Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Sounds of terrible moaning and groaning of thousands and thousands of people echoed about in the darkness. Chains rattling against each other accompanied the voices of the people who could not be seen. However, although they could not be seen or even see themselves, the thousands of people all seemed to be going in the same direction.

Suddenly within the midst of them, a monk appeared. The monk was a middle-aged man who looked about the darkness as if he didn't know why he was there.

"Hello?" the monk called out amongst all the groaning and the moaning of the people who could not be seen. "Can anyone hear me? Do you know where I am?"

The sounds of rattling chains and cries of pain were the unwelcomed answers to the monk's question. However, apart from those sounds, the monk could not hear anything else. It was silent-eerily quiet as if everything in the dark surroundings were unnaturally still. Upon this realization, the monk began to murmur prayers and chants. Yet, as he started to do this, the moaning and groaning of the people became louder and louder to the point it was becoming unbearable to the monk's ears. Nonetheless, the monk continued in his prayers until the lips of his mouth went shut and refused to open again. Suddenly, a burst of thunderous and distorted laughter filled the air as the sounds of chains grew louder and louder.

Almost immediately after the laughter appeared, the ground began to shake violently. And as the ground shook, it cracked open, and emitting from it was an orange glow that resembled the glow of a fire. Accompanying the glow emerged the large head of a man who wore a fearsome expression on his face and a very long beard. On the man's head sat a hat with a symbol on it that the monk instantly recognized. And as the head continued to rise out of the ground, the clothing that its body wore only confirmed the monk's fears.

"Kukukukuku…" The giant like man darkly chuckled as he crossed his arms, glaring straight at the monk who looked terrified. "That won't do you any good here. Especially for where you are going."

At this, the monk felt his heart sink and fell to his knees, "No, this cannot be. No!"

The giant gave the monk a passing cold glance before waving his hand over the moving line of the thousands of people. Immediately as he waved his hand, the ground shook as hideous demons with orange glows emitting from them as well, appeared and began to attack the thousands of people in the line. The lost souls screamed as the demons began to torture them relentlessly.

Petrified, the monk remained on the ground as the giant turned his attention back towards him and took out a large scroll. As the giant opened the scroll, he used his pointed finger to read through it before stopping at a place on it. "It seems that you have done plenty of good works as a monk, but you have also done some terrible things as well." The giant spoke his voice booming as loudly as before amongst the screaming of the tortured people. "The last thing you did is what caused you to come here today."

"W-What was that? What did I do?!" The monk cried out, as his body trembled in fear and tears began to well up in his eyes, "Please tell me? I know that I have done some wrong to people, but nothing in the last few years that would've damned me to such a place as this!"

"Oh?" The giant said, causing the monk's heart to drop, "Is that so?"

The giant waved his hand and two demons suddenly appeared by the monk's side. The monk shook his head in terror at their appearance and began to cry out, "Please have mercy. I have done nothing wrong. I have done nothing wrong, please!"

Despite the monk's pleas and cries for mercy, the giant just simply gave him a fearsome and cold look before waving his hand again. At the wave of the giant's hand, a mirror-like circle appeared that revealed a familiar sleeping face.

The monk's eyes widened in remembrance as he immediately recalled the scene that was being shown to him.

"A few months ago, you were summoned to the castle of the demon named Naraku." The giant like man began, "That demon commanded you to not only take the beads of subjugation off the InuHanyou called Inuyasha, but to take away his sword as well."

"But I was forced to do it!" The monk cried out, "That demon Naraku forced me to do in as part of the deal tha-"

"And that's another reason why you're here," The giant interrupted, "The deal that you made with Naraku to save yourself instead of the villagers you used to help. But we'll get to that later. By removing the beads of subjugation, you gave Naraku the opportunity to deceive the very people who could've rescued Inuyasha from Naraku. By taking away the sword called Tessaiga from Inuyasha and giving it to Naraku, you have given Naraku the ability to become practically invincible. Without the Tessaiga on their side, Naraku's enemies have no chance in standing against him, leaving Naraku to continue collecting the rest of the shards of the Shikon jewel. And as he collects the shards, Naraku's power will only keep on increasing. And many more people will perish at his hands and lives will be destroyed all because you helped him. In the past, you would've never done anything like this. You have strayed far from the teachings of Buddha and for that, you must be punished."

The giant waved his hand and the demons by the monk's side immediately grabbed each of the monk's arms. The demons besides the monk each gave him a cold smirk before twisting his arms in such a way that the loud sounds of bones breaking and snapping could be heard. The monk let out an agonizing cry as he desperately tried to remove his broken arms from the demons' stronghold on them.

