InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Darker Purpose ❯ Chapter Three: Sanctuary...? ( Chapter 3 )

A Darker Purpose

 

III. Sanctuary…?

 

Miroku never really got the chance to agonize over if he was going to risk going back to see Kagome that day or not.

It happened just as he'd always imagined, always feared it would.

One minute he was strolling down a bustling, brightly lit Tokyo street, allowing the sunlight to slowly sink in and warm him…heal him…

And the next, the kazanna in his hand was slowly but surely opening, the glove, and his palm beginning to unfold and crumple like the petals of a fragile flower.

For a moment he did the stupidest thing he could have done, exactly what he'd always told himself he wouldn't do.

He panicked.

He panicked, mind going blank, and he just stopped where he was to hold his hand out before him and stare in dawning horror as crowds of people, hundreds of people, brushed past him, going about their business with no time for the idiot holding his right wrist as if his hand might bite him, blocking their way.

It took a particularly rude jostle against his shoulder to stir Miroku into action. He forced his legs to start moving, stopped fighting against the flow of the crowd, and kept walking, holding his hand close to himself.

Now that he got a good look at it, it wasn't as bad as he'd first thought.

Oh, he was still going to die this day, but not at this very moment. He could afford, at least, to avoid causing a riot in downtown Tokyo, and not stand in the middle of the street screaming at people to run away because they would be sucked into the void in his hand if they didn't.

Still, he didn't have enough time to get safely away from this many people. Not without help, at least.

Turning against the milling crowd, Miroku forced himself back along the street, back towards the way he'd come, ignoring the looks from the people around him as he yelled at the top of his lungs the only person who would possibly be able to hear him from this distance -

“InuYasha!”

 

The shrine was crowded today…even more so than usual, and it always was, especially with the heinous acts Naraku was committing daily.

Kagome swiped a sleeve over her forehead as she packaged a souvenir and handed the bag and receipt back to its owner.

She was helping another customer, trying to keep her mind off Miroku when she heard a familiar voice yelling obnoxiously in the distance.

“Miss - “ the customer was asking.

Kagome wiped her forehead again, and bowed slightly in apology. “Sorry,” she said distractedly, moving around the counter. “I think there's a problem,” she started to say, but was interrupted when a figure in bright red suddenly landed in front of her. The customer gave a startled yelp and quickly walked away.

“InuYasha!” Kagome began. “What are you doing here? What's the hurry? Couldn't you have just taken your motorcycle like a normal - ? Miroku!” She finally noticed who was climbing off his back. She almost knocked the hanyou over in an effort to get to his side. She threw herself into his arms before she even realized what she was doing.

Miroku caught her shoulders. “Why, Kagome. I've only been gone a few hours. Were you missing me already?” he asked with an arrogant, though clearly strained smirk.

Kagome blushed and wrenched herself away from him, ignoring the stares coming from all around her - and most pointedly, from InuYasha.

“Geez! What is it with men?” Kagome suddenly raged. “You…you strut around with your gorgeous hair, and bright, beautiful eyes, looking all dramatic with the long, float-y coats, and tight butts, and you act like we should all fall to our knees and beg for your favors!”

InuYasha still stared at her, his mouth hanging open, while Miroku looked down at her with half-lidded eyes, and a suggestive smile that belied the tension on his handsome face.

“Well, strikingly handsome men such as me and InuYasha here are rare to come by, Kagome. We are…as close to Gods as man can get, and…should be worshiped as such,” he murmured teasingly…and then sank to his own knees as the effort of standing became too much.

Kagome moved to kneel beside him, biting her lip. She already knew what was happening. “Oh, shut-up, Miroku! You're gonna' get yourself in trouble talking like that, one day, you know!”

“Too late,” both he and InuYasha mumbled under their breaths.

“InuYasha!”

The hanyou looked at Kagome with a slight wince, well aware of the kotodama beads around his neck and fact that she could still sit him…something he wasn't around her often enough these days for her to be able to do.

