Do everyone a favor and forward all spam mail (it won't hurt you to open it just don't click on anything within the message) spam at uce dot gov (you know the drill with the at and dot.) If a spammer gets enough emails forwarded they can get fined 500$ for EVERY email they sent out. God I hate spammers becuase they are usually the creators of virsus and they should have their fingers cut off and their eyes gouged out for being such a pimple on society's ass!

Alright enough of that and on to the fic. Much love. Keva

xx

He laid Takara down on her mat with a kiss to her brow then suddenly shot up when he heard a loud deadly growl from down the hall.

"What was that?" He questioned and quickly made his way out of Takara's room, down the hall, and into his own room. "What?"

Sesshoumaru growled deadly at him then let another growl escape his throat as he laid down on the bed. "The stone passed." He panted as he waited for the pain to recede.

Naraku pressed his lips together to keep from laughing or even smiling at his inu's misfortune. He wanted to say something comforting but didn't trust his tongue; yet he couldn't just stand there either. "I'll be in the study." He snorted when a chuckle lodged in his throat.

Sesshoumaru glowered at him and watched as the kumo quickly turned and left the room. "Bastard." He growled then closed his eyes to rest as he was still exhausted from the trip to the wolf tribe and back.

xx

Sesshoumaru walked into the study several hours later and found Naraku pouring over a stack of scrolls on the desk. He moved to stand behind him, wrapped his arms around his neck, and set his chin on the top of his head. "Have you found the curse?"

"Hai." Naraku growled and drummed his fingers upon the scroll in front of him irritably.

"What?"

"There is nothing we can do about it until the day of the birth." He bit out and slung his arm across the desk sending the scrolls flying to the floor.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head back and stared down at him. "Then we'll just have to remember when that times comes won't we."

Naraku narrowed his eyes upon him. "Yet you are still at risk between now and then. What if something happens to you and I'm not around?"

"I will be fine." He leaned down and placed a kiss upon his lips.

"Iie." He growled. "I am not leaving you. Kenta and Kei can handle the neko tribe without my assistance."

He would have laughed if he did that sort of thing and if it wouldn't anger his love more. "Iie you will go. I will be fine the miko can handle any issues that may arise."

"I will remain."

Sesshoumaru stared at him and moved to sit in his lap. "Nothing has occurred and it is unlikely anything will during the next two days." He wrapped his arms around his neck. "I will be fine." He leaned in, pressed their lips together, and gently slipped his tongue into his hot mouth.

Naraku wrapped his arms around his waist and went to war with the tongue invading his mouth. He pulled back and locked stares with deep ambers. "Do not change the subject." He narrowed his eyes upon him. "I'm staying here with you and that is final."

"Then I will go." Sesshoumaru easily countered.

"You will not!"

Sesshoumaru smirked to himself. "Then you are going." He arched a silver brow. "If you battle wisely you should be home within a day of leaving. Unless..." He pulled back, grabbed a chunk of his dark hair, rubbed it between his fingers, and said nothing further.

"Unless what?" He narrowed his dark eyes suspiciously.

"Unless you think you are out of shape and are not as powerful as you once were." He smirked mockingly at him.

"I am not weak!" He bit out.

"Aren't you?"

Naraku leaned in until they were nose to nose. "Are you challenging me?"

"Perhaps but I highly doubt you can prove me wrong." He shrugged lightly, dropped the hair in his hand, and stood up. "If you are afraid and weak just say so there is no need to hide behind me and our children." He grinned evilly to himself then left the study.

Naraku watched him go and glowered at the empty doorway. He'd show him he'd annihilate the neko tribe within an hour of arrival and he wouldn't need Kenta or Kei to help him either.

xx

"CHICHI!"

Sesshoumaru quickly got up off the bed and caught his daughter when she flew through the door and leapt towards him. "What?"

"Jifu!" She cried causing heavy tears to stream down over her cheeks. "And shishi both gone!"

He knew Naraku was leaving but he didn't think he would leave without telling him first. Maybe he didn't want to disturb him while he was napping or he did come in and he just wouldn't wake up. He highly doubted that that was the case either; he would have to talk to him when he got back. "Jifu left with Kei..."

"No chichi. Rai's daddy still here." She whimpered cutting him off. "And shish!" She buried her face against his shoulder and sobbed heavily.

Oh he knew where Naraku went he went to confront the neko tribe on his own. 'Bastard!' He thought to himself well he would go let Kei know and send him to follow. "What about shishi?"

