Love Conquers All

PART II

Once more the rakshasa set out to seek the manjhi's counsel. For ages the demon had served as the boatman ferrying humans into hell. He kept to himself and mostly steered clear of the politics of hell. In the past he had proven himself trustworthy to the rakshasa. If there was anyone likely to have the answers to his questions, it would have to be the manjhi. He was also the only one Raku could risk trusting right now.

"You have returned, but I am yet to possess the answers you pursue."

"I come to you with another matter."

The rakshasa explained what had transpired as well as his concerns.

"And you are certain of this?" The manjhi asked with more than a hint of dubiety. .

"The scent was unmistakeable. We will have evidence soon enough."

"This will only strengthen your claim to the throne."

"What... oh yeah, I didn't even think about that."

"Is your concern so great for this human that you would forget your own birthright?"

"Honestly, I don't care about any of it. I just want to find a way to be with her."

"There may not be a way."

"Then I'll just have to make one, won't I?"

"The price may be more than you can pay."

With a heavy heart the demon nodded in understanding. With great hesitation he asked, "Will she survive this?"

"I believe she will," he said confidently. "Prince, you should return to her. I've heard a few demons speak of your return. Not long before the news reached the palace as well. The last thing you want now is your brothers showing up in your absence to deal with you."

The rakshasa grew nervous; he had managed to remain free for so long only because the council and his father in particular, had yet to learn about his return. He would have to rush to ensure the safety of his beloved.

"Go now. I will seek the answers on your behalf and send for you when it is safe."

The demon bid his confidante farewell and fled back to his human.

*****

Nakushi opened her eyes and blinked a few times. How long would it take to grow used to the odd glow that illuminated the place, she wondered. For that matter, how long had she been there already? It was odd existing with no sense of time.

Even though she had slept for a long while, her body felt exhausted. She had not eaten in a long while, she thought, and was perhaps why she felt as weary as she did. She moved to sit up but was stopped short by the odd weight pressing against her abdomen. She jumped out of bed and stood up to get a better look at her belly and clasped it in shock when she saw how swollen it was. She began to panic wondering what it could be. Was this because she hadn't eaten in so long? Was it a cyst? Was she just sick or dying? She had so many questions but her demon lover was not around. She had to choice but to await his return for her answers.

She was pacing around the room wondering if the same laws of nature applied in hell as they did on earth when she saw a portion of the wall light up and disappear, before her demon stepped through. Until she saw him enter, she didn't realise that she had missed him. She ran to him and jumped up with her arms wide open. He caught her mid-flight and lifted her so she could properly embrace him. The demon felt such joy to hold his human in his arms once more and feel her sloppy kisses all over his face; he doubted if even the gods had it as good.

"I'm sorry for leaving you while you were asleep. I hope I didn't cause you too much worry."

"Oh no! I knew you would come back for me."

The demon was touched by her unquestioning trust in him. He intended to always prove himself worthy of it.

"You were pacing when I entered..."

"Huh? ... Oh that! Yes, I was worried about this." She said as she stepped back from him and pointed at her swollen belly.

"Don't you know what that is?"

She shook her head.

The demon approached her and began to tenderly run his hands over the bump in her belly. "This here," he softly whispered, "...is our child."

Nakushi blinked a couple of times.

"Our...

what

?" she asked in shock.

"This is our child- our daughter."

"B-but how is that even possible?" she was still in shock.

"Little one," he held her chin in his hand, "when we joined, earlier, we made a baby and a girl at that."

"But how can you be

so

certain? I may just be ill"

"I'm certain because I could smell the scent of our child as she grew in your womb while you were asleep. That was why I needed to leave- to find some answers."

Nakushi thought about it. The idea of a family with her demon filled her with joy; there was no doubt about that. But she felt conflicted. She was shocked because she couldn't understand the biology of a demon impregnating a woman but just as the shock began to wear off she was hit by another thought.

Pregnant, with a child, a girl, a demon spawn at that.

