Daddy Dearest – Part Six: Horrors Of The Night

Xandra: Okay, so it wasn't a month, but the next one won't be for SEVERAL months unless I get some SERIOUS reviews and some ideas on my story. I was very glad to receive IMs from two of my fans on MLK Jr. Day (Thank you, Laney and Emily) and they inspired me to finish this chapter off, but the next one will be long in coming, because from here my writer's block kicks in. Email is still wide open, people, and I accept pictures, compliments, ideas and questions (though I won't answer a lot of them for the sake of the plot). Enjoy, and review!

~{Any large amount of text or dialogue within these is a dream/nightmare}~

"Monk."

Miroku pulled his weary eyes from the blaze of the fire, which he had been staring at, lifelessly, for longer than he could estimate. Tired of dwelling on the onset of his melancholy, he had let his eyes focus dangerously on the flames and allowed his mind to flutter away, focusing on nothing in particular. Now that he was trying to look away, a large, flickering blue spot was floating in front of his eyes, and they were sore. //Oh, fabulous job, Miroku, you burnt you retinas!// he thought to himself. //Wouldn't be surprised if you see that shape for the rest of your life, and it would serve you right.//

He blinked several times, trying to make out who had so rudely called him by his title, then shook his head. It was the guard Kabul again. "Yes?" he asked, tensely.

The huge form held out something large, lumpy and shaking with one hand. "This raccoon thing says he's with you."

"Master!"

He rubbed his eye with a clenched fist. "Do you have the sleep-aide?"

"W-well..."

He frowned. "I'm not certain I know what that thing is."

"Fine then. Away with you, beast."

Sango turned and looked at him, raising her eyebrow curiously, but said nothing.

"MASTER!" Hachi bawled. "I HAVE IT! I HAVE IT!"

He waved a dismissive hand. "All right, the tanuki is with me. Out running an errand on my behalf."

Kabul frowned, then dropped Hachi on the floor and left.

"I want the sleep-aide," he spat, grouchily. "NOW, Hachi."

"B-b-but Master, perhaps I s-should explain how it works."

He pinned him with a dark stare. "I. Want. To. Sleep. And. You. Are. Trying. My. PATIENCE," he hissed. "BRING. IT. HERE. *NOW*."

The tanuki gulped, then quickly waddled up and began to dig through his robes, looking worried. He produced a small pouch and handed it to him.

Miroku snatched it, tensely, then opened it and peeked inside. Curious, he tipped it into his hand, and a fine white powder sifted out into his bandaged left palm. He blinked, then slowly, his eyebrows knit together and he frowned. "Dust?" He looked up at Hachi, the blaze of the fire reflected in his eyes. "You brought me DUST?!"

Hachi cringed. "Eep..."

"If this is a joke, your sense of humor is in DIRE need of re-tuning!" he shouted. "How do you expect me to use this...this PIXIE DUST to get to sleep?! Do I LOOK like the sand-man to you?!"

"Master, if you'll only l-let me explain--!"

Kagome peeked in from the next room. "What's going on out here?" she asked. Then, she paused. "Oh, it's Hachi. That explains the shouting. What's that powder you have there, Miroku?"

"It's supposed to be a sleep-aide. I gave this damned creature TWO PIECES of gold to buy me a sleep-aide and he brought me this dust. How am I supposed to get to sleep with dust?"

"Maybe you add it to something, like tea or water," she suggested, "They do that in my time."

Hachi nodded instantly. "Yes! That's what the w--er, apothecary told me when she sold it to me! You have to add a small amount to a cup of tea! I was trying to tell you that!"

Shippo got up and rushed from the room. "I'll go get a servant to bring you some!"

Apparently, Miroku wasn't the only one that wanted himself unconscious. He WAS being a bit cruel and obnoxious, but he couldn't help it. He was in bad spirits after a day like this. He had sustained serious injuries, nearly been eaten twice, been forced to suck a fifty-foot snake demon into his hand, been crushed by a koketsu and now he was dealing with Hachi and his idiocy. He was in no mood for this!

"M-master," Hachi said. "Perhaps I should warn you that there is a dosage you should not exceed."

"And if I exceed it?" he asked, narrowly. "You would not ENDANGER me, now, would you, DEAR FRIEND?"

"NONONO, of course not, Master! I simply mean that you...er, might sleep too long if you use too much."

He nodded. As if that was a bad thing. "I understand."

Shippo returned with a young servant girl, who brought with her a tray carrying several cups and tea. She knelt in front of him and set it down. "Here you are, sir."

"Thank you," he sighed.

She turned to the others. "Is there anything I can get for any of you?"

"I'm hungry," Shippo muttered.

Mikiro's stomach growled and he blushed, but he didn't say anything.

Sango smiled. "I think we're all a bit hungry, if you wouldn't mind."

She bowed. "Yes, madam. I will bring a meal for your band right away, and your bedding is being prepared and will be brought soon." She turned and exited the room.

Miroku stared at Hachi for a moment, noting how the tanuki was eyeing the powder and his cup back and forth, tensely. "And just what is your issue?" he asked.

"I-I-I..." Hachi gulped. "Never mind, Master."

He sighed, then gently tipped his hand over the cup, allowing the powder to sift into the liquid within it.

"Miroku, why do you need a sleep-aide?" Kagome asked, curiously.

He glanced up at her for a moment, then back down at the cup before gulping down the entire thing. "Too much stress," he sighed.

She blinked, then nodded and quickly ducked back into the next room with Inuyasha.

Hachi gulped again. "Master, how much of that did you take?"

Miroku paused and looked at the pouch, then looked inside. "Roughly half the bag," he said, drawing it closed and tossing it to the youkai.

He jumped. "B-but the dose was a thimble-full!"

"Now I have more a chance of sleeping."

Hachi took a deep breath, then looked at the pouch and frowned. "I think I will go outside a moment. Excuse me!" He bolted out of the room.

Shippo blinked. "He's up to something. Maybe you shouldn't have taken so much, Miroku."

He went to object, then paused as the world suddenly began to look strange. The wall seemed to radiate wavy, unnatural colors, and every sound was like an echo in the back of his mind.

