Lady Rescuers
"Grandfather, that worm is still talking. Why?" Sesshomaru asked with some impatience.
"Manners, grandson. He is no enemy. Mind your tongue," Hikozaemon II reprimanded, narrowing his eyes and emitting a low growl that stirred alertness in the young inu still on the ship.
The elder did not approve of rudeness in his presence. Sesshomaru had forgotten about that and silenced himself. Sanraku stood at attention while Reijiro lowered his guard. Sesshomaru would challenge anyone else in the world, but his grandfather was not one to be toyed with. If he can silence his father into obedience, he most certainly could do it with the younger generation. Unlike the young inu soldiers, his lordship had also seen Hikozaemon II use his powers against an enemy when he was little.
"Hahaha!" the water dragon laughed, eyes smiling more than his mouth. "You are quite a father, elder! No wonder your Toga thought highly of you. You commanded respect from him even though you were not present."
"My flirty son had a knack for getting into trouble and required arguably the most discipline, but I am afraid I must ask why he felt the need to defend himself against you," Hikozaemon II said, lifting a brow.
"The water goddess that your daughter is chasing was after him. My brother would know more than I. I am a pacifist," the water dragon said, pointing a fin at himself. It was large enough to knock Yamashi's trade ship straight into the water nose first if he truly wanted to. "I am in charge of enhancing one's potential over the elements, hence why I know about the inugami. At least in part. In order for one of your youth to unlock his potential, he needs to catch the scent of the inugami within him the way that your daughter did. She used the water and winds to do this. You said there were twin inugami of the west and east, yes? I believe she caught the scent of one of them within her. She had two familiars instead of one. Another inu like her must have the other twin's power. As for the youth with emptiness in him, his task to summon his guardian is not as simple as catching a scent. You might be able to train him for this task, elder inu. After all, the riddle has been solved."
"I am no inu, water dragon. I am tiangou exiled," Hikozaemon II corrected.
"Oh! What a surprise! I thought the tiangou and inu were enemies," the water dragon said, tilting his head curiously.
"Were is the keyword. We are at war no more," Hikozaemon II informed. "Daughter is one of many children resulted from a peace treaty between us and the inu."
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Milady was quite impressed with Homugi's agility. She was keeping up with her quite well despite her sonic speeds. Catching Jaken's scent, she watched her familiars change direction and followed them while keeping a path of pearls for Homugi to run on. It was clear she had no tiangou blood within her. If she did, it was very minute; however, she wasn't out of the possibility of such a lineage. Her speed matched the wolves' line within the tiangou. There weren't many children resulted from wolf-tiangou mixing, but they did exist and Homugi may be getting an opportunity to meet more of her bloodline with this new adventure. Ha! She underestimated the "creature of chaos"! The big-hipped girl might be of greater use than she thought.
Busting through a whirlwind gate, Milady slashed at the bars and was met with a bright light. She smirked while Homugi took one big leap after her. When the two's sight returned after the flash, they were met with a finely built stone pathway being held up by tangled tree roots and leading to a grand palace. Soldiers were closer to the main entrance of the fortress than the foot of the bridge while sea dragons idly swam in rainbow water. Color was all around the mystical lands! The trees showed a kaleidoscope of color and offered a grand display of weeping leaves and flowers. This was more than likely due to the fall season mixing with magic. Milady and Homugi landed at the foot of the path with suspicion until Meioshi's family ship was spotted. Together, the inu women marched to the palace doors.
Inside, young Kirameku Ha was being fussed at by Princess Gongsim while Meioshi snickered at his misfortune. She knew her great uncle was a handsome man in his prime - most of the Kairyu soldiers were in some way - but the good doctor didn't expect for her great uncle to have a fangirl from a faraway land after his britches. What fun!
"It has been a while since your last visit here. Would you like a tour?" Gongsim asked politely.
"Where is your mother?" Kirameku Ha asked, taking in his surroundings.
It has been a good forty years since he had been in Gongsim's childhood home. So much had changed since he was a young man looking for new adventures. Leave it to the Jigoku family to never have a quiet day in their lives!
Arimasa and Kirameku Ha had gone to many places together as boys. According to tradition, male children of the Jissoji clan were often paired with other male playmates according to their birth year, star alignment, temperament, and interests. Kokina Hoshi and Arimasa's father had differing views of this tradition when Arimasa was born because of the Jigoku bloodline and power. Since Kokina Hoshi sensed the passing of power within Arimasa, he was adamant about Arimasa having a lifelong friend that he'd be willing to protect. Unmei risked much for his friend and family. Arimasa should also have a pure heart like their ancestors. Arimasa's father, however, believed his son should have a playmate equal in strength, intelligence, and political standing. It was important to maintain powerful relationships, especially as a decorated general's son.
