Fondest Memory of a Fallen Soldier
Several hundred years ago...
There were only three dojos belonging to the House of Inu. Shared equally between the eastern and western territories, the children of inu warriors were trained under a master in the art of two different combat styles: Janpu Sura Kiba ("the Jumping Fang") belonging to the east, and Yasei no Kiba ("the Wild Fang") belonging to the west, but the dojo dedicated to only the most elite of students could teach two other styles of high distinction. These styles were the Hikkake Rareta Kiba ("the Hooked Fang") for high-ranking soldiers in the army units and Ikari no Kiba ("the Fury Fang") for specialized soldiers acting as guards to the lords. The location of each dojo was as grand as the opportunity to learn of each style.
Yaban'na Tsume, home of the Wild Fang style, was hidden underneath a magical waterfall. It was said that this school generated the flowing waters using an equal, fractionated amount of yoki energy from its students. Failure to produce a predetermined amount earned one a punishment and brought great shame to the family throughout the duration of the punishment. The punishment could be as small as picking river stones worth its weight in several hundred kan using a miso soup spoon or as harsh as catching the waters from the bottom of the waterfall while standing on sharp stones picked by every member of the dojo without bending your knees.
Hayai Unagi, home of the Jumping Fang style, was hidden inside of a catacomb of caves. The labyrinth had magical doorways powered by the yoki energy of the graduating students. Failure to produce an expected amount of yoki energy earned public punishment. On a good day, one may only have to pick rice using chopsticks for the graduates of the dojo. The harshest punishments came from the sensei.
Shuji Toboe, home of the elite fighting styles, was hidden in the most sacred of places. Entry to this dojo required a young inu to have strong immunity against purification. A floating hinoki tree with a hole at its base held a great conflict of power within its gate. Yoki energy from the strongest student in the dojo's history and divine energy from the strongest priest, priestess, and/or relic of the human world formed this gate. The divine energies changed often due to the brevity of human life, but they could be equally as deadly to a young inu. If a young inu could not pass the gate, they could not become an elite soldier despite his or her power. The harshest punishment for an inu student is the mental anguish one puts oneself through should he fail to pass through the gate, but the gate alone can bring great harm. Beyond the entryway are the most beautiful gardens and hunting grounds by far! Floating islands create this dojo. Islands that can suspend prey in the air or use yoki energy to change the very seasons themselves.
"Students! Lunch!" a voice called out.
"Lunchtime!" another voice called out.
Takamuku, a boy no older than eleven by appearance, had run off with the other students to eat. Training wasn't nearly as hard today, and he was going to be graduating from Yaban'na Tsume within two inu years! It was almost over! Running through the forest on his left, he hustled his way across the floating soribashi bridge and through a tunnel leading up to his favorite lunch spot. Not too many people knew about the old training place where the founding fathers of the House of Inu first became war heroes, so he could enjoy the quiet as he ate and marvel at the history surrounding him. With a bright smile on his face, Takamuku hopped over glowing mushrooms and bugs athletically until he saw the bright light of the sun. He chuckled to himself before he caught the scent of someone. Slowing down his walk, he cautiously took steps to the tunnel exit. His eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, and a low growl escaped him. There was no fear in him, but he was in the presence of someone unfamiliar. Coming out of the tunnel exit, he saw another boy narrowing his eyes and emitting a low growl himself. Oh, it was another student! Takamuku recognized that floppy white to silvery hair dancing on the boy's shoulders and stopped being on the defensive for a moment.
"Oh, I know you!" Takamuku said, stopping the other boy's growling. "You're in the class under me. Hiya doin', kouhai?"
The boy didn't say anything, but he seemed to be displeased with the nickname. He huffed at Takamuku's smiling face before his attention had been gained by a pair of fairy pittas chirping at each other. Undeterred and lightly blushing, Takamuku ran over to a rock and reached behind it to retrieve a feed bag. The birds heard the shaking of the small bag and looked in Takamuku's direction with some anticipation. The quiet, white-haired boy blinked cutely then turned to his peer. He simply watched his senpai set up a small table and placed a bag of earthworms onto it. The boy chirped an "eh?" before he tilted his head with curiosity and watched the fairy pittas swiftly fly over to Takamuku's offering. The quiet kouhai could only marvel at the gentleness his senpai had with such small, colorful creatures.