"AUGH...PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE SPARE ME FROM THIS. I BEG YOU!" The monk cried out as he pleaded with the giant-like man, who only gave him a cold stare in return. " IS THERE NOTHING I CAN DO THAT WILL MAKE UP FOR THE WRONGS THAT I HAVE DONE?!...AUGH!... IS THERE ANYWAY THAT I CAN STOP NARAKU?!"

"How can you stop him if you are already dead?" The giant asked, not because he was curious but he wanted to remind the monk of the monk's predicament. And not long after the giant like man spoke these words, did the monk feel the heavyweight of cold metal suddenly appear on his ankles and on his wrists. The monk felt his heart drop at this sight on his body and began to scream and cry relentlessly.

"WHAT A FOOL I WAS. WHAT A TRUE FOOL I WAS!" The monk said in between his tears. "BUDDHA SAVE ME! BUDDHA SAVE ME! LET THE GOOD WORKS THAT I HAVE PREVIOUSLY DONE PLEASE GRANT ME A SECOND CHANCE TO LIFE! BUDDHA!"

"Enough." The giant spoke, waving his hand again causing the lips of the monk's mouth to immediately come shut once more. The giant waved his hand again, and the circle-like mirror displayed another scene once more. It was a scene of Inuyasha traveling along with a group of humans and two small demons.

"These are the InuHanyou's companions. At the moment they believe that Inuyasha is dead." The giant like demon said, "If I allow you to go back today, you must go and tell them that the InuHanyou is alive and is being held captive at Naraku's castle. Once Inuyasha is rescued and the Tessaiga is held by him once more, will Naraku's enemies have a chance of defeating Naraku. Without Inuyasha and the Tessaiga on their side, they have no hope of ever defeating Naraku."

With the wave of the giant's hand, the monk's lips could move again.

"Yes. Yes. Whatever you say!" The monk cried out, "I'll do it. Anything. Just don't damn my soul to the fiery pits of hell for all eternity."

With a solemn look on his fearsome face, the giant simply said, "Go forth, monk and do what I have told you to do. Inuyasha's group can be found in the village near the forest of the bone eater's well. Go there and tell them what I told you."

Suddenly, the two demons that held the monk's arms slowly vanished. In fact, everything else, including the sounds of the people screaming as the demons tortured them vanished as well. The monk remained in a kneeling position keeping his teary eyes locked with the giant, until the giant disappeared as well. Before the monk realized what was going on, he was all alone in the darkness by himself, still in the kneeling position, until he woke up.

The monk quickly sat up from his futon. Looking around the room, the monk let out hard and loud breaths as he felt his heart beat violently against his chest.

'What was that?' The monk thought, putting a hand on his chest as he tried to calm himself down. 'Was I in hell?'

Suddenly, the flashbacks of the dream and the feelings of terror and desperation came back to him like a flood.

'I was. I was in hell.' The monk thought, bringing both of his hands to his head in shock, 'And I met the great king Enma who decided to spare my life from hell if I do what he says. But if I do what he says, Naraku will kill me.'

Immediately, flashes of The great King Enma's fearsome face and the wave of his hand came to the monk's mind, causing him to grasp his arms.

'Naraku has the power to end my life, while the great king Enma has the power to not only kill me but also to send my soul to hell.' The monk thought, grasping his arms even tighter than before,' Where I will be tortured over and over again by demons.'

The monk removed his hands from his arms and brought them back to his head. 'Oh, what a fool I was...What a fool I was in the past.' The monk reminisced, 'If only I had accepted death back then, instead of choosing life over it, I wouldn't have this fear of hell that haunts my soul so greatly. And yet, in spite of the mistakes that I have made in the past, the great King Enma has decided to spare me from it all, if I do what he says. Then..It's only by doing that, will I be saved.'

Removing his hands from his head as he brought them down to the blanket, 'I shall do it. I shall do it, even if it means my death.' The monk silently gripped his blanket, 'I choose to obey the great king Enma and put an end to Naraku's path of destruction!'

As the monk thought this sitting still up in his futon, Unknown to him, in the far corner of the ceiling was a purple spider. This spider stayed hidden in the dark shadow of the room, silently watching the monk.

The monk suddenly got up and folded his futon. He then got back on his knees and said a quick prayer, before getting up again. The spider watched as the monk slid on his sandals, picked up his staff, and walked out of the hut.

I originally wanted this chapter to be longer and include Inuyasha's group meeting the monk, but I felt that enough had happened in this chapter. Yeah, this is the same monk who took the beads of subjugation off Inuyasha a few chapters ago, now let's see what happens next.

I will also be updating my other Inuyasha story "Legends and folklore." It's a SessInu story so check that out if you want.

Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you, my precious readers!