Was she doomed to repeat her mother's mistake? Would her child be doomed to suffer like she had? Her bubble of happiness burst around her as the reality of her world and life on earth came crashing down.

"I cannot have this child." She stated firmly. "My world is too cruel for that- I will not let my child go through what I did."

"Little one, you do not understand."

"NO, I do, Raku. I absolutely understand, and I refuse to let our child go through the same suffering, I would rather end it n..."

"Hush!" He cut her off and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "You do not understand. A female demon means a great deal in my world. We demons rarely spawn children and female children are even rarer. A girl ensures that my lineage will continue. She will live like a princess here."

"So our baby will be like an orphan without either one of her parents?"

"Yes, but she will be never be spurned and no one would dare hurt her."

"You're absolutely certain of this?"

"Yes, I can promise you that our child will thrive in hell."

His assurance served to calm her down.

"Will I ever get to see her after I return to earth?"

The rakshasa flinched at her question and he was thankful that she hadn't noticed. The first time he had visited the manjhi with her, the boatman had whispered something to him alone which the rakshasa had kept hidden from her. He wished to spare her the sadness he had felt when he learnt that once she was returned to earth she would have no memory of her time in hell; Nakushi would forget both her lover and their child.

"Perhaps. Is that something you'd like?"

She smiled brightly and nodded at him.

"So, a baby...," she said with a smile, "we're having a baby?"

"Yes, my love."

Nakushi felt overwhelmed with emotion. How wonderful those words had sounded to her! She tried not to think about how he would soon be taken from her, or of the child that grew in her belly which would one day also be taken from her. She chose to live in that moment where she was with the one she loved and the proof of their love was rapidly growing in her belly.

"So, when will the baby come?"

"I'm not sure. Gestation periods for demon spawn are much shorter than human babies, but you're a live human in limbo, so your guess is as good as mine."

"My body always changes after I go to sleep. I'm beginning to fear going to sleep."

"But you need to rest more now, my love, and food. You certainly need food." He got her a few of the berries and nuts he had taken from the temple and handed them to her.

"Here, eat these first and then you rest."

She slowly chewed on the simple fare as she enjoyed her meal. The entire time the demon held her and stroked the soft skin of her thigh enjoying the smoothness of her skin. It was an absentminded gesture on his part but one she found distracting. He was oblivious to the effect it was having on her. When she was done eating she turned to him and placed her arms around his neck.

"I've eaten but I still hunger." She said playfully.

"Would you like some more berries or nuts?" he asked in earnest failing to detect the mischief in her tone.

"No Raku, I do not hunger for food," she said looking into his amber eyes, "I hunger for you."

She leaned forward and captured his lips with hers. The demon enjoyed the feel of her soft lips as much as he enjoyed the taste of her sweet mouth. And he was particularly enjoying how she pressed her breasts into him and rubbed her pert nipples against his hard chest. He felt the blood flow to his loins engorging his member, eager and ready to please his little human again.

With great caution he lifted her and carried her along with him and gently lay her down on the stone bed before lying down himself. He deftly rolled her on her side so she lay against him but facing away. Reaching around, he teased and played with her perky nipples. Her breasts felt wonderfully full and heavy; he couldn't help but to give them a firm squeeze eliciting moans in response.

Nakushi was enjoying the tender manner in which her demon held her even as he teased her body. She moaned in delight as he rolled her nipples between his long and gnarled fingers. She was ready for him when she felt his erection pressing against her opening.

The demon gradually pushed himself into his human lover. Because of the non-human length of his member he was able to easily penetrate her even from this position. He pressed on till he could there was no more room for him and instead of thrusting into her, like he would have usually enjoyed, he ground against her. His concern now wasn't just for her safety but also that of the baby growing inside her. So, he rotated his hips and rubbed his hips against her buttocks to simulate the friction she needed to build to her release.

With his head nestled in the joint of her neck and shoulder, the demon whispered how much he loved her, how much he loved to please her and how very happy she had made him by blessing him with her love. He played with her breasts as he continued to slide in and out of her with measured precision. Watching her face glow as she keened in pleasure was enough to bring him to his own climax.

