Several hundred years ago...
Her grandfather had rushed to her room in a panic. He woke her up with a start and picked her up. So many voices in a panic. Fires were blazing around her. She started to cry. Where was her mom and dad? Down the hallway, her grandfather picked her up and ran past the palace workers to a safe place. The corridor was dark. Even a lit torch could barely cut through the darkness. A billowing roar erupted from the distance. People started to follow her grandfather. He pried open a stone shoji door and rushed people inside.
"There's an inu outside, your highness!" a woman warned. "I don't know where Lord Fukuyama is!"
"What of my daughter?" her grandfather demanded.
"She's outside forming the barrier," the woman replied.
A large blast hit the palace. It was enough to knock everyone onto their knees or stumble. Everything shook around her. Amidst the chaos, her father entered the corridor, but he wasn't there to protect anyone. He took a sword out to kill. One by one, he cut down innocent people who once loved and looked up to him. His eyes burning red. It wasn't until her mother leapt in front of him with the Himawari Jewel in hand that a blast of kami-reiki blanketed her world in mass of light.
"Mommy!" she called.
Her mother ascended into the air, releasing high amounts of reiki power, while turning to her with tears in her eyes. She said, "I'm so sorry, my daughter. I don't want to leave you all alone, but your father is hurt."
Before her stood an inu just as the woman from before said. He let out a roar, but he didn't crush her. He even downed the other beast that was attacking the palace. A ray of light shot through the beast's chest just as the inu leapt away. Turning to the princess, the inu dipped his head underneath the woman's nightgown and scooped her up onto his back. Together, they charged at the beast.
"I'm not going to let you hurt my people, you monster!" the princess claimed.
"So be it... I'll just devour your world and that disgrace of a demon along with you! Die, Inu no Taisho!" the beast exclaimed, charging at the allies.
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Hasumi woke with a start until she felt arms around her. Meioshi was there with concern in her eyes. The little one started to cry before she jumped into the doctor's arms and bawled herself to exhaustion. Homugi and Liuxian walked into the room, noses filled with the scent of urine, and simply watched as Meioshi rocked back and forth with Hasumi in her arms.
"Liu, fresh sheets, please," Meioshi requested softly, earning a nod from her friend.
"Homugi, your lavender bundles. I need two dried bunches," Meioshi requested.
"O-okay," Homugi responded, rushing to the wagon outside.
"Come, little one," Meioshi said, wrapping Hasumi's legs around her waist to pick her up. She was wet from the waist down.
It wasn't long before Hasumi was gently placed in a tub of warm water. She simply sat there in the tub with the tears steadily falling from her eyes and her mouth caught in a cycle of swallowing, parting open, and then clenching closed. Meioshi was there, quietly washing Hasumi's small body, and checking for wounds or scratches that would burn if touched with soap. The ones that were found were properly tended to as the woman watched the little girl. Meioshi soon worked on Hasumi's light brown hair, now noticing that despite its length there was some severe matting in spots. They would have to be cut out. The girl said nothing, however. She merely let the doctor care for her. No words were ever exchanged when Hasumi felt the weight of her hair being taken away bit by bit. Meioshi was gentle in the entire process and even took the liberty of styling her hair to mid-back length. Scars both old and new could be seen on the little miko's body. When Yuko came in with a fresh yukata, Hasumi said nothing as Meioshi proceeded to dress her. Yuko tried to offer her voice to break the silence, but Meioshi shook her head and instead requested a small mirror. Meioshi dressed the girl and wiped her tears with a steamed towel doused in lavender and orange oil like she typically does. It wasn't until Yuko came in with a mirror that Hasumi saw herself for the first time since her home was violently destroyed.
She was far grimmer looking than even the most depressed of adults. There was no light in her eyes. Her hair was actually dimmer than even what she remembered, and the scars... these wretched marks of yearly abuse from that monster, Azumamaro. She felt bad for sending Sesshomaru to his doom, but she at least was able to spare that old man. Azumamaro only ate demons to maintain his life and strength. Meioshi and the others don't know it yet, but they'll be in grave danger soon. Azumamaro can't be killed. He could only be exorcised. She needed a priestess to help her, but... she liked Meioshi. She was actually... excited to go on a vacation with her. While she didn't like kids because of the bullying she had to endure, she didn't mind Mister Liuxian's kids. They loved baking sweets with their Aunt Zhe-Zhe, or Meioshi, and she found... that she kind of liked that, too. They may have only spent a few days together, but this was the most fun she's had in years. There had to be a way to spare them. There had to be a way to kill Azumamaro! There had to be a way to destroy the Himawari Jewel for good! But...
"I can't..." Hasumi mumbled.
Meioshi reached out experimentally to touch the girl, but she snapped out of whatever stupor she was in and took Meioshi's hairbrush to throw it at the mirror and scream. She started punching at the glass until her knuckles started bleeding from the shards cutting her. When she could do no more, she let out a screech and tried to wipe her eyes, but Meioshi stopped her and held her in her arms again.
"I can't do it on my own... I don't know how..." Hasumi mumbled in Meioshi's yukata. "He's too strong...! He'll just hurt everyone again...! He'll hurt you...!"
"Do you want to end the suffering around you, Lady Hasumi?" Meioshi asked quietly. Hasumi grew quiet at the question, remembering that Meioshi had said that to her before when they first met. The young miko then felt something surrounding her like a pair of arms. It wasn't the doctor's but another's! Meioshi then said, "Let me be your sword and shield. You don't have to go alone anymore. I will stand beside you."
"I want him to die..." Hasumi finally said after some silence. She squirmed out of Meioshi's embrace and kneeled in front of her with some determination in her eyes. "I want that evil son of a bitch to pay for killing my family...! He hid away the Himawari Jewel somehow and now has a curse on Sozosora. He's been letting demons do whatever they want with us. Some of them possess the villagers or use the women. Some even use the men and kill them or eat them. I've been trying to bait that monster with other rare demons, but he's too much of a glutton to care about his diet."
"Right then..." Meioshi said, rising to stand. She summoned up a mass of fire into her hand and covered her body with it to burn away her yukata and replace the soft fabrics with her leather and armor. She then said, "Let me prove my strength to you, Lady Hasumi. I will free you from this beast."
Hasumi looked up at the doctor, not paying attention at first until she did a double take and noticed that Meioshi was fully armored. She jumped to her feet with awe at the sight! The miko then stuttered, "So, you really were holding back! Then, you might be able to help that old man. I found a rare demon type by him in the forest. He had spots like Homugi, so I thought that was Sesshomaru. The guy you mentioned before. Azumamaro's gonna eat him!"
"Azumamaro is still alive?" Homugi questioned, stepping into the room with shock in her features. "But I thought Lord Toga sealed him away?"
"He did," Meioshi replied, locking eyes with Hasumi. "The genius shoved the bastard into the Himawari Jewel itself. Homugi, tell Yuko to go into my wagon with my weapon cleansing kit and start preparing it. We'll have to repair Hasumi's sunflower staff ourselves. I have to return to the ever-sophomoric demon lord of the west."
"Sesshomaru's been following us?" Homugi questioned, suspicious with eyes narrowed.
"No, the son of said genius almost got my sensei killed," Meioshi said, walking out of the bathing room.