Ch 8: A History Lesson

Mizuko had seen several bases over the last few days, but this one was nothing like what she'd expected. Most were large rectangular structures covered in steel plating, concealed from sight by highly advanced barriers and roof mounted rifles in case something managed to get by. This place was far from that. It was more like a small town, a nine foot fence of electrified wires stood around the perimeter as its only main protection against the beasts that lived within the forests around them. These Slayers must be extremely powerful if they could live with so little protection like this. Seiichi seemed almost as surprised as she did, but unlike her, he kept any emotions safely beneath the surface where no one could ever see them. Inuyasha was busy growling at anyone who dared to look at him funny. He didn't feel comfortable here, not around so many humans that would have no trouble taking him out. He could fight off a good number, especially with the help of the sword he'd acquired thanks to Mizuko, but he wasn't a fool. Walking into enemy territory like this was just asking for trouble.

Sango occasionally glanced over her shoulder, as if to make sure that the tiny group was still keeping up with her. Kohaku was walking beside her, seeming a bit disappointed that he hadn't been of much use that day. He was still in training of course, but he still wanted to be at least as good as his sister. It was basically expected of him; an unspoken promise made when he first joined the profession. And so far, he wasn't doing such a good job of keeping it.

"Well, here we are." Sango said after a moment, stopping in front of a large mansion like structure. Mizuko's eyes widened and her lips opened a little as she stared up at the building, amazed by the sheer size. It was an impressive size of about three or four floors, and covered about half an acre just with its foundation. The gated area surrounding it was probably another two or three. It was almost as impressive as Seiichi's mansion, and his father was the Taishou. The female Slayer said some words into a tiny box on the stone pillar next to the black iron gates, which then slowly creaked open to allow them inside. Mizuko moved a bit closer to Inuyasha as they walked up the smooth concrete path to the front steps of the manor; she was just as uneasy about being here as he was, though for a probably different reason. For someone to live in a place as elegant as this, they had to be someone of great importance. She was just some run of the mill girl living in a tiny apartment. Sure her parents were famous, but she had to be adopted as far as the rest of the world was concerned.

"Welcome back, Sango-sama, Kohaku-sama." A tall elderly man greeted as they entered the mansion. Sango nodded in response and led them one of the stairways at the back of the entry halls. To Mizuko's surprise there seemed to be several; how many stairs were needed in this place? To someone with as poor directional skills as her, this place was practically a death trap. They got cleaned up and changed before being shown around. Since Mizuko had no extra clothes, Sango had lent her some. She felt a lot more comfortable now that all the blood and dirt had been washed away. Who would've thought that traveling could have such an effect on you?

"Now then," Sango said eventually; they were all sitting in one of the immaculate living room. She lifted her tea cup to her lips before continuing. "What are two Slayers from Headquarters doing all the way out here? And with a hanyou in tow...?" Inuyasha grumbled slightly at the label, but didn't make an effort to complain about it. He'd been called worse.

Mizuko shifted slightly on the couch before replying. "To find out why demons and humans hate one another?" she said sheepishly. Like all the times in the past, she received a dubious stare, and stared down at her feet. Was it really that stupid?

Sango was silent for a long while before responding. "Weren't you taught about that at the Academy?" she asked.

"Yeah, but they didn't give her the answer she wanted." Seiichi said bluntly, receiving a small scowl from Mizuko.

"There...must've been a time when we weren't fighting like this..." she continued quietly. As a kid, whenever she'd whine about not wanting to be a Slayer, her parents had always told her that this war was only temporary; that it would eventually come to an end. But that was all they would say on the subject. Sango looked at Mizuko for a long while, the surprise fading from her face as grimness took its place, and then stared down at the liquid in her cup.

"It's true. There was a time when humans and demons lived moderately peacefully. But that was nearly 500 years ago...I'm surprised that you were never taught about it..." Truth was it wasn't all that surprising. The Taishou wasn't that fond of the old ways. It wasn't that hard to erase parts of history; the only reason she knew was because her family was the keeper of records pertaining to that time. She leaned back against the cushions, debating where to begin. "According to the legends, our land was being attacked by a wicked, powerful demon. Many of the villages were destroyed within a matter of hours. The Taishou at the time learned of a method for sealing the demon away, but, the demons ambushed her palace and slaughtered her before she could complete the spell.  It's said that she entrusted the final piece of the seal to someone before she was attacked. The demon's still very much alive, and continues to attack our towns in hopes of finding that piece and destroying it. That's all I know about it, unfortunately."

Mizuko went over the information in her head, trying to make sense of it all. Seiichi was still sitting silently beside her, and there was something about his expression that bugged her. "What became of that seal? Does anyone know where that missing piece is now?" she asked curiously. Sango shook her head sadly.

