The Sacred Wishing Jewel Ch. 14

[mrs-koki.livejournal.com]

Title: The Sacred Wishing Jewel
Author: Mrs_Koki ( me)
Pairing: KoKi Tanaka/ Inu-Kame
Disclaimer: Owning people is illegal...common though, historically
Genre: AU, fantasy, demons, fantasy violence, human and half demon sex
Rating: PG ( NC-17 for later chapters as Koki and Inu-Kame get closer)
Length: Multi-chapter.
Summary: Koki is a 22 year old human guy, living a normal but unsatisfied and restless life, gets pulled into Japan's feudal past by an otherworldly creature, where he crosses paths with a dog like half-demon named Inu-Kame. There he discovers his past and future and that not all legends are the work of the imagination. Can ancient history give Koki the answers he's looking for and settle his restless heart? Will price be too high to pay for such answers and will he be able to bare the cost? 
A/N: Later chapters Koki and only Koki, will start calling "Inu-Kame" just Kame, everyone else will still refer to him as 'Inu-Kame'






The party heads out to find some village to hawk their stuff to. They need money and food and can’t keep expecting Koki to provide for them all. They camp for the night just outside of a village after getting rid of their loot. The next day they hear of a demon rat infestation and Sango offers her services as a demon exterminator. The villagers agree and with Koki’s help...she gets to work. Its not long before a small crowd of villagers gather around them and the inn they are clearing out. Sango’s on one side of the inn, dressed in full gear and Koki’s on the back side of the place wearing a mask over his face and fanning the smoke into the hole underneath the inn’s foundation to flush out the demon rats.

“ Chase it out this way.” Sango says speaking to Koki.

“ Honored Monk, are you sure this will destroy the demon?” The inn keeper asks Miroku.

“ Be at peace, simple fellow, that maiden as done this many a time.” Miroku responds.

“ Just like bug bombing back home...Sango, are we done yet..?” Koki calls from where he was..at the back of the inn.

The compounds used to flush out the demon rats is making InuKame sick, he’s on the ground holding his nose and trying not to throw up. The villagers see InuKame and wonder.

“ A demon!”

“ Is it the one they’re exorcising?!”

They ask, Miroku just looks down at his half demon friend.

“ I told you he had a sensitive nose....” Shippo says guessing Miroku’s thoughts.

‘My my, what have we here...?’ the monk thinks seeing a beautiful woman walk by, catching his attention.

Sango hears the demon coming her direction and whacks it with her boomerang as soon as its clear of the inn.

“ So it was a demon rat, eh?” the inn keeper asks.

“ I have exterminated its nest as well, but should another ever appear, place these bait balls under the floor boards, and..” Sango explains.

“ Are you still feeling sick, InuKame?” Koki asks the half demon, then notices Miroku’s missing.

“ Huh? What happened to Miroku? He was here a little a bit ago.” Koki asks Shippo.

“ He was chasing after some strange woman.” Shippo answers.

“ Oh no!” Koki groans.

“ A woman? While the rest of us were risking ourselves?!” Sango asks.

“ She looked really healthy. He probably went to ask her to bear his child for him.” Shippo explains.

Both Sango and Koki give Shippo a dry look. Miroku’s off letting his hormones get him into trouble.

“ Of course...I could see that you were a lady of a prominent clan...” Miroku says.

“ Prominent until we were decimated during the wars I’m the last surviving member...I would like to bear the child of a noble man, in order to reestablish my family line.” the strange woman says.

“ And so you came to me, you have good taste.”

“ Will you...grant my wish?” she asks hugging Miroku as two large legs suddenly appear.

“ I thought it sounded too good to be true.” Miroku sighs, before hitting her on the forehead with his staff. He jumps back as the demon shows its true form.

“Y..you...” it says as its human shell comes off.

“ A giant mantis...” Miroku sees the human skin fall to the ground, “ wearing a woman’s skin, were you? Did you kill her?”

“ I devoured her insides. As I will devour you now.”

“ Hmph. You should choose your meals more carefully.” he starts unwrapping his hand as the mantis demon gets closer.

“ You are mine!” it shouts.


“ You have it backwards!” Miroku counters the shouts, “ Rise Wind!!”


The wind coming from his hand grabs, shreds and pulls demon into the vortex. As one of its claws and mandibles goes through...it cuts his hand making the whole bigger. It all disappears and Miroku wraps his hand back up, cursing the demon.

