Title: Tsuki no Aika (Lament of the Moon)
Summary: The tale of the love between the daiyoukai of the West and a hime from the East.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its elements. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Note: Once again, I have not placed Japanese terms in italics. Hope it reads better this way!
Thank you, sesshoumarunaraku, Minako Miharu, and Lady Izayoi, for taking the time to drop me comments!
See end of chapter for special note of thanks.
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- Four -
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A narrow but deep ravine separated the kitsune's house from the wilderness.
Touga elected to use the bridge that hung over the chasm rather than leap over the gorge. Far below, he could hear the gushing of swift-flowing water fed by the great falls that ran down the mountainside.
Dirt melded into cobbled pathways and Touga passed carefully shaped shrubs and weathered-looking statuary. Purple wisteria waved on either side of him and above the smell of flowers, he caught a different scent, an unfamiliar one. He stopped, testing the air. It was a human, he could tell, and yet the scent was different from those he was used to; it was crisp, almost sharp, like ice.
He decided to investigate, following the scent up a path to his left.
Trailing behind him, Sesshoumaru also caught the scent but, identifying it as human, dismissed it and went on to the kitsune's home. "I shall announce you, chichi-ue," he told his father.
Touga turned his head and nodded curt acknowledgement. As he walked pass more statuary of foxes and humans, he was again conscious of the unaccustomed weight of Souunga across his back, nudging the pelt at his right shoulder with each step. If he tried, he could feel the coiled presence seething beneath the barrier he held. He shrugged minutely to resettle the weight, telling himself that he would be rid of the accursed sword before too long.
His nose led him up the slope to the top of the hillock where he vaguely recalled a pavilion sat. Long before he reached the peak, a breezy fall of notes reached his ears.
Dark hair lifting in the wind was the first thing he saw, coming upon her. Dark hair and peach sleeves and white hands dancing across the strings of the instrument she played.
A young human woman sat in the pavilion, playing the koto. As he approached, he noted the elderly lady sitting in attendance; a serving woman, he judged based on their body language and appearance.
The young woman looked up as he drew near and the sight of him stilled her fingers. She rose to her feet and the last notes faded between them as they all but stared at each other. She broke the contact and looked down.
He broke the tableau by bowing. "Good afternoon, lady. You play most beautifully." That it had been her scent and not her music that had drawn him was not relevant at this point.
He noted with interest that she bowed as one would to an equal rather than as to a superior. "You are kind... warrior." Uncertainty made her pause before addressing him.
His lips twitched. "I am... Touga," he gave her his name. It felt a little strange; most people knew him by sight and by title and it appeared that this young woman knew neither.
As expected, the name made no impression on her. "Takahiro no Izayoi," she replied, eyes still downcast.
Her family name cemented his vague notion that she was not from this land; Takahiro was a powerful House in the East, one closely tied to the emperor. It explained her unfamiliar scent; few traveled such great distances, and fewer still among the nobility.
Whimsically, he wondered if she had called him 'warrior' in retaliation for his addressing her as a mere 'lady'. "An honor, hime." He bowed again, deeper, more formal. "Is all well with you?" he asked politely.
His simple courtesy made her hesitate. "Hai, arigatou. Touga-san," she said without lifting her gaze.
It had been a long time since a human had appended the generic title to his name and, while he did not care about such formalities, he found himself feeling surprised.
She seemed a timid one; she could not have tried to insult him on purpose. He considered leaving her in peace but it was rude to appear and then disappear so abruptly. "Have you business with Hiroshi-san?" he enquired. It was not rare for the kitsune to have human visitors and friends; the fox enjoyed associating with them.
"Ii-e. It is my cousin, Takase no Amaya who has sought him out; I am merely accompanying her."
Touga wondered at the quick, almost defensive answer until he remembered that Hiroshi had taken the profession of matchmaker among the humans.
He masked amusement, making a small sound of understanding. "I am acquainted with Shinawaru-dono. He is a good man."
His words seemed to disconcert her, drawing a quick, startled glance. The wide dark eyes lowered again as he puzzled over her curious, almost painfully stilted reactions.
There was an awkward pause.
"Please, do not let me interrupt, hime," he said, gesturing to the instrument before her.
She glanced aside before sinking back to her knees. "Is there something in particular you would like to hear, Touga-san?"
