Thermoceptive Mask
The doctor was following Homugi's directions to a man named Totosai as they sailed on her boat, Genso ShuShu-sen, high in the sky. Apparently, the blacksmith was a close friend to Sesshomaru's father and practically lived inside of a volcano. Would she be meeting Kiyonobu there? How did the residents of Ogre Island know of this man? Was his skill just that great? She then thought about Shanwang's riddles. Totosai doesn't know that he has a map in his foundry leading to the broken pieces of Ogre Island. There has to be some way to actually find it. She can't withstand the heat of the lava or the overwhelming power of the smoke. She also had to worry about Rakuyama's presence in the living world. She was a fully realized titan with an alarming amount of power in all of the worlds. Meioshi was going to have to find a way for Homugi to stop or weaken Rakuyama for the time being.
"Caritas," Meioshi called, making the sprite hop to take flight next to her face. "Do you remember much about Lady Rakuyama of Koridetudi? Species, weakne - ? Wait!"
"Hm?" Homugi questioned, looking from the landscape into the doctor's shifting eyes. She was thinking of something. "What's wrong?"
"Through my eyes, you will see..."
"It was a mask! The riddle was describing a mask that can see beyond what the natural eye sees, but what? We have to turn around," Meioshi said, changing the angle of her magical oar. "Sesshomaru said he confronted Lady Rakuyama outside of the Mujina Woodlands. He was looking for a rendezvous point that your ambassador might have had to speak with the clan leaders of that territory."
"Ambassador? Which one?" Homugi questioned, furrowing her brow.
"He said his name was Norihisa," Meioshi answered, angling the boat's nose downward. "He was with a few soldiers at Shinju o Tateru."
"Norihisa was reported missing weeks ago," Homugi said, narrowing her eyes. "There must be some mistake."
"Missing?" Meioshi questioned.
"Yes. I found a puppet in the shape of his body at the murder site (including the puppets of several others) days before Sesshomaru was involved," Homugi replied. "They should've notified him of this early on."
"Shit!" Meioshi hissed, narrowing her eyes and gritting her teeth. "She's targeting the House of Inu! We have to find something that can stop her before she takes it over. There has to be something that can weaken a kyonshi demon."
"I think I might know something to help with that," Bonitas said with a smile. "I might not like it, but I'll have to admit that it's helped your family for a few generations. The Ogre's Almanac. When we healed you upon your return from the Netherworld, the demons that you faced down there created several scrolls of information that your body recognizes. It's time for you to use that."
"How?" Meioshi questioned, turning to Bonitas.
"You have to activate it within you," Bonitas replied. "Tap into the abilities you share with Shanwang."
Meioshi considered the sprite's words and slowed the boat down to a hovering halt. She took some deep breaths and closed her eyes. Taking a seat, she folded her legs and proceeded to enter a meditating pose and state. The markings on her back glowed and burned until she could see Shanwang's interested grin and glowing eyes in the darkness. She reached out to him until they synchronized with each other. Unlocking the scrolls of her experience, she searched for the kyonshi and gave her inquiry to Shanwang through their connection. She lightly gasped when he responded in giving her the data she needed.
She smirked at his cooperativeness, if only for a moment, before saying, "We'll have to come back to Totosai's Foundry later. We might have to take one of his tools, but we can return it with time. I hope he'll understand. Homugi, do you know how to get to the Mujina Woodlands from here?"
Homugi sat in silence for a moment, sniffed the air, and pointed to her left before saying, "That way. It smells like it's been burned, though."
"We have to hurry," Meioshi said, standing to her feet to steer the boat to the fabled Mujina Woodlands.
Unfortunately, neither she nor Homugi sensed the danger lurking around Totosai's volcano. He had just stepped out to take a break before he was surrounded by thick fog. He could smell the scent of a strong demon within it. Turning to his sides to analyze the fog and find an escape route, Totosai backed away only to be circled by three marshland ogres. Kiyonobu being the leader and glaring into the blacksmith's soul as he growled...
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"This is where the woodland demons were?" Meioshi questioned, scanning her surroundings.
