A cute boy, she thought.
He might have been worth a second dance, but she had a mission to complete. Walking through the shadows of the corridor, she could hear the whispers of the gentlemen. The Panther Tribes were formulating quite the scheme to divide the House of Inu. It was her assignment to be rid of at least one of the leaders. Lacing their wine with nightshade was very risky and very dangerous, but it had to be done in order for this to be a quiet kill. The tiger youkai were the first to leave from the secret discussion. The nerve of them, honestly! Undoing her dress to reveal a healthy bosom hiding metal and rope attachments underneath her bust. Digging them out, she removed her personal set tekko-kagi and hooked them onto her wrists while extending her nails to reinforce the power and agility of her strikes. The rope, however, was actually a chain that she was able to pour as much of her yoki energy into as she wanted for whatever she wanted. She would let it become an ensnaring weapon for the night. The leader of the tiger youkai started feeling woozy. He didn't immediately show it, but his mouth was twitching uncontrollably. She waited. Keeping her eyes on the sweat developing on his brow, the sluggishness of his movements, the need to be seated or stationary growing imminent. The guards left with exception to one. He noticed her!
TANGLE! CRACKLE! SLICE! CUT!
The smell of fresh prey. The thrill of success. The desire to dance.
"Good work, my daughter."
An older woman as handsome and enchanting as a flower in bloom stepped out of the shadows to inspect the young girl's work. She had an unnatural gift for this! The woman's deep brown and brindle hair was simply brushed and allowed to fall along her shoulders however it wished. Her perfect glassy skin and red lips were features any woman would kill for. Though she gained weight from birthing her beloved daughter and cared little to change her figure since, she was still gorgeous and intimidating. Her curves merely had more definition. She stood proudly and maintained this fierce elegance that could only be admired - never imitated. She found great joy in having this woman be her mother.
"Our king will be here shortly. Make sure you clean yourself well."
"Yes, mother," the girl said with a nod. She then blushed and said, "I met a boy tonight. We danced for a little while."
"Oh?" the mother replied, raising a brow. "I thought you disliked parties, my daughter."
"I don't dislike him," the daughter said. "He's... unique and vigorous."
"I don't smell ink on you," the mother mentioned, walking up to the girl and pulling out the fan from before. She inspected it before saying, "Get his signature. This is a fine souvenir!"
"Do you think it's too late? If... I asked for another dance, would I seem too forthcoming?" the daughter asked, staring at the fan with a daze in her eyes.
"No, it will serve its purpose. One, he got you to like something about parties. Two, this is a good alibi. Three... I haven't seen you this happy about a boy in years," the mother said, walking over to kiss her child's forehead and return her fan. "You have a friend to make... Milady..."
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She still had that fan from that wonderful ball. Her beloved Toga... he was a soft, flickering light in such a dark, dark world. His charm was... so much more than a social quality he possessed. He danced so beautifully. He wouldn't allow her to think of anyone else or of anything else. For a moment, she completely forgot about her mission - forgot about the blood she had to spill. That mission was a major turning point for the House of Inu and the Panther Tribes. Though it caused a great divide among the tribes and trouble for Toga in the future, it was necessary to protect the king and disrupt the plans to overthrow the House. Though her relationship with her father had completely soured as she grew into her adult years, her mother was ever supportive and ever beautiful. She was who Milady dreamed of being one day: powerful, seductive, elegant, regal. She was a queen to behold! She didn't care for the tale of the inu princess and the fog, but her mother embodied what a queen should look like for her. Despite the respect she commanded, Milady's mother was kind and playful and silly when she wanted to be. She was a mother first. She was truly heartbroken when she passed away. Raising Sesshomaru took away the time she needed to mourn for her loss, but she didn't have a choice but to keep pushing forward. Toga was the light in her life. He picked her up and pulled his father away from the family home. Together, they moved into the palace and left the lands of the Okuri-inu behind.
How strange that these memories were coming back to her all of a sudden. What if Grand Monk Shishido was right again? That this... beast of conflict that has entered Sesshomaru's life was triggering something within everyone, not just her little babe. What would happen to him? Returning to the Okuri-inu would mean that he would learn a great deal more than anyone was able to tell him before. No one had ever lived the life of royalty, but her beloved son was essentially raised into it. He had been living his life believing that Toga had been a prince, Hikozaemon II had been an elder or part of the royal court for as long as Toga had lived, and that she was a princess. The truth was... that wasn't what they were. He had the opportunity of a lifetime. He had a legacy most would envy. Yet... somehow... as much as Milady was worried about Sesshomaru coming to terms with the past, she was elated that someone out there was shaking the foundations of their family.