"I haven't given these guys names yet," Takamuku said, smiling at the happy birds. "But they love their wiggly lunches. Hope ya don't mind if I eat in the tree you were looking at. The best view in the world is up there!"
"Of what?" the boy asked quietly.
"Our history, kouhai!" Takamuku replied innocently, smiling at the boy. He dashed at the boy, took his hand without warning, and then said, "C'mon, I'll show you!"
Unable to protest, the white-haired kouhai let out a yelp after Takamuku high-jumped into the elm tree. Once they landed, the quiet kouhai tried to slap Takamuku in the back of the head but the sneaky senpai laughed and hopped away. Only he made the branch they were on shake and bend violently, startling his kouhai and making him cling to the branch to stop from falling. When Takamuku stopped his teasing, he climbed onto a different branch and ate his lunch. The fairy pitta birds returned to Takamuku's side with curiosity and some fondness to the boy.
"Are they your pets?" the quiet kouhai asked.
"Hm?" Takamuku responded, turning to his peer. He was looking at him with wonder in his eyes. Takamuku caught sight of a beetle, plucked it from the tree trunk, and placed it in his kouhai's hands. Confused, the boy only stared at the bug with a scrunched-up nose and tilt of his head. That was until his senpai held out a hand for one of the birds to come to him, waited for one of them to hop onto his outstretched fingers, and guided the smaller creature to his kouhai. "No, just friends. Keep still."
Obeying the instruction, the white-haired boy looked up with widened eyes as Takamuku tapped at the beetle to gain the bird's attention and let it hop onto his kouhai's hand to snatch the bug out of his palm. The boy's eyes swelled up with amazement before a small smile creeped onto his features.
"How long have you been trying to be friendly to the birds?" Takamuku asked, earning a gasp and then some blushing. Not receiving a direct response, Takamuku merely said with a gentle chuckle, "It's okay, kouhai. You don't have to tell me if it's too embarrassing for you. Sides, I don't think it matters anyway. They like you now. You're quiet and still like this elm tree. Just remember to be yourself and they'll come to you in no time."
With that, the boy let out a soft laugh and a bright smile that rivaled the sun. Takamuku could only guess that his kouhai wanted to hold one of the birds for some time, but the fairy pitta couldn't have been a more perfect bird to represent the promise he made to himself to befriend the white-haired, shy boy. It wasn't going to be until much later that his promise would evolve to protection...
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Sesshomaru sensed something off as he and Jaken had gotten closer to their target location. He turned to the direction of the somewhat familiar presence then snatched Jaken out of his walking stride to dodge a fireball attack. Abruptly, a tawny-colored inu demon swiped at the trees and brush leading to the hidden rendezvous point before firing another oral blast at Sesshomaru.
"You dare betray me, coward!" Sesshomaru hissed, placing Jaken down.
"No..." the inu replied, shuddering and trying to regain control of himself. "Lord Sesshomaru... y-y-you h-have t-to leave. D-don't go there!"
"My lord, do you know of this man?" Jaken asked.
The inu shook violently before letting out a roar. Ice was beginning to cover his paws, and his eyes were losing their color. He was being possessed! A sinister laugh bubbled up from the brush. The air was suddenly far colder than normal, and the scent of the Netherworld's burn was potent. A woman walked out from the shadows dressed in a silver, laced bodysuit, the silver Crown of Victory, and silver attachments on her claws. Her lips were a plum color and her eyes an ethereal blue. She was a vision of sadistic beauty.
"What a gorgeous boy," the woman complimented, lowering her eye lids to marvel at Sesshomaru's beauty. "What could an inu lord want with me?"
"Who are you, woman?" Jaken demanded, narrowing his bulbous eyes at the woman.
She smiled a bit, flashing a set of fangs, before answering, "My name is Rakuyama."
"You are from the Netherworld. Why are you here?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I seek retribution for the loss of my comrade. Nothing more, nothing less," Rakuyama answered, snapping her fingers. The inu demon yelped in agony before it was covered in more ice and shot a blast at the Mujina Woodlands, setting the area on fire. "I believe a few territories in the living world are enough compensation. Perhaps a few more servants would also suffice. Would you and your imp like to join me?"
