Five weeks passed. The season had turned to autumn now, and what was once green had turned gold and brown. Well within the borders of his personal territory, the General alighted down with his son to complete the final leg of their journey on foot. The older demon could feel the scowl on the younger one’s face as they walked together, and it was easy for him to pinpoint the cause.
“You are still attempting to reconcile my lack of action against those human hunters with your own understanding, are you not, my son?” The General ventured.
Sesshoumaru’s expression did not alter. “My honored father is keenly perceptive.” He replied with an even tone.
Touga hummed to himself and slowed his pace. “Speak, that I might guide you.”
Sesshoumaru matched his father’s stride and slipped his arms into his sleeves, eyes fixed on the castle that slowly rose from the horizon in the distance. “The vermin that are mortals are weak and ineffectual, accomplishing little more than scraping through the dirt for sustenance during their insignificant lifespans and focusing only on their own menial lives. For this reason, a disregard for them is acceptable. The same cannot be said of these arrogant ‘demon slayers’, the taijiya. Their very purpose is to track down and attempt to destroy our kind. Thus, the intentions of each of their warriors is clear. On principle, every challenge deserves to be answered in kind and one’s honor must be maintained. Therefore, I do not understand why you allowed the taijiya we encountered to escape after striking out at us.”
Touga chuckled. “Do they make you worry for your health, my son?”
Sesshoumaru’s jyaki flared with rage at the insinuation. “A dragon does not worry for the strength of a worm.”
“Then what does the dragon concern itself with?” Touga prodded.
“Principle, chichi-ue, and his honor.”
“What honor is there to be found in swatting a fly?” Touga’s question was rhetorical.
Sesshoumaru pursed his lips and repeated himself. “Each challenge deserves to be answered in kind, lest one allow their reputation to weaken.”
“A rash and unwise action can be just as damaging.” The General said slowly, his tone sagely. “As an aside; mortal though they may be, the taijiya fill a notable role in maintaining the balance of power between their kind and the myriad of malicious lesser demons and spirits which plague them. They have no interest in entities such as ourselves, we being so removed from the world of mortals.”
Sesshoumaru’s voice remained even and bland. “Father has discovered this in what manner?”
Touga chuckled. “Myouga-san has become quite useful these past centuries.”
“Old Myouga…” Sesshoumaru mused. “That wrinkled old flea demon?”
“The very same. He has made himself a welcomed visitor to the demon slayer’s camp, coming and going as he pleases.”
“I see. Then he brings information concerning their methods of eradication and movements." Sesshoumaru concluded aloud. “Father’s allies are myriad and numerous.”
Touga paused and turned to face his son. “True power and excellence are rarely achieved with fang or claw alone; nor are honor and renown to be found in solitude.” His tone was thick with sincerity.
Sesshoumaru could not ignore the weight of his father’s voice, even though his words were absurd. A chuckle escaped the younger demon as his expression betrayed his droll demeanor. “Another morsel of wisdom to reflect on?”
Touga gave an affirmative grunt. “You will understand it fully with time, I think.”
As his father resumed his trek back to the castle in a some-what agreeable mood, Sesshoumaru saw an opportunity. He had not yet informed his father he would be leaving the castle accompanied. Were he making a solitary excursion, there would be no need for tact, however each of his servants was still technically the General’s vassal; even the half-breed.
“To understand requires experience, is that not so?” Sesshoumaru mentioned off-handedly, and the General gave another affirming hum. “Then, father would not find it disagreeable were I to leave the castle for a time.”
Touga hesitated before replying. “You will be attended?”
“Aoki shall remain.” Sesshoumaru said simply, almost as though to reassure his father.
“To what end will you take along Kazawa and the hanyou?” There was a hint of suspicion in Touga’s voice. He was more concerned for the welfare of those that would accompany his son than for the adherence to decorum.
Sesshoumaru continued without hesitation. “It is only proper that one of my rank be attended, is it not? They are suited to the hazards of travel.”
Touga glanced to the young prince following along beside him, marigold eyes darkened with his deepening suspicion, and he could only grunt again that he accepted his son’s justification.
