Chapter Twenty-Six
Toutousai and Soun'ga
He moved as quickly as he could through the forests towards the large mountain range of Chugoku to find Toutousai. When he did finally arrive, four days had passed, and he still had another four days to travel to get back to the docks and a two days trip across the water to just land on the banks of Wa. Then he had maybe a week's travel to get to the main city to witness the crafting of the Yata no Kagami. Growling in frustration, he was cutting it close. If he had gotten any of the signs wrong, he could miss the creation of the mirror that was possibly the one he needed when he broke the curse on his clan.
It was also going to be avoiding all human contact when he did arrive in Wa and as they had more human's there than in Japan, it might make his journey that much longer. Not to mention how long it was going to take Toutousai to fix the sword that had increased its annoying whispers of promise in his ear. His head pounded and his eyes hurt from the dull throb that seemed to linger behind them.
Shaking his head, Seihomaru practically sprinted up the mountain paths to the skull hut Toutousai used as his home and forge. Much to his dismay, the old hanyou blacksmith was nowhere to be found. "Curses!" He snarled. Knowing his time was limited, he scanned the ground for signs of the blacksmith's steps, but then snapped his fingers remembering his flying cow mount. "Curse you, Toutousai!"
Taizo glanced at his frustrated host and sighed. 'How long do you plan to wait?'
Seihomaru shook his head. 'I can only wait until night. If it takes him any longer, I may have to leave the sword here with instructions.'
'Why not just do that?'
Seihomaru sighed heavily. 'Because I wanted to speak with the old fool.'
Taizo walked over to the lava pools and crouched down.
"I can't take Soun'ga to Wa as it is.' Seihomaru turned to follow the progress of the sun in the sky and grunted at all the streams of smoke that rose from the lava that bubbled.
Taizo nodded, lost in thought. 'What do you plan to do about what Fumi told you?'
'In regards?' Seihomaru glanced over his shoulder to his ever-present counterpart.
'I saw what you have to do with the red gem.' Taizo lifted a brow. 'Are you going to do it?'
'I must. Otherwise even greater horrors await the people of Japan. Not just humans but youkai too.' Seihomaru sighed. Of course, his spirit would remind him of that difficult choice.
'Do you need to use the whole gem to make the sword?' Taizo asked curiously.
Seihomaru frowned. 'I am not certain. It is something to ask Toutousai about if he arrives before I have to leave.'
Taizo nodded absently, his ghostly fingers running through the lava pool at his feet. He couldn't feel pain or substances, but sometimes he wished he could feel things he touched. That longing must have drifted to his host because Seihomaru grunted as he turned to face him.
'Why such dark thoughts?'
Taizo twitched slightly. 'They aren't dark, only musings. You have so much on your mind, filtering through it all gets tiring. Do you have to father a second pup by a human woman? What happens if you do not do it?'
'I have weighed all those options already. I have seen the world if I do not do what is being indicated to do. It is a much safer and prosperous world if I do these things. If not-' Seihomaru trailed off his eyes growing distant as he ran over his memories again.
Taizo shuddered when the images rushed through his host to him. 'Hells.' He breathed.
Seihomaru gave a small smile. 'Now you see?'
Taizo winced but nodded his head. 'How would you know about all that happens if you die when your second pup is born?'
Seihomaru chuckled. 'I have no idea, Taizo. That is your area of expertise, not mine.'
Taizo rolled his eyes. 'Like I have all the answers.'
Seihomaru gave a mock gasp of surprise. The reaction he got from Taizo caused him to chuckle in amusement.
'Funny.' Taizo snarled, his face grew sad, however, and Seihomaru furrowed his brow. 'Two hundred and fifty years isn't enough.'
Seihomaru sighed and walked over to his spirit who still crouched beside the lava pool. 'Maybe you shouldn't have made that specific bond with me.'
Taizo shook his head. 'I have lived a long life, I do not wish to be passed onto yet another host and have to deal with their emotions and lack of skills.'
'Keh. You just got lazy.'
Taizo wrinkled his nose. 'I'm old.' He snorted.
'I noticed.' Seihomaru winked. 'At least you aren't falling apart like that old Fumi we saw. Hell, I thought his head was going to roll off his shoulders.'
Taizo grinned widely. 'There is that. I noticed you don't trip around Suki anymore.'
Seihomaru narrowed his eyes. 'Shush, you. None of those times were my fault.'
