A/N: Oh, this is going to be a long one! :P
Okay, just to make sure no one else is confused, I'm going to try and clear up a few points of my story.
First off, from my research, it seems as if most gods in Japanese folklore are not even born as children. They are fully mature, and they can be born from almost anything. Second, while Kagutsuchi's birth was a conventional one, how his sister, Mizuhame, came to be is unclear. All that is said is that Izanami bore her while she was dying and told her to control and watch over Kagutsuchi. Third, in the original myth, Izanagi dismembered Kagutsuchi in his rage and his body parts became eight volcanoes. Dozens of deities were also created from his spilled blood. And lastly, for the purposes of my story, burning a god to death is not the only way to kill them and nor is burning them alive easy.
As the story progresses, I'll go into more detail, but for now I hope this is enough.
Please enjoy this new chapter!
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Chapter-Twenty-Nine: Izanami
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It was true we looked alike.
The painting I beheld was beautiful, intricate, and astonishingly old. Only through Sesshoumaru's careful preservations was it still intact, looking as though it had just been finished.
But, while I admitted to myself there were similarities, the differences between Izanami and I were too vast to be ignored.
"For goodness sake, Sesshoumaru, she has blue hair." Well, I supposed it was more of an inky navy color, but still. Her hair was blue. "And her eyes are black. I'll say I see something of myself in the shape of her nose, and perhaps her mouth as well, but aside from that . . . what is there?"
His frustrated sigh brushed the bare skin of my neck. "Look past her coloring, Kagome. If you were to picture her with black hair andblueeyes, what would you think?"
Squinting, I looked again. "I would think . . . she was an older, much more attractive sister of mine," I replied resignedly.
Of the whole sentence, only two words seemed to penetrate his thick skull. "More attractive?" he repeated, sounding completely incredulous. "Why would you say that?"
He had to be joking. "She was a goddess, Sesshoumaru," I said, as if the fact had somehow escaped him. "No human in existence can ever be more handsome or beautiful than a god or goddess. It isn't plausible."
"Hm." He obviously did not agree with me. "Haven't you ever heard the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'?"
"Sesshoumaru," I said abruptly, ignoring his question, "I've just thought of something."
My sudden seriousness instantly had him on edge, and he placed his hands firmly on my shoulders. "What is it?" he asked lowly.
I tilted my head back to rest against his chest. "You don't suppose . . . I mean, you don't think it's possible I could be the reincarnation of your mother, do you?"
His laughing answer was the last thing I expected. "Only human souls are reincarnated, Kagome. When a deity passes on, their soul travels to Mount Horai."
I physically felt my face blanch. "That mythological place where the winters are incredibly cold? What a terrible place to go when you die!"
"Not at all." Sesshoumaru smirked all-knowingly, and my eyebrows came together in a frown. "Humans have grievously misinterpreted the workings of Mount Horai. It is, for lack of a better word, heaven for a celestial being such as myself. I couldn't imagine a more suitable place for your soul to rest."
I blinked up at him. "Then, it's just a strange twist of fate that I happen to resemble your mother?"
Bending down, Sesshoumaru pressed a warm, upside-down kiss to my lips. "Yes."
As he pulled away, I involuntarily let loose a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Otherwise, all this time you would have technically been kissing your mother."
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A/N: Please review!
