Chapter 57
Naraku was furious. Touga had lied to him, hidden the Shikon Miko for over fifty years, and now she was mated to Sesshomaru, even had mutts with him. In the long run, it didn't really matter. Mated or not, babies or not, Naraku would still have her. She would be his and he would use her power.
Now he just had to get her, and that meant war. He was sure Touga would go to Kouga. They would team up, and Naraku would be left fighting against two armies. He wasn't naïve enough to think he would stand a chance. If he went against the Western and Eastern Lords alone, he would fall.
That was why he was in the South. Naoshi would be his only hope. Naraku was still furious with him, even more so than now. Naoshi somehow had a part in Kagura's death, he just knew it. That was the only way Naoshi would have come across Kagura's remains. She was dust, and the wind would have blown her away. That meant he found her almost immediately after her death. He would have watched and done nothing.
Naoshi was making a point, and Naraku heard it loud and clear. Naraku no longer controlled Naoshi. In truth, that terrified Naraku. Naoshi was a force to be reckoned with. He was death, created because of a spell and forced into the womb of an abused woman that didn't want him. That darkness created something sinister, and without Naraku's control, that malevolence was free to do what it wanted. If Naraku didn't gain back control, there would be no stopping Naoshi.
However, first Naraku needed Kagome at his side. It was the only way. She was the Shikon Miko. She was life, and the only one who could fight death. Without her, Naraku would never gain control over Naoshi. That wouldn't do.
All of this had been his plan. Naoshi in one of his hands, Kagome in the other. Naraku would be all powerful, having both life and death in his grasp. No one would be able to go against him. He would be the king of the world, and he would rule it all with his two weapons beside him.
That was why he needed Naoshi under his control, and Kagome at his side. First, he would go to Naoshi, convince him to fight in this war. Then, when he had Kagome in the palm of his hand, he would get Naoshi back under control. It wasn't his original plan, but in the end, he still ended up with everything he wanted.
Pushing through the palace doors, Naraku felt exactly where Naoshi was. Once more in the soul room, playing with the little balls of light that once used to be someone. Naraku watched him for a moment, a shiver of fear going down his spine.
Naoshi's mouth was open wide, the corners meeting his ears. His fangs were on full display, a long serpent-like tongue hanging from his mouth as he pushed two souls together. They fought, their existence supposed to be separated. It almost looked painful, but Naoshi didn't care, didn't stop until they melded into one.
He chuckled then, letting the new soul hover over his hand. "Two minds in one. The life they will live. It will be amusing to see. Will they adapt and overcome this new challenge, or will their minds break, leaving them deranged? We shall see." He pushed at the soul and it floated up and away, going to find its new host. "It is likely he will end up a murderer. How fun."
"Are you supposed to mess with soul's like that?" Naraku asked, shivering once again. This wasn't right, and he knew it. Naoshi was abusing his power, playing with people's lives, and that wasn't good. Naraku needed to get him back under control now more than ever.
"Hello, Father." Naoshi slowly turned his head towards him, his grin disappearing. His mouth once more looked normal, no longer split open. "Are you here to grieve sister's death?"
"I want you to tell me what happened. I know you were there." Naraku walked forward, stopping when Naoshi called on a soul, and presented it to Naraku.
"Have you ever eaten a soul? You should try it. It's tasty." Naoshi laughed, his mouth splitting once more, spittle flying over Naraku and causing him to growl. When Naraku didn't react, Naoshi calmed, pushing the soul to him. "Come on, father. You know this soul very well, after all. It's my dear sister."
Naraku's eyes widened, realizing Naoshi was holding the soul of Kagura. Naraku had never been a very good father, and Kagura annoyed more than she didn't, but this was his daughter, and he wasn't going to let Naoshi hurt her more than he already did. Slapping the back of Naoshi's hand, he sent the soul up and watched as it faded to be reborn.
"That was cruel." Naoshi purred, and Naraku stiffened. Naoshi was furious, but he was good at hiding it. Naraku raised him from a child, knew the tells and signs. Naraku would have to tread lightly from here on out.
"You watched Kagura be killed by Kagome. Is that how you learned she was the Shikon Miko? Or did you already know?" He needed to get Naoshi's mind on something other than Kagura's soul. A single tantrum could leave thousands dead. The last time Naoshi threw a fight, a plague ran through the lands. Naraku had learned how to avoid those tantrums over the years.
"She has been stealing my souls." Naoshi finally admitted, and Naraku wanted to throttle him. He knew all this time that Kagome was the Shikon Miko. He kept it from Naraku. It was infuriating. The Shikon Miko belonged to him, and everyone was trying to keep her from him. He wouldn't stand for it any longer.
"I went to Touga. Kagome killed my daughter, and he refused to pay my price for the life lost. I have declared war. It is no doubt that Touga will go to Kouga to fight in this war. I need your army, Naoshi. We need to march together. We take the West and the East, and we rule together. Kagome will be mine." Naraku stepped towards him, holding out his hand. "Will you join me?"