Both daiyoukai were silent for the remainder of their travel, mulling over their respective concerns. Touga’s thoughts revolved around his son’s violent idiosyncrasies and temper, as well as the safety and treatment of the vassals who serviced the young prince. Sesshoumaru’s mind had moved beyond thoughts of his father’s opinion to how he would achieve his ends with the half-breed. The finely-tended grove that surrounded the castle walls sprang up around them, and a chorus of alerting calls from the guards rose as the males neared the castle and passed through its front gates. Fuyutoka, Aoki, and the General’s attendants hurried outside and into place to welcome their masters’ home. Sesshoumaru idled in the courtyard for a moment with Aoki, watching the General continue his way inside with his own attendants. Fuyutoka avoided Sesshoumaru’s gaze, and the young prince noted the hawk’s deflated demeanor as he shuffled along behind them, eager for a moment of the General’s time.
Sesshoumaru made his way toward his own quarters, waiting until he had rounded the corner along the veranda to recognize Aoki’s presence, then paused to address her.
“Where is Rekkonji?” He asked plainly.
Aoki, ever the image of propriety, kept her eyes down as she spoke. “The Warmaster is at the practice field behind the castle, sire, seeing to the request you made of him.” There was something altered about her demeanor as well, though Sesshoumaru could not quite place it.
“I see.” He tilted his head as he examined her, attempting to define what had changed. “There is a shameful air about you, female. Have you disgraced yourself in my absence?” He growled.
“My lord, I have not.” Aoki replied softly.
“Hn.” Sesshoumaru did not believe her, and narrowed his gaze until the weight of it forced Aoki to her knees.
“My lord, it is simply that…” Aoki hesitated, her tone trailing. “…the hanyou…”
“What of it?” Sesshoumaru snapped. With his father’s conundrum nibbling at the back of his mind, he had not the patience for her evasive words.
“Her-“ Aoki shook her head slightly, choosing to adopt her master’s vernacular. “Its presence and the nature of its service here has been discovered by the whole of the castle.”
“Indeed.” Sesshoumaru was not surprised by this news, though the manner in which Aoki delivered it told him what she had not said about the denizens’ reactions. It was of little concern to the daiyoukai. Were any of them to show him even a modicum of disrespect, he would simply correct their behavior. He abandoned Aoki in his quarters and made his way to the practice field she had indicated.
Sesshoumaru found the hanyou and Kazawa there, stepping through a faux sparing match as the Warmaster paced a circle around them and observed. Sesshoumaru placed himself at the edge of the practice space to watch as well, and found only disappointment. His servants were slow and inelegant, fumbling with their wooden bouken swords and tripping over their feet. Each motion came more hesitantly until both had nearly paused.
“Do not stop. Complete the kata.” Rekkonji commanded as he came around to stand near Sesshoumaru. Both servants had sensed their master’s presence, Rekkonji was sure of it. He did not greet the young prince, instead crossing his arms and continuing to watch Kuroihi and Kazawa.
Rekkonji knew why they hesitated, knew why the hanyou’s gaze fell and her ears flattened into her hair; and it irked him. It was inevitable that one of them would falter with their master nearby. Sure enough, Kuroihi failed to move into her blocking stance in time, and Kazawa’s bouken struck her across the face. She stumbled and allowed herself to fall to the ground, sitting up on her hands. Normally, she would have recovered her footing after such a minor blow, but every ounce of tenacity and confidence she had scraped together over these past weeks dissolved the moment she’d caught the scent of poison on the air. Kazawa flustered for a moment, unsure of how to continue. He glanced around for the Warmaster, attempting to find guidance. Instead, he beheld the monster with honey-gold eyes. Kazawa abandoned the pretense of continuing the training and gave his master a full and formal bow.
Rekkonji ground his teeth. ‘And they were doing so well…’ He thought irritably. He steeled his expression and finally addressed the young prince with a placid tone. “Welcome home, Lord Sesshoumaru. I trust the journey was without incident.”
Sesshoumaru ignored the Warmaster’s pleasantry. “They are prepared?” He asked expectantly.
'How quickly the young prince has forgotten all pretense of formality and respect.' Rekkonji thought as he bit the inside of his lip to keep from scowling. “They will weather the road well enough. Were I to have more time with them-“
“This will do.” Sesshoumaru stated with authority, cutting Rekkonji off. He motioned for his servants to fall in line and made his way back to the castle. Kazawa followed immediately.
The Warmaster remained placid as Kuroihi gathered the practice weapons and offered them to him. He considered her as she bowed, servile again. Once Sesshoumaru was out of earshot, he took the bouken from her, noting how she kept her head ducked even now.