"She... she..." She hiccupped against his shoulder. "She was cr.. crying... and and..." she lifted her head to stare at him. "she said she was dirty and had to leave... cause you and jifu woul wouldn't love her no more!"

"Do you know where she went?"

Takara shook her head. "No!" She sobbed. "She just gone!"

"Alright let's go find your sister." He soothed with a rub to her back.

"Hurry chichi!"

Sesshoumaru walked down the hall and stopped at the door leading to the neko's room. "Kei." He slid the door open.

"What?" He didn't bother looking to the demon lord since he was in the middle of dressing his son.

"Naraku has gone to battle the neko tribe on his own. You will go collect Kenta and invade."

That got his attention causing him to stare wide eyed at the inu. "Are you certain?" He grabbed his son and made for the door while jerking his little hakama up his legs.

"Hai." Sesshoumaru nodded curtly.

"Alright I'm on my way." He left the room to go find Kagome and give her Rai.

"Chichi!" Takara jerked on his haori.

"Yes yes." He gave her a small bounce on his hip and walked down the hall. His sensitive nose easily scented her out and just as he made it to the door to the springs Kei opened it up and stepped out.

"You might not want to go in there. Girl stuff." He wrinkled his nose slightly.

Sesshoumaru set Takara down when she began squirming madly to get down and ran to her sister. He looked in and found Shingai sobbing into Kagome's shoulder and was thankful the miko was here. He wasn't the sensitive kind and highly doubted he'd be able to do much for his daughter.

"Well I'm off." Kei nodded.

Sesshoumaru shut the door and looked at the retreating form of the neko. "Send word should anything happen and inform the kumo I do not appreciate him leaving without telling me."

"Will do." Kei waved his hand over his shoulder and ran down the hall heading for the front door.

Sesshoumaru sighed through his nose as he stared down the empty hall. Now what was he going to do? He was alone with the miko, Takara, and a very depressed Shingai and he had no clue in how to deal with that mess without coming across cruel.

He turned and headed towards his room deciding that resting would be in his best interest to keep the headaches at bay and it would make time pass a lot quicker. He really hoped that Naraku would be home soon he was missing him already.

xx

Naraku gave a deep sniff to the white rose he plucked on his way home and sighed deeply. The battle with the cat tribe was long and hard fought but in the end they had won.

Sesshoumaru's army along with Kenta was assisting Kei in taking power leaving him with nothing else to do but go home. Though that is where he wanted to be anyway the injury he sustained made him want nothing more than to be at home with his family.

He smiled a small smile when his castle came into view and he could smell Sesshoumaru's scent on the air. He inhaled deeply causing a warm tingle to roll up his spine. He couldn't wait to feel Sesshoumaru's arms wrapped him, his body pressed against his own, to feel his warmth surrounding him completely.

It wasn't long until he landed in the courtyard to a waiting Sesshoumaru.

Deep ambers narrowed on the kumo when he fell to his knees in front of him.

"For you." He held the rose up to him. "If there was ever anything in this world I can say I loved more than my own life it's you and Takara."

Sesshoumaru took the rose and stared down at him suspiciously. "You are hiding something from me." He growled low in his throat.

Naraku gave off a small snorting laugh. "Nothing ever gets by you does it."

"You will tell me."

He pulled a small vial from his haori and handed it to him. "This will protect you and our unborn children from the curse when they are born."

Sesshoumaru took the vial and crushed it in his hand without looking at it as the rims of his eyes tinged red. "How bad?" He growled deadly.

Naraku ignored him and stared at the broken vial on the ground. "You have sealed your fate. Without that you will die as will our children."

"I asked you a question and I want an answer." Sesshoumaru bit out crushing the stem of the rose in his hand.

He sighed deeply and flinched as he pulled his sash apart letting his haori fall open then slipped it off his shoulders.

Sesshoumaru stepped around behind him, widened his eyes noticeably, and dropped the rose to the ground. The gash was so deep and wide down his back he could see his spine, his left shoulder, the upper right part of his pelvic bone, and what looked to be a kidney. It was a fatal wound even with his demon blood it was near impossible for him to live through this. He felt sick to his stomach and if he were anyone else he'd probably cry or pass out from the shock of it all. Yet that wasn't him and he'd be damned if he was going to let his love die.

"Sesshoumaru." Naraku reached behind him flinching in pain, grabbed Sesshoumaru by the hand, and pulled him around in front of him.

