Chapter 12

Successes and Finales

Miroku's POV

It gave me great pains to force her into inability to fight. The shards had beckoned to me from the shadows. I guessed that the shadow puppets had dropped them. I sent Kagome, Koga, Inuyasha, and Shippo off to hunt for the shards they wouldn't find.

I knew that she had the information on where the King of Heart was. I needed to ask her before giving these to her. Happiness and Jealousy. I lay her on the ground gently and strode up to the stone.

"Face me like a man, you son of a bitch!" I roared from the hill top. The hill shook, knocking me back, as a passage opened up. A staircase wound its way down into the earth. With out a passing thought I charged in.

"Welcome foolish monk." A voice, his voice, rang as my exit was blocked.

"Shut up and Face me!" I repeated, shaking in anticipation.

"Temper, temper," The voice chuckled. "I could fix that for you," a his sounded and a chill ran down my spine, following the movement of the shadow creatures.

"No thank you, I'm here for only one reason!" I swatted at the dark thing, it hissed as it backed away, melting into the blackness.

"To kill me?" the voice chuckled again, then took on a fake weepy tone, "That's not very nice. You don't even know me. Not even my name."

"You call yourself the King of Hearts," I stated, "I know you well enough."

"That is indeed one of my names, I have six or seven." a shape, blurred without light to define it came slowly. I could make out out enough to know that he was about my size, if not smaller, and stooped slightly with age. His hair was tied up, long and sweeping, but intimidating when in a warriors band, much like Sango's. A light appeared in his hand, illuminating the surrounding cave and its holder. My notions had been correct, though he was not as aged as expected, merely caring a small pack around his shoulders. He dropped the bundle, armor clanged together when it hit the floor. "But only someone who knows my true name are allowed to even attempt to kill me." He smirked, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling into his blood red hair.

I grasped the beads around my wind tunnel and slowly started toward him. "I don't need an attempt," I spat. The beads slid forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," He cackled, holding up a small pink gem to the light. "It's hers... of course its just as much yours." He placed his finger against his face in thought. "It belongs to her but is about you," he corrected himself, grinning wide. The true last shard.

"Give it to me," I hissed, resecurring my prayer beads.

"Tell me my real name, then I might consider it," He tossed the tiny shard into the air, catching it gently in his calloused hands.

"Uncle Shinon, knock it off!" Sango stood behind the man, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Aw! Not fair! You messed up my fun!" He pouted but wrapped Sango in a tight embrace.

"Uncle? He's really your uncle?" I stopped, stunned beyond movement or action.

Sango disentangled herself from the villain's arms. Her face flushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, my father's brother. The one that left the village to study magic instead of slaying. He's a little nutty." she turned to him and waved her finger in front of his face lie she was lecturing a child. "You promised you wouldn't do something this stupid!"

"I had to make sure he was man enough to protect my precious niece." He coward under her scrutiny.

"What happened to revenge?" I scratched my head in concentration.

"Yeah, I talked him out of it a few years back, I would have told you but you were all in a rush to get yourself killed that you knocked me out and ran away."

"Yeah, how'd you get in here anyway?" Shinon asked, straightening up.

"Back door, Michi let me in." She smiled and pat the small shadow boy on the head.

"OK then," I looked around, uncertain of how to proceed. "What now?"

"Oh, here," Shinon grinned and shoved the last shard into Sango's back. She dropped to her knees but didn't pass out. Her eyes glazed over for a minute or two, and I knelt by her side.

She blinked hard and turned to me. "You are so dead," she hissed tackling me to the ground. "You lecher!" she smacked me, hard, across the face. No doubt leaving yet another throbbing hand print.

"What did I do now?" I whined, but didn't try to move her. It was a rare and glorious day to have such a pretty girl straddling my stomach.

"You slept with her! How could you?" she wailed, tears running down her face. I felt sick with myself for making her cry like that.

"Actually..." Miyako pitched in, her black form melding to that of a pretty young waitress. "Nothing happened, it was just a trick. He passed out drunk before anything happened and I just took off his clothes." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry my lady. " she bowed and returned to her shadowy self.

"If its any consolation, He kept saying no cause he was in love with someone else." Michi put in.

"Really?" Sango stared at me. I reached up and wiped the salty tears from her cheeks.

"Dear god I hope so," I whispered. Sango gave a strangled laugh and let me up. WE stood for a moment in awkward silence.

"So, I deem you good enough. But be warned, if you screw up, you'll be sorry!" Shinon said, his hand on my shoulder. "Now's the part where you kiss the girl," He added in an overly loud whisper.

"I- uh- well- see – now that- hah aha," I stuttered.

"Idiot," Sango sniffed.

Then the most amazing and surprising thing happened. She reached over, grabbed to front of my robes and kissed the hell out of me.

"OK then," I smiled, breathless. She punched my shoulder lightly, her face radiating she was so red.

Then rice proceeded to fall on our heads as Shinon threw handfuls into the air, aided by his shadow minions.