Arimasa's father had always been jealous of his brother and later his own son. He was a warlord and trusted soldier. By merit and fierce determination, he became a powerful leader equal in status to a prince. He married into a noble family with his first wife and birthed Arimasa. He was the first of the Jigoku line to become a prince! His son would be trained in martial arts, thus Arimasa needed someone who he could spar with during said training. His brother disagreed. Kokina Hoshi was chosen to be head of the Jigoku clan instead of him, even tried to stop the passing of power by not marrying and birthing his own heir. To Arimasa's father, that was the biggest disgrace to the family name. Kokina Hoshi didn't deserve his title or his power! As if to mock him, Arimasa was born and had the Gosuto~ingu mark on his back at a fairly young age! He even bore reptilian-colored eyes at birth, a sign of great power. Since Kokina Hoshi realized that the passing of power continued despite his efforts to discontinue the line, he married his lover and produced two children later in his life. Kokina Hoshi was the first hell traveler to do this.
But, that did not mean Kokina Hoshi was not present in Arimasa's life as his mentor. Kokina Hoshi trained Arimasa to be kinder, compassionate, polite, and he made it his mission to take Arimasa on exorcism quests when necessary. The brothers may have argued over Arimasa's playmates, but they agreed begrudgingly that he needed very specific choices for playmates. One of the main things the brothers insisted on was for a playmate who loved to explore. Both of their duties required traveling often. While there were plenty of choices for Arimasa, the young chap took interest in a boy who was standing by the river very quietly. He was waiting for something. Suddenly, a big squid flew out of the water and into the boy's net! Amazed by such a precise catch, Arimasa went to talk to the boy, and he discovered that the boy had much in common with him. They both liked boats and playing with balls and toy swords. Kirameku Ha, unfortunately, never knew his parents, so discovering his birth year and the like was difficult. Kokina Hoshi's wife was a clever one, though. She somehow tricked a witch into revealing such information. As they say, the rest is history.
Kirameku Ha went on many excursions with his childhood friend as his personally chosen playmate. He even looked up to Kokina Hoshi as a father figure much like Arimasa did. On their first voyage as warriors under the Jissoji name, Kirameku Ha and Arimasa had traveled to this land. They were excited to see the sights... and the women. The women of Goryeo were gorgeous creatures dressed in such colorful silks and jewelry. No one protested that. While eating along the beaches, a young Gongsim had approached them much like she did on Meioshi's family ship. Kirameku Ha in his prime... was much flirtier than now, specifically around women who took an interest in him. Kokina Hoshi told him and Arimasa about how delicate the hell traveler's position was as a mate. The spouse of a hell traveler always approached the clan leader first. The situation leading up to this meeting was never specific, but it was a tradition. Something always led the mate to the clan leader. So, women who approached the young gents were treated like brides... at all times. Girls who liked that...
"She probably changed into another dress for tea. We were late for dinner," Gongsim said with a pout, glaring at Kirameku Ha.
Made you meet their family in hopes of keeping you for eternity. Apparently, good men and soldiers were hard to come by.
Jaken sensed a familiar presence and power in the distance and gasped when he said aloud, "Is that milord's mother? Impossible. There must be seawater in my head."
"We are entirely too old for this..." Morihei mumbled.
"That's what I'm saying..." Kirameku Ha remarked, frowning at the idea of being kidnapped for dinner with a girl's parents. "Princess Gongsim, this is ridiculous!"
CRASH!
Meioshi turned to the source of the noise but remained quiet. Two large inu youkai were slapping the guards with their large paws and barking. The blue merle beauty was easy to guess in terms of identity. Meioshi merely smirked for a brief moment when she saw Homugi's true form bounding towards her before the girl transformed into... well, a girl. What Meioshi didn't expect was for Homugi - petite as she was - to pick her up bridal-style and growl possessively at the guards and Gongsim.
"THAT was for kidnapping the princess monk!" Homugi said, making Meioshi produce an interesting face.
"... my hero?" Meioshi replied, blinking with some confusion. Afraid that Homugi might transform again with her between her teeth, Meioshi slowly wrapped her arms around Homugi's neck and played the damsel in distress. Seemed safer to do so.
"What about my hero? I'm stuck here with a witch, her evil gremlin of a boy, and some crazy lady trying to claim the old man as a groom! What nonsense is this!?" Jaken argued.
"I think your hero is biting one of the gua - no, she ate that one," Meioshi replied, pointing at Milady. "Great uncle, does the princess pining after you not know that you are a taken man?"
"Ha! Clearly not," Morihei said, rising to stand and brush the dust off her dress. She walked over to Ohta to check on him. He liked the attention and the excitement. It was nice seeing Meioshi, or rather his Mama Mei-Mei, being saved for a change. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here."
"Oh, that's right! Where's your boat?" Homugi asked, calming down. Her eyes shifted out of the red quickly when she turned to Meioshi.
