InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Call of Life and Death ❯ Chapter 7: Passions of the Body and Soul ( Chapter 7 )

A/N: Well, here we are again, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you to my Beta readers, Kaz Black_Phoenix, and Tyrael, who always do a wonderful job. Also, thank you to everyone who is reviewing. I really appreciate the feed back, and frequently you'll find your suggestions in my chapters. A warning though, this chapter does make reference to sexual relations, but it does not graphically explain them. Now, on with the story.

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The Call of Life and Death

Chapter 7:Passions of the Body and Soul

They found shelter in a small hut on the roadside; it was obvious that the shack was meant to be used by travelers, though they were the only ones currently in residence. The stack of firewood was rather depleted, so Miroku had gone out to gather some before the ominous clouds above opened up and released the storm they were holding.

As he picked up another fallen branch, Miroku felt a couple of drops of moisture land on the back of his neck. Adding the branch to the pile already in his arms, he sighed and made his way back to the hut. Pushing the door open quietly, he found Sango kneeling with her back to the door.

She was bent over, blowing on the small fire she had going. This position caused her kimono to be pulled tight across certain curves, giving Miroku a view that caused his hand to twitch forward to caress them. Instead, he pulled it back and loudly cleared his throat to alert her to his presence.

As soon as she heard him, she straightened and spun to face him, her cheeks reddening slightly. "How long have you been standing there?" she demanded suspiciously.

Ignoring her question, he stepped into the hut and closed the door. "I collected as much firewood as I could before the storm broke." Then, almost as if on cue, there was the rumble of thunder, and the sound of large drops landing on the roof. "It should be enough to last the night, and maybe enough to cook on in the morning."

He dropped the wood he was carrying in a stack near the fire, and sat down on the floor next to Sango. She immediately moved so the fire was between them, eyeing him like a dog she thought might be rabid. He sighed and rummaged through his travel pack for a roll to eat.

~*~

A baby's cry shattered the silence, and Inu Yasha opened his eyes. The sight of a familiar ceiling met them, and caused him a great deal of confusion.

I know that ceiling, but from where? Sitting up, he found that he had been lying in a bed, and glanced around. I know this place. This is my parent's old room. What the hell am I doing here?

`You live here stupid, where the hell else would you be?'

But the village, and-

His argument with himself was interrupted by an all too familiar voice, "It's your turn, Inu Yasha. I checked on the baby last time."

"Ki-Kikyo?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"What's wrong, Inu Yasha?" the woman lying next to him asked groggily.

"But you're, and I'm, and…" he sputtered.

"But what?" she asked, irritation creeping into her voice, "Just go see what the baby needs."

Shaking his head, the hanyou took a deep breath and got out of bed. Following the sound of the baby's cries, he navigated the dark room, managing to crack his shins on every piece of furniture he could, quietly cursing each time. When he arrived at the cradle, on the other side of the room, he reached in and hesitantly pulled the crying infant out. It was a little boy.

He had his father's golden eyes, glowing slightly in the darkness, and his father's sliver hair. As he picked the child up, Inu Yasha could feel tiny claws, barely able to draw blood, dig into his arms. Shifting the boy, he held him in the crook of his arm, and gently rocked him.

The little one's claws pulled out of his father's arms, and Inu Yasha was surprised to find his own chest rumbling in a soothing manner. Am I purring? I didn't know I could do that. He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt hands on his shoulders and a woman's body pressing against his back.

"He takes after his father," Kikyo said from behind him.

"Yeah, but Lia has her mother's kind heart," he replied automatically. Where the hell did that come from? Who's Lia? Kikyo's kind heart? But she killed me, and-

"Here, let me take him," she instructed, reaching for his son. He turned away, and growled slightly at her. Pulling her hands back, she allowed worry to wash over her features. "What's wrong? Inu Yasha, you, you're scaring me."

Before he could reply, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of a door crashing to the ground. Scenting the air, he found it heavily laced with Kikyo's worry, fear, death, and unadulterated hate. Handing the child to its mother, Inu Yasha looked around their room.