"Many have looked for it since then, but it's never been found. The demon is supposedly branded with the mark of that seal, but unless it's found, then the war between our kinds will go on indefinitely."

"Where could we find out more information about this old legend of yours? There's gotta be a record somewhere." Inuyasha said suddenly; it was the first time he'd spoken since they'd arrived here. He'd been leaning against the wall next to the couch, since he didn't feel right about sitting like one of the humans. Sango turned to face him.

"There is a temple further to the north that may be able to help. The seal was supposedly created by one of their people." Sango explained. "If you like, I could escort you to that temple. I know of a route that would provide us with the least amount of detection." Inuyasha snorted at the idea. "Why the hell would you want to help us?" he asked bluntly. Sango let out a long sigh before answering the hanyou's question. "I want to see this war come to an end as much as the rest of you. And I would like to know more about the truth of this legend."

"I don't see why not." Seiichi said after a while. "We could use the help." He himself wasn't one for asking for help, but when it came to Mizuko he seemed to make exceptions. Besides, the sooner they got the answers she so desperately craved, the sooner they could go back to Tokyo and get on with their lives. Sango seemed pleased by his co-operation, and rose to her feet.

"Good. In that case you're all free to spend the night here." She announced, looking at the dog demon as if to silently imply that he was allowed as well. "After dinner, I'll show you to your rooms." They nodded and dismissed themselves to look around before it was time to eat. Inuyasha immediately headed out to explore the acres of land. He wasn't used to being stuck indoors, so he was probably looking for a good tree to sleep in instead of one of Sango's rooms. Mizuko had gone out as well, but she decided to remain in the gardens out back. It was probably the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. Smooth stones led from the porch to the immaculate water fountain in the center of the planters full of different colored roses. She'd never seen so many flowers in one place before. The air around them was full of butterflies and small birds heading for the orchard off to the left a short walk away from the flower planters.

She noticed someone come up beside her and saw Seiichi standing next to her. "Enjoying the view?" he asked quietly. Mizuko glanced over at him for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yeah...I've never seen anything like this." Then she let out a small laugh. "This must all seem pretty normal to you."

"I suppose." He said after a moment, shrugging his shoulders. Everything was a lot similar to his mansion back in Tokyo, save that there were more people living here. Save for a few servants, he basically lived alone. They both fell silent for a while, the effects of their fight still making things awkward between them. Even though they'd rejoined, they still hadn't made up for what had been said. Seiichi wasn't really one to admit when he'd been wrong, or to apologize for anything for that matter. But there was no reason for Mizuko to; he'd been the one who'd caused the fight. So they were just left in silence, wondering what else they could possibly say. It was then that he remembered what he'd found back at that campsite while searching for her. "Here," He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the blue shell necklace from his pocket and held it out to her. "I'm sure you've been looking for this..." The auburn haired girl's face lit up as she reclaimed her missing necklace, smiling at Seiichi with a mix of amazement and gratitude.

"Thank you! But...where'd you find it?" she asked eagerly as she clasped it around her neck.

"At some weird campsite; where you met up with that dog, I'm assuming." Seiichi replied bluntly, not caring that Mizuko seemed annoyed by the dog comment. He pushed off the railing, deeming the conversation over, when Mizuko suddenly grabbed onto his wrist. He cocked his head slightly to look at her, seeming annoyed that she'd dared to stop him.

"Why do you hate Inuyasha so much? This can't just be because he's half demon." She stared directly up into his eyes, which was something she normally never did, given the intimidating glare they always seemed to be giving. This time that wasn't present, just two orbs of pure amethyst staring back into hers as he debated how to answer. After only a moment the indecision faded and he let out a small sigh.

"That's the only reason I need." He answered unemotionally. Mizuko was about to pry further when one of the butlers came to tell them that dinner was ready. Talk about good timing. "Come on." He said in a way that said he wouldn't allow any resistance. She nodded silently and followed him in, still unconsciously holding onto his wrist. She knew something else was up with him, but she couldn't bring herself to bring it up again now.

It was late by the time dinner was over, so everyone decided to turn in. Mizuko lay awake staring up at the dark green canopy. For some reason, she just couldn't get herself to go to sleep yet. Everything she'd heard that day suddenly decided to re-enter her mind, leaving her restless and a little afraid. The images of Sango's story were the most vivid. A menacing creature concealed mostly in shadows, and a woman trying everything to defeat him, only to lose her life.

If that demon had been the cause of this whole war, then maybe finishing that woman's work would bring an end to it. If they found that missing piece of the seal, then maybe. Mizuko smiled slightly to herself. She wasn't completely convinced that such a thing was even possible: what if only that woman was capable of unleashing its power. Her hand instinctively went to the necklace, filling her with reassurance. They'd find for sure out once they reached that temple.

Content with that thought, she rolled onto her side so she could stare out the window at the moon, and eventually gave in to sleep.