Chapter 2

The guardian

The first blow thundered against the gate, shaking the entire structure of walls, towers and ground beyond. Fleeing birds emerged from the forests and covered the skies, the sound of their flapping wings mixing with the shouts of the human commanders and cries of scared civilians inside the sealed palace. Sesshomaru waited for an answer, and upon receiving none, he sent another powerful horizontal slash of his whip against the strong doors. Leaping over the walls wasn't an option for now for a powerful barrier of spiritual energy has been assembled above the yards. Eventually their monks and charms would tire, so he waited while punishing the structures. Eventually someone would appear, whether to receive him or try to detain him. Otherwise, he was midway from opening his own door to the palace.

The first signals of fightback came in the form of a volley of arrows, easily reduced to ashes by a single pulse of the daiyokai's demonic energy. Except for one, which he grabbed midair just before it touched his face and then tossed it back against the archer, hitting him in the middle of his breastplate and knocking him from the tower.

...

"There are no reports of enemies nearby from the scouts. Who's attacking this time?" Inside the castle, a group of soldiers hurried down the long corridors toward the yards. The question came from the impatient feudal lord leading the entourage, dressed in his polished and heavy bronze armor, the horned helmet shadowing his features.

"A demon, my liege," an old counselor, marching right behind his master, answered seriously. "Human form, long silver hair, white fur wrapped around his arm, half moon painted in his forehead-"

Captured by that description like a fish in a net, the daimyo immediately stopped and hurled a piercing gaze back to the man.

"...I believe it is him," the counselor finally stated in comprehension to the severity glowing in his master's eyes.

The lord approached the nearest window with vision to the outside grounds and catched a blurred glimpse of the dangerous visitor insistently assaulting the gates. There were no mistakes; Sesshomaru, the first and fearest son of Lord Toga, has resurfaced on the western lands. For two centuries now his whereabouts have been completely unknown, which wasn't exactly an unfortunate fact, since it was widely known among the followers of the Inutaicho that the son did not inherit the love for humans and compassion of the father, and the presence of this mighty demon among the civilians would mean despair and destruction instead of hope and protection. Sesshomaru's appearance in Asagao Castle could only mean one specific thing.

"Assemble the mikos and reinforce the defenses. Do not let him breach the gates." The lord decreed before finally making his way to the yard.

...

"Milord, these cowards won't receive us. Maybe a little fire will help them warm up~" Jaken suggested while gently swaying Nintojo, clearly delighted by his own pun.

"Jaken, step back."

"Milord?"

A strong demonic energy followed by a loud and beastly roar trembled the earth, immediately drawing Sesshomaru's attention to the forest. He pulled his green servant and jumped back in order to avoid a roaring, heavy and large mass that fell to his feet, opening a small crater and cracks on the ground where it landed.

A gust of wind, dust and a black haze circled the new demon's silhouette. It was an ancient and huge bear, twice as tall and many times heavier than the dog daiyokai. His brown and black fur was bristling, and he had long red and white marks on his cheek and forehead, spreading like serpents around his fat neck, torso and front paws. Thick, black and sharp claws poured from his four paws, and acid saliva dripped from his clenched teeth along with a strong and threatening snarl.

Jaken screamed without any composure and ran behind Sesshoumaru's legs. Immune to the fear that the beastly figure in front of him would inflict on any other living creature, the silver haired daiyokai brought his thin hand to the front of his face and extended his own five claws in a silent but clear message. The furious bear charged in his direction, opening his giant mouth and aiming a bite directly to his head, which Sesshomaru evaded with a swift jump over the demon. He tried to put a deep laceration on its back in the process, but the demon's hide has proven to be extremely resistant, even against his poison claws.

The bear stopped in front of the damaged gates defensively, snarling loudly at the invader, wrath pouring as a red glow in his frowned eyes. He didn't seem to scare the people inside the palace as Sesshomaru did. In a matter of fact, several soldiers cheered at his arrival.

"What? A demon, working for these humans?" Jaken left his hideout behind Sesshomaru's mokomoko in order to scold. "Have you no dignity?! Teach him a good lesson, Lord Sesshomaru!"

A new jump to the side was required from Sesshomaru in order to avoid another frontal attack. He punched the bear in the face, tossing its large head to the side, but failing to break its jaw. After some seconds engaged in melee combat, the dog demon managed to impale his arm on the bear's gut, only to have it stuck in there like an axe in a large tree. The bear roared in pain and Sesshomaru scowled in annoyance, preparing for the fangs to come.

"Let go of Lord Sesshomaru you filthy demon! Nintojo! …Eh…" Jaken tried to burn the demon from behind, only to watch his master being bitten on the shoulder and tossed against the trees, and then that large butt growing over himself. The bear snuffled and patted his wound while taking a comfortable sit on the green imp.

"Enough of this foolishness."