He looked away, down the hill and to the mountain beyond the ravine. It was a serene scene, one that seemed as if nothing could touch it. He wished that he did not know just how fragile that peace was. The knowledge weighed on him, as much a burden as the dragon blade on his back. "Something to fit the day, hime," he said quietly.
In the periphery of his vision, he saw her incline her body in a shallow bow. Her fingers poised above the strings for a moment then she began.
The song started slow, almost melancholy, and then she struck a pure note and the entire melody changed – or perhaps it was his perception of it that changed.
Peace and beauty and hope ran through the carefully sounded notes. He shifted his weight, taking a comfortable stance and let the music wash sweep away his cares, if only briefly.
"Oyakata-sama," Myouga greeted, landing on his shoulder. "Who is that?" the flea asked, distracted by the musician in the pavilion.
Touga slanted him a narrow-eyed look. His annoyance at the untimely interruption quickly dissipated to resignation; it was time to get back to his errand.
The hime's eyes were half-closed in concentration, watching her fingers flit across the strings and he was loath to interrupt her.
Then he noticed the serving woman watching him. He sketched a bow at her lady and the woman gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
He left. Retracing his steps, he descended the hillock and continued on his way to the kitsune's home. "Tell me," he said simply, prompting Myouga to report.
"The blast just missed the foxes. It cut through the owls' holt and ended at the wolves' cliffs. Most of the wolves were in their dens since it was morning. Some were trapped inside caves. They are being dug out now. There were eight returning from the hunt and they were hit. Five are injured but they'll recover. The other three were lost." Myouga paused delicately.
Touga set his jaw. The brief respite on the top of the hill was swept away like so much mist and reality reasserted itself stridently.
"And the owls?"
"They lost half their number. Oyakata-sama." Myouga bowed in wordless apology for being the bearer of ill news.
Touga kept walking towards the house, saying nothing. More than ever, he was conscious of Souunga on one shoulder.
Soon, he promised himself.
When he arrived at the manor house, he found the kitsune speaking with another young human woman, one who bore only the commonplace scent of a pregnant woman of the West.
Hiroshi saw him first and, following the direction of his gaze, the woman turned.
He watched her eyes spring wide in shock and she fell to her knees, her female attendant following suit. "Inu no Taisho," she breathed, head descending to the floor.
He had long since given up trying to stop the genuflection. Instead, he spoke, forestalling further groveling. "Takase no Amaya, I give you and your House greeting."
The words had the desired effect of surprising her into looking up and he nodded once, then transferred his gaze to the kitsune who looked on, apparently amused. "Excuse me, I did not mean to interrupt."
"Ii-e. I was just about to leave," the woman said hastily and rose. "Hiroshi-san, arigatou," she said, bending in farewell to her host.
The kitsune mirrored her action. "Let me send Yumi to collect your cousin."
"I would be grateful," she said.
Touga considered mentioning where the hime was but thought better of it. He returned Takase no Amaya's bow and watched her leave with as much speed as could be mustered without sacrificing dignity.
Left alone, the two youkai eyed each other.
"Do you always have that effect on humans?" Hiroshi asked at length.
"Sometimes," Touga answered blandly.
"How did you know who she was?" There was a canny slant in the fox spirit's expression as he posed the question.
Touga gave him a blank look and was saved from conjuring verisimilitude by Myouga's timely interruption.
"Hiroshi-san!" the flea greeted expansively.
"Myouga-san." Hiroshi's eyes shifted to Touga's shoulder where the flea bowed. "Is all well with you?"
"Well, for the most part, thank you for asking."
"Where is my son?" the inugami cut short the banal exchange.
"In the next room; he seemed to think it better to wait outside the human's presence."
"I'm surprised he cared either way," Touga muttered.
The fox smirked. "So tell me," he asked as he slid back the shoji screen of the adjacent room, "What brings the Inu no Taisho to my door?"
Inside, Sesshoumaru sat in stoic stillness.
The daiyoukai did not answer until the four of them were arrayed on the tatami and the screen shut.
"I require the aid of a powerful miko or houshi," he opened. He sensed Myouga wincing at his blunt words.
The kitsune reacted just as he anticipated; with skepticism and mockery. "And what would the inu daiyoukai require of a human with holy ki?"
"The sealing of a youkai."
One eyebrow rose. "And the legendary Fuuyin no Kiba cannot accomplish the task?"
For a long moment, the inu youkai eyed his ally. The six-tailed kitsune was not particularly powerful but, like all kitsune, his strength lay in guile rather than brute force. Still, there were times when the fox's sly humor grew tiresome.
