AS: Hilo! How many of you are actually surprised I have the Chapter? C'mon, be honest.
Readers: Silence
AS: Obviously more than you would like to admit. Anywayz, to the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own the concept of the three lords of the Makai. That belongs to Yu Yu Hakusho. On that note, Mikoto is the lord before Yomi in this story.
In the Makai, there are three reigning lords. Lords Raizen, Mukuro, and Mikoto. Under these lords, there are a few lesser lords. Noblemen, if you will. Under Lord Mikoto was the Lesser Lord Jifu Kufu, a fair and just demon who very well could become a Greater Lord himself were it not for his preference of the simpler, less stressful life his current station gave him. Peers and subjects alike respected him for his jovial nature.
Kufu was married at age 374 to a Lady WindWillow of the wind-wolf clan, who herself was a respectable woman of high rank. She was known for her beauty, as well for her solemn and at times downright cold demeanor.
Together the couple had a daughter named WindWolf, so named for her power over the winds WindWillow's clan had given her.
When the name Kufu is uttered, it is usually not too long until the name Sukeki is brought into the conversation. You see Kufu had another wife by the name of Sekushi Sukeki, a gypsy vixen who was both a qualified nurse and retired prostitute. She held no shame for her odd occupation, even at times looked back fondly to it and the experience that came with it. In her opinion, she did what she had to get by, and there is no shame in that.
They two produced an offspring; a young kitwolf by the name of Dreamfox Sukeki, for Sekushi had decided to keep her maiden name to remind her husband that her gypsy heart came before her title.
WindWillow, who was set in her traditional ways, often times had disagreements with Sekushi, as can be expected of women so different from each other as they, but ultimately coexisted peacefully, which was good for their husbands' sake.
The lord and his family lived in an impressive manor in the middle of a lush forest, only a winding road to connect the manor and its village to the outside world. The manor was an impressive estate enclosed by a protective wall guarded by Kufu's own recruits.
The grounds were composed of the royal gardens, a few shrines, and training grounds in the back. The manor itself had three floors, a basement, a cellar, and a dungeon. The cellar was where the spirits were kept and brewed by the servants, who lived in the servants' quarters of the basement. Also in the basement was the kitchen and laundry, for it was where the most work got done. On the first floor was where Kufu held his feasts and entertained guests. It was also the location of the armory. The second floor was the bedrooms, which were especially enchanted to change to the owners' preferences; within certain limits. The top floor was usually reserved for family and close friends, for it was the location of the library and study as well as a few extra rooms.
On the second floor, three young maids walked down the hall. One was carrying a broom, another a duster, and the last a mop. For the sake of conveniences, we shall call them Broom, Duster, and Mop. Anyway, the three maids were walking down the hall, chatting animatedly as maids are wont to do. Broom was stating with an indignant tone,
"I swear, that boy needs to grow up. One minute 'e's a gentleman, the next 'e is a nuisance! Men!" Duster nodded in agreement while Mop only smiled. Encouraged by their response, Broom continued with, "I say you love 'em and leave 'em, as long as you do the leavin' first!" Duster giggled, pausing to dust a vase on a nearby table.
The three passed a room, hearing muffled sobs from within. Duster and Broom sighed solemnly as Mop looked to the door. Her ears drooped slightly as she turned to the others.
"Poor thing. Is she still crying over what's-his-name?"
"Yeah. It's been over a month now. You'd think she'd be over him." Duster sighed sadly, "Alas, scars of the heart do not heal so easily." Broom shook her head.
"Ya see? This is exactly what I mean. The lad 'ad 'er heart in 'is hands and what does 'e do? 'E gits 'imself sent away. We're better off without men! We oughta just sweep 'em out like dust!" Broom stated with a swing of her broom. Duster giggled.
"Still, he was a pretty one. Jahori, right?" Broom looked at her with confusion.
"I thought it was Hatomi." Mop shook her head slightly.
"Your both wrong. It's Jade."
"That's a girls name, ya nitwit!"
"It can be used for guys, too!"
"I still say it's Jahori!"
While the three argued their way down the hall, a figure emerged from the opposite end. She was a handsome looking woman, and carried herself in a proud, serious manner. She possessed a slightly sharp looking sturdy face that was set as if expecting something unpleasant. She was moon-skinned and wore a dark gray fur skirt that matched her top. Her sharp silver eyes glanced around as her furry wolf ears twitched forward, tail slightly swaying to and fro. She wore no shoes, revealing sturdy feet that seemed to be slightly clawed at the toes. The only jewelry the woman wore was a shifting gray orb attached to a leather thong at her neck. Her hair was dark silver, although none would associate it with the dreaded gray. She was quite clearly a wolf demon.
