Our rumored desires, hers for all I know gone to black forests and wolves,
Mine banging back to the familiar form,
That great revenant mystery I still could only hear the shape of,
Which in spite of our separate lusts and individual prides,
Still continued to drive us into deeper tones,
Our mutual desire to keep gripping the burn...
-Mark Danielewski
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Midoriko is not, and has never been, afraid of pain. But this time she screams. Fear or no fear, it's not something she has a choice about.
The midwife had rather hoped she'd be the type to huff and puff in relative silence, but Midoriko is not in the habit of holding anything in. When the contractions come, she screams without shame, hurting even the midwife's desensitized ears, and making the old woman wonder if there is something wrong with the child, who is after all, half demon.
Screaming was perhaps not the best idea. The demons all around have been waiting for this, seeing their huntress' obvious pregnancy. Their strike is swift and calculated. But Sesshoumaru is there waiting for them. The villagers still hate him deep down, so he takes no joy in protecting them, but he fulfils Midoriko's pact, because he loves her. He hasn't told anyone but her of his love, believing that it is a matter between only the two of them, but he's still a terrible actor, so anyone who isn't afraid to see it knows.
Midoriko tells herself that she is still not afraid. The pain will come, and it will go, and the faster she accepts that, the faster she can get it over with. If she dies she dies, no helping that. If the baby dies... ah, and now she is afraid, for the first time in a very long time.
Midoriko's labor is short as these things go, just over four hours. The midwife attributes it to her strength and wide hips. However, she manages to do something even the midwife is not used to seeing, namely a G-spot orgasm. The baby is born, and Midoriko is gasping and weak, and dripping with sweat, and the old midwife shakes her head in astonishment, and wishes every girl was so lucky.
The baby is quite large and healthy looking, as Sesshoumaru made sure Midoriko ate well, even though it was winter. It is a girl. And both women can tell that she's not human. Her hair is as silvery as her father's, though there's so little of it now, she might as well be bald. She has dog ears, which are floppy, and on closer inspection, she also has a tail. Her eyes are grayish blue, Midoriko notes, not amber, though who knows what color they'll turn later. And she has her mother's scream.
The midwife resolves to treat this as any other infant, so ties off the umbilical cord and cuts it, and carefully washes her. She passes the infant to her mother, and tends to Midoriko's needs, cleaning her up, and giving her water. Midoriko inspects her child, who seems to be trying to invent a new facial expression, sees that the impossibly tiny perfect fingers have impossibly tiny perfect claws on them, though the fingers seem inclined to curl in, presumably so as not to damage anything. The toes also have minute claws, and on the soles of her feet, are the hints of pads, though not on the palms, she notices. The baby has a human face though, and a more or less human body, and Midoriko is satisfied. It is a beautiful child. She kisses the little girl, and gives her baby her first milk.
Having dealt with the demons, Sesshoumaru heads back, it is a clear day, but chilly, and everywhere green things are unfurling; he thinks it is a perfect day for life to be starting. His mother told him he was born on the darkest day of winter, and that even for a demon child this was an ill omen. He is pleased that his first child seems to have better luck.
The midwife casts him an ugly look on his way out, but he barely notices. He finds Midoriko on their futon, flushed and tired, and crooning to their baby. He sits down gently next to her.
"She looks good," Sesshoumaru says, still trying to sound like he doesn't care, and still terrible at it, though Midoriko thinks he's even worse at it this time than usual.
"How'd you know it's a girl?" she asks.
Sesshoumaru taps his nose lightly.
"Oh," Midoriko says, her eyes widening, "my, I must smell awful to you!"
Sesshoumaru kisses her brow. "Never."
She smiles. "I've seen the things dogs like to sniff, but I suppose I'll take that as a compliment anyway."
The baby has her fill of nursing, and looks at her mother sleepily.
"May I?" Sesshoumaru asks. Midoriko looks at him with a sort of animal wariness, and for a moment Sesshoumaru fears she may hurt him. Reluctantly, she surrenders her child, watching him like a hawk the entire time.
Sesshoumaru resolves to hold the baby very, very carefully, but actually having the little live thing in his arms throws him off his guard. He is careful, and gingerly supports the head, but he is awkward. Babies are heavier than they look, he decides. "She has my ears," he says, almost sadly.
"I don't get it," Midoriko says. "I'd heard of things like this, but your ears aren't like that, they're just kind of pointy."