“ Blast it..it cut the hole..” he says as one of Naraku’s wasps was eaves dropping and then flies back to the castle. Miroku heads back to the inn where he has dinner with InuKame and the others. Koki and Sango just glare at him.

“ Is it my imagination or do their gazes seem colder than the wind tonight..?” the monk asks InuKame.

“ Strange how annoyed humans get...when you leave them in a lurch to go chasing a pretty Kimono, hm?” InuKame says sarcastically.

“ Its all a misunderstanding. You two may not trust me, but...” Miroku starts but his sentence gets cut off.

“ We don’t.” Sango says.

“ Lech” Koki finishes.

After dinner Koki, Shippo, Kirara and Sango go to sleep on the mats in their room, InuKame sleeps against the wall, sitting up. Only Miroku was awake, unable to sleep due to his hand.

“ What a dilemma. It still hurts..” he whispers out loud so as not to wake the others. ‘ That mantis widened the mystic tunnel...’ He’s gone before the sun comes up.

InuKame wakes up first and is the first one to notice the monk is missing. Then others wake up and see the same thing.

“ Miroku’s gone?” Sango asks while Koki went to brush his teeth and talks InuKame into doing the same thing. Sango goes to ask the inn keeper.

“ If you mean the noble monk, he departed before dawn...”

“ Huh?”

“ He asked me to pass on the message that he will be traveling alone for a time”

Soon Koki, Shippo, InuKame, Sango and Kirara set out from the village and continue their journey.

“ What do you think, Kame?” Koki asks, but its Shippo that answers.

“ Well, what did you expect, the way you treated him?”

“ Us..?!”

“ Feh. His feelings aren’t that delicate. But more importantly...who’s been spying on us all this time?!” InuKame shouts, slicing a nearby tree with his sword.

They see Naraku flee from where he was watching and listening. They give chase while Naraku’s wasp returns to the castle.

“ Saimyosho...you’re returned.” Naraku says as it lands on his shoulder and tells him what it found out.

“ Ho..Just as I hoped.” Naraku says happily only to think, ‘ I’ve separated Miroku from the rest of the pack...Now all that’s left is to kill him.’


On Miroku’s way back to the temple he was raised in, he thinks back to his father’s death and how his care was entrusted to the temple master at the time. He’s walking with his raccoon friend all the while thinking, ‘ My father was swallowed by the mystic wind that breached this world’s barriers through his own hand...its said that my grandfather vanished the same way. And I too will die like them, I suppose.

“ You grew up in this temple, did you, master Miroku?” the raccoon asks.

“ Yes.” Miroku says as they walk up the stairs and across the grass.

“ Oh. What’s this crater?”

“ Oh that...its my father’s grave.” Miroku doesn’t even glance at it as he heads inside the temple, “ Master Mushin, are you in? It is I, Miroku. Master Mushin...” they see the man they’re seeking lying on the floor, passed out in a drunken stupor as always.


“ *sigh* You’ve drunk yourself into a stupor, again.” Miroku sighs before kicking the sake jug out from under the old monk’s head shouting, “ Wake up, you depraved old monk!”


The old monk wakes right up after a greeting that violent. He sits up rubbing his the sleep from his eyes, and tries to get his drunken hazy brain to focus on his visitor. Miroku sits on the floor next to him.

“ Nnnn---? Oh its you, Miroku. Still alive eh?”

“ Foster father, you won’t live long yourself if you keep drinking like this.”

“ You came all this way to give me a sermon?”

“ No...The opening was cut by a demon. Can you heal it?”

“ Heal--? Let me see it.” The old monk says looking over the tear in Miroku’s hand.

“ Well...can you?” The raccoon demon asks.

“ I’ll fix it...But for a while afterwards, until the wound completely seals, you must not open the tunnel. Do you understand?”

“ If I do?”

“ The tunnel will start expanding from the mouth of the wound and your death will be hastened seriously. If that happens...even I won’t be able to help you any more. Now then, since that’s decided, I’ve got to prepare herbs...you go purify your defiled self.” Mushin warns.

“ You call ‘me’ tainted...” Miroku goes out to the waterfall behind the temple and sits under the freezing water.

“ Mushin? That means ‘innocence’ doesn’t it?” The raccoon asks Miroku.

“ Mm. And he taught me every sin I know.” Miroku answers.

Meanwhile...InuKame and the others are still chasing Naraku, not realizing they’re chasing a false Naraku instead. Sango comes up on InuKame’s right and throws her boomerang...it makes contact with Naraku and he stops. InuKame pulls his blade and shouts “ Murderer!” as swings, cutting Naraku in two...only to get an annoying surprise.

