Chapter 43
Sesshomaru leaned against the fence, watching as Kagome and Alastar trotted around the pasture, his gait easy, as if he knew Kagome was pregnant and delicate. Of course, she wasn't as delicate as a normal human. Her reiki protected her and their child from things normal humans would have to be wary of. Riding a horse was one of them.
Sango was livid when she discovered that Kagome could still ride while she couldn't. That had resulted in a hormonal tantrum that had Miroku running for shelter. Sango's emotions were unstable during her pregnancy. She was six months along and easily agitated. One moment she would be happy, the next, she would be fuming and throwing anything she could get her hands on. Needless to say, there were times that Miroku suddenly went missing while the others tried to calm an outraged Sango. The damned monk.
Izayoi was the complete opposite. She cried at the drop of a hat. Touga was far better than Miroku, already having been through it twice before. He soothed her with a smile on his face, finding the entire thing adorable. Miroku was angry at Touga for getting the "easy" one, but he never said that loud enough for Sango to hear. He was sure he wouldn't be alive if he did.
Kagome was almost done with her first trimester. She was three months along, and so far, she hadn't developed a single symptom. No nausea, no emotional outburst, absolutely nothing. If it hadn't been the change in her scent, Sesshomaru would question if she was actually pregnant. He didn't know if he was happy that he didn't have to worry about a possible angry or crying outburst, or if he felt cheated because he didn't have to go through it. In the end, he was just glad she and the child were healthy.
Sesshomaru looked down at the two little bodies sitting beside him. InuYasha and Hana. InuYasha was leaning his back against Sesshomaru's side, brushing out Hana's fur as she laid down in front of the hanyou. The little filly and hanyou had become inseparable. Whenever InuYasha came around, Nakoa would sneak off for a moment to herself. Hana was a handful. She was hyper and curious. A deadly combination for a parent.
"You are doing well with her." Sesshomaru had noticed something was bothering InuYasha. He had spent all morning with InuYasha and Kagome. They had trained InuYasha with the sword, then Kagome took over with any medical training. Afterword, they all came here to see the horses. All morning InuYasha had been quiet. It was something Touga had noticed a few days ago, and he had asked Sesshomaru and Kagome to see if they could discover what was wrong.
"Thanks." InuYasha muttered with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't turn to look at Sesshomaru, much like he had been all day. It was as if InuYasha was upset with the entire world. Like it had wronged him somehow.
"You are angry." Sesshomaru moved his gaze back to Kagome, keeping an eye on her and Alastar. They still trotted easily around the pasture, Kagome laughing as Alastar played in happiness. When InuYasha didn't say anything, Sesshomaru furrowed his brows. "Anger is easy. Holding on to it takes little effort. If anything, the anger will hold onto you. However, if you are not careful, it will consume you."
Sesshomaru flicked his eyes towards InuYasha, seeing his brother was listening. He had stopped brushing Hana's fur, his fingers picking at the bristles of the brush while his ears laid flat on his head. Looking up to the sky, Sesshomaru sighed. "I know the feeling. Being angry was easy, and I held onto mine for a very long time. In truth, I was a coward. I didn't want to face what my thoughts and emotions were telling me, so I clung to the one thing that made sense. I let my anger rule me, and because of that, I made terrible mistakes."
"When you hurt Gome?" InuYasha looked up at him finally, his little face contemplative. Sesshomaru gave him a nod, and InuYasha looked away once more.
"Kagome was the driving force that helped me let go of that anger. Without her forgiveness…" Sesshomaru looked down at his claws, then fisted them tightly. It didn't matter. Kagome was there now, his mate, the mother of his child and any others they will have. She was his future, the very thing that kept him grounded. "What troubles you, InuYasha? It is okay to be angry about something, but don't let it control you."
"Everyone is having babies." InuYasha spat, and Sesshomaru looked at him surprised. That had not been what Sesshomaru expected InuYasha to say. The hanyou threw the brush over Hana, making sure he didn't hit her, and it landed on the ground harshly, bouncing away and breaking into two pieces.