She walked purposefully to the door the three had passed, knocking on the door with her knuckle. When that elicited no response, the woman spoke in a deep, steady voice,
"Dreamfox? I know you're in there. May I come in?" There was again silence, but the sobs were a lot quieter. The wolf demoness pulled the door open, gazing inside the dark room.
One half of the room was neat and orderly, with a great bear pelt serving as a carpet. Weapons and furs adorned the walls and a dark oak bookcase half filled with do-it-yourself guides and rough carvings stood in the middle. The bed was a bath-shaped stone bowl piled with furs. This half belonged to the woman.
On the other half was what seemed to be a mist adorning the floor, and those walls held pictures of beautiful magical scenes. The half of the bookcase on this side of the room held romance novels and random trinkets and baubles. It was the bed, however, that drew the demons' gaze. It seemed to be a great cloud that surrounded the thing inside it. Only two white and black-tipped fox ears were visible. It was from here the crying sounds were coming from.
The wolf twitched slightly before touching a round orb connected to the ceiling. The room was flooded with light as the orb's inner fire glowed. The mysterious creature in the bed grumbled in protest and sunk into the cloud, which was really just a mattress covered in blankets and pillows. The woman came up and poked hard on the lump.
"Dreamfox. It's been a full moon twice. You need to get over this little drama you've been acting." The shape suddenly shot its head from the covers, revealing a shock of red hair and glaring red-rimmed hazel eyes.
"Act? Act! How dare you! I'm in agony here!" It yelped in a somewhat whiney voice. The wolf rolled her eyes and turned a stern look to the foxy-eared shape.
"Yes, yes, we know Dreamfox, but this little fit is absolutely ridiculous! I can understand a few days, but a month! The little coyote hasn't died, Dreamfox! Get over it!" All this time the creature now known as Dreamfox's hair was getting steadily redder as tears filled her eyes.
"Shut up! You know nothing of the pain of losing your one and only love! My poor, innocent Jo-"
"Innocent! That whelp killed someone, Dreamfox! He was lucky not to be executed! He is paying his dues and there is nothing wasting away until you're as thin as a stick is going to do to change it! When was the last time you ate!" Dreamfox was slowly shrinking into the pillow as the wolf loomed over her. Her hair was now only a faint red as she flushed in embarrassment. The wolf glared and demanded, "Well?" Dreamfox looked away guiltily and murmured something indistinct. "WHAT? That long! Dreamfox, are ya trying to kill yourself!" Dreamfox hid her face from the onslaught as she yelped tearfully,
"I just miss him so much, WindWolf! After years and years of being with him…" The rest was muddled in sobs. WindWolf rolled her eyes, all sympathy that might have once been given long since dredged out by a full moon's course.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I only came to tell you I was leaving." WindWolf turned away as Dreamfox's head suddenly popped out of her covers, revealing a pale complexion and the tracks of tears. Her hair was now a curious shade of light blue.
"Leaving? To where?" Dreamfox slowly raised herself until she was sitting up.
WindWolf turned around again to face her.
"I am going to the far, far east to look for my mate. Mother said it was time…" She blushed slightly, then scoffed and turned away. "Why do you care anyway? You're probably just content to waste away here while I'm out there." She started taking a crossbow, club, and spear from the wall. As she reached for a hunting knife, however, she suddenly heard Dreamfox say something that made her nearly drop it and cut off a few toes. She turned to face her half sister, who was now trying to stand up. WindWolf winced at her sister's state. She was barely skin and bones! "What did you say?" The young woman looked up at her.
Where her sister held a sturdy, natural beauty, the woman possessed a soft, ethereal quality that made her slightly breathtaking, if rather unusual. Her heart-shaped face held a long, dreary look to it and her eyes held deep baggage, but something hinted that she looked very pretty when in better health. Despite her trembling, she possessed the grace and poise of an experienced dancer, and her skin held a faint glow. She wore a white nightdress that fit very loosely and belled at the sleeves, making her seem even tinier than she actually was. Her foxish ears were almost ridiculously big and seemed to take up most of her head, and one had a big silver earring in it that identified her as a gypsy. At the base of her spine rose a big, furry white tail that was, like the ears, black-tipped. Her legs started out human-like but gradually turned into fox paws that had the reverse coloration of her ears; black except for the white toes. She too wore a necklace, though this one was a heart-shaped emerald that hung on a delicate silver chain.