"What's wrong now?"

"There's someone in the castle; someone not friendly. Where the hell is my sword?" he demanded.

"Your sword? Inu Yasha, you don't have a sword."

"The Tetsusaiga woman, where is it?" he shouted, grabbing her arms.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Let go, Inu Yasha, you're hurting me and frightening the baby!"

Releasing her arms, he turned to face the door. "Stay here, Kikyo, and keep the boy quiet. I'm going to go get Lia and bring her back here." With that said, he slipped out of the door noiselessly.

He crept along the wall of the corridor, and stopped as he reached the door to his old room. This isn't the right one; this is to be the boy's room. He thought to himself. The next one, Sesshomaru's old room, that's where the girl will be.

When he reached the room in question, he reached his hand out for the door knob, and froze as he noticed it was slightly ajar. Sniffing the air, he could smell that there was someone else in the room with Lia.

The scent was strangely familiar; it was almost his scent, only more powerful, stronger smelling. His blood ran cold as he matched a face to the scent. Sesshomaru!

He couldn't tell if his half brother's flunky was anywhere nearby, but he wasn't worried about it. Kikyo is more then a match for that little freak. Hell, Kagome can beat him up with out a problem. Kagome, who's Kagome?

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and turned to go back to the room he shared with Kikyo, sure that if Sesshomaru was going to harm or kill Lia, he would have already done so. Before he could take a step, his brother's voice halted him.

"I know you're out there Inu Yasha. I think you should come in and join us for a little chat." Inu Yasha's heart almost stopped when he heard the icy tone of Sesshomaru's voice.

Pushing the door open, he stepped from the dark of the hallway, into the relative bright of the lamp lit room, causing him to squint. When his eyes had adjusted, they fell upon a more horrifying sight. Sesshomaru was sitting on the room's only bed, with a small girl of about three or four sitting on his lap. He held her hands in her lap with one hand, while the other held her jaw, with the index and middle fingers pressed against her neck.

"That's close enough, brother," the full demon said, spitting the last word out as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"If you hurt her, you sick bastard…," the half demon growled at the intruder.

"Really, Inu Yasha, such language in front of a child," Sesshomaru scolded.

At mention of the child, Inu Yasha studied her a little more closely. Her long black hair was slightly rumpled, and her two triangular ears were pressed flat against the top of her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her chest was rising and falling very quickly. A low whining sound was coming from her throat, causing the hairs on the back of Inu Yasha's neck to rise. When she opened her tear filled blue eyes, he felt his heart lurch.

As he saw them a whole lifetime of memories crashed on him. He could remember what a surprise her eyes had been. Neither he nor Kikyo had blue eyes, and they were so unusual. He remembered his wedding, and his bride…Kikyo. How the Shikon had failed to turn him human. Kikyo wasn't happy about that, but she came around eventually.

He shook his head, trying to clear these new, conflicting memories from his mind. I still remember the arrow piercing my chest, pinning me to the tree. I remember Kagome...

"Inu Yasha!" Sesshomaru said, forcing the hanyou from his thoughtful reprieve.

"What?" he replied irritably.

"Do not get short with me. Now tell your bitch to stop lurking in the corridor, and that if she tries anything, this…abomination you two have created, will meet its end."

"Kikyo, I thought I told you to stay in the room, go back there, now. I will see what Lia's dear uncle wants."

"But," she replied from the hall.

"Just go, now!" he commanded. His sensitive ears could pick up the sound of her going back down the hall, and the sound of the door closing behind her.

"Now, do you know why I have come, Inu Yasha?"

"Other then to terrify a small child, no I don't."

"I've come for out father's tomb, and my birthright."

"You were given Tenseiga. Tetsusaiga is mine, not that you'd be able to draw it anyway."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Take a long walk off a short cliff, Sesshomaru."

Tightening the grip on Lia's neck, Sesshomaru stood, holding the child above the ground by her neck, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you shouldn't be so rude when speaking with your betters, half breed."

