Hasumi was playing hide and seek with Delan and Xinya as Shishou walked with them. It was nice having playmates. Though she missed her grandfather very much, Hasumi found that she liked Shishou. He was very active and playful! Sensing something amiss, Hasumi stopped running after Xinya and turned her head to the intruder. There were shadows lurking in the trees. The monk family soon sensed it, too. Fragments of soldiers were lumbering towards them. Shishou quickly put his hand on Delan and curled a finger at Xinya to bring them closer. Hasumi was cautious but inched her way closer to Shishou. Swiftly, some of the soldiers charged at them, but Shishou very calmly covered everyone in silver flames and went on the defense. Hasumi watched with awe at Shishou's speed and combat affinity. He disarmed several shadowy soldiers before spinning rapidly in place to send them back with a holy wind attack.
"Delan. Xinya. Defense technique: cunning monkey," Shishou ordered, smirking a bit.
Without hesitation, the children got into defensive stances. Hasumi gasped at them. They fought together? Standing straight before getting into her own defensive stance, she summoned up some reiki energy and simply attacked whenever the others decided to. A polearm spun about before thrusting forward. Delan made quick work with using his hands to redirect the polearm downward before snapping it in half with a kick and throwing the spearhead directly at the soldier's head.
"EH?" Hasumi shouted more than questioned, pointing at Delan with her mouth dropped open and eyes wide. "You can fight, too?"
"Well, I can't have my grandchildren be completely defenseless," Shishou said, smiling gently. "Now, then, let's make sure these men don't destroy young Meioshi's clinic. After all, she's working so hard to protect you, right, Hasumi?"
Hasumi blushed before tearing up. He was right. Meioshi... was out there probably on her way to fight Azumamaro all on her own. She promised to help her. She wanted to help her. Hasumi liked the doctor. She had to be just as strong and just as brave if she wanted to help Meioshi. She couldn't let her down! But... that also meant... that she'd have to tell her the truth. That she actually did know who Sesshomaru was... because... they knew each other... when he was just a baby. Lord Toga visited her family often, especially on her parent's wedding anniversary...
"Kya!" Hasumi shouted, blasting Azumamaro's soldiers with rays of reiki energy.
Hopeful that Liuxian and Meioshi would return soon, Hasumi was honored that she had allies, but her heartbeat became irregular when she remembered what the ugly goblin said to her and Homugi. She then started to get scared. What if everyone finds out about everything and leaves her? She didn't want to be all alone again. Even worse, what if that monster kills everyone? She didn't know how to kill him herself! The more she thought about it, the blurrier her vision became. Before long, her sorrow overcame her, and she lost the strength to fight. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of being alone. Shishou pulled his grandchildren back gently as he smiled at them. He then nodded to Hasumi and walked towards her. An orb of protection and light surrounded them without the children knowing why, but the Shaolin monk knew quite well what was protecting them. It was Chen-bi. When Hasumi smelled sweet oranges, she looked up to see the soldiers backing away and Azumamaro forming from their remains. He watched her sniveling form gather warmth and another little girl that he didn't recognize standing before him with contempt in her eyes. She was wearing a snow coat over a thick kimono and summoned a scroll with an unfamiliar mark on the back of it. Without warning, a wall of ice formed and snowy winds started picking up as a strong light beamed over the group of holy warriors.
"Who are you, you little brat?" Azumamaro demanded, lifting a hoof as a threat to stomp her out.
"Back off, jerk!" the little girl threatened.
"Remove yourself from the girl or I'll devour you next!"
"This is for my friend!" the little girl retorted, making the walls of ice grow taller and thicker. "I'm immune to your threats!"
"So be it!" Azumamaro roared, pouncing on the group.
He leapt into the air to stomp the child into the ground, but he felt a familiar blast of reiki energy coming from the light and an unfamiliar burst of wind coming from the little girl. The child then said, "I am the lantern that guides thine path!"
With that, she summoned a gust of wind and snow that shot the demon back. When he stumbled just long enough, icicles formed and shot at him like arrows. A distinct shriek of surprise and pain escaped the demon's long mouth. He proceeded to exact his vengeance on the little snow girl.