"The trees are so tall here," Caritas said, impressed by the foliage.
Homugi was leading the group to the entryway of the village, observing the damage done to it. Ashes, wooden spikes, and tattered cloth were all that remained now. The air was so cold and thick. Homugi may not have been familiar with such a drastic change in atmosphere, but Meioshi practically felt like she was visiting her second home. This was Koridetudi's natural environment - a wintry wasteland. A rustling in the bushes caught the group's attention until some elderly Bake-danuki and Anaguma villagers appeared. They were carrying wicker baskets in their paws that only the doctor would recognize as they belonged to some of her wards. One of the baskets had a soft ball of rainbow-colored string on the side.
"Oh, it's another inu!" the Anaguma elder said with surprise evident in his voice and features. "And sprites!"
"Hello, elders," Bonitas greeted politely with a bow. "You can't possibly be foraging for anything here, right?"
"'Fraid not, little one," the Anaguma elder replied, bowing in respect.
"It's Lady Homugi, elder," the Bake-danuki elder said, turning to his comrade. "This must be her group of investigators. Have you returned for more clues?"
"Wisemen, what on Earth happened here?" Homugi questioned, exchanging glances between the two.
"We don't know for sure ourselves," the Bake-danuki elder started, "but a wildfire came out of nowhere and burned everything. Lord Sesshomaru and his servant, Jaken, were able to get everyone to safety at an estate some miles from here. You should see it, Lady Homugi. It's quite beautiful! The clan leaders are there now, trying to organize a recovery and rebuilding plan, but I think where we are is nicer. The children can actually play together safely, and we can make more space for everyone if needed."
"You're sure we're talking about the same Sesshomaru?" Homugi questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"We had our doubts just like you as well, but he made it here just in time. He wasn't able to stop the fire, but he did calm most of it with his use of the wind. I didn't know he could control such an element," the Anaguma elder replied, shrugging in disbelief of the memory. "But, after we were evacuated, he told us that the estate belonged to some sort of vigilante. A woman who built it as a refuge for the innocent. He was pretty adamant about keeping it orderly and ensuring that we show gratitude to its creator should we ever meet her. Lord Sesshomaru was a frightful boy before, but he sure can be scary if he suspects one may desecrate a place that was of great importance to him."
Meioshi grew eerily quiet at the elder's words and thought back to her time spent with the western lord. Good and bad. Did he really value the ward estate so greatly? Going so far as to practically sanctify it? Somehow... the doctor grew even more confused on Sesshomaru's presence in her life. He had such a disgraceful attitude before! And he was unapologetic about it, but then... What exactly were his real intentions when they first met? Was it really just to find a new opponent? Why'd he bother helping her this whole time? What was he thinking saying those awful words to Homugi in front of her? Was Homugi right? Did something happen to him to make him so brazen? Meioshi shook her head lightly and went on to inspect the burnt remains of the village and the lingering snow of the Netherworld. There was nothing she could do about Sesshomaru now, but she could help Homugi and indirectly help him with their investigation.
Sifting through items, Meioshi took note to a few burnt herbs and shrubbery. She recognized the scents of some of her family's incense ingredients. Eyes widening, she remembered something about Unmei's findings in her family's letters. Hastily gathering greenery, the doctor stocked up on different synthesizing ingredients until she came to the bark of a burnt peach tree. That was it! Summoning a burst of strength, the doctor punched the tree trunk until the tree split and waited for it to fall to the ground. It didn't land on anything luckily, and she was able to collect the bark, pulp, and ash of the peach tree.
"Meioshi, what are you doing?" Homugi questioned, rushing over to the doctor.
"I need to make a potent repellant for you. Draw your weapon, milady," Meioshi requested, taking tools out to work. "Caritas, Bonitas, I need anything resembling coal and wax for this. We have to make peach tree ink."
"Yes, Lady Meioshi!" the sprites responded, hustling to search for the requested items.
"Why peach tree ink?" Homugi questioned, not understanding the specifics of such a thing.
