Escaping from Spirit World and its hunters proved far easier than Youko Kurama expected, however, it was unfortunate the chase didn't last as long as he had hoped. Who would have guessed security wasn't as top-notched as he first thought when he and his thieves stole into the fortitude? Regardless, he found the source of the rumors which had briefly circulated through Demon World and tracked its whereabouts through a fissure in the rocks that separated the worlds.
It hadn't been easy, and the ordeal took far longer than was necessary. Still, this was the first step to gaining all that he had set out to do. Total world conquest. Abandoning the bounty over his head proved far easier than he first expected, but now wasn't the time to put his goals into action. As it stood, several obstacles stood in his path, and the first link was Spirit World.
The golden orb sparkled in the palm of his hand, and with little to no concern, he smashed it between his claws, watching the remnants of its shards slip through his fingers and onto the gray sand at his feet. Without it, there was no returning to Demon World, nor would it remain as a source to track their every move. Youko had realized this during the pursuit, and much like Demon World, there were cameras in this world as well, hidden from the human eye.
It was bothersome.
Behind him, he heard his companions laughing under the full moon near a collection of large rocks by the shores of the wide sea. Fortunately, they'd only lost a handful of men, but the loss was only a minor dent. Over time, he planned to recruit more trained warriors, perhaps even stronger than the last, but that wouldn't be for a while.
"That was the first time I've seen humans before! Strange looking creatures, aren't they?" Yomi asked among the group while laughing. "If that witch hadn't gotten in the way, we could have enjoyed some dinner this evening!"
"I doubt they had much to offer! Those humans looked scrawny and on the verge of death as it was!" Another said.
"I wouldn't have minded a small child or two. They usually taste far sweeter than the older ones. But I wonder if human meat is more tender than what we're used to?"
"No demon has ever returned alive after escaping into Human World, but we should count ourselves lucky we got this far!"
Youko stood a short distance away from the group as they bantered back and forth. The air was strange. It shifted between mundane and tangy, but that didn't include the scents mingled in the breeze of humans and demons. It was different, but not entirely repulsive. But something across the seas caught his notice when storm clouds materialized over the horizon, illuminating a slightly obscured island.
I sense a powerful aura from there…
"Is something on your mind, Youko?" A familiar and masculine voice asked beside him. "You've been quiet ever since—You destroyed it?" The chimera demon asked, bending down to retrieve a piece of the golden shard. "What a waste…"
"It's already served its purpose. Did you know there was a tracking device inside it?"
Kuronue's indigo eyes widened. "That's how they found us so quickly…" He said, dropping the shard and standing up. "So, what now? Now that we've finally arrived in this world, what will we do? It's clear Spirit World won't give up trying to capture us. By now, I bet you anything the bounty on our heads has tripled."
"Quite so… For the time being, we'll lie low."
A moment passed when Kuronue suddenly noticed the island off into the distance, and he leaned forward and raised a hand over his head and whistled low. "It reeks of a powerful aura. I wonder how many demons are on that island?" He asked before suddenly smirking. "Maybe I'll have a look."
Without another word, Youko watched as his companion shot into the air and flew across the ocean at great speed. When he appeared as nothing more than a speck in the distance, a mysterious fog rose from the waves and shrouded the entire island from view. The event sparked the fox demon's curiosity. In little to no time at all, the chimera demon returned and landed just in front of him with a sour expression.
"And?" Youko asked, arching a silver brow. "What did you discover?"
Kuronue scratched his head through the torn wide hat on his head and shrugged. "Nothing. I couldn't see anything because of that fog, but there's definitely a powerful demon inside it. If I had to guess, it's hiding that island from outsiders."
The reply wasn't short of anything he expected, and he turned away and rejoined his companions by the small fire near the rocks. At this approach, the others paused in their conversations and regarded him cooly, some nodding their heads respectively. "Now that Spirit World is aware of our location, we shouldn't remain idly in the open. We'll separate into groups of three—"
"What for?" Yomi asked, scoffing. "Are you saying we should hide after beating their asses, Youko? They couldn't lay a finger on us! With our strengths combined, we're unstoppable! I say, rather than waste time, we wipe out every single human and demon that crosses our path and create our own empire!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Yomi!" A female voice said off to the side. "You know better than anyone it takes time to conquer even a single territory! If you rush right into it, like you usually do, we'll lose more men! And from what I recall, we've already lost five!"
Akane wasn't wrong, and Youko regarded her silently as she argued with the band of thieves. Much like her brother, she was also a chimera demon, both bat and raven mixed, but unlike Kuronue, she also inherited her father's traits. The curved devilish horns on the sides of her head which jutted down and inward towards her small porcelain face barely met the edges of her large green eyes.
Unlike the rest of his group, who wore white sleeveless togas and loose matching trousers, Akane and Kuronue stood out from the rest. Kuronue wore his signature black sleeveless vest, with similar trousers worn beneath with a wide-brimmed hat. It was tattered at the top, exposing his long ebony hair pulled back into a high ponytail, with multiple black bands covering his arms. However, it was of greater contrast to that of his sister.