Nakushi sighed in contentment as she nestled into the curve of her demon's body and let sleep claim her once more. The demon knew her body would change, but even he was taken aback at how rapidly the changes were taking place. In the course of her short nap his lover's belly grew before his eyes. He marvelled at the outline of his daughter who could be clearly seen pressed against her mother's belly. He placed his hands on his human's belly and stroked his child through it. He watched as both the mother and daughter seemed to visibly relax in response to his touch. He prayed the manjhi had found some way for him to always be with the two beings that mattered to him more than the desire to rule hell once did.

*****

The human awoke sensing some discomfort in her stomach. When she opened her eyes her enormous belly was all she could see. She groaned as with great difficulty she managed to raise herself. The demon heard her moving about and immediately rushed to her aide. He worried about how his little human would give birth to their part human, part immortal and part demon- which was certainly evident from the size of his beloved's belly- offspring. The only reason he wasn't panicking was because the manjhi had assured him that she was strong enough to survive the birth.

"Wow, I got really big!"

"The baby too." He said smiling. "I think our daughter recognises me. She was restless when you were asleep so I spoke to her while I rubbed your belly and she rolled over and went back to sleep."

Nakushi laughed at the absurdness of the suggestion but stop abruptly as she thought about how they wouldn't always be together like this.

He guessed her thoughts and promised, "I will do my best to keep us together. I will fight. I will do whatever I must to keep my family."

The puny human held the giants face tenderly within her palms and kissed his forehead.

"I have complete faith in you my Raku."

They both silently prayed that this would not be the time he disappointed her.

*****

The rakshasa needed to leave his pregnant lover so he could fetch a midwife to aid in the delivery of his demon-child. He needed someone competent and loyal to him, who he could entrust with the lives of his loved ones. Moving swiftly while keeping to the shadows and avoiding contact with any of the other demons he finally made it within the inner circle of hell where he immediately headed to the royal quarters. The old crone he had come here to fetch had been present at his own birth and had also played the role of a nursemaid to him.

"My Prince!" She shouted with joy as she watched the powerful demon she had helped be born into hell. "So the rumours are true- you have returned to us."

"No, I haven't returned. Dai, I've come to call upon your expertise. Come with me now, I shall explain the urgency when we get there."

"... There?"

"Yes, you need to come with me to limbo."

She didn't dare risk the creature wrath by asking it any more questions. Despite the fondness he had always shown towards her she was familiar with his nature and no prince of hell was ever known to exercise patience when dealing with underlings.

Just as secretively as he had entered the royal quarters of hell, the demon made his way out and back to his human with the midwife, the dai, in tow. And their timing could not have been better for upon their arrival they were greeted by the vision of a human screaming in agony with a puddle of blood and goo lying between her feet on the ground.

"The sac appears to have burst." Said the dai plainly.

Nakushi looked up to see her rakshasa accompanied by a female fiend that bore a striking resemblance to a bullfrog. She had a short body with extremely wide and muscled shoulders, short hands and legs, a small head with beady little eyes and her skin looked like greenish-yellow mucous.

The dai watched the live human and wondered what kind of fiendish plan the prince had hatched which involved a human giving birth to a demon child. Having known the demon in his past life and watched some of his cruelty as well as extravagances, the dai was uncertain of what role he expected her to play.

"What would you like me to do, my prince?" she asked in a show of servility.

"Help her!" The demon commanded, doing his best to leave the emotion out of his voice. "Both mother and child must stay unharmed," he warned.

"I'll need your help to support her. As a human she is not strong enough to manage on her own like our females." She said without any condescension, merely stating the facts.

"I will prepare a spell for the safe passage of the child. Please help her into a squatting position when I give you the signal."

"Ouch," Nakushi yelped.