Sesshomaru erupted like thunder from the forest, flying on the beast's direction with his demonic energy flowing dangerously around him and a blood-red color replacing the once golden brilliance in his eyes. This time, the ancient demon couldn't follow his moves nor resist to most of his attacks, and eventually Sesshomaru's claws opened a deep, long and bloody gash from the bear's neck to its right arm. The bear landed rolling on the ground, raising dust and spilling black blood. He struggled to get up, but eventually managed to put himself on his hind legs in order to avoid more pain. He roared furiously.

Then a giant gong resounded from the castle, announcing the movements of troops and detaining Sesshomaru's murdering hand and gaze.

The lord of the palace had finally decided to come out of hiding.

The metallic creaking of the flogged gates slowly opening mixed with the sound of horseshoes beating the soil as a small cavalry of ten mounted priestesses armed with bows and ten mounted samurais finally left the safety of the palace. The small number of troops revealed the lord's diplomatic yet wary feelings. They spread out and made way for their lord, this one easily recognizable by his royal tabard, the heavy and polished bronze armor covering him head to toe, and especially the large sword at his waist, resting inside a very specific and detailed sheath.

The lord lept from his stallion, caressed and thanked the wounded bear demon in his path, and finally approached the daiyokai while the remainder of the troops warily took a defensive stance in front of the gates, ready to shoot spiritual arrows at the intruder and cover their lord's back in case things went awful. Sesshomaru watched emotionlessly as the tall and imposing human approached him near enough to show courage, yet distant enough to show respect and caution. As daimyo and daiyokai stood face to face, the former touched his big horned helmet, detached and removed it, freeing a vast amount of long and black hair and stern almond eyes circled by strong eyelashes and purple makeup. Indifferent to the rare fact that a woman somehow climbed to feudal lordship in a country where female humans were reserved for procreation and housework, Sesshomaru slowly lowered his gaze, looking at the unique sword resting beside the common katana at her waist.

"You carry Sojiro's sword," he remarked while turning his golden stare back to the lord's eyes.

"He is my most famous ancestor." She rested the helmet below her arm and bowed her unprotected head solemnly. "I am Sakuya, lady of this castle and head of the Sakagama family. What brings you here, Sesshomaru, son of Toga?"

"You have something of mine." He noticed the discreet tremble in her features as the words left his lips. "Meidenkai. I have come to retrieve it."

"I know not and possess no such thing."

The deceit was written in her face like dirty oil floating on water, and the blatant lie didn't surprise him. Meidenkai has been in possession of her family for over two centuries, and the power of the artifact had certainly yielded them immeasurable benefits. It would be foolish to assume that whoever held the gem would hand it over without resistance, even in face of a plausible threat. He narrowed his gaze.

"Do not play fool nor take us lightly, human!" A wrathful Jaken hurried to answer, pointing his staff to the lord's nose. "It was your ungrateful family that Lord Sesshomaru's honorable father chose to guard his relic for him! Are you confessing to be an irresponsible lady, oblivious to your own belongings and duty? Or perhaps have you been deemed unworthy of inheriting all your family's possessions?"

"You will keep your tongue silent in the presence of lords, imp" she imposed disdainfully. "From the very tragic moment Lord Toga passed from this world, the Sakagama family has been tirelessly defending the borders of the western lands, your very demon lord's forgotten lands, from dreary enemies, diseases and famine. We cannot afford paying attention to some old memento as well."

"You may keep this funny grudge to yourself, woman, for these lands and the petty beings living in them mean very little to me." He almost smiled at that graceful, childish anger dully hidden and growing behind the arrogant serenity in her eyes. As if he owed something to his Father's naïve retainers, or to that meaningless, unfruitful lands of humans. He gave a step forward to approach her further and softly faced the castle behind the lord's back, and he immediately knew that that simple move alarmed her, as it should. "You will answer my question. Where is Meidenkai?"

"What does this relic look like?" she asked diplomatically and with secret sadness, unable to protect her home and servants from the predator's serene gaze.

"Tis an old and purple gem, holding a dark brilliance and powers above your race's comprehension," the dog demon lord replied.

"There must be a reason why this item, if it really exists, is not registered in our inventory. I will search for information regarding it and send you a message should I find any, you have my word."

"The word of a human." He scowled, with disdain dripping from his cold and calm words. "You have until tomorrow's twilight. Do try to escape or to further deceive me, and your petty subjects will not live to cry over their lord's foolish decision."

Upon finishing his matters, and without the need of waiting any further response, Sesshomaru turned on his heels and made his way towards the forest he came from, followed by his stumbling and inquisitive demon servant, leaving a speechless, motionless and stern feudal lord behind, fiercely glaring at his back as if she could lit him on fire with that single and fierce stare. It mattered little to him if that trifling human was lying or not, if she was trying to protect the gem or to protect her own ambitions toward the artifact, or if she was indeed oblivious to the relic's existence.

She certainly understood that time was at the essence, and his patience was not to be tried.