"Kyonshi demons are one of the most difficult enemies to fight, especially Rakuyama," Meioshi explained, grinding herbs together on a flat slab of stone. The rapid motion and friction of her actions made sparks fling out. She then continued, "She's immune to almost every natural element and purification energy because she's able to devour them, but she can't handle the most sacred or potent of expelling energies. The hinoki tree is only second to the might of the peach tree. If we cover your mace with the ink, your strikes will be enough to stop her from gaining dominion over the House of Inu. If Sesshomaru wasn't being given the correct information for his part of the mission this entire time, Rakuyama's servants were already killing and possessing the missing clansmen and other demons you were sent to find. Those puppets are actually husks. Netherworld kyonshi drain their victims of their spiritual, or soul, energies. When there is no more for them to devour, they continue to your organs and fluids until your body is emptied."
"How do you know all of this?" Homugi asked.
"Because I faced her before," Meioshi responded, turning to Homugi with a solemn glow to her eyes. "We never fought each other, but I fought her henchmen and they are very good at killing you."
"What's their attack pattern? Can they be surprised?" Homugi questioned, narrowing her eyes.
"The best defense is armor that can be used in offense or weapons with a reflective quality. Don't use your strongest yoki-based attacks or weapons," Meioshi advised, remembering her struggle against these monsters.
"I found some charcoal, Lady Meioshi," Bonitas said, floating to the slab.
"I didn't find any candle wax, but I did find oil from a few gas lamps that weren't destroyed," Caritas chimed, placing his bowl of oil next to Meioshi.
"Thank you," Meioshi said, hustling to make the ink with her ingredients. She sensed a swift-moving presence dash through the bushes and stopped for a moment to say, "They're coming back! Homugi, guard the elders and escort them back to the estate. They should know the way. You might be able to catch their scent."
Eerily, a gust of sharp, icy wind softly passed over everyone's skin and shadows crept along the ground. Though incomplete, Meioshi mixed what she could and summoned her Dai Fubuki blade to hastily cover it in the oil. The tanto glowed brilliantly before she leapt behind Homugi and dashed at a shadowy figure that rose from a hunk of snow to dash at the blue merle beauty. Homugi then dipped her morning star mace into the leftover oil and ran to the elders' defense as another shadow charged at them with an open mouth full of fangs and claws sharp enough to cut through mountain stone. Though incomplete in its synthesis, the peach tree ink mix did prove to be effective in burning the shadows and forcing them to take a more physical form. They were dressed in what appeared to be a mixture of clothing styles. One shadow appeared to be more Chinese in his attire and braided ponytail, a young woman wore a kimono, and another male was dressed in Thai suiting. Together, the two fought side by side in defending the elders with the help of the sprites. Bonitas and Caritas were able to produce holy barriers to block sneak attacks.
From the elders' perspective, the women looked like they were practically dancing through twirls and either backward slashes or forward jabs. Meioshi cycled through hand-to-hand combat and her use of the mighty tanto to deliver critical finishers while Homugi mainly used her mace and a berserk finisher. With an expert high kick, Meioshi sent the Chinese male kyonshi hurtling towards the Japanese female kyonshi Homugi managed to elbow. The two collided with each other and gave Meioshi enough time to summon Baohu qi Voluptatis and thrust it through both demons. She unleashed a purifying incantation that set them ablaze and caused them to disperse into ashes. The Thai male roared to call upon a masked enemy and fused with the creature to enhance its attrition. Meioshi switched up her fighting strategy for this new enemy and activated her Oni Eye. Being that it was still a new ability not mastered, she wasn't sure how well it would work here but she would trust Shanwang's gift for this moment. Closing her eyes, the doctor sensed the flowing energy of the solid form of the masked shadow.
"Yoki, generate. Ko, control," Meioshi chanted, hearing the solid shadow move quietly along the ground. "Points, connect. Points, close."
When the doctor opened her eyes, she could see the shifting of energy throughout the shadow's body. Two major stores of energy were in the bladder and heart, respectively. The masked shadow charged at them with swipe attacks, but both women dodged and proceeded to strike.