Taizo snickered. 'Do you still love her?'
Seihomaru inclined his head. 'I do. But our lives were thrown into chaos because of the twins.'
Taizo frowned. 'You know, if you do take a human lover, that will be my first experience with one.'
Seihomaru snorted. 'She doesn't become just my lover, Taizo.'
Taizo gave Seihomaru a startled look. 'Really? I wonder how that works.' He mused.
Seihomaru shook his head. 'My second pup is a rough little shit, from what I have seen in my dreams.'
Taizo quirked a brow. 'Oh, like you, you mean?'
Seihomaru grunted. 'I am not rough. My life wasn't easy.'
Taizo sighed his mind wandering through the ages before his current host. 'Your life is a complicated one. Thanks to the twins for giving you the ability of premonition.'
Seihomaru narrowed his eyes. 'I have nothing to thank the twins for. To be honest, I would have preferred to live a life of peace and ignorance, rather than see what is to happen. No, Taizo, if I could go back and change things and get away with it, I probably would.' Seihomaru closed his eyes, his mind wandering to his clansmen who were locked in a never-ending sleep that was neither death nor life. 'I feel as though keeping them alive is prolonging their suffering.'
Taizo frowned. 'If they are even aware of what happened. They very well may be oblivious to what is happening. '
'Nii knew. He was awake and yet could not escape his darkness.' Seihomaru pushed to his feet with another sigh escaping his lips.
'Nii was also lost in the shadow realm. A completely different situation. The good news is, he is awake.' Taizo got up and glanced over to the forest.
Seihomaru's eyes also trailed in the direction his spirit was and he grunted crossing his arms across his chest. Minutes passed when finally, Toutousai emerged from the edge of the mountain, Momo carrying a heavy load of minerals in bags at his sides.
Toutousai frowned when his eyes caught Seihomaru's. "This is an unexpected visit."
Seihomaru growled softly. "Is it? You know every hundred years or so I come to get the scabbard repaired."
Toutousai squinted, peering at the pommel that was visible over the youkai's right shoulder. "Is it that time already?"
"It is," Seihomaru said.
"I really dislike that sword," Toutousai muttered as he walked towards his skull hut.
Seihomaru followed the old blacksmith inside and untied the weapon attached to his back. "This blasted thing is whispering again. More intently than before."
Toutousai took the weapon and sighed. "It is getting stronger and more impatient. Because you can ignore its whispers, it means that it will try anything to get out of your hands."
"It did that once. That mistake will not occur again." Seihomaru growled.
Toutousai took some powder from a jar and began rubbing it over the scabbard in a slow rolling move and Seihomaru immediately winced when loud hissing sputtered from the glowing red pommel. "This sword despises you more than any foreign youkai does. The amount of hatred it is emitting is astounding."
Seihomaru grinned. "I have no sympathies for the blasted thing." He walked over the frantically pulsing weapon and tore it from Toutousai's grasp, clenching the bare blade tightly in his fist. He released a loud warning snarl and the sword almost twitched at the surge of power Seihomaru released. "Silence or I will send you to the depths of hell myself."
Soun'ga immediately retreated and hissed as it did so as though challenging the youkai who held it.
"Now silence the damn thing so I can get the hell out of here." Seihomaru tossed the blade back to the blacksmith.
"This is going to take a couple of days to accomplish. I need to redo the seal you placed on it and repair the scabbard that has cracked from the increasing power Soun'ga is absorbing." Toutousai protested.
Seihomaru snarled in frustration. "I have no time to wait. Repair it and I will return in a month."
Toutousai gaped stupidly. "But, Inu no Taisho, leaving this here is dangerous."
"I am aware. As soon as it is repaired, bury it if you have to. But I warn you Toutousai, you forget where you placed it, it will mean your head." Seihomaru glared at the old blacksmith who only chuckled.
"You really have improved on your demeanor. It is quite impressive." Toutousai smiled and started mixing a few different powders to begin his work. "On a side note, Myoga has informed me that a strange youkai has arrived from the mainland asking all kinds of questions about you."
"Oh?" Seihomaru furrowed his brow. No youkai from the mainland should be inquiring after him. None of his dreams or night terrors gave him any news on a foreign youkai seeking him out.
"Not just that, but after your fight with the neko youkai, the panther king has been asking after you," Toutousai said as he mixed yet another powder into his growing batch on his anvil.
