Demon Nature

Chapter 7 The Festival




“I don’t
want to go there. Period. End of story.”

“Kagome,
it’ll be safer for you.”

“Inu
Yasha, Sesshoumaru, who was actively trying to kill you most of your life,
comes to you, in the dead of winter, to tell you that one, he’s starting a war.
Two, that since I’m pregnant, and the war will come near us, that we should
move into one of his caves somewhere in that cursed domain of his so I, the
woman he’s hated all these years, can be safe!! What is wrong with this
picture?!”

“Kagome,
listen to me. I could say no, and we go on about our lives. But if our child is
injured, if something happens to you…”

“We
can…”

Kagome
looked away, remembering why they spent most of their time here, why she had chosen to live the hard life of a
woman in these times as opposed to the comfort of the age she was born in.

“I’m
sorry. We’ve been doing this so long…”

She
stood and walked over to him.

“It’ll
be okay. Besides, I’m sure Rin can use some company, shut up in that place with
Sess.”

She
stroked his mane, bringing her face closer to hers. He pulled away and walked
out into the cold, and she sighed. She was such an idiot at times.

 

Rin
watched as her children, in human form, practiced their characters. The teacher
was someone Sesshoumaru had convinced to come visit because he wanted them to
be able to function in the world he’d seen, the world of the future where
reading, writing, and reasoning went hand in hand. The human was terrified of
Sesshoumaru of course, who sat in on all the lessons. He never picked up a
writing implement, but later, when they were alone, the two of them would
practice their characters. He was getting very good, and she was moving right
along with him. He was proud of her, and she was proud of him for having the
sense to know that if things went well, they’d be traveling back and forth the
way Kagome and Inu Yasha did.

Sesshoumaru
watched his mate from his position just behind his children. She was watching
intently from behind the mesh screen where she sat during the lesson periods,
but looked up and gave him a radiant smile. He wondered how she would take the
news that Kagome would be living close by, and that she was pregnant again.
Sakura was having trouble with a character, and she let a curse word or two
slip in front of her teacher. Being a teacher, he responded as a teacher would,
chastising Sakura for her language. Sakura’s eyes flashed, and the teacher
cringed, forcing Sesshoumaru to speak
up.

“He is
in charge now daughter. You have to show him the same respect you would show
me.”

Sakura,
knowing that when his voice was calm and peaceful, he was at his most
dangerous, bowed and said “Sorry” to her teacher. The teacher, who was brought
in and out by Ah Un, blindfolded, had thought the Demon Lord was going to kill
him. Even to his human senses the smell of blood was strong here, and he
wondered how much t wat was human. His trips here from his village always
occurred under the cloak of darkness, the demon steed would appear at his house
and he would gather his things.

Rin
shifted, uncomfortable, and annoyed that Sakura was not progressing as well as
Taisho.

Sesshoumaru
had described the world Kagome came from to her, and she could not even begin
to imagine it. The women wore clothing that looked like men’s clothing, no one
wore kimono’s and they got around in something called a car. Maybe one day he
would take her there, let her see it. Kagome and Inu Yasha’s children stayed
there except for the early part of the winter, when the weather was relatively
mild. They looked human, but Sesshoumaru told her their demon blood was strong,
and that that was part of the reason Inu Yasha wanted them in the future. The
people of that time thought demons part of myth, and that they were safer
there. Sesshoumaru-sama had even talked about his children attending something
called college in the future to further their education. Right now it looked
like Taisho would be fine, and somehow he would be the one to go back and
forth. Sakura…

Rin
sighed, shaking her head to clear her thoughts on things she couldn’t even visualize.

The
lesson drew to a close, and the teacher asked Sesshoumaru if he could go home
for the winter festival.

“You are
here for your normal two days,” Sesshoumaru said calmly, his beautiful features
serene.

“What do
I care of your festival?”

“If I’m
not there Lord Sesshoumaru, there will be talk.”

“Talk?”

“Some
say that I have a demon smell on me, and when people feel that way…”

Sesshoumaru
studied his claws, admiring their sharpness. Taisho and Sakura stood watching
the scene, wondering what their father would do.

“It
matters to you what people say? Are you trying to tell me you don’t want to
teach my children anymore?”

Both
Taisho and Sakura licked their lips, but said nothing.

“My
Lord, I would never refuse your request. It is just something that is
important. The Miko…”

Green
light flared around Sesshoumaru’s claws, and the kids leaned forward, waiting
for the show.

“Miko?
Your village priestess scares you so you lose respect for me?”

The man
was blubbering now, wishing he’d never mentioned the festival.

The
green light dimmed, and Sesshoumaru looked at the man.

“Go to
your festival. Ah Un will take you.”

With
that he turned and walked away, his children walking behind him. They joined
Rin behind the mesh screen, watching as the man climbed on Ah Un’s back and was
lifted to the sky. Sesshoumaru smoothed his hair back behind his ears.

“I’ll be
back soon,” he said softly.

“You
will have dinner with your mother. When I return I need to speak with her,
alone.”

 

The
villagers, candles, and lamps lit, congregated in the village square. The
priests from the local shrine began the ceremony, the chanting rising on the
smoke of the incense. As the ceremony reached its height a sickening sound was
heard to come from the sky, and all chanting ceased as people ran to get out of
the way of whatever it was that was falling. It hit with a thud on the cleared
ground, and the few that could scream did. Others stared in horror at the
mutilated body of their priestess, a woman who had been born and bred in the
village, and had been their doctor, counselor, and protection against evil
spirits.

The
sound of a howl, a wail of power, assailed their ears, and they looked upward.
A huge dog, bigger than anything of the mortal world, hovered in the sky, it’s
eyes flashing red, it’s fangs dripping poison that hissed and burned as it met
the snow. It circled the square, flying in low enough to scatter the humans,
some of whom were burned by the liquid that dripped from the demon’s mouth.

One of
the priests, the oldest, dared utter the demon’s name as it regained height and
soared away out of sight.

The
teacher fell to the ground, too afraid to even cry. He had never seen the Great
Demon of t he West in his true form. The form he knew was that of a thin,
beautiful man. What he’d seen tonight…

Later,
much later, he heard a sound in front of his house, and he got up, expecting a
lynch mob. Instead he saw the demon steed waiting, and he didn’t think twice.
He gathered his things and climbed on the back of the two headed beast. In
minutes he was back at the castle.

The
Great Demon was standing calmly in the courtyard.

“How was
your festival?” he asked in that voice that now struck terror deep inside of
him.

“It was
fine my Lord.”

Sesshoumaru
looked him up and down, baring his fangs. The teacher took a step back, the
images from earlier in the evening coming back full force.

“My
Lord, if it pleases you, I’d like to stay here and teach your children.”

Fangs
gone, Sesshoumaru again studied his claws.

“Very
well. Jaken will provide a room for you.”