"Lord Sesshomaru would never join the likes of you!" Jaken argued. "Why are you attacking the Mujina Woodlands?"
"To purify it, of course. If I'm going to take it over, I need it to feel more like home," Rakuyama replied. "My comrade wanted land of his own. No one of the living world should have been able to defeat him. He was too unique, too powerful, too cunning. The woodlands are a perfect place to hold a memorial in his honor. He perished in the woods. You, and this inu, both reek of that disgusting hinoki tree that bound him, but you have delicious amounts of yoki energy within you. Your stronghold must have more warriors like this. I believe I'll add your territory as well. Before I do..."
Rakuyama lifted up a glowing hand and threw a small snowflake in the direction of the woodlands. The possessed inu shot a blast at the Mujina Woodlands and set the village housing the rival clans ablaze. She locked eyes with Sesshomaru and smiled wildly and widely. Using her other free hand, she untwisted her spire of ice from her crown and generated a high amount of power to form a barrier made of sharp snowflake and turbulent wind around the spire. Rushing at the demon lord, she slashed at his armor then went to punch him, but the possessed inu was able to shake out of her control and leapt in front of Sesshomaru to shield him. He swiped at the woman before hitting her with a tail whip attack.
"Go, my lord!" the inu ordered, unleashing a bite attack. "Get the villagers to a safe place!"
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Diffusing the Rally
Frightened villagers were all running in a panic as their world was covered in flame. Women and children were trying to hustle in their escape, but the fires were strengthening from the damaged wood of the sudden snowfall. It was harder to find an exit. Soldiers from the rivaling clans took this opportunity to declare war. Weapons were drawn, battle cries had sounded, and fear danced throughout the territory. Sesshomaru and Jaken managed to arrive in time. Without having to order him, Jaken leapt off Moko Moko and immediately started searching for an exit.
When he found one, he took a villager by the hand and said, "There's an escape route through there! Quickly!"
"An imp? How do you know where to go?"
"Do you want to live or not?" Jaken questioned, firm in his decision.
"Jaken, take who you can to the doctor's estate near here," Sesshomaru ordered, narrowing his eyes. "It should be unoccupied. It'll be safest there."
"An inu?" a child questioned.
"Yes, me lord!" Jaken responded with a nod.
"That's... Lord Sesshomaru?" An older Bake-danuki male questioned in disbelief.
Everyone seemed confused by his actions, but they had a right to be so. Sesshomaru rarely ever bothered himself with the affairs of others. If it had nothing to do with his quest for power as the rumor explained it, then their peril shouldn't have entered his radar. These were typically the actions of Lord Toga. Jaken went about his mission to save the villagers and Sesshomaru went to stop the rally. It wasn't a difficult thing to do with the lesser-ranked soldiers of the Anaguma clan, but the Bake-danuki clan soldiers were surprisingly more stubborn. As a vanguard were battling between arguments, Sesshomaru unsheathed Tensaiga and released a frightening amount of poisonous yoki energy to gain both vanguards' attention. He struck between two soldiers' clashing and startled them.
"L-Lord Sesshomaru? Wha - ?"
"Get out of this place now. Your homes are on fire because of another demon's attack. You've been tricked," Sesshomaru explained briefly. He sheathed Tensaiga as the soldiers gasped and lowered their weapons and narrowed his eyes at what could only be the clan leaders arguing in the distance. "Go. Now!"
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Crossing the Bridge to Safety
Jaken led his first group of villagers to the doctor's estate. They were taken aback by the sheer beauty of its location. Flowers, trees, lodging, a lovely stream? Lord Sesshomaru was blessing them with such gifts? Why? Right as one of the elder demons was going to ask Jaken the reason behind Sesshomaru's kindness, he had already left to get the next group of villagers. The doctor's estate wasn't going to be able to house everyone, but it was a perfect safe haven for them right now.
Rakuyama and Takamuku were unleashing one attack after another, but the inu soldier was losing strength fast. His only ounce of power left was from pure devotion to ensure Sesshomaru was safe and able to get the villagers to safety. It was his last act at convincing the House of Inu to give his kouhai another chance.
"Do you honestly believe he'll remember you for this?" Rakuyama asked, gaining the soldier's attention. "Do you not remember what separated you from him in the first place?"