“…Head up.” He said softly, but firmly, then waved her off to catch up with her abhorrent master. Rekkonji waited for the sun to begin its decline toward the western horizon before seeking a private audience with the General. The Warmaster had many words for his friend concerning the young prince.
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Kuroihi’s feet grew heavier with each step as she made her way to Lord Sesshoumaru’s wing. Her worry was two-fold: where would she sleep tonight, and what was her master plotting? He was not so magnanimous as to have Kazawa and herself endure such training for their own benefit. By now she understood that it was no use trying to anticipate, though; she would simply have to steel herself for the inevitable suffering ahead. Sure enough, once Sesshoumaru had refreshed himself and the sun had set, he commanded Kuroihi to follow as he made his way beyond the walls of the castle once again. They passed the pine forest and moved beyond the General’s area of immediate influence, taking a road Kuroihi was unfamiliar with. At least he was not aiming to return to the ravine where he had failed to murder her…
Sesshoumaru trekked south west at a reasonable pace for the better part of three days with the half-breed hustling along behind him. His instincts told him when he left the territory his father’s scouts frequented, and so he began his search both for an area to test the hanyou once more and a bit of territory to call his own. His father’s sentiments had been softening over the decades, and every time Sesshoumaru broached the subject he was brushed off on account of his father’s ‘wisdom’. Worse yet, the elder demon was attempting to pollute Sesshoumaru with those weaknesses. The young prince could tolerate it no longer. If his father would not see reason, then Sesshoumaru would release him from his disgrace. That, however, required Sesshoumaru to achieve a power far beyond his current limitations. Usurping the General would be no easy task; however doing so only after he lost face would be no great victory and earn Sesshoumaru no renown. The young daiyoukai had to act quickly.
So immersed was he in his own machinations that he did not notice the trio of bandits that had situated themselves to obstruct the narrow path he traversed. They brandished their flimsy swords, barking for Sesshoumaru to surrender all his possessions, as well as the female, or be cut down. Their audacity amused him to a point, but he had no time to toy with them. He tilted his head just enough to glance back at the nervous hanyou.
“Clear these cretins from my path.” He commanded in an aloof tone.
Kuroihi flinched. Sesshoumaru had not spoken a word, let alone to her, since they’d left the castle, and the sudden attention was startling. Hesitantly, she moved forward to examine the creatures she was meant to challenge. The first thing she noticed, aside from their vulgar language, was how badly they smelled; like a horse stall long neglected. She resisted the urge to cover her nose with her sleeve. Was this the inherent human stench she’d heard Lord Sesshoumaru and others at the castle complain about? The more she examined them, the more repulsive they became to her. Their sloppy topknots and sagging armor, the filthy cloth wrapped around their waists and the sheening film of grime that covered their bodies; even in her worst state, Kuroihi had never been so bedraggled. They guffawed at her, a mere female, as she glanced back at her master, uncertain of how to proceed.
“Dispose of them.” He reiterated his command firmly.
Kuroihi’s ears flattened, but she turned to face the three humans again. Unlike them, she had no weapons or armor of her own. ‘I will simply have to take one of theirs, I suppose…’ she thought. Apprehension clawed at her like cold steel, making her hesitate again even as one of the bandits advanced on her. With Rekkonji present for her faux battles with Kazawa, there had always been a sense of safety, that none of them would do any real damage to the other, but such was not the case here. She could feel Sesshoumaru’s jyaki vibrate behind her, and he growled, enunciating each word as if speaking to a child.
“Kill them, hanyou, or your own corpse shall join theirs shortly.”
The raw bloodlust in his voice sparked her into panicked action. She slammed her foot into the advancing bandit’s torso, shoving him back into his comrades. The Warmaster’s lessons echoed in her mind and she did her best to heed them. ‘Keep moving, don’t take the obvious target, strike quick and solid, stay out of range.’ The last part was the most difficult. With their three against her one, it was easy for them to keep her surrounded. She could only hope to wear them down before she was exhausted herself.
A last-second duck here, a clumsy strike there; Sesshoumaru watched the half-breed stumble through its combat with waning patience. By the time the thing managed to fell two of the three bandits, it had torn its clothing and managed to splatter itself with human blood. As it squared with the remaining bandit, Sesshoumaru flicked out his mokomoko to knock it out of the way. He had lost enough daylight to what should have been a simple slaughter.Stepping forward himself, Sesshoumaru felt little pleasure as he drenched the last mortal in a spray of acid from his toxic claws. The hanyou’s face twisted in horror as the bandit dissolved, leaving nothing behind.