The pillow came at him and he found himself staring up at what he assumed to be Sango, outlined in breathtaking shades of violet and magenta that seemed to revolve around her form and resonate beautifully in his eyes. To her side was Shippo, who's body gave off loud and obnoxious colors that were painful and bothersome to see, and next to the kitsune was Mikiro, who gave off warm colors matching his eyes. Sango cried out and shook him, but he could neither make out what she was saying or move to respond. Something seemed to be dragging him down, back inside of himself, like a hook in his mind, which was numb and spinning. What was happening?

Darkness enveloped him then, and he let it overtake him without a fight.

~

"Miroku! Miroku, can you hear me?"

"Wow! Hachi poisoned him!" Shippo exclaimed.

Mikiro gasped, his eyes widening. "P-poisoned?!" he squeaked.

Sango shook Miroku by his shoulders, growling. "Come on, Miroku! Wake up!" she shouted.

Kagome peeked out again, looking curious. "What's going on?" She paused. "Oh! What happened?"

"He passed out!" Shippo said. "Hachi gave him that powder stuff and he drank it, and then he got all cross-eyed and fainted!"

"Is he breathing?"

Sango put her head to his chest, then nodded. "Yes, but it's erratic..." She looked up at his jaw-line from her position against his breastplate. "Maybe he took too much of the sleep-aide..."

"Hachi didn't warn him well enough," Shippo muttered. "That's why he ran off, I bet. He knew he was hurting Miroku and he didn't wanna get pounded for it!"

Sango growled. "I'll KILL that little thing! I'll COOK it!"

"But you can't cook, Sango."

She scowled and bopped the kitsune with her hand. "That's not my point! Whatever that stuff was, if it made him pass out like that, it could be dangerous, or toxic, and Hachi apparently knew the risks but didn't tell Miroku about them."

Kagome knelt down next to her and frowned, putting a hand to Miroku's forehead. "Well, if he just passed out now, maybe he's asleep. We won't know if there's anything wrong with him until he wakes up...or doesn't. We'll just have to cross our fingers and wait it out."

Sango frowned to herself and stood up. "I have a better idea."

~

Mikiro watched as she stormed from the room, then looked back down at his father, who was unconscious on his mat and not moving. //I hope he's okay...// he thought. Certainly, he was afraid of him, but that didn't mean he had no pity for him.

"Ka...Kagome..." a weak voice called from the next room.

She looked up. "Oops! I left him alone in there!"

Mikiro caught her skirt before she could stand up. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Who, Miroku?"

"No, Inuyasha."

She smiled. "Yeah, he's just a little weak. That happens sometimes when he turns human."

Mikiro blinked again. So THAT was why Inuyasha had puppy ears and gold eyes! He wasn't human!

But if that was true, why was he human now?"

"Miss Kagome, why is he human?"

She smiled and looked back over her shoulder at the doorway leading into the next room. "Well, since he's a half-demon, when there's no moon, he turns human for one night. Unfortunately, since it happened tonight, he got hurt because he was weaker than usual. I think the guy that sent those demons after us knew the new moon was tonight, and he wanted to catch Inuyasha when he was vulnerable. Lucky for us your Dad is a quick-thinker. He saved us out there. Sure, Inuyasha beat the koketsu, but that big snake thing would've killed us without him."

Mikiro frowned to himself. That hole in his hand was still preying on his mind, but he brushed it aside and followed Kagome into the next room, where a human Inuyasha lay on a pile of bedding, looking tired. He was wrapped from waist to neck in bandages, and his arms were patched here and there as well. However, this fact barely caught the boy's attention, because Inuyasha's new physical appearance was shocking. His hair was dark black instead of bright silver, and his puppy ears were indeed gone. He looked so hurt...

Kagome went and knelt near his head, then sighed. "You should be asleep, Inuyasha."

"All that noise...over Miroku kept...kept me up..."

"You COULD be a bit more kind to him, you know."

"Why?" Inuyasha muttered. "If I...had my way, I'd stomp...his ass right...into...the floor."

Kagome suddenly realized that Mikiro had been standing in the doorway and blinked. "Um, Inuyasha..."

"What? Don't protect him...he doesn't deserve protecting...he hurts that kid and he...hurt that woman Kiori...he deserves nothing less than to die a grueling death..."

Mikiro could feel Inuyasha's sincerity and Kagome's worry quite easily. She was afraid he would scare or upset him, and he was mad at Miroku for being a bad man.

"Inuyasha, Mikiro's standing right here!"

"Oops," he muttered, wryly. Mikiro could tell he wasn't really regretful. He slowly turned his head and opened his eyes, which were now a dark shade of violet-blue, then smiled. "Hi."

Mikiro approached and knelt next to him, then examined his face again. It was Inuyasha, but he looked so different... "You didn't tell me you were a half-demon."

He sighed, then looked up at Kagome with some difficulty. "You weren't supposed to find out..."

"You weren't honest," Mikiro said, softly. "Dishonesty is like lying."

"It IS lying, technically," Kagome said. "And Inuyasha doesn't like people who LIE."

Inuyasha sighed. "I just didn't want you...to be scared of me..."

He smiled and hugged him around the neck. "No, I wouldn't be scared of you. You're my...my friend."

"For real?"

He nodded. "Yes..."

Kagome cooed. "Aww, that's sweet."

Inuyasha tried to frown, but it didn't work. "Feh."

Mikiro pinched him. "Be nice to her, she still likes you."

Kagome blinked. "What did you say?"

Inuyasha stopped Mikiro from answering by grabbing him and pulling him close, covering his mouth with his right hand. "Oww, the pain," he cried, dramatically. "Please, everybody be quiet."

The little boy smiled to himself. Some adults just weren't ready to grow up yet!

~

"Now, are you going to tell me what was in that powder or is Kirara going to eat you?"

Hachi whimpered as the large demon-cat growled, baring her fangs menacingly. "Miss Sango, it was just a sleep-aide, I told you!"

She sighed, aggravated. "Kirara."

"GRRR..."

"AAAIIIEEE! IKnowNothingISwearIt! IJustBoughtThePotion, IDidn'tMakeIt!"

Sango narrowed her eyes on the squirming raccoon pinned beneath Kirara's front paws. "POTION? What POTION, Hachi?"