"I... will always... remember... him," Takamuku said through pants. "He doesn't have to remember or honor me. He doesn't have to forgive me. I only want him to be himself again. I want him to smile again, to cause trouble again, to love again, to laugh again. He may have been shy when I met him, but he was not without love. If he remembers... the day he held a fairy pitta in his hands... then he will remember the day someone called him a friend. That's what you can never give me. You can't give him anything in hell worth keeping."
Rakuyama only smiled at him and said, "Is that so? Then, we'll have to find something of great importance that is worth keeping. I'll be having you help me find it."
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Unwelcome Party Member
"Thank you for your gifts, Lord Sesshomaru!" the clan leader of the Bake-danuki clan said, bowing repeatedly. "I'm so sorry you witnessed our fatal squabbling! It's so embarrassing!"
"We don't know what to say," the clan leader of the Anaguma clan said, bowing deeply as well.
Sesshomaru and Jaken merely stood before the clan leaders and villagers with blank and pleased expressions, respectively. The western lord had to admit, if only to himself, that this exchange was different compared to his years as ruler of the West. He could credit his newfound sense of compassion for becoming more open to saving others of his own accord, and he was kind of thankful that no one decided to occupy Meioshi's former safe haven for the children. It made him wonder for only a moment of the whereabouts of the patrons and adult laborers in all the chaos that ensued once the doctor set the village ablaze. It was somewhat unfortunate that the doctor put in so much work for so many years to build this place only for it to go to waste. Perhaps seeing his rival again after their battle wasn't simply a coincidence set up by the universe. In seeing her small village of young wards, he was able to see her nurturing side as a caretaker and her angry side as a vigilante. She was capable of being ruthless, if necessary, and had no shame in being so, but there was a key difference between the two: she reserved her aggression for those who couldn't be saved. She planned her moments of lashing out and made sure her wrath was felt by all. It was probably the one side of the doctor that Sesshomaru understood the most. In their short, nightly talks near the stream, he was able to see how Meioshi acknowledged her vulnerability, accepted her past failures, used her emotions as a weapon, and eliminated the danger of having them control her. It was a fascinating but... inspiring process.
Returning his attention to the clan leaders, he merely raised an eyebrow at them before looking at Jaken's work in bringing the demons here. Both clans were able to fill up the estate to full capacity and then some, but they had what they needed in terms of essentials. They had places to sleep, a kitchen to cook, and a medical area for healing. The location of it may have been a little distance away from the woodlands, but they were safest at the estate among the field of flowers. Some little demon children decided to play together in the stream where he and Meioshi talked every now and then. Seeing this unity among rivals woke a sense of longing in Sesshomaru that was tucked away. Laughter had sounded from the children that drew the western lord's attention. A pair of children found a few toys left behind to play with. It looked like a ball. One of them had a necklace around his neck, and even though he knew the species and age were different, the youngster's face and body melted away like wax on a candle and he saw Inuyasha. It surprised him to say the least because he would've thought about Rin playing with her childlike innocence, but Rin was never his rival.
"Say that you will do better to protect each other," Sesshomaru said quietly, forcing himself to return to reality and shake the image of his young brother from his mind. "If you can stand to live with each other in the woodlands the way you had, you can stand to go a step further and ensure the safety of your people together. Bringing you here was not a gift. This place once belonged to someone who protected innocents and vowed to free them from their injustice for several years. It is her you should thank. Look at this place the way it was meant to be seen: a place of refuge and serenity for the innocent. Disrespect it, and what it represents, and your lives are forfeit. Let's go, Jaken."
"Right away, me lord!" Jaken responded, taking note of Sesshomaru's deadly tone when he spoke his last words to the clan leaders.
Lord Sesshomaru truly has changed for the better, it seems, Jaken thought, looking up at his liege. But I wonder if what he was lecturing about was because of the doctor. Has she truly gained your respect in the time you've known her, my lord? Perhaps this temporary alliance was meant to be the final trial of his late father. Now that he has gained compassion, will his rule over the lands be different? How drastic of a change could that be? I hope those woodland demons will be okay for a while. They won't be able to return home if we can't figure out what's going on in time. What about that other inu who knew my lord? What was he doing getting caught up with that woman from before?
