The recognizable stench of humans has deepened.
Wafting the stink of sweat and toil off of those creatures, it pervaded her mouth and nose, crawled down her windpipe and imploded in a nauseating mass of revulsion and rejection in her ribcage.
It was then when she knew she was near.
Not long after, her journeying came to an end with her hovering several hundred feet directly above her destination and she found herself raising a delicate hand to the lower half of her slightly frowning face in the daintiest of manner, reminiscent to wearing a veil over that particular area.
This piece of land below her…
She craned her neck for a clearer look at this paltry piece of land below her. Rugged and crawling with humans and farm animals, it revealed itself to be that very human village, which she had been hearing so much of from the grapevine, with the timely appearances of both her husband's half-demon younger son and his fully human bride.
Inuyasha… And Kagome, was it? She had never been any good with names, naturally favoring those that were artfully straightforward in disposition and therefore better suited to her rather particular taste.
As a result, she had had her husband indulge her on the naming process with their firstborn centuries ago.
The name 'Sesshōmaru' was straightforward enough in both characterization and design while retaining that streak of dramatic flair that Tōga had so persistently fought for.
Well, she had to let the poor man win some battles every now and then and, in all honesty, it had not been as bad as imagined.
'Striking immeasurable fear in the hearts of all to confront from above the clouds'… Perfection in killing as though the taking of life were an art in itself. That was essentially Sesshōmaru in existence.
He most certainly looked that way.
Nestled in a wreath of clouds with her robes spread to their fullest over elegantly folded legs, Nōzuki Senhime briefly gave herself to quiet reminiscing in a rare display of motherly pride at the knowledge of having beautifully combined the genetical best of two through his highly-anticipated birth.
Abundant, enviously silken hair glistening the uncanny shade of the full moon on a clear night. Facial features so sharply defined against an equally enrapturing face, they appeared to have been meticulously carved into the finest alabaster.
He was a beauty not far from herself and living proof that the apple did not fall far from the tree. That, she could happily give herself another sound pat on the back over.
Such was his great birth and beauty that news of them had traveled far and wide across the great West and beyond, even before they made it across castle grounds to the gates. Demons and humans alike swamped their estate with congratulatory intent. Those who came bearing gifts left them in abundance while those who came bearing well wishes uttered them in generosity.
The situation had been so different then compared to centuries later when Tōga came to father his second son with that human princess.
That poor, pitiable woman…
Her name, long lost and nowhere to be found along the mercilessly relentless passage of time, was uttered by no one today. She was but a fleeting existence reduced to nothing more than a confusing haze of cascading black hair, unnaturally pale skin and sad vulnerability in her lacking memory. Whether or not she had spent her handful of years wallowing in the throes of misery subsequent to their husband's untimely demise, Nōzuki Senhime knew not but fully expected that it surely reassured her now to be seeing her only son happier than he had been in his younger years with the woman of his fate.
He did not seem to be doing a particularly good job at keeping her happy and well though, seeing how she had just sent him plunging painfully into the dirt at their feet with a curt shout.
Was it a spell? An enchantment? It looked like it hurt. It certainly sent the others in the vicinity into fits of laughter but she did not care about that. She wondered what it was that young priestess had chanted short moments ago to have invoked an attraction between Inuyasha's dirt-streaked face and wherever he happened to be standing. Whatever it was, she could always get Rin to find out for her…
Ah- Rin! Now, how could she have forgotten? After having come all the way here for her…
From where she perched, high up and in camouflage amongst the shivering masses of cloud, Nōzuki Senhime patiently scanned the bustling land below for the first sign of that girl. Dark hair… hazel eyes… plainly-patterned kosode…
Dozens of her kind entered and left her vision and still, there was no trace of her anywhere. Yet, she was able to track her scent amongst the teeming mass below.
Where…?
Quite suddenly, it struck her then that she was still looking for a small girl of relatively tender age when nearly a whole decade had already passed them by.
In all honesty, her kind appeared to exist solely to make a mockery of time. To demons, by extent their lesser counterparts, a decade was but a grain of sand amidst an entire sea in its hourglass. However, it was more than enough to age or even end a human at any point of its unstoppable flow. Knowing that all those years would have done their job in bringing about certain change in the girl, it was with eagerness which she could hardly believe of herself that she was now renewing her search.
And there she was…!
Seated on a small stool next to an elderly woman atop another and paying rapt attention while the latter carefully sorted out handfuls of odorous herbs from a laden basket, was that human girl, with whom her only son had recently, strangely become so fond of.
Rin…
Rin…
"…Rin…" She mouthed, softly murmuring the next, the single syllable simple and sweet on the tip of her tongue and between her lips.
She liked it.
Distinctly recalling how Sesshōmaru had, just once and begrudgingly so, obliged her sudden request and written the kanji character to the child's name out on paper to show her while he had deigned to slightly prolong his stay on her estate, she was quick to recover the exact same strokes from memory.
His calligraphy was impeccable, of course. However, she had meant to express more than simply praise in that one approving nod that she had directed at him over the desktop
Observing how things had steadily been panning out over the many years, it was needless to say that the child had, by now, completely grown into her name.
Learning to sort out wild herbs from that elderly priestess… assisting Kagome with shrine duties… cleaning tools with that other woman and cuddling and singing to the latter's young child…
Nōzuki Senhime could not help pondering the possibility of young Rin growing up to be the companion that she was now through all that time that she had spent accompanying him on his travels. It was with bemused understanding that she welcomed the very idea of Sesshōmaru undergoing such drastic change as a direct result of having spent all that time with her throughout her childhood.