Sesshoumaru looks at her as if from very far away. "These aren't my real ears, Midoriko, love." His expression betrays nothing, but very silently, he is crying, from happiness or sadness or both, Midoriko knows not. Her eyes often water from one passion to the next, shameless and uncontrolled, but she has never seen his tears before.
Sesshoumaru returns his full attention to the baby. "And a tail. That will make diapering more difficult."
"We'll manage."
There is silence a long moment.
"Sesshoumaru?" Midoriko asks softly, and he looks at her. "Can I see? Your real ears, I mean, your real everything."
Sesshoumaru looks at the ceiling doubtfully. "I wouldn't fit in here."
Midoriko chews on that, trying to imagine how big a dog he'd have to be. "Later then, outside?"
Sesshoumaru passes their daughter back to her. "Please, don't ask me that."
"Are you ashamed?"
"Never," he says, with passion. "I'm proud of who I am, even if my parents are not. But my demon form..." he searches for the words, "has no place between us."
"You're afraid I'll think you're a monster," she says, cradling her hanyou child.
"What if you did." He doesn't look at her.
Midoriko is intensely curious now, and slightly afraid. "Is it very ugly?"
"Not to demons. To you, I don't know."
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The next day, Sesshoumaru is trying to think of names.
"All the good names are for boys," Midoriko sighs.
"You wanted a strong name, right?" Sesshoumaru asks. "How about Kaori?" (Strong)
"That's so obvious. The gods will be angry at our presumption, and make our child weak."
"Kana, then?" (Powerful)
"I knew a Kana once..."
"Oh?"
"I hated her," Midoriko says with feeling.
"Gen, or Haruko, because she was born in the spring?" (Spring)
"I was born in the spring, that's how I got 'green' in my name. My name is stupid, I hate it."
"Now you're just being difficult," Sesshoumaru says, getting a headache.
"Maybe a little... But think what an important thing we're doing, naming a person."
Yes, Sesshoumaru thinks, a person who will bear that name for the blink of an eye. The idea of his child's mortality was bothering him considerably.
"Kumiko," Sesshoumaru says suddenly. (Eternal beauty)
"More like Hotaru." (Firefly)
The child in question sleeps peacefully.
"Don't talk like that," Sesshoumaru says in a low voice.
"Come on, we went into this with eyes wide open."
Sesshoumaru racks his brain. "Maeko? Junko?" (Truth, Purity)
"I like Ayumi," Midoriko says softly. (Walk)
"I don't get it. Ayumi?" Sesshoumaru says, puzzled.
"She'll be able to walk on her own. Be independent, not need anyone to lean on."
"She can't even sit up, Midoriko."
"That's not forever."
"Maybe we shouldn't be thinking this way, putting our needs on her," Sesshoumaru says, taking her hand. "Maybe we should give her a name that's just a name, and let her be who she is."
"Like?"
"Shinju." (Pearl)
"Because of her hair?" Midoriko asks, eyeing Sesshoumaru's shining white locks.
"Because she's our pearl."
Midoriko smiles.
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Shinju grows fast, and time seems to flow swiftly for the young parents. Soon Shinju can toddle around, and she can say "Mommy," "Daddy," "Kitty," "Rice," and "Half-breed."
Midoriko burns with rage when she hears that. She knows that the people in her village aren't as accepting as she thought. She had thought motherhood had taken the edge off her nihilistic bloodlust, but she feels it rushing back to her. As soon as Shinju is asleep, she grabs her sword and heads for the door. To her surprise, it is Sesshoumaru who stops her.
"You won't make it any better," he says sadly.
"I'll feel better," she asserts. The yet-nameless firecat pads into the room, and looks at them as if listening, twitching her twin tails.
"It won't ever stop, you know," Sesshoumaru says. "No matter where she goes, or how much time passes, humans will know that she's not like them. Better she gets through it now, while we're here to help her."
"I know exactly how I want to help her!" Midoriko declares furiously, gripping her sword. "I'll show her she doesn't have to stand for this! I'll show her that it's okay to defend yourself, so she'll never get pushed around!"
"However, there's only one of her. If she pushes them, the humans will gang up on her, and they may win. They will call her dangerous, and they'll be right. She's going to be stronger than most full-blooded demons. But every month, she will be human for a night. If she does nothing but make enemies, they will kill her."