This was one of them.
Moving with deliberation, Touga drew the possessed sword and laid in on the floor between them.
Both russet eyebrows were up now and their gazes met and locked. "I apologize if I have given offence, Touga-san, but is it really necessary to threaten me in my own home?" The words were conciliatory but the snap in the tone was not.
The kitsune apparently did not know when to stop. Rather than engage in a pointless staring contest, the inu daiyoukai said incisively, "This sword bears a malicious spirit that possessed its bearer. For the protection of the land, it must be sealed."
Hiroshi's eyebrows returned to their customary position and his lips parted. He seemed to change his mind, shutting his mouth without saying anything.
The screen parted; a blue-haired female youkai knelt and entered the room, bearing a tray. She served the three guests and then Hiroshi. Pausing at the door, she informed the master of the house that the two human women had been safely sent off. She slid the door shut and the four were left alone again.
Hiroshi picked up the thread of their interrupted conversation. "Why not just destroy it, then?"
"It can't be destroyed," Touga told him. "It was forged from a dragon's tooth."
"Ah." Mockery laced the expression of understanding.
Touga watched the kitsune curl one hand around his teacup and gaze at the steam rising above the rim. All levity drained out of that sharp-featured face, leaving it a mask of intense thought. It was an expression Touga had seen many times in war councils.
"You have the best knowledge of the going-ons in the human world," Touga said into the quiet. "Who would you say can help us in this matter?"
"A powerful miko or houshi," the kitsune murmured without shifting his gaze. In a quicksilver shift in manner, he sat up and abandoned his cup. Eyeing the sword, he said briskly, "There are a number of possible candidates but they are scattered across Japan."
"Understood," the inu daiyoukai said shortly. He had known it would not be a simple task. "Who are they?"
"Saiko in the North. Katchei in the East." The nakodo paused to think, then shrugged, apparently coming up with no more names.
"Aren't there any here in the West?" Touga muttered under his breath, more by way of complaint than real demand. He knew there were none, just as he knew the reason for the lack; spiritual warriors went where they were needed, protecting the people, fighting evil. The West was at peace and, until and unless a holy warrior got it into his or her head to 'do away with the evil youkai overlord', none had cause to venture into his realm. "Is that all?" he asked.
Hiroshi shrugged. "There are two more, but they tend to wander."
"Is there any way to track them down?"
"It will take time."
Touga snorted. "Of course."
"I shall endeavor to locate the miko Izumi and the houshi Sunase. In the meantime, would you care to go and see the other two?"
Touga nodded once, resheathing Souunga. He may as well start with the one closest at hand. "Where is Katchei?"
"Hakuba."
- - -
Hakuba, land-locked and high in the mountains. Life was hard there, with its thin soil and biting chill. The vegetation was stunted and grey, adapted to living in such inclement conditions. Snow-capped peaks soared above the village, white and sparking with ice crystals.
He stood on the only path leading to the hamlet, facing the palisade, with its barred gates and its watchman's perch.
"Youkai!"
The gates opened and the menfolk of the village poured out, bearing spears and bows, sickles and hoes.
Watching them, he ruefully acknowledged that it had been a long time since he left the West and traveled beyond its borders. While Myouga was adept at gathering news and kept him informed of the current affairs, there were things that went unsaid and even more that he had forgotten.
One such was the fact that youkai were feared and hunted with virulence.
At his side, Sesshoumaru was poised to respond to the attack, tension radiating from him.
Unfortunately, they were handicapped. They could not strike back; it would only incite the humans more. So Touga kept absolutely still, holding his ground.
A few of the humans faltered in the charge but most were still coming at him full tilt.
Eyes narrowing, Touga formed his ki until burning acid. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the whip cutting into across sere ground.
The humans skidded to a halt as a wall flared up two paces in front of them, spewing green flame and noxious vapor.
When the wall collapsed, the humans closest to the youkai lay in an untidy pile. Before they could resume the attack, Touga pitched his voice to carry to the would-be defenders. "I seek the houshi Katchei."
Consternation rippled through the gathered humans. One bold soul spoke up. "What do you want with houshi-sama?"
"That is between he and I," Touga threw back.
"Are you here to kill him?" the same human persisted.
The question disconcerted him. "I have no reason to."
"What reason is there for a youkai to seek out a houshi if not to destroy him?"