“ That’s...Naraku’s Golem!” Koki growls in frustration as him and Shippo catch up. Koki stares at it and thinks ‘ What could this mean? It just ran from us....is it trying to lead us some...WAIT! That’s it...what if it’s trying to lead us AWAY from somewhere instead?’

“ Hey Kame! Why do you think Miroku left?” Koki asks

“ What do you mean, ‘why’...”

“ Lord InuKame?” It was Myoga, InuKame’s retainer.

“ Myoga! you were here?” InuKame asks.

“ I was.” He then goes on tell them that he saw Miroku in deep thought and then leave.

“ Miroku was in deep thought?”

“ Yes, while gazing at the opening on his hand. He seemed to be in quite a serious mood.” Myoga says.

“ Kame....I don’t like this. Miroku leaves without saying anything...Naraku’s golem shows up forcing us to chase it...something’s wrong.” Koki says.

“ We’ve got to look for him. I’ll bet something happened to him.” Sango says speaking for the first time.

“ Yeah but where the hell are we going to look?” Shippo asks.

“ How should I know?! Let’s go back to our starting point!”

‘ I have a very bad feeling about this.’ Koki thinks as they go back to where they started.

Back at the temple Miroku is getting treated for his hand.

“ Pain killer?”

“ Yup. I’m going to have to sew up the wound. Drink that and you’ll sleep right through it.”

“ Hey...your hand is trembling.”

“ Blast. The sake’s wearing off.” Mushin says looking at his hand, “ Don’t worry, I’ll drink a jub and the tremors will stop.” he goes to get more from his back room.

As Mushin pulls the lid off of one container, he hears a strange noise behind him. He turns and sees a strange creature holding a small bottle, the thing points the bottle at Mushin and something jumps in his mouth.

“ How are you feeling?” the old monk comes in and asks Miroku, who’s now laying down.

“ Oh...somewhat foggy...”

“ Sleep. It’ll be over soon.”

“ Your hands...seem much calmer.” Soon Miroku falls to sleep.

“ Gullible fool. He truly does trust this ‘innocent’ the old monk says as the thing slithers out from his mouth and hisses. “ Now...you misery ends.”

The old man holds a large blade over Miroku’s head, ready to deliver the final blow that sever Miroku’s life from this world.

“ Heh heh heh..to think that I’d be able to take Miroku’s head so easily..” he laughs.


“.....” The unconscious Miroku senses something’s a miss. He wakes up and moves just as the blade comes down...clipping his shoulder.

“ Ho..still awake eh?”

“ You...who are you?”

“ What are you talking about? I’m your foster father, Mushin.”

‘ He’s being manipulated by...something!’ Miroku was half sitting, half lying by the far wall pane.

“ Heh heh heh..You shouldn’t be able to move any more. Your body should be paralyzed by the herbs now. Rest in peace!” The blade comes down again.

Miroku moves and the fake wall he was against fell backwards and him with it. His staff was just inches from his fingertips in his raccoon friend’s hand. He just happen to be passing by when the wall fell on him.

“ Wh-what’s happening, Master?!” the raccoon demon asks confused.

“ My...my staff..”

With his staff in his hand, Miroku swings it and not only does he block the next attack from the controlled Mushin.  Suddenly there was a large puff of smoke and Miroku and his raccoon friend were gone, they disappeared.

“...I won’t let you escape” He goes looking for Miroku.

“ You should get yourself away from here.” Miroku says from his spot on Raccoon friend’s back.

“ I-I can’t do that!” he answers.

“ Look closely...demons have started gathering..”

“ What?!”

“ If you stay with me...you’ll be killed...” Miroku says weakly.

“ Get out of here...I can hide myself...'til the herbs wear off and I can move again..”  Miroku hides in his father’s grave and shields himself for as long as he can.

‘ So he says, but...there’s no way Master Miroku will make it through alone! I have to call HIM...InuKame!’ the raccoon thinks then hears a buzzing noise behind him, he looks back and sees large swarm of angry wasps flying right at him. They start stinging him as he’s flying to find InuKame and his friends.

‘ Blast you, you idiot monk...why couldn’t you leave a single clue..!?’ InuKame thinks as they continue their search for the elusive monk.

“ You really don’t have any idea, Master Koki?” Sango asks.

