It was a cold night in the middle of winter. A waxing crescent moon hung high in the sky, practically glowing against the pitch black backdrop of night. The stars were bright and still, framing the moon like an ethereal painting. Freshly fallen snow covered everything in sight like a crystalline blanket.
Four sets of footprints were present in the snow, the trail leading to a small cave in a vast forest. A small fire was lit in the center; around it was a girl no older than nine years, an imp with large eyes, a two-headed beast, and a lithe man wrapped in fur. The girl, Rin, slept peacefully, tucked against the snoring beast named A-un. Jaken, the imp, slept up against the farthest wall of the cave, while his demon master sat by the entrance. Sesshomaru, the imp's master, was awake and keeping watch. His form was hardly relaxed as he occasionally inhaled deeply, sniffing the air for any unusual scents.
The night dragged on without much issue, until the smell of burnt, rotten flesh pierced the air. Sesshomaru's eyes scanned the immediate area just beyond the cave's entrance for any signs of oncoming danger. Though nothing seemed to move, the sound of snow crunching was loud against the quiet night. The tall man stood from his spot on the ground and immediately took to the sky to try and see what or who was approaching. A large mess of lame limbs and eyes ambled through the snowy forest just a few miles away; its skin sloughed off and sizzled as it melted the snow and scorched the exposed earth. The creature seemed to be following the trail of footprints left behind. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and drew Tenseiga from its hilt, only pausing for a split second to analyze the hellish creature before dropping from the sky to attack it. After damaging a few of its eyes with the initial blow, the thing shrieked, lurching forward and throwing the unfazed demon off of itself.
The demon easily anticipated the next few strikes, taking advantage of the monster's slow movements. What he hadn't anticipated was the black substance suddenly spewing from its bulging, damaged eyes. It burned his clothing and skin on contact, causing him a surprising amount of pain. In the second it took Sesshomaru to flick the goo off of the hand holding his sword, his opponent slung more at him. It flew past his face, leaving a long and thin burn on his cheek. Sensing something unusual about the creature, Sesshomaru switched priorities and jumped back to distance himself from it before taking flight once more to make his way back to the cave. The burning sensation hadn't yet ceased, and the affected areas were starting to go numb.
As soon as he landed, he put out the fire. The cold set in after mere seconds, waking the imp from his slumber. Jaken groggily shifted and opened his eyes, jolting upon seeing his injured master. He squawked as he scrambled to his feet and rushed over to assess the damage. "My Lord, are you alright? You are injured!"
"I am fine. No more questions, we leave now."
"Allow me to defend you, my Lord. I shall-" Jaken was cut off by a harsh glare from his master, the latter walking over to Rin and carefully picking her up to place her on A-un's saddle. The beast awoke at the contact, both heads poking up with two sets of tired eyes. Sesshomaru turned on his heel and started for the cave's entrance, still listening for the sound of the approaching creature. "Come." he ordered. Jaken scurried to catch up while A-un made a noise and shook each head to wake up. The small party walked for a little over an hour when their leader spoke again. "Travel along the treeline, avoid the villages. Continue on the path and you will reach Mount Fuji in six days' time. I will rejoin you later."
"M-my Lord, surely you do not mean to leave for six days." Jaken stuttered, slightly surprised at the sudden change of plans.
"Unless your incompetence knows no bounds, you should be able to survive until I return. Now go."
This was the last order the young demon would give to his servant before a monstrous howl rang out. Birds fled from their places among the trees to find safety farther away, and Sesshomaru turned in the direction the howl came from. He shifted his feet and drew Tenseiga once more, feeling annoyance bubble up in his chest at the lack of feeling in his hand. Deciding it unwise to risk anything, he switched hands and braced himself for impact. This odd creature had picked up speed at an alarming rate, and was approaching quickly if the putrid stench was anything to go by. As if on cue, it emerged and threw itself at him. He vaguely registered a very awake Rin shouting as A-un picked up the pace to put distance between themselves and the threat. Pushing down the disgustingly human urge to comfort the little girl, Sesshomaru tightened his grip on his sword and engaged in battle with the admittedly disturbing amalgamation of limbs and eyes. Certain that he would emerge victorious, he dared let his mind wander; and only one thing came to mind. A question.
'Where did this pathetic being come from?'