He gulped. "Did I say potion? W-what I meant was--oh, my."

"Miroku sent you out to get him a sleep-aide and you brought him a potion that knocked him out cold," she accused. She grabbed the tanuki's nose in her hand and leered down at it. "The question is...WHERE DID YOU GET IT AND *WHY*?!"

"It was for his own good!" Hachi exclaimed. "He told me he had trouble sleeping so I got it for him! I warned him not to take too much, but it won't hurt him anyway! The peddler that sold it to me told me it might cause nightmares if taken in a great amount, but nothing else might come of it, I swear!"

"Peddler? I thought you told Miroku you got it from an apothecary!"

"Well...she wasn't really either..."

Sango gave his nose a hard squeeze, making him whine. "WHAT was she then?"

"A...witch?"

"***WHAT***?!"

He quivered in the face of her rage. "IT'S A SPELL TO HELP HIM REMEMBER HIS TIME WITH LADY KIORI SO HIS CONSCIENCE WILL BE CLEAR OF THE GUILT THAT KEEPS HIM FROM RESTING! I ONLY MEANT TO HELP HIM!"

She froze, her anger withering completely. "What? It's a memory spell?"

Hachi sighed, deeply, nodding. "Yes! I knew if I told him a gypsy witch had made it, he would've been furious with me and never taken it, so I had her give me the type that also helps the user to get to sleep, but he took too much. Had he taken the right amount, it would have put him out like a normal sleep-aide, but he took so large an amount that I fear he might suffer the nightmares she warned me of...I was only trying to help him ease his mind..."

Sango blinked. "So...this was all your scheme to get Miroku to remember Kiori without his knowing so things would be better for him and he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of thanking or blaming you?"

"Yes...I did not mean for him to take so much of it...I had planned to give him only the right amount, but the guard caught me before I had a chance to empty some into a smaller container for him to use..."

She nodded, then patted Kirara on the head. "Okay, let him up."

The fire-cat grudgingly let Hachi go.

"She didn't say anything about how long it would take him to wake up, did she? Or anything else about side-effects for taking too much?"

Hachi shook his head. "I am afraid not...she just told me to let him take only a thimble-full, or else he might have nightmares. That, and some bowel troubles, but I think that may have been a joke."

Sango sighed. "Nothing about dying or lapsing into a coma, right? You're sure?"

He nodded. "Had either one of those been a chance, I would not have given the potion to him at all. I would trick him for his own good, but never would I endanger his life, Miss Sango."

Standing, she sighed again and patted Kirara on her head. "Well, cross your tails for me, Kirara. I don't know why, but the idea of his not waking up scares me..."

Kirara look at her, looking suspicious, but she didn't bother making a sound.

"Don't look at me like that," Sango said.

Hachi gave her that look too, then shuffled off toward the road.

"Where are YOU going?"

"Back to the village the witch is stationed in. I think I should ask her a few questions concerning the potion."

Sango sighed, then nodded. "Hurry."

**** ~

~{A beautiful field of wild flowers lay deep within the dense Kaji Woods, known all throughout the land as the Forest of Fire, because the foliage on all the trees, no matter the type, turned as red as fire in the fall. This place was familiar to Miroku, and just standing here made him feel at peace with all that was around him. As he stood there, knee-deep in colors unimagined by many of the great painters, his heart almost soared. //I have never been in a place so lovely before...// he thought. //

And then, he saw someone--a woman--and WHAT a woman! Even at a distance, she was a glory to behold. She was young, perhaps his own age or younger, and it was as if she were formed of the most precious metals and stones, with glossy, bronze hair that hung down over her shoulders in wavy masses and silver eyes that sparkled. Her skin was as pale as ivory, and her lips, ruby-red, complimented by the gem she wore on a chain around her neck. She was a living work of art, every curve perfect, every gesture, every movement graceful and elegant.

Miroku stood frozen, watching her as she danced among the flowers, alone, but holding her arms as if she had someone with her. Oh, to be in her arms and dance with her. The young monk had seen many a beautiful girl in his time, but she was by far the most stunning, even at her youthful age. She couldn't have been any older than he, and yet, she had somehow attained all the maidenly beauty that many women coveted all of their lives, and that many men sought after. He had often times been called a lover of beauty, and if this was true, he was certain that he would worship her if given the chance.

Then, she paused and looked at him, curiously. A smile spread across her lovely face and she reached her hands out to him. "Miroku!" she called. "Come and dance with me!"

She knew him? How? He felt somewhat lost, standing in her presence in his dull robes, which contrasted horribly with her elegant, silk kimono. He himself didn't feel worthy enough to be with her, but he obediently went to her and stopped, looking down at her, blankly. Her beauty was staggering and somehow familiar, but he just didn't know...

She smiled and reached her hands up, touching his face and brushing his bangs back ever so gently. "What did I tell you about this?" she asked, giving his ponytail a playful little tug. "You should leave it down. Your hair looks better down."

That quote resounded in his head. It was familiar too. He frowned to himself.

She frowned, too. "Oh, why so sad? I thought you liked to dance with me."

"No, it isn't that," he answered, instantly. He wasn't really in control of his mouth, just his mind. His body seemed to act of its own accord, for he found himself taking the lovely girl into his arms before he knew what was happening. "I just...feel unworthy of your fondness, my lady."

"Oh, Miroku, that's sweet of you," she said, smiling gloriously at him. "But please, don't feel that way. You are the most worthy."

"Too kind you are, my dear."

She giggled. "You're much too charming for your own good."

He sighed, shrugging. "It's a gift."

She giggled again, then hugged him, nuzzling his chest. "Will you stay with me?" she asked. "I would be forever content if you would. You're the first man I've met who is sincere about his feelings, and honest."

Guilt immediately struck him, but he forced it away and smiled. "I doubt your father would approve."

"Oh, but you are such a fine man!"

"Not in HIS eyes."

She frowned. "His eyes are old, and besides, he can't last much longer." She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his eyes with her own. He immediately got lost in the silvery pools of her eyes, barely able to keep his balance without her bracing. "Please, Miroku. I love you and I want you to be with me always."