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In the floating gardens of his childhood home were the beautiful maple and gingko biloba trees colored to perfection in crimson, bright orange, and golden yellow for the fall season. Walking along the cobblestone path, the many different tree leaves danced in the fluttering winds and playfully twirled around him. His ears perked up at the sound of two women giggling in the distance. Drawn to the sound, he kept walking until cobblestone turned to dirt and dirt turned to tall, soft grass. Crunching under his boots added to the sounds of play, he kept going until he found the source of the laughter. The sun wasn't quite as bold when he looked into it briefly. The blue and green spots of oversaturation from the light didn't hurt him. Instead, the sun was painted into the sky like a watercolor portrait. Even the blues and lilacs in the sky were delicately brushed onto the canvas of sky. The laughter had gotten a bit louder but sounded sweeter. It was a pleasant sound. As he walked on, he finally caught the sight of two women catching butterflies of varying colors. They didn't match the autumn hues, but they seemed to be more in tune with the summer hues.
One woman he recognized. It was Homugi dressed in a fuchsia kimono and twirling around in bare feet. The other woman he didn't seem to recognize at all, but she felt so very familiar to him. She was dressed in a flowing red kimono with a shield on her back and gold bangle on her wrist. Her bangs were covering her face and her hair pinned into an architectural bun. She sensed him coming and turned to him. Catching a butterfly with a torn wing, she kissed it's wound and lightly blew the creature towards him. The action captured him like she placed a witch's spell on him, and he walked closer to them. When he stood before them, they didn't seem to be paying attention to his presence until a butterfly tried to land on his nose. He shook his head to get the fluttering creature away from him and caught the woman in the red kimono's attention immediately. She stopped in her play and turned to him. Her lips were colored in red, unsmiling and supple. Her shield dropped to the ground with a thump before it rolled around her to block her from him. Homugi kept playing.
"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," the faceless woman said.
More laughter sounded but he was familiar with its sound. His little Rin dressed in a baby pink kimono and Jaken dressed in a red and white yukata were running behind Homugi. They engaged in their simple play of picking flowers to feed the butterflies. Instinctively, he moved to go towards them, but the woman's shield rolled in front of him.
"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," she repeated.
Rin turned around to wave to him and shouted, "C'mon, Lord Sesshomaru! Heal your wing!"
"You can do great things, me lord!" Jaken chimed in. "I know you can do this, no problem!"
Narrowing his eyes and reaching for a sword, he tried to strike at the woman to get her out of the way, but her shield had grown larger and rolled rapidly in front of her to protect her. Rin and Jaken had worried looks on their faces. He felt his chest move uncomfortably.
"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," the woman said again.
He tried to speak but his voice was gone. Frustrated, he tried to demand an explanation but no words rose. The more he tried to talk, the more faces he saw that were familiar to him. Figures dressed in some variation of red or some other color representing the coming fall season, the butterflies ready to migrate. He tried to strike at the sagely woman again, but her shield had only continued to grow and continued to protect her until he couldn't see the faces or figures anymore.
"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn," she repeated from behind the shield now as tall as a wall and as dark and menacing as a grand enemy.
Finally, a soft whisper that couldn't have possibly been heard by anyone or anything came from him. He said ever so quietly, "Help... me..."
It sounded so pathetic, so uncharacteristic, and so small in his own ears. He hated it. His chest started hurting. He tried to bite back the pain, but it hurt more until he couldn't breathe, yet a large swallowtail glowing green, orange, and vanilla white had fluttered behind him. He turned to it, hypnotized by its unusual beauty and let it kiss his cheek. He felt lips touch the skin. He wanted to run from the butterfly, to escape its touch, but its intricate wing pattern and wood brown body captivated him enough to calm him down. The butterfly then did something that shocked and comforted him. It shushed him. His eyes lowered a bit and he was quieted. The green swallowtail planted kisses on his face, the feel of lips more prominent and more real than before. It then kissed his neck. He tried to stifle a noise and managed to only grunt lightly. The legs of the swallowtail touched his arms, and he could feel hands caressing him. He went to tell the butterfly to stop, but it kissed his lips to shush him and instead of feeling an uncurled appendage reaching into his mouth he felt soft lips. His eyes closed. He felt hands gliding over his armor, felt them touch his pants, felt them graze his hips, felt them circle the muscles in his legs. The butterfly was getting too intimate, but he couldn't move. He didn't... want to move. The butterfly's kiss deepened. He felt its hand reach into his pants and caress him intimately until a soft moan finally escaped him. He felt like a lowlife, letting a swallowtail disrespect his person, letting a swallowtail have this much control over him.