Similar to her brother, she also wore black, but her attire left little to the imagination. Not that he didn't mind it, but it certainly spoiled the others in the group. The only consistent part of her clothing that covered only a fraction of her upper body while exposing her under breast was a simple and detailed red and black top. The sleeves were long and wide, with bronze armor shaped into a fanged open mouth at her shoulders.
A bronze hoop rested at the center of her breast, connected by the loose ends of the fabric which glided further past her exposed and flat abdomen to rest on her wide hips. From there, the fabric stretched around the backside into a slim skirt, while the front remained exposed with only a thin black tanga. Knee high black stockings adorned her long and slender legs while two bands wrapped around her thighs with bronze teeth armor fashioned at the sides. Last, she held a massive bone sculpted scythe, its blade curved and almost double her size, with a hanging lantern tied off to its end.
As eccentric as her outfit appeared, she was the only female among the group who had traveled with them. Later down the road, Youko hoped they would find others to join their group, female most of all as it might later benefit their eventual empire and raise much stronger youths.
"And not only that, but we don't know the first thing about this world!" Akane said, continuing her rant to a now standing Yomi. "We've barely been here for even two hours! I agree with Youko that we should split off into groups of three! The last thing we want to do is loiter around and bring attention to ourselves! Right, Youko?" She asked, turning with a suggestive smile and a flutter of her green eyes.
Youko nodded. "We'll save the bloodlust for a later time. Once we've found a suitable territory to lie low in, far from the seeing eyes of Spirit World, then we'll establish our plans. It may very well take some time, but until then, let's not act recklessly," He said, turning his stare to Yomi. "After that… you're all free to hunt as many humans and demons as you like."
Yomi scoffed but didn't argue this time. "Fine, but anything we come across is free game!"
Kuronue chuckled. "Of course! We shouldn't pass over a free meal... Now then, Youko, which direction are we headed first?"
Supposedly, a powerful Inu-Daiyoukai dominated the Western lands of the Hida Province and was surrounded by slightly less powerful demons controlling the neighboring areas. From the information gathered by his men in short of three months, Youko realized this era of Human World wasn't as mundane as he first suspected. Much like Demon World, there were quite a few powerful demons dwelling here.
In the province of Etchu dwelled a tribe of panther demons, notorious in thievery and untrusting of strangers, and further west in the Kaga Province was a tribe of Bat demons, far friendlier than Youko expected, especially toward the chimera siblings of his group. Forming a trust alliance hadn't proved too difficult, but there was the issue with the notable canines south in the province of Echizen. The demons that dominated that area were the wolf demons, and their fur varied from the blackest to the lightest white imaginable. A trust pact between them seemed unlikely, not that it deterred Youko and his followers, and the same was said for the dragon demons dwelling in the far massive province of Mino.
But at this moment, Youko was more concerned with forming an alliance with someone far more powerful than all the demons put together, someone that would not only rival his own strength but also subdue Spirit World from eventually entrapping them. That individual was Sesshomaru, son of a once all powerful Inu-Daiyoukai that dominated all the territories of Japan centuries ago, before an all out war between demons and humans shattered that reigning era.
Should Youko somehow gain this demon's trust, then it was only a matter of time before the other neighboring tribes followed suit, and he and his followers would no longer hide from their pursuers. This would ultimately put their plans in motion to build their own empire and gain even further strength from other powerful allies, but the process would take time. They had all the time in the world, but a few of his companions were restless and impatient.
But there was one concern which troubled the fox demon, and that concern lay further north of the continent on the Eastern side. Around the mountainous provinces of Mutsu and Dewu, he and Kuronue had sensed a growing demonic aura, similar as Horai Island they discovered short after their arrival to this place. Unfortunately, they couldn't bypass a barrier leading into those territories, and even after attempting to circle around the dangerous cliffs to sneak inside, it was ultimately impenetrable.
A demon, perhaps even stronger than Sesshomaru and himself, dwelled on the other side of it, encompassing all the lands within its misty haze. It had attracted far lesser demons, their skeletal and decomposed corpses lying outside its ring, but with the passing of days and weeks, the barrier seemed to stretch further south into other territories. Although this discovery heightened his curiosity, Youko decided he'd explore it later and focus on the task in front of them.
According to the information Kuronue gathered after their ventures through the Western lands, Sesshomaru had a weakness, one he believed would cripple his reign should the wrong ears discover it. Supposedly, the great dog demon held a fondness for humans, especially that of a young woman he recently took under his wing. While this information definitely surprised him and his group, Youko couldn't deny passing through the multiple human villages throughout the territory.
Sesshomaru certainly held a fondness for demons, similar to his father, but while Youko barely saw the outline of the palace, he knew better than to sneak around. If Sesshomaru possessed as much power as he'd heard, then coming within even a mile radius would raise any kind of alarm. They first needed his trust and support, and what better way than to use the human girl?
It was a coincidence that something related to their endeavors suddenly transpired one fateful evening, and it was the opportunity they didn't hesitate to thwart. Two lesser demons had stolen the girl while Sesshomaru was away and had caused quite the commotion when the surrounding territories grouped together to find her. Because Youko didn't want this opportunity to slip away, he and Kuronue intercepted the demons, but rather than kill them on the spot, knowing full well Sesshomaru would find suspicion in that, he instead entangled them in vines and thorns and muted their screams.