"Feh, you claim to be my better, yet here I find the great and powerful Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, sneaking into little girl's bedrooms at night, and threatening their lives, just to extract some information from a lowly hanyou. Oh yes, I can see how much better then me you are." The sarcasm dripping from Inu Yasha's voice brought a deep growl from his brother's throat.

Baring his fangs at Inu Yasha, Sesshomaru tossed the girl aside. "Shall we continue this discussion outside?" Inu Yasha asked. Not waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and walked from the room.

Before he was five feet down the hall he heard the scream of a girl that was cut off into a gurgling sound.

"Lia!" the word tore from his lips as he spun and dashed back into the room. Without thought, he lunged at Sesshomaru, who was smiling sadistically as the watched the girl drown in her own poisoned blood.

His expression shifted from sick pleasure to a look of total surprise, as Inu Yasha cleaved the murder's head from his shoulders. Dropping to his knees, Inu Yasha picked up the girls shaking form, and cradled it against his chest, not caring about the blood that was covering him.

Tears streamed unabashed down his cheeks, ash he helplessly watched the life slowly fade from his daughter's terrified eyes. When all light was gone from those blue orbs, he threw his head back and let a long, deep, mournful cry tear from his throat. The howl filled the castle, and echoed across the night covered land, where it was picked up by the wolves and wild dogs in the forest.

It was as though the whole forest mourned Inu Yasha's loss with him. He heard a strangled wail, and knew Kikyo had come to investigate. She collapsed next to him, and pulled the girl's body from his arms. As she did this, a strange feeling washed over him.

He felt numb. His tears dried, and he stood. He looked from the wailing woman at his feet and the lifeless body she held in her arms, to the corpse of his half brother. Bending down, Inu Yasha picked up his brother's head and held it before him with both hands.

"What's wrong, Inu Yasha? Why do you no longer mourn for your child?" the head asked him.

"It's not my child," he calmly replied.

"What?" Kikyo demanded from the floor, between sobs of grief.

"And you, you are not my wife. You killed me." he said to Kikyo.

"What are you talking about Inu Yasha? I would never do anything to hurt you," she protested.

He ignored her and considered the head in his hands again. "You, you are dead."

"That is plainly evident little brother," it replied.

"No, I mean that you are really dead. Jaken gave me your sword."

"I have no sword."

"You had two swords, but only one arm. I always found that a bit ironic."

"You are delusional."

"Well, I AM having a conversation with a severed head, so there is much evidence to support your claim."

"Clearly you have been driven mad by the death of your daughter."

"I already told you, she was not my daughter. This, none of this is real. This is all part of those trials."

"Well, if this is a trial, then surely you have failed. The girl is dead, and you are talking to the severed head of someone who, by all accounts, is dead."

"You were very clever, but your greatest mistake was her," he declared, pointing at the awestruck Kikyo. "If you were smart you would have known that she was the wrong incarnation."

Inu Yasha dropped the head to the floor, as Kikyo jumped op and seized his arm. "Get away from me, wench," he yelled, pushing her away. She tripped and fell over backwards, looking up at him with nothing but fear in her eyes.

Reaching his hands down to his left hip, he took hold of the hilt and scabbard of a sword. Drawing it in one smooth fluid motion, he held it before himself. The blade was as black as a moonless night.

"Tenseiga," he uttered the word with a hushed reverence. Why did I draw this sword? Where is the Tetsusaiga? No matter, this should work just as well for my purposes.

Turning to face where Kikyo was laying on the floor, he took hold of the hilt with both hands and brought it above his head. He felt a strange power rise in him. Slashing down, he expelled the power along the line of his cut, and watched as it washed over Kikyo, causing is entire field of vision to go white.

~*~

The storm pounded the little shack unmercifully, forcing rain in through the smoke vents. Miroku sighed and considered the girl huddled in the corner. Her clothes were dripping wet, and she was shivering. The small fire added very little warmth to the room.