"Do you not wish to migrate with those you love? With those you once loved?" the swallowtail asked through kisses.
"You shouldn't - ah - have to - huh - do this," he replied in a small voice. He hated it. Sounding so small in front of an even smaller creature. He should crush the thing for daring to violate him in such a way! For having this control over him.
"I'm not controlling you, Sesshomaru," the swallowtail whispered in his ear, hearing him gulp. He turned his head to the side, tilted it back, and he licked his lips. It kissed his neck some more then said, "You're hiding behind this shield as though your armor isn't enough."
"I've no reason to - hah - hide," he replied, sounding just as small but feeling himself about to give in to the butterfly's touches.
"Then why couldn't you speak before?" the swallowtail asked, pulling his pants down only slightly and taking him in its mouth.
He clawed at the shield behind him until sparks and dents damaged the shield. He didn't hear anymore laughter. He didn't hear the faceless sage in red repeating those words. He could only hear the echoes of his voice as though he were in the distance. His voice was no more but a faded memory like the watercolor sun. Not bold per its usual, not painful to look at, not bright against the sky. The shield was so overwhelming and tall that it became the sky. It was solid, intricate in its design, blank where his back was pressed against it. The butterfly wasn't pushing him back. He was pressing against it, clawing at it, making sparks and scars on the face of the shield. The green swallowtail kept touching him, kept kissing him, kept controlling him.
"I'm not controlling you, Sesshomaru," it repeated against his throat before placing a kiss against the bob. When it dipped, he felt it dragging its lips against it like it was preparing to suckle the nectar it held. "Why do you believe that you are unworthy so strongly? That you are nothing despite your armor and your sword and your accomplishments? That you don't deserve to be healed? That you are not as beautiful as the people you have saved? As the people you wish you could have saved?"
"Not your - "
He let out an audible moan when the swallowtail stopped touching him. It replaced his pants. It fluttered away from him and turned to hover in place. Captivated by its beauty, its voice, and its touch, Sesshomaru could only stare at it in silence. He didn't ask it why it stopped. He didn't say anything at all. He only looked on in a daze when the green swallowtail repeated those haunting words from the red sage.
"You cannot migrate. Your wing is torn."
Behind him, the scratches and dents and scars he carved with his own claws created torn wings. Instead of being angry, frustrated, or sad, Sesshomaru asked in a still and quiet voice, "What does it look like?"
The green swallowtail landed on a singular stone surrounded by glittering water and asked, "You've found your voice, it seems. What do you mean by 'it'?"
"Worthiness. What does it look like to her?" Sesshomaru asked, locking eyes with the resting butterfly.
"The red sage?" the green swallowtail asked as though she were offering a suggestion. Sesshomaru lowered his head in response, letting his bangs cover his face. He and the butterfly remained silent until it uncurled its mouth and drank nectar from the waters below. The butterfly then said, "The way you see me, I suppose. I don't need to be with other butterflies in order to migrate to the next part of life. I find great joy in healing other butterflies so they can fly and play freely. Me showing you the severity of your tears doesn't mean I'm controlling you. It doesn't mean I'm violating or disgracing you either. Look at the red sage again when you wake. Then, look at me. Choose your mentor wisely when you are ready."