"Iie," Sesshoumaru growled. "I will not allow this."

"Do not concern yourself with my injury." He stared up at him. "We must prepare you for the birth of our children and the curse hovering over you."

His ambers narrowed even further. "You die now and I will be with you not long after."

"You would leave Takara alone?"

"She would follow. Without you she would die whether I live or not." Just as he finished Takara ran out of the castle sobbing and calling for Naraku.

"JIFU!"

"You are her world." Sesshoumaru growled just as his daughter got in front of him and crawled into Naraku's lap.

"Jifu! Your hurt!" She sobbed as she held her arms out to him.

"Iie." He nuzzled her neck with his nose as he hugged her tightly to his chest. "I'm okay it's just a little scratch." He looked up at Sesshoumaru who was glaring deadly at him.

"I forbid it." He growled as Kagome came up behind him holding her son.

"Sorry Sesshoumaru I tried to stop her."

"Iie miko do not worry about that." He kept his eyes locked on Naraku and noted he was looking very pale and it wouldn't be long until he would fall unconscious with death coming for him not long after. "Are you capable of healing demons?"

"Well it depends on how serious the injury is." She nodded. "Why?"

"Naraku has been injured. If we do nothing now he will die."

Kagome stared up at him wide eyed then moved around behind the kumo. "Oh my God!" She looked up at the taiyoukai. "Can't Tenseiga save him?"

"No it saved him once before."

"As a hanyou if you could call him that but he's a full blooded youkai now. I mean yea it's the same soul but maybe his soul changed with the change of his body. When he was a hanyou his soul was more or less Onigumo but as a youkai he's Naraku." She looked up at the inu hopefully. "I mean it's worth a shot; right?"

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly then jerked Takara out of Naraku's lap and caught him when he paled deeply and fell unconscious. He laid him down on his stomach then shot as fast as he could into the castle, collected his sword, and returned to his love. "He is still alive you will try to heal him." He placed his free hand on Takara's head when she wrapped her little arms around his leg sobbing when he wouldn't pick her up while crying for Naraku.

Kagome set Rai down and stared at Naraku's back. "Rai mommy needs your help to fix Naraku; can you help me?"

"Hai mommy." The little boy nodded then kneeled down next to Naraku and placed his hands on his back over the large gash.

Kagome placed her hands on Rai's back and sighed deeply then answered Sesshoumaru's silent question. "He can absorb my purification powers and prevent me from purifying him." She nodded at Naraku. "We did this once on Kei but his injury wasn't this bad so I don't know. It's very hard on Rai's little body to do this."

"Do what you can." Sesshoumaru nodded curtly

"Alright" She nodded then looked at her son who was looking back at her. "ready?"

Rai nodded his head and stared determinedly at Naraku's back then tensed some when his mother kneeled down behind him and placed her hands on top of his.

"If it starts to hurt you stop mommy okay."

"Okay." He nodded and pressed his lips together determined he was going to fix Takara's daddy so she would stop crying.

Sesshoumaru picked Takara up as he watched the miko work and he could easily see that what little healing the miko was doing wasn't going to do much for Naraku. He could only hope that his demon blood would take over and heal him.

"Chichi," Takara sobbed and buried her face into his neck. "I want my jifu."

When Rai started crying Kagome pulled back her powers and picked him up. She looked up at Sesshoumaru and gave a small nod. "That's the best I can do."

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips together tightly as he set Takara down, kneeled down next to him, and stared at his barely healed wound. His stomach clenched tightly and his heart ripped in two as the truth of the matter set in Naraku was going to die. There was no pulse from Tenseiga which meant it wasn't going to save his love. What was he going to do? Without Naraku his life was nothing and he wouldn't be long in following him into the grave with their daughter right behind him.

"JIFU!"

Sesshoumaru suddenly snapped his eyes open and sat up. It took a second for him to realize what was going on and where he was.

A small bead of sweat rolled down over his temple along with another that rolled down his back. It was a dream nothing but a horrible bad dream.

"JIFU!"

He got out of the bed when Takara screamed again and quickly made his way to her room. He found her sitting on her mat sobbing and staring around the room like she didn't know where she was.

"Chichi!" She held her arms out to him.

"It's okay." He rumbled through his chest as he rubbed her back and held her close.

"I want my jifu." She sobbed.