"You and Kagome, Sango… mom." InuYasha balled his little hands into fist, still keeping his eyes on the ground. "You are all going to forget about me!"
Sesshomaru tried to imagine being in InuYasha's shoes. For so long, he had been the only child. InuYasha was over fifty years old, but he was still just a little child. He was used to being the only one around that demanded attention. It was going to be a change for him, especially since there were going to be three babies born within a three month span. "Things will change. I will not lie to you, InuYasha. Newborns and infants require a lot of attention. They need constant care, and are completely dependent on their parents. All of our time will be monopolized." Patting InuYasha's head, Sesshomaru looked down at the hanyou. "However, you are not so easily forgotten. As I said, things will change, but your mother and our father will still love you. They will still be there for your every need. Kagome and I will still be here as well. We will still train you, spend time with you. The same goes for Sango and Miroku. You are family, InuYasha. We will not discard you."
"Really?" InuYasha asked, his voice soft and quiet.
"How could you think that?" Kagome walked up to them, eyes watery. She had heard everything, InuYasha's fears and worries. It upset her. Sesshomaru could feel it through their bond. Falling to her knees in front of InuYasha, she gripped his cheeks and pulled him forward to kiss his forehead. "I have been there since you were born InuYasha. I have been there through diapers and tantrums. I've never left your side. Why would you think I would now? My heart is big enough to love you and any children I have with Sesshomaru. So, don't ever think I'll forget about you." Pushing him back, she looked down into his face, smiling brightly. "You're my little Yasha. Don't ever forget that." Her smile was soft and full of love as she spoke.
She hugged him into her chest, and his arms wrapped around her, holding onto her tightly. InuYasha seemed to have been calmed of his fears, and now he took the comfort she offered. Sesshomaru made a mental note to speak to his father about this. While InuYasha had been reassured by Sesshomaru and Kagome, he would need to hear it from Touga and Izayoi as well.
"I know." Kagome sat back on her heels suddenly, grinning mischievously. "Why don't we go prank Miroku? Sesshomaru will help us." Sesshomaru went to argue that he had no desire to play petty games, but when InuYasha jumped up, laughing and excited, he gave in. Just this once he assumed he could ruin Miroku's day.
…
Naoshi walked through his halls, eyes narrowed in fury. With each step that he took, dark flames, black as night, surged from his feet. They didn't leave a single mark on the floor, but if one stepped too close, they would die instantly. A second of pure agony before they succumbed to death. Any servant that saw him coming scurried away, not wanting to be anywhere near him while he was in even more of a foul mood than normal.
Marching up towards a heavy wooden door, he slammed it open, the sound echoing around the room. He took a moment to look around, eyes lingering on the blue orbs hovering throughout the room. Thousands of them, all just sitting there lost and alone. The way Naoshi liked it.
When he stepped into the room, the door behind him closed automatically, locking shut. Inside his guests waited on him, but he paid them no mind. They were uninvited and he had more pressing concerns to worry about.
The sight of a blue orb, translucent and waning caught his attention. He walked up to it, watching as it slowly began to brighten until it was full and shivering in fear. It was a newly departed soul. Someone had just died, and like always, their souls came here. Exactly how it was supposed to be. He decided what happened with the soul after it departed the body. It was his job.
Reaching up, he ran gentle fingers over the orb, soothing it. When it calmed, he grinned, his smile splitting until his grin literally went from ear to ear. Mouth opening wide, saliva dripping from his elongated fangs, he sucked the fresh orb in, snapping his jaws down on it. He tasted the life that the orb held, the spiciness of taint. The soul had not been good in life. He preferred the sweet taste of innocence, but spicy was his second favorite.
With the soul swallowed, his long snake-like tongue slipped out, licking over his lips, making sure he got any residue from the soul that may have slipped out. He wouldn't waste any of it. Red eyes looked up, finally acknowledging the guests that had been standing there silently. "Naraku. Kagura."
