I do not own Inuyasha and if you think I do then you need to have the crap kicked out of you . . . I do however claim the characters I've created. R&R please.
The Matchmaker knelt, pulling the weeds from his garden of herbs and moon flowers, their white blossoms coating the air with their enticing fragrance. The edge of the garden was outlined with a carefully laid stone path, winding its way into the center of the garden, where a large sacred weeping willow stood. This tree, as well as the surrounding garden, was dedicated to the moon goddess, and had been tended to by the long line of Matchmakers.
Yue Xia Lao Ren sat back, wiping the sweat from his brow with his weathered and dirt caked hand. It had only been a few days since his apprentice, Keitaro, left in search of the couple. Sending him on his way with only a small leather bag containing some of the enchanted cord used by the Matchmakers, a moon stone signifying his position, a handful of sutra, invoking candles, and enough food to last a week. 'The night of the new moon,' he thought, ' should be when his servant returns. Just in time for the Twilight Gathering.'
On the night of the new moon, an assembly of all creatures in service to the goddess would gather together. During this time various matters of importance were discussed and, on special occasions, the induction of new members into this sacred society.
He remembered when he was inducted as the new Matchmaker. He and his mentor stood in the center of a large black marble auditorium, surrounded by their fellow followers of the moon goddess. The light of the moon twinkled down upon them with splendor and glory. He and his mentor repeated the vow spoken by passed predecessors, a vow to fulfill their duties and to uphold the laws passed by their goddess. After the vows were said, the two were consumed by a golden light as the knowledge and power of passed Matchmakers was once again handed down.
It was quite a sight to behold, although a bit disorienting. After the light dissolved, all that was left standing was him. No longer the young man he once was, he was now aged, his hair once jet black was now silvery gray, his smooth skin now wrinkled. Of course he may have seemed old in appearance, but he was just as spry and youthful as before, taking a good century for his body to finally slow down and deteriorate.
Almost one hundred years had passed with him as acting Matchmaker and soon he would need to hand the reins over to someone else. More and more it was becoming a constant thought for him. He was worried too, not so much by fact that he would be ending his career only to be absorbed into the collective memory of passed Matchmakers, in fact he looked forward to passing the title onto the next pair capable hands. He was, however, still unsure of whom to pass the position on to, thus the source of his worry.
When he was in training, he had the competition of several other young men to keep him on his feet and to continue pursuing his studies. Now it seems he was lucky to have Keitaro in his training at all. He let out a soul cleansing breath, realizing that the humans he watches over maybe losing faith in him and perhaps even the goddess. Therefore, the possible reason for the lack of apprentices. 'Simply a matter to take up during the counsel at the Twilight Gathering,' he thought.
He leaned forward to push himself up, but his old bones got the best of him and he stumbled. Instead of falling however, he was caught by a pair of feminine arms. As he tried to steady himself, he looked up into the face of his rescuer, only to find the face of his Goddess staring back at him. He quickly straightened himself and began to bow, out of both respect and as an apology.
"Stop bowing to me old man, you might break a hip," she said cheerfully. She stood before him, dressed in an elegant black kimono designed with sakura blossoms outlined in silver all throughout the fabric, a silver obi wrapped around her waist. Glinting black obsidian jewelry adorned her collar bone, hair, and the ankles of her bare feet, bringing attention to her dark brown eyes. Her swollen belly, although shrinking with each passing day, symbolized the moon's phase. Just as the new moon grows, becoming full, only to wither, so does the goddess grow from young maiden to mother and finally into the old crone, only to repeat the process over again just as the moon does.
"Forgive me Goddess, I . . . ," he started, but was cut off when she raised her stained palms. The palms of her hands as well as the soles of her feet were dyed with henna, symbolizing the current red state of the moon.
"Old man," she sternly joked. He nodding, letting a small chuckle escape his lips.
"What brings to my humble abode, Goddess," he asked as they began to walk down the path to the willow tree.
"Am I not allowed to visit with my followers or spend time in my own garden?"
"Perhaps, with a minimal admission fee of course," he joked. Once they had reached the sacred tree they sat down on decorative bench nearby.
"I suppose you would like to know the real reason I'm here?" Answered with a brief nod, she continued. "Do you know the why the moon had bled red, Yue-Lao?"
"Seeing as how both partners of my matchmaking are still alive, I suspect a demon has interfered. Nothing that can't be corrected."
"True," she agreed, "with adequate handling, the situation can be dissolved. I've noticed that you've sent your Keitaro out for this one."
Yue-Lao nodded saying, "he needs experience. I believe he can handle this."
"Are you sure? If I recall correctly, your first time separating a human and demon couple was quite the ordeal."
The Matchmaker thought back to the event, and he had to admit it was a difficult situation. The fact that he was so inexperienced at the time did not help, nor the fact that the interfering demon just so happened to be the twin-tailed lord of the western lands. He chuckled silently to himself. Had he known that Inutaisho would have died any way fighting the dragon, Ryukotsusei, he would have left well enough alone. 'Ah, the beauty of hind sight,' he thought. "When dealing with demon lords, things always tend to get a bit messy. I have faith in Keitaro, and besides, he can always summon me if he is in need of guidance. Unless of course, you know something I don't," he asked, cocking an eyebrow to his Goddess.
She chuckled lightly. "Just keep in mind that Sesshoumaru will not die easily nor is there a Ryukotsusei to bail you or Keitaro out of trouble."
As they stood to make their way back to the hut, he replied, "no worries, Goddess. Things always have away of working themselves out."