Using her foot to point her toes, Meioshi directed the inu girl's attention to the side, "Over there at the hooded dock. Apparently, this palace has soldiers and pirates guarding it. I was quite wrong. I thought it was Goryeo's fine navy coming for us. Addressing a more important matter. My Homugi, since when was I a princess? I'm no such thing!"
"You're a princess to me, and that's all that matters," Homugi said, closing her eyes and turning her head slightly. Meioshi smiled gently at the girl before shaking her head to not make a joke. The situation was funny enough. "Anyways, I said you were a monk, too."
"Holy warrior is more appropriate, but my biggest mystery is with your comrade. Why did Lord Sesshomaru's mother come with you?" Meioshi asked.
"Actually, I came with her. She was coming to get you and Jaken for him," Homugi confessed.
"Well, listen to that, Lord Jaken! You are being saved. Such fun!" Meioshi cheered with her bubblegum smile.
From outside, Milady was stomping on soldiers left and right until she was met with a whirlpool surrounding her and trying to take her air. She growled almost playfully at the source of such power. It was her old rival, Yeongdeung Halmang. She remembered the day she confronted this very goddess like it was yesterday. Her beloved, Toga, was headed out to visit the native lands of the tiangou, and Milady wanted to see her mother's homelands for herself. She wasn't invited, but she often flirted with Toga ever since the grand inu ball. It was their type of play. When she overheard him speaking with a member of the Okuri-inu about going to Zhongguo for his coming-of-age ritual and pilgrimage, she simply had to become his stowaway. So, she did. On the very seas of Goryeo, she learned how to summon her inugami through battle with the water goddess approaching.
She also discovered her feelings for Toga on that very voyage...
When Yeongdeung Halmang first attacked their boat, Toga had been thrown into the sea to fight a sea dragon. Afraid that she would lose him, Milady tapped into her inner strength and summoned her familiar to form a shield of air and wind to protect him. Together, they battled dragon and deity until they were tired. It took quick thinking from Toga to defeat their enemies and run away. When they recovered, they shared their very first and very deep kiss. It was one that would have resulted in Sesshomaru's conception much earlier, but their journey on the seas had ceased once they reached land. Ever since that kiss, they held hands from time to time to escort each other around and finally Toga asked to court her properly when they returned to Nihon. Milady wanted to celebrate their newfound feelings somehow. She did that by...
"Well, if it isn't the petty pup, Riluo Yun," a feminine voice said.
From the winds and waters formed a woman made completely out of the elements. Remnants of a face could be seen from her watery body like the eyes, hair, nose, and mouth, but the main things that were solid in form was the dress and jewelry that the goddess wore. She wore a headpiece made of crystals and fine seashells that had pearls cascading down like raindrops. Her dress and some form of a cape were made of wind and the colorful leaves of the willow and gingko trees. Bioluminescent light gave her facial features and soul visibility. When she breathed, waves and ripples formed on her body. It was hypnotic.
"Or should I say Cha Modog? Why are you here?" Yeongdeung asked in a challenging tone.
"You have a human child, storm queen? What desperate man did you allow into your streams?" Milady asked in response.
"A fine king who became a noble in your lands' court!" Yeongdeung snapped. "Unlike you who mated with a mutt in a bath with my perfect tea leaves!"
"Are you still on about that? You must've enjoyed the view," Milady remarked, smirking.
She didn't mate with Toga until they returned to Nihon. They just explored each other's bodies through touches and kisses to see what they liked. It was a bonding ritual that Toga's parents had taught him. It was something called the tantric bond. The bond was very spiritual and very intense. Sometimes, the emotions and powers of one mate could overwhelm the other and cause high bouts of pain. Toga's thoughts were very strong and dominant the first time they tried. He was just excited and happy that the girl with snowy hair and hypnotic perfume was finally admitting that she liked him, so, when Milady felt all of that through this tantric ritual, she was startled by the chaotic fondness that Toga had seeping through his very pores. She blushed practically all over when she saw his deeper thoughts. Toga, however, chuckled at her thoughts and apologized for his boisterous spirit. She was the quieter one of the two, but her spirit was curious... and very loving and protective of him. When he discovered this, he calmed down and meditated with her. When they reached the equilibrium, they bathed together in the tiangou bathhouse with gingko leaves that Milady had stolen as a keepsake from their prior battle.
JAB! Dodge.
Unlike those days, Milady had grown far stronger...
"Silence!" the goddess demanded.
Much like the day they crossed paths, she had someone to protect. It may not have been Toga, but it was her son's servant and the creature of chaos he somehow found on a negotiation mission with a clan in the Eastern lands. Transforming back into her human form, Milady revealed her nine-ring basket sword and clashed with Yeongdeung in a burst of power and light...