"It hurts! It hurts! Please no!" Naomi cried out, tears cascading down her reddened cheeks.

Despite her cries, he pushed her against the tree, her back towards him. "Shut the hell up! I told you not to make a sound, didn't I?!" He hollered, shoving her face into the bark before separating her legs with his knee. With her upper body pressed against the tree, he positioned himself to enter her from behind, but before he could, a voice called out.

"Naomi! Where are you?!"

Satouru stilled. The voice sounded too close to his liking, and acting fast, he pulled away from the woman, grasping his trousers which he'd thrown into a bush before quickly dressing. With one last look behind him, he concealed himself behind the trees, listening for any signs of approach.

Hearing the voice, Naomi quickly reached for her kimono, and despite her tears still falling, she shakily dressed herself. The voice which had called out belonged to her friend Aiko, and not wanting her to see her like this, she wiped the tears from her face.

With her back held against the tree, Aiko placed a hand to her chest, her heart pounding wildly. If anything, she didn't want Naomi's torture to continue, and so she called out, despite her own fear. Satouru would pay for what he did, and she would see to it. Taking a deep breath, Aiko revealed herself. "There you are. I was looking for you. Lady Kaede was asking for you back in the village."

Sniffling, Naomi turned and forced a smile. "Oh, I see."

Aiko's hands clenched. The poor girl. She was a wreck, her face beyond red and her eyes just the same. "Is everything alright? Were you crying?" She asked, knowing full well Naomi wouldn't reveal the truth. In her situation, Aiko almost didn't blame her; most likely, she was mortified.

"I … was, but it's nothing really…"

It was definitely not nothing. With Satouru listening from behind the tree nearest them, Aiko merely nodded and reached for Naomi's hand. There was no way she was going to leave Naomi behind, despite what Satouru might do later. "Come on. We shouldn't keep her waiting."

Naomi followed after, hesitantly glancing behind. "What does Lady Kaede need from me?"

"She said she wanted you and I to help Kosuke with something. I'm not exactly sure what the specifics were, but she'll explain once we get back," Aiko lied, hoping Satouru heard every word as they distanced themselves.

As Aiko led her friend through the forest, following the dirt path along the way, she listened to her surroundings. It didn't sound like anyone was following them, and she was sure Satouru was probably 'busying' himself where they'd left him. After covering more distance, the sight of the village just ahead, Aiko stopped and released Naomi's hand.

"Aiko? What's wrong?"

The raven-haired woman turned, her eyes filled with worry. "Naomi … I saw what happened…"

Naomi paled, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I … I …"

It was difficult for her to fess up, and no wonder. When she saw her friend nearing tears once more, Aiko wrapped her arms around her, her friend shaking against her. "Let it out. It's alright. You're safe now. I won't let him touch you again, Naomi."

Mayoko knelt before a small cabinet, sliding the small screen open as she peered inside, her hands searching for a particular piece of cloth for her guest. "A cloth carrier for the child?"

Seated comfortably across from her, with Shippo held snug against her chest, rocking him back and forth, Kagome nodded. After finishing up the laundry and hanging it to dry, Mayoko had called for her by the lake; earlier, she and the older woman made plans, and she offered to help Kagome create a carrier which would provide more support for her child, rather than continue using the twig carrier beside her. "Yes. I'm sorry if I'm imposing…"

"Not at all. Give me just a moment. I'm sure I have extra cloth stashed away somewhere…" Mayoko replied, pulling out a few sewing needles and thread. After a moment, she finally found the cloth, rolled up and held it out to Kagome with a smile. "There we go. The color is a bit faded, but it should provide enough support to carry him."

Kagome accessed the light blue cloth, watching as Mayoko unraveled it from its cylindrical form, spreading it out until its length reached the other end of the hut. It was longer than it was wide, but in comparison to Shippo's size, it was perfect. "Are you certain you don't want it?"

"Please do not feel troubled. I have no need of it. It's what was left over from last year, but I'm not sure why I kept it for this long."

A soft noise escaped Shippo, his hands playing with Kagome's ebony locks, while his large emerald eyes peered around the room. Seeing this, both Mayoko and Kagome smiled, the young woman playfully touching the kit's nose as he kicked his feet happily.

"Shippo's never been here before, so he's taking it all in," Kagome laughed.