She was frighteningly skinny, almost skeletal, and her forehead glistened with sweat at the mere effort of standing up. That was the reason WindWolf did not believe what she just heard. But the woman's determined hazel eyes gave no indication of misinterpretation. Her hair was a steady shade of brown as she restated with a snaggle-toothed grin,
"I said, I'm coming with you." She stumbled forward, WindWolf barely managing to catch her and hold her steady.
"No, you are not. You're too weak. You would die barely taking a step out the door!" Dreamfox grinned at her half sister, hair now almost shifting to an easy yellow.
"That's why I'm going to eat first. Help me get to the kitchen." WindWolf stood, stunned, before shaking her head at her younger sister.
"Dreamfox, this isn't some picnic. I'm going to be gone for a very, very long time. And it's going to be dangerous, much more so than one of your 'foxy-raids'." Dreamfox stared determinedly at WindWolf, hair turning slightly reddish-brown in annoyance.
"I know how to knife-fight and I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm only asking you to take as far as Auntie's tree. After that you can go on in your 'quest for romance'. Now, help me to the kitchen." WindWolf grudgingly consented to do that much and started half-walking, half-carrying Dreamfox out the door.
"You know your going to have to okay it with father first, right?" Dreamfox smiled mischievously.
"That's why I'm glad tonight is his 'Sake Night'." WindWolf gave her a level glance. "And that's why I'm glad I have Mom to help me." WindWolf scoffed as they reached the stairs down.
"What can that Sekushi wench do to help you?" Dreamfox glared slightly at WindWolf before replying,
"Much more than Tree Lady is going to do for me. And you forget," she said as she was guided down the final step, "I am half gypsy. Thus, 'I am subject to wanderlust and entitled to journey as I please.' Ah! Here's the kitchen!" The two women walked through the door to find a huge table piled with food as the servants ate their fill.
All activity stopped as the two Lord's daughters walked to the head cook. Many of the men had to remember to swallow at the sight of the two and some of the women looked alarmed at Dreamfox's state, while Dreamfox herself merely waved at them with a casual grin as if she walked in only yesterday. WindWolf finally made it to the cook, not even sparing a cursory glance at the others and practically handed Dreamfox over to her. She then stood back, turning to face the room and address it.
"My sister has decided to journey with me. However, as you can tell, she is far too weak to make it in her present state. See that she is fed and fit for travel." And with that, she left the room. Two of the male servants immediately approached Dreamfox and guided her to a chair, marveling at her skinniness. She merely smiled docilely and thanked them for their kindness. When she was seated, the servants immediately presented her with food, talking to her with an open friendliness.
"Milady, it has been so long!"
"How in the nine have you been living?"
"Your so skinny!"
"I think she's even skinnier than Lady Sukeki!"
Dreamfox merely smiled in the face of attention and chatted as animatedly as they. As she ate, a magical change seemed to come from her. Her hair was now a brilliant blonde and the bags were vanishing before their eyes. Her frame seemed to fill out, and she laughed as she hadn't in a full month. She seemed to glow, drawing the younger men to her like butterflies to pollen. Some of the woman slightly hated her for this, but the others merely rejoiced in her easy company; granted, most of those women were either married or lesbian. Eventually Dreamfox stood and stretched, yawning slightly.
"Thanks for the meal and company. Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to get dressed in something that actually keeps the warmth close."
"Why not just take me? I'll keep you warm through the night!" One of the man jested. The other men laughed uproariously, although some of the women expressed something less than amusement. Dreamfox grinned slyly and said,
"Though the offer is very tempting, I'm afraid my father would never allow you to live through the night, so you wouldn't keep me that warm anyway." Silence filled the room for a moment before nervous laughter filled the room, although the women were giggling furiously.
Dreamfox turned and left the room, now able to walk on her own, though admittedly not as straight as she would like. She traipsed through the halls, heading straight for her mother's tearoom on the first floor. She walked in, finding her father laughing uproariously with three of his friends from the village.
Her father was a great bear of a man, with full sideburns and an open face that was currently rosy from the drink. He was a deep tan with eyes that were like merry black coals. He wore a loose brown shirt and baggy brown pants, and wore no shoes, exposing calloused clawed feet. His brown furry wolf ears and tail wagged slightly as he laughed, which was an uplifting sound. One hand was tightly curled around the neck of a bottle, while the other was patting another man's back until the man was nearly bent over.
Clearly a great joke had been told, or at least one that seemed funny enough. Dreamfox smiled and cleared her throat at the door. Her father eventually stopped laughing and turned to face her. His entire face lit up as he started getting up.
