Milady was stroking Hasumi's hair as the girl grew weaker and weaker by the minute. Yonamine and Manzo sat in front of her, caressing their beloved daughter's cheek, waiting for her to respond. They knew her body couldn't take all of Taiyoko-Sen's strength at such a young age, but their own physical bodies were no more. All they could do to destroy the beast that destroyed their village and their family was lend her their might. Hasumi was clutching onto Chen-bi with the last bit of energy she had while loosely holding on to her staff. Milady could see the abuse the girl endured through cuts and bruises, but she could also smell the lavender and orange bath soak she somehow received and some form of antiseptic on the wounds. Someone took care of her when she woke out of suspension prematurely. Her friends truly were dead, not sent to another plane of existence outside of her reach... or her power. Yonamine was now simply a spirit, waiting for her daughter to stir before she went into the afterlife, and Manzo was deteriorating like a clay doll turning to dust and pieces. His spirit was pouring out of the clay husk, signaling his ascent to freedom in the afterlife.
She didn't want them to leave her... but her promise was complete. She protected them as best as she could until they were reunited once again. Hearing crunching behind her, her eyes left the girl for a second to see her son looming overhead. He was both hurt and angry. She knew he was hurt because of his friend's death, but she didn't understand why he was angry.
"You're taking great care... of something that you claimed you didn't like, mother," Sesshomaru said lowly. "Who are these people?"
"Do not disrespect me!" Milady snapped, eyes turning red and anger evident in her features. It was enough to silence the man almost immediately and startle her friends. Milady could tolerate a lot of things, but desecration was not one of them. "These were our friends many years ago. You were only a toddler when we met them, but this little girl used to babysit you. She said she remembered you quite clearly despite the fact that you've grown taller."
"He looks so much like you, princess," Yonamine said, holding a hand to her lips and smiling brightly. "Those eyes, cheekbones, markings, even those bangs! Little A-roo!"
The sound of a child's laughter and the little song of "A-roo" and "A-grr" echoed around the woman. Hearing those beautiful sounds of the past made Milady's eyes water. Her little babe... he was so sweet and so small. Capturing the hearts of so many, eager to be held by this human woman and to play hide-and-seek with this human man. Sesshomaru didn't even recognize his own coos as the sounds reached his ears. This angelic couple knew him?
"He's still so cute, princess!" Yonamine complimented, touching Milady's hand. Milady slowly stopped stroking Hasumi's hair and placed her hand on Yonamine's before she realized a tear had fallen and a soft smile decorated her face. She missed them so much.
"He grew to Toga's height, Nani," Manzo said, smiling warmly. "He even dresses like that old dog!"
Sesshomaru's sword started rattling and glowing at the hilt. Milady's eyes narrowed at this, but... she couldn't be selfish. She had to let Toga say his goodbyes just as she had to. He did, after all, form the covenant with these humans in the early years of their marriage. Not after he met... her. Milady didn't form a covenant with Yonamine until after Hasumi was born. Manzo and Toga formed a blood bond once Hasumi was about five years old. Together, Milady and Toga put this entire plan together to put Doppo and Hasumi into a deep sleep until they found word of Yonamine and Manzo's whereabouts. They weren't aware that their spirits were locked away in their weapons.
"Your father wishes to speak to them, my son," Milady said softly. "Produce him."
Sesshomaru turned to his mother, hesitant of this development, but he honored her wish as a small form of apology. This was unlike her completely. She was going out of her way to honor humans. Humans! They were her friends? When he was a baby? Then, what was the harm in allowing Izayoi into her life before? Having multiple wives was not uncommon for many races of youkai or even humans, especially if the man can afford it. He didn't understand this. Since no one wished to explain anything to him, he unsheathed the Tenseiga and jabbed it into the ground. Without a word, he walked away and gave them space. He should have known better. It was useless to ask for help. She was too invested in these other humans. She never shared this kind of intimacy with anyone, but...
"You are an important part of this, my son."
Sesshomaru stopped dead in his tracks at his father's voice. How? He turned around slowly and was indeed met with Toga's spirit sitting next to Milady. He wanted to scoff at this. His parents may have agreed to be friends, but their friendship was as worthless as their marriage in his eyes. He had all but forgotten why he turned his nose at the idea of such a union in his life. Yet... for some unorthodox reason... he couldn't help but keep his gaze on them for a small, lingering moment. The bond his parents shared with these humans was surreal. Was he really too young to remember these people? Youkai and men were at peace in his presence once before?
