InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Taming the unruly ❯ chapter 29 ( Chapter 30 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Where was she? Could she die now? This bit was getting old, continually being brought to the edge of death but never actually getting there. She was tired. Her soul wanted to move on and it was so easy. All she had to do was sleep, just like the voice said. It's not like anyone would want her back.  

 

As the idea lingered, her limbs grew heavy. It was getting hard to keep her eyes open. "Just sleep," the voice whispered again. She took a deep breath, letting the air slowly escape her lungs. This was peaceful.  Darkness crept around the edges of her vision, the feeling of peace sapping the last of her energy. Finally.

 

The peace of death didn't last as bright light illuminated her darkened vision, a hand grabbing her wrist a brief moment later. What? Her lids flew open, a woman coming into view as her vision cleared. "Just in time," the woman breathed as she nestled a small bundle carefully in the crook of her arm. The bundle cooed. A baby? Her hand instantly went to her stomach. She wasn't pregnant. Where was her baby? She looked at the child in the woman's arm, was that...? 

 

"I'm sorry I took so long Ana." That voice was so familiar… "You're the voice I heard. The one that warned me about Naraku." The woman nodded, a smile touching her lips. "I'm Midoriko," the woman offered. Ana's eyes drifted to the child. "Had to find the little one as well. He's a fighter," the woman continued when she noticed her eyes drifting to the child. "Do you want to hold him?" 

 

A boy. She was having a boy! For a moment Ana just stood there. A part of her wanted to see her baby, but another part didn't. Was that bad? She didn't ask for him but at the same time she had carried him, formed a bond even. So what if it was Naraku's? 

 

"Ana?" She hadn't realized that she was crying. This was all so confusing. She wanted her baby. She wanted him to live. She would have raised him to be someone who defied the odds and didn't give a flying fuck about who his father was. "I want to hold him," she finally said with outstretched arms. "Before I give him to you promise me you will allow me to explain." She gave the woman a questioning look, "Ok," she replied unsure. With a nod Midoriko handed her her baby. 

 

For a moment Ana was confused. Then that confusion turned into anger and that anger into panic. "What have you done to my baby?!" Frightened by the outburst the child began to cry.  "Ana. You promised." She looked down on the crying child.  This wasn't right. He shouldn't look like this. She looked into those tear filled golden eyes. Was this how he would have looked if she and Sesshomaru…? "Please don't," she begged, handing back the crying child to the woman.  Midoriko shook her head, "He's yours Ana."  Her hands trembled as she fought to keep the child away from her. His wails tugged at her heart and all she wanted to do was soothe him, but he wasn't hers. "He can't be," she choked out, "please don't show me what could have been." 

 

The pain of hearing the child's wails finally broke her and she could do nothing but pull him close to her.  Her fingers trembled as she wiped away the tears from his striped, chubby cheeks, rocking the child back and forth in the effort that he would calm some. It did the trick, but he fussed some more when her own tears splattered on him. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asked solemnly. "I would not dream to harm you in such a way," was the answer she received.  "But, how?" A large part of her wanted to just accept it, to have been pregnant with Sesshomaru's baby. She couldn't, however. Naraku had raped her. He was the one who noticed she was pregnant. If this was really her mate’s child, why hadn't they realized she was pregnant?

 

"You must be confused." Confused?! More like distraught and it was more than evident in her features. Midoriko sighed, taking a seat on the ground, patting next to her. Ana accepted the invitation, too tired both emotionally and physically to refuse or argue. 

 

After a short moment of silence she began. "This may be a fairly long tale. Please be patient with me." Ana nodded. "When I was just a young priestess I was saved by the great dog demon...

                                                                     ooOoo 

Tree branches violently scraped against her limbs as she desperately tried to escape the demon behind her. Why must my abilities fail me now?! She yelped when she heard a roar behind her, ducking just in time to miss the sharp talons that split a large oak tree into pieces.Against her better judgement she looked back. The monster was less than ten yards away from her and closing in. She dodged to the side, diving through a few shrubs. That gave her enough time to widen the space between her and the demon since its momentum kept it in a straight line before it stopped and headed in her direction again. 

 

Her lungs were on fire, and if this didn't end soon she would surely be dead. The thickness of the forest came to a sudden end as a field came into view. Great, now she was wide open. The thing burst through a few moments after her. She turned to face the monster, its deep red eyes burrowing into her soul. Although she was scared to death she didn't move. Neither of them did for a long while until there was a sickening crunch. One minute the demon had a head and the next it was sliding away from its body, blood gushing out the wound. She stepped back on shaky legs, toppling to the ground.  For a while reality was distorted as the adrenaline flushed out of her system. That wasn't her doing. 