"Well if it isn't my sweet little Dreamer!" He came up and embraced her with an almost backbreaking bear hug. Dreamfox winced slightly, but laughed as she hugged his neck.
"Your little Dreamer is going to be even littler at this rate, father!" He set her down and grinned, looking her up and down. He suddenly smiled a great smile as he said,
"Oh, my little Dreamer! It is so good to see you again! However, if you get much thinner I think I'm going to have a hard time distinguishing you from your mother." He sat down and pulled her down into a sitting hug. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my daughter." The other men raised their glasses to Dreamfox and spoke greetings. Dreamfox grinned and turned to face her father.
"Father, is it true that WindWolf is going on a journey?" Jifu Kufu nodded before taking a swig from the bottle, "Can I go with her?" Jifu Kufu nearly choked on his sake before giving her a confused glance. "Just until we get to Aunties'. I've been locked up in my room for so long I want to wander. Pleeeeeeease?" She looked up with kits eyes. Jifu looked uncomfortable for a second before asking,
"Do you remember your survival lessons?" Dreamfox nodded. He looked a little bit more uncomfortable, "And you promise to stay with your sister?" She nodded even more vigorously. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Does this have anything to do with that rascal from the encampment?" Dreamfox shook her head vigorously, her hair now glossy with anticipation. He scratched behind his ear. "I dunno… What do you guys think?" Dreamfox turned to face the other men. One scratched his chin and looked at Dreamfox.
"Why does the lil' lass want ta do somethin' as messy as travlin' anyway?" Another man nodded.
" It's na' as if thers' anything glorious about goin' out of yer home." Dreamfox looked back to her father.
"Please, father? I just wanna see Auntie…" Jifu thought it over for a minute, then sighed.
"If it's okay with your mother, I guess." He gave her a steady look, "But you've gotta promise to stay with your sister, okay?" Dreamfox nodded, then hugged him.
"Thanks, Father!" And with that she got up and asked where her mother was.
Jifu Kufu shrugged before saying,
"Knowing her, she's probably outside in the shrine to Inari. Make sure you tell her she should be getting inside soon." Dreamfox nodded and headed out. She emerged from the house to feel a rush of night air caress her face. She stopped and relaxed in a nearby bench, rejoicing in the moonlight and feeling more alive than she had in days. She took a deep, calming breath of the jasmine scented air.
"What a night." Dreamfox nodded, before jumping and whirling around to face the one behind her. A wandering cloud moved away from the moon, revealing a slight, wispy figure.
She had a foxish tilt to her eyes and narrow features. Her vibrant green eyes sparkled with life as her face shone milk pale in the moon's light. She wore a long red kimono that had a silver trim and silver cherry blossom prints. She also carried a red umbrella over her shoulder. She had black fox ears with white tips and three matching tails. Her lustrous light hair seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. She smiled at Dreamfox softly and reached out to embrace her. Dreamfox smiled and hugged her, smelling her mother's delicate flowery scent.
"Dreamfox," The woman said tenderly. "It's so good to see you outside again. I thought I would have to wait a few more days." Dreamfox smiled and stepped out of the embrace to gaze at her mother with happy eyes.
"I assume you know what I'm going to ask." Sekushi nodded. She looked up into the stars.
"Your stars told me it would be so." Dreamfox again looked to the sky, trying to see the signs her mother could see. She looked down again to face her mother, who had a shadowed expression on her face. Dreamfox looked with concern as she put a hand on her mothers shoulder, feeling her jump the slightest bit.
"Mother?" Sekushi looked back at her, smiling a sad little smile before turning to walk down the shady path.
"Try not to forget him, Dreamfox. It probably won't work, but try anyway." Dreamfox looked confused, and was about to follow when her mother vanished into the garden. She sighed and turned to walk into the house.
She eventually got to her room to find all her stuff packed for her. She turned to face her sister, who was napping in the cot. Her sister was obviously planning on leaving tonight though, as her outdoor clothes were still on, so Dreamfox changed out of her nightgown and put on a white fur skirt and top, brushing her hair quickly with a brush on the bookcase. She then studied herself in the mirror, and, satisfied with her appearance, went to wake up WindWolf.
After doing so, the two collected their packs and headed out to the back of the house. They went through a door in the wall and walked out into the small field before the forest. Right before they were about to enter, Dreamfox looked back and gazed long and hard at the manor. WindWolf noticed her stop and turned to face her.
"You know, it's not too late to turn back." Dreamfox stared at her for a moment, and then faced the forest.
"C'mon, let's go."
And so the sojourn begins.