"Sango," Miroku started to say, only to be stopped by her glare. It was his fault she was soaking wet. He had made another pass at her, and she had been forced to flee the shelter, telling him with no uncertain words that he was to stay away from her. He had followed her, and physically restrained her, then carried her back.

His reprieve was broken as the sound of chattering teeth reached his ears. Standing, he quickly removed his black and purple robe, leaving him with only his inner white one on.

"Mi-Mi-Miroku," Sango chattered, "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Relax," he instructed her, throwing his discarded garment at her, "And put that over you." Not looking to see if she complied with his command, he sat back down with his back to her.

The water blowing through the smoke vents quickly absorbed into his robe, robbing it of any warmth it had. The monk stared intently into the dancing flames, and pushed the cold and wet away from his mind. He concentrated until he couldn't feel the water landing on him. Every muscle in his body tensed when he felt a light hand on his shoulder.

Following the hand to the arm, and the arm up to the face, he found Sango kneeling behind him with a soft look in her eyes, "Sango?" he whispered.

Shaking her head, she sat next to him and wrapped the robe around both of them. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed contently. The damp clothing transferred heat rapidly, and before long both were pleasantly warm and relaxed.

Their breathing fell into an easy rhythm with one another. Yawning deeply, Miroku glanced down at his travel companion from the corner of his eye. The sight that greeted him made him smile warmly. Sango was dozing on his shoulder, her face and body totally relaxed and at peace. Slipping his arm around her, he pulled her closer to him, feeling her snuggle against his warm body in her sleep.

Yawning again, he twisted his body so he was laying behind her with them both facing the fire, and the robe pulled over them. Closing his eyes, he could only think of how right it felt to have them lying like that before sleep claimed him.

~*~

When the light dissipated, Inu Yasha dropped his arm from where he had been holding it over his eyes. Opening those eyes, he looked around, and surveyed his surroundings. The castle was gone, Lia was gone, Sesshomaru was gone, and Kikyo was gone.

Inu Yasha was standing alone in a flat, endless black. The floor was of polished onyx, reflecting his image like a black mirror, while the sky was as if made of obsidian. In his right hand he still held the sword of life, its black blade glowing a deep blue.

"Inu Yasha," two women's voices called to the hanyou. Spinning, he found Kikyo and Kagome standing next to one another, looking at him.

"Yori ," another voice called. As the words reached him he was struck by an image of a proud man who looked much like he did when he was human. Turning, he found another woman with raven hair and deep brown eyes looking back at him.

"Kenji," a forth voice, belonging to a woman who also looked like she could be Kikyo or Kagome's twin. "Isamu." "Kenshin."

A sixth and seventh name was announced, and more women, sometimes two, sometimes only one would appear with each name. A ninth and tenth name, each brining images of someone who looked so much like Inu Yasha and yet wasn't. Each face hinting at memories. More and more names and faces, they bombarded Inu Yasha. He lost count of how many called out names, his names he realized. Then they stopped.

One woman stepped forward and knelt down before the confused hanyou. Taking his hands in her own, she helped him to his feet. He wasn't sure why, but he had the feeling that she was the first.

"We are one, and we are many," she cryptically informed him. "By what name does our soul mate call himself now?"

"Inu Yasha," Kikyo and Kagome replied together.

"Long are the lives of demons," the first observed.

"Wha-what is this? Who are you?" Inu Yasha demanded, spinning to see all the woman surrounding him. "Why do I know all of you? Why does every face here remind me of another face, my own face?"

"Because, my love, what you see before you are all the incarnations of a single soul. A single soul to which yours is tied to with bonds of love, for all eternity," she explained. "Whom do you love?"

"I love…" he trailed off, falling to his knees and clutching his head as though it was going to explode. Names danced through his head, Kagome, Kikyo, Arisu, Chikako, Junko, more and more. All of them the same woman, but all of them different. He loved them all, and yet loved them only one at a time. "You-your name is Naomi."

"It's okay love, we know the answer. However, there is a problem. Something is playing with our soul," Naomi explained.

"I am supposed to be dead, Inu Yasha. And yet I walk the Earth. A fragment of my soul left, and a shadow of what I once was," Kikyo said.