"To ally with him," Touga snapped, growing impatient.
In the disbelieving silence that followed, the gates of the village opened again.
The crowd parted and to the front came a man with grey hair and a wispy beard. The shakujou clattered softly as he planted it on the ground beside him. Beneath bushy brows, the houshi stared at him. "What do you want?"
Touga sensed no trace of gathering houriki and shook off annoyance at the monk's hostility. "I am the Inu no Taisho of the Western Lands. Katchei-sama, I require your aid to safeguard our land from one who would destroy it."
Predictably, murmurs and gasps rose from the humans. "But I thought he would be dead... wasn't a legend... what's he doing here..."
The monk banged his staff forcefully once, quieting the whispers. "You? Save the world? I find that hard to believe."
Touga heard the growl behind him and shot Sesshoumaru a look. The message was clear: be still.
Switching his attention back to the humans, he calmed himself; losing his temper now would do nothing to speed matters along. With diplomacy that would have made Myouga proud, he bowed and suggested, "Perhaps we can sit down and you can see for yourself that I speak truth."
From twenty paces away, he heard the monk huff skeptically. Still, it appeared that his tact had worked for Katchei started towards him.
Touga let some of the tension leak away.
His relief was cut short when the old man pitched forward suddenly and tumbled to the ground in a dead faint.
The houshi was ill.
Katchei sat on his sleeping mat and wheezed. He was old and afflicted with a severe cold that left him without a moment of ease. The climate did not help; he was confined to his hut where devoted villagers brought hot infusions and fuel for the fire to keep their honored spiritual guide in what warmth and comfort they could manage.
Touga sat beside the human's bed, the dragon sword lying on the bare space between his knees and the tatami on which the aged human sat.
"If he had wanted to, he could have killed us all," the cantankerous monk had waved off his villagers' concern when they protested letting the inu youkai into his hut.
The inu daiyoukai breathed in the scents of the room -- wood-smoke and lamp oil, faint mould from lack of airing and sunlight, the brittle smell of the houshi himself and that underlying sharpness of cold – and tried to shake off the feeling that he was forgetting something.
Despite his words to the villagers, Katchei could hardly be called gracious. "Possessed by a dragon," he repeated. One gnarled hand reached between them and touched the silver hilt.
"The blade is under my barrier," Touga explained, leeching all emotion out of his tone.
"If that is so, you do not need my aid," Katchei, withdrawing his hand and glaring.
"I cannot keep up the barrier indefinitely. It must be sealed," the inugami said implacably.
Katchei matched his tone. "I cannot help you." The monk folded his hands into his sleeves and shut his eyes in clear dismissal.
Touga lifted a hand sharply, forestalling the diatribe Sesshoumaru drew breath to deliver. The older youkai bent, his brief bow segueing into the action of rising. "Then I shall take my leave," he said, and matched action to word.
Standing outside the village, he wrapped youki tightly around the sword before slipping into his other the form of a glowing sphere and taking to the sky. He would not risk making himself vulnerable to the dragon blade but it would take him months to reach the monks on foot.
With his son behind him, he flew North, seeking the second person Hiroshi had named.
Saiko lived with the mining colony not far from Towoda Ko. The peaceful, mist-shrouded caldera beckoned as Touga crossed it and he was again assaulted by the niggling sense that there was something missing.
He came to the mining settlement, recognizing the landmarks Hiroshi had named. Resuming human form, he entered the bustling colony.
The miners were less helpless than the villagers, but just as wary. Despite their distrust, they let him speak. One burly fellow jerked his head, indicating that they should follow him. He led them through grey streets with his companions trailing behind, curious and suspicious.
The entire place was covered with soot and dust – the ground, the houses, even the people. Beneath the sound of everyday life, Touga heard the ring of pickaxes being swung in rhythm. By the time their guide came to a halt in front of a slate-colored house, the unrelenting sounds had begun to grate at him.
"Houshi! Oi! Visitors." With that unceremonious announcement, their escort withdrew to join his fellows at a watchful distance.
The door of the hut banged open and a young man stood in the doorway, fists on hips. The houshi looked like every other miner; grimy and dressed in the same dust-encrusted, close-fitting garb.
Only the way his expression sharpened at sight of the youkai – and the sudden crackle houriki in the air – distinguished him from the rest.
"What do you want?" was the graceless demand he issued by way of greeting.