Mayoko nodded. It seemed the child had bonded quite nicely with Kagome, and in only a matter of three days. Most likely it was the case of imprinting, which generally meant the child recognized her as his mother upon first opening its eyes. "Raising a child is a lot of responsibility and being unmarried, it won't be easy, Kagome. Are you certain your ready for this?" She asked, a bit concerned. From her times spent with Kagome in the village, she knew the young girl was unwed and without children.

"I'll manage," She smiled. "After all, I helped my mother raise my baby brother long ago, even after my father's passing. It wasn't easy, but I learned a lot back then." It wasn't a lie that Kagome loved children. One day, she hoped to marry and possibly have a child of her own, but she wasn't sure if such a day would arrive so early. Still, it surprised her how fast Shippo arrived in her life, and she would cherish the child and raise him as her own for as long as she was allowed.

Satisfied with her response, and knowing Kagome would care for the child wonderfully, Mayoko smiled. "Well that's good to hear. Should I show you how to wrap the carrier?"

Looking away from Shippo, Kagome nodded. "Yes."

"Let us stand. You may lay Shippo on the floor for a short moment."

Understanding, she gently placed the him onto the floor, watching amusedly as his arms and legs kicked, his eyes staring curiously at the abandoned warmth from his mother. "It will only be a minute, honey."

Standing up, Mayoko instructed Kagome to lift her arms while she gathered the lengthy cloth. As she folded the cloth in half, she gingerly wrapped it around the young girl's petite waist, bringing the right end over her left shoulder and doing the same for the opposite end. Adjusting the crisscross pattern against Kagome's back, Mayoko stepped around her, pulling at the ends of the long lengths cascaded over her front shoulders until the makeshift sash around her waist was tight enough.

"Oh, I think I understand what you're doing now," Kagome exclaimed, scrutinizing the cloth.

Bending down, Mayoko reached for Shippo, a disgruntled cry escaping him, but when she placed him into Kagome arms, snuggled against her chest, he quieted down. "He's rather fond of you, Kagome."

She laughed. "It took Aiko an entire day for him to get used to her. He's such a mama's boy."

The older woman laughed at this. How true that was. "I'm almost done," She replied, pulling up the sash around Kagome's waist until it covered Shippo entirely, leaving only his small feet and head exposed. Satisfied the child was positioned inside comfortably, Mayoko took the excess cloth beneath Shippo and tucked it in. Tugging on the two long lengths lying over and down Kagome's front shoulders, the cloth secured around Shippo tightened a little more, and easily enough, she brought both ends of the lengths crisscrossed beneath Shippo's knees, wrapping them around Kagome's waist twice before double knotting them in the front.

The two lengths reached no further than her thighs, perfectly out of the way during chores. Lastly, she straightened up the cloth around Kagome's shoulders, bringing the excess ends in on both sides before enclosing Shippo into a secure cocoon against Kagome's chest. "It's finished. What do you think?"

Kagome marveled at the sight, hesitantly removing her arms around Shippo before smiling elatedly. "Perfect! This will definitely make things much easier for me. Thank you Mayoko."

She only nodded, sitting down once more on her knees, followed after by the young girl. "It might take a few tries to get used to, but I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. Should you want any alterations done to it, feel free to ask me now. I'm afraid there won't be any other time to do so."

Kagome blinked. There wouldn't be another time to do so? "What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes," She replied, a somewhat dismal smile creeping across her face. "I'm afraid my husband and I will be leaving tomorrow morning. Since the recent attacks and shortage of food, it's been difficult for us, including everyone in the village. Even if the fields are blossoming with new harvests, I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer…"

A saddened look graced Kagome's countenance. How awful, and just when she and Mayoko were getting along nicely. Though she didn't want the older woman and her husband to leave, she understood their reasoning. Would the other villagers leave as well? "Where will you go?"

"West," She replied. "Towards the coasts of a fishing village. It's about a two week walk from here, and Lady Kaede has been kind enough to give us a horse for our travel."

"I see…"

Mayoko touched her stomach gently, a faint smile lighting upon her countenance. "Most of all, Daisuke and I need to think about what's best for our child."

After finding a comfortable spot beneath a tree inside the village, far away from any ears, Aiko turned to Naomi, her knees pressed against her chest. Naomi's tears had finally stopped, and it seemed she'd calm down a little bit, but her eyes kept warily searching her surroundings, as if fearing Satouru would eavesdrop and attack her. "How long has he been doing this?"