"We are supposed to be together. I defy time itself to be with you," Kagome's voice replaced Kikyo's and was as a soothing balm on his ears and mind.

"Inu Yasha, our eternal love, our soul's own mate, you must fix this problem," Naomi told him.

"H-how?" he inquired hesitantly.

"With that," she replied, pointing at the sword in his hand. "Only with the sword of life, will you be able to destroy that unholy golem, and not harm the soul inside."

"I-I don't know if I could do that."

"Please, Inu Yasha, if any of our time together meant anything, please lay that sick parody of me to rest," Kikyo begged him.

"But Kikyo," he protested.

"Then do it for us, Inu Yasha. Do it so we might be together," Kagome pleaded.

"I-I will. I will try," he said at last.

"You must more then try, love, you must do," Naomi insisted.

"I don't know if I could hurt you like that."

"It wouldn't be hurting us, it would be helping us. The way things are now, that's what hurts us."

"Please, Inu Yasha, lay me to rest," Kikyo asked, pleading with her eyes. "That is not me, though it wears my face and body, it is not me. I am Kagome now, you must understand that. While Kagome and I are different people, we are also the same."

"You cannot betray one by loving the other," Kagome cut in.

"Unless one is not truly herself," Naomi amended. "You will be able to do it Love, you have great strength and determination, all you lacked before was a sense of direction, and now you have that."

As he felt his determination rising, Inu Yasha noticed that the women around him had started to fade. Kikyo reached out a ghostly hand, and caressed the side of his face while she mouthed, `Goodbye.' He closed his eyes, and for the first time in a great while, he truly felt at peace.

~*~

Dawn found Sango and Miroku asleep on the floor of the shelter. She lay in front of him with her back to his chest. One of his arms rested under her head, acting as a pillow, while the other was draped protectively around her waist.

Yawning, Sango sat up, drawing the makeshift blanket with her. She looked down at Miroku and couldn't help to but blush and smile. He was sleeping so peacefully, she reached down to push a strand of hair out of his face.

Holding the cloth to cover herself, she looked around and tried to remember where her clothing had been thrown the night before. Her face burned with the memory.

She had woken sometime in the night to find Miroku lying next to her, studying her sleeping face. She was surprised at his proximity, but didn't pull away.

Finding her cat suit, she pulled it on, and quietly left the shack. The morning sun was just breaking over the horizon, and the whole land looked refreshed. She set out in search of some breakfast.

He had a very serious expression on his face. Her breathing became quick, and her heart pounded as he hesitantly reached his hand up to her face, upping her chin. She let her eyes slide shut as his lips found hers.

Finding a nearby stream, she went about catching a couple of fish for breakfast. When she had three of them, she wrapped them in leaves, and started the walk back to their shelter.

His lips were surprising tender, and yet rough at the same time. Their first kiss was brief and chaste. When their lips parted, she opened her eyes to find a pair of violet ones looking back at her from only inches away. He started to speak, but she silenced him with another kiss.

Back at the hut, she stoked the coals from the previous night's fire and added some wood she had collected on her way back. Content that the fire was going, she took a pot outside to fill it from the rain barrel.

She broke the second kiss and looked deep into his eyes. They were full of passion, deep caring, and a little uncertainty. She whispered a single word to him, "yes," and saw the uncertainty vanish. He kissed her again, and they each reached for the fasteners on the other's clothing.

When she had cleaned the fish, she mixed them with some roots and herbs she had found, in the pot and put it on the fire. Looking over at the still sleeping monk, she noticed he was still smiling, and her blush was renewed.

Everything had been new and strange for her. He had guided her through the most ancient of dances, with skill and grace that spoke of experience. The thought that she wasn't his first bothered her a little, but in the end she was happier that he had known what he was doing. He had taken her body to heights she had never dreamed possible, her entire body exploding in pure bliss.

Miroku rolled over and grumbled in his sleep. Reaching over, she shook his shoulder and woke him. Rolling back, he smiled up at her and sleepily said, "Hey you."

