A/N: As promised! The first few chapters might be a little slow, admittedly, but there will hopefully be some Naraku-baby humor laced throughout. Then, once Mitsuko is older-the story will pick up, I promise! There will be a few characters getting some play in this as well, such as Miroku's grandfather and a younger Kaede. And, of course, Naraku will be the main canon character in focus for awhile-for the first arc. :)
Please, do enjoy!
Word Count: 605
Sealed
That incessant noise has got to stop! Dark eyes turned to glare at the small baby, whose crying had been seemingly endless since her birth. He'd fed and changed her, even giving her a comfortable place to sleep—and yet, the crying just wouldn't stop!
His glare continued at the attention-starved baby who couldn't even comprehend what it meant. "Mitsuko," he tried, though she didn't comprehend; the crying only increased. What did that fool Onigumo do with his sister? He wracked his brain and could come up with only one thing.
With a sigh, he walked the length of the room, scooping her out of the crib and beginning to rock her.
The crying instantly stopped.
Naraku couldn't help but marvel at this new development—and then scowl. Hanyou aged faster than youkai, but slower than humans—and he knew he could not deal with having a small child around for that much of his life. He hadn't found a purpose yet, but he was certain his purpose was not to babysit his child.
She was going to grow up to help him in his endeavors. But how long could he afford to wait?
Suddenly, he smirked; he wouldn't have to wait that long. He moved to set down the now-quiet child, but at her whimper he sighed, waiting for her to fall asleep before placing her back in the crib. Fatherhood was not for him, but if he was lucky, he wouldn't have to deal with it for that long.
Strolling over to pile of scrolls Sekeida had insisted on bringing, he shuffled through them until he found one on sealing demonic abilities.
"If I seal her abilities…she should age as a human," he concluded finally. "Though, she will certainly be more fragile—I may have to care for her more than desirable," he murmured, unaware that he was speaking aloud to himself. But, the great service she'd be doing for him once she was able would more than make up for the years he would spend caring for her. And he could easily remove the seal, and she'd get her powers back—and then, he would send her to do his dirty work.
"Yes…it's all coming together nicely." He smirked, letting the scroll fall on the ground as he walked over to the crib again. His look was nothing but malicious as he lifted the sleeping baby up, studying her for the first time since Sekeida had died. She had one black stripe on each cheek and royal blue eyes that couldn't be seen in her sleeping state. She resembled her mother in the worst way.
Most father's hearts would melt into a pile of putty at the sight of their only daughter—but Naraku's gaze was full of calculations and detached awareness that this was his flesh and blood. And should do as I please.
Hours later, after the sealing spell was over, Naraku observed her again. Her marks had disappeared, as well as her tiny fangs and claws. Her scent had changed, too; she was, for all practical purposes, a human. I will only have to deal with raising a child until she reaches maturity. The spell will be removed at eighteen, he decided, and with that he placed Mitsuko back in her makeshift crib.
She was too young to understand what just happened. But, when Mitsuko awoke, the crying commenced; all she could comprehend was that she felt different, and it was in a bad way. Unformed thoughts left definite impressions in her mind. And why am I all alone? Why does it feel bad when the nice man speaks?