Though he mentally knew that agreeing to this would be foolish with his mission, somehow, he didn't care. He wanted to be with her too, even if he was destined to die and end his line. At least he wouldn't be alone and miserable for the time he had left. Besides, he was still young. He had a good amount of time left, and he wanted to spend it with her. "As you wish, my lady," he said, softly. "However...I fear my time with you may be short...and I have a request to ask in return for my remaining in your presence, though that alone is enough for me."

"Anything..."

Being that his mind was more conscious than his body and, in a way, separate, he knew the foolishness in the remark that was to come. //NO, you fool!// he thought at his physical body. //Do not ask her for such a thing! She doesn't deserve that, whoever she is! You'll use her, you bastard, and break her heart, I know you will! You've done enough to her, stolen her heart--leave her her innocence at least! DON'T SAY IT!//

It was no use. Miroku knew his own conniving ways, and he knew what was going to happen, but somehow, the wiser part of him had no control over what happened next. "I...would be honored if you would bear me a son."

The tormented guilt that struck him as the girl slowly frowned and adopted an expression of thoughtfulness was overwhelming. It was all so familiar, but he couldn't stop it!

Slowly, she nodded. "A-all right...I will..."

Suddenly, the terrain changed, becoming a desolate, stony range, and he stood alone in the face of the truest evil he had ever experienced. It was Naraku, and stood perfectly still with his hands behind his back, smirking darkly.

"How brave are you, monk? Are you willing to sacrifice?"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, reaching slowly toward the rosary entwining his right wrist.

The demon slowly brought forth his hands, holding large, pink shards within them. They looked like Shikon shards, but they were too big, and...

...And they had people in them. Even before he could see them, he knew who they were. In Naraku's right hand stood Mikiro, and in the left, stood Sango, both trapped within the crystals and looking utterly terrified.

Miroku gasped. "You monster, you cannot make me choose between them!"

"Nay?" the dark-haired humanoid asked, smirking. He held his hands out and the crystals lit up.

"Miroku, help me!" Sango exclaimed, clawing the pink, glass-like wall with tears in her eyes.

Mikiro was crying as he pressed his hands against the surface of the stone, despair in his eyes. "Daddy!"

Miroku felt a sudden burning horror within him. He didn't know which one to choose! On one hand was Sango, the woman he loved so dearly, but on the other was Mikiro, his own flesh and blood, a mere innocent boy. He couldn't choose between them! It was unfair! "You have no honor," he whispered. "A child and a woman...how sick are you?"

"Honor? YOU can question MY honor? How is it that a man without honor can question that of another? You yourself are just as sick as I, if not more so."

"NO! I will not stand for this! I am NOTHING like you!" he shouted, covering his ears.

Naraku smirked, then held the crystals toward Miroku again. "You have a choice to make, so make it, or suffer the consequences."

"And if I refuse?"

The demon grinned. "I was hoping you would say that." With that, he opened his hands and both crystals went spiraling to the ground.

Miroku gasped in utter shock and did the only thing he could think to do; he dropped to the ground, hands outstretched, and caught the nearest one. It was Mikiro. Before he could attempt to save the other, however, it crashed to the stony ground with a deafening crunch. His eyes widened as the crystal's fragments suddenly melted into a red puddle, which began to stretch from where it landed, growing and darkening until it was like an ocean of blood. "No..." he whispered. "Sango..."

Naraku chuckled. "Good reflexes, bad timing. Personally, I would have kept the woman and left the boy to die."

"YOU AREN'T ME!" he roared, enraged and grief-stricken. Part of him was furious with Naraku for making him choose, another part was in spiritual agony for the loss of Sango, and the biggest part of him was angry with himself for allowing it all to happen.

The crystal was no longer in his hands, but he didn't notice.

He took his staff from the ground nearby and turned on the demon, swinging it at his head. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he cried.

The demon smirked, then suddenly reached up and removed his mask and robe, his form making Miroku freeze in mid-action. He was a mirror image of the monk himself. "Now, now," he said, his voice a perfect match to Miroku's. "Violence solves very little, and will only cause more trouble than it is worth."

He growled in frustration. He wasn't getting anywhere. "Bring her back," he commanded. He didn't know exactly why he thought it would work, but he did, and he wanted Sango to be alive again. It was Naraku's fault, and he would fix it.

"Now why should I?"

"Because you will experience worlds of pain if you refuse."

The demon-Miroku cackled, horribly. "Oh? You ARE just as dark as I, monk. You allow innocent people to hurt and die, you threaten death and dismemberment when you do not get your way...yes, you and I are alike in many ways. You have that same darkness in your soul that Onigumo did, if not a higher concentration of it."

"I AM NOT LIKE YOU!" he yelled. "I AM A GOOD PERSON!"

"You lie to yourself as well as others?"

Miroku lifted the staff and brought it down to crack his skull in two, but the moment it came into contact with the illusion, the entire thing faded, leaving him face to face with the boy he had rescued from the hands of the demon, Mikiro. He was standing there, staring up at him with his wide, blue eyes, fear written all over his cute little face. The moment he appeared, Miroku had to stop the action of striking him with all his might, barely managing to halt the staff without hurting him.

All was silent there on the stony plane for a long time, until finally, the boy spoke. "You tried to kill me," he said, softly.

Miroku felt the staff slip from his hands. "N-no! I-I-I wasn't--!"

Mikiro stumbled backward, terror filling his expression. "You were going to kill me..."

"No! I wasn't--Mikiro, please, I wasn't going to--" He had no heavenly answer to save him this time. Usually, he had the flawless excuse, the great line that made perfect sense and always saved his hide, but now, he had no defense against the accusation. He stuttered uncontrollably as he stumbled after the boy, horror-stricken at what he had almost done. This was a child, and he had almost hurt him.

"You hurt EVERYONE..." Mikiro said, suddenly, stepping further back. With every pace, he seemed to age and mature, becoming taller and darker every step of the way, all the more enraged. His voice's soft tone became deeper and louder, accusing and harsh. "You let Sango die..."

"No...please, I didn't mean--"

"You tried to kill me," he said, his voice growing an octave lower. Finally, he was Miroku's own size, a perfect mirror image of him, but not like the one Naraku had taken. He was just as tall, but famine-stricken and pale, with his dark hair hanging over his shoulders and his eyes as narrow as they could be. His robes were blood red, and seeing the color on the boy reminded him of Sango's death and the ocean of blood. The death he had caused with his idiocy. "You just LOVE to hurt others, don't you?"