“ We’ve been traveling with him for a while but....we really didn’t know anything about Miroku. And I was too busy fending off his attempts to get friendly in the beginning to even ask him about himself.” Koki answers.

“ Aren’t we...ever going to see him again?” Shippo asks sadly.

“ We learned one thing about him....he never intended to give us his full trust!” InuKame says.

“ Though if this is one of Naraku’s traps, we just can’t let it go.” Koki says.

“ So...where in the hell do you want me to search, eh?!” InuKame snaps.

“ Over there...”

“ Huh?”

InuKame sees and then hears someone yelling, they look up and see Mr. Raccoon being stung and yelling for help.

“ That’s Miroku’s friend...”

“ Mr. Raccoon!”

Mr. Raccoon changes back into his non flying form and lands on the ground.

“ Those are Naraku’s venom wasps!”

“ Saimyosho!”

InuKame pulls his sword and takes out the Saimyosho that were following Miroku’s raccoon friend. When they’re gone, Mr. Raccoon takes InuKame and company back to the temple Miroku was raised in as an orphan when the mystic tunnel finally took his father’s life.

“ I knew that lech was in trouble!” Koki says, glad that InuKame can at least get himself out of most situations on his own.

“ Especially since Master can’t use his Mystic Tunnel right now.”

“ You mean that hellhole on his hand--?!”

“ Was cut. The Master’s Master said--before he turned strange-- that if the Master should uncover the Hellhole right now, it would widen from the lips of the wound...and his already short lifespan will be cut even shorter.” The Raccoon explains.

“ InuKame, there are more Saimyosho about...though they don’t seem poised to attack us.” Sango says from behind InuKame.

“ They’re on reconnaissance...we’re being spied on.” InuKame explains as the get closer to the temple.

“ We don’t have much time then.” Koki says.

Back at the temple the demons were still looking for Miroku and were unable to find his location.

“ Where is that monk?!”

“ I will tear him limb from limb..!”

“ I do not see him..”

“ Perhaps he has raised a shield?”

“ Find him...he must be nearby!”

They find Miroku, shield and all, sitting in the crater that is his father’s grave...waiting for the herbs to wear off.

‘ Alas...the herbs circulate. How long will I be able to hold this shield...’

“ I must have the monk’s head. I must avenge my elder sister’s death..”

“ I want his liver!”

‘ The family of the mantis that lacerated my hand..? It comes clear now, it was a trap from the very beginning! So then, this..is where I die.’ the monk thinks.

‘ There’s no way that hard headed monk...would die so easily!!’ InuKame thinks.

“ That’s it, over there! Its that temple!” Koki shouts.

They descend into a massive horde of demons. Koki shoots an arrow off to InuKame’s right....taking care of the ones that were trying to trap them where they were, while the half demon stands ready to cut through the center. The raccoon freaks out.

“ Just cut through them, Raccoon! We don’t have the time to waste!” InuKame orders standing in front of Koki and Shippo now.

The Raccoon doing as ordered while InuKame slices through the onslaught of demons. Sango and Kirara come up on InuKame’s left, she has her boomerang at the ready.

“ Sango!” InuKame shouts.

“ InuKame! Leave these rabble to us! These guys...they’re only bodies!” She shouts cutting through the demons that came at her, then says to Koki “ Koki! Get on!”

Koki and Shippo get on Kirara and help Sango.

“ Alright, I’ll leave them to you two!” InuKame agrees, seeing just how good Koki’s gotten with his bow and arrow. They lock eyes once and the message is clear ‘ Be careful’ before InuKame goes to Miroku.

“ I see him! The shield is broken!”

“ Heh heh heh...we can see you, Noble Monk!”

“ Kill him!!”


Miroku thinks this is the end, when he sees demon parts falling around him. He looks up and sees InuKame standing in the middle of the demon chunks, sword sitting on his shoulder. He’s surprised.

“ Hey Miroku..this is a hell of a time to take a nap!” InuKame says, somewhere between annoyed and relieved.

‘ InuKame...here?!’ Miroku thinks still surprised to see him, when he didn’t tell them he was leaving. InuKame and Miroku just continue to look at one another.

‘ So...looks like we were in time.’ InuKame thinks.

‘ He never ceases to amaze me.’

“ Miroku!” Koki and Shippo shout at the same time running over and sorta shoving InuKame outta the way.

“ Master Koki...Shippo...” Miroku whispers.


“ Why did you disappear on us without saying anything?!” Shippo asks jumping on Miroku and clinging to him.

“ What the hell man?! We were worried about you!” Koki says annoyed.