Toga smiled at him before he continued, "These humans were the first people that you wanted to be with. We formed a blood bond together because you were a symbol of hope and a good future for all of us. We had gone against the law to marry and have children together. I had forgotten what it meant to be a good friend to others, and how a true friendship can multiply the goods in your life while dividing out the evils in it. That compassion wasn't the only quality that a friendship needed to be strong. I wanted to teach you this when I had the chance, but I didn't know how and time kept slipping between my fingers the more you grew up. So, I did what a father should always remember to do... provide. Your mother was my greatest friend and my precious confidant around the time of your birth. It was my fault that I had forgotten how her friendship gave our survival a real value for us and this human family sitting before us. A man who does not give his woman the tools she will need to raise his yoke has lost his value as a man. I seek no forgiveness for my wrongs here. I only seek to understand why you are grieving once more, my son."
"Your intelligence has always been centered around emotion. Why don't you use it?" Sesshomaru snapped, turning to walk away from the group. He stopped, however, and a thought came to mind before he said, "Ah. It seems I have also forgotten something. You prefer to control when I can grieve."
"If I'm so controlling and your mother so distracted, why did you come here for help?" Toga asked, making Sesshomaru stop.
"... You earned a bit more of my respect in recent years. Try not to ruin that with your logic. I merely wanted to know the extent of our ability to revive another," Sesshomaru answered.
"There is no other way to revive another, my son," Toga responded with an interested smirk. "The Meido Stone has completed its purpose. Tenseiga cannot save this person."
"Then cease your talk and tell me how to help this stupid witch!" Sesshomaru snapped, narrowing his eyes with visible annoyance.
"She can't be helped, my son," Toga responded, earning glances at him. "She can only be watched. Her soul is outside of Tenseiga's reach. The best thing that you can do is wait."
With that, Sesshomaru left in a fury. What was there to wait for if Meioshi was truly dead and her soul was gone? A small coo sounded from Hasumi. She was beginning to stir. When her eyes peeled open, she loosened her grip on Chen-bi and struggled to lift herself up. Yonamine and Manzo were quick to action when their daughter was able to move.
The little miko blinked a couple of times and looked around to see her parents, Lord Toga, and finally Milady. She gasped at this and started blabbering, "M-m-mommy! Daddy! Lord Toga! Princess! Where's Little A-roo? Don't answer that! What happened? Where'd Azumamaro go? Where's that fluffy black demon with the big red tongue? What happened to grandpa? Where's Mr. Liuxian? A-an-and Grandpa Shishou? And Xinya? And Delan? Oh, the doctor! Where's doctor? Homugi! Is Homugi okay? She didn't lose her spots, did she? If that fuzzy jerk damaged my rare catch, I'm calling the coin again! Wait, what happened to Yuko? She promised to make me more fruit juice."
"She sounds just like you, Nani," Milady said softly, earning a blush from Yonamine. "A million questions a minute!"
"You know, now that I'm looking at her again, she's starting to look like you, Manzo," Toga's spirit said, smiling a bit. "She still has Nani's hair and mouth, but those are your eyes and nose."
Manzo chuckled a bit but his expression soon turned to worry and he asked quietly, "When did you die, Toga?"
Toga was quiet enough for one to hear an earthworm trying to crawl to the surface. Milady's expression became a mixture of sadness and fear. She would rather they not know, but maybe the truth was inevitable for their old friends. The general then said, "Quite a few years ago now, but it was after you had been taken from us."
"Little A-roo was talking to the spirit of the Serizawa Chain before I had been released. I couldn't see her, but she helped us. She mentioned that she was a doctor, and that Hasumi was a very brave girl. She's been with them both for a while now. We shouldn't have told Little A-roo that she couldn't be helped. There has to be a way for him to see his friend again. She reunited us," Manzo said, looking down at his hands.
"Perhaps... what she doesn't need is to be revived. Maybe she simply needs a king's grace," Milady said, looking up to the sky. When a cloud passed, however, she spotted a gathering of clouds that seemed to be funneling somewhere. A couple of spirits and objects were surrounding the point of the funnel like they were searching for something.
"Chen-bi's shaking," Hasumi said to herself. The golden sun trinket started floating before it twirled around and glimmered brilliantly. It looked like it was sending off a signal. In her ears alone, Hasumi could hear Hon'no's voice. She had to decide... where she wanted to go the most. Hasumi looked at her parents for a second before looking down at her feet. She then whispered, "Mommy... daddy..." She let Chen-bi go then clutched at her clothes near the chest like they were her only lifeline. She clenched her jaw tight and started to cry. Her shoulders started shaking, too. "Can I... go on vacation with my friends?"
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Sesshomaru may not have understood everything and may have still been angry at his parents for their sole focus on other humans, but this was a part of their past that he simply couldn't interfere with. Shishido was standing next to the western lord, eyes softening when he heard familiar footsteps approaching them. Milady was walking up to the Camelia Gazebo with her bouquet. She placed them down to join it with a few others, lit some joss sticks, and sat down to look at the memorial that the grand monk had crafted from the crystals in the mound cave. It was a crown above a tombstone. On the tombstone was a stamp and description of its symbolism.