"That isn't true!" he exclaimed in an attempt to sound strong. It came out more of a whine than a bark. "I never meant to hurt her! I didn't want to hurt you! It was Naraku--"

"Always someone else's fault," Mikiro said, harshly. "Grow up, Father! There won't be anyone to blame someday, and you'll have to face your own foolishness head-on, and I hope it crushes you!"

Before he could argue, however, he felt something slip over his right hand and tumble to the ground. He looked down, then brought his hand up and gasped. The rosary was gone. "Oh no!"

The air-rip began to pull the things around him into it, ripping rock spires from the ground, clouds from the sky. Mikiro got out of the way instantly, but there were two people who weren't so lucky--

Inuyasha, Shippo and Kagome. They had somehow arrived and were now fighting to stay away from the vortex. The hanyou had buried the blade of Tetsusaiga in the ground and was fighting to hold onto Kagome and the sword at the same time while the kitsune clung to her, but it wasn't working. The air- rip was slowly pulling them in.

Miroku hastily tried to locate the rosary, but it had somehow fallen through a crack between the floorboards and was now out of his reach. //I have to stop it before I kill them!// he thought, desperately.

Suddenly, the blade of the sword snapped in half and all three of them went screaming to their doom within the vortex, and they weren't the last. The terrain was still being torn apart. The sky, the trees, the rocks and the very ground were ripped from their places, spiraling into the void uncontrollably.

He could feel the air-rip spreading across his hand, reaching almost to the edge of his palm on all sides, and the fear of being drawn in himself became overwhelming.

Suddenly, he spotted another rosary, and without thinking, he carelessly ripped it from around the throat of a woman nearby, but with the action, her head came off with a terrible shriek. He didn't notice it.

By the time he got the rosary around his wrist and forced the void to close, everything was gone. The ground, the air, the sky...everything was gone. All of it had been swallowed up by the vortex in his palm, which was now three times larger than it had been. His doom was impending, and he had already killed everything and everyone around him without any way to stop it.

As he stood there in the nothingness he had created in his folly, all he could do was stare out in every direction for a sign of someone--anyone-- that he knew. There was no one. Sango was dead, he had killed Inuyasha, Shippo and Kagome, and Mikiro was no where in sight. He had nothing left.

Suddenly, a dark form loomed in the distance, white with a blue animal's face...

"Naraku!"

Indeed it was, and he had a prisoner. It was the adult Mikiro, who was fighting helplessly against his grasp. The demon approached. "Well, monk, I would say you've done quite a job. I commend you. However, you missed something." He threw the young man at him. "May your son grow to be just like you."

He looked at the beaten and bleeding young man, who was all at once a child again, trembling at his feet and crying thick, red tears that fell endlessly through the emptiness of the oblivion he had created. Slowly, he looked up at Miroku and leered at him. "You killed everyone," he hissed, sobbingly. "You killed everyone and it's all your fault everything is gone...I..." And then, he was face to face with the older one again, and this one held in his bleeding hands the other half of the broken Tetsusaiga. "I hate you, and may you burn in Hell for all you've done!"

Miroku couldn't find the strength to move, so he stood perfectly still as the rusted katana blade was driven through his stomach so violently that he felt it rip through him and out the other side.}~

Miroku jerked awake with a cry of absolute horror that echoed. It took him a moment to realize that it had been a nightmare, and a moment more to realize that he hadn't been the only one who had screamed. In the next room over, he could hear Inuyasha and Kagome talking to someone.

"Oh, Mikiro, are you all right?"

"Wake up, kid. It was just a bad dream. You're okay."

He sat for a long moment, trying desperately to catch his breath as he held the place in his stomach where he had been stabbed in the nightmare. It hurt, as if it had really happened, but the pain was all in his mind, he knew. He was drenched in sweat and shaking so violently that he could barely stay sitting up.

Suddenly, he realized that someone had been talking to him. Slowly, he turned his head, just in time for someone's shoulder to block his vision as they embraced him. It took him a minute to make out what the form was saying.

"...it's okay, just a nightmare...are you all right, Miroku?"

"S-Sango?" he stuttered, shakily. She drew him away from her and smiled, warmly, at him in the dark, then nodded. He immediately grabbed her and held her possessively to his chest, still gasping for air but relieved nonetheless. It had just been a nightmare, barely anything at all, but it had terrified him unlike anything else. "You're okay...I didn't let you die..."

"Miroku, what--?"

"Just a nightmare," he said, softly. "J-just a nightmare..."

Sango pushed him off her for a moment and touched his face, then sighed. "You're soaked in sweat...that must have been some dream..."

"That was creepy!" Shippo exclaimed, walking up. "Mikiro screamed at the exact second you did, and HE had a nightmare too! Kagome says he won't stop shouting about black holes and stuff!"

Miroku felt his overheated body suddenly become ice-cold as he sat there, frozen with fear. Had they shared the same nightmare? Without thinking, he fought his way to his feet and stumbled, shaking, to the doorway leading into the next room. He leaned carefully against the wall and listened, holding his breath.

"Shhh, it's okay, Mikiro," Inuyasha's voice came, weakly. Miroku chanced a peek and was unsurprised to see that the former hanyou was holding the boy in his arms, cradling him with Kagome sitting next to him, holding his shoulders. "Bad dreams are just bad dreams...nothing like that will happen..."

"People don't just get put in crystals, kiddo," Kagome offered. "Besides, I really don't think Miroku would do things like that to us. He's not like that."

"I wouldn't let him anyway," Inuyasha hissed. "I'd hack him to pieces before I let him hurt you OR us that way."

Miroku dug his fingernails into the wall behind him as Sango crept up and took his shoulders, looking worried. He could scarcely see her through the tears in his eyes. Now there was no chance the boy would ever come near him, let alone care for him. That nightmare had somehow been transmitted to Mikiro's tender young mind, and now he was scarred by it. "He'll hate me now..." he whispered as Sango led him back to his bed and sat him down.

She blinked. "What?"

