Chapter 40
"They have arrived." Touga looked up from his desk, feeling the auras of the two that had invited themselves to his shiro. Sesshomaru frowned at the slimy darkness that was Naraku's being. He had grown accustomed to it while seeing Kagura, but now that it had been so long since he had seen Naraku, he had forgotten just how sickening Naraku's demeanor was.
"Go." Sesshomaru ordered Kagome, and she gave a nod, moving to stand in front of the cushions for her and Izayoi. Sesshomaru watched Izayoi grab Kagome's hand, the women comforting each other. Kagome had never met Naraku. She had been in the North plenty of times, but she had never had a need to get to know the lord. Now she could feel the evil in Naraku, and she realized why everyone was so tense with Naraku coming to visit. No one wanted Naraku around. His presence never meant anything good.
Touga stood behind his desk, spine stiff as they waited for a guard to open the study doors. When they did, they got the first glimpse of Naraku. Piercing red eyes, long black hair, and a face that no one forgot. Naraku was not someone you wanted against you. He smelled of acid, the scent burning your nose. Even humans took one whiff of him and knew his miasma was dangerous.
"Touga. I thank you for allowing me this audience." Naraku bowed slightly to Touga, not paying any attention to anyone else. Kagura stepped in behind him, her eyes trained on Sesshomaru. She didn't even blink, and Sesshomaru shivered in disgust. How he had ever been attracted to Kagura, he would never know. Now that he looked at her, he saw nothing appealing. She was nothing but a desperate and used up whore.
"Your letter left me to believe your need was dire. I assume you are here to discuss the marriage you have been suggesting?" Touga motioned towards the chairs across from his desk, offering them to Naraku and Kagura. Naraku accepted, while Kagura stayed standing, staring at Sesshomaru.
"Kagura. Sit." Naraku growled, and she snapped her head towards him, but obeyed. She plopped down in what was a show of defiance but said nothing. With her quiet, Naraku turned his attention back to Touga. "Yes. I am here about strengthening our alliance. I believe the best way to do that is through a union of marriage."
"I have told you before that I will not force Sesshomaru into a loveless marriage." Touga placed the palm of his hand flat on his desk, tapping his fingers. "Even if I were to consider that option, it is too late. Sesshomaru is already mated and expecting his first child."
"What?" Kagura screeched, eyes zeroing on Kagome. Kagome lifted her head in a challenge but kept where she was with Izayoi. A rush of wind came from behind Kagome and straight towards Kagura. The wind demon breathed in deeply, then snarled in her rage. "He was mine!"
"From where I stand, he's mine. He mated me, not you." Kagome spat. She raised a hand to rest over her belly, smirking possessively. "He bred me. You can't say the same." She knew for demons to have offspring with another, it meant more than just a careless action. Demons did not breed with those they did not deem worthy. It was a slight to Kagura that Kagome was pregnant when Kagura wasn't.
"You bitch!" Kagura stood from her seat, knocking it back in the process. Sesshomaru moved to stand in front of Kagome and Izayoi, not letting Kagura get anywhere near his mate.
"Enough Kagura. I told you what we had was over. I told you then that you were nothing more than a distraction, an object that I sated my desires on." Sesshomaru glowered down at her, seeing her wince at his words. He had not expected to hurt her again, but he would not tolerate anyone insulting or threatening his mate in any way. "You were nothing. Kagome is my soul bonded."
"Your soul bonded." Kagura breathed, eyes going wide as she looked back at Kagome once more. They could all visibly see her processing what she just learned, and then she narrowed her eyes, a smile forming on her face. "I recognize you." Kagura laughed then, rolling her eyes. "The woman from the meadow. You were uglier then, with that atrocious scar going across your face. But it doesn't matter. He fucked me, to spite you. He-"
"Enough Kagura." Naraku snapped, standing from his seat. "I warned you about embarrassing me in front of the Western family, did I not?"
They all saw the instant change in Kagura, the rage morphing to terror in the span of a second. She fell to her knees, pressing her forehead against the ground. "Father, please. I beg your forgiveness."
"I show no mercy, Kagura." Naraku raised a hand, a purple mist shooting out from his fingers. Instantly Sesshomaru was covering Kagome's face, pressing her head against his chest. Touga did the same with Izayoi. Touga refused to look back, while Sesshomaru couldn't take his eyes off of it.
Kagura's first scream had Kagome tensing and gasping, her nails digging into Sesshomaru's arms. He only held her tighter. For several minutes Naraku made his own daughter breath in his miasma, her veins in her skin turning purple, as if she was diseased. Her body was covered in the erratic purple lines. She convulsed on the floor clawing at her own chest. She tore into her flesh, blood spraying over her and the floor.
"Enough, Naraku." Touga snapped, unable to handle anymore. "She is your daughter."
