms. "After him! He has a Sacred Jewel fragment!" They fire arrows at him, which misses and hits the tree right before the Painter.
"Damn!" The Painter yelps, taking a painting which glows.
"Get the Jewel fragment from him!" They notice something and look up to find a horde of Demons appear across the sky and fly towards the horsemen.
"Demons!" The Demons suddenly attack the horsemen ravenously.
"Help!" A horseman shouts, raising a bloodied hand.
"These Demons are thirsty for blood!" The Painter remarks, looking on and laughing. "Drink your fill! Suck out their blood!" He raises a bamboo ink container with a Sacred Jewel inside.
The following day, a murder of crows flies past, and Inuyasha and the others look on at the field of corpses of the horsemen from the night before. "Huh?! What's this?!" Shippo exclaims, clinging onto Mizuyuri, who keeps her short black Akatsuki-inspired kimono she bought while at home down. "Warriors defeated in battle? Looks like they were slaughtered."
"I really can't stand this…" Kagome sighs. "Everywhere we go, there's nothing but war."
"No, this wasn't a battle," Inuyasha argues lightly.
"Huh?" She questions.
"Strange… The smell…. I don't smell blood at all," Mizuyuri muses, sniffing the air.
"Probably the work of some Demon," Miroku remarks, raising a hand in prayer. "And no ordinary Demon at that. Which means, it probably possesses a Sacred Jewel fragment."
"Miroku! Let's get one thing straight!" Inuyasha shouts, glaring at the Monk. "I have no intention of teaming up with you! I'm not giving you any Jewel fragments!"
"What do mean is…first come, first serve. Right?" He questions, looking at the Half-Dog-Demon.
"Absolutely!" The silver-haired teen yells.
"Well then, I shall take my leave. It's probably better this way," the Monk suggests, walking off.
"He seemed quite dependable," Shippo remarks, watching Miroku.
"Say, Inuyasha… Miroku is going. Huh? Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome wonders, looking around, and they hear a yell to find Inuyasha grabbing the clothes of a man struggling while he looks at a long piece of paper.
"Help! I'm supposed to deliver that!" The man shouts.
"Is this the thing I smell?" Inuyasha questions, sniffing the paper, and Kagome, Mizuyuri, and Shippo rush over.
"Sit!" Kagome orders, making Inuyasha crash flat-faced to the ground, and the man takes his paper, running away.
"Hey!" He yells, running to Kagome with a clenched fist. "What're you doing?!"
"He's just an ordinary person!" Mizuyuri snaps. "What's with you anyway?"
"At that last place, I got a whiff of ink. I know you did, too! If we follow that scent of the ink, we'll find the Demon!" The Half-Dog-Demon argues.
"And you kept such information from us?!" Shippo snaps.
"If we don't hurry it up, Miroku will get the Jewel fragment!" Inuyasha shouts.
"Oh dear… Do you dislike him that much?" Mizuyuri wonders, frowning; though she understands that the Monk is a bit of a perv, he seems decent.
"Don't tell me you like his type?!" He shouts, looking at her.
"Very much!" She jokes, making a straight face and freaking Inuyasha out. "Nah, just joking -." She looks over to Inuyasha, but he's already gone.
"Oh…" The Half-Dog-Demon muses, standing far from Mizuyuri, looking at his hands and saying to himself. "Is that how the wind blows?"
"Listen to Mizu, will you?!" Kagome yells.
"He's so stupid!" Shippo shouts, glaring at Inuyasha.
In a mansion a little away from the bloody field, the Painter talks to the Lord of the manor, telling him about the soldiers he faced last night. "What?!" The Lord shouts. "You killed all the soldiers? Alone? If that is true, I will gladly hire you."
"Thank you! I had heard that those mercenary soldiers were becoming a nuisance to you," the Painter explains. "I thought it the perfect opportunity to demonstrate my strength."
"My Lord…" A man whispers in the Lord's ear.
"What?" The Lord exclaims, shocked.
The Painter is suddenly thrown out of the mansion by two subjects. "What 'Heir to a powerful family'?! You're just a wandering artist from the capital!" The man shouts.
"Err…no! I AM powerful and killed those soldiers!" The Painter argues. "I am not an artist! Please let me see the Lord again!"
"Fool!" He snaps, beating the Painter with a wooden stick.
"One of our men remembered you from yesterday when you tried to sell your worthless paintings!" The other man snaps, joining in and beating the Painter with another wooden stick.
"Damn!" The Painter yells, struggling.
"You there! Do not be so harsh!" The Princess orders, appearing inside the mansion and looking at the scene.