Seihomaru's frown deepened. "Who?"
"He goes by the name Shautiau. According to Myoga, he is seeking territories in Japan." Toutousai shoved the scabbard into a vat of oil and started grinding the powder with various heated liquids he was pulling from the forge.
"Hmph," Seihomaru grunted. "He is in for a rude awakening if he thinks to come to Japan and take what already belongs to youkai."
"He isn't to be taken lightly, Seihomaru-sama. Word has it he is already a daiyoukai and extremely powerful. With the invasion of the mogul army, a lot of youkai from Wa are coming here." Toutousai said absently as he began hammering the heated metal and powder. "Even the Ashireiko are moving."
"Interesting. What else?" Seihomaru turned to face the entrance of Toutousai's skull hut.
"Byakko has asked for a meeting once you are in Wa." Toutousai pulled the scabbard from the oil and started slathering it in the heated metal.
"Byakko?" Seihomaru turned and frowned. "What of the other matter I asked Myoga to inquire about?"
"The female priestess who you met when you were still a pup? The rumors were true. She fought for days against the youkai who had manifested itself out of human flesh and the remains of Ryukotsusei's long-dead mate. According to the historian, she was unable to defeat him and she sacrificed herself and the monstrosity died when she did that." Toutousai whistled as he spoke.
"And the jewel?" Seihomaru furrowed his brow.
"Lost, for now. Did you know that the jewel was her soul and the beast's soul crystallized?" Toutousai asked, looking up from his work.
"I am aware. See if you can get Myoga to inquire about a safe location for this jewel. If it is found again, I fear that the power it holds will create more headaches than solutions at this point. I had hoped that it was destroyed." Seihomaru groaned as his premonition for his son's futures were indeed coming to light. "I must leave, Toutousai. If it is not too much trouble, look into crafting me a sword that I can use freely without having it whisper to me."
Toutousai nodded a wide grin on his face. "As soon as I finish repairing this monstrosity, I will start drawing up one fitting your title. Perhaps then you can discard this evil thing."
Seihomaru narrowed his eyes. "I cannot. Soun'ga and I are bound by fate. It is with me until I can find an alternate path for it. Unless you know of someone who can freely travel to the underworld and through the gates of hell, I must carry this burden."
Toutousai sighed but nodded his head. "Travel safe, my lord."
Seihomaru exited the skull hut and closed his eyes so he could change his form. The faster he got to the docks, the faster he could return and deal with Rendromaru before he dug his claws in too deep for them to be removed from his clan. If left alone, his territories would fall to this lesser youkai who had somehow wormed his way into his ranks and now left him and his people vulnerable.
Nii leaned on the sill of the window of his room, his arms hanging out in boredom. The Zashiki-Warashi had come and gone hours ago and both hounds were out prowling the grounds for secrets and plots. Shuzo had remained in the pools quietly, as though he had once again gone silent as he had done many years ago.
Groaning for the hundredth time, Nii slid to the ground his forehead hitting the wooden planks of his chambers. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this bored. Anytime he had been in the past, he had pulled pranks and lurked in the shadows searching for ways to amuse himself. Now, that single thought of the darkness caused his breathing to hitch and his skin grow clammy from his fear.
Pushing himself onto his hands and knees, he crawled to his futon and flopped onto it. "Hells, I'm going to drive myself crazy." He growled to no one in particular.
'Are you now?' Came an amused voice inside his head. Nii bolted upright, a huge grin spreading across his face.
'Seiho!' Nii quickly got to his feet and raced for the window. 'Gods, please tell me you have returned.'
'Not quite. I only got close enough for us to communicate.' Seihomaru's amused voice filled his head, but Nii's grin faded. 'It is time for me to cross the ocean and visit Wa.'
'Take me with you.' Nii begged.
The silence stretched on for several minutes and Nii held his breath in anticipation. 'If you can make it to the docks before sunrise, you can travel with me.'
Nii's mouth fell open and his eyes immediately moved to the sky. Sunrise was only a few hours away. 'Shesh. How far are the docks?'
'Far enough. If you don't get moving now, you will miss the boat.'
'Ship!' Taizo growled.
Nii chuckled and quickly ran to put his boots on his feet. Once the leather was tied he jumped to the window and peered out for a safe way down. Perching on the wooden structure, he launched himself out and caught a plank a few feet below him. As quickly as he could, he swung from one plank to another until his feet hit the ground and he quickly sprinted towards the mountains.