Hasumi had just caught the snow girl looking back at her before Azumamaro charged at her again and she shouted, "A-a-are you, Hon'no?"
"Don't give up, Hasumi. Meioshi will find a way to save you," Hon'no replied, smiling brightly.
"What's that, doctor?" Hasumi asked, looking at Meioshi's golden sun necklace.
"This is Chen-bi, Lady Hasumi," Meioshi said gently and confidently. "I'll be gone for a while, so I want to make sure you feel safe even if you can't see me. There's a special person within Chen-bi's warm rays who will help you find a safe place to go if you're in trouble. She's very sweet and quite feisty!"
"Someone's... inside of it?" Hasumi questioned, taking Chen-bi into her hands. She poked it a couple of times and heard giggling! When she heard a person giggling in the trinket, she shot back and held out Chen-bi while yelping, "Yah!"
"That tickles!" a child's voice said.
"That sounds like..." Yuko started, crawling over to Chen-bi. "Little wolf?"
"Hi, Yuko!" the voice said happily.
"Little wolf! It is you! What are you doing in the trinket?" Yuko asked, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She was happy.
"Meioshi said I could stay with Chen-bi before I went home with Piao and daddy. It's warmer in here!" Hon'no replied, releasing a sweet orange fragrance. "Plus, I like Chen-bi. He makes bubble shields! Bubbles are cool!"
Meioshi giggled before saying, "Hon'no knows exactly what it feels like to be alone. So does her sister, Piao. A demon destroyed their home and took them from their families while they were still young much like you. I think... if no one else can help you or even comprehend what you've been through, they most certainly can. I trust them more than anyone else to protect you and be your guide. Do you think you can trust them?"
Hasumi brought the trinket closer to her, placed the necklace on her neck, and clutched Chen-bi in her hands. Almost immediately, Chen-bi released a small shield around her and she could feel warmth surrounding her. She closed her eyes to feel it and relaxed. When she opened her eyes, Meioshi was there wrapping her arms around her, too. The longer she looked into Meioshi's eyes, the more she could see the resemblance between her... and her mother... Yonamine.
"You should hug her, too," Liuxian said to his own kids, watching them all embrace her with cheerful smiles.
"Hasumi!" Xinya and Delan cheered, tackling her to the floor and tickling her.
The little miko let out a laugh before she looked at Liuxian and Shishou. She started to tear up more when the resemblance between the two men matched her father, Manzo, and her grandfather, Lord Doppo. She lost them all to that monster. She missed them so much. If she could see them one last time, that would be the greatest gift anyone could give to her. But... if Hon'no was inside of Chen-bi... and has gone "home" to the afterlife then... she's with her family and probably visits the doctor. Hasumi didn't want to just visit Meioshi. She really liked her. She really liked Homugi and Yuko, too. She really liked Liuxian and Shishou and Xinya and Delan. She wanted... to be selfish. She wanted a family again... but... not in the afterlife. Will any of them... let her be selfish with them?
"That's going to take some courage," Hon'no said, making Hasumi look down.
"What is?" Hasumi asked.
"Asking the question that's in your heart..."
Hasumi nodded, took a deep breath, and held her hands in a particular position with Chen-bi hanging in the middle. She might not be able to kill this beast, she might not be worthy to go to heaven, but... she could do whatever it was going to take... to protect Meioshi and the people she enjoyed her few days with. She could be their sun to light the rest of their days just like Hon'no. Azumamaro hissed and struck at Hon'no violently to get Hasumi to stop, but she whispered strongly, "Taiyoko-sen. Rejoin."
Chen-bi's shield dropped. Hasumi opened her eyes and a beam of light engulfed her before shooting into the sky. With that command, three beams shot into the sky in ascending order and hit the akashita demon above to encapture it. From the Floating Citadel, Milady's ears perked up and her eyes widened before she rushed out of the throne room in a hurry.
That's impossible! Milady thought, taking flight to Sozosora. Manzo, Yonamine... they were all killed! Only Hasumi...! How did she get out without the key?