"Yes, Princess…" The man replies. "But…" He turns to the Painter, disgruntled. "Damn… You're lucky she saved your life." The Princess walks off, and the Painter marvels at her beauty.
"So beautiful…" The Painter gapes in shock.
On a bridge above a rapid river, the two men hold up the Painter, who they've rolled up in a straw mat and tied. "Good riddance!" The man snaps, and they throw the Painter down into the river. He bobs up and down in the water, struggling for air. "Good luck! Don't catch a cold!" He laughs.
"Never come again!" The other man yells.
Downstream, later that evening, the drenched Painter walks along the nearby path, hugging his painting. "Damn!" He groans. "Damn them to hell! I can summon my Demon Brigade and defeat any and all enemies! I deserve to become a Warlord! No one should have any complaints! I WILL own a castle! I will prosper!" He imagines the sweet Princess who took pity on the man. "And yes! I will wed a Princess! There is nothing I can't accomplish!"
"Hey, I want a word with you!" Inuyasha shouts, appearing behind him and grabbing his collar.
"Wh-What?!" He yelps, and Kagome cycles towards the Half-Dog-Demon.
"Huh?! Not again!" Kagome groans.
"That's the sixth one! He never gives up!" Shippo grumbles.
"Inuyasha! Stop it!" Mizuyuri yells, running over.
"Wh-What?! Who are you?! I'm a powerful…!" The Painter snaps but stops, pausing. "I'm just an ordinary artist!"
"An artist?! Just what did you do?" Inuyasha questions, not believing him. "You reek with the smell of blood mixed with ink!"
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" He shouts, struggling out of Inuyasha's grip before running off.
"Hey, wait!" The Half-Dog-Demon yells after him, and the Painter turns around, flinging open his hell painting of a Demon. The Demon suddenly gains colours and enlarges into a real one, towering over Inuyasha, growling before attacking him, which he dodges. "What?!"
"A Demon!" Shippo shrieks and the Painter sprints off into a bow before rowing away from the group.
"Hey, wait! You!" Inuyahsa shouts after him.
"What's going on?!" Kagome wonders, looking at the Painter. "Is he a Demon? No, he's human." The Demon growls and swings his weapon at Inuyasha, who dodges. Mizuyuri steps before her little sister and Shippo, brandishing her sword as Inuyasha unsheathes Tetsusaiga and leaps. He slashes his sword downwards and slices the Demon vertically into two.
"Hah!" Inuyasha grins, landing on the ground. "Just big in size!" The Demon falls backwards before exploding with black liquid bursting out of his wounds and raining on Inuyasha.
"Black blood!" Shippo cries.
"That's blood and ink!" He yells, falling back and fainting from the overwhelming scent coming off it.
"Hey!" Mizuyuri shouts, holding up Inuyasha with inhuman strength and trying not to breathe.
"His nose is too sensitive and the stench of the blood and ink got to him," Shippo realises, pinching his nose.
"Snap out of it, Inuyasha!" Kagome orders as she looks at the groaning Inuyasha, his eyes twirling, disorientated.
The Painter runs across a field and stops, leaning on a tree to catch his breath while looking back at the group of strangers. "Who is he?" The Painters wonders nervously. "He got the scent of the blood and ink on me." He smiles. "But there's nothing to fear… Behind me, I have battalions of Demons under control.
Night falls over the land, and Miroku finds himself in the same mansion that the Painter was cast out of earlier, and he speaks to the two subjects at the entrance. "An exorcism?" The man questions.
"I can sense an evil shadow over this mansion. I can exorcise the Demons in one night," Miroku assures them.
"Fool! This mansion is blessed each year by a Priest of status which you'll never attain!" He argues.
"Go on home!" The other man snaps. "Lately, we've been plagued by rogues who seek access to the mansion! Evil shadow! Hah!" They walk into the mansion.
"I see…" The Monk sighs. "Too bad, I'll spend the night in the forest tonight." He turns around and walks off, and a dark cloud looms over Miroku before two red spots glow. "Is that real?!" He gasps. "Run! The evil shadow is here!"
"What's going on now? Is he still at it?!" The man snaps, turning around and yelling when he sees the dark shadow. "Argh!"
"Wh-What!" The other man shouts, turning back as the dark cloud flies towards them. As it gets nearer, two Demons jump out and attack.
"The bull-headed Demon and the horse-head Demon! I've only seen them in religious depictions of hell!" Miroku yells in shock.
"Someone! Save the Princess!" A maid pleads in a panic.
"Coming!" He smiles, running towards the mansion.