"Are we going back to that rendezvous point, my lord?" Jaken asked, following behind Sesshomaru as he was walking across the soribashi bridge.
"No," Sesshomaru responded, narrowing his eyes. "We're going to a nearby camp north of here. It is similar to a watch tower. I demand to know why that bumbling fool has yet to inform the court about these killings when they happened close to where he is."
"Uh... this... particular creature displeases you, me lord?" Jaken asked, not understanding the sudden bout of annoyance Sesshomaru was exhibiting.
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"Lord Sessho~mar~u!" a voice sang out with howling in between.
This earned the "bumbling fool" quite a few smacks versus the one with Jaken if he sang the western lord's name aloud. Jaken merely said with understanding in his eyes, "I know the feeling..."
The watch tower was by far one of the most interesting places Jaken had seen. It was a wonder why they never visited this place before for information, but the imp supposed Lord Sesshomaru had similar hostility towards it like he did the stronghold of the House of Inu. Although from the looks of things, Sesshomaru seemed to be more annoyed at the master of the watch tower than the place itself. After Sesshomaru caught the scent of burning sand, he took flight with Jaken in tow. The imp tried to ask questions about the watch tower, but Sesshomaru kept blowing it off as unimportant information, which usually meant that this was going to be a one-time visit. That left Jaken with simply enjoying the view from the Moko Moko. So much for that bout of compassion from earlier. At least the trip there was quite nice. Flying above seas of trees and brush, the two were getting closer to beach front. He could smell the salty waters when they approached it along with that burning sand smell.
As it turned out, the burning sand was actually a glassmaker's doing. Bubbles of colorful glass shapes and of varying sizes either floated in the air or floated in the waters of the sea. Reflections of either boats, birds, or fish danced across the glass spheres. The beach waters weren't the typical sapphire blues to peaceful greens. They were rosier in color where green would typically be and more orange to vermillion in color where blue would normally be. No blood or magic was involved in the beach's rosy appearance. It was the natural color. The glassmaker was a lanky demon that was almost all mouth and hands. It had tiny feet like chicken paws and barnacles and coral bunches growing on its back and arms. Its skin was a vibrant yellow that collected bits of green algae in corners. The tower was positioned on a cliff overlooking the beach, but, at the bottom, was the entryway into the tower. Two openings could be seen from the high altitude. When Sesshomaru landed, the glassblower didn't greet them immediately as he was preoccupied with making dotted orange and yellow glass. It wasn't until he placed his creation onto what could only be described as an ornately shaped chandelier that it waved its large claw in greeting before returning to its work. When they entered the watch tower's entryway, Jaken marveled at the tower's eye floating above all. It had glass spheres rapidly orbiting around it before it blinked, widened, and shrunk its pupil down to merely a dot. A wave of yoki energy covered the tower from tip to base before it reversed to the eye again. The balcony just below the eye housed the master of the watch tower.
Unfortunately, the master of the watch tower must've known they were coming because they only made it to the first floor of the tower at the top of the stairs by the time Sesshomaru was greeted with a song. Jaken marveled at the stairway leading to the inside of the tower. The walls were made of water and served as a bridge for flying squid to leap out from one side to the other. Once they reached the first floor, it was tiered area with another set of stairs spiraling to the couple of floors up to the top. The center of the floor looked more like a lounging area as it held a table with seating pillows around it. The bumbling fool that greeted them, however, was a robust Nautilus demon. Its skin was a lovely pale blue with colorful, reflective red eyes and a perfectly rounded belly. He had one humanoid hand holding a trident and a claw serving as a main weapon for defense potentially given the size of it. It's cheekbones and shoulders were covered in what looked like hard shell, and its loin cloth seemed to be made of prawn legs and seaweed. Judging from his personality, though, he was quite jovial and loved to sing.
"What was that for?" the fool asked, rubbing his head covered in lumps.
"Silence, oaf," Sesshomaru hissed, narrowing his eyes at the creature. "Why have you remained silent on recent events, Okakura?"
Okakura smiled brightly, showing a row of teeth similar in structure to an otter's teeth, and replied, "Well, I've been so fascinated by other things, my lord."
"What the hell is more important than demons being wrongfully killed, oaf?" Sesshomaru questioned, temper rising.