Naraku seemed to think about it for a moment, but finally relented, pulling all of the miasma back into his hand. Once more he sat down, leaving Kagura suffering on the floor. "Do not make a single noise, Kagura. Remove yourself from the room."
Kagura didn't say anything, somehow pushing herself off of the floor. She stumbled, making her way to the door and falling through it. A gust of her wind shut it behind her. It was only then that Sesshomaru released Kagome. There was no evidence of what happened outside of the blood spattered on the wood floor. Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru, tears in her eyes. He brushed them away, knowing that while Kagura wanted Sesshomaru, Kagome was too kind to wish torture on anyone.
"Now. Back to what we were discussing…" Naraku continued as if he hadn't nearly killed his daughter in front of them. "If marriage is not an acceptable route, then perhaps a concubine?"
"I have no interest." Sesshomaru didn't move away from Kagome, keeping himself there, between the women and Naraku. Touga slowly moved back to his seat, his jaw tight. Sesshomaru kept his eyes on Naraku. "Kagura will be nothing to me."
"I see." Naraku tsked, resting his chin on his hand. "There must be something then that will interest you, Touga. I only wish to strengthen our alliance."
"I will ask why, Naraku? We already have an alliance in trade that is working well for us. Why strengthen the alliance now?" Touga leaned back in his chair, cocking his head to the side. "What's your ulterior motive?"
"As perceptive as always, Touga." Naraku chuckled darkly, causing Kagome to shiver. Sesshomaru tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I do have a reason. There is someone I am looking for. There have been rumors that she is in the West."
"Who is she? Perhaps I have seen her." Touga offered with a spark of hope in his voice. Perhaps this didn't have to end badly after all.
"The Shikon Miko." The entire room fell silent at Naraku's declaration. It took everything Sesshomaru had in him not to growl. His hand tightened on Kagome's hip, claws digging into her side. He felt her sharp intake of breath, felt as she moved as close to him as she possibly could.
Touga did well keeping his face impassive, but Sesshomaru saw the way he clenched his hand beneath the desk, the way his jaw ticked, and his eye twitched. Touga laughed suddenly, loud, booming, and to those that knew him, fake. When he stopped suddenly, he looked at Naraku in surprise. "You're not joking? Naraku, the Shikon Miko isn't real."
"She is. I've seen it. It was over two hundred years ago. I felt her power. It caressed me, intrigued me. I need to feel that power again. I need it by my side." Naraku leaned forward, gaze intense. "It was overwhelming Touga. Her power knocked me off my feet, left me breathless, and so terribly aroused. She is real, and I will find her."
"Let's say you're right." Touga was playing the part of non-believer well, and Sesshomaru could only be grateful for it. "The Shikon Miko would be human. She would be long dead by now. Your search would be futile."
"No. Someone with that power, they wouldn't die a death caused by mere age. She's alive, and she's in the West. I ask permission to search the West for her." Naraku laid out what he really wanted, and Touga was forced to take a moment to think about his answer. This was a tricky situation, and Sesshomaru knew if they weren't careful, this could end in war.
"Before you answer, I want you to listen to what I have learned. Maybe then, you will know that I am not wrong." Naraku stood then, beginning to pace the length of the floor. "She was born two hundred and seventy four years ago. Two hundred and fifty seven years ago is when I first felt her power. I have been looking for her since. I have visited several libraries, spoken to many monks, even went to the temple where she was born. I know all there is to know about her. She was born of mortal parents. Though they died when she was seventeen. She had a brother. I am unsure if he still lives or not. It is not likely. Her parents were killed by a mob. The village she lived in turned on the parents because of the power she held. They feared it and couldn't control it. She fled and that was when I lost her. I have never actually seen what she looks like." Naraku stopped to look at Touga, still determined.
"According to one of the legends I found, the shikon miko annihilated an entire region of demons because they attacked her. Do you understand the significance of that power? Thousands of demons in one hit. Gone, destroyed. But it nearly killed her. According to legend, all that was left was spots of her blood. She hadn't been injured in battle, and yet, they found her blood where she stood. It's believed that her body can't handle the reiki. This legend was created fifty years after I lost the shikon miko. She could have been almost seventy. Too old to be battling demons. This is why I believe she doesn't age."
"Naraku-"
"I'm not finished." Naraku snapped, red eyes turning on Touga with an angry snarl. "She is here, in the West. Several rumors have reached my ears that she has visited many villages, even healed some of them. The last rumor I had was that she was seen getting off a ship that had come from China. The same ship Sesshomaru was on with his human miko." Naraku slowly turned his head towards Kagome, cocking his head as if something was clicking inside. "You would be in your seventies now, Kagome. You were in your twenties you met Sesshomaru. It has been over fifty years." Stepping towards her, Naraku began to breathe heavily. "How? Tell me."