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Totosai's in Danger
Sesshomaru shifted at first before feeling his body stir. He had finally fallen asleep. Feeling his swords rattle, the western lord turned to their scabbards and felt something amiss. Jaken was still sleeping by the fire on Rose Water Beach. Rushing from the entryway of the Nautilus Tower, he dashed at sonic speed until he was able to take flight. Totosai's scent had the smell of blood lingering in it. Though he didn't particularly like the old man, his father respected him and was a great friend to him. No one could touch him other than him and Inuyasha. That was the silent agreement shared between the two.
It took him some time to get to the volcano, but Sesshomaru was able to see Totosai being surrounded by three ogres. One of them he recognized as the one called Kiyonobu, the fog ogre that spoke to Meioshi at the lagoon, but the other two were foreign to him. Tied up and struggling, Totosai was trying to wiggle out of his binds until Sesshomaru landed near him. He struck at one of the ogres with Bakusaiga, effectively killing it, but Kiyonobu and his comrade burst into a thick fog before taking flight.
Dammit, old man... Sesshomaru thought, eyes narrowed. What do they want with you?
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Besieging the House of Inu
"Have you found anything of value?" Rakuyama asked, awaiting a response from her most loyal servant.
Norihisa and Rakuyama were seated in a carriage designed to look more like a sled. Arctic wolves of bone and jagged fur were pulling the carriage skywards on a trail of snow and ice. They were entering inu territory soon. Norihisa tapped the wall behind him with his fingers, making a flap of cloth open, and blushed at the scent of his new servant steering the carriage. She still smelled of flowers and mineral bath soak but now had a touch of shadow mixed in it. Rakuyama hummed at his response. Her servant seemed quite pleased with his new toy.
"To the Floating Castle," he commanded, feeling delicate fingers graze his before closing the flap. Norihisa then continued, "There is a necklace holding something that is called the Meido Stone worn by the lady of the inu house. It has the ability to revive the dead only once among other grand powers. It seems to be of use to you most."
"Interesting," Rakuyama responded with narrowed eyes and a wicked smile on her face. She lifted up her hand and materialized a gold mask in her detachable claws before holding it between her fingers. She touched the bottom of the lip in a gentle caress with one other finger to say, "I'll have you open a pathway with the rebellious one. I want the boy with silver hair spared."
Eyes glowing white like the moon, Norihisa turned into shadowy mist and left the carriage behind to infiltrate the House of Inu. Soldiers could sense the Netherworld's burn either by smell or instinct and prepared to defend Milady. A sudden burst of snow covered the palace grounds and made the air thinner and colder. At least a group of six shadowy figures in masks or somewhat physical form attacked relentlessly in the same manner as before in the Mujina Woodlands. Swords, claws, and yoki energy blasts were clashing just outside the palace doors. Some soldiers were drained of their insides in combat, others were able to best the shadowy demons. Numbers were slowly dwindling, however. Milady's ears perked up at the sudden intrusion before she narrowed her eyes. Norihisa walked onto the premises with sharpened icicles in his hands that reached to his ankles. In a burst of speed, he killed several inu soldiers and let his small army devour at will. A possessed Takamuku soon followed him in letting out a blast equivalent to cannon fire from his mouth that decimated more numbers and destroyed more ground. They continued on like this until the two made it to the castle.
Inside, Milady was simply waiting at her throne, unmoved by the destruction. Norihisa and Takamuku entered the throne room quite elegantly and politely despite the chaos going on outside. She sighed and said, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see either of you here. I would offer a refreshment, but it looks like you made yourself at home. What do you want?"
"We're only here to occupy you, Milady," Norihisa replied, snapping his fingers to summon the shadows in the throne room. They made quick work of the guards. He then said, "Perhaps, you would like to be escorted outside for a little while. That throne has to be relentless on your back."
She rose from the throne, entertaining the possessed inu for a moment, and walked down the stairs until she was approximately 30 paces in front of both men and the few shadows. Dropping her fur overskirt to the floor, she dashed at Norihisa and punched him twice before throwing him at a wall. The fur skirt left behind melted into the floor to open a portal that engulfed Takamuku whole and bent in different directions to unleash vicious bites before spitting him out. Dismissing the fur attachment behind her, Milady's eyes glowed before a singular tanto materialized into her hand. In another burst of speed, she slashed at the other shadows, who only managed to barely keep up with her swift attacks, and transformed into her true dog form to unleash two swipe attacks. Takamuku transformed into dog form himself with icy armor on his shoulders, head, and tail. He shot a blast from his mouth that hit Milady, but she recovered quickly and bit at the young soldier's neck to down him.
