Description: It was barbaric; it was demonic..it was revenge. Unlike the reiki coursing through her veins, her fiery, dramatic heritage was to much to ignore. She was no priestess, she was no healer. She was Tatsoi, and she would stop at nothing until the Western Lord and his half-brother brother was dead.
Chapter One: Freed
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"If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons."
She stared into the dark, trying to remember a time when their was light. It was all that she could do, all that she would do. How long had it been since she'd been sealed into the abscess of darkness? Fifty years? Sixty? She couldn't bother to remember, tried not to remember, for the day that he had changed her fate was still a open wound that would never heal.
Over the years she had been hopeful that the seal would be discovered and removed by her father, for their was no way that he could've perished in the battle against a inuyoukai. Such a defeat was unheard of, for their were dragons, and dragons could not be beaten. It was...impossible. So she waited, each year proving her suspicions that her father had indeed perished. She suppressed the urge to wail in a mixture of rage and sorrow, knowing that it only led to her exhausting herself as the seal also hindered her youkai and reiki useless.
She tried not to wonder if she would ever be freed, if she would ever feel the warming rays from the sun, or the gentle, cooling wisps of the wind again. Her mind tried to summon the visuals of the outside world, but it was practically useless. She had been sealed since she was only ten summers, and as the daughter of the most powerful youkai was overly protected, often confined to her castle, with only the garden her human, priestess mother had grown to comfort her.
Like her father, her mother was also powerful, and wanted everyone to live in unity. The birth of Tatsoi was supposed to be a agreement between youkai and mortals to live in peace but it had only worsened the tension between the two. Despite the two powerful beings reputation, their were many that opposed, coming together as one to plan the death of both beings. They had split the two, tricking the Lord of the Western lands, Toga to battle her father. They had lured her mother to a demon slayer village that she frequently visited only to ambush her. The bloodshed lasted for many days, but her mother was only human and eventually began to tire. In fear that her child was in trouble, she used the last of her strength to create the Shikon No Tama, wishing upon it that it would erase the existence of her child from those that knew of her.
Midoriko had been her name, and it was rumored that her statue remained frozen, and carefully hidden inside the slayers village. She would go there first the moment she was freed, if you're freed, her beast taunted hauntingly.
Tatsoi did not argue with her beast, she could tell her beast was already on edge, as she grew more mocking and sarcastic with each year that passed. The entire time she had been sealed, her beast had been the one to comfort her, to strengthen and train her to the best of their limited ability. Together they waited, and after what seemed like forever, he came to them. Told them that it was time to be free, to seek revenge. For the lord had spawned two cubs, and he too hated them for they had murdered and revived his beloved to hate him. For the first time, Tatsoi stood, free of the seal that weighed upon her like shackles, took a hesitant step towards the shrine doorway, and another, and another until she was free.
The roar of freedom, sorrow and rage pierced the air in a show of power, as if it was the Shikon No Tama itself was shattered once more. Not bothering to thank the one who had unsealed her from her prison, Tatsoi immediately took to the skies, holding back tears that threatened to fall.
Mother
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Tatsoi has been flying for hours, not stopping to eat despite the deep pain within her stomach, only landing when she reached the clearing that led to the demon slayer village. She wanted nothing more than to bolt to the village, to see her mother just one more time like nothing before. After all those years of solitude, only the desire to see her mother, even if only a lifeless shell of it. Although, Tatsoi knew that her mother soul had moved on, she had to see it for herself.
Instead of turning east like her heart wanted, she turned west, listening to the logical, even headed beast who knew what she truly needed to do. For a few minutes she continued a slow, even pace towards the demon tree her mother had befriended and visited first before going to the slayers village. Bokuseno.
Walking closer, she felt herself walking through the barrier that led to the tree that had stood since the beginning. Standing in the front of the tree now, Tatsoi frowned when she wasn't greeted.