“Useless fool…” He muttered loud enough for the half-breed to hear.
Kuroihi watched her master kick one of the remaining bodies unceremoniously out of his path and resume his course. She had never felt as isolated as she did now, forced to scramble back into line behind him lest she be left behind or deemed as insignificant as the dissolved bandit. ‘Such terrible power he wields, and with so little consideration…’ she thought as she followed him quietly, still unarmed, and she shuddered, imagining there was no atrocity he was unwilling to commit.
The confrontation with the bandits replayed in her mind as they traversed the miles. As much as it turned her stomach to admit, Kuroihi found herself agreeing with Sesshoumaru’s general sentiment concerning mortals. Those three were the first of their kind she had ever encountered, and she’d found them repulsive in every way. She suspected all humans were similar to those males, seeing how she understood humans to be like ants; too numerous and similar to each other for their own good. As such, there was little acclaim to be earned from defeating a pair of such creatures.
Still, she had killed them and escaped mostly unscathed. Surely there was something to be said for that. An infant viciousness bloomed in the same dark place deep inside where Kuroihi kept her still-smoldering hatred tucked away, and it tingled with pride. She had defeated something, killed something; she was finally greaterthan something! The high of victory was interrupted by the nagging in the back of her mind that she recognized as the human part of herself. ’Were their deaths necessary? Could simply knocking them unconscious not have served the same purpose?’ She shook the thoughts away angrily. It was an internal debate she knew she would have to face at some point, but it could wait.
The days passed quickly, and Sesshoumaru continued to throw the hanyou into greater and greater conflict. He permitted it to employ its fire, anticipating a similar mutation to the one at the ravine, but to no avail. Even as it faced an enormous mountain ogre the flames did not change, only assuming the purple hue and properties once or twice for a breath of time. Disappointed but undeterred, Sesshoumaru decided the creature’s current power would do for present and he pressed on through the wilds.
Plains opened wide and spread before him, trees and mountains sprang up around him. In the near distance he spotted it; a dark, thick forest that stretched for miles.As he slipped quietly between the trunks and pierced the heart of the place, he knew he had found what he’d sought. Choice rays of sunlight filtered through the intertwining boughs high above, creating pools of light on the forest floor. The air was thick and relatively cool, carrying the scents of the demons and animals which would serve as his prey. Were he a lesser creature, Sesshoumaru might have buckled under the weight of the haunting and malicious air that pervaded the forest. As he was, he barely felt it. Something about it all lulled his savage nature into contentment, and he found everything he could desire was present here. He would make his home in this sanctuary. ‘Their simple training will be enough for this place,’ Sesshoumaru thought as he considered his servants. He gathered the trembling mess that was the half-breed and began his week-long trek across the tens of miles back to the castle.
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Kuroihi monitored the moon cycle constantly from the time they left the castle, growing more and more anxious as it faded away. A narrow crescent appeared and thickened, and she began to lose hope that they would arrive home in time for her to escape for her day of weakness. By a narrow stroke of luck, Sesshoumaru’s strides were swift and full, sweeping them through the castle gates as the moon swelled to nearly half-full above them. She’d made it with barely a day to spare. She graciously accepted Sesshoumaru’s dismissal of her and set about refreshing herself and finding somewhere to bed down for the night. Thankfully, with her master’s return, the focus of the castle staff had shifted away from her and she was permitted an undisturbed night to herself to search the closets for a spare set of slate grey clothing. Her day of rest came and went as usual. Kuroihi found herself unable to cry this time, however, far too overwhelmed to even begin processing it all. Her life had become unpredictable, dangerous, and she accepted that she would exist in a semi-permanent state of apprehension for the foreseeable future.
She was actually happy to return to her chores in the castle the next day. They were as predictable as the scowls Aoki flashed at her when the older female thought she wasn’t looking. Kuroihi wondered exactly what had caused Aoki to despise her so. It felt somehow worse today as Kuroihi attempted to repair the damage done to her uniform during her time away. Simple fraying ends or small rips were easily repaired with her crude stitching skills, but there were several holes and small areas where the cloth had been torn away. Kuroihi could only stare at it, puzzled about how to proceed without any spare cloth.
