"Milady. Lord Sesshomaru has accepted the task and is now running his investigation. What are your orders?"
She smiled a bit at her son's response. With his newfound happiness with the little human girl, Milady was under the assumption that he would soon focus solely on her well-being the way his father did with his new human wife those dreaded years ago. She was sort of glad that the court wanted to test his negotiation skills a bit more. They believed it was time for him to be less of an assassin and more of an ambassador. At the very least, they mostly wanted to give him a second chance at being a form of mediator. Since Sesshomaru had achieved power beyond his father without compassion or love for humans at first, the court supposed that now was the time to test Lord Toga's theory. If Sesshomaru's love for a human child was the catalyst for obtaining his true strength, surely a quiet threat to her longevity would push him to be a true leader. This test was... almost upsetting for Milady as a mother. Though she respected her late husband to a large degree, they once agreed to raise the child differently than what had been done in the past. It was how their marriage became less of a political arrangement and more in line with their desires for a different life but withholding Sesshomaru from the full duties of lordship was not what they agreed upon and these trials wouldn't bode well for the House of Inu. Vulnerability threatened their stronghold and using their son to make an example of the House of Inu's reliance on power could kill him and everything they knew.
Not wanting to dwell on her maternal instincts or the shaken past, Milady simply looked at the royal guard and answered, "Ambassador Norihisa will have to meet with him at a rendezvous point for more details while my son investigates with the given information. Should Sesshomaru find other suspects, he can relay his findings to both the ambassador and Woodland leaders and fulfill his task with ease. Has the ambassador made his decision on the location yet while you were escorting him?"
"He mentioned a place unfamiliar to us," the royal guard replied. "Some sort of village named Shinju o Tateru. It is a distance away from the Mujina Woodlands, but it is close enough to where the killings can be monitored and the assailant apprehended if necessary. A few guards have agreed to go with Ambassador Norihisa as a small cavalcade into the village. We have requested for the acting general to review the location of the village if it is an unclaimed territory, but it appears that a particular map of unclaimed territory has already gone missing. The general wishes to wait for Lord Sesshomaru's results on this matter as he may have taken it prematurely for something else of interest to him."
"Interesting," Milady said with a wider smile, rising to stand. The guards bowed low when she did. She then said, "I knew he came here in a hurry, but I didn't think he went into the War Room. He took a map from there how long ago?"
"The general said it was last month," the guard replied. "He went into the War Room after Lord Sesshomaru had already left the castle."
"That little brat!" Milady complained, offended by her son's visit. "He didn't even stop by to say hello! I ought to spank him!"
The guard hid his smile before returning to a serious response, "I'm sure the lord had a pressing matter that required his attention. He probably meant no offense."
"Do you barge into your mother's home unannounced without saying hello then?" Milady asked, narrowing her eyes at the guard. Such rude men under her roof!
The guard blushed before stuttering, "N-n-no, milady! Well... Not intentionally! My daughter was sick."
"In front of her grandchildren? Really?" Milady questioned with an offended tone. "Is this the kind of behavior I'm supposed to look forward to?"
"No, milady! I'm certain Lord Sesshomaru just had matters to attend to," the guard tried, going from a simple bow to a dogeza. "He may have needed the map earlier for something else that was connected to these killings!"
"Like a portal opening from the Netherworld to the living world?" Milady asked the guard, averting his attention to something more serious. "I'm sure you felt it around that time as well."
"Yes, milady," the guard answered, no longer blushing or stuttering. "There may be a connection, but we haven't gone to investigate that incident either. Should we bring it up with Ambassador Norihisa?"
"No, I think I'll have you keep that information confidential until you see my son's progress on this task first," Milady replied, keeping a serious expression on her face. "If there is a connection, I'll have you follow his imp servant for more information. He may be loyal enough to keep secrets for my son, but he is more willing to relay information to us should it involve my son's well-being or his understanding of him. My son is practically undeserving of such an attendant with his rude attitude if he won't even visit his own mother."
"I suppose a gift from the guards won't ease your displeasure, will it?" the guard grumbled.
Milady smirked at him for a moment before frowning and saying, "NO!"
________________________________________
Snow in the summer. A strange occurrence for the mortals of this realm. Walking through the unguarded forest near the House of Inu, Norihisa kept himself wrapped up in fine clothing. He followed the captives up to a certain point before stopping. He looked up into the sky, fascinated by the moon, and heard the screams close to him. The scent of blood and the roars of his comrades reached his ears. One soldier, in particular, was covered in shadow and wore a white mask on his face. He tossed a woman at Norihisa's feet. She shivered so beautifully. They were just next to the Forest Mouths. One of the guardian inu, who would normally chase humans away from their territories, was now wearing a white mask and moving about with the others.
"How could you just stand there like this?" she demanded, crying with fright but also admirable courage. "You're just going to let these men kill our children!"
Norihisa turned to the beauty and blushed at her delicate body and face. So full of fire! His eyes glowed an icy blue, fangs grew a half-inch, and he said calmly, "Why are you sniveling for a child you never cared for or a husband you don't want, my dear? That is unbecoming of you."
"What are you talking about?" she demanded, covering her body with her kimono.
"You lie so beautifully, my dear," Norihisa said, pointing to his eyes and tapping the corners of them. "But these eyes are not to be underestimated. Hell shows mortals what priests could only dream of seeing. You have a very interesting truth to hide, adulteress. I know you have another lover elsewhere. That you regret being wedded to this Norihisa. The black strings of fate are already wrapped around you. It is quite a shame. This Norihisa loved you and his son wholeheartedly. He would have done anything for you, but... it seems there's nothing redeemable about an adulteress. The child will have such a lovely afterlife. Whatever shall I do with you, though?"
"Please! If you just want another wife or a night with me, you could've just - !"
"I knew about your affair for years, my dear," Norihisa said, shaking his head. "However... a night with you... interests me. Do this for me, woman, and I might reward you. Show me to the homes of your strongest soldiers. Please me and I will let you live. Don't... well, I'll let you figure out what happens next."
She could say nothing to him. He knew of her sins, knew of her lover, and was going to send these beasts against her people. Perhaps she could think of something to spare them all. Before she could reply, the shadowy figures blanketed the ground with snow and crept up to her...