In a room within the mansion, the doors slide open only to reveal another door, which goes on continuously. "Princess… Princess!" The Painter purrs. "Princess!"
Meanwhile, the sleeping Painter is inside his hut, dreaming, and his body shakes as the paintings of hell surround him. "Princess!" The Painter calls, talking in his sleep.
In the Painter's dream, he tumbles to the Princess with her back facing him, and she turns around, smiling with her eyes glowing red. "What is the matter?! Your face…?" The Painter questions.
"Your blood… I want your blood!" The Demon-Princess growls, grabbing the Painter's neck.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" He shouts.
Back at the mansion, Miroku runs to the Princess's room to see the door crash open and the bull-headed Demon and the horse-headed Demon rush in. "Stop!" The Painter screams, and the Demons suddenly dissipate into ink and fly out of the mansion.
"Wh-What is that?!" Miroku wonders, looking around in shock.
The Painter wakes up from his dream in terror. "Please stop!" He yells, gasping for air, while outside the hut, a dark cloud rains black liquid, and he opens the door. "Black ink rain?!" The rain suddenly stops and flies into the hut before rushing into the ink container on the table. "So while I was asleep, the ink took on its own?" The Painter stares at the container, unsure what will happen next.
Inside the mansion, Miroku sits across from the Lord with a feast laid out before him, and the Princess sits behind him. "Monk… Pardon the rudeness of my men earlier," the Lord apologises diplomatically. "I am so glad that you protected my daughter!"
"No need to thank me," Miroku assures him. "However, you must not let down your guard yet. I doubt if the attack by the Demons is over. Now, let's see… I think it's best if the Princess stays with me tonight. Same bedroom…one bedding."
"Hey!" Inuyasha shouts in the background. "Whaddya intend to do when you have her alone?! You lecher!" Shippo, Mizuyuri, and Kagome arrive in the backyard, the younger members on her bike.
"Oh! Kagome, Mizuyuri, and Inuyasha!" He beams, seeing the Higurashi sisters.
"Damn…" The silver-haired teen growls, looking around. "We're late!"
"Miroku, did the ink Demons appear here, too?" Kagome asks the Monk.
"Ink Demons? Were those Demons made of ink?" The Priest muses, thinking about it.
Miroku and Kagome sit in the mansion, while Inuyasha and Mizuyuri sit outside in the backyard, with Shippo sitting on the Princess' lap, happily snacking. "An artist who manipulates the Demons?" Miroku questions after Kagome explains everything.
"But he wasn't a Demon," Kagome argues.
"I see… It could be that this artist is using the power of a Sacred Jewel fragment," he muses.
"Then the one who attacked this mansion just now…" She realises.
"Yes… I'm sure that they are Demons controlled by the artist," the Monk summarises.
"Demon drawings by the artist come alive…?! The power of the Jewel fragment is amazing! Huh? Inuyasha? Are you part of this conversation?" Shippo asks, looking at the Half-Dog-Demon, who scoffs.
"How long are you going to sulk?" Mizuyuri asks him, smiling.
"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Miroku questions, looking at the silver-haired teen.
"Shut up!" Inuyasha snaps, glaring at the Monk.
"Why can't you depend on Miroku just a bit? He's so jealous!" Kagome remarks.
"Wh-What?! Who's jealous?!" He gasps.
"I see…" Miroku muses, holding Kagome's hand. "Kagome, you do accept me then?"
"Yes," Kagome replies, pushing his hand away. "After all, you have a Sacred Jewel fragment.
"Huh?" He questions, and she sees a pink glow appear on his chest.
"Two… No, you have three," she remarks, surprising the Monk.
"You have sharp eyes…" The Priest comments, and Inuyasha trudges towards Miroku immediately.
"Sit!" Kagome orders, making the Half-Dog-Demon crash on the floor near Miroku, surprising him.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha snaps, making Mizuyuri giggle at their antics.
"Inuyasha, you can't just blunder in like that," Mizuyuri giggles.
"These are fragments that I accumulated. Taking them will make you a robber," Miroku comments, making Inuyasha glare at him.
"You should talk! Who was that used that Tanuki to try to steal Kagome's fragments?!" Inuyasha snaps.
"Oh… You have such a sharp memory…" He remarks, annoying Inuyasha further, unaware of the two subjects eavesdropping on the group's conversation from outside.
In the Lord's room, the two subjects report what they learned to their Lord. "What?! That artist manipulated the Demons?" The Lord questions.
"Yes, sire! I understand he possesses a Sacred Jewel fragment," the man replies urgently.