Aoki could take no more of watching the half-breed fumble along. Sesshoumaru was still exacting punishment on the lot of them for any individual’s failure, and she was not about to be lashed for Kuroihi’s bad stitch work.
“Can’t you even darn properly?” The blue-eyed female growled as she snatched the kimono from Kuroihi’s hands, ignoring the anger that flashed across the golden eyes. “Go relieve Kazawa. He has duties to complete before the day is out.”
Kuroihi shot Aoki a scowl of her own as the older female retreated to one of the small rooms that lined the hall of Sesshoumaru’s wing before departing. She knew Kazawa was attending Lord Sesshoumaru, who was meeting with his father in the eastern wing, and it took her a short while to track down exactly where. As she searched, she noticed a distinct difference in the very air of the eastern wing. Where she was used to a dark, dreary, and threatening atmosphere in Sesshoumaru’s wing, this area was filled with light from the open window slats, permitting the sounds and scents from the courtyards to filter through and make the halls warm and welcoming.
She found Kazawa and a marigold-clad attendant flanking a set of closed doors in comfortable kneeling postures. The pair paused whatever silent conversation they had been holding to examine her as she approached and knelt near Kazawa. It was incredibly rude to address one’s superior from above them. He was reluctant to accept being relieved, but Kuroihi suspected it was due to his desire to remain in this comfortable place rather than any sense of loyalty to their master. Kuroihi slipped into Kazawa’s spot once he departed, sharing a comfortable silence with the General’s attendant as both focused on not eavesdropping on the conversation behind the intricately decorated heavy wooden doors. Beyond the lacquer and inlaid gold barrier, a war of wills and dominance was raging. The massive jyaki of both daiyoukai clashed, the energy making Kuroihi’s hair stand on end and electrifying the air. Soft and polite voices gradually rose into vibrating baritones, and as hard as they tried, neither attendant could block the conversation out anymore.
Inside, the young Lord Sesshoumaru and his father, the Grand Inu no Taishou Touga, stared each other down.
“I do not understand father’s objection.” Sesshoumaru reiterated, his frustration seeping through the cracks in his placid façade.
“Then you fail to understand the natural order of things.” Touga replied simply. Sesshoumaru’s jyaki thrummed in retort, but Touga continued, quite unimpressed. “You have been, up to this point, an entity within my home, wielding both my name and authority wherever you have chosen to wander. It is only because of this that you have been permitted the attention of my own vassals. In establishing this territory of your own, defining yourself as a singular and independent entity, you surrender your claim to these conveniences.”
“Am I to be stripped of my basic rights as well?” Sesshoumaru hissed impatiently through his teeth.
Touga chuckled with callous amusement, “’Rights’? What ‘rights’?” All benevolence left him, and he narrowed his frozen marigold eyes.
Sesshoumaru recognized the brutal nature for which he had once respected his father come to the fore, and he trembled. “My attendants are-" he began, but was cut off.
“MY vassals.” Touga growled, red gleaming at the edges of his eyes. “Of which you have cost me many during your terse existence. Do you regard Fuyutoka as ignorant to your childish machinations? Or Rekkonji blind to the effects of your venomous influence? You are not as sly as you imagine yourself to be, disgraceful whelp.” Red feathered to tease at marigold, and Touga’s voice lowered into a vicious snarl. “Were you not my blood, such a reprehensible creature as you would have been crushed beneath my boot long ago.”
Sesshoumaru continued to tremble as his instincts and nature warred inside of him. Gradually, he lowered his head with the shame of his father’s words, nose wrinkling to bare his fangs at that terrible entity. The General slowly rose from his zabuton, eyes gleaming a savage crimson as he loomed over his incorrigible spawn.
“Your decision is your own, Sesshoumaru.” Touga said, voice barely a whisper. He would not keep the young prince from leaving, but would force him to suffer the ramifications should he follow through.
Sesshoumaru rose hesitantly to his feet and retreated into the hall, never turning his back on the Inu no Taishou. He made to leave, snapping at the half-breed to follow. It began to rise, but paused when the General’s attendant made a halting gesture and slipped back down to its knees. Sesshoumaru’s jyaki flared with his fury; was he being denied even the hanyou?! His father’s insults were more than he could bear any longer. Without another look back, Sesshoumaru tore through the castle and into the depths of the wilds beyond its accursed walls.