“ You were alright then, sir monk?!” Sango asks appearing with Kirara who had a bit of demon in her jaws

“ Aren’t you going to say anything, InuKame?” Koki asks.

“ Why? The idiots already said everything I was going to say!” InuKame retorts. Then he hears someone coming up behind them, he turns to see Miroku’s foster father.

‘ This must be the thing calling itself -Mushin-’ the half demon guesses as the old man stops, he is carrying a rather large set of enchanted beads on his shoulder.

“ Who are you, causing all this trouble at my temple..? I’ll exorcise you...!” The thing says.

“ Interesting! If you can...give it a shot!” InuKame responds as Miroku, with the raccoons help gets with in ear shot of InuKame.

“ I-InuKame...please I beg of you...don’t kill him!” the monk says, he knows there’s something controlling his foster father and that none of this is actually his fault.

“ That’s right..don’t kill me. For I’m Miroku’s Foster Father, you know...heh heh...”

“ Feh, it can’t be helped. I’m gonna let you off easy, you senile old monk!” InuKame shouts and charges the old monk.

“ I am most grateful! Allow me to repay you!”

The old monk sends his large enchanted beads to meet InuKame’s swing, causing the blade to land between two beads and change back to its original form. Allowing the old monk to wrap the beads around the half demon’s body, causing him to crash to the ground.

“ InuKame!” Koki shouts, no fear in his voice...only his eyes show it.

The demons that were still around go for InuKame thinking he’s unable to attack back...who knew demons were so dumb.

“ Claws of Steel!” InuKame shouts and rips them to shreds.

“ You’re a spritely one...to be able to fight so hard while bound by my magic beads, it won’t last long though...” the monk says and the beads tighten around InuKame, something comes out of the monk’s mouth at the same time.

“ What is that coming from the monk’s mouth?” Koki asks.

“ That..is an urn grub!” a small voice says from Koki’s shoulder.

“ Myoga!” Koki looks at the flea.

“ The monk’s soul is being manipulated by it!” the flea says.

“ C-can he be saved?” Miroku asks from where they were crouched in the crater.

“ There must be an urn keeper nearby, one who rears the grubs. If you can take the urn from him and point it toward Father Mushin...the grub should release his body and return to the urn.” Myoga explains.

“ On it! I’m going to find that urn keeper...let’s go Myoga!” Koki says climbing out of the crater.

“ What?! Why me?!” the flea asks.

Ignoring the old flea’s protests, Koki runs off to find said urn keeper.  He looks back to see InuKame fending off more demons with his claws. ‘ Hang in there InuKame!’ he thinks. He runs into Sango and Kirara on his way.

“ I’ve cleared the skies! What’s InuKame dragging his feet for?” She asks Koki.

“ H-he’s a bit tied up at the moment” Koki says.

“ Lady Sango, it is so good that you came!” Myoga says jumping on Sango’s shoulder plate.

“ Old man Myoga...” Sango questions.

“ So she can protect you, you mean?” Koki asks dryly.

The urn Keeper is in the back room, muttering something to in the urn he’s carrying. That’s where Sango and Koki find him, she uses a smoke and Koki uses an arrow to get the little trouble maker’s attention. It worked.

“ There he is! It’ll be more trouble if he’s running around inside the temple, I’m going to flush him out!” Sango says and Koki agrees.

While Sango and Koki are trying to flush out the Urn Keeper, InuKame’s having a hell of a time of with Mushin. Mushin had InuKame down on one knee, out of breath and demon blood dripping from his claws, the Rosary beads still wrapped around his body soaking up his demon powers.

“ Heh heh heh...you seem to be weakening a bit now..” Mushin says.

‘ This...this Rosary..its sucking away my demonic powers..’

“ At this rate, InuKame’s strength won’t last!” Shippo shouts from where he was hiding...with Miroku and Mr. Raccoon in the hole in the ground.

“ Perhaps I could twist your head off now...” Mushin says to InuKame.

“ Don’t count your heads...’til they’re twisted!” The half demon shouts and lunges at the old monk, grabbing his throat.

“ I’ve been holding back until now because Miroku asked me to...but..” InuKame growls.

“ Then go ahead and kill me. Just remember..that if you kill Mushin...There’ll be no one who can heal the injury to Miroku’s hand!”

InuKame’s hand slides from the old man’s neck, Mushin takes his chance and bring’s InuKame to his knees. The old monk grips the beads so InuKame can’t move.