Naomi looked down shamefully. "Three days…"

"That long? Why haven't you told anyone? Did he threaten you?" Aiko asked, doing her best not to raise her voice, as much as she wanted to.

She nodded. "If I told anyone, he said he'd go after you and Kagome. I was too scared…"

When would that jerk stop? Not only had he tried to force himself on Kagome, but now Naomi? Who was next? Her? "Even if he threatened you, you don't need to feed into his desires, Naomi. We should go directly to Lady Kaede and tell her what he's been doing," She replied, moving to stand up, but she fell back in surprise as Naomi grabbed her wrist.

"No please don't!"

"Naomi?"

"Please don't tell anyone!" She pleaded, rubbing the palms of her hands together before her. "Even if you tell her, he won't stop. It doesn't matter what kind of punishment he receives, he won't stop," She explained, hugging her knees close to her chest, her shoulders trembling. "He'll come after me, and he'll kill me. What's worse … he'll probably go after you next."

"The only punishment he'll receive is a death one," Aiko countered back. "He won't even get close enough to try and force me or anyone into anything!"

Naomi shook her head. "Lady Kaede has never punished anyone so severely in our village. If anything, a simple banishment will likely occur…"

"And even so, he won't be allowed to step foot into the village," Aiko reassured, noticing the tears fall from her eyes. "Naomi, it'll be alright. I'm here for you and so is Kagome. Satouru will be stupid to try anything afterwards."

"He … mentioned Shippo…"

Brown eyes widened suddenly. Shippo? Aiko glared. "What about Shippo?"

"He … he said he would go after Shippo most of all. That a demon didn't belong in the village," Naomi replied, turning to Aiko worryingly. "He'll do it Aiko. He'll go after Shippo. I'm sure of it. So please, don't say anything, at least not yet…"

"Naomi. We can't keep this a secret. I don't want Satouru attacking you again. No, I'm not going to let it happen."

"Give me two days … please, just three days?"

Aiko shook her head. "No Naomi. Anything could happen within that timeframe."

"Then … tomorrow. Give me until tomorrow, please?"

Seeing as how her friend was scared to death, and willing to confess Satouru's actions in the morning, Aiko allowed it. Perhaps waiting until tomorrow would be better, especially considering Naomi would likely feel a lot more calm and comfortable than she was this moment. "Fine. But first thing in the morning we're going directly to Lady Kaede. And you'll be sleeping in my hut tonight."

Thankful for this, Naomi hugged her. "Thank you."

Aiko returned the hug, holding her friend tightly against her. "I'll make sure that bastard doesn't come near you."

Half an hour went by after the unexpected interruption, and believing it was safe to come out of hiding, Satouru did so. He trudged his way back to the village, his trousers tight against his nether regions, and a scowl ever plastered upon his face. That Aiko bitch had shown up at a rather inconvenient time, and if he'd been any later, she'd have caught him on the spot. "The conniving wench…"

As he made his way down the path, his eyes taking in the sight of Yuuta and Kosuke working on the foundations for one of the huts, he turned his sights towards Lady Kaede's hut, the old woman likely inside resting. No one was looking at him accusingly, so he assumed nothing must have happened.

"Awe, he's so cute!" Aiko's voice called out, halting Satouru in his tracks almost immediately.

Satouru's eyes fell upon the three girls, including Kagome and her demon child, both Naomi and Aiko gathered around her giggling at the child. He felt his eye twitch at the scene. Weren't Naomi and Aiko supposed to be visiting Kaede? Why were they aweing at such a disgusting sight?

"Isn't it adorable?" Kagome's voice replied, smiling at the small child wrapped in the cloth carrier in front of her chest.

"Look at his legs go!" Aiko teased, laughing at the little Kitsune.

Satouru clenched his jaw at the sight. 'Giggle all you want, but your fun and games won't last for long…' Just looking at them pissed him off, and with every intention to walk over and grab the child from Kagome, Satouru held back. No. Now wasn't the time. There were far too many eyes watching. He felt the stare of Daisuke out in the fields, and without even having to look in his peripheral vision, he knew he was watching. Even that beast Yuuta kept looking in his general direction, so much so, he wanted to simply lunge at them.

"Satouru…"

Blinking, he half turned, noticing Makoto and Toshiro behind him, two young men whom he once considered his close friends. Satouru regarded them, eyeing and sensing their hesitance before him. The last he'd spoken with either of them was well over a month ago. Although he never heard them, he knew they were whispering behind his back, especially after the events which transpired previously regarding their deceased friend.