"You and I..." Midoriko began, wavering. "You and I, we've done some bad things, maybe. People have a reason to hate us. But they don't hate her because of what we did, they just hate her because of what she is. I don't understand that. I want it to stop." She grips her sword until her knuckles are white, and her fingers hurt, because that is the sort of pain she can understand. "I want it to stop."
Sesshoumaru puts his hands on her shoulders. She remembers the night he killed people for her, when he warned her not to touch his hands because they were poison. She still hasn't seen his demon form. She knows it must be very powerful. That's what these people are afraid of, power. She's sure that they would think his true form was ugly, but she would find it beautiful, if only he would show it to her. They don't understand beauty, they trample pearls unknowing.
Hot tears are creeping down her face. "Kiss me."
He does.
"Not so gentle," she whispers to his cheek. "It's okay if you hurt me."
Sesshoumaru shakes his head like a child told to eat their least favorite food. "I don't like hurting you. It's too easy for me."
"You used to let me freeze after we made love," she says, "I still remember."
"That was a long time ago. I think I was angry with you then."
She drops her sword, though she has gripped it too tightly for long enough that her fingers have cramped. She grabs his ass with both hands, digging in, pulling him towards her, grinding a little. "You have more of a reason to be angry with me now, don't you? Kiss me like you mean it. Kiss me like you want me to die."
He looks at her like she has struck a mortal blow on him. Betrayed. She feels bad, feels like she's gone too far, but she gets off on it, too. And he's hard, which encourages her.
"Did I take your evil after all?" she says, half seducing, half taunting. "Are you so pure now that you've forgotten how to fuck me?"
"You don't want that, Midoriko. Not like this."
"I know I do. And I think you do, too, by the feel of things." She tilts her pelvis and grins.
He is growling. But it is a different growl than the one he used to make. This one is a warning. She likes it, and reaches up to kiss him. The moment their lips touch, he kisses back, not the tender kisses he has always given her, but all his frustration and fury released on her, not bothering to be nice or neat, but kissing as if she were dying, and this would give her life, and he wants her to have all of it. She responds instantly, and he grabs her. She tests her strength against his, and finds that even with every ounce of her formidable power, she cannot not budge him, and suspects he could break her in half without a fight if he so chose. The realization sends a jolt of pleasure through her, and in its wake she is angry with him, for holding this back so long.
And if she is angry, he is furious. This is something he never wanted to do to her, and seeing how much she enjoys it only fans his rage. She wants sex with a monster, he thinks, this is why she wants to see his true form so badly, she wants a monster. And he is becoming one. He claims her body with increasing savagery, not even bothering to tear off her clothes, just hitching her skirts around her waist, his claws leaving puncture wounds with bruises around them, biting and sucking so as to mark her everywhere, and she drowns in a pleasure that will leave her sore for days.
Even afterwards, she knows he held back, no bones are broken, and he was careful of her breasts, because Shinju is still nursing. But that doesn't really matter, she thinks, as she lies spoilt and sated on the tatami mats, because for a moment, she thought she might die. She is grateful to him for making her feel that. And she is grateful for her life, as well. But he is angry with her. She has broken his trust.
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Several days later.
Very little can make Midoriko hold a grudge. Her anger is like the tides, always surfacing, but unable to stay for very long, swept away, and replaced by the next emotion.
But Sesshoumaru holds grudges.
She finds him under a tree. It is high summer, and impossible amounts of light fill her eyes, while the roaring drone of the cicadas fills her ears, leaving her feeling a sensory overload. The sky presses down, perfectly blue and looking close enough to touch, while the land looks miles away, years away, unreachable.
When she reaches him, she doesn't know what to say, so she sits near him, and sees him stiffen slightly, the way he's been doing when she gets near. She glances down the hill nervously, Shinju pulls one of the firecat's tails, how many times has she told her not to do that? But the demon takes it good-naturedly. That once savage beast has become deeply devoted to her child. Midoriko knows that Shinju will always be protected.
But unlike the firecat, Sesshoumaru has not been purified by her power. He's autonomous, fully capable of hating her or leaving her. She waits to see if he will react to her presence, then grows impatient. But she feels like she has no words, she can't say she's sorry, because she isn't, and it's too late for that anyway.
"I love you," she says, desperately meaning it.
"I love you too," he responds, no less sincere than her, but no less upset with her than he was moments ago.
"Then what's wrong?" she pleads.