'You will never make it unless you change forms.' Shuzo said aggravated.
'I want to get away from the castle before I do that. Otherwise, Rendromaru will notice my aura.' Nii grumbled, jumping over a large pile of stone boulders that blocked a path leading up and through the mountains close to the ocean on the other side. Once he rounded the corner, he focused his energy into his youki's true form and in mid-jump, his body changed to that of a silver-grey dog. His arms and hands changed to legs and paws of the same coloring as his fur, with a few black and almost white markings circling the lower foreleg. Landing on the sandy ground, Nii raced towards the area Seihomaru had indicated, his gaze keeping a close eye on the sky overhead.
He really didn't want to miss the ship and be left behind in his boredom, so he forced himself to move faster. Panting, it had been years since he had been forced to move this quickly and with his added energy being used to maintain his youki's true form, Nii was finding it difficult to keep up the quick pace.
'Oie, oie. Slow down.' Shuzo snarled at his host. 'It will do you no good to wear yourself out before you even get there.'
Nii's eyes moved to the brightening sky and he grunted, sprinting up and over a portion of the mountain that had fallen to the sand. 'Can't. If I slow down, I won't make it.'
Shuzo rolled his eyes and forced more energy to fill his host's body. 'Remember, drain it all and you will have no strength to keep your heart beating.'
Nii snorted and launched up to the ledge leading up and around the rocks that lined the shore. 'It's times like these that I wish I had my father's ability to float.'
Shuzo snickered. 'You saw how well that went for your brother.'
The image of Shigeo floating above the trees when they had resided on the island caused him to almost stumble to the ground. 'Oh, gods.' He gasped.
'Interesting imagery.' Seihomaru's voice filled his head. The voice was growing more clear as he ran and Nii grinned.
'I had forgotten about that.' Nii snickered.
'You forgot about many things.' Shuzo snorted.
'I can see you.' Seihomaru said.
'Really?' Nii lifted his muzzle and steeled his sight in the direction he was running, but he couldn't make out Seihomaru in the shadow's cast from the sun as it rose above the horizon. 'I can't see you yet.'
'Have you gone blind? I am on the ridge overlooking the fishing village.' Seihomaru snorted.
Nii's eyes wandered up and he finally caught sight of Seihomaru who stood with his back turned to the village his arms crossed over his chest. He was almost to his destination and he grinned.
'Once you get close, you need to switch forms and take on a human one.' Seihomaru instructed as Nii jumped up the rocky incline.
'Fantastic. So I take it we are taking a human ship across?' Nii grunted as he pulled himself up over the ridge of the rocky slopes.
'More humans grace this land than youkai. Times have changed.' Seihomaru said.
Nii quickly changed into his humanoid one and frowned. 'I have never taken on a human form before.'
Seihomaru watched his friend approach and lifted a brow. "Black hair, dark brown eyes. Keep it simple. The more you put into it the more complicated it can get and the harder it gets to maintain the transformation. This is a two-day journey across the ocean to Wa."
Nii nodded and closed his eyes to a familiar image he had known before the twins had destroyed their lives.
Seihomaru smiled as he watched his companion switch his small pointed ears for round ones, silver-white hair for dark black, gold eyes for brown, and he nodded in approval. "Now come. The ship is about to depart." He stressed the word ship because his youki always corrected him.
They walked down the small dirt path and approached the many humans who were lining up to board the ship. Seihomaru pulled a fat bag from his haori and passed the man waiting a few coins before leading the way up the plank. He glanced at Nii and almost swallowed his tongue. 'You forgot your claws.'
Nii lifted his hand to his face and quickly corrected his mistake. With a wide grin at Seihomaru, the lord stopped and gave him a deadpanned look. 'Fangs too, baka.'
Nii gave Seihomaru a quick smile of apology. 'Whoops. I don't pay attention to that sort of stuff.'
'Apparently.' Seihomaru smirked. 'Come on.'
The sailing was smooth and went by quickly, but as they approached the mainland, Seihomaru furrowed his brow, his eyes locked on the shore. 'Shit.'
Nii walked over and squinted. 'Looks like human warriors.'
Seihomaru nodded his head and scanned the shore carefully. 'Mongol's.'