An awkward silence fell between the three. Satouru regarded them coldly, his dark eyes noticing their obvious hesitation and fear, but he didn't say anything; in fact, he waited, calmly.

Toshiro released a breath. "Really, of all things … why did it have to come to this?" He asked, not really to Satouru, but mainly to himself. He sought clarification and answers, almost every day, but he never received anything but a cold heavy silence. "It's been days now, since Mitsuki's death. I still can't believe he's gone…"

Understanding their lament, Satouru slowly nodded. "I feel the same…"

Makoto looked away, his hands clenching. There was something on his mind, something which turned his angered stare towards Satouru. "He didn't have to die, Satouru. We could have saved him…"

"Makoto!" Toshiro scorned, grasping his shoulder to pull him away. "This wasn't what we talked about…"

Makoto shrugged him away. "No. I'm not going to keep silent any longer, Toshiro. About what happened to Mitsuki, I'm not going to let it go." He turned his vengeful eyes towards Satouru, the suspect responsible for killing his friend. "Why? Why did you do it? We were right there, we could have brought him back to Lady Kaede."

Satouru nodded, withholding his resentment, at least for the moment. "I understand your anger … but there was no saving him. You saw the extent of his injury…"

"But he was still alive, Satouru," Makoto pressed.

"In a state of shock, yes, he was," Satouru countered. "The bird ripped his arm clean from his socket, Makoto, and it would return to finish what was left of him. How could I let Mitsuki endure such a fate? So, I did what I felt necessary. Not even our High Priestess could have saved him."

Makoto's shoulders trembled, his fists clenching and unclenching. He remembered that day, the day Satouru held no remorse for his actions. The day he plunged his scythe into Mitsuki's skull, despite their protests. Satouru murdered him. How could he simply forgive that?

Noticing his resentment, Satouru sighed. "It couldn't be helped. I didn't want him to suffer. There wasn't much time to think in the situation we were all in. I ended it for him as quick as I could. You can think of me as a murderer, but I saved him. At least his death was more tolerable than Suki's. You remember how that demon tore her in half, ate her insides, while she was still conscious?"

They nodded, recalling the horrific scene. How could they forget?

Toshiro sighed. "We're sorry Satouru, but this entire situation … it's really affected us," He replied. "I mean, I would rather live on, knowing there was a chance, you know? Regardless if I lost an arm or a leg … I wouldn't want my friend to kill me…"

"This is a mess," Makoto replied, his eyes looking elsewhere but at Satouru for the moment.

"We don't hate you, Satouru," Toshiro began. "but we're a bit concerned … We think it would be best if you left that woman alone as well."

His eyes dangerously narrowed. Woman? Which one? Were they referring to Naomi? Did they know? "Who…"

Makoto almost snapped at the very question. "Who do you think? Kagome!" He replied, making sure his voice wasn't loud enough for the young girls to hear. "We're not blind, Satouru. We see you glaring at her every single day."

Toshiro nodded, noticing Satouru's shoulders become less tense all of a sudden. "I mean … before it wasn't an issue. We could put up with you pushing her around but it's gotten worse, especially after we found out you tried to rape her in the woods…"

Makoto nodded. "We never expected you to go that far. We understood you hated her … but it seems your obsession with her has gotten out of hand, Satouru."

"Obsession?" Satouru growled.

Toshiro nodded. "Listen, why don't you just accept the girl?"

"I'm not obsessed," He replied, lifting his jaw high at such an absurd accusation. "I simply do not want her in this village…"

This caused Makoto to shake his head. "I don't think Lady Kaede will kick her out any time soon, especially after the girl saved our village, not just once, but twice."

"We might have distrusted Kagome in the past, but she's earned our respect," Toshiro replied. "Our High Priestess favors the girl, there's no doubt about it. There's a rumor going around that she might become our second priestess. Surely that's great news, were it to happen."

Despite Toshiro's attempt to uplift the conversation, Satouru merely growled. "So, you're siding with the wench?" He questioned, taking an intimidating step towards them. "The girl was shameful enough to bring a demon into our village, and you have hopes she'll become the next priestess? Tell me, have you never heard anything so absurd?" He didn't expect an answer right away, their troubled stares shifting away awkwardly. "This goes against the law. Were it found out, do you know the consequences our village will undergo? Immediate death," He answered. "But I'm not going to let that happen. That demon needs to—"

"Enough, Satouru," Makoto replied, sternly glowering at Satouru. The very mentioning of the child irked him, and he had a feeling if he wasn't stopped now, something terrible would escalate. "Enough. If you keep this up … then we can't be with you. We don't want this anymore."