"The Day of Kingly Grace is approaching, but the promise marked by brotherhood is now complete. You all did quite well," Shishido said.
"A question, ball-less bull," Milady said, not caring how the grand monk felt about her insult. "Our friend mentioned something about a Serizawa Chain. What was he talking about?"
"The Serizawa Chain from what I understood was a gift from young Manzo to Lord Toga, but it was also another piece to the Taiyoko-sen Coin. Manzo wanted your family to hold onto it in the future, believing that the reason you all met was not a coincidence. Since you formed a covenant together, the idea was for you to aid in choosing who should be the next wielder of holy shield, or at the very least the next generation of wielders for the pieces," Shishido explained.
"What will happen to Hasumi and the coin now?" Milady asked.
"Frankly... I don't know," Shishido admitted, earning looks from both Milady and Sesshomaru. That was very rare for the grand monk to not know something. "That is what made me curious. Hasumi should be the new wielder of the holy shield, but I'm not sure where the shield went. It's still not fully reformed like I thought it would be, and... it's not here. I'm wondering if that funnel from before had something to do with it."
"Have you been waiting here this whole time, my son?" Milady asked, keeping Shishido's words in the back of her mind.
"The situation for the Akabeko Temple has been diffused. My assignment is complete."
"Indeed, it is," Milady answered, returning her gaze to the memorial. "Will you go to your friend's funeral?"
Sesshomaru said nothing in response. He only walked away to meet with Jaken in the distance. Of course, Reijiro and Sanraku were standing next to him. Aa-Un had just returned. Kirameku Ha went back with the others to Heiwa some time ago. With his mission over, he could go to Heiwa himself. Sesshomaru let Milady keep the Tenseiga for a little while. He didn't want to look at it...
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Hasumi strapped her satchel on her back and took a few steps forward. She looked behind her at her parent's old treehouse, now realizing the years that have passed since it was built. Wood planks were crashing and hanging down, the windows were broken open, and the algae had grown along the trunk. Even some wild ferns invaded the trunk! Her home was no more than a fond memory. The hole where her grandfather's face used to be was now empty and the place where she slept for centuries was now nothing but darkness. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the Himawari Jewel to look at it once more. Her parents' summer vacation home was repurposed to be her best friend's clinic all this time, and she never knew! Looking at her old world one last time, Hasumi smiled softly and nodded to herself.
Milady was waiting for her, holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms, and taking one long look at the places where she used to spend time with the Fukuyama family. The magic was gone. The erosion of the years that have passed shown as bright and true as the sun above, but the sunflowers and wildflowers of the holy city's fields were just as vibrant as ever. You could hardly tell that anything had happened to them. Their eyes have simply seen all.
When Hasumi approached Milady in her new sky-blue yukata that Milady and Yonamine stitched together one last time, Milady asked, "Are you sure about all this, little one?"
Hasumi puffed her cheeks in disapproval and said, "Just because I'm going on vacation doesn't mean you can't visit me like before! What kind of friend are you supposed to be?"
Milady playfully huffed herself and said, "A damn good one, I'll have you know. Did I not give you some handmade clothes? That is a fine gift from me!"
"Well, I don't want just clothes! You better visit me, ma'am!" Hasumi demanded with a stomp.
Milady was quiet for a moment, smiling haughtily, and then said with a soft voice, "You're every bit just like your mother... and your father. He loved his summer vacations, too."
Hasumi blushed, smiled gently, and ran up to Milady to hold her hand before she said, "I'll miss them, too. But... please don't forget to visit us. We missed you... even when we were sleeping."
Milady kneeled down and held Hasumi in her arms before saying, "Don't you forget who you really are, little one. You are a princess regardless if the kingdom is no more. You hold your head up and walk straight. Show no one your weakness. Your mother didn't and I refuse to stand by and let you."
"Yes, auntie," Hasumi replied, returning Milady's embrace.
She kissed the inu's cheek and ran off. It had been years since she felt this much excitement! She was finally going home! Rushing through bushes and ducking under overgrown roots, Hasumi ran down the pathway where she first spotted her. It was hard to believe that only three days had passed since she Azumamaro was defeated and that akashita demon was no more. That she had been living with her for almost two weeks. That she missed having a family. Crawling around the last few bushes, Hasumi stopped to catch her breath before she had that heavenly giggle. The soft laughter of the person who bathed her, the person who gave her courage, the person who promised to end her misery, and the person who made sure to keep her promise despite facing death.
"Ready to go, Lady Fukuyama?" that familiar, accented voice asked.
Hasumi looked up, smiled, and jumped into Meioshi's arms. She then cheered, "Yes!"