"Naoshi." Naraku scowled at him, but Naoshi waved him off, turning his attention to the trembling female standing across from Naraku and Kagura.
"Tell me what happened." He ordered, his voice calm and cool. He was raging inside, but he would keep that hidden. At least until it was time to unleash it.
"I don't know. But there were supposed to be two souls coming to you. A mother and child. Somehow, at the last second, another soul interfered and all three escaped." The woman gulped audibly, holding out a scroll with all of the charted souls that had been collected. There was a small list in the corner. The number of souls that had miraculously escaped death. "We have looked into everything, but because we don't know exactly who the soul belongs to, we can't track who it is that is stealing the souls."
"So, you know nothing. The souls of the passing belong to me, and yet, you continue to let someone steal them away." Naoshi's red eyes sparked, his short pure white hair beginning to stand on end as his anger rose. "Then of what use are you? Perhaps you are better suited as a meal?"
"No! Please!" The woman screeched suddenly, and Naoshi opened his large mouth once more, biting her entire head off in one large gulp. Blood sprayed over him and the floor, his throat stretching as he swallowed the demonesses head without chewing. When the body thudded to the ground, he made short work of it, picking it up, and stretching his mouth around the dead woman like a snake would its prey. His body stretched and conformed to take down his food, leaving him with a slight bulge in his stomach as he licked his fingers clean of the blood.
Swiveling towards Naraku, Naoshi looked at Kagura, eyes narrowing. His tongue came out as he smirked, licking away the blood that had splattered against him. "I want between her legs." His tongue moved suggestively before it slithered back into his mouth. Kagura shivered in fear, and he grinned, wanting her that much more.
"No. You know that is not proper." Naraku approached Naoshi, no fear at all. Naraku was the only one that felt no fear towards Naoshi. The only one that could get away with it. "I want to speak to you about the Shikon Miko, Naoshi."
"Your obsession is of no concern of mine." Naoshi turned on his heel, a single finger touching random souls, sending them back out to be reborn. "Someone is stealing my souls. That is more important."
"You know souls, Naoshi. You can tell me if she is alive." Naraku pushed, grabbing Naoshi's shoulder and twirling him around.
"That is not how souls work, Naraku. You know this." Grabbing a soul roughly, Naoshi looked it over. His tongue slipped out to lick at it, his body shuddering at just how spicy this was. "This soul liked to rape little girls before he killed them. But I do not know the identity he held. After all, each life of the soul changes. It is reincarnation." Grabbing a second, much smaller soul, Naoshi licked it as well, practically groaning. "So sweet. This is the other soul's latest victim. So young." He pushed both of them, watching as they disappeared from view. "They will be reborn. Perhaps they will meet again in their next life." With a laugh, Naoshi turned on his heel, going through souls again. He randomly picked those that got reborn, and those that he ate. "I cannot pick a soul and know it was the Shikon Miko. Souls do not carry their identities into death, just their inner being, their consciousness. No soul has a name until it is born, and when that body dies, the soul is once again nameless."
Naoshi looked back at Naraku seeing the Northern lord grind his teeth together. "There is also this. I have no contact with a soul until the body dies. If she is alive, her soul would not be here." Naoshi turned back to his job, separating the souls and filling his belly. "Now go, before I take your daughter from you and force my cock inside her." Naoshi didn't look back, but he heard as Naraku left. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the souls in the room. If one person was able to steal his souls, it would be the Shikon Miko. However, that wasn't information he was going to share with Naraku. If the Shikon Miko was stealing his souls, she would meet death first hand.
...
Ya'll got lucky. I can't remember how many reviews I had before I posted the last chapter. So here you go, a new chapter. lol. We finally get to meet Naoshi, and he is no good. No good at all. Between Naoshi and Naraku, there is a lot coming their way. Everybody better be prepared.