"A fragment of the Sacred Jewel?! I've heard rumours… One fragment can increase your power many-fold…! A jewel to treasure, indeed!" He beams, becoming thirsty for power.
"We will take it from the artist!" The other man assures his Lord.
"Also, that Monk seems…" The man remarks.
"He possesses it, too?" The Lord wonders.
Later, Miroku sleeps in a room within the mansion as the two subjects rush into the room and pierce the bed with swords, not killing the Monk, who appears behind the screen. "When did you?!" The man wonders, shocked.
"What's going on?" Miroku asks, growing mad. "I have done nothing wrong to warrant your attack!" He smirks. "At least not yet." The two subjects run towards Miroku, their swords raised.
"Hand it over! The Sacred Jewel fragment!" The other man orders Miroku to block their attacks with his staff, and the subjects fall backwards. Inuyasha, Mizuyuri, and Kagome rush into the room.
"Miroku, what happened?" Inuyasha demands.
"Aren't these men of this castle?" Kagome wonders.
"They mentioned something about a Sacred Jewel fragment," Miroku informs them, holding the subjects.
"Now, start talking," Mizuyuri growls, creating a small flame in her hand, scaring the subjects.
"We just wanted your Sacred Jewel fragment!" The man explains.
"Our Lord went to get the one the artist possesses," the other man adds.
"So you know where the artist is? Where is he? Answer me!" Miroku demands.
Miroku swiftly gets onto Kagome's bike once they have a place to find the Painter. "Kagome! I'm going to borrow your contraption!" Miroku informs her, stealing the girl's bike again.
"Wait for me! Me, too!" Kagome shouts after him, and Inuyasha and Mizuyuri appear behind, grabbing Kagome and Shippo before sprinting off and following Miroku.
"Hang on! We'll catch up!" Inuyasha shouts. "The enemy is created by the power of the Jewel fragment!" He grows worried.
"Mortel men won't be able to defeat it!" Miroku yells, worried.
The Lord's men surround the Painter's hut with him inside, cowering in fear. "Go forth!" The Lord orders his men, who rush toward the hut with raised swords.
"I have an infinite number of soldiers!" The Painter laughs. "All I have to do is paint more of them with that ink! Come forth, ye Demons of hell!" The Painter flings a few of his paintings down, with Demons rushing out of the run and attacking the men. They yell in terror and run away, making Lord's horse neigh nervously.
"Wait! Someone! Calm my horse!" The Lord orders as Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Mizuyuri arrive, with the Half-Dog-Demon putting a hand on Tetsusaiga.
"If you slay them, the noxious odour will overcome you," Mizuyuri warns Inuyasha. "What will we do, Inuyasha?"
"Shut up! I'll protect you!" Inuyasha promises her, making her blush before he leaps away and slays some Demons.
"You saved me!" The Lord shouts. "I will reward you later!" He runs off.
"Ughh! This ink smells awful!" He complains.
"Inuyasha!" Shippo shouts as Inuyasha's eyes go twirly, and she faints. "How long must you sleep, Inuyasha?!" he snaps, and a Demon flies towards them.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shrieks, cowering behind Mizuyuri, and Miroku dashes in and destroys the Demon with his staff. "Miroku!" A horde of Demons loom towards the group, and Miroku faces them, removing the beads around his right hand.
"Stay behind me at all times!" Miroku instructs. "I shall open my Wind Tunnel!" Miroku sucks in the horde of Demon into his Wind Tunnel once realising the beads from around his arm.
"What's that?" The Painter wonders, peeping out of his hut. "My Demons are being sucked in?!" Miroku closes his Wind Tunnel and falls to his knees with the Demons now gone.
"Miroku!" Kagome shouts.
"It's the time I've sucked in so much evil at once," He grumbles weakly. "I'm a bit exhausted…"
"Damn! Being rescued by this guy…!" Inuyasha groans, glaring at Miroku when a rumbling noise can be heard from the hut.
"What now?" Mizuyuri wonders when a giant three-headed snake bursts out of the hut, and the Painter rides on its neck.
"This is also an ink painting, isn't it?" Kagome questions, growing fearful. Mizuyuri uses her sword, cutting down some of the more minor Demons, allowing Inuyasha to focus on the larger one when one of them slices at her leg, making her cry out in pain.
"You damn beast!" Mizuyuri snarls, slicing at them as she falls to her knees.
"I won't let you get away!" Inuyasha shouts, running to the snake that rushes towards Inuyasha, who dodges as it rushes towards Miroku, Shippo, Kagome, and the now injured Mizuyuri. The Priestess in training shrieks. "Mizuyuri! Kagome! Where's the Jewel fragment?!"