"Mikiro had my nightmare with me," he said, unwillingly. He was just too distraught to keep it from her. As he spoke, he ran his fingertips gently over his right palm, remembering the horror that had spread through him as the hole expanded. "Naraku forced me to make a choice that cost you your life, and then I killed everyone else with the air-void in my hand by accident. Mikiro hated me for doing so, blaming me and accusing me of destroying everything, and then he impaled me with the Tetsusaiga right before I woke up."

Shippo and Sango both blinked. "Wow, that would suck," the kitsune said. Then, he paused. "Ooh, bad pun."

Sango smacked him upside his head, then turned her attention back to Miroku. "That's terrible..." she said, softly touching his cheek. Then, she frowned. "Hachi told me that stuff he gave you caused nightmares, so I guess I should have expected this."

He froze over. "...WHAT."

"Yes, but he didn't say anything about it being shared by others. He went back to the shop that he got it from to ask the proprietor about it."

Miroku frowned, pushing his mussed hair back out of his face. "Were he here now, I would soon have a new pair of RACCOON BOOTS."

She sighed, smiling, then paused and blinked, inclining her head and looking at him. "Oh...when did you take your hair down?"

He blinked, then ran his hands through his hair. It was down, all right, but where was his hair-tie, and how had it happened? He NEVER took his hair down, and he was certain he hadn't done it in his sleep!

/'Your hair looks better down.'/

He shuddered. Why wouldn't that familiar feeling leave him alone? "I..." he sighed to himself, shaking his head, "Never mind...I don't think I'll be sleeping anymore tonight."

She nodded. "Shippo, go away."

"Oh, SURE," the kitsune said, snidely. "You two wanna be ALOOOONE."

"SHIPPO!"

"Goin'!" He hastily bolted away, snickering snidely to himself.

Sango sighed, then shook her head. "Would you like me to stay awake with you?"

"No," he said. "I woke you up, and that I regret, but I will not have you lose sleep over my troubles. You should try and rest, Sango."

"No," she said, mimicking his tone and firm expression.

He smiled despite himself, then looked away, but his eyes were brought back to hers as she placed a hand gently on his cheek. He blinked, curiously, still somewhat dazed from the nightmare but awake enough to see the strange gleam of her eyes in the dim light of the dying fire. "Has my nightmare disturbed you?" he asked, feeling ashamed. He shouldn't have told her! "If so, I apologize...maybe I should have just kept my mouth sh--"

"I was just worried about you."

He paused. "What?"

"When you blacked out, I thought Hachi had poisoned you, and had he not explained, I might have had Kirara maul him, if not just killed him myself." She looked away at the fire for a moment, slowly letting her hand slip away from his face and fall into her lap to clasp the other. "I was so...so scared that you were going to die..."

Miroku blinked. "Sango..."

"I'm serious, Miroku. I almost didn't sleep, because I feared I would awaken to find them gathering around your corpse. You blacked out so quickly that I thought you had died that very moment, and it terrified me, and not just because you're my friend, either."

He stared for a moment, realizing what was happening and STILL not believing it. He almost didn't want to believe it. Certainly, a confession of undying love from Sango would brighten the entire world for him, but he felt that, deep inside, he had enough attachments to worry about, and enough things that he had done to other women. He still didn't remember hurting Kiori, but somehow, now more than ever, he knew that he had, and that he owed both she and her son--their son--a great debt for his wrong, and he just didn't want Sango to be hurt by him too. Besides, if he didn't kill Naraku, his life wouldn't last much longer anyway.

She tried to continue, but he brought his hand up and placed a finger against her lips, silencing her.

"Perhaps you should try to sleep," he said, finally.

She blinked at them. "But--"

"Sleep, Sango," he insisted. "My problems are not yours, and though I value your sympathy, I will eventually have to face it..." he trailed off as his own voice--Mikiro's mature voice--echoed in his head.

/'There won't be anyone to blame someday, and you'll have to face your own foolishness head-on...'/

"I will have to face in on my own," he finished, frowning deeply. He tried to stand up, but found that his left leg was numb and that his back was sore from sleeping on the injuries. With a wince, he lowered himself back into a sitting position.

Sango frowned. "You slept on your back," she said. "The nurse told you not to."

"It wasn't as if I really had a choice," he sighed, reaching a hand back and gently touching a sore, bandaged area along his lower back. He hissed in pain and shuddered. //That ice must have done more damage than I realized...// he thought. It hurt like hell!

"Here, let me see," she insisted. Before he could object, Sango had already untied the sash of his robe and was slipping it off him. He hastily grabbed onto it before she could get it all the way off. She blinked, then smiled. "I'm sorry. I'll sit behind you to keep from embarrassing you."

Miroku frowned. //She makes it sound as if I have something to be ashamed of!// But, he didn't argue as she gently pulled the robe down to his hips in the back.

"Oh, there are bloodstains all over your bandages...you must have reopened a few of those gashes. How badly does it hurt?"

"Oh, it doesn't--" he gasped in pain as she prodded at one of the sore spots, sending a bolt of pain lancing through the muscles of his lower back. "Ah!"

"You were saying?"

He decided to keep his mouth closed.

"I thought so." Sango suddenly gave his shoulders a hard push, knocking him onto his face on his mat. "Lay still, I want to try something."

Once again, he didn't object, almost afraid to do so for the fact that she had the chance to either snatch his robe or poke at one of his lacerations at that moment, and he didn't feel like being left in nothing but bandages OR passing out from pain. He lay perfectly still, trying to ignore his sore back and wondering what she was up to.

Suddenly, through the thick bandages, he felt her hands slowly begin to stroke up and down his back, over the area on either side of his spine that wasn't blocked by his ribcage. At first, it was a strange, painful sensation because of the pressure, but after a few moments, he relaxed and all pain seemed to fade.

"What are you doing?" he asked, weakly, savoring the feeling.

"An old technique I used to use on my brother when his back hurt as yours does, but without the cuts and bleeding. He wasn't quite as strong as the rest of us, but then again, he was young."

She was talking about her little brother, Kohaku, and Miroku could hear the sadness in her voice, and sense the pain inside of her, somehow. He had always been able to sense these types of things, especially as a child, but he'd never really noticed it until now. It only seemed to work on people he was close to anyway, so it was nothing big--it was more like empathy than anything else, a simple feeling that someone else was in pain or needed to talk.