Right after he performed a tail whip, Sesshomaru tackled Takamuku into the nearest and bit at his mouth to tear into the flesh. His teeth stung from the arctic temperature inside of the soldier, but he continued to latch onto him until Takamuku let out an oral blast that dropped a chunk of ceiling onto Sesshomaru's head and made him release the soldier long enough for a retaliation that knocked the western lord back.
"Milady! Sesshomaru! Stop!" Homugi shouted, running into the throne room.
Norihisa growled angrily at the blue merle beauty before shouting, "Take her weapon from her!"
Shadows came at Homugi to surround her, but she defended herself quite well and struck some of the shadows with her mace. Each one disintegrated to ashes as she cut and clubbed away. Fascinated by this, Milady reverted back to her more humanoid form and watched Homugi go to war on her own. To think, this was the same girl who liked making flower crowns and putting them on her son's head. Her strength was impressive! Furious at Homugi's intervention, Norihisa charged at her while Takamuku hopped over to his side. Homugi remained in her humanoid form as she acrobatically flipped over to defend Sesshomaru, which confused and silenced him, and gritted her teeth when she heard a slow applause sound in the room. Norihisa grew quiet as Rakuyama entered the room. She removed her Crown of Victory from her head and crossed her arms over it to press it against her chest. The crown transformed into armor and her spire of ice became her sword.
"It appears I'm late to the festivities," Rakuyama purred, exchanging a glance to each person in the room. She then turned directly to Takamuku and said, "Your fighting spirit is actually quite beautiful, Takamuku."
"Takamuku, no..." Homugi whispered with sadness in her tone, clutching her mace. Sesshomaru was silent at this, reverting back to his own humanoid form, and merely looked at the soldier's form. Homugi then asked, "What happened to you, senpai?"
"Just a wild party, I assure you," Rakuyama answered with a light laugh, holding up a hand to signal Norihisa to stand down. "As a favor for bringing him home safely..."
She snapped her fingers, making Takamuku roar in agony, and dashed at Milady with unearthly speed before cutting her necklace off and snatching it from the air with her hands. Unable to react as swiftly, Milady's eyes widened as she saw the parting gift from Toga in another woman's hands and growled before enhancing her tanto with hyper-yoki energy to make the blade longer to form a basket-hilted, nine-ring broadsword. The rings were made of wisteria blossoms circling through the holes along the blade. Leading the attack to defend her beloved Meido Stone, Milady rushed at Rakuyama to volley the item in repeated motions. Sesshomaru and Homugi soon followed suit in stopping the arctic demon from stealing Milady's medallion.
Fending off Homugi, Sesshomaru, and Milady, Rakuyama redirected each attack simultaneously in a single motion and released a burst of blizzard power that sent them back. Homugi, however, retaliated differently. She removed a bottle of ink from a pocket in her bosom and rushed at Rakuyama to swing her mace at her. The Queen Kyonshi dodged effortlessly until Homugi broke the bottle and swung her mace directly at Rakuyama to hit her arm and burn it with peach tree ink. Letting out a screech, Rakuyama flipped backwards to avoid Homugi until Norihisa came to assist. Sesshomaru stopped him before leaping away to avoid Takamuku's attack. The same Takamuku that he used to eat lunch with, the same boy he used to pet fairy pittas with, and the same boy that betrayed him years ago was biting and clawing at him like a rabid beast. It had to be a result of Rakuyama's mental invasion. That meant she might have been far worse than the black wall demon he fought before. But then... if Homugi was here, where was his rival?