Nii blinked at him. 'A what now?'
Seihomaru chuckled softly. 'It doesn't matter. If they leave us to our own devices we are fine. Let's try to avoid conflict. I must get to the Imperial City before the week is out.'
Nii wrinkled his nose. 'That doesn't sound foreboding at all.'
Seihomaru grinned. 'It is where the Emperor resides. My views, when I was younger, on what a castle was, is nothing compared to what you are going to see when we get there.'
Nii smiled. He was excited. This was his first time leaving Japan and the adventures he was about to experience was thrilling. Even Shuzo was grinning widely and his excitement was flooding outward.
Seihomaru rolled his eyes. This wasn't his first time to Wa, but it was definitely Taizo's first experience and both youki were emitting huge amounts of emotions that rolled out in waves. "Good grief." Seihomaru snorted as he grabbed the cloth bag he had leaned against the wall and flipped over his shoulder. The plank was lowered to the docks below and almost immediately the Mongol guards stormed onto the ship.
Seihomaru stopped mid-stride and quickly glanced at Nii and shook his head. A loud deep voice spoke in very broken Japanese after the Mongols had surveyed the members on board. "In-shpection."
Clenching his jaw, Seihomaru lowered his bag to the ground, thankful that there was nothing inside that would cause suspicion. Even leaving the sword behind had been to his benefit and he released a soft relieved sigh.
"Yí huí." One man stated.
While another man called out, "butsaj shiljikh."
Nii blinked stupidly as the men went around to the humans on the ship and emptied their bags and tossed the contents onto the deck. One man was taken forcefully and shoved off the ship, yelling protests. When they approached Seihomaru and Nii, they stood much shorter than both youkai and seemed quite taken aback by their size differences. Black eyes met dark brown and the thick burly man grinned at the large male.
'If he keeps grinning at me, I'm going to knock his teeth in.' Seihomaru snarled.
Nii bit his lip to keep the smile off his face as the black-haired man rifled through Seihomaru's pack. He tossed the rations onto the ground and then the skin of water. But he tossed the cloth down and then narrowed his eyes at Seihomaru as though trying to measure what he was up to.
The male turned and spoke something in what Nii could only call as drunken talk, which caused a few other males to turn their attention their way. 'This doesn't look good.'
'Stay calm.' Seihomaru frowned and held his hands out. " Asuudal ni yuu ve?"
Nii turned his bewildered gaze to Seihomaru and his mouth dropped open. 'You speak their language?'
'Clearly.' Seihomaru grunted. 'Now shush. It is difficult to understand them on the best of days.'
A much taller man walked over and scrutinized Seihomaru intently for several minutes before he spoke with an edge.
Nii almost whistled in amazement as the two spoke and then they were waved off as though nothing had occurred. His eyes were wide as the two of them walked down the plank and Nii blinked back tears with how much he had missed while he had been lost.
'Oh, stop your pouting.' Seihomaru sighed.
Nii shook his head and walked silently behind his friend who led the way through the human infested establishment. The words that were spoken were lost to him but his friend seemed to ignore most of what was being said around them. 'You picked up their language pretty effectively.'
'I should hope so, I spent two years here.' Seihomaru chuckled.
'How many languages do you speak?' Nii asked with a slight twinge of jealousy. Just how much had he missed while he was lost in the shadow realm? What new experiences did he miss out on for those five-hundred years?
'Several.' Seihomaru placed his hand on Nii's shoulder and pulled him to a stop. "Nii-"
Nii shook his head and gave a half-hearted smile. "It's alright. I'm awake now, so all that no longer matters."
Seihomaru sighed. Despite his friend's proclamation, he could feel the hurt and longing from Nii. The guilt he felt came rushing back with a vengeance with how much his friend and clan have missed in their lives. His friend, Nii, who had been a youth when he had been snatched from the physical plane, still appeared as though he had not aged a day in those five-hundred years. Frowning, he thought about how that worked. It was something to bring up with Bokusenou the next time he visited the old tree.
Glancing at Nii as they made their way through the marketplace, Seihomaru speculated his friend's appearance. Nii had been only sixty-one when the twins killed both their daughters, and when the eclipse inuyoukai had saved his life by risking his own and in turn spending five-hundred years alone and lost in the shadow realm. As soon as they were out of human sight, they dropped their disguise and entered the forest quietly. Seihomaru didn't stop his silent musings, however.