"Back away." Sesshomaru growled, his eyes tinting red at the edges. This meeting was going downhill fast.
"I had a witch cast a spell." Touga stood abruptly from his seat, fingers digging into the desk beneath them. "She used dark magic to elongate both Kagome and Izayoi's life."
Naraku looked at Kagome for a minute longer, then turned his gaze to Izayoi. When he looked back towards Kagome, he nodded his head. "Then you wouldn't mind a test, would you? I have something that once belonged to the Shikon Miko. You see, she was kidnapped, forced to kill and plunder. She left human villages desecrated, left demon one's annihilated. Such raw power, and she took comfort in something so small." Naraku reached into his robes, slowly pulling out a gold necklace. It swung in his hand, a hand carved heart hanging from the end of it. "Do you know this necklace, Kagome?"
Kagome's nails dug into Sesshomaru's hand. He could feel the emotional turmoil surge through her, feel as the despair nearly took her to her knees. "I…" Kagome swallowed thickly, then shook her head. "I am unsure. May I touch it?"
"Of course." Naraku handed it over, placing it in her palm. She ran her hand over it almost lovingly, tenderly. Naraku noticed this and leaned forward. "So? Is it yours?"
"No. It's not mine. It's a very beautiful piece though." Kagome held it back out, fingers tight around the necklace. Sesshomaru could feel her indecisiveness, her desire to keep the necklace. She didn't want to let it go, but when Naraku grabbed it, she did.
"Pity. It belonged to her mother." Naraku tucked the necklace away again, tsking. "You see, when she was kidnapped, she was stripped down naked and sold to the highest bidder. A demon bought her, kept her naked for years. Luckily for her, he detested human flesh. She remained undefiled. But she lost this necklace then, the only thing she had left of her mother. I wish to return it."
"The answer is no." Touga snapped, ending Naraku's tirade of memories that Kagome didn't want to go down. Memories that she had told no one. "I can't have the northern troops roaming over the Western lands without bringing fear to my people. They will think you are invading and worry for their future. I won't allow it. I will however offer a sort of agreement. Should I learn anything of the Shikon Miko, you will be the first to know."
"That is not what I hoped for, Touga." The air around Naraku turned dangerous, his eyes flashing, but then it all disappeared as quickly as it came. "However, I will accept what I can get. Perhaps you will allow me to visit a few months from now? We can discuss anything you may have found."
"Of course, Naraku." Touga nodded tensely. "Do you require rooms for the night?"
"No. Kagura and I will be on our way. We have someone else to meet after this. I plan to discuss the whereabouts of the Shikon Miko with Naoshi as well." Naraku offered with a smile, before turning on his heel and leaving. He stopped long enough to eye Kagome for a moment, then smiled at her. "Congratulations on your mating and your pregnancy."
"Thank you." Kagome whispered, still keeping herself together. Naraku looked at her for a minute longer, and then turned, leaving the room completely. The moment he was gone, Kagome let out a sob and Sesshomaru was forced to place his hand over her mouth to muffle her.
She was breaking down, barely able to hold it together, but Naraku was still lingering, waiting to hear if they said anything more, anything that he could use. Kagome grabbed Sesshomaru's arm, clinging onto him as she tried to keep her sobbing at bay. Her knees gave out, and he pulled her to him, Izayoi rubbing her back soothingly.
When they finally felt Naraku leave, Sesshomaru released Kagome's mouth, pulling her against him as she let loose everything that Naraku had brought up. The death of her parents, the kidnapping, the power in her that was trying to kill her. She sobbed hysterically, barely able to breath. Sesshomaru held her, rocked her, purred deep in his chest as he tried to calm her.
It took several moments before Touga finally sent for Miroku, who came rushing in moments later. When he saw Kagome as she was, he quickly ran over to her, and pressed two fingers on her neck. She passed out immediately, going limp in Sesshomaru's arms, and he pulled her up, holding her to him.
With her now calm, Touga looked around the room, his face strained. "We have a problem. A big one."
...
Why is it that men are babies when it comes to being sick? Seriously, I get sick and still have to keep up with the house and a sick toddler, but my husband gets sick and he takes off from work and doesn't leave the bed. Sigh. He's lucky I care. Hibiscus tea with mint and honey, plus chicken noodle soup for the entire household so we can knock this thing out. At least my daughter and I are on the tail end of it.
Anyway, on to the story. Naraku has revealed what he truly wants, and this is going to be a problem. Everyone was worried about Kagura, but she isn't a threat. Not really at least. Naraku and one other person will end up being at threat, and all of this comes back to what Kagome really is. Remember that challenge where i had everyone guess what she was? None one answered correctly, but I have a feeling you will all figure it out soon. lol I hope you all enjoyed.