Smiling back she replied, "Good morning."

The monk sat up and stretched. The makeshift blanket had fallen into a pool in his lap, baring his chest. Blushing, Sango turned her back to him and tended to the stew she was making.

She jumped slightly when he hugged her from behind, and said, "Smells good, what's cooking?"

The demon exterminator indignantly scolded the naked man, "Go put some clothes on, you fool!"

Kissing her on the cheek, he replied, "Whatever you say, dear." Her face went crimson again, and she suspected that her blush would never fade at this rate. Fully clothed, he sat next to his lover and took the offered bowl of fish stew.

He dug in hungrily and quickly devoured the meal. Sango, on the other hand, didn't touch hers. "What's wrong Sango?" Miroku asked, after noticing her lack of appetite. "The stew is wonderful, and you could use a meal after the workout we got last night."

"Miroku!" she exclaimed loudly, slapping him across the face. Then, more quietly, she continued, "About last night, I mean, what does this mean, what if I'm pregnant?" she demanded, seizing the monk by the front of his robe.

"Well, my dearest Sango, allow me to put some of your fears to rest," he calmly replied, while trying to pry her fingers from his clothing. "First, it normally takes a lot more then just one night to get a woman pregnant. Second, we really don't have to worry about that. Now isn't a time when you are able to become pregnant."

Re-gripping his robe, she shook him and yelled, "And how the hell would you know that?!"

"Well," be began, giving her his best innocent face, "I kind of heard Inu Yasha complaining about how you and Kagome are on the same cycle and how he drives her nuts because of the way it affects him. Since then I've noticed when the two of them seem overly irate toward each other, and I've kept track of which week each month it happens in."

"Why the hell would you do that?" she screamed, shaking him again.

"Just in case; I always try to be prepared for anything." She sighed and let him fall backward to the floor. Well, she more pushed him then let him fall. "However," he continued from the floor, "I love you, and hope that this will only serve to strengthen the bond between us."

She eyed him queerly and leaned in close, so their faces were only inches apart. "Do you mean that?" She studied his eyes as he answered.

His eyes were calm, and nigh emotionless, as he replied in a very serious tone, "I wouldn't joke about something like that. I mean it with every fiber of my being," and closed the space between their faces, catching her soft lips with his own.

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A/N:

The meaning behind the names:

Male: Female:

Inu Yasha-dog demon Kikyo-bell flower

Yori-dependence Kagome-woven bamboo pattern

Kenji-strong second son Aki-autumn or bright

Isamu-bravery Chikako-child of wisdom

Kenshin-sword heart Junko-pure child

Naomi-above all, beauty

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why does it take so long for you to get a chapter out?

A: I'm currently finishing up my sophomore year as an Information Technology major in College. That means that my school work takes precedence over this story (Sorry, but something that I'm paying $27,000.00 a year to do gets dibs on my attention).

Q: What happened to Rin?

A: I don't know, and I don't really care. She lived happily ever after, and had nothing to do with this story.

Q: Why did you kill off Sesshomaru?

A: So that Inu Yasha could get the Tenseiga

Q: How old are you?

A: 20

Q: How long is this story going to be?

A: Right now I'm thinking that it's going to be about ten chapters long. I know where I want to take the story; it's just a matter of getting there.

Q: What is a `beta reader'?

A: A beta reader is someone who reads the author's rough draft and finds the grammatical errors and spelling errors before the story is posted. They also check to make sure that everything in the story makes sense, and doesn't conflict with anything that's already happened.

Q: How can I contact you?

A: Email me at arcainfire@yahoo.com, or I post at Inuyasha's Corner (http://www.iycorner.net/pn/index.php) under the name "ArcaneFire."

Q: Are there going to be any lemons?

A: Not likely. What you got in this chapter is the closest that it's going to get. Sexual relations are part of adult relationships, but I do not see the need to turn my story into pornography. If you want that, you obviously have internet access, so I recommend that you go find that else where.

Any other comments/questions, you know how to reach me.