"Why do you love me?" he asks. She can't see his face, but he's tapping his fingers on the tree bark.
She just sits there a moment, mouth open slightly, stunned by the question. "Because it's you," she says at last. "You're beautiful!"
"Beautiful?" he says almost scornfully, whirling around so she can see him. He does indeed look beautiful to her, his familiar, inhuman sort of beauty that scares most people. Not just his outer appearance either, but all of him. She'd always been able to feel his soul, even if she couldn't change it. "Was what we did that night beautiful?"
"To me," she says weakly. She is covered in ugly marks, but to her, that is beautiful too. When she bathes, she stops to appreciate her naked body and the curves of wounds and bruises on it, following the shape of his powerful hands.
"What if it didn't stop there. What if I hurt you. What if I killed you! I could never forgive myself for that, or you."
"Maybe you don't understand," she says, half to herself, "because you're immortal. But I'm going to die, and that's beautiful to me."
"I understand too well," Sesshoumaru says, "because you're mortal."
"I only—it's not like that. I swear, I wasn't trying to make it ugly. These things are sacred to me, sex, and death," Midoriko says passionately.
"So you love me," Sesshoumaru says slowly, "because I'm death to you. Because you think monsters are beautiful."
"No," she says, her voice broken to a whisper, but he can still hear her. "I love you because I could stripe you like a tiger, and you still kissed me tenderly."
He softens a little, and crouches down to where she's sitting. "Then why?"
"I was hurting." Her voice is gone now, her eyes are dry, but he can hear the tears. "Every time in my life I hurt, I could always do something. I could kill, or I could die, or fight, or whatever, but I had something! This time, I hurt, and it was like there was no way to get it out, it was just going to sit in me and rot, and not kill me, just keep me miserable and helpless, and I needed you to claw it out of me, I needed you."
Sesshoumaru closes his eyes as if in pain, and gives her one of those tender kisses she says she loves him for. "I'm sorry," he says, holding her, not apologizing for his actions, but simply sharing sympathy. "This is the price of the joy she brings. Everything has a price."
Midoriko clings to him, not hard enough to hurt him, and not trying to. "Other people don't pay that price to have children."
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Shinju is six years old, and she is glowering. It's a warm night in late spring, and there is no moon. She sits with her arms folded across her knees, and refuses to sleep.
"Come on," Midoriko coaxes, "I'm human, and I sleep every night, don't I?"
"Well, not every night," Sesshoumaru teases.
"You shush, you're not helping," she says, giving him a mock glare.
"But Mommy, you're strong," Shinju insists. "I can't even walk! So I need to be awake, so if any demons or bad people come, at least I can scream."
Shinju never could balance without her tail, so if she needs to go anywhere while human, she is forced to crawl.
"I hate this," she says vehemently. "I want to be a full demon like Daddy, and never have to go through this again."
"Do I look like I grant wishes?" Midoriko asks sternly.
Shinju refuses to dignify that with an answer.
There is a knock at the door. Shinju whimpers and pulls the firecat to her chest defensively, though who was intended to defend who is uncertain. Sesshoumaru reacts on gut instinct, and whirls around snarling, his eyes flashing red. Shinju looks at him as if this is the coolest thing in the world.
Only Midoriko thinks to actually answer the door. She takes note of Sesshoumaru's reaction, though, and brings her sword.
There are four people, three monks and a miko. Midoriko hasn't seen any of them before. She stares at them like they came from another planet.
One monk, clearly the leader, shoves by her rudely, and strolls right on into her house, motioning to the others to do the same. "So this is the demon, and the half-breed child—" he begins, but stops abruptly when Midoriko drives her sword through his foot.
"My. House," Midoriko enunciates clearly, over the monk's cries of pain. "What the hell do you think you're doing in it?"
"A—Apologies!" the monk grovels. "The sword, please, miko-sama...!"
The corner of Midoriko's mouth twitches, as she considers. Almost regretfully, she retracts her sword, the miko running over to him instantly, clearly afraid of her, and treating the wound.
"Ah, Midoriko, love, have you ruined another tatami? What a terrible wife you are," Sesshoumaru says, bemused. Shinju giggles wildly, feeling sure that things are under control.
"I'm Daichi," the injured monk says through clenched teeth, "this is the great miko Amaya, those are my companions, Hachiro and Katashi."
"Charmed," Midoriko says like dripping acid. "Daichi. To think I liked that name!"