Without any warning the old crone had plucked a strand of the human's hair. She checked to make sure the root was still intact before she put it into her mouth and began to chew on it. With her hands she collected some of the goo from the floor and spat the contents of her mouth into it. She rubbed the mixture between her hands in a circular motion while chanting- something that sounded like gibberish to the human- till the mixture between her hands transformed into a glowing sphere of blue light.

The dai continued with her chanting as she momentarily let go of the ball of light to place her hands on the woman's belly. The ball didn't drop but continued to remain suspended mid-air glowing brightly. The crone grabbed the ball once more and rolled it down the human's belly all the way to the opening of her vagina.

"Now, my prince," she called to the demon and dropped to the floor herself as the rakshasa helped the human into a squat. The dai forced the luminescent blue ball into the entrance of the human's birth canal. She resumed her chanting as she waited for a few moments for the spell to work. The mixture she had prepared was helping widen the vaginal passage and the dai was able to ease her hands in as the opening grew wider so the dai was able to grab a hold of the child within.

The human screeched in agony as she tried her best to help push the baby out while her rakshasa stood helplessly cooing into her ears, assuring her that it would all be okay and that she would be just fine. The dai could just barely contain her shock at hearing the most feared prince of hell speak with such affection and to a human at that. Nevertheless, she continued to stay her focus on getting the baby out safely before it tore the woman open.

The dai chanted louder and the blue luminescence appeared to spread and glow brighter stretching the woman's opening sufficiently to allow the dai to yank the baby out with one swift move. Holding the baby in one hand she pulled on the cord to draw out the rest of the sac before she finally stopped chanting. Without the spell the glow grew dim before it faded away completely permitting the uterus, the vaginal walls as well as its opening to contract to its original size.

Nakushi sat on the floor supported by the demon as she watched the frog like crone hold a bloody mass of tissues. She burst into tears, thinking the baby hadn't survived the gruesome birth.

"Oh god! My baby, my baby!" She cried inconsolably.

"Hush, little one. The baby is fine." He said dispelling her fear. "The dai just needs to clean it, that's all."

They watched as the dai licked off the mucous and the blood from the baby which looked like a half formed chicken of some sort.

"Feathers!"

The parents exclaimed.

"That's

rare

for our kind." The dai said feeling a bit surprised herself.

The baby looked very similar to a human baby except for the bright yellow colour of its skin and of course the light covering of feathers on its shoulders and arms.

"She is breathtaking!" The demon prince said as he took his daughter from the midwife and walked back to his human.

Nakushi had harboured doubts about how she would respond to her demon child. She had not been given enough time to grow used to the idea of motherhood or even being pregnant. But, as she watched her rakshasa walk to her holding their little child she felt nothing but love. She took her baby into her arms and nestled it against her chest. The baby opened its large dark eyes and smiled at her before curling up and nodding off. Sitting there, hugging her child while her demon wrapped his arms around them both, she couldn't believe her luck at being blessed with as much love as she felt in that moment.

The dai watched the nativity scene before her with curiosity as well as mild amusement. She had seen many strange things through the ages but none as strange as a human and an immortal demon prince in love. This was not the beast that had killed his own brother to ensure his ascension.

"If that's all, I beg to take your leave, my prince." She asked curtseying.

The arrival of a new demon soul in hell meant that the council and the king would soon be alerted. She watched the portrait of happiness and contentment before her and knew it wouldn't last long. Once the king found his banished son hiding here all hell would break loose; she valued her life too much to stick around for that.

"Can I nurse the baby like human mothers do?" Nakushi asked the dai, yet again, wondering if the same rules applied.

"You may if you like," the dai explained, "but the baby's not going to get any nourishment out of it."

"What then?" she asked looking at the rakshasa.

"Blood." He replied.

"Blood?"

"Yes. The baby feeds off a life force." The dai helped.

"So I'm to feed my child my blood?"

"Or the father's," the dai said, looking at the demon prince.

"I would like to try nursing my child first," Nakushi insisted in a stubborn tone, "after all it is half human- she may manage just fine."