She saw his dismay and gave him a tired, reassuring smile. “It's okay, InuYasha. I just want you to go and clear out the shrine grounds, okay? It's not safe for all these people to be here.”

InuYasha's ears went straight up. “Keh! I'm not leavin' you here - “

“InuYasha!” Kagome's voice rose at a familiar pitch.

InuYasha wisely withdrew. “Fine, I'll go clear out the stinkin' shrine - but if you get sucked in with the pervert, here, it ain't my fault, y'hear? I mean it,” he said, his voice choked as Kagome grabbed his clawed hand and pressed a tender kiss to the back of his fingers. “I…I won't give you another fucking thought if you go…the either of you.” Kagome let go of his hand, and he stared at her, bringing up his other hand to rub his fingertips against his knuckles.

“Hurry,” Kagome said thickly.

With a last, lingering look at the both of them, he leapt away, alternately confusing and terrifying the visitors as he bellowed at them to leave. The people of Tokyo were used to seeing oni's and other spirit creatures wandering around, sometimes attacking, with Naraku gaining power, but this guy was truly powerful-looking - and he was suddenly waving around a huge fucking sword!

Needless to say, chaos ensued.

Kagome watched, bemused, as InuYasha did what he was best at - chasing people away. Saving them…she heard his loud curse as a small child fell in the rush, watched him leap into the fray and jump right back out with the crying toddler in his arms, his long red coat flaring, his silver hair a waving banner behind him as he launched himself into the flawless blue sky…

A tug on her sleeve brought her straying attention back to Miroku.

“I told him not to come here.”

“He was right to. It's the only place for miles where…where you can…without fear of hurting anyone.” She gazed at him, reaching out a hesitant hand to brush his long hair, now free of its knotted tail, out of his face. Dust and grit began to fill the rising violence of the air around them, blocking out the sun's rays.

Miroku caught her hand.

“You need to get away, Kagome. I don't have much time left.”

“You're not going anywhere, you baka. Just hold on to me, Miroku,” Kagome told him calmly, though her hands were shaking as she discreetly yanked the small glass bottle holding her last, small, remaining jewel shard from it's string around her neck.

Miroku didn't notice - he was too busy trying to pull his dangerous hand away from her. “Are you crazy, Kagome? Run away! Aren't you afraid?”

“No. I'm not afraid of anything that has to do with you, Miroku,” she said with a little, trembling smile, and pushed his weakly protesting hands away as she took his cursed hand into her lap. The wind from the void whipped the fringe of her hair wildly around her face as she examined the situation.

His hand was curled into a white, bloodless fist, fingers trying vainly to withold the slowly building full power of the kazanna.

“It's not going to go away just because you will it to,” Miroku said with a sad humor. “Believe me, I've tried.”

Ignoring him, Kagome took his hand in hers, her fingertips brushing over his knuckles as she turned it over to examine the prayer beads that had broken, had almost given way. She held his hand up, carefully looking over the disintegrating beads until she found what she wanted.

She looked into his eyes, leaning forward until she was only an inch away from brushing her nose against his. “Miroku…”

He blinked at her, confused. “Kagome…?”

“Kiss me, Miroku…kiss me, and…I'll leave.”

He caught his breath. Arousal hit him like a hard punch to the gut. “Kagome…I…” his eyes fell to her lips as she pushed herself even closer, keeping her hand on his. It was shaking almost violently now, the void close to fracturing completely. The wind built up dramatically around them, pulling at them with a pressure that was growing by the second.

“I always…wondered what you would feel like. Please? One kiss, Miroku, and I'll go.”

Miroku closed his eyes and skillfully pressed his lips to hers, bringing up his left hand to cradle the back of her head, his thumb stroking the soft point of her jaw where it met the warmth of her neck. He felt her tremble, felt her pulse leap and throb against his touch. Felt his own insides quake as her lips slid open on a quiet gasp and he took advantage of it and swirled his tongue between her smooth, pearly teeth, sliding it against her own in an intimate caress before withdrawing completely.