Despite Nii's spirit wandering the shadow realm and his physical form being locked in his seal, he had not aged a day. There was only one small difference, his friend's hair had grown a couple of inches longer. Now the silver-white strands hung between his shoulder blades, and not held back in its usual mizuhiki he was so used to seeing in the frosty strands. Nii's face held several heritage markings that he was familiar with, and yet it also bore his torment in the shadow realm with the black stripes that were slowly starting to fade. True to Nii's words, the black marks usually faded after a few weeks of not visiting the shadow realm, and yet, despite that, there was a much darker one on his friend's wrist and Seihomaru stopped walking.
Nii turned and glanced at Seihomaru with a quirked brow. "What's up?"
Seihomaru walked forward and gripped Nii's hand and he stared at the long black mark that wound around his wrist and up his arm. "This is new."
Nii shivered and snatched his hand back. "It's nothing."
Seihomaru gripped Nii's arm and tugged him back and wrapped him tightly in his arms and placed his nose to his friend's neck. 'Shh.'
Nii gasped. '...'
Shuzo turned and blinked in stunned surprise and Taizo also stopped. He allowed a quiet grin to cross his face and watched.
The flood of sorrow filled Nii and his knees gave out, but he didn't fall. Seihomaru smiled against Nii's neck. 'Brother in all but blood.'
Nii nodded lost in silence.
'And the brother of my heart.' Seihomaru whispered. "I knew you would be a distraction from all my distress."
Nii snorted and pulled back his eyes curious and uncertain.
Seihomaru chuckled and released his long time friend. He did, however, turn his gold eyes to Shuzo and his own spirit who stood there with innocent looks on their faces. 'I blame you two for this.'
Taizo's mouth fell open in mock protest, and Shuzo smirked.
Nii frowned and glanced at the two spiritual beings that were always present, either visually or mentally. 'They did this?'
Seihomaru grunted. 'They did bring us to a place that only mates share. I should have known that some lingering effects would surface.'
Taizo and Shuzo shared a look and then grinned widely. 'I have no idea what you are talking about.' Then they turned and started walking in the direction Seihomaru had begun leading them, and Seihomaru rolled his eyes.
Nii looked down at the long thin black line on his wrist and shivered involuntarily as the memory washed over him. It had been a very close call and he understood why Shuzo had felt like he had to take matters into his own hands, but the fear still overwhelmed him.
Seihomaru glanced over at Nii with a raised brow as Nii thought about what had happened. Furrowing his brow, Seihomaru muttered under his breath. "You feel guilty for getting angry at him."
Nii looked up sharply. His eyes trailed after Shuzo who still didn't say much to him, mostly because he was certain his youki also felt guilty for what he had had to do to keep his host safe. "I closed him off," Nii whispered.
"And now?" Seihomaru asked, his eyes scanning the terrain as they walked.
"I tried to talk to him, but he is silent. Always with me, but like years ago he has stopped talking to me." Nii sighed.
"Try again. The emotions are flowing off you in waves and it is muddling my senses. This is a completely different world than Japan, so I need to keep alert without trying to rifle through yours and his emotional turmoil." Seihomaru said.
Nii nodded. "Sorry."
Seihomaru saw Nii lower his head, but with a snort, he gave him a forceful shove towards Taizo and Shuzo who walked ahead of them. He could tell they were talking amongst themselves, but he couldn't hear the conversation, which led him to assume that Taizo had closed the portal of communication.
Nii stumbled forward and just barely managed to catch himself from falling face-first onto the dirt path. With a silent glare, Nii walked towards the two youki who were staring in amazement at the vast expanse of land that stretched before them.
Taizo looked over his shoulder and then smiled before he moved away to allow the two stubborn males space so they could talk. Shuzo had informed him what had happened and Taizo felt the same way as his spiritual brother did. Without the intervention Shuzo had taken to keep Nii safe, Seihomaru would have lost a very good friend and it would have destroyed his host.
Nii stopped and stood beside Shuzo who remained silent, his lavender eyes still locked on the land that stretched for miles in all directions. 'Are you still angry?' Nii whispered.
Shuzo twitched slightly but his eyes didn't move.
Nii sighed and hung his head. 'I need you, Shuzo.'