"Bokuseno," she called out, annoyance evident in her voice, growing in anger when she received no response, "Bokuseno!" She seethed louder, wanting nothing more than to peel the bark from the insolence demon. Still the tree demon ignored her, unable to bear the sight of the demon any longer Tatsoi turned and began to stalk off, her anger rising with every step that she shook. He was waisting her time, she needed to see her mother, and wouldn't let anyone else's get in her course.
"Their is so much anger in your heart little dragon," a booming, powerful voice called out. One Tatsoi immediately recognized, even after all those years. The voice of reason, of life, and death was not forgettable it seemed.
"I am hesitant to give you the gift of one so pure, your mother."
This was it. The final gift from her mother, she'd wondered what it was over the years. Coming up with both logical and illogical ideas. Turning slowly to face the tree, Tatsoi bothered not to step closer, for Bokuseno was everywhere. Just as she was the wind, and the very air itself Bokuseno were the roots, and his branches spread for miles, each twig and leaf one itself.
Tatsoi understood the demon concern, knew that she wasn't right, knew that she was as barbaric and cruel as the dragon blood running hotly through her veins. The solitude only hardening and crushing all that was good of her left.
"I have wondered about my mother's gift for many, many years Bokuseno." Tatsoi said softly, allowing the pain that she felt to cloak every word. Even now the tears threatened to fall, "I need to know."
"Very well. It will fit you well, that Midoriko, did she already know?" The demon mused, chuckling loudly , the sound rumbled the ground feriously, only growing in strength when the demon realized that it hadn't even moved the little dragononess.
Ah, yes. She is that stubborn priestess child for sure.
Tatsoi tried to hide her eager as one of the roots begin to lift from the ground, allowing a branch to grow from it and go towards the dragoness. When the gift was held before her, Tatsoi couldn't help the forced gasp or the few tears that fell down her cheeks. Her mother's body armor, kimono and a katana. It was a exact replica of what her mother wore. The Katana she could sense was encased entirely in reiki, yet she knew it could be channeled with her reiki and youkai. Tatsoi has thought it was impossible, although she herself should have been impossible. Her mother had promised her for a sword.
Almost immediately Tatsoi began to strip the white robe from her body, unbashful at the demon seeing her body. For Bokuseno had seen many, many things. Many birthing and deaths, first loves and matings. It didn't help that she was a dragon by nature, the dragon woman were generally not shy when it came to body parts for they were beautiful and perfect. After admiring the way the armor and Miko attire hugged her body, Tatsoi turned to thank the tree profusely, only to see that he had already sealed the barrier.
She made it back to the village in no time, not yet entering as the heavy feeling of death and pain engulfed the village. No one had survived, including her mother, who Tatsoi knew would have sacrificed, and did sacrifice herself for the sake of others. The grass beneath was dead and rotted to the roots, she entered and walked past the burned and destroyed huts. Some from battle, and the others lack of time and negligence. She knew that the cave was kept hidden by the head master of the village, to ensure the upmost respect and security. Standing at the opening of the cave, Tatsoi for the first time hesitated. This was it, the moment she'd painfully longed for so long. Even during the darkest of the times in her hell, she had knew, promised herself and the beast that she would see her mother once more.
She stepped in, heated eyes glancing around until they laid on the sight that immediately wrenched a strangled sob from her throat. Oh Kami, it was her mother, exactly as she'd remembered her frozen in battle. Surrounded, but not yet subcumming to defeat.
"Oh mother," Tatsoi cried out as she flung herself to the frozen sculpture of her mother . Tatsoi clung to her and wept for many hours, not stopping even when the cave was encased in total darkness, or when the golden light of a new day began to spill in. Eventually she pulled away, her grief turning into rage as she stared fiercely into her mother's open eyes.
"I will avenge you and father mother, I promise."
Taking one last, hard look at her mother Tatsoi fled. The one who had freed her, was a spider, and she knew it was he that would have her answers.
Tatsoi smirked as she took to the skies, another of her fathers quotes bouncing within her mind, "dragons don't introduce, they take."
Their would be no talking, no apologies or lies. Just death.