He would have liked to drawn it out, caged her in his arms. He wanted to find out more about how she tasted, how she reacted to his touch…how long it would take to make her quiver as he gently rolled his hips against her…but walls were closing in around him, and if he wasn't careful, she'd be closed in right along with him. He didn't' want to leave her, didn't want to be alone, but there was no way he was letting her come with him to the barren wasteland he was going into. She had to go, and go now… the pressure in the air was becoming too great even for him to take.

“Kagome…darling Kagome, you must go now,” he whispered against her ear, dropping his left hand to push against her shoulder as she took his cursed hand in both of hers. She didn't answer, only gave a shuddering sigh as he pulled away from her, and didn't make any move to leave. Miroku's lazy, satisfied smile disappeared to be replaced with a frown. She was doing something…doing something to his hand…no, his glove. He pulled back quickly to look into her face, but it was turned downwards, focused on something else.

“You said you'd go!” he yelled, beginning to panic, trying to force his hand away.

“But I didn't promise anything, did I?” Kagome shouted back at him over the howl of the void, struggling to keep his hand in hers.

Miroku felt tears prick his eyes - if she didn't go now, it would be too late!

“Why are you fighting this so hard, damn it?! It's going to happen - there's nothing we can do about it!”

“Because I think you're worth fighting for, stupid!” Kagome's head moved, and Miroku could see now what she was doing. His eyes flew open wide.

“No!” he heard himself roar, and then there was a blinding flash of pink light…and silence.

The wind was gone. The day was bright and sunny again…but quiet now. The shrine around them was completely empty of its tourists and visitors. InuYasha had done his job, safely clearing away the people.

Miroku drew a deep breath, blinking against the sunlight as he realized he was laying on the ground on his back. He was looking up at the blue sky; he could see it now, without all the debris and dust flying around, making everything around him black and gray.

Above him, something blotted out the sun, and he took a moment to refocus. It was Kagome - she was leaning over him, her long black hair falling around him, enveloping him in cool darkness

He recalled what she'd done. How could he not? It was the only reason he still existed here.

“Why?” Only the simplest words would work for him right now.

“Because…because I love you, you baka!”

Miroku smiled at her, his heart giving a wicked thump inside his chest.

Kagome turned red and looked away shyly.

Miroku sat up slowly, looking around the shrine grounds before gazing down in wonderment at the gloved hand in his lap. The glove was no longer ragged, the beads tightly strung…the seal once again complete. He lifted his left hand to finger the largest bead in the rosary. It had cracked with the force of the wind tunnel opening, leaving a small fissure in the bead…in which Kagome had placed her last purified shard of the jewel. The shard had somehow fused itself to the holy bead, and instead of plain jade, the bead was now a slightly smaller version of the complete Shikon jewel.

Miroku shook his head as the potential repercussions and other possibilities began to fill his mind. Suddenly, every instinct he had was screaming Beware!

“How did this happen? How did you know to do this, Kagome? Do you even realize what you've done?” He turned his head and looked at her.

Kagome gasped.

His dark violet eyes now bore shining pinpoints of brilliant, highlighted pink - twin reflections of the power of the false Shikon no Tama sealing the fully unleashed kazanna lying in wait to destroy him.

 

To be continued in Chapter IIII: Tourniquet

 

Disclaimer: I do NOT own InuYasha or any related characters!

 

A/N: Thanks to Miroku-san Monk(ff.net) and ZabuzaXHaku(ff.net) for taking a moment to review. Thanks to everyone who also reviewed BEFORE the re-post, LOL. Next chapter might be the last, or it might not. I know how it's going to end, but I'm not sure when. There WILL be lemon-y-ness next chapter, though, so be forewarned if you are allergic - or UNDERAGE! NO PEEKING, HEAR? I don't wanna be responsible for `corrupting' young minds, y'know? Anyway, a clean chappy will be posted at ff.net. Thanks for reading!!! -D.V.