Stroking her fan, Milady softly smiled at the memory of the night that she met Toga personally for the first time. She remembered bathing in the king's maid chambers, changing into a different dress that she packed and hid away, and going out to find that cute boy who captivated her. He was dancing with another young girl out of courtesy, but the smell of her perfume caught his attention again. She played innocent, eating a treat while she sat at the fountain, and felt his lips get close to her neck when he spoke to her. That's how they played the game. She mentioned that he stole a dance without signing her fan and felt dishonored. He lifted her up, took her fan, and signed it on both tail ends. He was the first and the last to dance with her. After completing his small task, they danced again... but slowly this time. Neither of them knew that they looked like young lovers to others. Neither of them knew that there were many dances to come in the future. Neither of them knew that their lives would reset the balance of power within the House of Inu. Their union... their dance... their missions... their successes... all started when they chose to celebrate each other and to just be together.
Those times may be gone, but they were hers to cherish. Placing the fan in a box and properly framing it, Milady stroked the fan once more as though it were Toga's smiling cheek. Her smile left her face when the memory decided to disappear and life's reality to bring her back to earth. She wore a casual yukata today. It was a flattering caramel to brown sugar color that resembled a freshly baked pastry. She brushed her hair into the fluffed hairstyle of her late mother's on the night of her execution mission. To eliminate the imposing threat of the tiger youkai. A task that took the king years to formulate was completed within four to five days by the Okuri-inu. Her comrades did congratulate her on the task, but gossip spread quickly when it was learned that she had danced with Toga, son of Hikozaemon II. Little did they know that the two had danced together twice on that night. That, in truth, she developed an... interest in him. Her childhood garden was becoming quite the spectacle now. The deck was growing into a beautiful site now. Her treasures had places.
"This is a new place?" a familiar voice asked.
Milady turned sharply to her father-in-law's voice. Hikozaemon II politely nodded to her and waited to be invited for a seat. When he saw what Milady was hanging up on a newly built wall, his eyes softened up and shone with remorse. He remembered how excited his baby boy was when he got to dance with the "gorgeous girl with snow white hair!" Little did the elder know that the young girl his young son was pining for was Milady. Toga trained hard to impress his daughter-in-law back then, and he proved himself quite well in obtaining her affections. To be blessed with his young one was an honor. Seeing Toga's name scribbled on the fan made Hikozaemon II sigh. He could still hear his child's voice laughing in the house, could still feel the tight embrace the boy gave him with excitement, and could still smell his scent hurrying to his room to sleep so he could wake up for a new day. His little boy was sleeping elsewhere now. Hmph! Probably driving his mother insane! Feeling Milady grasp his hand, she leaned on his shoulder and simply nodded in silence.
"How long have you had it built?" Hikozaemon II asked.
"The space has been here since I was little. Mother and I made it. I... abandoned it after she left. When I lost the Meido Stone to that woman... I visited Toga's tombstone then came here. This is my new home for all of my life's treasures," Milady answered. "If my little babe does find the Meido Stone as promised, I want to bring it here."
"He has seen the old grounds of our territory. Should he complete this small mission the way you did yours, he will have the option of restoring our troop," the elder informed.
"Do you really want him to, though, father?" Milady asked, lifting her head to look at him.
"I am only giving him the option to do so. If he accepts the title of Okuri-inu... he will see a truth far worse than the stigma put on his father. What is really his birthright - what is really his to claim - is worth more than the lands of the west and will cost more than that little human girl's life. It is a sacred calling he has been deterred from for long enough. I will no longer hold my tongue when the time comes. But... that's only if he accepts the title, not because of my selfish wants or desires. I did not raise any of you to be so inconsiderate then, and I will not have any of you dishonor me by being that now," Hikozaemon II replied, turning to Milady with stern eyes.
"Yes, father. Oh! Would you join me for dinner here one day?" Milady asked, releasing her father-in-law's hand and brightening up. "We haven't had a family dinner in years! Remember when it was father-daughter night?"
"You ate all of the dumplings. How could anyone forget?" Hikozaemon II asked, eyes widening at the horrors of a greedy teen girl munching on his favorite dinner item.