"Please," Daichi says insistently, "you misunderstand us. Let us explain."
"All right," Midoriko says. "Come. Sit." She orders them like children, does not offer them tea, and certainly does not put down her sword. The people of her village have given them a hard time sometimes, but have generally been tolerant, strangers on the other hand, are sure to be trouble. And she senses that these have power. Not like hers, but enough to make her cautious. There are four that she sees. She doesn't know if there are more, also with power, perhaps more powerful.
And she hates anyone who calls her Shinju a half-breed. That goes without saying.
"What, is she going to watch us?" Hachiro whispers to his comrades, eyeing Shinju.
"Amazing, she looks so human," Amaya says, rather tactlessly. Shinju makes a face at her. "What a rude—" Amaya begins, but Midoriko raises her sword a fraction, and she shuts up.
Daichi hobbles over a few steps, leaning on his friends, and they sit down in a crude circle, save for Sesshoumaru, who stands, leaning in the doorway.
"Miko-sama," Daichi says, addressing Midoriko. "We have been tracking a great and fearsome pack of demons, for many miles. When came this way, the people of this area spoke of an amazing warrior-miko of unrivalled power. Of course we decided to meet with her, with the hopes that she would join us in our quest to stop these demons." He glances at Sesshoumaru uncomfortably, uncertain about discussing demon-slaying while sitting under a clearly powerful and annoyed tai-youkai.
"Demons come," Midoriko says fatalistically. "I kill them. Or in special cases, make whoopee with them. Mostly kill. I've done this since I was fourteen, I've done it pregnant, I'm damn sure not afraid of any demon now—"
"Hey, take that back!" Sesshoumaru demands.
"...except aforementioned special whoopee case," she says, and Shinju giggles, "so I think what I'm saying is, what do I need you for?"
"This demon is special," Katashi says. "Many, many demons are finding ways to combine into one. Their power increases exponentially when they do this, so this is extremely dangerous. Right now they can only stay together for a little while, and then they break apart, and some of them die, but they're getting better at it. If they learn how to stay in one piece, the resulting demon will be a threat to every human alive."
Midoriko looks to Sesshoumaru, her eyes asking, is this possible?
Sesshoumaru nods, looking disturbed.
"Forgive our rudeness," Daichi says diplomatically, "we are used to little company but each other's, and that of the demons we slay, and with our urgency over this problem, I'm afraid we have acted disrespectfully towards you and your family. It was not intended thus."
"I'll help you with this demon thing," Midoriko says, "but after I kill it for you, I want you gone."
Hachiro and Amaya both break out with objections, but Daichi holds up his hand to silence them. "It is an honor, miko-sama. We are grateful to you."
And so, a cautious pact is struck between them. The monks and the miko sleep there that night, but Sesshoumaru and Midoriko take shifts, with one always awake, and by Shinju's side.
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Wearily, Midoriko pulls her armor on. It's just after dawn, and Shinju watches her, half asleep. Even in her hanyou form, she has dark eyes like her mother. She holds her claws out, examining them sleepily, comforted by them. Midoriko never says so, but those claws comfort her, too.
Sesshoumaru comes up behind her, and helps her tie on her armor. "Stay with her, for me," Midoriko pleads. "I don't like the way these strangers looked at her, even though she was human. I don't trust them."
"You don't trust them, so you want to go off alone with them?"
"I think they're right about the demon," Midoriko says carefully. "I sense something. But it's nothing I can't handle, please. You know if anything happens to Shinju, you'll lose us both."
"Take the firecat, then."
"No, I've seen how people like this fight, they have spells, wards and poisons that would kill all demons, but leave me unharmed. That's the other reason I don't want you coming."
Sesshoumaru smiles at her, trying to show her his confidence. "Nothing they have could kill me."
"It might throw you off long enough for this other demon to take your head off. No, in this battle, you would be fighting both sides. And I would be distracted defending you. Let me do this alone."
"You won't be alone," Daichi interrupts, "we'll be on your side." He is leaning heavily on Amaya, who says nothing.
"We're got a plan," Katashi says proudly. "Let us show you."
They lead her into a cave on the outskirts of the village. Midoriko had often played here as a child, though most kids were too scared of it. It is a creepy-looking cave, having stalactites suggesting nothing so much as teeth.