“ InuKame!” Shippo shouts.

“ It is over! All of you will die soon now..None of you...” Mushin says.

InuKame looks behind the old monk and sees a hundred more demons coming at them, ready to devour their souls.

“ More demons!” Koki shouts, gaining Sango’s attention.

“ Damn...a new crew!” She curses.

“ Tsk, and you have no strength left to battle such an army.” Mushin sneers, still holding InuKame captive with his beads.

Wanting to do something to help his friends, even if the price be high, Miroku opens up the Mystic Tunnel. Everyone shouts and pleads for Miroku not to do it, but he doesn’t listen.

“ Idiot!” Koki shouts and jumps the temple’s fence and runs for Miroku.

“ Don’t do it Miroku!” InuKame shouts as Koki speeds by.

It seems as if time has slowed down as Koki races to Miroku and watching as the demons get sucked into his hand. Koki finally reaches the monk and grabs his arms and the enchanted beads wrapped around the monk’s wrist and closes the wind tunnel. InuKame sees the demons heading straight towards Miroku and Koki, unfortunately Koki threw his bow down in his haste to stop Miroku.

“ Move it, monk!” InuKame shouts, punching the old monk in the face and leaping towards the crater. The old monk is knocked down by his own rosary beads as the half demon gets away.

“ INUKAME!” Koki shouts before turning to Miroku and shouting, “ You idiot!”

“ K-Koki!” Miroku says tiredly.

“ You stupid idiot!! Unconver that hellhole one more time before its healed and I’ll break that arm!” Koki shouts pissed as hell.

“ The wind has died! There is nothing left to fear!” the demons say to each other.

“ I wouldn’t count it!” InuKame shouts as he lands in front of Koki and Miroku, “ You want them...I’ll give them to you...IF you can get by me!” he pulls a Tetsusaiga from its sheath, the sword glows and with one swing...InuKame takes out a hundred demons in one shot! The pieces rain down around them.

“ What?! With one swing..?” Sango says shocked as hell, InuKame himself was surprised as well as just stares at his sword.

“ All those demons were...” Shippo starts.

“ Splat!” Mr. Raccoon finishes.

“ He...he tapped into the sword’s full power for the first time since we’ve been traveling together..” Koki says in shock, ‘ In turn he defeated a hundred demons in one swing’.

“ Wow!” Sango exclaims, then sees the Urn Keeper trying to get away in all the chaos. She throws her boomerang and kills the Urn Keeper

With demons gone Koki and Sango deal with the grub that started this whole mess to begin with. Koki grabs the urn and sees the grub sticking out of the old Monk’s mouth, he points the urn at Muchin and with a loud hiss...the grub is sucked back into the urn

“ Its back in the urn but he’s still not awake.” Koki says.

“ But we took out the urn grub! I wonder if it...” Sango says as InuKame walks over to Mushin and kicks him.

“ Wake up!” he says and Mushin jolts awake.

“ He’s fine now.” Koki dead pans.

With the real Mushin back, he gets to work on healing the tear on Miroku’s hand. Though its worse than what it was all thanks to the idiot Monk for using when he shouldn’t have. Sango, Shippo, Kirara, Koki and InuKame are waiting outside for Mushin to finish up.

“ He’s sure taking his time.” Sango comments.

“ He said he was going to sew the wound. That could take some time since the moron decided to be helpful at the wrong time.” Koki snorts.

“ Yeah...he’s lucky I don’t kill him for almost getting you killed.” InuKame says loud enough for only Koki to hear. Koki smiles at the half demon for being possessive as always.

They hear the door open and old man Mushin comes out, carrying a jug of sake. InuKame and Koki go over to him.

“ Lord Monk, is Miroku going to be alright?” Koki asks.

“ He’s asleep now.” Mushin tells him and then turns to InuKame, “ InuKame was it? Come with me, will you?” he asks as they move to other side of the temple, while the others go and see Miroku.

“ You’ve done it right? Healed the wound in his hand?” InuKame asks.

“ Defeat Naraku. As quickly as you can.” Mushin says seriously.

“ What are you talking about?”

“ I’ve patched it up as best I can, but...the tunnel had already widened...”

“ Meaning...the time he’s got left is--How much longer does he have left to live?” InuKame asks.

“ I don’t know. In any case...the mystic tunnel in Miroku’s hand was created by the demon Naraku’s cures, so if you defeat Naraku...the curse maybe broken and Miroku’s live may be saved.” Mushin tells InuKame.