"I thought you said you forgave me!" Milady said, flinching at the elder's face.
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"I'll never forgive that witch!" Jaken shouted.
He was folding his arms and stomping behind Sesshomaru as they were walking through the Forest of the Flying Inu. Jaken managed to completely forget about how freaked out he was when he last visited the intimidating base. Sesshomaru said nothing of the matter, allowing Jaken to merely vent out a frustration that the imp possessed this time. He was more focused on what she was going to do now with that Tadamasa fellow at her side. He had no reason to apologize to either of them, yet... if he had to be honest, Meioshi has been a good comrade to him despite their disagreements. Though their alliance was formed under pressure and potentially by force, the doctor took it in stride and instead made sure they had a well-made camp, meals, and ensured their health was checked. She does manage to find clues when he's not around that wind up being helpful in the end. She opens the doors to her home to those suffering or who find themselves alone in the world.
So what if her hair gets tended to by a pallbearer? It didn't change who she was or affect her code of honor. Why did it bother him so much? It's just hair. If anything, she deserved having her hair be cared for, and she liked having it done by the pallbearer. They spoke as friends. If hell travelers were similar to pallbearers on the women's side of things, wouldn't that mean he's been allying himself with the creatures he hated anyway? He, at least, liked one of them and... wanted her help for this mission. That was the truth if he had to admit anything about the doctor. Rival or not, she had the most potential to be an assassin. She was an able detective when he stayed with her and the kids at the haven, and she provided a space to think while he investigated the crime scene. Her advice helped him find Lady Rakuyama and defend his mother. He should've asked Eikichi about her time in the military. Why was she ashamed of that part in her life? It gave her more than traumatic memories. Battle gave her a sound head on her shoulders.
Walking over to the lake, Sesshomaru walked into the stale waters, willingly dirtying up his pants and held the Gogyo Stone up before plopping it down and watching the reaction. When the waters gurgled and churned, he felt currents forming and pulling him forward. To avoid being swept away, he backed up and kept his sights on the maelstrom forming. A brief image of a jellyfish entered his mind before he turned away from the pond. He didn't see the hiragana scripts forming on the water's surface and lifting to float upwards. Suddenly, the smell of sweetness caught their attention and made Sesshomaru turn around to look at the pond. The waters were being purified and gave off a sweet smell.
"What do you suppose is making the water smell like that?" Jaken asked, taking some water into his hand to drink it. "It's not as sweet as it smells, but it's definitely fresher. Is that all the stone is capable of? Water purification? Or did that witch put a spell on it like she did with my Nintojo?"
'Hmph! She merely activated the stone's strength, my master,' Seisuiki said telepathically.
Roaring and growling suddenly sounded to startle the imp. He snapped his head around and started shivering, remembering why this place creeped him out in the first place. Glassy eyes peered into Jaken and Sesshomaru's souls as they glowed in the dark brushes. From the group of demons surrounding them came a man about Eikichi's age by appearance dressed in the Okuri-inu cloak and medallion. He kept his focus on Sesshomaru before turning to the waters. His eyes had suddenly softened, and the ghost of a smile stretched across his lips. It looked like he was remembering something - something valuable or important to him from his past. Were the Okuri-inu so in tune with their lands that they knew when something was happening to it immediately? Who was this man?
"Thank you..." the man whispered, bowing politely. "My lord..."
"Huh? Who are you, soldier?" Jaken asked, amazed by the courtesy of the older inu.
"You will know of us should Lord Hikozaemon II allow it," the man said. "I believe there are clothes about your size in his old quarters that may fit you. That muck had much ochre in it. Your pants will yellow swiftly if they are not cleaned. The wives will clean them if you wish. We've a soap for such staining."
"Was your water always sweet-smelling?" Sesshomaru asked.
"We know of the Gogyo Stones quite well, young prince. It cleans waters, yes, but it does so in response to what the holder desires. There's something that you want to be sweetened. It could be that you just want a sweet biscuit because you're hungry... or... it could be something deep within," the man said, turning away from Sesshomaru and returning to the shadows to dismiss the other demons like him.
They were there to see who had changed their waters. The troop had more numbers than he thought. Were they angry with his father for disbanding them and making them leave their home? Such nerve! Why would he do that to them? They liked living here! But... Sesshomaru's eyes lowered. Jaken took note to his lord's features and determined that the Okuri-inu knew more than he was telling. The water was sweet because his lord wanted something sweet... but what? Why?