Daichi limps in behind her, leaning on his shakujo. The rings jangle with every step, echoing eerily. Midoriko does not fail to notice that the edges have been sharpened within an inch of their lives, and the shakujo is as dangerous as any sword.
"The demon," he says slowly, "is not far from here. But we need to set up a trap. When it is in its combined form, our powers are no match against it, unless we can lure it into pre-laid spells which we then activate. Since these take a lot of energy and forethought to make, it would be folly to lay a trap that the demon might simply sidestep. So, what we need you to do, is fight the demon, enrage it, and then run here, making sure it follows you. We'll take care of the rest."
"What's wrong with just killing it?" Midoriko asks.
"If you broke the bond between the many demons, the individuals would break apart, most of them still alive, and swarm you. You would die," Daichi says with certainty. "Better to let our spells take care of it."
The monks and the miko place wards and incantations around the cave, chanting, mixing salts, placing objects Midoriko doesn't recognize but is sure are dangerous in strategic places.
"So all I have to do is find this demon. And bring it here?" Midoriko asks dubiously.
The strangers nod, and bow.
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Midoriko wastes no time in finding the demon. It is huge and terrifying, demons clumsily fitted together, mouths full of crooked teeth protruding in odd places, many eyes, not one resembling another, and moving on too many legs, like a deformed spider. It seems to have been concerned with power, and little more, each demon unwilling to lose itself completely in the transformation, and so the selfish bits jut out of the monster, having a collective will, and individual wills at the same time.
Midoriko searches for a vulnerable point, but every spot on the demon seems to be expendable. She charges anyway, lancing the creature's many eyes with her sword. She isn't here to kill it, after all, just piss it off. The demon's reaction is sudden, and she barely escapes it. She considers trying to purify it, but doesn't fancy the prospect of taking so much evil into her soul at once.
So she leads it across the landscape, charging, striking, retreating, always in the direction of the cave, letting it catch up to her sometimes, and cutting off whatever comes into reach, so the demon won't suspect that it's being led. Not that it seems the thinking type.
This style of fighting is taking its toll on both of them, tiring them out, but Midoriko is riding on thrills and adrenaline, whereas the demon is becoming increasingly frustrated. It tries to leave in search of easier prey a few times, but Midoriko hounds it, wounding it into new rage, and sending it flying back at her, another few yards closer to the cave. It is nearly noon when she finally spots it, and breaks into a run, with the demon hard on her heels. At some point she realizes that it is taking all her strength just to keep up this pace, and in the time it would take her to turn and make a stand, the demon would already have her. She bends all her will towards her speed, and runs for her life.
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Sesshoumaru wakes up guiltily. He wasn't supposed to be sleeping. He untangles his daughter from his arms, and walks to the door, stretching his legs, glancing back once at Shinju, with the firecat curled up against her. He steps outside, enjoying the warm, fresh air, the sun bearing down overhead.
Two steps from the door, he feels a very strong hand cover his nose and mouth. Demon or not, he needs air, and he struggles violently, poison clouds coming from his hands as he tries to claw his attacker off of him, but it is a demon at least as strong as him, and unaffected by his efforts.
Just before he passes out, he hears a sickly sweet and very familiar voice in his ear, saying, "Welcome back, Sesshoumaru-chan."
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Amazing herself, Midoriko does not trip over anything in her flight through the cave, finding her way as if she has lived here all her life. She reaches the cavern where her fellow demon-hunters are waiting, and suddenly there's no where left to run. She whirls, and the demon is on her, she screams as fangs from many mouths press into her, and hacks with her sword, lacking control or finesse, simply slashing in desperation.
"Now would be a good time," she screams, "to do whatever you're going to do!" The demon is lifting her high off the ground, and is wrapping around her; she begins to wonder seriously how much longer she can stay intact. This is the feeling, she knows, the feeling of fighting to the death, and she has always known it will be the last thing she feels.
Hachiro is laughing, and the others are following suit, high pitched and cruel. "We've done what we came to do," he says, smiling at her struggles. Midoriko realizes that the demon is completely ignoring them, and that they have no intention of fighting it.
"Why?!" she demands, the only word she can get out while fighting, swinging her sword about herself wildly, and losing.
"It can't stay together properly without a human," Amaya says calmly. "It needs a human base, to organize itself around. Willing is better, but it is capable of taking one by force. And it wanted you. You are the strongest human."
The demon severs Midoriko's arm, and she does something she'll regret for a very, very long time. She shines.