"After training, his back would begin to hurt, so I developed this method of using the little-known pressure points along this area to relax the muscles all throughout and soothe extreme pain," she continued. "How do you feel now?"

"Better," he muttered into his folded arms, in which he had buried his face. At first, it hurt, and then it felt good, but now it was heavenly. "I think I might be feeling more pain soon, though. Might be wise to keep going, just to be safe."

She snickered. "You have the strangest ways of asking for attention, Miroku."

"Now you've confused me," he sighed. "Should I be ashamed or proud?"

That made her laugh, and the sound of her laughter helped to lighten the spiritual pain he was still feeling after his nightmare.

The visions of the ocean of blood, the nothingness, the air-rip expanding, and Mikiro as an adult, so unhealthy, malnourished and full of hatred for him kept reappearing every time he attempted to relax and close his eyes. So, to prevent himself from seeing these things, the latter most especially, he settled for leaving them open, but keeping them on the space of pad beneath his folded arms, which was dark. It was almost as good, but he couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare as a whole anyway. Though he knew that it had been just a bad dream, he somehow felt that parts had been shadows of the past and possibly the future.

The thought of that sweet little boy becoming an ill-fated, vengeful man made him sick to his stomach. He now realized that seeing true hate in eyes once filled with love and happiness, the eyes of a pure child, had been the most terrifying thing he had ever seen, especially because it had been his fault. The boy--no, his SON--had truly despised him, and had wanted him dead. If that really happened, and Mikiro became a man forced to live life only for vengeance--

Miroku's breath caught in his chest and he choked. //Oh no...// he thought. //He'll become...just like me...// The more he dwelt upon it, the more he realized that he had just described himself. He realized that, since his late childhood, he had lived and breathed only because he wanted Naraku dead. Unlike most children, he hadn't been thinking about games or playing with other boys--he had only focused on training himself to face Naraku and lifted the curse from his family line, knowing that he had little chance of surviving to adulthood and starting a family. Until he had hit puberty and begun to notice girls, he had thought of nothing but finding and killing the demon, not even continuing his line or planning his life AFTER he had completed his mission. He had always thought he would die before he reached that point, so there had been no point in his mind to bother thinking of it.

That older form of Mikiro had been just like him--what he might have been had he not found other interests, like his friends (and lovely women). It if came true...

//No. I cannot allow that to happen to him,// he thought, severely. //Mikiro does not deserve that kind of punishment. I will not make him hate me...and I will not give him reason. If I must, I will leave him alone, but I will not give him cause to become what I saw. It is already apparent that he wants nothing to do with me, so I will not force my company. After all, it isn't as if Inuyasha couldn't be a better father than I could to him.// He nodded to himself. //Then it's settled; to protect Mikiro from becoming like myself, I will PROTECT him from myself.//

"You're thinking, Lord Monk," Sango said.

He sighed. "I've asked you not to use that title."

"I know, but it gets your attention," she retorted. "What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but the breath he had been planning to use for an excuse was immediately exhaled with a sharp hiss as a pang of agony struck his chest. He knew what that meant. "Oh no!"

"What's the matter now?"

Miroku pulled himself up onto his knees, sending liquid fire shooting through the relaxed muscles of his lower back as they were forced to flex with the motion, then pulled his robe on the rest of the way and retied it, pushing his hair back out of his face again. After a moment of allowing his eyes to search the bedding, he located the missing hair-tie and secured his dark, mussed mane back out of his face with it. "Wake the others, I sense we're in trouble."

Without bothering to question him, Sango quickly got up and went into the next room.

~

Mikiro looked up as San-san came rushing in, looking worried. He blinked, sensing her confusion. What was going on?

"Miroku says we may be in trouble," she said. "Inuyasha, are you well enough to fight yet?"

Mikiro looked up at him, then frowned. He wasn't, but he was probably going to say he was, just because grown-ups were funny like that.

Inuyasha tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved, he cried out and fell back with a grunt, his head landing back in Kagome's lap where it had been before. "Not sure, but I can try..."

"No you won't," Kagome said, sternly. She put a hand gently on his forehead to keep him down. "I doubt he can even sit up, let alone hold the Tetsusaiga. What's the matter?"

"I don't know. I think he might be a bit messed up after his nightmare, but he seems to think we're in danger, and I'm not certain if we should doubt him."

Mikiro frowned and buried his face in Inuyasha's robe, shutting his eyes. He didn't want to think about nightmares. His had been scary enough, watching as Miroku had hurt his Mommy, let Sango die and killed Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo with the hole in his hand. He really didn't like him now...he just wanted Mommy to come back and get him. It was hard to be brave here, and he wanted to cry, but she had told him not to be a baby, because if he was a baby, he would get hurt. He had to be a big boy, and he had to hold on. //I want my Mommy,// he thought, nuzzling Inuyasha's chest.

The weak man gently stroked a hand through his hair. "Miroku's a nut-case," he muttered. "We're not in any danger. Besides, whenever we get attacked, Mikiro cries, and he's not crying, so we're fine. Tell the monk to go back to sleep."

Suddenly, Mikiro felt a violent pain in his chest and he whimpered, biting his lip. This was the second one in ten minutes! Still, he couldn't cry. He had to be a big boy.

"Did he just cry?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha blinked, then sat him up. "Uh-oh."

"Red alert!" a voice cried from outside. "We have an emergency! A demon horde has been spotted coming this way!"

The curtains flew open and Shippo ran in, clinging to Kagome. "The guards say there's demons EVERYWEHRE! We're sitting ducks and I'm scared! EEEEEEEPP!"

San-san frowned. "I had better wake Kirara!"

"NO."

Mikiro blinked, then jumped as Miroku took up the doorway. Just looking at him was strange. He almost looked like Mommy! His hair was mussed, he had dark marks under his eyes and his mouth was locked in a tight frown, but he looked determined to do something. Mikiro couldn't feel anything from him for some reason, though he felt everybody else's shock and fear for what was happening (Shippo's especially). Why did his father look so angry, and why did he say no?

"Miroku--" San-san began.