 

"Are you alright, human?" Oh no. She slowly lifted her head, neck craning as she looked up at the towering demon. An inu youkai, she quickly asserted. Royal at that. His silver hair swayed with the wind, the heavy set fur sitting atop his shoulders elegantly. If she was another person she would say he was handsome, but she knew better. "Answer me human."  She nodded dumbly, she was just too tired and knowing what she knew the great Inu daiyoukai was not one to mess with. She was too underprepared and undertrained. 'Choose your battles carefully,' her mentor once told her. 

 

"I thought a miko could finish a demon like that in seconds," he commented. He knew?! Well of course he knew. That species of demon had the nose of a bloodhound. "You must be new," he deduced. She did not say anything. It was bad enough that her abilities weren't cooperating, but now she had been saved by the thing she vowed to destroy. The daiyoukai turned to leave and before she knew it words spewed out of her mouth. "As a miko I cannot have my life in the hands of a demon." Why didn't she just let it go? Pride, no dignity, that's what it was. "Oh," was his first response, "And what, pray tell, will a human such as yourself be able to do to rectify this problem?" She couldn't think of anything. He chuckled. "Alright. Since you seem to be up for a challenge. I have a son. Some may say he is too stiff to be a child. If you can find him a friend, dare I say a mate, to balance out his personality… your life will be back in your hands. "I am not sure, but I can try my best to find him the thing that he would need the most." The demon looked at her, a deep chuckle rumbling his chest. "Alright. You intrigue me, human. " With that he leapt into the air and flew off.

 

                                 ooOoo 

“I met his son. He was most definitely what his father described him to be. Nothing was really said between us, but the encounter was awkward enough for me to know that what I signed up for was bigger than I could have imagined. I would have to find someone to match his tenacity,”     she chuckled, "I didn't expect it to be a human."  She finally looked back at her. "You know about the Shikon jewel. My soul got trapped. Well, not all of it. A small part was left wandering through time until I found you. I could finally complete the one thing that was keeping bound to this plane of existence, but it was not that simple." She looked terribly tired, something that she hadn't realized until now. "First of all, it had been centuries so I had no idea if Sesshomaru was still alive, second you were a child and one that was not from his culture. Things got worse with what happened to you, but then he came. He was not what I assumed, but he saved you and I thought that was it...until he left." 

 

Ana just listened, she wanted to know it all, hear the tale of all tales that was her life. "Then you were old enough and we ended up in Japan." She paused for a second before continuing. "The plan was simple, find Sesshomaru and get you two together. Since he saved you it was easy to assume that he was mature and didn't discriminate."

 

"But I fell in the well," Ana inserted, knowing what happened after. Midoriko nodded. "You have to believe me when I said I did everything to keep you safe. A large part of me knew you two were a perfect match. After seeing him and you together I had no doubt."

 

"But you are a miko." That statement gave the miko pause, a pregnant silence punctuating the air thereafter. Midoriko screwed her eyes shut before looking at her once more. She smiled, "I came to realize that demons aren't all bad." She didn't offer any more insight. It was just that simple. "When you became pregnant I was determined not to kill the child. I never meant to hurt you or anyone around you. When you got captured I knew I had to keep him safe. My miko signature covered his. If Naraku had found out he would have killed the child. Letting him believe it was his was the only way. I had to let go of the jewel I created in you to protect the child."

 

"I have a jewel?" She nodded. "I did it to protect your mind from what happened to you in your youth. It was the only thing I could think of at the time." The only thing Ana could do was look down at her baby. He was fast asleep, his long silver lashes brushing his cheek. "Can I get rid of it? The jewel. "

 

"It's tethered to my soul, so when I leave it will be gone." Ana looked at her, confused. What did she mean by that? Something was off, she hadn't realized that the woman was fading. "Wait? What's happening?" Midoriko smiled, "I have completed his request, my soul is free." 

 

"But how do I get out of here?" she asked the fading woman. "It's simple. Just wake up." What? "Wake up Ana." That wasn't the miko that time. The little one woke to the voice, a happy coo on his lips. "Please wake up, Ana." 

 

"Sesshomaru?" His voice echoed as he pleaded with her, then became distorted.  

 

Her eyes fluttered open. "Sesshomaru?"