Her traitorous companions step back in fear. "What is it?" Katashi asks, banging into the wall of the cave in his haste to get away.
"She's trying to purify it," Amaya says in amazement. "That's impossible, no one can—"
"You mean you can't," Hachiro says cruelly. "This girl's not like us."
"She's still only a girl," Daichi sneers. "She will lose. Until then, we wait."
"What do we do then?" Katashi asks, regaining his composure. "Once this demon is complete—"
"We will be revered!" Daichi says, clapping his hands together once in enthusiasm. "People will live in fear, and they will turn to us, great and powerful warriors that we are. And Inu-taishou will give us our reward for eliminating his family's little problem."
But Midoriko doesn't hear them. She is immersed in the demon, which has frozen in midair, putting everything into its effort to assimilate her. She doesn't know what kind of condition she'll be in if she lives, or if she will bleed to death in the physical world first, but she is determined not to become part of this demon at all costs. She won't lose.
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"Wake up, Sesshoumaru-chan," the demoness croons.
"Mother," Sesshoumaru says, dazed, not realizing where he is and what has happened. He hasn't quite gotten his eyes open when he feels lips on his, pressing, and completely different from Midoriko's. He is awake with a shock, and struggles.
Escaping her, he pulls himself up on his elbows, his mother sitting on his waist. "That's disgusting, I'm your son!" Sesshoumaru says in shock.
"Son," his mother says, as if the word had a very different meaning for her than it did for him. "So many sons I should have had. So many heats I endured, not receiving so much as a touch from my husband, and not allowed to fulfil my needs elsewhere. But I'm breeding stock, isn't that right, Sesshoumaru-chan?"
"Where's Father?" Sesshoumaru asks desperately.
"Tut tut, he's gone off to take care of your little whore, by my request. He'll do anything for me, if I ask him for enough years." Her voice lowers dramatically. "Anything but love me."
"Is she—" Sesshoumaru breaks off, drenched in cold sweat. His Midoriko. He has to get to her, even though his mother is stronger than him, and she controls their fortress.
"Dead already." She smiles, and Sesshoumaru knows she thinks she's speaking the truth, though whether it's actually true or not, he has no idea. "Now, Sesshoumaru-chan, you do love me, don't you?"
"You're mad. Let me go."
"Don't you want me, Sesshoumaru-chan? We can do all the things your human did, you won't even miss her now that she's gone..."
Sesshoumaru tries to get up and away from her, but she holds him pinned, using her years of experience with her power against him. She is a sorceress, and he knows little but how to kill inferior demons with his brute strength. It is no contest, and she slides over his groin, so that his struggles force him to grind against her. He stops in horror.
"I'm better," she says with conviction. "I'm better than your little human toy, and all the other girls I see him looking at, and doing who knows what else with, I make good children, fine, beautiful sons, not like your miserable mutt-child, I can take care of you now, my Sesshoumaru-chan!"
"Shinju," he says, with tears in his eyes.
"I can have her killed at any time. She is alive," she hesitates, "because of your obedience to me. You're going to be a good boy now, aren't you, Sesshoumaru-chan?"
He says nothing.
"That's my boy," she says cheerfully. She pulls off his clothes, something that reminds him of his early childhood, when she was more or less sane, and always good to him, and for a moment, he thinks she won't really do it, that she'll just put fresh clothes on him, and kiss him goodnight, and that will be all. But then her hands are on forbidden places, and with a lurch, he realizes that this is really happening, and for the first time, wants to die.
However, things are not going along with his mother's plans. His body rejects her, and she manipulates him in frustration. "Don't be like that, Sesshoumaru-chan, please, love me, love me, I know you can, love me." There is a new sensation, and combined with her silence, and the fact that Midoriko has done this to him, he knows what it is, but he closes his eyes and digs his nails into his palms, focusing on the pain, anything but what his mother is doing to him.
"If you won't do things the easy way," she says at last, "we'll do it the hard way. And you will be hard for me." She presses her hands around his neck and chokes him, until his face changes color, and he responds the way she wants him to. And she takes him like that, her hands loosening and tightening around his neck, to control him, her power holding him still.
That was not the last time. For seven days, she kept him a slave to her madness, taking him when she chose, always the same way. Sesshoumaru did not speak one more word to her, and did his best to close out reality.
(The end is coming... Conclusion, in Part Three.)