"I see it!" Kagome announces, standing up and staring at the Painter. "Inside the bamboo container on the waist!"
"Got it!" He replies, leaping onto the snake Demon and turning back. "Right! I almost forgot to tell you! Hey, Miroku! Stop showing off by yourself!"
"Stubborn punk!" The Painter shouts, flinging open a painting. "Go! Kill him!" Several Demons appear from the painting and fly towards Inuyasha.
"Keh! Create havoc, will you?!" Inuyasha snaps, punching the Demons out of the way as he moves up the snake Demon.
"Oh! What kind of trick is that?" Miroku wonders, watching Inuyasha, impressed.
"He's just slugging them," Kagome argues, looking at Miroku.
"What?! Giving up!" Inuyasha questions, reaching the Painter. "Repent and turn over the Jewel fragment!" Two snake Demon's heads turn around and spew fire at Inuyasha.
"The burning fire of Hell will consume you, bones and all!" He yells as the fire burns Inuyasha.
"Why you…!" The Half-Dog-Demon growls angrily. "That's enough outta you!" He runs up the snake's neck with Tetsusaiga. "Fool! As if I'd let a human kill me!"
"I'll never let you have it!" The man shouts. "I'm going to grasp happiness with this Sacred Jewel fragment." He leaps off the snake Demon.
"Enough, I said!" Inuyasha shouts, slashing the bamboo container away from the Painter. He swings Tetsusaiga again, cutting the container into two and making ink burst out. The snake Demon dissipates into ink, and the Painter falls to the ground, rolling and crashing onto a tree. He lets out a yell of pain.
"My ink…! I'm losing my ink!" The Painter shouts, shooting up and picking up a sword, thrusting it into his arm. Blood spills onto the ground, and the Painter throws the sword aside, looking up at the floating ink droplets. "Oh, ink of mine!" He raises his bloodied arm. "Here is blood!" He smiles wildly. "Come and suck this blood! Gather round this blood!" The ink rushes towards the Painter and surrounds him.
"That fool!" He snaps.
"I will not let it go…" The man cries. "...no one shall have my ink!" He laughs, and suddenly, he gasps, surrounded by ink, and his body shrivels. "Blood… My blood is being devoured by the ink! Help me! Help…me!" Inuyasha looks on helplessly as the ink devours the Painter. The Painter falls over and collapses, and the others rush over to Inuyasha, though Mizuyuri is a little slower with the injury to her leg from one of the Ink Demons.
"Stupid fool… Devoured up by ink!" The silver-haired teen snaps.
"How did this happen?" Kagome wonders, looking around.
"The evil ambitions of the artist turned the ink into evil blood-sucking ink. He let his own blood be sucked up before he'd part with the Jewel. He went mad because of the Jewel fragment," he explains, and the Sacred Jewel glows in the puddle of ink that used to be the Painter.
"The Sacred Jewel fragment that I came in search of is evil," Miroku sighs. "It's too dangerous to touch." Kagome picks up the fragment, shocking the Monk. "Wh-What…?"
"Who wants to hold it?" Kagome asks, looking at the others.
"Why must we discuss it?!" Inuyasha snaps, growing annoyed.
"Well, Miroku saved us," Mizuyuri argues.
"Kagome, you hand on to it," Miroku suggests, smiling.
"Huh?!" Inuyasha questions, not trusting the pervy Priest.
"Are you sure?" Kagome asks him, smiling at Inuyasha smugly. "Aren't you lucky?"
"Miroku is so mature," Shippo grumbles, jumping onto Inuyasha's head.
"Humph!" Inuyasha scoffs.
"She purified that tainted jewel fragment just by picking it up…" Miroku gasps, looking at Kagome in shock.
Daytime arrives, and the gang walk along a path after encountering the Demon-Ink Painter. "Huh? You're coming with us?" Kagome asks, glad to hear Miroku's decision.
"Yes! I think it's much more fun in the company of pretty girls," Miroku replies, looking at Kagome and Mizuyuri, healed because of her Demonic abilities.
"Oh dear!" She blushes.
"Flirt," Mizuyuri mutters, rolling her eyes.
"Keh!" Inuyasha sulks, not wanting someone to flirt with Mizuyuri.
"Besides, despite his looks and manners, Inuyasha seems to be quite nice," Miroku remarks.
"Huh?" He questions, turning around to face the Monk.
"By slaying the artist, Inuyasha could have ended it all quickly. But instead, Inuyasha tried only to destroy the ink. That's right… He just doesn't realise it… Inuyasha is quite a nice fellow," Kagome muses, looking at them.