"Me too." He sighed and carried her to his room and laid down with her. He hated it when Naraku was gone he didn't sleep well nor did Takara. Granted it was necessary for the kumo to leave but that didn't mean he liked the backlash of him being gone. He just hoped that his and Takara's nightmares weren't an omen of things to come when Naraku came home.

xx

"Sesshoumaru can I talk to you," Kagome looked over at Shingai who was staring through the window blankly while rocking Takara in her lap. "privately?" She whispered with a nod towards the eldest daughter.

Sesshoumaru gave a small curt nod, silently stood up, and followed the miko out of the library. Once they were a safe distance away so Takara couldn't hear them he stared at her expectantly.

"She's not doing well." She sighed sadly. "No matter what I tell her or you tell her she thinks it was real and," she whispered with a nervous glance around the hall like someone was listening. "someone is calling to her."

A silver brow arched highly. "Explain."

"Well I've heard her whispering to herself like she was answering someone saying no she can't go and that they hurt her." She sighed sadly. "I think some of the wolves from the black wolf tribe are out there trying to call her to them. She's fighting them but I don't know how much longer she can stay strong before she gives in and goes."

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips together tightly as he stared at her. "Does she believe them to be in my lands?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know." She sighed deeply. "She won't say but if I did know I can tell you I would be out there purifying them to hell right now instead of standing here telling you about it." She shook her head in disgust. "I'm worried about her I mean REALLY worried about her. I think she would hurt herself if something isn't done about this soon."

Sesshoumaru worked his jaw in irritation; he would sweep his lands but being pregnant made that near impossible. He placed his hand to the small swell of his stomach and wished Naraku was home so he could bring the bastards to him and he could gut them in a slow and very painful fashion.

"Maybe you should talk to her." Kagome nodded hoping to prevent him from leaving and doing something stupid in his condition. "She needs you you're her parent and as much as I can talk to her I'm really a nobody in her life."

"Hai." He nodded curtly.

"I'll take Takara outside with Rai so you can have some privacy."

He again gave a small curt nod then followed her to the library. "Takara you will go outside with Rai and his mother." He ordered when she looked over Shingai's shoulder at him.

"But chichi."

"Iie do not disobey me." He ordered. "You can come back and take care of shishi when I am done talking to her."

"Okay chichi." She kissed and hugged her sister before she got off her lap and somberly followed Kagome out of the room.

"Shingai." Sesshoumaru stepped up behind her when the door was closed behind the miko and his daughter.

"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama?" She didn't bother to turn and look at him.

"Look at me."

Shingai got up, turned around, kneeled down in front of him, and stared up at him sadly.

"The miko tells me that you are still having problems with the wolves; is this true?" He arched a silver brow highly.

"Hai," She nodded then looked down at her lap and knotted her fingers together. "they want me to replace the girl you killed."

Sesshoumaru sighed irritably through his nose. "You will find out where they are and I will end this."

"Okay." She nodded as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "It hurts so bad."

He kneeled down in front of her, grabbed her by the chin gently, and tilted her face up to look at him. "It will hurt but you must turn the pain into something that will make you stronger. I will protect you as much as I can but you must find the strength in yourself to fight against those who would harm you." He wiped the tears from her cheeks then hugged her to his chest. "I can not fight for you alone you must find strength to fight for yourself and together we will defeat them."

She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly and buried her face into his chest. "Why did they do this to me?"

"Do not dwell on the why no one being can know why another does what they do. You will focus on what you are going to do now to be stronger and better than them. You will thrive and show them no one can control you now or ever. Unless you think you are too weak and a disappointment to myself and Tediibea."

She shook her head against him. "I'm not weak."

"Then show me show us that you are strong and can overcome this. You have always been the strong one the one who's determination carried her through even if what you were doing was wrong." He pulled her away so he could lock stares with her. "Be that girl again."

"Okay." She nodded. "I will be myself again."

"Good and I want you to try and find out who is calling to you and where they are so I may rid them of their miserable lives."

"I want to watch." She drew herself up going stiff in the spine.

"Find them and you can decide how death will come for them. However," he held her by the shoulders. "beware they may try magic to alter your mind and bring you to them. You will only talk to them when I am with you; understood?"

"Yes." She nodded. "They usually call to me at night when I'm sleeping."

"It doesn't matter when they do it. You will come and get me when they do no matter the time day or night."

"Okay." She smiled a small smile at him.

"Now be strong and be someone Naraku and I are proud to call our daughter." He ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek and gave her a small smile in return.