Kuronue bent down and inspected the large sack lying at his feet and untangled the cord to reveal bare feet and a yellow and orange checkered kimono. As soon as the entire bag fell away, a beautiful woman with silken raven hair, fair skin and large brown doe eyes stared back. The rumors didn't do her any justice, and even for a human, she was indeed a beauty.
Almost immediately, the scent of roses and jasmine filled his senses, and while he examined the girl a short distance away, he noted her rigid countenance, the way her eyes narrowed at the sight of him and his companion. Although he expected nothing more than fear, the girl surprised him when only hostility shown through.
"Today's your lucky day!" Kuronue said while bending down at eye level. He extended a clawed hand toward her and patted her head. "No need to thank us—"
It happened the moment he touched her pretty little head. One moment she was scowling, and the next she had raised her fist and knocked Kuronue off his heels and flat onto his backside. She was on her feet in seconds, both fists raised, and Youko found it difficult to subdue a chuckle at his companion's expense.
"You no good demon! How dare you kidnap me! Just you wait, Lord Sesshomaru will save me!"
The force behind that punch left Kuronue rubbing his jaw, his indigo eyes wide as he stared up at the human woman seething at him, and somewhat irritated, he regained his standing. Before long, he towered over her form with tremendous height, with hands planted firmly on his hips. "Excuse you! We just saved your sorry ass, girl! A little thanks would be appreciated! Youko, did you see that?! She punched me!"
"And I'll do it again if you touch me!"
"Why, you brazen girl, is this how you treat your saviors?" He asked, pointing to the vines trapping the real thieves. "You see those demons there? They're the ones who kidnapped you!"
The young woman paused and inspected the vines constricting the demons and glanced back at Kuronue and himself. "Why did you save me? Surely you wouldn't do it without a reason!"
The girl wasn't dimwitted, that much Youko noticed, but it was her fearlessness that caught his eye. Not only had she raised her voice and struck his companion, but she also stood her ground at the sight of the real thieves entangled in a mess of thorns and blood. Demons didn't frighten her. "You suspect we're after something?" Youko inquired with a tilt of his head. "From a small human girl? I assure you we have better things to accommodate our time."
"Then why did you save me?"
"Damn, you're so distrusting! They're the ones who crossed our path!" Kuronue said, lying through his fanged teeth. "We saw them pass through with a bag, and we thought it was treasure. And here we thought we'd find our share of wealth, but it was only a human girl!"
That caught her attention, and she lowered her fists. "So… you really know nothing? You're not lying, are you?"
Kuronue scoffed. "Do you think we'd waste our breath? Anyway, you're annoying me. Get lost before we decide to have you for dinner!" He said, shooing her away before turning to rejoin Youko.
"Wait! You won't abandon me after saving me, will you?" She asked, reaching forward to grab Kuronue's wrist. "If it's treasure you want, then I'll give it to you, but only if you take me home!"
Although Kuronue's back remained turned to the girl, Youko noticed the smirk stretch across his face. She'd taken the bait, far easier than he first thought, but agreeing so quickly to this proposal warned Youko of the negative consequences. If he demanded compensation for her safe return, it would reflect badly on himself and their plans to gain Sesshomaru's trust. Youko wasn't foolish to fall for that ploy. "Treasure… from a human? We appreciate the generosity, but we're not interested."
"Huh?"
"As my companion said, continue on your way to your little village, otherwise we can't be held responsible for what our group might do if they find you loitering around our encampment. Count yourself lucky you survived this long. There won't be a second time should our paths cross."
But the young woman's hand did not relinquish its grip on Kuronue's wrist. "If its human money you're concerned about, then don't be! You might not know this, but I live in a palace in the western lands. My lord will compensate all of you if you safely return me! And if its not money you're after, then he'll reward you some other way!"
"Hm… what are your thoughts, Youko? Should we help her?"
Youko pretended to think about it. "You mentioned his name was… Sesshomaru? Can't say I'm too familiar with the name."
The revelation surprised her. "You really don't know? Are you perhaps from the continent?"
"Hey! How long are you going to hold on to me?" Kuronue asked, snaking his arm out of her reach. "Geez, this is the first time I've met such a clingy human!" He said, clicking his tongue. "If it gets you off our asses, then fine! We'll take you back! What's your name, anyway?"
She crossed her arms and made a face at him. "It's common curtesy to give your names first before asking mine!"
"Are you trying to test our patience?" Kuronue asked before rolling his eyes. "Well, if you must know, I'm Kuronue, and this is my partner, Youko. And you, oh fearless human?"
For the first time since their encounter with the infamous human girl, she suddenly smiled. "My name is Rin."
Author Note:
In order to update faster, I'm going to make future chapters at least 1000-1300 words. This means there might be an eventual Book Three in the future. Expect lots of chapters. I hope this doesn't deter anyone from reading the story. The next chapter will focus on Souta, and after that, I'll bring an end to Kagome's training and that will lead to her finally meeting Youko (I'll try to make those two chapters longer for everyone.)