Milady fought alongside Homugi to retrieve her necklace from Rakuyama, but the Queen Kyonshi was proving difficult to fight as time went on, especially now that Homugi knew her weakness. How did the little bitch know about the ink? Hearing a song in the distance, Rakuyama stopped moving altogether and turned her attention to the outside. Milady and Homugi chose to attack together, but the Queen Kyonshi formed a wall of ice and snow telepathically before imploding it and sending them backwards.
"Nurikabe," she said with a serious face. She whistled, gaining Takamuku's attention, and commanded, "We leave."
"Not with my stone!" Milady barked with a visible snarl.
Summoning a vortex of snow, Rakuyama looked at the Meido Stone in her hand, placed it on her lips, and whispered, "Lead me to the True North to find my Dreamy Wonder."
Eyes burning red, Milady woke a fury so deeply buried within her that she became unrecognizable. How dare this cretin touch her stone! Before anyone to go in for another attack, Rakuyama turned to Sesshomaru, placed her fingers on her lips, and blew a kiss to him before saying, "I'll be back for you, my prince."
With that, she disappeared in a snowstorm to follow the sound of the ancient lullaby her comrade used to sing...
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"Failure to protect the House of Inu is a dishonor!"
Sesshomaru, Homugi, and a few surviving soldiers stood before the Court of Elders and a disenchanted Milady in the Hall of Judgement. It was a round room lined with tapestries of historical moments within the inu line. One of the strongest of all inu was screaming at everyone. He was a man of average to tall height and average build with only armor on his torso these days. He no longer fought due to his role and carried a staff with two thin red tapestries with the eyes of the inu at the bottoms of both and flying inu in the centers. The soldiers could barely stand as they tried to defend their case against the attack on the House of Inu.
"Counselor, this was beyond our knowledge!" a guard defended, holding up a broken arm. "Ambassador Norihisa and our top soldier, Takamuku, were the main ones that led the intruders in here. They could've just as easily escorted innocents here!"
"Both men were possessed and had the scent of the Netherworld laced on their person! You expect me to believe that you were so incompetent?" the elder argued, silencing the guards.
"Norihisa was attacked and killed weeks ago! The puppet that was left behind was just a husk of what remained of him afterwards! Takamuku had to have perished after him. He wasn't completely possessed yet. I told the court about those puppets earlier when I was sent to - !" Homugi tried, holding up a hand to her chest.
"We sent Teinosuke to handle the investigation! You overstepped your boundaries!" the elder interrupted, stabbing the floor with his staff. "You were tasked with assisting in documenting his findings for us to determine our next plan of action. Your selfish ambitions caused more unnecessary deaths than realized!"
"I did assist Teinosuke!" Homugi defended. "He personally asked me to look into the puppets. The accounts I delivered were joint reports. His being the headline! We told you that something was wrong when Norihisa didn't act like himself. He was slower, less enthused, too casual. This is the ambassador to one of the largest strongholds in the demon world. He should know all of the territories - claimed or unclaimed - like the lines on the palms of his hands and prints on his fingertips. Why didn't he know where he was going? No matter what part of this world you venture in, all inu are trained on how to find their way back home starting from year one. One of our own men had to find him, escort him to his own home, escort him to the court to relay his findings! No one thought to check him out?"
"If the soldiers had to find him, and they were specifically trained to always find home as you say, why didn't they find him suspicious?" the elder asked calmly. "We send our youth to Yaban'na Tsume for more than just being able to defend themselves and learn of our laws. It is to recognize their kind first and foremost. If the Netherworld can mask a scent almost all generations of inu should be familiar with, that is where our problem truly lies. Moreover, whoever disturbed these cretins from the land of shadow and death is practically making a declaration of war."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly at this before they returned to normal. He tuned the rest of the argument out for a moment to think. The elder was right. The Netherworld entering the living world was going to be a problem. This was only a taste of the trouble that came with visiting the land of the dead.
"Sesshomaru! I want the head of the bastard who dared to awaken hell itself to destroy us!" the elder shouted, breaking Sesshomaru out of his thoughts. "This is a disgrace to Lord Toga's name and the House of Inu! Either find the whereabouts of the Meido Stone or you will be deemed unworthy of ever taking up the throne! Homugi... you are off the investigation."