He lifted his right hand and Mikiro was almost afraid he was gonna use the hole in it to hurt her, but he didn't. He was telling her to be quiet, and she did so. "I made a promise to the lord of this mansion and I will keep it."

"But you lied!" Kagome exclaimed. "You didn't know there were going to be demons! Besides, how are you going to stop them without killing yourself?"

Miroku ignored her and took San-san by her shoulders, pushing her into the room all the way and sitting her down. He whistled and Kirara came running in her cute form, looking curious. "Sango, stay here and guard them, just in case I fail, but if you get attacked, just get everyone out. Don't worry about the lord, just save yourself and the others."

What was happening? Mikiro could tell that there were monsters coming, but what was Miroku talking about? He was smart for his age, but he still didn't get it!

The others looked just as confused.

"How you gonna stop the demons, Miroku?" Shippo asked.

He looked at the fox-boy for a moment, then slowly turned his eyes to Mikiro, who stared back at him. His eyes weren't bad and scary anymore, but there was something else in them that made him scared nonetheless. He was gonna do something dangerous, Mikiro just knew it. "Very carefully. Stay in here and be ready, just in case I fail. If this room comes under attack, don't bother looking for me, because I won't let one of those damned creatures past unless I'm but another carcass."

He was gonna get himself killed?! Mikiro suddenly felt sick. He didn't exactly like his father, but he didn't want him to die! Mommy would be angry and sad if he died, and besides, people weren't supposed to die! It was bad! He wanted to tell him not to, but he was scared, so he kept his mouth closed as Miroku disappeared.

San-san frowned. "I don't like this...we can't let him fight those demons alone. He'll die."

"But what choice do we have?" Kagome asked, weakly. "Inuyasha can't fight, and it isn't like we can battle a horde of demons in this condition. Even Kirara's probably tired after all this."

"This is confusing!" Shippo complained, covering his pointy ears and frowning. "We can't do anything!"

Mikiro frowned, too. //I don't want him to die,// he thought. He didn't know why, but he wanted to go run and help his father fight the demons, even if he couldn't do anything really special.

Besides, Miroku had that hole in his hand.

Wait! The hole! Mikiro looked at his palm. //I wonder if I could make it work,// he thought. //If I could, then I could help...but I don't know how to do it...darn, being little is not a good thing to be.//

~

Miroku ignored the many calls from the guards as he hurried toward the front doors of the mansion, asking why the demons were coming and what he was going to do about them. He had an idea, but it wasn't going to be easy. He had a good chance of getting hurt, but there was no other alternative. Besides, if he did it right, he would save the others, the lord and his attendants. He owed them that much for lying anyway.

Kabul stepped out and blocked his path. "Running away, MONK?" he barked. "You swore to protect us from this!"

"OUT of my WAY and I WILL, IDIOT!" he shouted back, shoving the bulky man aside. He forced the huge doors open and jumped down from the front veranda onto the ground before the mansion. He snatched his staff from where he had left it, then looked outward into the thick forest for the smallest hint of a demon.

Unfortunately, the trees were so thick here that he couldn't see anything but the trees themselves in the darkness of the night. There was only the small path they had found to follow from the clearing, almost an hour's walk from here, and that was covered by brush as well. This was bad.

However, he could sense the evil in the air, so he knew he didn't have much time to set up. With a sigh, he quickly set to work. He had learned this protective spell from Lady Kaede not too long ago, and had he not ruined it, it might have saved Inuyasha and himself a great amount of trouble, but he knew he could do it now. This time he wouldn't botch it.

Normally, Miroku was brave, but not this brave. He was sure it was only due to the fact that Inuyasha was incapacitated at the moment, Sango and Kirara were tired and Kagome wasn't in any position to fight, but it was still rather odd. This was the second time he had put himself in the face of eminent danger without any real thought, but this time, he was facing possibly hundreds of monsters instead of one. So many strange things were happening inside of him recently!

//I have got to be out of my mind,// he thought as he carefully finished building the barrier he had intended to. He had taken wooden stakes he had blessed himself and driven them into the ground in various places around the mansion's outer wall, then bound twine around them, creating a wire- barrier. It wasn't really meant to stop anything alone, but with his spell, it would become impenetrable shield against demons. Unfortunately, while the mansion would be invisible, he would be in perfect sight. If he so much as flinched while he was performing the spell, the others would be doomed, it he could get the spell to work at ALL. What was he to do?

He'd just have to tough it out. Miroku hastily sat himself behind the wire line and folded his legs, then put his hands together, folding his middle and ring fingers down while holding his thumb, index and pinkie fingers up. He took a deep breath, then began to concentrate, just as the first bout of demons appeared over the horizon, flying, running, crawling and all looking hungry. //May the gods be merciful on this sinful man and send some help soon.//

****

To Be Continued

Xandra: Cliffhanger again, I know. As I said, I ran out of ideas (about three paragraphs ago, actually), but I MIGHT be able to add another plot twist if I can get some help from my readers. I have recently found out about another character in Inuyasha that MIGHT help to save this part of the story, if I can get some info on him. Now is the time for all Inuyasha fans that know ANYTHING about Kouga to email their knowledge to me. All I know about this dude is what he looks like (he's cute for a wolf demon) who his voice actor is (he's cute too! Scott McNeil is a nice hunk of man, and his voice is hot as hell) and that he hates Inuyasha. I'm in the dark, people. Info on his personality, attitude, habits, weapons, etc., would all be appreciated, and if I get enough to make an educated guess about him, he'll make an appearance in my story, and he might stick around even, if I like the way he effects the plot.

Oh, and Miroku's dream was jacked-up, and it got confusing, I know, but have you ever really paid attention to a dream or a nightmare? They tend to make sense for a while, and then things get confused and by the time you wake up you've forgotten everything but the scary feeling. I did this on purpose, but remember the nightmare, because there was a lot of symbolism in it.

Other than that, what do you think? Get to reviewing people, and the email is still open for compliments, rants, questions and raves. (Kouga information too, if you want him to show up, because I think he might be the only one that can save my story from drowning at this point. If not, I could always pull some Miroku-glorifying miracle, but I'm pushing his credibility by making him a hero, considering who he is and what he's guilty of.)

Still reading? GET REVIEWING PEOPLE!

NOW!

Sheesh, take a hint!