"That was actually quite interesting if I had to be most honest, my lord," Okakura replied, eyes glittering like an excited child. "You performed beautifully in saving those demons! I actually wanted to cry, but my tear ducts don't exist! And, I'm afraid I took greater interest in the oni that have begun to move."
"Oni?" Sesshomaru questioned, furrowing his brow. "Lives were lost and/or possessed by Netherworld demons and the only thing you cared about was the movement of a few other bumbling fools?"
"Ah, but you see, that's not the interesting part," Okakura said, lifting up a finger to emphasize his point. "It's not just a few oni. It's all of the oni from the living world and hell itself. They're on a hunt for something. What happened to the citizens of the Mujina Woodlands and a few inu was a tragedy, but - "
"Wait, what do you mean 'few inu'? More were involved there?" Jaken asked, unfolding his arms.
"Why, yes. Didn't the court tell you?" Okakura asked, raising a brow with some confusion. "A few of my lord's kind have gone missing. Something may have stopped the alleged kidnapper from taking more victims, but the fact remains that other inu have been reported missing. I suppose your court sent another to investigate that. It happened after the oni started moving. That's why I focused on that. I wondered if maybe they were the root cause of all this."
"What are the oni hunting for?" Jaken asked.
"That's where I'm lost," the Nautilus demon responded, angling his trident to point at Jaken before returning it to an upright position. "It's an atypical kind of prey whatever it is, and I can't tell if it's linked to all of these events or not. Even the disturbance from the Netherworld confuses me."
A melodious bell rung, silencing the men, until the visitor's scent tiptoed into the room. Jaken didn't recognize the visitor, but a delighted Okakura and a furious Sesshomaru knew who the person was. Preparing to run out of the tower altogether, Sesshomaru took a step right as the door opened to reveal a young woman. She was dressed in a pink kimono that was mixed with sheer and lace fabrics. Her figure was slender, lips colored a baby pink, and eyes lined with kohl to make her yellow and blue eyes pop. She bore the crescent moon on her forehead and gold whisker lines on her cheeks. Her hair was unique in and of itself. Instead of the white locks that Sesshomaru was known for, she had spotted locks of a grayish-blue and black pattern. Her hair was also cut into an asymmetrical bob.
Her eyes sparkled at seeing a dominant figure of her past and she whispered, "L-lord Sesshomaru? What are you doing here?"
"Ah, Lady Homugi, how are you?" Okakura greeted with a cheerful smile.
"Hello, Okakura," Homugi greeted, bowing politely. "Is Lord Sesshomaru here to investigate the missing inu, too?"
"Ah, were you the one the court sent to look into that?" Jaken asked. "How do you know of my lord?"
"Oh, well, I, uh..." Homugi replied, blushing a bit and averting the attention by looking elsewhere. "Knew him as a child, so to speak. I didn't know he was coming here."
"Not a problem, my dear," Okakura said, waving a hand to encourage her to approach him. "Have you found a clue to it all? Lord Sesshomaru was sent elsewhere to investigate another problem."
Shaking her head violently, Homugi refocused her attention to say, "Yes! I noticed that there were puppets, or things that looked like them, in the homes of the missing inu. Ones that were placed in different locations like the bedrooms, playrooms, or kitchens. The puppets are completely gray with no distinctive facial features. The bodies are the only things well-defined. You can hear the insides of these puppets filled with what sounds like rocks. I don't quite understand it. Were the puppets meant to be decoys in some way?"
"That's a strong possibility. Since the situation in the Mujina Woodlands is under control now, why don't you work with Lord Sesshomaru to put the pieces together? These events are connected whether we like it or not. Once Lord Sesshomaru quelled the rally, things seemed to calm down more. The only thing of great puzzlement now is the oni migration. If the inu are being replaced with puppets, the kidnapper must be harboring them somewhere. Perhaps you can try to find it," Okakura suggested.
Sesshomaru took a long, deep breath before closing his eyes and tilting his head upwards to the ceiling. Jaken took note that he was not at all thrilled at having Homugi joining them briefly, but he also didn't understand why Sesshomaru didn't tell them about Rakuyama and that rogue inu that attacked them. Was he trying to keep that information a secret for a reason?