InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Small Moments ❯ A History Lesson ( Chapter 5 )

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It had started with a conversation beside the graves, Kagome said. The slayer girl, Sango, had agreed to travel with their group in the hopes of avenging the fallen slayers, and she had also offered to tell them the story of the Shikon jewel's creation. So their next step was an arduous trek up the side of a mountain, in search of a cave they had already visited once. But this time, Miroku supposed, it would be different; this time they had Sango, and she would be able to answer their questions.

Their progress was slowed by the fact that Sango was unable to make the trip on her own and had to be carried. He had offered to do the job himself, but had been quickly rebuffed by his companions, and so the task was left to Inuyasha.The confused look on her face in response to their overzealous reaction was enough to brighten his day in spite of the fact that his friends clearly still did not trust him one bit around women.

He sobered quickly as they reached the cave, air whistling ominously from the hole in the mountain. The group paused only for a moment, just outside the entrance, before proceeding.It was chilly inside, damp and eerie and disconcerting.

"Have any of you been inside this cave before?" Sango asked. "And seen it?"

"That great big mummy? Yeah," Inuyasha answered.

"Yes, that." Inuyasha helped her down then, so she might sit and lean against the wall rather than cling to him. Once she was settled, she went on to explain how innumerable demons had gathered their power together, merging into one enormous being in an attempt to defeat a single human being. The dozen or so types of demon she listed explained the bizarre shape of the creature they had seen entombed here. And it might also explain something Miroku had seen and wondered about earlier.

It was at that very moment that they came upon the mummy. Good timing, Miroku thought as he wandered over to take a better look, though he was not sure she had timed her speech for dramatic effect so much as waited to start her story until they were inside the cave. His gaze fell on the human shape protruding from the side of the remains. "So this is a human, then," he mused. "To judge by the armor, an ancient general of some sort."

"Wrong." Her tone was almost... bored. "Many centuries ago, this was a woman. A priestess."

It made sense, when he stopped to think about it. When it came to fighting demons, one holy person was worth a hundred, or even a thousand, warriors.

Sango told them the story of a time of great war and strife, in which many humans died and, consequently, demons were much stronger than they were now. A priestess named Midoriko had surpassed all others in taking care of the threat; the legend said she was able to purify ten demons at once. Sango explained how this was done, seemingly oblivious to the growing confusion Miroku could see in his other companions. "She had a special ability that allowed her to drive out souls and purify them."

"Drive out souls and purify them?" Kagome echoed.

"Yes, any of the four souls."

And, with that, it looked like she had lost Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippou. Miroku stepped in smoothly. "In Shinto thinking, it is said that 'shikon' is made up of ara-mitama, nigi-mitama, kushi-mitama, and saki-mitama. These four principles - courage, family, wisdom, and love - come together to form one spirit," he explained, though the others looked as confused as ever. "Human nature is correctly maintained between these four parts."

For a moment there was silence; only Sango looked as if she had understood a word he had said. In fact, she looked to be halfway between pleased and bored by his explanation. He had guessed that this might be the case, and had not considered discussing philosophy with his companions before. Between Kagome's strange ideas of how things ought to be and Inuyasha's general ignorance, there had seemed no point to the endeavor. But perhaps Sango would be a more interesting addition to the group than he had previously thought.

"... And then?" Inuyasha prompted crossly.

Miroku shrugged. There really was not much more to it, even if Inuyasha was too stupid to see that. "If you do evil, then the shikon will follow."

"He means that souls can become good or evil, depending on a person's thoughts and actions," Sango clarified.

"Right," Miroku agreed with a heavy sigh.

They let that topic go, and Sango returned to her story. Miroku only half listened, instead shifting his attention between the mummy and Sango. The demon slayer looked weary. This trip had taken more out of her than she was willing to admit, but he could see she was not going to back down and leave the job unfinished. His heart skipped a beat - something she said struck a chord, even though he had only half heard: "To defeat Midoriko, many demons merged into one, using a human body with an evil heart as an anchor to bind them."

It sent a shudder down his spine; it was as if she had just repeated the story of Naraku's creation... only this tale had occurred centuries earlier. "Inuyasha," he interjected, fearing the hanyou might have failed to pick up on the parallel, "This is just like Naraku... when the thief Onigumo sold his soul to the demons and became Naraku."

"Naraku was -" There was something like anger in Sango's voice.

"Just finish the story already," Inuyasha interrupted. "When she fought the demons, did Midoriko win or lose?"

Reluctantly, frustration evident on her face, Sango continued. "The battle went on for seven days and seven nights, and in the end her power was exhausted."

"What happened then?" Kagome prodded, no doubt seeing a bit of herself - or Kikyou - in the ancient warrior priestess.

Sango shrugged. "The demon ate her. It tried to absorb her soul... but she used the last of her power to push its soul out of its body, and hers with it. They both died, right here, but their souls clumped together and did not die. All that remained was a jewel, the Shikon no Tama. And inside it, Midoriko's soul continues to do battle with the demon she could not defeat in life."

"This is why the jewel can be tainted or purified, depending on who has control of it..." Miroku mused.

"Yes," Sango said, nodding. "If a demon or evil person holds it, then the taint grows and the demon becomes stronger. If someone with a pure heart holds it, then it is purified and Midoriko grows stronger. That's what our legends say, anyway." She paused for a moment to let that sink in. It made sense with what they already knew of the jewel. "The jewel changed hands many times over the centuries," she continued, "but all I know is that my grandfather found it and brought it back to our village again. He got it from a demon, but he died soon after from the wounds it had inflicted. It was very tainted, so my father gave it to a priestess to purify it and watch over it, and ensure it did not fall into the wrong hands again."

That priestess, Miroku knew, had been Kikyou. She had died with the jewel and it had disappeared, only to return somehow to start trouble all over again. It was much the same as how Kikyou herself had returned and caused all sorts of problems.

The whole thing was a mess, convoluted and sometimes mind-bending. Even if they managed to kill Naraku, they would have to find a way to destroy the jewel for good or it would simply keep coming back, that much was obvious. Even Sango did not seem to have the answer they needed.

Inuyasha broke the silence, leaping headlong and wholeheartedly into this newest challenge just as he did with every other obstacle he faced. "If the jewel keeps turning everything to evil, I'm gonna put a stop to it, with my own hands."

A worthy sentiment... I almost believe you. He knew as well as Inuyasha that they needed to take care of the jewel, or else another Naraku would simply crop up somewhere. It was almost amusing, the way a group of people with such different backgrounds and motivations had been drawn together for a common cause; he might almost call it fate. Inuyasha thought of Kikyou, and of avenging her and his own ruined past; Kagome felt the responsibility for the jewel's return keenly; Sango sought revenge for her village. And as for Miroku, he had his reasons too, and his right hand twitched slightly, as if he needed a reminder.

Sango sighed, then. She looked as if she might pass out at any moment.

"I think it would be best if we returned to the village," Miroku suggested. Kagome followed his line of sight to Sango and agreed immediately. Even Inuyasha made no protest; he must have figured out that they would learn no more here, so there was no point in lingering.

"Yeah, let's go," the hanyou said quietly. Kagome nodded her agreement.

They approached Sango together, but Miroku noticed that they made sure to carefully place themselves between him and her, as if to block any potential mischief. Miroku smiled faintly. The lengths they would go to in order to "protect" Sango from him, even when he had given them no cause to think him a threat...

"Kagome, help her onto my back, would ya?" Inuyasha asked, and almost didn't sound grumpy about it.

"It would be my pleasure to assist," he offered.

"No!" Inuyasha and Kagome said at almost the same time.

Miroku sighed.