Chapter Two:
On The Search
"Where will we be staying tonight?" Rei asked. A tall woman stood before her, regarding the different inns on the street. All around them, humans went about their lives, never once thinking that the slightly taller than usual woman with the long black hair was anything but a human as well. But though her appearance was that of a human, to call her one would have been taken as quite an insult. As the taiyoukai daughter of Lord Sesshoumaru, one of the most notorious human-haters, Takara was quite proud of her youkai blood.
"This looks like a good place," Takara replied, and the two girls approached a modest inn on the side of the road. It wasn't long before they were in a room, and Rei sighed in relief as she rested her feet.
"I feel like we've been walking for weeks instead of days," she said. "How in the world do you do it?"
Takara chuckled slightly. "Most of your blood is ningen. I am a full youkai. I don't need as much rest as you do."
"How do you manage to find us an inn every night, Takara-sama?"
"Ah, you must remember Rei, I've been alive for hundreds of years. Money adds up over that amount of time. Besides, if there were no inns, I could carry you and continue walking throughout the night."
"Hmm." Rei took up her hat, revealing dog ears peaking out behind her bangs, and quickly changed into her nightclothes, nearly moaning in comfort. Before leaving their homes, Takara had given her what she called a taijiya [youkai-exterminator] suit, and what Rei called a cat suit. It was all black and went from her neck to her fingers to her ankles, hugging her skin. She was then instructed to wear it under her clothes, for with that on she could wear anything and still be modest if they ran into trouble and needed to fight. Takara also wore one under her clothing. She wore a long black skirt and a shirt with a style Rei had never seen before. It had three-quarter sleeves and was rather baggy, and was a light blue. On the chest was a dark blue crescent moon.
Takara had told her that the crescent moon was a sign of their family blood; their particular family of inu [dog] youkai was what she called lunar youkai, meaning they had a connection to the moon. It was because of this that Sesshoumaru and Takara both had the crescent moon on their forehead, and any hanyou's or demi-youkai in the family had their human nights on a specific time with the moon.
Rei sighed as she removed her contacts, revealing her slitted golden eyes. She lay down on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling, remembering the past few days.
Takara had come to her in a nearly hysterical state, claiming that she could feel her father's youki [aura] alive again. She had battled a great youkai named Michiomaru who had killed her father two hundred years ago, and had won. But she claimed that her killing him had somehow revived her long dead father, Sesshoumaru. Now the two of them were on the search to find him, for who knew what an ancient youkai would do when he was suddenly thrust into modern society. Especially one who loathed humans the way Sesshoumaru did.
"How much farther do we have to go, Takara-sama?" Rei inquired.
"Not much farther," the taiyoukai responded. She sat on the other bed, leaning against the wall. "My castle should only be a day's journey from here. If we are lucky, otousan [father] has not wandered from it."
"And if we are not?"
Takara sighed. "Then Kami-sama [God] help the ningen who get in his way." She closed her eyes briefly, and then glanced at her companion. "Rest now, Rei. I will wake you in the morning."
"Hai [yes], Takara-sama."
Soon, the demi-youkai's breathing fell into rhythm as sleep overtook her. Takara looked out of their window and sighed again, hoping above all things that they got there in time.