Toshiro nodded, his arms crossed and his expression solemn. "I think, having Kagome here might help our village. Sure, we might not fully agree with her decisions, but if our High Priestess trusts her, then so will we."

"We didn't tell Lady Kaede what really happened that day, with Mitsuki," Makoto replied. "But I'm beginning to regret that decision…"

"So, you plan to rat me out? After a month of keeping it secret? Go ahead, you'll also receive punishment," Satouru seethed.

A disappointed look crossed Toshiro's countenance as Makoto stalked off. They hadn't intended to upset Satouru, and only wanted to resolve the awkward tension surrounding them. Before turning his back fully to Satouru, he muttered one more thing. "Sorry, Satouru. You're on your own now…"

And like that, they were gone, leaving him standing in a fluster of internal rage. Obsessed? Accept the woman? In only a short amount of time, the wench not only bewitched the village, including the old hag herself, but she also brought in a demon, and now, the people trusted her. It didn't make sense. It was preposterous. Absurd. Immoral thinking!

Satouru's glare shifted towards the three girls, his eyes falling upon the short-haired woman. When he caught her eye, he nodded in his direction, wanting to finish up their earlier rut, but to his surprise, she stuck close to Aiko, turning her gaze away as she focused on Kagome, Mayoko and the baby. What? The bitch ignored him? 'You fucking bitch, if I call for you, you come! How dare you feign ignorance!'

He was seething. Everything about this morning pissed him off. Not only had Aiko interfered in the forest, and Toshiro and Makoto interrogating him, but now this? Naomi would regret such a foolish mistake.

After looking over the foundations for the huts, thanks to Yuuta's assistance, Kosuke urged the oxen through the village in hopes of retrieving more wood from the forest. The animal stalked down the dirt path of the village, kicking up dust as they conversed in light conversation. To their misfortune, the cart beneath them shifted, its weight falling lopsided as he and Yuuta bumped shoulders.

Kosuke cursed, pulling on the reins before jumping from his seat to access the damage. It was no mystery as to what happened; the wheel flew off again, the blasted thing. "There's just no fixing this wheel. For some reason it always flies off."

Still positioned in the seat, Yuuta's eyes followed the wheel, the contraption rolling towards the direction of a lone individual with his back facing him and Kosuke. Recognizing the man from his backside, Yuuta hollered out. "Satouru!"

At the name, Kosuke looked over, noticing Satouru standing a short distance away, the wheel lying against his foot unknowingly.

He turned, his smoldering glare acknowledging the two men behind him, Yuuta leaping from the cart and Kosuke calling out. Noticing Kosuke point towards his feet, Satouru's gaze shifted down, a small brow arched as he regarded the beat-up wheel.

"Do you mind giving us a hand? The wheel popped off again," Kosuke replied, unaware of the irritation surrounding Satouru.

Somewhat grudgingly, he reached down and grasped the frame of the wheel, approaching the two with long strides. As he stepped around the cart, bending down as Kosuke and Yuuta lifted from the back, Satouru eased the wheel in place, retrieving a wooden hammer from Yuuta before hammering at the wheel.

"We never expected you to go that far. We understood you hated her … but it seems your obsession with her has gotten out of hand, Satouru."

"We might have distrusted Kagome in the past, but she's earned our respect," Toshiro replied. "Our High Priestess favors the girl, there's no doubt about it. There's a rumor going around that she might become our second priestess. Surely that's great news, were it to happen."

Satouru paused, his eye twitching in recollection of their words. There was no way he would let that happen. The wench could burn for all he cared. If he couldn't go after her directly, then he'd resort to a different tactic, one which would secure the safety of the villagers, including himself.

"Satouru?"

Realizing Kosuke was calling his attention, Satouru pulled away from his thoughts, shaking his head lightly. "Got lost in thought…" Was his explanation.

"I noticed. You feeling alright? You look a little pale," Kosuke replied, noticing the bags beneath Satouru's eyes, his complexion paler than he remembered.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? If you don't feel well, you should see Lady Kae—"

"I said I'm fine! Fuck!" Satouru growled, immediately regaining his standing before stalking away, leaving Kosuke and Yuuta staring at his retreat with worried and suspicious confusion.