Touga paused, nonplussed. "Houshi Saiko. I am the Touga, the Inu no Taisho of the West. I require your aid in preserving the safety of the world."
For a moment, there was no sound save the sound of mining and dust settling. Perhaps the monk found Touga as disconcerting as the inu youkai had found him.
Then one of the miners snickered then broke into outright laughter. He was joined by the others, their mirth becoming a rising cacophony.
Touga ignored them, holding the monk's eye.
"Shut up, all of you," Saiko barked. His order only renewed the miners' amusement. Rolling his eyes, the monk beckoned Touga into his hut. There was a subtle slant to his features that dared the youkai to do so.
Setting his face in an impassive mask, Touga climbed up the stairs, passing within a hairsbreadth of the houshi to cross the threshold.
The inside of the hut was only marginally cleaner than the outside. Saiko shut the door firmly on his wards' amusement, then gestured curt invitation for the inugami to sit.
Touga settled down, facing the monk. He did not miss the way Sesshoumaru hesitated, casting a disdainful eye on the cinder-covered floor before seating himself.
"Inu no Taisho. I have heard of you," began the monk.
Touga did not particularly want to know what the young monk had heard. He cut short the posturing with a nod and a noncommittal sound. Moving slowly to show that it was not an attack, he once again drew Souunga from its sheath and laid it before the monk.
Saiko picked it up and Touga felt fleeting houriki dance across his barrier like needles of ice on his skin. "What is it?"
"Souunga, the blade forged from the tooth of a dragon. It bears the power of a dragon – so it claims – and wants only to cover the earth with death." He drew a long, slow breath, trying not to inhale too much dust. He wearied of retelling the story so many times in a day. "This blade must be sealed," he said shortly.
"What makes you think I can seal it?" asked the monk, setting the blade back down on the floor between their knees.
Touga shrugged. "You were one of the names I was given when I asked for a strong houshi or miko."
"I'm flattered." The monk's tone was dry as old bones. "Who else are you taking this to?"
"Katchei." The name drew a moue from Saiko that dislodged flakes of ash from his cheeks. With a mirthless smile, Touga continued, "I also seek the location of the miko Izumi and the houshi Sunase."
Saiko brightened. "They could help you." Unsaid but not unheard was, 'I cannot.'
Touga squelched disappointment. "Do you know where they are?" he asked, more to make himself focus on the matter at hand than in any real expectation.
The monk turned his gaze up at the cobwebbed rafters in thought. "It's winter," he said, sounding almost casual. "They usually winter in their home village in Yamanashi-ken."
Touga felt his eyes blaze with hope.
- - -
BIG NEWS! (Well, at least it's big news to me!) Tsuki no Aika has been nominated for "Best Drama" in Feudal Association Mar 2006 (see my profile for link). I don't know who nominated me but, whoever you are, I just wanted to say a big, big, BIG thank you! (If it was you, let me know so I can thank you properly!). I'm… flattered? Humbled? Nervous? A bit of all three, I suppose. This is really motivating me to move faster with this story. Arigatou gozaimashita, again!
Glossary
arigatou - Thank you
chichi-ue - Father, respectful, possessive. 'My father, above me'
daiyoukai - Greater youkai. Literally 'big youkai'.
-dono - Title/honorific, means "lord"
Fuuyin no Kiba - "Fang of Sealing" - attack used to seal powerful enemies when no means of destroying them can be found. (Non canon)
hai - Yes
hime - Princess / lady
houriki - Ki (supernatural energy / life force) of a houshi (monk)
houshi - monk
ii-e - Literally, 'no', but connotative can mean 'say nothing of it'
inu no taisho - "Dog General"
inugami - Dog spirit of Japanese myth.
ken - Prefecture
ki - A "life force" or "spiritual energy" that is part of everything that exists and sustains living beings (based on belief systems in Asia).
kitsune - Fox spirit of Japanese myth
ko - Lake
koto - A traditional stringed musical instrument from Japan.
miko - Shrine maiden of Shinto belief, not to be confused with priestess.
nakodo - Matchmaker
oyakata - Clan leader
-sama - Title/honorific of respect
-san - Most generic title for people
shakujou - Monk's staff. Literally, 'copper staff'.
sou - 13-stringed variety of koto or Japanese harp. Full name is sou no koto.
tatami - Sleeping or sitting mat.
youkai - Creatures in Japanese folklore. Some possess part animal and part human features. Generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural power.
youki - A youkai's power / energy