Really, she might as well not have bothered herself with asking.
Leaning her upper body over the edge of her perch in order to study the child in fuller detail, Nōzuki Senhime actively sought out the most distinctive feature on her, finding it first in her full head of hair.
Black as the bottommost of a pond and straight as the silvers of fish that cut across it, her hair was a common sight, hardly anything of exceptional beauty to behold. Nearly every single human female below, as far as the naked eye could see, had the same full head of dark hair. She did not know other human women who were any different in their youth.
Sniffing in distaste, she shrank back.
Thankfully, their great demonic lineage boasted great hair and color, on top of all those other benefits. Simply imagining her luscious locks in that commoner's shade was stifling enough without actually having to live with it.
Yet, casually staring along the impressive length of Rin's thick ponytail where it extended from the nape of her neck to generously drape down her back, Nōzuki found her bored gaze spontaneously drawn to the way the evening sunlight bounced off the glossy strands, catching at traces of soft brownish undertones where they layered monotonous black.
They drew the roving eye to the warm hazel tone of her irises and lavished attention onto the healthy, prettily-honeyed coloring of her skin along the exposed parts of her limbs.
"Oh…?" Suddenly, it came to her realization that that childish little tuft of hair that always jutted out of the side of the child's head seemed to have disappeared into the sea of hair and she felt a slow smile spread across her lips.
Could eight years really have brought about such change in a human?
Sesshōmaru had lived over hundreds of years, and herself centuries, only to remain largely unchanged from the best of themselves. Time brought neither entertainment nor surprises for mother and son. Immortality was steadily losing its appeal. Only tedium seemed to visit of late, leaving more missing in its wake. Never would she have ever imagined it but was she finally getting to look forward to livelier years ahead with this child, no, woman...?
I wonder if Sesshōmaru has seen her…
"Ahh! No, stop, that tickles!" Came peals of laughter, fresh off her mouth with Rin making a big show out of succumbing to yet another bout of playful poking by Sangō's toddler, completely oblivious to the presence of the great demon enjoying their antics from up amongst the clouds.
"…still a girl." Nōzuki Senhime observed in good humor. She was not wrong. Compared to Sesshōmaru's few hundred-odd years, she would always be a girl but watching her rise to her feet in response to being called for, she snickered, "But at least, you're not that puny anymore now, little Rin."
Rin running up and ahead effectively left her line of vision and absentmindedly, Nōzuki let her increasingly bored gaze wander for a short while before deciding to make a move. After all, she had already seen what she had come here to see and human monotony did little to nothing to interest her.
"…Now, do keep in mind that you are to keep your distance from Sesshōmaru over the next few days should he come to visit, Rin."
"…Oh?" Sesshōmaru…? Interest newly piqued at the sudden mention of her son's name after all this while of not at all hearing it come up, Nōzuki put an abrupt stop to her departure, choosing instead to settle comfortably back into the clouds once more with her ears perked up.
She had learnt of how Sesshōmaru had gone out of his way to leave the girl in the human village for acclimatization for her benefit. She also knew that he visited regularly. But to think that he visited often! As a matter of fact, were they expecting his arrival anytime soon?
"Now, here you go. Use it well."
"Yes, I understand, Kaede-sama. Thank you." Rin bowed her head in a humble display of deference and respect towards the elderly priestess while accepting the given package with a pair of politely outstretched hands. It was small yet compact, smelling so strongly of medicinal herbs, she could almost see them through the wrapping paper.
Nōzuki's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, flickered between Rin's face and limbs. Her nose, never failing, sniffed at the air around her. It was hot, hotter than the air anywhere else. Beneath Rin's softly uttered words and light movements, Nōzuki unearthed the answers to her questions, along with one to a question she had yet to ask.
The girl was ripe. Or rather, ripening.
Judging by the heightened color in her cheeks and the curve of her body beneath that sheath of kimono, she had to have eased into the beginning stages of maturity quite some time ago for she had not seemed awkward or ignorant about her upcoming circumstances throughout her interactions with that elderly priestess. Surely, that package contained the essentials to help manage the week ahead. However, there was just that one thing…
Nōzuki's facial features lifted and curved with calculative intent at the very revelation as a series of thoughts rippled throughout her mind.
Could Sesshōmaru… not have known about this situation with Rin? How possible was it? Given his personality and astuteness, he would have known this to happen with females and sought to properly manage the changes to his and Rin's newly developed predicaments over the years. That elderly priestess may or may not have been alluding to his expected visitation over the next few days as well as the… potential problems in regard but that one persisting thought nagged at her.
What if…
What if…
What if Rin did not know? What if she had simply been obeying all this time without knowing why? No one had told her? Not that old priestess, not any of the women here, not Sesshōmaru? What was the possibility of that happening?
The image of Sesshōmaru with young Rin while they were in the underworld with her, him with the palm of his hand on her cheek after he found her alive and newly conscious as a result of the Meidō stone's revival ability, briefly surfaced amidst the rampage of questions and thoughts thundering through her head. Gazing at Rin's retreating back as she hurried off into the distance once more, Nōzuki Senhime shook her head out of cunning more than resignation or disappointment.
Tōga, oh, Tōga, you great, foolish man. You are going to rue the day you made me our son's mother.