Still, his youki remained silent. It was everything he could do to remain so. If Nii wouldn't listen to him, perhaps the long bouts of silence he forced upon his host would wake the stubborn fool up. Whenever Nii refused to listen he always went silent. It was more for him to collect his thoughts and see if he had been in the wrong, or if he could have done something differently. His lavender eyes moved slightly as Nii moved forward a little to stare awestruck at the vastness that was China.
When the silence stretched on for several minutes, Nii cast a mournful glance at his spirit and then sighed. He stepped back silently but whispered as he passed Shuzo. 'I'm sorry.'
Shuzo spun around as Nii walked off not having missed the tormented plea and he gripped his host's haori and pulled him back. With an angry snarl, he flung Nii to the ground and his host grunted at the impact. Bending low to Nii's face, Shuzo snapped. 'You are a foolish imbecile. Do you think I do not suffer when you suffer? Do you think you are the only one who feels? That guilt fills me too! All the sadness, loneliness, anger, shame, fear and hate flood from you to me. I do not want those feelings. My wish is for you to push past them and be better for it.'
Nii winced at the force of anger Shuzo shoved into his face. He could feel tears well up in his eyes, but he didn't want to let them fall.
Shuzo saw them and shocked both he and Nii when the youki pulled Nii up into a sitting position. ' You are frustrating and have taken years off my life not thinking of your own. I refuse to lose you.' He hissed into Nii's ear.
Nii's tears did fall then and the eclipse youkai flung his arms around his spirit's neck.
Seihomaru turned away and smiled to his youki who stood there now satisfied. 'Happy now?'
Taizo grunted but nodded. 'Took them long enough.'
'We can't linger here long. The days don't stop because we do.' Seihomaru lifted his eyes to the sky that started to darken with the upcoming night and he heaved a heavy breath.
Taizo lifted a brow but followed his host's line of sight and gasped at the huge looming shadow in the distance. His mouth dropped open and he stepped forward as though in a trace. 'What the hell is that?'
'That is the Forbidden City.' Seihomaru grinned crossing his arms. 'That is our destination.'
Taizo stared at the glowing city against the night sky lost in a world of emotions that he could not explain. He stopped and frowned, quickly turning his head skyward when he felt a jolt of energy fill the night air. As the sunset, his eyes locked onto the thousands of twinkling stars overhead and his mouth fell open as some of the stars moved as though forming something.
Seihomaru also lifted his gaze when he felt the energy fill the air around them and he smirked. So, Byakko had finally noticed them.
Nii and Shuzo both looked over at the surge of power and scrambled to their feet. Seeing both Taizo and Seihomaru's eyes locked on the night sky, they too also looked up and gasped at the astounding sight. The stars took shape and formed into a large tiger that casually moved through the sky and then it separated from the black depths and jumped towards them. The air crackled and sparked with the approach and three out of the four stepped back warily. Only Seihomaru remained rooted in place as the celestial figure made out of stars approached.
"Heng Jiang," Byakko said in a harmonious tone of voice.
Taizo raised a brow curiously. 'Another name?'
Seihomaru closed his eyes for patience. "You sought me out Byakko. What do you want?"
"Hyouga and his son Menoumaru are looking to destroy you," Byakko stated matter-of-factly.
"Ah. Those are the mainland youkai asking questions?" Seihomaru said.
"Them and Shautiau."
"And?"
"They look for Bokusenou and all who made any allegiance with you."
"That would also be yourself, Byakko," Seihomaru said.
"If they can reach the stars, then I deserve my fate." Byakko grinned a wide toothy smile.
"What of the Emperor?"
"He is well. Striving to be better each day and the Gods are thankful for your sacrifices." Byakko's eyes landed on Nii and he inched forward sniffing quite forcefully.
Nii's mouth fell open and he gaped at the large floating white tiger before him.
"This one has not been seen for many centuries. The stars will be happy to know of his return." Byakko turned his blue eyes to Seihomaru's
Seihomaru glanced at his stunned friend and smiled. "Was there anything else?"
Byakko snorted. "Isn't there always?" The sky tiger shimmered and took on a humanoid form, his feet gently floating down to the earth. His hair was stark white with shimmering stars in the lengths and his eyes remained a brilliant blue color. "I will walk with you, so we can continue talking."
Seihomaru snorted but turned towards the direction of the Imperial City. With any luck, he would be there by late morning and hopefully be one step closer to witnessing the crafting of the Yata no Kagami.