"With war comes death." Naoshi grinned, grabbing Naraku's hand. Their pact had been made and now they needed to plan. They would make sure that everyone would be killed. Everyone except for Kagome. She would be the sole survivor after this war.
…
"Give me." Touga practically snatched Kazu from Sesshomaru's arms, causing the others to laugh. He couldn't get enough of his grandchildren and was constantly holding at least one. The only one he held more was his own daughter.
Sesshomaru walked over to the cradle, seeing his sister looking up at him with amber eyes. He picked her up, setting her to his chest and purring. She loved pulling at his hair. He was sure all the babies enjoyed it. He didn't mind very much.
"Since we're trading babies." Kagome held out Miyuki to Sango and then took Sakura from her brother, smiling down at the baby and making cooing noises. Sakura smiled, arms up and flailing. InuYasha stood beside Kagome, looking up at Sakura with soft eyes. "It's a good thing you took after your mother and not your father. You're so pretty."
"We're twins, Kagome." Miroku deadpanned, and Kagome glared at him while the others laughed. They made a point of getting together often. With war right around the corner, they didn't want to miss a chance with the family. All of them would gather at least once a day and spend quality time together.
"How is the army coming?" Satori asked, sitting next to Izayoi. The two had grown closer and could call themselves friends. It was amazing just how forgiving Izayoi's heart was. She rivaled Kagome with her compassion.
"They are as prepared as they are going to get." Hiroshi shrugged, looking at his soul bonded, then up towards Touga. "They are on standby, ready at any moment. I have also received word to prepare bunkers for Kouga's army. He will be here within the week."
"And the patrols?" Touga didn't look up from his grandson. The babies were the light in all of this dark. They were surrounded by war, but when he held his daughter or grandchild, he could forget about it for a moment.
"There are three dozen patrols made up of five soldiers. They walk along the edges of our lands. We will know when Naraku makes a move." Hiroshi answered, then sighed. "There is also the problem of Naoshi."
"We don't know enough about him to form a plan." Kagome frowned, looking up at Sesshomaru who met her eyes. "But I feel like… I feel like he is the one we need to worry about. Not Naraku."
"You've never met him." Miroku reminded, and Kagome shrugged. It didn't matter that she never met him. She could feel it. There was something in her soul telling her that she needed to be wary of him. That they all needed to.
"I sent spies into the South to get an idea of what we are dealing with, but they never came back." Touga finally looked up from Kazu, his face grave. "At this point, they will not. They had to have been discovered and were killed. They were highly trained, and for them to be spotted… It does not bode well for us."
"How can we win?" Izayoi asked what they were all thinking. They were going in blind. They had two armies, but that didn't mean they were going to win. They had no idea what Naoshi had hidden under his belt.
There was a knock on the door, and Hiroshi opened it, revealing a soldier standing there with wide eyes. "There is… an army here. They say that they heard the call of their mage."
"That would be my army." Miroku stood, manifesting his staff from thin air. "This is how we beat Naoshi." Miroku led them all out, the group silent. Slowly they climbed up the shiro until they were on the top floor and standing on a balcony that looked over the training grounds.
Beneath then stood over a thousand miko's and monks, all of them bowing when they saw Miroku. He lifted his staff, and they stood with a shout, waiting for his next command. "I know I have called on you to fight in a demonic war. I know it is normally left out of your hands, but I ask that you fight for me anyway. Should we fail in this war, the aftermath following will affect more than just demons. This is for your future as much as it is for ours." His voice was loud and booming, the world seeming to fall silent for him. "These are my orders as your holy mage. Do not harm the demons from the West or the East. They are on our side. However, you have free range to purify as many demons from the South and the North that you want. Burn them to ash!"
The holy army lifted their hands and shouted out agreements, their excitement for killing demons palpable. Miroku lowered his staff, then turned back towards Touga. "This is how we kill Naoshi. He is a demon. That is all that matters."
"Can your army be trusted?" Touga frowned, once more looking over the balcony and at the monks and mikos who chatted excitedly about purifying his kind. "Demons are demons to them. Will they turn on us?"
"I will kill them if they do. They know this." Miroku's eyes hardened, and suddenly he wasn't the perverted monk they all knew. He was the battle hardened man that had lived through so many wars, he knew how to fight them. "Naoshi and Naraku have their secrets in this war. This is ours. This is our secret weapon. We will annihilate them."
...
Remember when I said Naoshi was the one we needed to worry about? Here is the first hit of just how dark his mind is. He is literally one of the most corrupted characters I have ever written before. This story has ten chapter's left. That's it. We are getting to the nitty gritty now. It is going to get really dark, but I promise there is a light at the tunnel. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Happy thanksgiving and see ya'll next time.
